New Tech Will Create Stats for Fielder Arm Strength, Baserunning Speed: Fascinating piece in the New York Times on new baseball technology developed by Sportvision: A new camera and software system is under development that can record the speed and location of the ball and every player on the field, allowing the most digitized of sports to be overrun anew by new statistics such as outfielder arm strength and base-running efficiency. "It will probably become the largest single advance in baseball science since the development of the box score," predicts the Times. "here come the stat rats,” said 35-year-scout Paul Ricciarini of the Houston Astros.

posted by rcade to baseball at 02:00 PM - 5 comments

Giants' Sanchez Throws No-Hitter vs. Padres: In his first start since a two-week banishment to the bullpen, Jonathan Sanchez threw a no-hitter for the San Francisco Giants against the San Diego Padres Friday night and was one error from a perfect game. He struck out 11 and walked none. The Giants won 8-0. It was the first no-hitter by the Giants in 33 years. Sanchez, 26, raises his record to 4-8. He had never pitched a complete game or a shutout before.

posted by rcade to baseball at 12:46 AM - 10 comments

Winning Without a Pitch? Try This!: Alan Embry has been one-upped, as a former Washington Nationals pitcher wins one after having been traded. It's hard enough for a Nats pitcher to get a win; too bad they have to give one to someone several hundred miles away.

posted by Howard_T to baseball at 06:12 PM - 7 comments

MMA Fighter Rampage Jackson Dry Humps Interviewer: Because it's Friday: UFC fighter Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, responding to a suggestion by reporter (and aspiring actress) Heather Nichols that they do a romantic movie together, proceeded to dry hump Nichols for an uncomfortably long amount of time as cameras rolled. "I should have thought of that," Joe Namath said when reached for comment. (Not really.)

posted by rcade to boxing at 03:06 PM - 14 comments

Michael Phelps Torches World Record in 100-Meter Butterfly: Fourteen-time Olympic gold medalist and former recreational marijuana user Michael Phelps broke the world record in the 100-meter butterfly at the U.S. national swimming championships Thursday. Phelps swam the two-lap final in 50.22, smoking Ian Crocker's mark of 50.40 set at the 2005 world championships. Phelps continues to burn through the record books, holding individual world records in the 100 and 200 flys, 200 and 400 individual medleys, and the 200 free.

posted by rcade to olympics at 10:42 AM - 6 comments

NFL Won't Let Players Use Twitter During Games: The National Football League won't let wide receiver Chad Ochocinco play with his Twitter during games, spokesman Greg Aiello told ProFootballTalk.Com. "We already have a rule that prohibits the use of cell phones or other handheld devices in the bench area during games," he said. Ochocinco vowed to defy the rule (on Twitter, of course), posting: "Damn NFL and these rules, I am going by my own set of rules, I ain't hurting nobody or getting in trouble, I am putting my foot down!!" The second exclamation point shows he means business.

posted by rcade to football at 08:58 AM - 7 comments

Ron Artest's Musical Tribute to Michael Jackson: Artest is one of several athletes who have paid tribute to Jackson this week. Others include Ken Griffey Jr. and Kei Kamara. _{via Metafilter}

posted by Joey Michaels to other at 11:03 PM - 2 comments

MMA the new boxing?: As UFC 100 approaches, the audience for MMA is as large and diverse as it has ever been. Is this something boxing won't be able to overcome? The superstars in UFC are bigger than ever (No pun intented, Lesnar) and coming from all parts of the world. Boxing will never be dead, but do they need to do something to get back into the main stream audience?

posted by sgtcookzane to boxing at 06:10 PM - 9 comments

Joe Sakic Announces his Retirement: After 20 years, 1600+ points, and 2 Cups, one of hockey's good guys hang up the skates.

posted by MeatSaber to hockey at 05:08 PM - 10 comments

Legendary Rock Climber John Bachar Dies in Fall: Rock climber John Bachar, 51, fell to his death Sunday from a rock formation near his home in California, the New York Times reports. Bachar climbed for years without protection, sustaining his only serious injuries in a car wreck. "To critics, Bachar cut a stubborn, self-righteous figure, uncompromising on matters of daring style and minimal gear," writes Michael Brick. "To admirers, he represented the vanishing purity of a simpler age, a time when rocks and mountains were to be ascended only from the ground up, without advance rigging." Here's an interview with Bachar and a photo of him ascending Crack-a-go-go.

