Etc.

I'll let you in on a little secret

If you hurry, you still may be able to read Ashley-Paul Robinson's profile on the website of the Crystal Palace pro soccer team in South Norwood, England, a London suburb. But it almost certainly won't be there much longer. His employers are not pleased with their talented young player, affectionately known to friends as "Motor Mouth." At least, that's how published reports put it after he revealed on the social-networking site Facebook a little over a week ago that he'd been invited to try out with Fulham, a team in the much more prestigious English Premier League. In doing so, alas, he was a bit careless.

Instead of limiting the news to the 198 other people registered to read his Facebook page, he essentially let the world in on it. Word got back to Crystal Palace executives, and some sort of confrontation obviously followed because a somewhat chastened Robinson admitted on his page a few days later, "Ashley-Paul has been very naughty, LOL." (LOL is an initialism meaning "laugh out loud.") So, while his profile on the team website still describes him as a "tricky and strong customer [who has] developed into a difficult player for opposition defenders," his candor apparently isn't valued so highly. Crystal Palace's manager told sports reporters, "We feel it's probably better that he looks elsewhere to further his career." He'd just been offered a new contract, too.