NYTimes:

A massive 8.8-magnitude earthquake struck Chile early Saturday, shaking the capital of Santiago for 90 seconds and sending tsunami warnings along much of the Pacific basin. [. . .] The Associated Press quoted the Chile President Michele Bachelet as saying that a huge wave had swept into a populated area in the Robinson Crusoe Islands, 410 miles off the Chilean coast, but there were no immediate reports of major damage there.

[MORE . . .]

From Sports Left --

No one can argue with that statement. But in context, Serena Williams saying it is jarring:

Q. Do you feel like it's a double standard that if some man had had the same reaction, they wouldn't have been fined as much?

SERENA WILLIAMS: Well, we live in a world that still, you know, men are, you know, just leading a lot of things, as well. In tennis I think we've been able to do really well with having fought so hard to get equal prize money. I think that's really good. But I think we still sort of, say, live in a man's world. [. . .]

More . . .

James Joyner:

Mike Tomasky and Matt Yglesias both argue that Alabama head coach Nick Saban showed a distinct lack of class by scoring a meaningless touchdown with 47 seconds left in last night’s championship game [. . .] I’m an Alabama alumnus and fan, so I’m biased. But having the backup running back score on a run up the middle with nearly a minute left in a national championship game you’re only leading by 10 points isn’t exactly rubbing it in.

It surely is not running up the score. But it also is probably not the optimal play. With Alabama up 10 with a minute left and Texas with one timeout, the victory formation was in order. What if Bama's running back fumbled? Does no one remember Joe Pisarcik, Larry Csonka and Herman Edwards?

How happy are you? If not as happy as you'd like to be, maybe it's where you live. A new scientific study of 1 million Americans shows New Yorkers are the least happy folks in the country. (48th and 49th are CT and NJ.)

Who beats them? Here's the study. The top ten places:

• Louisiana, Hawaii, Florida
• Tennessee, Arizona, Mississippi
• Montana, South Carolina, Alabama and Maine

California ranks near the bottom at 46th. Colorado is #21.

Would you be happier if you lived someplace else?

Microsoft Office 2007 sells $3 billion a year. It contains Microsoft Word. An appeals court has upheld an injunction against the sale of Word beginning Jan. 11, because a portion of it infringes on a patent for xml held by a Canadian company.

The ruling means Microsoft can't sell versions of Word that can open documents saved in the .XML, .DOCX, or .DOCM formats that contain custom XML.

Microsoft plans to abide by the injunction and stop selling Word 2007, releasing new versions without the xml editor.

I have Microsoft Office but I've never liked Word. I'll take WordPerfect over Word any day, it's all I write in, but aside from a handful of lawyers who can't break the WP habit, I'm sure I'm in the minority. Maybe Corel will come out with a new version of WP and get back in the game.

From Bill Simmons' Mailbag:

Q: With the Woods mess in the news, I am reminded of how I feel about him -- amazed at his skill, but not a fan. He has modeled his life and career after his hero, Michael Jordan, and I felt the same way about him. It got me to thinking about what Jordan has created, the mega-sports star with huge endorsement clout that we marvel at but don't necessarily like. At the very least we are indifferent to many of sports' biggest stars. Think about this list: Jordan, Woods, Kobe, Federer, Jimmie Johnson, Beckham. All worldwide money machines, but how do we really feel about them? Indifferent. Arnold Palmer was the first modern-day mega-star and paved the way in the endorsement business for an athlete who was real AND likeable. Who is today's Arnie? Do we have one? -- Matt, Phoenix

SG: Well, LeBron isn't quite ready yet. I think it will be him soon. But for now … right now … I mean … this kills me to say it … but isn't it Peyton Manning?

(Emphasis supplied.) Simmons is wrong about LeBron. He is the newest version of Jordan. Manning is likeable but Arnold Palmer "root for him" likeable? Nah. Palmer was from Latrobe, Pennsylvania and projected a working class image that made him a natural to root for against the "country club" types. Derek Jeter is our version of Joe DiMaggio. The closest we came to a Palmer type was Brett Favre -- before he left the Packers. He was our Arnold Palmer - projecting "realness" and "every guyness" and people all over rooted for him. More . . .

Crazy:

I am deeply aware of the disappointment and hurt that my infidelity has caused to so many people, most of all my wife and children. I want to say again to everyone that I am profoundly sorry and that I ask forgiveness. It may not be possible to repair the damage I've done, but I want to do my best to try.

[. . .] After much soul searching, I have decided to take an indefinite break from professional golf. I need to focus my attention on being a better husband, father, and person.

Again, I ask for privacy for my family and I am especially grateful for all those who have offered compassion and concern during this difficult period.

The man has chosen to live his entire life in public now. Nuts. Yes, this announcement is living your private life in public to me. Just go do what you think you should do and STOP issuing press releases.

Speaking for me only

Tiger Woods has refused a police interview for the third time today. Smart move. He's under no obligation to talk to them. His traffic accident is under investigation and the Fifth Amendment applies as much to celebrities as anyone else.

He also put a statement on his website taking full responsibility for the accident and saying his wife did nothing but come to his aid after seeing he was injured. As of now, his website is taking comments.

Tiger Woods is out of the hospital. His injuries were not serious. He did hit a tree and a fire hydrant. Alcohol was not a factor.

The rumor mill: He may have been Driving while Ambien'ed or his wife and he may have fought about a woman named Rachel Uchitel. TMZ reports his face scratches came from his wife.

And thank the Gawds for that.

The World Series starts tonight. The New York Yankees, the most famous sports franchise in the United States, returns to the Fall Classic for the first time since losing to the Florida Marlins in 2003.

The Yankees' history in the World Series is long and unprecedented. Since the original AL franchise Baltimore Orioles moved to New York to become the Highlanders (at the urging of then AL President Ban Johnson) in 1903 (the "Highlanders" became the "Yankees" in 1913, the same year the famous interlocking NY became the team logo), the Yankees have participated in 40 World Series and won 26 of them, both records that are unparallelled. More . . .

Update: 10:49 MT: Rio takes it.

Watch announcement live here.

The 2016 Olympics will not be taking place in Chicago. The city has been eliminated from consideration in the first round of voting. President Obama was flying back to the U.S. when the vote took place.

Chicago spent $50 million on the failed bid. The delegation was led by Michelle Obama and Oprah Winfrey, with a personal visit by President Obama. Did our over-strict airport policies play a role in the rejection?[More...]

With what's going on on health care reform, we need a feel good moment:

Thanks to Steve M., here is the video.

Awwww. All of us dads with daughters wish our little girls would throw back some boys that way . . .

Update - So Major League Baseball decided they OWN these images of fans (not players) and decided it was a good idea to have the You Tube pulled down. What a bunch of idiots. Hopefully, their phone lines will fill up with protests. Jerks.

Speaking for me only