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UFC President Dana White and former UFC fighter Tito Ortiz hate each other, but that doesn't mean they won't work together. The longer Ortiz goes without signing on with another mixed martial arts organization, the more I think that if he does fight again (instead of being a full-time dad), he's going to fight in UFC.

The latest example is White's interview with Sergio Non of USA Today in which he refuses to rule out the possibility that he and Ortiz could work together again:

Given what you guys said about each in the months leading up to his last fight, how realistic is to expect Tito to ever fight in UFC again?

Listen, me and Tito didn't say anything worse than what we said before he came back and became a coach on The Ultimate Fighter. Tito and I do not like each other. We do not. It's 100% real, we don't like each other at all, but it doesn't mean we haven't done business together before.

So you have no problem putting aside personal feelings for business?

Sometimes. We did for a lot of years.

The bottom line, I believe, is that both White and Ortiz want to make money, and they can both make more money together than they can apart. I'm not sure that Ortiz even wants to put his body through the rigors of continuing to fight in MMA, but if he does, it may still be in UFC.

There's a somewhat different take on this, also worth reading, at Bloody Elbow.

Bob Hayes was one of the greatest athletes in history, an Olympic gold medalist, the fastest man in the world in the 1960s and a good wide receiver for the Dallas Cowboys.

But now that he's a seniors committee nominee for the Pro Football Hall of Fame, it must be said: He doesn't merit induction in Canton.

Hayes took the NFL by storm as a rookie in 1965, catching 46 passes for 1,003 yards and leading the league in touchdown catches with 12. In 1966 he was even better, with 64 catches for 1,232 yards and a league-leading 13 touchdowns.

But then something happened: Opposing coaches realized that they'd never be able to match up a defensive back one-on-one with Hayes, so they started to employ zone defenses. And that pretty much worked. Hayes' receiving yards steadily decreased, and after being a Pro Bowler in each of his first three NFL seasons, he never was again.

When Olympic gymnast Nastia Liukin appeared on Jay Leno, it was the other guest, Norm Macdonald, who stole the show:

Leno said to Liukin, "I want to ask you about the uneven bars, because a lot of us thought you got robbed."

Liukin launched into a long explanation of the tiebreaking procedures that led her getting a silver medal even though she had the same score as the Chinese gold medalist. Liukin's explanation was long and confusing, and finally Macdonald interrupted to say, "No offense, but that sounds like a bunch of commie gobbledygook."

Amen, Norm.

Asked about the age of the Chinese gymnasts, Liukin noted that she likely would have made the 2004 Olympic team were it not for the minimum age rule, and said, "I just know that I play by the rules. In our country we do."

Brian Kenny of ESPN is the smartest boxing commentator on television, and he had an interesting comment about the size difference between Oscar De La Hoya and Manny Pacquaio, who will announce today that they will fight on December 6:

"Both guys are legitimately great, but it's like a handicap match," Kenny said. "Why Oscar, who's like 5-10 and a half, against a guy who's 5-5-ish. What type of shot will people give Pacquiao?"

I agree with what ESPN's Dan Rafael said in response: "Yes, Oscar is the bigger fighter. ... But Manny Pacquaio is a southpaw, he's got great speed. ... This is no easy fight for Oscar."

I was surprised that De La Hoya is such a heavy favorite, and I think people might be overestimating the importance of De La Hoya's size advantage. De La Hoya is bigger, but Pacquiao is younger and quicker, and I wouldn't be at all surprised if he pulls the upset.

Whaaaaaaa? Marion Barber might not be the only option in Dallas??? Go on ...

Winning your fantasy draft is easy. And free. Well actually, the free part is easier than the easy part, if that makes sense. (Why? Because you only need to hit up FleaFlicker and rock out all the free fantasy football you can find.)

But easy isn't hard, and before I actually start confusing myself, let's cut to the chase: there are tons of "sleeper" backs in fantasy football drafts this year. And, handily, they can be broken up into convenient little tiers.

Power Naps
Chester Taylor, MIN -- I know, right? He's not even really a sleeper, just because he'll see tons of carries. But the fact, whether or not you choose to recognize it with your number one overall pick, is that Adrian Peterson hasn't finished a full season of football since he started getting money to play football. Or, if you prefer, since high school. If he goes down again, Taylor will be an absolute monster.

Ronnie Brown, MIA -- Brown just returned to practicing sans cast but all you hear out of Miami is "Ricky this, Ricky that", because everyone thinks Ricky Williams will start and carry the rock for the Fins. I'm not buying it, personally. Brown was a top five running back on easily the worst team in the entire league -- one that should have been passing from the 10 minute mark of the first quarter based on deficits -- until he got injured. Sure, he might not dive right in and be a dominant back, but when he's your RB3 or RB4, the upside is too good to pass up.

