The story of the day was the longball launched by Larry “Chipper” Jones, the 450th of his Hall of Fame-worthy career. The home run moved Jones into sole possession of 33rd place on the all-time list, breaking a tie with former Houston hero Jeff Bagwell.

A quick list of the players in that area of the home run list reveals a veritable “Who’s Who” of the this past generation of players. I gave the nod to Bagwell.

• Baltimore DH Vladimir Guerrero has hit 446 career home runs.
• Albert Pujols hit his 440th career home run on Wednesday night (38th all-time, and two more than Hall of Fame inductee Andre Dawson).
• Jose Canseco owns 462 bombs.

Next up on the list is Boston legend Carl Yastrzemski at 452.

Jones has driven in 1,550 runs during his career. The seven-time All-Star moved into a 41st-place tie with Harmon favorite (and Tom Emanski video hero) Fred McGriff.

Northwestern University has put together a Heisman campaign for quarterback Dan Persa, who is returning from an ACL injury. When asked about his quarterback’s comeback and the limp exhibited in camp, Fitzgerald responded with a drop-the-mic line …

‘‘Your limp could be somebody else’s pimp walk.”

Read about Persa’s run on the comeback trail. Coach Fitzgerald drops the line of the week

I opened the early fantasy schedule (you know. that little window post-NFL Draft) with Adrian Peterson in the top slot. As I’ve followed player movements and watched offenses change, my thinking has changed as well. I’ve vaulted Kansas City tailback Jamaal Charles into the top slot.

That’s right. I’m turning back the clock and invoking the spirit and memory of former fantasy football legend (fantasy Hall of Famer!) Priest Holmes.

I’ll make my full speech and argument in support of Charles on The Fantasy Freaks on FOX Sports Radio next Sunday, August 14th.

What say you?

Are you a Foster, Johnson, Peterson or dare I say – Vick – supporter?

Price was the unfortunate victim who served up hit number 3,000 to Derek Jeter and began the whole Christian Lopez debacle. He’s decided to make some lemonade and beef up the 401K by autographing photos and baseballs.

The details are contained in the Beckett report below. You can get a single-signed photo of a dejected Price watching Jeter round the bases. Or, you can go for the dual-signed 16×20 or dial up a baseball. Be prepared to fork over some big-time dollars.

Making Lemonade After Serving up 3,000

Congratulations to the US Women’s Soccer Team for advancing to the World Cup Final by defeating France by a score of 3-1. There were some anxious moments for the United States following that early goal that put them ahead 1-0. France seemed to gain momentum in the second half after tying things up, but they finished with a flurry.

The star of the tournament is goaltender Hope Solo. She’s the voice of the squad and the face being put out as the ambassador. A couple trading card companies wisely added Solo to their rosters for 2011 products. Topps included Solo in its Allen & Ginter product, while Upper Deck (see below) included Solo as part of its Goodwin Champions set.

He reduced his ERA to a ridiculous 1.87 mark (1.06 WHIP) and earned his 12th win of the season. Jurrjens has achieved these heights despite posting a low strikeout rate of 5.3 batters per nine innings. It’s helped markedly that Jurrjens has averages 2.03 walks per nine innings.

When you look into the splits, nothing stands out in the raw stats. His groundball-to-flyball ratio is sub-1.00, and I’ve already mentioned the low strikeout rate. Still, Jurrjens has made pitches when they’ve counted, and he’s been ultra-efficient. He completes innings at an average of 14.4 pitches per frame to tie for fifth in Major League Baseball. Interestingly, Jurrjens has earned decisions in 15 of 16 starts.

If only for one night, Tito Ortiz turned back the hands of time and reminded us how he helped push UFC bouts to a new level years ago. Ortiz was fighting for his legacy and most definitely for his job on Saturday night.

1. He hadn’t won since his 2006 bout against Ken Shamrock and a forced retirement loomed had he lost.
2. Ortiz had battled neck and back injuries for years and absorbed losses as a result.
3. His strained relationship with Dana White certainly loomed in the background of this event.

Instead of bowing out and walking off into his other business ventures and training complexes, Ortiz took down Ryan Bader with a right hand and then submitted him with a guillotine. He earned a tasty $75,000 bonus for his effort with the “Submission of the Night.”

The crowd erupted and my Twitter and Facebook pages were instantly overloaded with messages about the outcome.

All of the most recent notes about Ortiz came outside of The Octagon. Yes, I watched his efforts on “The Celebrity Apprentice.” And, of course, everyone knows that he married former porn star Jenna Jameson and that they are parents of twins. Then, there was a highly-publicized and confusing 2010 domestic incident in Huntington Beach to the side for this purpose. Ortiz was charged with felony domestic violence, though the initial complaints were later recanted.

Enough about that. This piece is written to celebrate Ortiz’s return to the Win column and to bring back some of the memories (or perhaps to introduce the footage to new UFC aficionados) of those formative years of the UFC.