posted by rcade to extreme at 04:44 PM - 10 comments

Has a Rising Soccer Star Been Wrongly Convicted of Rape?: ESPN The Pretentiously Named Magazine covers the questionable prosecution of Eric Frimpong, a soccer player from Ghana who won the national championship with UC Santa Barbara, was drafted in the first round by the Kansas City Wizards and then convicted of raping a college student, in spite of a lack of DNA evidence, a lack of physical evidence and the accuser's near-toxic blood alcohol level, which makes her personal testimony dubious. "From the start, the sheriff's department felt like they had their guy," said his college coach Tim Vom Steeg. "But when the evidence didn't turn out the way it was supposed to, their position became, 'If she's willing to testify, we'll go forward.'"

posted by rcade to soccer at 10:04 AM - 35 comments

Dallas Mavericks Acquire Shawn Marion in Four-Team Trade: The Dallas Mavericks, Toronto Raptors, Memphis Grizzlies and Orlando Magic have agreed on a trade that sends Shawn Marion, Kris Humphries and Greg Buckner to the Mavericks; Devean George, Antoine Wright and Hedo Turkoglu to the Raptors; Jerry Stackhouse, Quincy Douby and cash to the Grizzlies; and a $7 million trade exception to the Magic. Marion arrives with a five-year contract worth $39 million. Turkoglu's inclusion in the trade changes his free agent signing to a sign-and-trade deal. Stackhouse will be bought out with the cash, becoming a free agent. I challenge anyone to summarize this deal in fewer words. My sports blogging moves are unstoppable.

posted by rcade to basketball at 09:53 AM - 8 comments

Nike Confiscates Tapes of Jordan Crawford Dunking on LeBron James: Xavier college guard Jordan Crawford dunked on LeBron James during a pick-up game Monday at the LeBron James Skills Academy. There's no video of the event because James directed Nike to immediately confiscate the tapes of the photographers shooting at the event, according to Gary Parrish of CBS Sports. "I'm kind of pissed," freelance photographer Ryan Miller told Parrish. "I lost my tape." Another player, Michael Gilchrist, had this to say of the dunk: "It happened, and it was bad. That was something to see."

posted by rcade to basketball at 07:43 PM - 16 comments

New Football League Adopts Rules NFL Should Consider: The United Football League, an upstart fall pro league begun by some former NFL execs and coaches with teams in six cities, has adopted rules that some NFL fans have wanted for years. Among them: the elimination of the Tuck Rule, the allowance of group end zone and sideline celebrations, and overtimes in which both teams get at least one possession.

posted by rcade to football at 05:38 PM - 7 comments

No Balls, No Strikes, One Win: Rockies left-hander Alan Embree was credited with the win over Washington last night without throwing a pitch.

posted by Mr Bismarck to baseball at 12:18 PM - 8 comments

Fan Wins Legal Battle Over 'God Bless America' Movement Ban at Yankees Stadium: Bradford Campeau-Laurion, a fan who was ejected from Yankees Stadium after breaking an unofficial rule against leaving his seat during the singing of "God Bless America" in the seventh inning last year, has settled the suit. Campeau-Laurion, a Red Sox fan, will receive $10,000 along with $12,000 in legal fees from the city of New York, and the Yankees have stipulated that they do not restrict fan movements during the song. Ronan Tynan could not be reached for comment.

posted by rcade to baseball at 11:25 AM - 23 comments

AC Milan Signs Oguchi Onyewu: AC Milan have signed Standard Liege defender Oguchi Onyewu to a three-year contract, making the 27-year-old the first American to appear in Serie A since Alexi Lalas in 1996. "How much will he play?" Graht Wahl wonders. "It will be vitally important for U.S. players to be on the field for their club teams during a World Cup year."

posted by rcade to soccer at 09:13 PM - 15 comments

U.S. Figure Skating Champ Arrested on Meth Charges: Former U.S. figure skating champion Nicole Bobek has been arrested on the charge of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. Bobek, 31, won the U.S. title in 1995, placed third in the World Championships the same year and finished 17th in the 1998 Winter Olympics. Bobek then and now. Abrazos no drogas!

posted by rcade to olympics at 03:47 PM - 7 comments

Michael Phelps' Endorsement Career Has Not Gone to Pot: A new Subway ad with swimmer Michael Phelps and spokesman Jared Fogle shows where Phelps goes when he gets the munchies -- and helps prove that his endorsement career is going swimmingly in spite of the photos last fall of him smoking a bong. "Yes, Kellogg declined to re-up with Phelps, but tellingly, other endorsement deals remained intact: Speedo, Omega, Subway and Mazda China," writes Dan Neil in the LA Times. "Subway didn't hesitate to stand by its man (though it did postpone the current ad campaign six months to let the agita die down). Mazda required Phelps to record a minute-long mea culpa directed at the people of China -- mortifying but harmless. In June, Phelps inked a deal with H2O Audio, maker of high-end waterproof headphones."

