Weekly Rundown: J.R. Smith, Bugel, Arenas

Weekly Rundown is a combination of links and brief comments on stories and topics that I couldn't get to during the week. If there's something important that I missed, don't hesitate to send an email or leave a comment.

• Tim Keown on the annual MLB saga involving beanballs and angry hitters:
  

  
  Through it all, there is no end to the hand wringing from MLB headquarters, where everyone furrows their brows and interviews the umpires and issues the fines. They're very serious about this business.
  
  That's their first -- and biggest -- mistake.
  
  If they want to clean up this part of the game, there's a really easy answer: Stop trying so hard.
  
  If you don't want Fielder to rush the Dodgers' clubhouse, let him rush the mound. Get out of the way, and get the umpires out of the way. And for the sake of all that's right with the world, get the suits out of the way.
  
  Think of it as going organic, letting nature take its course.
  
  Let them fight. Let them do what they want to do. Let the game police itself the way it did before every game was televised and every highlight dissected.
  

  
  I don't know if I agree with him or not, but Kevin Youkilis certainly does. [ESPN]


• Adrian Wojnarowski provides an interesting look at J.R. Smith of the Nuggets. [Yahoo! Sports]


• The New Mexico State football program needs some help:
  

  
  In a twist on Little League moms lining up with after-game treats, New Mexico State's budget-conscious football staff distributed an e-mail this week asking fans to donate after-practice or late-night snacks for hungry players.
  
  It's a consequence of the national economy, of course.
  
  "It's a decision we had to make with regard to our meals," first-year coach DeWayne Walker said Thursday. "There are a lot of other areas where we have to make tough choices with how we're going to spend our money."
  

  
  I hope they like oatmeal cookies, orange slices, and Capri Suns. [ESPN]


• Joe Posnanski counts down the worst contracts in baseball and concludes that "we should just start referring to bad baseball contracts as 'Ricciardis.'" [Joe Posnanski]


• Joe Bugel still loves football -- and violence. [D.C. Sports Bog]


• According to several reports, Gilbert Arenas is back on the court and is looking solid. [Truth About It]


• After homering today, Nick Markakis has reached base in 36 consecutive games. [School of Roch]


• Marc Hulet thinks that Brad Bergesen, Matt Wieters, and Nolan Reimold all have at least a shot of winning the AL Rookie of the Year award. [FanGraphs]


• The Redskins have announced changes to their Twitter policy:
  

  
  The Redskins announced Sunday that media organizations covering the team can no longer use Twitter to report updates from the team's preseason practices.
  
  "We, like other teams, are concerned about the type of information that's being reported during practice," said team spokesman Zack Bolno. He said the Redskins don't want sensitive information about injuries and strategy being shared during practice.
  
  Since training camp began more than two weeks ago, reporters from several outlets have used Twitter to give fans practice reports in near real-time, reporting roster updates, injury news, commenting on plays and drills and even sharing photos.
  
  The team's official web site and 980 AM, which is owned by Redskins owner Dan Snyder, are not subject to the ban, Bolno said.
  

  
  None of this news is shocking, especially the part about ESPN 980's exemption from the ban. [Redskins Insider]