- 04:47 PM
- 05/17/08
It's time to pitch the DH. The most astonishing occurrence in the first six weeks of the baseball season — other than the decline of my World Series favorites, the Seattle Mariners, who played like the Seattle Pilots — was that the National League outscored the American League.
posted to Baseball at 6:09 PM CDT
PGA Dresses Down John Daly for Golfing Topless A video of John Daly golfing in Branson, Mo., with no shirt or shoes has prompted this response from PGA Commissioner Tim Finchem: "There are certain things about presentation that we must insist on."
posted to Golf at 6:35 AM CDT
This reminds me of an anecdote about George Burns and Harpo Marx. One day, they were out playing golf on a hot day and decided to take off their shirts. The club manager came out and told them to put their shirts back on. Burns and Marx protested that it was hot, and you could go topless at a public beach, so why not at the golf course? The manager pointed in the rule book to where it said you had to play with a shirt on, and so they obliged.
The next day, they played again, and shortly after they started, someone ran into the clubhouse yelling, "Burns and Marx are playing without their pants!"
The club manager goes back out there, and Marx calmly says, "You were right. The rulebook says we can't play without shirts. But it doesn't say anything about pants!"
The club manager realized he was beaten on this one. The club amended its rules after that, allowing players to play without shirts at extreme temps, but requiring pants at all times.
(In keeping with the thread, let's all be thankful Daly didn't try this. Shirtless is bad enough.)
posted at 9:56 AM CDT on May 7
It's been 10 years?!
That's right, 10 years since Kerry Wood tied the major league record for strikeouts in a 9-inning game.
You can watch the video highlights of the 20 strikeouts here.
posted to Baseball at 8:05 PM CDT
One could make the argument that this was the single most dominant game ever pitched. (Not necessarily the greatest, but the most dominant.) He faced 29 batters, struck out 20, walked none, had one HBP, and allowed one hit. That means that only *eight* balls were put in play by the Astros in the entire game, which is undoubtedly a record.
The other noteworthy part of this achievement is that the Astros were leading the league in team batting average for the season coming into that game. As opposed to Clemens' two 20-K games beforehand, which he did against the teams that were leading the league in Ks coming in.
Too bad Wood hasn't been the same since then.
posted at 12:17 PM CDT on May 7
So it finally comes to an end. Julio Franco has retired.
The oldest man to hit a major league home run has finally retired from professional baseball. His announcement came after a Mexican minor league game. At the age of 49, he's finally hung up the spikes.
(crazy Julio Franco trivia inside)
posted to Baseball at 10:44 PM CDT
The list of HoF-ers who started their careers after Franco should also include Kirby Puckett.
Aside from that, an amazing career from a longevity standpoint, and a decent career overall. Good for him.
posted at 8:20 PM CDT on May 5
Baseball's Failure Dynasties : ESPN's Page 2 analyzes Major League Baseball's current top (bottom?) five long term excersizes in futility.
posted to Baseball at 4:53 PM CDT
Well, in Clevelander's defense, none of his teams have won anything since the Tribe won the World Series back in the 40's. So he's understandably experiencing some angst.
Useless trivia for the day: My home (the Twin Cities) currently has the longest stretch of any city with at least three major sports teams (MLB, NFL, NBA, NHL) without making an appearance in the World Series, Super Bowl, NBA Finals or Stanley Cup Finals. Last one was the Twins' World Series in 1991. (The North Stars also made the Stanley Cup Finals that year.) The Twin Cities have also gone the fourth-longest in that group without winning any of those four, behind Cleveland, Seattle and Philadelphia (though each of those cities has lost at least two different ones of those championships since the Twin Cities even saw one of their teams in one).
It seemed tangentially related to the thread, though I have digressed a bit.
posted at 11:06 PM CDT on May 2
Chiefs trade Jared Allen to Minnesota: League leading sack specialist Jared Allen has been traded to Minnesota for first and third round draft picks.
posted to Football at 11:36 AM CDT
From the Viking fan perspective, I am quite happy with this deal. Considering the staggering number of 1st-round picks the Vikings have wasted on defensive linemen that didn't pan out over the last 15 years (and the likelihood that they'd have done the same thing again this year), I'm quite happy to take the proven commodity.
