Hopefully not as desperate as this woman.

Susan Finkelstein, who ESPN describes as a “43-year-old University of Pennsylvania graduate student,” was so motivated to get World Series tickets that she posted to Craigslist the following message:

“DESPERATE BLONDE NEEDS WS TIX (Philadelphia)
“Diehard Phillies fan—gorgeous tall buxom blonde— in desperate need of two World Series Tickets. Price negotiable— I’m the creative type! Maybe we can help each other!”

An undercover police officer soon answered the request, and when she allegedly told him she’d perform sex acts for tickets, she was arrested for prostitution charges.

However, it appears she’ll get her tickets! Wired 96.5’s Chio in the Morning will apparently give her two tickets in conjunction with a car dealer.

So perhaps those of you who really want to go, can think of other creative ways to score free tickets. (As always, an ideas in the comments are welcome).

(Thanks to Ari for the tip, who also found her facebook profile.)

Without playing a game, and six months before its season begins, the Penn baseball team picked up a few extra victories.

If only it were always that easy.

On Wednesday, the NCAA Division I Committee on Infractions announced the first major infraction in Georgetown history. The school’s baseball program paid $61,000 in federal work study grants to 26 players from 2000-01 through 2006-07 for work that the athletes did not complete. The NCAA committee’s full report is available here [pdf].

And as a result of the violation, which was self-reported in 2007, the Hoyas will forfeit all baseball games during those years in which any of the improperly paid players participated. Georgetown has said that it will not appeal the penalty. (The program will also be placed on probation for three years, have its number of permissible grants-in-aid capped at five through the 2011-12 academic year and be required pay a $61,000 fine to the NCAA.)

Schedules and box scores prior to the 2002-03 season are not available online or in either of the school’s media guides.  But the Quakers were 0-2 against the Hoyas in ‘03-’04 and 1-1 in ‘06-’07. The NCAA report does not say which players were involved, so it’s impossible to determine if they participated in those games. It seems, however, that the Quakers could have three victories coming their way — more if they played Georgetown in 2000-01 or ‘01-’02.

*   *   *

My colleague Zach Klitzman detailed the M. Hoops schedule in yesterday’s Welcome Back Issue. (If you haven’t seen the print edition, I would check out the pdf, if for no other reason than to see the paper’s dramatically different layout.)

Since then, two more scheduling notes, leaving Villanova as the only City Six opponent without a confirmed date:

• Drexel will play the Quakers at the Palestra in a pre-Thanksgiving Break tilt on Nov. 24.

• Saint Joseph’s will play the Quakers at the Palestra on Jan. 25.

This post was updated on Sept. 4 to correct Georgetown’s nickname.

Funny story. Former Penn QB and third baseman Mark DeRosa was the person who informed Cliff Lee that he’d been traded to the Phillies.

“I actually called him,” DeRosa said. “He hadn’t heard the news yet. I said, ‘It’s coming across the ticker that you got traded to the Phillies.’ And he was sitting in the clubhouse in Anaheim with Kerry Wood and said nothing had been told to him yet.”

Mark DeRosa, probably Penn’s most famous baseball player (with Doug Glanville a close second), is having a memorable weekend. On Saturday, the former Penn star who also played QB for the Quakers was traded from last-place Cleveland to the St. Louis Cardinals, who are currently tied for first in the NL Central. Although he went 0-for-3 in his debut game, he still made a very impressive catch in left field that was considered Sunday’s second-best web gem (about 30 seconds in).

As a result of the publicized trade, many people were atwitter about the deal. Literally. As UTB observed, Mark DeRosa was one of the “trending topics” on Twitter this weekend, somehow only right beyond the misspelled “Micheal Jackson.”

However, as for UTB’s petition for DeRosa as commencement speaker next year, there’s no way that’s happening. Whether or not he’d be able to give a good speech, I somehow doubt he’ll willingly take time off from the May baseball schedule to speak. But maybe in a few years when the 34-year old decides to retire he’ll return to Franklin Field.

For those of you looking to pass the three days until the Sweet Sixteen, Jack Curry wrote a nice profile of our favorite Penn two-sport athlete, Mark DeRosa, in today’s New York Times.

DeRosa, of course, played baseball and football with the Quakers before embarking on a major league baseball career. He is now with the Cleveland Indians and Team USA, and in late 2007 gave an exclusive interview to the DP.

Curry has more on DeRosa at The Bats blog, too.

1) In a year in which four of the Big 5 schools — sorry Penn — could legitimately claim to have the Big 5 Player of the Year, Dick Jerardi has made up his mind.  So who does he pick out of Dionte Christmas, Daunte Cunningham, Rodney Green, Ahmad Nivins or Scottie Reynolds?  Here’s a hint: Jerardi’s choice averages more points, rebounds, blocks and has a better FG and FT percent than any of other player.

2) Mark DeRosa, who played baseball at Penn from 1994-96, is now a member of Team USA in the World Baseball Classic. The headline might be a little off — although he’s playing against the World now, he obviously never played against Penn — but it’s actually a good article. Well worth the read.

3) Remember that Bank of America promotion I mentioned yesterday?  Well it’s now officially “The Penn Visa issued by Bank of America Fan of the Game.” Though yet again the headline is off, as the word “fan” is omitted. So enter to be the credit card of the game!

