Quick Hits...

After a brief vacation, and a week away from the sports world, a couple of brief items of note to kick things off again.

First, Real Madrid and Brand Ronaldo tackled Canada this past week, taking on MLS side Toronto FC as part if their pre-season preparations. The mercurial Portuguese, however, for all his talents, left a lasting impression with some in Toronto which should be of some concern to his management if he is to match the standard set by Brand Beckham.

Real superstars light up Toronto

The best bit, from an athlete branding perspective...

In a sense, he's the first soccer megastar who seems born of America's celebrity culture.

I mean, he vacations in Los Angeles, people. Los Angeles is a parking lot with a mayor. Leaving Portugal for Los Angeles sounds like probation, not recreation.

It wasn't always like this. Any mental picture of Pele or Eusebio or Bobby Charlton includes not only their play, but their ability to engage the world away from the pitch.

The two great icons preceding Ronaldo, Zinedine Zidane and David Beckham, were chalk and cheese in most ways. But they shared that gentlemanly streak, that sense of stewardship over the game. People cared about them and they made efforts to show that they cared back.

Despite being the most hounded athlete alive, Beckham still talks directly to people when addressing them. He seems incapable of walking by a kid holding out a jersey without stopping. Say what you like, but the guy is pure class.

Secondly, the curse of EA Sports' NHL cover boys has continued, this year with the news that Chicago Blackhawks rising star Patrick Kane has been charged with attacking and robbing a Buffalo-area cab driver. Given the hype surrounding the game and the new improvements made, this will hardly be the summer news EA Sports or the Blackhawks will have been hoping for.

Blackhawks Forward Patrick Kane Arrested in Buffalo

Lawyer says Blackhawks star Patrick Kane's charges overblown


Finally, Tiger Woods is officially back to his winning ways, after back to back wins at the Buick and Bridgestone invitationals. The ramifications of Buick's withdrawal from the PGA Tour and sports sponsorship, though, is perhaps the bigger, and at the same time more overlooked news to come of Tiger's recent hot streak. More to follow...