posted by rcade to olympics at 10:39 AM - 5 comments

Cricket Umpire Killed by Thrown Ball During Match: A cricket umpire has died after a ball thrown by a fielding player hit him in the back or side of the head during a match in Swansea, Wales, Saturday. Alcwyn Jenkins, 72, was airlifted to a hospital but never regained consciousness. "The fielder threw the ball back to the wicket but the umpire didn’t see it," spectator Paul Llewellyn said. "I don't know if you've ever been hit by a cricket ball -- it hurts," said Swansea Cricket Club chairman Steve Davies. "It's like a launched missile."

posted by rcade to other at 10:35 AM - 5 comments

Sledging: The Best Insults in Cricket: With the Ashes almost upon us, The Independent reviews some of the best efforts at 'mental disintegration' used on the cricket field.

posted by owlhouse to other at 02:47 AM - 5 comments

Deal Reached to Sell Chicago Cubs, Wrigley Field: The Tribune Co. has reached a deal to sell the Chicago Cubs to the Ricketts family for about $900 million, sources familiar with the matter said Monday, ending the company's flirtation with another buyer. The Ricketts are a family that made its fortune through the online brokerage TD Ameritrade.

posted by rcade to baseball at 04:42 PM - 0 comments

Brett Favre Rents Condo in Minnesota: Brett Favre and his wife Deanna made a $30,000 deposit last weekend on a condominium in Edina, Minnesota, according to Charley Walters of the St. Paul Pioneer Press. They must really like the Mall of America.

posted by rcade to football at 03:52 PM - 22 comments

Should Tiger Woods Be Doing More for Charity?: After Jim Brown publicly called him out for not doing more to achieve social change -- unlike himself, Arthur Ashe, Jackie Robinson and Bill Russell at the height of their fame -- Tiger Woods gave his $1.1 million winnings from this weekend's AT&T National to his charity the Tiger Woods Foundation. "I want to do it right and not just do it, "Woods said last week of his charitable efforts, focused thus far on helping disadvantaged kids with academics and golf. "That takes time. You just don't jump into something."

posted by rcade to golf at 09:35 AM - 68 comments

Monica Seles talks about her hair, her fridge, her body, and being stabbed in the back: The former teenage prodigy won eight grand slam events before being attacked at age 19 by a deranged fan. She came back to win a ninth, but was never the same again. In this interview she reflects on her career, and on being a teenage girl under the spotlight. "My generation was the last when you were marketed really as a tennis player - Graf, Hingis. But when Anna Kournikova came along, there was this whole other thing - suddenly it was all about looks. Tennis is pretty unforgiving if you are carrying weight. You are expected to wear short skirts, and you are compared to all these 16- and 17-year-olds.

posted by rumple to tennis at 03:21 PM - 8 comments

Federer Outlasts Roddick in Longest Wimbledon Final Ever : Roger Federer won a record 15th Grand Slam title at Wimbledon Sunday over Andy Roddick, in a line that goes down in history: 5-7, 7-6, 7-6, 3-6, 16-14. The only time Federer broke Roddick's serve was in the deciding game.

posted by rcade to tennis at 02:00 PM - 18 comments

Why the Cal Ripken of Sports Radio Callers Broke His Streak: It isn't every day that a caller to a sports talk radio station rates a feature story in the New York Times. But New York Mets fan Short Al from Brooklyn -- also known as Albert Kaufman, 81 -- called WFAN in the predawn hours regularly from 1987. Last year the calls stopped. The reason? "He can't call anymore," said WFAN host Moose Malusis. "His daughter won't let him."

posted by rcade to general at 08:58 PM - 3 comments

Steve McNair Killed in Nashville: Former Titans quarterback Steve McNair has been killed. Police said McNair suffered a fatal gunshot wound to the head in downtown Nashville. The incident happened near 2nd South & Lea Ave. Police said it looked like a double homicide. A female victim was also found dead.

posted by irunfromclones to football at 04:56 PM - 27 comments

Joey Chestnut Sets New Hot Dog Eating World Record: Joey Chestnut ate 68 hot dogs in 10 minutes, breaking his own world record by nine dogs, to retain the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Championship today at Coney Island, N.Y. Rival Takeru Kobayashi ate 64 1/2 dogs for second place. On this holiday, the Mustard Belt, the most coveted prize in world gluttony, remains in American hands.