As for the 4th quarter stat, I would strongly suggest looking at the Chiefs' schedule/results from last year and asking, "How frequently were their opponents throwing the ball in the 4th quarter?" Considering that the Chiefs lost their last 9 games, it is likely their opponents were running the ball a lot in the 4th. (The Chiefs were 28th in the league in rush defense, so I'd run the ball against them a lot, too.)
On top of that, you're taking last year's sack leader and putting him on the same line with the best tackle tandem in the NFL. The Vikings led the league in rush defense last season, and with an elite pass rusher on the end (who won't be seeing many double-teams thanks to Kevin and Pat Williams), their defense could rise to an elite level.
Which leads to the following statement: This is the year the Vikings really find out if Tarvaris Jackson is their QB of the future. They should almost win the NFC North by default (the Pack will struggle without Favre, especially if/when Rodgers gets hurt, the Bears are imploding, and the Lions are the Lions), but a solid season from Jackson could make them a contender in the NFC.
posted at 1:59 PM CDT on April 23
Just a note for goyoucolts: The Vikings just traded away that 1st rounder, so I don't think they are going to get Jackson or Sweed. And they did pick up Berrian in the offseason, which won't hurt.
posted at 4:21 PM CDT on April 23
Sean Avery does his best to reduce the NHL to the level of the WWE (single link to a Youtube video). The NHL responds.
posted to Hockey at 10:53 AM CDT
Count me in the group that doesn't get the outrage from some corners of the NHL about this. Sure, it looks a little silly, but it's perfectly within the rules, or at least it was at the time. Avery just took it to another level. I have no problem with the NHL changing the rules about this, though I think it would be better if they changed it after the season as opposed to mid-stream as they did.
I also agree with those who ask, "If this were anyone other than Avery, would this be a big deal?"
posted at 11:51 AM CDT on April 16
Whether what he did was in the letter of the rules or not it was just stupid and undignified and childish and the reaction across the league has pretty much been, "I haven't seen that since PeeWee hockey".
True, but it was also perfectly legal, and most importantly, very effective.
It reminds me a bit of the controversy about some player bunting for a hit which broke up Curt Schilling's no-hitter a few years back when Schilling was still with the D-Backs. I forget which player it was that did it, but his team was down 2-0, and his goal was to bring the tying run to the plate. Many of Schilling's teammates, as well as Bob Brenly (the manager), were outraged because someone had broken one of the "unwritten rules" (or "the code", as stated above). Schilling, to his credit, said it made complete sense and wasn't upset about it, at least outwardly.
Of course, bunting for a hit doesn't look as silly as what Avery was doing, but it's the same basic premise. There is nothing wrong with doing what it takes to win, as long as you aren't cheating or potentially injuring someone. If it needs to be a rule, write it down (which is exactly what the NHL is doing here).
posted at 1:44 PM CDT on April 16
Not to nitpick, hawkguy, but it was Harpo, not Groucho.
posted at 7:49 PM CDT on April 16
Frozen Four: Where Eagles Soar The Boston College Eagles won the 2008 NCAA Frozen Four championship by knocking off this year's Cinderalla, Notre Dame, 4-1. This is BC's third national championship. Game Notes. Slide Show.
posted to Hockey at 10:04 AM CDT
Any team that beats North Dakota repeatedly is fine with me, even if they did knock out the Gophers this season. Hooray Eagles!
posted at 11:52 AM CDT on April 13
Basqueing in Glory: Athletic Bilbao is Europe's most exotic football club. For 80 years, the legendary club has managed to keep itself in Spain's top division, fielding players recruited exclusively from the Basque region. But how long can the fiercely independent club continue to resist the trends of globalization?
posted to Soccer at 2:35 PM CDT
Reminds me quite a bit of the University of Minnesota hockey team, where during Doug Woog's tenure, he only recruited players from Minnesota. Always made the NCAAs until the last couple of years, and came close to winning a few times, but toward the end, the strategy started backfiring. More Minnesota schools and more Minnesota recruiting by other schools took its toll, and the Gophers started getting weaker. Don Lucia took over, promptly recruited a kid from North Dakota -- Grant Potulny -- and watched him score the overtime game-winner in the NCAA championship game three years later. Then Lucia brought in a player from Europe -- Thomas Vanek -- who pretty much single-handedly won the Gophers another championship the next year.