After giving up a single run in the first inning last night, Roy Oswalt shut down the Reds over the next six, picking up the win. I know, I know, it was really quite shocking. In his 27th career appearance against the Reds, he improved to an amazing 22-1. That's not a typo: twenty-two and one!

Here's John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer (before the win was officially wrapped up) trying to wrap his head around Oswalt's pure and utter domination:

Studying the numbers from Oswalt v. Reds, it's hard to understand how he's 21-1. He was great against the Reds in his first three starts -- 23 innings, one run. Since then, he's been good. He has a 3.08 ERA. That's only slightly better than his career ERA of 3.19. But he's 102-62 against the rest of baseball. That's a .621 percentage. Again, good. But not an other-worldly .955.

How good is .955? The next best by someone with 20 decisions or more against the Reds is .696 (16-7 by Bob Welch).

Looking at Oswalt's 27 games as a whole, he's posted a 2.50 ERA against the Reds. In his 23 games against the Pirates, on the other hand, he's posted a similar 2.57 ERA but has a relatively pedestrian 11-6 record to show for it. Obviously there's some luck at play, but it makes you wonder if he has something against the fair city of Cincinnati. Did he eat a bad batch of Skyline Chili? Did Pete Rose welch on a bet? Did Carson Palmer fail him in his fantasy football playoffs? What's the deal?

When you win eight gold medals at one Olympics, you get to do a lot of neat stuff when you get home. SI covers, Corn Flakes boxes, Speedo deals and media demands.

Michael Phelps will do just that, as he will host the season premiere of "Saturday Night Live". The show kicks off its 34th season on September 13th with Lil' Wayne as the musical guest.

Of course, it is always dicey when an athlete hosts SNL. Some do really well (Peyton Manning) while others have come off bland (LeBron James). Some just stunk up the joint (Lance Armstrong).

Others have had iconic appearances. There was Michael Jordan hanging with Stuart Smalley ... Tom Brady in "Sexual Harassment and You" skit ... and Joe Montana as a chronic masturbator. Let's see what the writers can come up with for the great Olympian.

Michael Phelps is a bit of an unknown. Aside from the fact that he's a ridiculous swimmer, we don't too much about his personality. I guess we'll find out in a few weeks.

Chris Mullin is a rock. He is an island.

He is incredibly chill about losing his $66 million point-guard for 4 months.

As reported by the irreplaceable Tim Kawakami, Mullin told local reporters that though disheartened by the loss of Monta Ellis for the start of the season, he is not in panic mode. Kawakami reports that Mullin and Don Nelson are looking at their options, including inserting Marcus Williams as starter, or going to a bigger lineup with Stephen Jackson and Corey Maggette. Mullin also said he will be going to a long-scheduled meeting in Chicago with former Clipper Shaun Livingston. Livingston, as you may know, kind of has his own injury issues to work out, but Mullin says he's not in any rush because he "has enough ball-handlers, even without Ellis."

While the Warriors are archetypically comprised of big men that can run and score, they still need a central point guard, and preferably one with speed, to execute Don Nelson's offense. The idea of a Stephen Jackson-Corey Maggette-Brandon Wright/Anthony Randolph-Al Harrington- Andris Biedrins lineup is fascinating, though. It would be like a fleet of giraffes. Not going to frighten you in any respect, but you will stop and watch it for a while, just because it's so bizarre. My first thought when I heard about the Ellis injury, other than "Fate is cruel" was "They should look at Livingston." Livingston had a ton of talent and potential before his knee exploded like the Fourth of July, and he's worth taking a look at.

Hey, at least you can see the worst case coming in that scenario.

Manny Pacquiao is the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world, but he'll enter the ring as an underdog when he moves up from lightweight to welterweight to fight Oscar De La Hoya on December 6.

Bodog has posted the odds on the fight, which was first reported today:

Who will win the fight between Oscar De La Hoya and Manny Pacquiao?
Oscar De La Hoya -400
Manny Pacquiao +300

How many rounds will the fight last?
Over 9 ½ Even
Under 9 ½ -135

Those odds show a clear expectation that Pacquiao will struggle to move up from 135 pounds to 147 pounds, and that De La Hoya, fighting at closer to his natural weight, should be able to finish his smaller opponent.

I'm not so sure. I think Pacquiao might just have the punching power to knock out the biggest opponent he's ever fought. I can't wait to find out.

Shot the day before Team USA left for China, this latest must-see video from Chris Bosh is a quick, candid and entertaining look at what it's like to sit down for some Wendy's with Deron Williams, Dwight Howard, Chris Paul and LeBron James. Honestly, when was the last time you rolled into a San Francisco gas station and stumbled upon five of the best hoopsters on the planet? Such scenarios just do not happen all that often.

LeBron James: "Man, you get a burger, get you some gas, and get you some coffee then stay on the road for another five hours in this joint."

Chris Paul: "... and some Slim Jims ..."

Deron Williams: "I'm from Dallas ... I eat Rudy's ..."

I don't get all of it, but ... classic.