Lalich transferred to Oregon as soon as his run in Charlottesville went to hell, and, because of some weird quirk having something to do with his new school being on a quarter system and not semesters, he'll be eligible to play this season.

If the punishment schedule announced last year still holds, Lalich should get his drivers license back this week from Virginia authorities. It makes sense that Lalich would be on a practice field this time of year, but... Why isn't he in Oregon?

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Another formerly local athlete in some legal heat, and not dealing real well with it: Antonio Pierce, the ex-Redskins linebacker turned Giant person of interest in the Plaxico Burress thigh blast case, is making enemies with his tweets.

(AFTER THE JUMP: Examiner column calls out Duds? Godly folks are coming after the racist Redskins? Who says Cal Ripken and/or Eddie Murray were juiced? FedExField also sucks for things other than football games? Jeremy Mayfield called his stepmomma THAT? Van Pelt goes for big bucks, but Czarniak goes bid-less?)

After testifying before a grand jury, Pierce, who could face weapons charges of his own, twatted: "sometimes u have to Draw a line in the Stand and see what side PEOPLE are on.. Well damn heres the Line!!...A coward dies many deaths but a soldier only dies ONCE!!"

Let others say Pierce's behavior here is off — The New York Post called him "Tweet-le Dum Dum" — but he had me at "line in the Stand"...

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John Keim at the Examiner has a nice addition to his paper's Skins coverage: the "Studs and Duds" column. At the end of each day of practice, Keim calls out folks who make plays, and those who mistakes. Sure, it's impossible to watch everything that goes on during workouts, so Keim misses at least half the big plays and half the, well, duds. But call-out columns make things interesting. If a guy screws up in practice, why not write about it? Don't say he's mean to his mother or he's a dog killer (unless it's, well, you know) ! Just say he blew this or that. I read every day.

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The roots don't get any grassier: A religious group in Delaware has made changing the name of the Redskins a top priority. The Peninsula-Delaware Conference of the United Methodist Church, which represents 464 churches and claims about 100,000 congregants, has stopped using FedEx's package delivery services becuase that company is a major sponsor of the Washington Redskins. There are tentative plans to hold rallies at Redskins games this season, also. The team's name is "racially demeaning," church leaders explained in announcing the FedEx boycott. I always love to hear folks argue the other side of this issue, since, well, there isn't another side.

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'Course, the racist team name isn't the only reason some folks stay away from FedExField. In fact, FedExField all by itself gives more fans the motivation to stay home. Venue-related problems during Paul McCartney's appearance on Saturday added to the stadium's shitty legend.

Real Madrid shows up this weekend!

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Road to Ripken™ Update: ESPN quoted Jose Canseco, the Deep Throat of the Dead Balls Era, as saying that the Hall of Fame has at least one P.E.D.-ophile.

Canseco didn't drop the name, however.

We know by now that everything Canseco says is proven true after a brief delay. So who slipped through the cracks at Cooperstown? A blog post about Canseco's statements at USA Today's website generated more guesses about famous former Orioles — Eddie Murray and Cal Ripken, specifically — than those from any other team.

So, come on, Cal. Confess. Say you used 'roids. Even if you didn't. Then we can all move on. The game needs you!

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Feeling sorry for yourself? Yeah, me too!

So, together let's mull the State of Jeremy Mayfield. First NASCAR kicked him off the track for allegedly testing positive for methamphetamine after a race in Richmond. Then he went public saying he'd ever used the drug. Must be cold medicine, he said. Then NASCAR said "Oh Really?" and released the results of ANOTHER recent test where Mayfield's pee pee was allegedly tainted. He's still claiming a frame job, but he's done on the track. And now his stepmother has sued him for saying, "She's basically a whore. She shot and killed my dad."

I'm no F. Lee Bailey, but I think his "basically"'s like my"allegedly" here.

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Bobblehead Update: The Scott Van Pelt bobblehead twins, from a Bowie Baysox giveaway, just sold for $88 plus postage on eBay. The auction of Lindsay Czarniak's 'head, a 2008 Baysox freebie, ends today at around 11:30 a.m. The creepy vendor is asking about $70. So far, alas, Czarniak has gotten no bids.