Moral of the story: Sometimes you have to adapt to the times to be successful, no matter how much you love the traditions.
posted at 7:31 PM CDT on April 11
Olympic torch put out by protests. Security officials canceled the final run of the Olympic relay through Paris after chaotic protests Monday, sending a snuffed-out torch to its destination on a bus in a humiliating concession to protesters decrying China's human rights record.
posted to Olympics at 12:24 PM CDT
I think it would be better to leave politics out of the Olympics and let it just be about the athletes. Not saying that I approve of China's human rights record, of course, but I say protest that elsewhere.
I've been seeing some politicians call for a U.S. boycott of the Beijing games, and I have a similar reaction to that. It would suck to be an athlete who trained for so many years to make the Olympics, only to have the opportunity taken away by politicians protesting a position you may or may not care about.
But I digress.
posted at 3:48 PM CDT on April 7
Numbers prove Nelson is still King of the Wild Maybe this is the one way to figure out who is best no matter when they played.
posted to Golf at 11:57 AM CDT
Cigarette smoking has been proven to be the leading cause of statistics. But can sports be far behind?
posted at 4:03 PM CDT on March 28
Critics Go Ape Over LeBron James Magazine Cover A picture of NBA star LeBron James and the model Gisele on the cover of April's Vogue is attracting controversy over their pose. The shot taken by renowned photographer Annie Leibovitz has been compared by some detractors to King Kong holding Fay Wray. ESPN.Com columnist Jemele Hill called it "memorable for all the wrong reasons." The photo is remarkably similar to "Destroy This Mad Brute," a famous World War I recruitment poster.
posted to Basketball at 10:16 AM CDT
As a society, we are never going to get past racial prejudice if certain people are always going to see racial prejudice in everything. The obvious difference in the photos is that Gisele is clearly enjoying herself, and I'd wager that LeBron knew or was told about the "King Kong" similarities. I'm sure if LeBron had thought it was a big deal he wouldn't have done it.
As is often the case with racial issues, this is much ado about nothing, which is unfortunate because it is harmful to the real cases of racism which still exist in our society.
(Your mileage may vary, of course.)
posted at 11:18 AM CDT on March 27
A collection of Ballparks: Past and Present In honor of the upcoming 2008 MLB Season, here's a video collection of sights and sounds from your favorite ballpark. Play Ball!
posted to Baseball at 1:01 AM CDT
I'm not sure if this sort of thing is allowed, so I apologize if it isn't, but for those of you who are thinking it would be fun to see some of these parks in person, I'd highly recommend Sports Travel & Tours. I've been taking trips through them for the past few years, checking out 4 or 5 parks per year, and these guys do a great job and make it fun and easy to see the parks you want to see. I'll have been to the home parks for all 30 teams by the time I finish this year's trip (though I haven't been to the new Busch yet...I did see the old one), and I'll be seeing Yankee Stadium one last time.
If you are looking for a fun summer trip, or want to see these parks in person, then this is something to consider.
posted at 9:34 AM CDT on March 27
NCAA Hockey Brackets Revealed The field of 16 is set for the NCAA Men's Ice Hockey Championship, with a field determined by the six conference tournament champions and the PairWise rankings.
posted to Hockey at 7:01 PM CDT
Comments on the bracket:
While I understand that the PairWise rankings are supposed to be the final word in the selection process, someone has to explain to me what the hell the sub-.500 Badgers are doing in this tournament. I feel very sorry for Minnesota State-Mankato, who finished fourth in the WCHA (Wisconsin finished sixth), had a better record than Wisconsin, and won the season series with Wisconsin 2-1-1. They really need to put in a rule that says you need to have at least a .500 record to qualify. (As it stands, the criteria is that your RPI has to be higher than .5000.)
Aside from that (and the fact that two teams -- Colorado College and Wisconsin -- are hosting as non-top seeds, a rule I've always been a bit bothered by), this is a good bracket. Three WCHA teams in the Midwest is a bit of a curveball, but Denver has always done well in Madison (possibly because Badger fans always chant "Let's Go Red!" when Denver is the team in red, though they won't be this time), and Denver always gives North Dakota fits, too. Colorado College hosts UNH and Michigan St., and I believe the home ice will be enough to get them through. Michigan should slide through their bracket (with Clarkson, St. Cloud and Niagara) with ease, and the Northeast is a toss-up...it's almost the same field as Minnesota's holiday tournament, except with Miami (OH) replacing RIT (who actually beat the Gophers in that tournament). BC won that one, and would be my pick to win this one, but any of the four teams could win it.
