Shanoff's WUC: Your Final Wake-Up Call

Today's Calls: Wake-Up Call vs. Snooze Button, Chris Johnson vs. the Titans, Florida vs. NCAA, Miguel Cabrera vs. Josh Hamilton, Ubaldo vs. the Marlins, Rich Cho vs. Sam Presti, John Wall vs. Evan Turner, Brett Favre vs. Brad Childress, Kyrie Irving vs. Roy Williams, Derek Jeter vs. Stephen Strasburg and More.

The Opening Pitch: Let's call it "Last Call."

This will be the final edition of the Wake-Up Call on SportingNews.com.

For more than two and a half years, I have had the pleasure of writing this column for you here, and I hope it has made your mornings a little more ... well, at the very least, full of more shallow analysis of the biggest stories of the sports day.

From the Olympic glory of Michael Phelps in 2008 to the self-glorification of LeBron James in 2010, every day has been its own treat. I particularly appreciate your indulgence for my obsessive coverage of Tim Tebow. (Not that he didn't earn it!)

Sports fans know: There is always something new to keep us entertained, appalled, laughing or cheering. I hope you will continue to keep up with me at DanShanoff.com and through Twitter (@danshanoff). I look forward to hearing from you.

I sincerely appreciate your time, attention and support (and even our disagreements!), and I hope we will cross paths again soon. Now, where's that snooze button. ...

Titans give Chris Johnson his new deal: I'm glad to see this tense situation get some closure, while there was still a moment to praise the Titans for doing the right thing and giving the most valuable and dominant RB in the league the pay raise he has earned.

Florida football scandal? Speaking of Tebow, it sure would be a shame if his record-breaking performance in the Sugar Bowl was wiped out because the Gators had to vacate the win because center Maurkice Pouncey did something he shouldn't have with an agent. (FWIW, the Pouncey family denies any wrongdoing.)

MLB Talking Points: Neither Miguel Cabrera nor Josh Hamilton are going to end up winning the AL Triple Crown, but it sure is fun watching them slug it out. (Last night, head-to-head: Cabrera 2 HR, Hamilton 4 H)

More:

• Trade Talk: Dodgers want an ace?

• Ubaldomania: Can't beat Marlins.

• Ouch: Hope Dustin Nippert is OK.

• Media: Well, THIS only enables him.

• Fantasy Stud: Cabrera (obv).

SEC Media Days Preview: It won't be quite the same as last year's "Tebow Media Days," but between the defending national champ, the most intriguing QB story line in the country (John Brantley replacing Tim Tebow) and the hilarity that inevitably ensues when you enter the Spurrier-Nutt-Miles triangle, it remains the premier media-day(s) event in college sports.

CFB Countdown: No. 45 BYU. Remember at the start of last season when BYU beat Oklahoma and they were briefly in the mix at No. 1? It's a bit of a drop-off from that.

NBA Offseason: Rich Cho -- top assistant to Sam Presti in Oklahoma City -- is the best GM hire since ... Sam Presti. You know what would help make Cho look really, really good? Healthy Greg Oden.

Favre Watch: The Brad Childress visit is usually a sign that Favre is ready to signal his comeback, right? At this point, if he doesn't want to go to training camp, why doesn't he just say so publicly? We all know he doesn't want to deal -- and assume that's why he isn't announcing his return until later this month -- so why put up a charade?

NBA Summer Summary: John Wall? Even better than we thought. Evan Turner? Told you he was overrated. (Full recap from Deveney here.)

D-Wade is sorry: For the WTC insensitivity. Solid crisis management: A quick, presumably sincere apology within 24 hours of an issue popping up, and it's all put behind us.

CBB Offseason: I said this last week and I lament it as much as the rest of you -- Duke is going to win another national title next season, sitting at No. 1 from the preseason until the end of the Final Four. (One big reason? Freshman PG sensation Kyrie Irving.)

NCAA Tournament Expansion: Let's hope that UConn AD Jeff Hathaway can talk glibly about the reason a 96-team NCAA Tournament is a great thing. As the head of the selection committee in 2011-2012, he may be on the watch when it gets approved.

Business: Derek Jeter being named the most marketable player in baseball isn't nearly as interesting as Stephen Strasburg being named No. 4 on the list, after less than two months of playing at the MLB level.

The Last Word: Thanks again for reading. And special thanks from me to my editors Kathy Sheldon and Alisha Hord, to longtime Sporting Blog editor Chris Littmann and my talented colleagues at Sporting Blog and to Sporting News programming guru Shawn Schrager, who originally recruited me to Sporting News to write the column.

Dan Shanoff writes The Wake-Up Call every weekday morning for SportingNews.com and blogs daily at DanShanoff.com. Got any comments, questions or feedback? Email Dan at shanofftsn-[at]-gmail-[dot]-com. Follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/danshanoff.

This post originally appeared on the Sporting Blog. For more, see The Sporting Blog Archives.