It was a night for everyone told “you’re old,” “you’re done,” or “you can’t compete,” in whatever circumstance – job, sports, school, etc.

Fight on.

Be it a television show, off-Broadway play or film, you could just envision the poster.

LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Derrick Rose received all of the hype and press. The Heat were set up as the villain in this battle against the league’s MVP. In fact, I lost count of the number of times that I heard the words “everyone who doesn’t live in Miami is cheering for the Bulls” uttered this week.

I don’t quite understand it. The same public that cheers for the bad guy at the movies, the “heel” in professional wrestling and the shirtless dude on “Cops” is actively rooting against the Heat.

And sure, James took center stage in Game 2, but the leader of the Heat’s high-profile trio has been the oft-dismissed Chris Bosh. Bosh was quiet at times during the regular season and his abilities, even his very manhood, have been questioned in the press.

Right now, Bosh is standing tall in the Eastern Conference Finals. He scored 34 points in Game 1 on 13-of-18 shooting (8-for-10 free throws) in the Heat’s crushing loss. Bosh scored 10 points with eight rebounds in the team’s Game 2 win in Chicago, and then rolled up a huge effort in the Game 3 win at home. He scored 30 points on 12-for-18 shooting with nine rebounds to give the Heat a 2-1 series lead.

At times, Game 3 evolved into a game of 1-on-1 between Bosh and Carlos Boozer. Remember, both were high-priced additions this off-season, and they’ll be inextricably linked forever. And, though Boozer posted a tremendous Game 3 stat line, Bosh was the more consistent and all-around better player in that contest.

James and Wade will continue to get their headlines. Others will focus on the lack of defensive cohesion and rotations by the Bulls and the lack of help for Derrick Rose. There’s enough ink to go around.

Just don’t forget to shoot some praise for Bosh’s play in this series … even if you limit it to 140 characters.

The Heat took down the 76ers in the first game of the night to set up a highly-anticipated series with the Celtics.

The Spurs then needed a miracle shot from Gary Neal to force overtime. Tony Parker, who struggled early in the game, found his stroke in the fourth quarter to help the effort.

And then, there was the nightcap. The Oklahoma City Thunder sought to close out their series against the Denver Nuggets in front of the home crowd. It was a rough, physical game that included a number of heroic efforts. Most will turn to the huge offensive production put forth by Kevin Durant and heap praises upon him. I certainly don’t blame them, as Durant was his normally dominant self.

However, for this week’s FMC award, I’m offering a one-man clap for his teammate, Serge Ibaka. Ibaka scored a single point in Wednesday’s series-clincher (Durant had 41), but dominated the glass with eight rebounds while rejecting nine shots. That’s right. He swatted away nine shots and redirected countless others to aid the cause. Today, we salute the defense.

After a few rounds of jokes regarding pregnancy scares, the discussion splintered into two areas. Where would the Rays find the offense they expected the veteran hitter to produce? Is Manny still a Hall of Famer?

The first is definitely up for debate, particularly with Evan Longoria still sidelined. Sam Fuld (.321 batting average) has been a highlight machine (both good and bad at the plate and in the field), but no other everyday player except for B.J. Upton is batting higher than .235. Johnny Damon is hitting .189  after a 3-for-5 night on Monday. Ben Zobrist crept past the Mendoza Line with his three-hit night.

In short, there’s a lot that needs to be fixed in this lineup for the Rays to get competitive. Desmond Jennings offers some big-time speed once he gets called up. Power in the post-Pena and Crawford era is going to be sparse.

That other question is a true head-scratcher. It comes down to the George Clooney declaration to Matt Damon in “Ocean’s Eleven.”

“You’re either in or you’re out. Right now.”

You either admit players from the PED era in or you don’t.

To try and play the guessing game about when a player became “tainted” is a fool-hearty proposition. We saw the swelling of heads, biceps and quads during the decade. We watched and applauded as the pinball-like numbers changed the record books forever. Baseball’s top executives and team management celebrated the “cha-ching” sound made at the turnstiles and the game’s new era of popularity and highlight-worthy blasts. The players were superheroes. Their tight uniforms might have well had cool logos on them. Oh, wait. They did.

The Hall of Fame voters have been looking at this for a couple years now. Mark McGwire, now an admitted user, has appeared on the ballot for several years and has never received more than 25% backing. Rafael Palmeiro appeared on the ballot for the first time in 2011 and received 11% of the vote required for election. Palmeiro’s 569 home runs and 3,020 hits normally warrant a king’s welcome. Instead, questions about his positive test (which he blamed on a B-12 shot) prompted many writers to leave him off of their ballots.

And then there’s the curious case of Barry Bonds. The jury is currently out, considering three counts of making false statements to a grand jury and one count of obstruction of justice related to questions about steroids and HGH. Bonds exited the game with 762 home runs, 1,996 RBI, 514 stolen bases and 2,935 hits.