My official prediction is that Michigan takes home its 10th title.
posted at 7:18 PM CDT on March 23
jmd82 -- I'm originally from Mankato myself (though I went to the U), so there is a slight bias in my tirade against Wisconsin being in. I think even most objective Wisconsin fans would agree, though, as the facts seem to agree with us.
And yes, that was some awesome hockey a couple weekends ago between the Gophers and Mavericks. The Mavericks definitely deserved a better fate.
posted at 10:08 AM CDT on March 24
Actually, this was probably the best situation Miami could have ended up in. Both the Gophers and BC have been very up-and-down this year, and are very beatable. Michigan had been getting equally hosed in recent years (being in a bracket with North Dakota and Minnesota each of the last two years), and being #1 overall, they deserved the reasonably soft region they got. Miami, on the other hand had three choices:
-- the Northeast Region, with beatable BC and Minnesota teams
-- the West Region, where they could have to deal with WCHA regular season champion Colorado College on their home rink, or defending champion Michigan St.
-- the Midwest Region, where they could have to deal with Wisconsin on their home rink, or WCHA tournament champion Denver
Given those options, Miami got the best draw they could have, all things considered. If I were them, though, I'd worry about Air Force...they almost beat the Gophers in the tournament last year, and tied them in the 3rd place game of the Gophers' holiday tournament, at the end of which the Gophers won a rare (for college hockey) shootout.
posted at 2:12 PM CDT on March 24
posted to Basketball at 5:27 PM CDT
As a Minnesotan (and only a loose NBA fan when the Wolves are relevant), this is an embarrassing and stupid thing for Taylor to say. Talking about Garnett tanking when you have Mark Madsen -- a guy who shoots slam dunks at around 50% -- jacking up 3s during OT sessions is flat out ridiculous. Even if Garnett was tanking, there is no way one can say it wasn't a full team effort.
posted at 10:41 PM CDT on March 18
NCAA tourney is the best, but it could be even better. The NCAA tournament is the best three-plus weeks of hoops, maybe of anything, on the planet. But that doesn't mean it's perfect. It isn't.
posted to Basketball at 10:55 AM CDT
I agree with bender to a degree about the smaller conference tournaments and who is representing them. The regular season champion is the team that should represent those conferences, not the tournament champion. This doesn't bother me in the bigger confereces as much, because a team like Georgia winning doesn't keep teams like Mississippi State and Tenneesse out of the big tournament. But when a #7 seed in an 8-team tournament gets hot for three days and the regular-season champion has to sit at home because of it, that's making the regular season totally meaningless.
I like the idea of a 68-team tournament far more than the idea proposed by some last night of going to 128 teams. I think it was Knight who argued that doing so would allow more teams to experience the magic associated with the tournament. The problem is: How is it special in any way if every frickin' team is playing in it? The size it is at is just about right, because you still have to do something to earn your way in. Minnesota, for example, would easily be in a 128-team field, but I can't look at this season and see any good reason why they should be there.
I also like the ".500 rule", which might play well into the first point above.
posted at 3:55 PM CDT on March 17
One other thing: tommytrump, I'll believe what you say as soon as I see a synchronized swimming bracket pool at work.
posted at 3:57 PM CDT on March 17
Brett Favre Retires Brett Favre has told the Packers and coach Mike McCarthy Tuesday morning he's planning on retiring after 17 seasons.
posted to Football at 9:07 AM CDT
I believe Favre may very well rank as the greatest regular season QB of all-time. But add the playoffs in there, and while I whole-heartedly agree that he's a first-ballot HoF'er, he's not in the top five all-time. No QB either played bad games in playoff games or made more critical bad throws in a big game to cost his team than Favre. It's too bad that the last play of his career is a fine example of what I speak of.
