The current Batman craze has inspired me to drop everything else and become completely evil. My only issue is that I don't really have an interesting back story laid out. Maybe somebody just looked at me the wrong way and at that moment it clicked that this was who I'm supposed to be. I don't know. We'll work on it.

Really not a whole lot going on out there, but here are a few items worth checking out.

  Jody Demling and Jeff Goodman both weigh in with their takes on day one of AAU action in Las Vegas, but neither provides much fodder for U of L fans.

There's no link for it yet, but Peyton Siva's Seattle Rotary club won it's Vegas opener in double overtime, with Siva netting the game-winner.

  John Thompson II talks with Lance Pugmire of the LA Times about the state of amateur basketball, and offers up perhaps my favorite recruiting-related quote of all-time.

"You don't know who . . . to talk to anymore," Thompson said. "You're hearing the kid saying he's a McDonald's All-American. McDonald's isn't evaluating anyone, these kids couldn't even get a free cheeseburger from McDonald's after playing in the game. Rather than worry about that, just work on your game.

More from JT II.

"It just seems to me that too many people now are uncontrollable."

He added, "We've created an atmosphere where the kid thinks he's entitled to this. . . . He sees the NCAA making billions, the coach taking extra money from shoe contracts, but I don't excuse the kid.

"Athletics mend fences and build bridges that allow us to cross to an area we couldn't get to before, but the kid needs to participate in the system without violating it, and he knows when he is."

I've always been much more of a JT III guy (let's face it, he's awesome), but this leads me to believe that the elder Thompson and I might be able to have some solid angry old man conversations about basketball over a pint or 17.

  A three-game ticket package for the upcoming U of L football season went on sale this morning. The package costs $135 and features tickets for the Tennessee Tech (Sept. 6), Kansas State (Sept. 17) and Connecticut (Sept. 26) games.

Me thinks the athletic office is trying to ensure maximum attendance for the relatively unappealing Tennessee Tech tilt, especially with the possibility out there that the game six days before won't go according to plan.

  Mark Schlabach of ESPN counts down the best quarterbacks in the Big East, and puts Hunter Cantwell behind only West Virginia's Pat White.

2. Hunter Cantwell, Louisville: Cardinals coach Steve Kragthorpe and his predecessor, current Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino, are convinced Cantwell has an NFL-type body and arm. The senior started only four games in place of injured Brian Brohm the last three seasons, but he was effective when given an opportunity. Cantwell won't have top wideouts Mario Urrutia, Harry Douglas and Gary Barnidge.

I think Grothe probably deserves the nod at No. 2, but what I disagree with even more is Cincinnati's Dustin Grutza landing all the way down at No. 8. The guy was a starter as a freshman and a sophomore, and was the league's Offensive Player of the Week in the only game he started a year ago, but he's stuck behind Bill Stull and Andrew Robinson? I respectfully beg to differ.

  Rivals' Kendall Rogers chimes in on Chris Dominguez's amateur status, and confirms that the reigning co-Big East Player of the Year is still likely to return to U of L for one more run.

  And finally, if there's one thing I'm looking forward to this season, it's see-....WNBA FFIIGGHHTT!!!!!!!

So Lisa Leslie, likely the greatest female basketball player of all-time, punched an opposing coach.

Your move, MJ.