Bonds is the poster child in this “he was in before …” debate. We know that he changed physically and became a behemoth in his later years, protected by the famous arm and shin guards (I would like some for my man-cave wall if anybody has an angle). The argument goes that Bonds was already a 300-300 player before he allegedly entered the PED netherworld.

Again, who is to say when that started? If he’s found guilty in this current trial, is Bonds still a Hall of Famer? If he’s acquitted, I don’t suspect that public sentiment changes. Do we just make our comparisons of trading card photos the line of demarcation and call it two careers?

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Some make the case for Mark McGwire, but I’m not certain that I understand if we’re arbitrarily picking starting points for substance use. McGwire had ripped 220 home runs before injuries limited him to 74 games combined in the 1993 and 1994 seasons. He played in 104 games and hit 39 home runs in 1995, and the chase for his immortality was on. McGwire would hit 245 home runs in the next four seasons before  injuries would run their course and limit his availability in the 2000 and 2001 seasons. He still hit a total of 61 home runs in 535 at-bats in those final two seasons.

Where are we drawing the imaginary line for McGwire? Does it go back to pre-1995? Do we look to the final two years and his struggles to get on the field? Or, does the 1998 home run race with Sammy Sosa erase everything else?

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That brings me to Ramirez. If you’re trying to find the physical changes that have become the starting point for the Bonds and Sammy Sosa discussions, then you’re going to have a hard time with Manny. And the hair ….

He got popped multiple times in this hyper-vigilant era. Is he automatically disqualified from Hall of Fame consideration?

Where’s his cut-off line?

If we go to the 2009 season at Ramirez’s first failed test, then he’d already amassed 527 home runs with 1,725 RBI, 12 All-Star selections, a lifetime batting average of .315 and the two World Series rings earned in Boston (2004 World Series MVP).

That certainly seems Hall-worthy with room to spare.

Which “Manny being Manny” moment creates that distinction, that proverbial “line in the sand?” His exit from Boston was unorthodox and unpopular, but that doesn’t negate the numbers he’d accumulated.

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Manny, Palmeiro and Bonds all have mighty interesting careers to try and sort through. Manny failed his tests and went on vacation. Palmeiro maintains his innocence, and people go to jail rather than speaking about Bonds.

Without that smoking gun, something fool-proof to document an early introduction of the substances, how do we pick a date by which to evaluate the candidates?

Should they all get in? Do they all stay out? After all, McGwire played under the old rules, and Manny and Palmeiro had done their damage before the new rules were implemented.

I’ll offer a compromise on McGwire. Maybe he goes in as a contributor for his 1998 heroics and the national media attention for baseball?

As for Palmeiro and Manny, I’d certainly give them the nod over McGwire, and Manny would be the leader in the clubhouse from that trio. Bonds trumps them all.

If the Hall of Fame is meant to chronicle the history of the game and celebrate the best of each era, then this era cannot get excised altogether. Everyone associated with the game and those fans who watched it ignored the shadows and lauded the accomplishments. I dust off the image of Russell Crowe shouting, “Were you not entertained?” in “Gladiator.”

I’ll be curious to see how the voters treat Frank Thomas, Ken Griffey, Jr., Mike Piazza and the next round of consideration for players such as Jeff Bagwell and Juan Gonzalez.

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Don’t worry. I’ll circle back the last of this crew (for now), Roger Clemens, at a later date.

The summary statement is this: baseball is back. Sure, it’ll take a few weeks before things shake out and the contenders and pretenders for this season are determined. Along the way, we’ll see a ton of injuries (Evan Longoria is the latest A-lister to hit the shelf) and teams will churn through their farm systems to find the next big thing.

It’s a marathon and not a sprint. You’ll see me offering lines about risers, fallers and waiver wire pickups along the way. Just remember. Don’t overreact. There’s a lot of time left before the playoffs roll upon us.

Just celebrate its return. The folks in Pittsburgh, Baltimore, Kansas City and New York (The Mets!) awaken to winning records on Monday. The Royals and Orioles sit atop the standings!

Welcome back, old friend.

Bynum obviously didn’t get dealt during that period, and we’re finally seeing him play to expectations. He’s logged a double-digit rebound total in nine of his past 11 games (six double-doubles). Bynum snatched 15 or more rebounds in five of his past six games.

Skeptics wonder if he’ll be able to bang and bruise his way through the playoffs without sustaining another injury. Fantasy owners and Lakers fans will celebrate his dominance at a scarce position while they can.

Rodgers passed for 366 yards with three touchdowns and added a rushing touchdown in the 48-21 blowout win over Atlanta. He completed 31-of-36 attempts and could not be stopped. Just look at the Packers’ five touchdown drives. The shortest was 50 yards.

That’s it. I don’t need to belabor the point.