But he did provide a lot of fine moments for the Packer faithful, and deserves best wishes for his retirement. He has the retirement of his number and the Hall of Fame to look forward to, and deservingly so.
posted at 1:07 PM CDT on March 4
Vivian Stringer reaches 800 wins Stringer joined Pat Summitt and Jody Conradt as the only women's basketball coaches to win 800 games as No. 4 Rutgers beat DePaul 60-46 on Wednesday night.
posted to Basketball at 12:01 PM CDT
I think I speak for most SpoFi-tes everywhere as I say, "Who?"
No disrespect intended to her, of course. A fine accomplishment.
posted at 3:57 PM CDT on February 29
Kidd to Dallas: Take Two In a revised deal that includes the semi-retired Keith Van Horn, Jason Kidd appears to be heading to the Dallas Mavericks after all. Does Kidd give them enough to win it all?
posted to Basketball at 1:45 AM CDT
The big winner is this trade is Van Horn. He gets paid quite a chunk of money for taking a trip to New Jersey (league rules require him to report) to do basically nothing.
Note to other NBA franchises: I am available for a sign-and-trade deal as well. I'll even happily accept league minimum.
posted at 12:21 PM CDT on February 18
The NY Times real time blog of the Clemens hearings. The NY times blogs today's hearings. A follow up story from the Times is here.
posted to Baseball at 3:24 PM CDT
Clemens sure seems to be in trouble to me. It's not "he said, he said", it's "he said, everyone else said". Pettitte and Knoblauch basically testifying against him doesn't help. Not that McNamee is exactly a sterling character or anything, but he does seem to have a stronger case for the truth given what Pettitte and Knoblauch have said.
posted at 3:53 PM CDT on February 13
Pedro Martinez, Juan Marichal filmed at cock fight A video of Martinez and Marichal at a cockfight was posted this week on YouTube and it showed the two laughing before releasing the roosters. They took part as honourary "soltadores," the word used to describe the person who puts the animal to fight. The fight takes place in their home country, the Dominican Republic, where cockfighting is legal and popular. It is banned throughout the United States
posted to Culture at 6:12 AM CDT
This thread reminds me of a George Carlin quote: "If lobsters looked like puppies, nobody could ever drop them in boiling water while they were still alive. But instead they look like science fiction monsters, so it's OK."
posted at 2:54 PM CDT on February 8
We Tried Baseball and It Didn't Work Excellent example of true geek humor, so of course baseball fans will probably hate this one.
posted to Baseball at 10:20 AM CDT
As a software developer and a baseball fan, I have to admit that I didn't really get this. I mean, I understood why it was supposed to be funny, but it just didn't quite strike me that way. I'm not offended or anything, it just didn't "click". Perhaps I'm just not geeky enough. Or too much of a baseball fan. It might be that my two interests cancel each other out here.
As for you, Howard, that's definitely a two-way street. I write software that tests custom-made hardware components, and I spend a lot of time straightening the hardware guys out, too. So let's not pretend it's all software's fault, unless you're talking about Microsoft, in which case I'll join you. ;-)
posted at 11:01 AM CDT on February 7
Bob Knight Resigns from Texas Tech in midseason after 902 career wins.
posted to Basketball at 9:03 PM CDT
Interesting timing for this, but Knight never played by everyone else's rules. For all of his negatives, he's a great coach who got his kids to graduate as well as play good basketball. And the media will certainly miss his frequent blowups, though they sometimes deserved it.
I recall back in 1997, when the Gophers were making their run to the Final Four (which didn't happen according to NCAA history, though I remember seeing it). The Gophers had just crushed Indiana to the tune of 101-51, and the local media was trying to get Knight to gush about star guard Bobby Jackson. One reporter asked Knight which player from the Gophers he would want on his team, and he answered John Thomas, the Gophers' center. The reporter asked why not Jackson, and Knight looked him square in the eyes and said calmly, "Because I know more about basketball than you do."
Indeed.
posted at 9:10 PM CDT on February 4
Another great Knight media rip I just remembered: During an NCAA tournament in the early 90's (I forget exactly which year, and I'm too lazy to look it up), Knight had this exchange with Lesley Visser after Indiana had won a second-round game against Temple:
Visser: So how did you guys beat Temple today?
Knight (with a look and a tone of voice that suggests "You are a complete moron"): We scored more points than they did. I don't know how you could possibly have missed that.