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Story tips? Wanna Play the Feud? Tube amps for sale? Send to: cheapseats@washingtoncitypaper.com

Perhaps what set off the Giants was Burress' behavior in a March 18 traffic stop in south Florida. The 6-foot-5 receiver was reportedly driving like "he was going to kill somebody," according to a police report cited in an account in the New York Post. It was apparently Burress's fifth traffic violation in a month.

Once pulled over, Burress acted like a guy who'd learned nothing from the events of the past six months. Here's the Post's news account:

The embattled gridder– who was released by the Giants on Friday and faces 3½ years in prison on a gun-possession charge after shooting himself in the leg at a Manhattan nightclub on Nov. 29 — followed every question and command with a "F- – - you," according to the citation.

How's that for making T.O. look like an angel?

In other not-really-news, visitors overwhelmed the District this weekend, in every possible way, crowding and closing off the streets, jamming the Mall for just-past-peak cherry blossoms, checking out and participating in parades, and so on. It was enough to make me feel anxious for a sweltering, humid weekend deep in August when the Mall looks and feels like the Sahara.

One of my weekend obsessions these days is what Andy Alexander, the Washington Post's ombudsman, is saying about things at the city's long-dominant daily. This week he's writing about how the paper doesn't do a good job of disclosing its ethical and reportorial standards, as other prominent papers do.

OK, so disclosing them to the public is one thing–good point, ombo.

But then he takes it one step further: "A separate question is whether The Post adheres to the policies in place. In my first two months as ombudsman, I've found a disturbing lack of attention to the standards and ethics rules."

Alexander then goes on to talk about how "a surprising number of staffers told me it's been years since they reviewed them." So the lack of attention to the standards doesn't mean that Alexander has found actual violations of the standards, just that people aren't, like, having in-house seminars about them.

That seems like a non-issue. If you want to talk about the standards and rules, can't we come up with some sort of wrongdoing first?

Unreal: The Washington Times sent someone overseas to cover President Obama. We are talking original WashTimes content here!

WaPo has the scoop on tourism season here in D.C.: It's up! Actually, it's down. Well, maybe in-between, or something like that. You try to figure it out.

An amazing bit of insight from a WaPo subhed on the fate of the national economy: First quarter ended on an upswing, but it is not certain that the worst of the crisis has passed. Now that's taking a stance!

Over the objections of President-elect Barack Obama and the Democratic leadership in Congress, embattled Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich has chosen Plaxico Burress to replace Obama in the United States Senate.

The selection of Burress, the New York Giants’ star wide receiver who faces criminal charges after accidentally shooting himself in the leg last month, took lawmakers by surprise.  Blagojevich, himself facing federal prosecution for corruption, was not expected to fill the vacant Senate seat, but he said that the opportunity to select Burress was “too good to pass up.”

“In Plaxico Burress, we have a man who has inspired millions of average Americans to dream that they too can someday make headlines – in both the sports section and the police blotter,” said Blagojevich. “Sure, he doesn’t have any political experience or knowledge of what goes on in the Senate, but he does have heart. That, and millions of dollars to contribute to my 2016 presidential campaign.”

Blagojevich turned to Burress after approaching dozens of other candidates who all turned down the job, fearing that an endorsement from the Illinois governor could ruin their careers.  Burress’ career, though, has nowhere to go but up.  Consumed by his court proceedings, he also appears to be the only person in America who is completely unaware of the scandal that has enveloped Blagojevich.

“I thank the governor for overlooking the fact that I’ve never lived in Illinois and drafting me for this important position,” Burress said in accepting the nomination.  “The U.S. Senate is a place where I can speak my mind and not get fined for it.”

After the press conference, Obama released a statement condemning Blagojevich’s move.

“Plaxico Burress would be on anyone’s short list for the Senate,” he said.  “But how can he properly serve the people of Illinois when Gov. Blagojevich has rubbed his taint all over him?”

No one was available for comment.