posted by rcade to extreme at 01:09 PM - 8 comments

One pitch: "Have faith in the Yankees, my son," Hemingway's old man says to the boy. "Think of the great DiMaggio." If Ernest Hemingway was alive and writing today, those words would be: "Think of the great Rivera."

posted by justgary to baseball at 01:07 AM - 13 comments

Vick to UFL?: Officials with the new UFL said they would be interested in getting Michael Vick. While he may be damaged goods, would he want to join them?

posted by jjzucal to football at 07:26 PM - 4 comments

Mikael Samuelsson Signs With Canucks: Free-agent forward Mikael Samuelsson has signed a three-year deal with Vancouver Canucks after four years with the Detroit Red Wings, where he scored 67 goals and helped the team win a Stanley Cup. Samuelsson becomes the first pro athlete in free agency history to admit that he signed with a team for the money. "Obviously that was the key," he said.

posted by rcade to hockey at 05:51 PM - 6 comments

10 Best and Worse One-Game Careers in NFL History: Of all of the players who have been fortunate enough to fulfill their dreams and reach the National Football League, 1,167 only have appeared in a single game. A contributor to Bleacher Report runs down the best and worst of these one-game wonders. When you throw the ball to Randy Burks of the Chicago Bears, he only catches 55-yard touchdowns.

posted by rcade to football at 12:20 PM - 1 comment

Lakers Get Artest: Shaq can have LeBron. Ron Artest says he'll take Kobe. Artest, whose versatility and toughness have made him one of the most coveted and combustible players in the NBA, told CBSSports.com Thursday that he's signing with the Lakers. "I'm definitely going to L.A. -- to sign, yeah," Artest said in a phone interview. "Lakers, Lakers, Lakers. I'm in L.A. right now." CBSSports.com

posted by Ron_Karate to basketball at 07:53 PM - 10 comments

Texas Rangers Owner Tom Hicks Can't Make Payroll: Major League Baseball has loaned as much as $15 million to the Texas Rangers after Owner Tom Hicks reportedly couldn't meet payroll, according to Yahoo News. "He won't be running the team much longer," a source told the site. "Major League Baseball is helping him through this until someone else can be put in place to run the club." Hicks, whose net worth was reported by Forbes as $1 billion, also owns the Dallas Stars and 50 percent of Liverpool FC.

posted by rcade to baseball at 06:20 PM - 11 comments

Olympic Swimmer Disqualified When Her Swimsuit Bursts Open: Italian Olympic swimmer Flavia Zoccari was disqualified from the finals of a Mediterranean Games event when her Jaked J01 swimsuit split open in the back. Warning: This link contains female dorsal nudity. Parental discretion advised.

posted by rcade to olympics at 02:42 PM - 12 comments

Cuban Lefthander Aroldis Chapman Defects: Aroldis Chapman, perhaps the "best left-handed pitching prospect in the world" has left the Cuban National Team hotel in the Netherlands."I walked out easily, right through the hotel door, and I hopped into a car and left," Chapman told cubaencuentro.com. "It was easy. Now the plan is to sign with a major league team." Chapman is 21 years old and has a fastball that has been clocked at 102 mph.

posted by Ufez Jones to baseball at 01:25 PM - 3 comments

Phil Mickelson hits backwards better than you hit forwards: Phil Mickelson demonstrates how much better at golf he is, compared to the rest of us.

posted by BoKnows to golf at 11:04 PM - 10 comments

Marian Hossa signs 12-year deal with Chicago: One year after taking a less-money shortterm contract in Detroit, Hossa signs a looong term deal with the Blackhawks, for even less average money...

posted by MeatSaber to hockey at 03:31 PM - 11 comments

Landon Donovan in New Book: David Beckham's a Bad Teammate: In an excerpt from Grant Wahl's new book The Beckham Experiment, Landon Donovan says that Beckham has been a bad teammate on the L.A. Galaxy. "Somewhere along the way -- and in my mind it coincides with [Coach] Ruud [Gillit] being let go -- he just flipped a switch and said, 'Uh-uh, I'm not doing it anymore,'" Donovan said. "I can't think of another guy where I'd say he wasn't a good teammate, he didn't give everything through all this, he didn't still care. But with [Beckham] I'd say no, he wasn't committed."

posted by rcade to soccer at 06:32 PM - 20 comments