Visser, to her, credit, brushed it off like a good sport and continued, but that line and his delivery of it always cracked me up.
posted at 7:28 AM CDT on February 5
Leafs fire G.M. Ferguson Fletch lives! Leafs fire General Manager John Ferguson and have replaced him with Cliff Fletcher on an interim basis.
posted to Hockey at 12:00 PM CDT
I had no idea the Leafs are being run by a teachers' pension fund. Further, I have no idea *why* the Leafs are being run by a teachers' pension fund. Doesn't exactly seem like a congruent business with the NHL. But it does explain a lot about the state of the Leafs today. Ownership-by-committee is rarely a winning proposition.
Dogbert: A committee is where 100 people who think 'A' get together and compromise on 'B'.
posted at 2:42 PM CDT on January 22
Superbowl: Patriots vs. Giants 2.0 After an upset of the Packers, the Giants take on the Patriots again in Arizona.
posted to Football at 9:18 PM CDT
All I can say is thank God that the Packers lost. Had they won, we'd have to be listening to two more weeks of Brett Favre verbal ass-kissing on every media outlet imaginable. He had a great regular season, but in the second half and overtime, he started trying to win the game by himself again (as he has done in every playoff loss for the Pack in the last decade or so) and handed away the game in a fashion that everyone in the media (except Dr. Z) will overlook.
The Giants outplayed the Pack and deserved to win. I almost have to cheer for them in the Super Bowl for the service they did. But I'm too big a fan of history (and Junior Seau and Randy Moss) to not cheer for the Pats in 2 weeks.
posted at 9:26 AM CDT on January 21
OK, I'll grant you guys the Brady ass-kissing bonanza as well. That does get annoying. But at least Brady wins the big games, as opposed to costing his team the big game with silly interceptions like Favre has done since the Super Bowl years. That's my biggest complaint about the Favre ass-kissing...they constantly overlook that rather massive flaw. Favre may be the greatest regular-season QB ever, but he's not the guy you want leading your team in the big game. Brady doesn't have that working against him.
posted at 11:08 AM CDT on January 21
What's a coach really worth? The knee-jerk perception isn't kind to Oxford. We live in a state that under funds important items, that ranks in the bottom percentile of most U.S. social and educational categories, and yet Oxford High School's football coach is being paid $105,000 a year. No prep football coach in Alabama makes more.
posted to Football at 4:54 PM CDT
In fairness to the coaches in question, one question does need to be asked: How much revenue does the coach help generate for the school? If a better coach results in higher ticket sales (and thus concession and merchandise sales), then it is perfectly fair that he gets paid more. Whether or not the amount he is getting paid is too much compared to what an average coach would bring in is a valid question, but why a football coach gets paid more than a teacher (who despite providing a valuable service for society generates no money for the school) is totally understandable.
It's the same reason why colleges give scholarships to football players who can barely read while the straight-A students have to find another way...the athletes produce revenue for the schools, and the students don't. We live in a capitalist world, and for all its flaws, it beats the alternatives. This is just one of those flaws we have to live with.
posted at 8:16 PM CDT on January 15
USC's Carroll intersted in Falcons opening but why would he go to the Pros where he's a proven winner in the college ranks,and a loser in the pros?
posted to Football at 2:49 PM CDT
And why would the Falcons take another chance on a college coach after getting burned with Petrino?
posted at 3:21 PM CDT on January 10
The Meat In An Ineptitude Sandwich Tubby Smith's predecessor and successor are both making him look good.
posted to Basketball at 10:53 PM CDT
After watching the Gophers tonight, it's hard to believe these were the same players that were on the floor last year. Granted, it was Northwestern, but Monson could never figure out how to beat them. Smith's Gophers beat them quite soundly. There is definitely a lot of enthusiasm around the Gophers this year that has been lacking ever since the academic scandal.
Meanwhile, I think "Ten-Loss Tubby" is starting to look a bit better in Lexington than he did nine months ago. Is reality starting to set in for Kentucky basketball fans?
posted at 10:58 PM CDT on January 9
There could be some truth to what you say, Ironhead (though I think he was more worried about being driven out of town by a fanbase with surrealistic expectations), but the team he took over has far less talent right now and he has them playing better than Kentucky is currently playing.
