But the whole sites  page loaded into a tiny web  part doesn't look very good. Your idea gave me another though - use the Web Capture web part, point it to the URL of the Sites page  (or a specific view on the Sites page), and check off the table that lists the sites. Works well, but I noticed the Toolbar and column headers are rendered useless...

It's too bad the list in the Sites page isn't exposed like regular lists and document libraries; then we wouldn't have to fudge it with wacky work-arounds.