Before all else today, take a moment to remember the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Anthony Lewis wrote a very interesting appraisal of King's most famous speech in this week's Times Book Review, linked above.

And, should you need any more reinforcement of the now self-perpetuating meme that conventional media is dying, just take a look at today's "new look" Tribune. Then read this, and then ask yourself: Are these people morons, or what?

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The big news today is that MLS is being booted by ESPN. After years of awful ratings, MLS will lose its Thursday night slot. Just 300,000 people tuned in to watch the games on a regular basis. Instead, the net will move the matches around on four different nights, taking away the destination night that MLS execs had once seen as so important to the league's future.
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What a weekend for thrilling football. Six points separate the top five teams in England, with thrillers at KC, The Reebok and Stamford Bridge. For the moment, Manchester United remain on top, but Liverpool can at least pull level with a result today in the Merseyside Derby (Setanta 20:00 GMT, 2PM ET)

In Italy, however, the wheels came off at Inter, who lost a shocker to Atalanta while Juventus was held to a 1-1 draw with Lazio. In Scotland, Celtic were whumped by Aberdeen while the Greatest team in Sport were humiliated by Motherwell. And finally, in Spain Barca cruised while Real continues to struggle.
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Spain and Portugal have decided to stage a joint bid for the 2018 World Cup, joining a crowded field that includes the USA, Mexico, England and BeNeLux.