Good evening folks, sorry for the delay–blame Air PennNet. We’re picking up here with about three and a half minutes to go in the first half with Columbia leading, 23-20. What you’ve missed: a couple of K.J. Matsui threes for Columbia in transition, a couple of Bernardini buckets for the Quakers, and a couple of Egees–Penn’s Kevin and the Lions’ Steven (his younger brother) have faced off head to head for the first time ever.

Penn 52, Columbia 55, 5:35 Second Half

Scott makes a nice feed to Jason Miller on the baseline for a score, but Miller will foul Eggleston on the other end. The sophomore forward can’t connect on the first, but drains the second.

Penn 51, Columbia 53, 7:25 Second Half

Consecutive Jack Eggleston scores spurs Joe Jones to call a 30-second timeout.

Penn 47, Columbia 52, 7:25 Second Half

Just as it was slipping away a little bit (thanks to a pair of jumpers from Noruwa Agho), Votel gives another little boost. He converts an and-1, and cuts the lead to five.

Penn 37, Columbia 43, 11:36 Second Half

Talk about instant offense. Conor Turley, just seconds into his first appearance of the game, finishes a nice lefty hook in the lane, and the foul. He converts the three-point play, giving Penn a much-needed spark. Egee is slammed to the floor near the basket, and he gets ready to shoot two.

Penn 37, Columbia 43, 13:00 Second Half

A three-pointer by Scott and a three-point play by Bernardini was the only offense for the first four-plus minutes of the half, but Columbia has turned it on, and the Quakers are in danger of letting this one slip out of grasp.

Rosen, however, brings the Red and Blue back within six with a bucket.

Halftime Stats

Penn

Brennan Votel: 8 points, 2 rebounds, one steal. Tyler Bernardini: 8 points, two rebounds, one steal. Zack Rosen: 2 points, 6 assists, 2 rebounds, 3 steals.

Columbia

KJ Matsui: 9 points, one rebounds. Jason Miller: 8 points, 6 rebounds, one block.

Battle of the Egees

Steve: 4 points, one assist, no turnovers. Kevin: 6 points, no assists, no turnovers.

Penn 30, Columbia 33, Halftime

Niko Scott drained another three from the corner to put Columbia up, and that’s how it’s going to stay going into halftime (although Steven Egee almost hit a shot from beyond halfcourt at the buzzer). We’ll get you some stats as soon as they’re available.

Penn 30, Columbia 30, :57.8 First Half

In your face, little bro! Kevin hits a three over Steven after a Lions bucket on the first possession. But Niko Scott answers with a three-pointer of his own.

On the next time down, Belcore finds Votel for a nice little jumper in the paint. The Lions’ Jason Miller was sent to the line, and he converts on both.

Penn 25, Columbia 23, 2:14 First Half

Belcore missed the front end, and on their next possession the Quakers turn it over after a botched Rosen drive. He makes up for it on the next possession, however, notching a steal which will turn into a Brennan Votel bucket down low.

A Rob Belcore trifecta on the next Penn possession (on a Rosen assist) gives the team some much-needed life–Columbia coach Joe Jones has called for time. It also looks like Steven Egee will head back into the game, much to the delight of Section 110, which is home to the Egee extended family.

Penn 20, Columbia 23, 3:41 First Half

The Quakers’ execution offensively has been subpar up to this point. There have been several errant passes (by Zack Rosen and Harrison Gaines), and Penn has missed a ton of open jumpers. The Red and Blue should be able to take this Columbia team easily, but they’re going to have to execute better if they want to take a lead into halftime. Rob Belcore will shoot one-and-one in the meantime.

For a while, the Major League Baseball rumor mill had Mark DeRosa heading home to the Phillies.

Instead, in a New Year’s Eve trade, the former Quakers star is on his way to the Cleveland Indians, according to ESPN.com.

DeRosa — who last year gave an exclusive interview to The Daily Pennsylvanian — was a two-sport athlete at Penn. On the gridiron, the Passaic, N.J., native remains the fourth-leading passer in program history. He also played baseball, of course, before the Atlanta Braves drafted him in 1996, after his junior season. He opted for the Minors over West Philly — a choice that ultimately netted him a three-year, $13 million contract that has one season remaining.

In the 2008 campaign, DeRosa racked up 21 homers and 87 RBIs, both career highs, while hitting .285.

Fresh off the team’s second Ivy title ever, the men’s soccer team was selected as the Philadelphia Soccer Seven Team of the Year, while coach Ruddy Fuller earned Coach of the Year honors. In addition, seniors Andrew Ferry, Omid Shokoufandeh and Drew Healy were named All-Stars. While certainly well-deserved, it might not be the most significant honor. The PS7, the soccer equivalent of the Big 5, pales in comparison to its basketball equivalent. For one, not all seven teams play each other. In fact, each team only plays two Philadelphia opponents (Penn went 1-0-1, tying Temple, 2-2, while beating Villanova, 3-2). Also, only one other team — Temple (10-5-4) — had a winning record. Still, the Quakers can claim to be City Champions.

On a national level, Healy is a finalist for Soccer News Net’s Player of the Year. Forty percent of the final decision depends on fan vote and you can vote for him here.

Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Jason Bartlett lives by his speed. Hey, how else does a middle infielder with one homer and a .971 fielding percentage in 2008 get a spot on a World Series roster?

And now, he has done us all a favor. With his stolen base in Game 1 of the World Series last night, Taco Bell will be giving away free tacos to all of America next week.

So on Tuesday, from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. ET, head down to 34th and Walnut to grab yours. I went after last year’s series, and it was incredibly efficient, fast and, of course, free.