Who knows? Maybe it's just because his stress level is a lot lower here in the State of Hockey.
posted at 8:00 PM CDT on January 10
Seattle defeats Washington, Jacksonville edges Pittsburgh.
posted to Football at 6:29 AM CDT
I was happy to see Jacksonville win, if only because they didn't deserve to fall victim to that atrocious pass interference call on 4th-and-goal from the 2 that led to Pittsburgh's last TD. And it is good to see Roethlisberger being a stand-up guy about how badly he stunk...that performance was Brett Favre-like. (And I'm talking the "Bad Brett" that shows up at playoff time.)
posted at 9:21 AM CDT on January 6
Flag On The Play! Was that really cheating? Sportsfilter member TheQatarian has the answer.
posted to Football at 3:13 AM CDT
I knew there would be some disagreement, and that's perfectly OK. These are just some of the things that annoy me while watching the game. The "flinch-and-point" false start is the one that drives me craziest, though I knew there would be disagreement on it. We could always compromise and say that at least the defensive player should have to cross the line of scrimmage to get the penalty called.
To each his/her own, of course. Just seemed like a topic for discussion, as well as something I needed to get off my mind. Always happy the SpoFi community can serve my needs in this area. ;-)
posted at 1:55 PM CDT on January 5
Nevermore! Ravens Fire Brian Billick The Super Bowl XXXV winning coach has been fired after a 5-11 season, his eighth with the team and sixth straight year without a playoff win. Owner Steve Bisciotti told Billick weeks ago that he'd be retained for another year. "I just changed my mind," he said.
posted to Football at 4:21 PM CDT
Billick sure got a lot of mileage out of the one one good year he had as the offensive coordinator of the Vikings. It's funny how he was a thoroughly mediocre OC until the Vikings drafted Randy Moss, then suddenly he became an offensive genius. Baltimore learned the truth the hard way on that one.
posted at 9:43 AM CDT on January 1
Herschel “I don’t look to break tackles. People just keep getting in my way.”
posted to Football at 1:43 AM CDT
And something of a goat in Minnesota. (Though to be fair, it's not his fault. The Vikings were simply being run by chimpanzees at that point in time.)
posted at 10:00 AM CDT on December 30
Playoffs? Playoffs!? The 8-6 Minnesota Vikings will play host to the 7-7 Washington Redskins, it’s a playoff storyline with a lot of interesting subplots. The latest in kyrilmmitch_76's ongoing series "For the Love of Sports".
posted to Football at 4:52 PM CDT
For the Vikings, this was supposed to be a rebuilding year. They were going to throw Jackson out there to see what he could do and see if he was their future or if they would have to look elsewhere. Now all of a sudden, they find themselves in the playoff hunt, and everyone is wondering why Jackson was chosen to run the club.
Having watched this team all season, two things are very clear to me:
-- Jackson is definitely improving. Better touch on his passes, and usually better decision-making, Monday's game notwithstanding. (First prime-time game...maybe a bit jittery.) Watch the first Lions game vs. the second Lions game, and you're looking at two different QBs. It's also nice that he talks to the coach right after he screws up to get more coaching, cf. Eli Manning, who sulks around every time he throws a pick.
-- Jackson is the best QB they have right now. Bollinger and Holcomb are slightly better known, but having watched both play this year, they stink. There is no good reason not to let Jackson ride it out
One other thing: Is the Vikings' pass defense last in the league because they are bad, or simply because no one even bothers *trying* to run on them? They are in the top ten in the league in fewest points allowed (the stat that really matters), and they lap the field in defensive TDs...is giving up a few yards that important?
Having said all this, the Vikings aren't getting past Green Bay or Dallas in the playoffs.
posted at 10:41 PM CDT on December 22
Dodgers add Andruw Jones Free-agent center fielder agrees to two-year deal worth $36.2 million, filling a big need in the middle of the order.
posted to Baseball at 3:07 AM CDT
One of the things I read about this deal was that the reason for the extra $100,000/yr on the contract was just so that it was higher than Torii Hunter's deal. If that's going to be the standard, then this deal was ridiculous. Hunter is the only player on Jones' level defensively, and Hunter was way better offensively than Jones was last season. The Dodgers overpaid.
posted at 9:31 AM CDT on December 7
They aren't that different in age (about a year and a half), and Hunter is in excellent shape. Jones' stats are going in the wrong direction for someone supposedly entering his prime, whereas Hunter's are improving. So I'd say no.
posted at 11:29 AM CDT on December 7
In response to the kerfuffle over Curt Schilling's new contract incentive that pays him $1 million for a single Cy Young vote, the BBWAA has resolved to ban all athletes with such incentives from consideration for related awards. Shockingly, Schilling responds.
posted to Baseball at 7:58 PM CDT
Grammar was always my goodest subject.
posted at 11:27 PM CDT on December 5
Blockbuster: Tigers agree to aquire Cabrera, Willis from Marlins Whatchu talkin' 'bout Dontrelle? Six prospects head to Miami including Detroit's 1st round picks in 2005 and 2006.
posted to Baseball at 11:01 PM CDT
Everhbody's obsessing about Willis in this thread...anyone want to take a look at the Tigers' lineup after this trade?
1. Curtis Granderson, cf
2. Placido Polanco, 2b
3. Magglio Ordonez, rf
4. Miguel Cabrera, 3b
5. Gary Sheffield, DH
6. Carlos Guillen, 1b
7. Edgar Renteria, ss
8. Jacque Jones, lf
9. Ivan Rodriguez, c.
Pudge batting 9th? Yikes!
posted at 3:13 PM CDT on December 5
Last minute rally moves Patriots to 12-0 but how much longer can the defense let teams run the ball down their throats?
posted to Football at 10:25 AM CDT
As someone with no real rooting interest in this game, I thought Gaffney did bobble the ball and that the call should have been overturned. However, because of Bart Scott's meltdown after the play (two unsportsmanlike penalties which still would have been assessed), the Pats would have had 1st-and-goal from the 2 with :45 left. Gut feling says they would have found a way to get the ball into the end zone.
That being said, Baltimore got very unlucky with the 4th-and-1. Not only did they stop it on the play where Rex Ryan called timeout just beforehand, but they also stopped it right afterward when New England committed a false start which meant that play didn't count, either. One of the few cases where a penalty actually helps the team that committed it. If either of those plays count, the defensive holding and/or bobble don't come into play.
posted at 1:13 PM CDT on December 4
Oklahoma crushes Missouri, Pittsburgh upsets West Virginia, LSU edges Tennessee, Ohio State celebrates, and the folks at the BCS prepare to get in the fetal position and crawl under their desks.
posted to Football at 6:21 AM CDT
Personally, I liked Dan Wetzel's idea of a 16-team tournament, with even the lesser conferences like the Sun Belt, WAC, Mountain West, MAC and C-USA having their conference champs in it. With such a system, everyone starts the season with a chance at the national title. Any system where a team can go undefeated and have no shot at a national title just because they haven't been good previously is completely bogus.
Since Hawaii wasn't going to be allowed in, I think LSU was the right call for the second team. My own view (and I realize that it is strictly my own) is that any game that goes beyond two OTs should be unofficially considered a tie, i.e. the final result still counts for all official purposes, but when making subjective judgments, consider any game that goes that long to be a crap shoot. So if I'm subjectively comparing LSU, Kansas, Virginia Tech and USC, I'm considering LSU to be 11-0-2 as opposed to 11-2. But again, that's just me.
I kinda feel bad for Missouri this time around. Even though they beat Kansas as well as another BCS team (Illinois), they have to watch Kansas play in the Orange Bowl while they get shutout of the BCS, despite only losing to one team all year (albeit twice) and playing a much tougher schedule. Also unfortunate that Georgia didn't get to the SEC Championship game so that they could have proven themselves worthy against LSU.
posted at 10:24 PM CDT on December 2
College Coaches Franchione, Callahan and Orgeron Sacked Say goodbye to Dennis Franchione at Texas A&M, Bill Callahan at Nebraska and Ed Orgeron at Ole Miss. Houston Nutt at Arkansas may be next.
posted to Football at 1:35 PM CDT
I highly doubt Saban would get booted to the curb after one year, despite the disappointments in recent weeks and the craziness of Alabama fans and boosters. Too much money tied up in him and too much of a history of success to not give him at least 3 years to put something together. As for Nutt, he might suffer from the "you've been mediocre long enough, and you should be better" affliction that cost Glen Mason his job at Minnesota last year (though without blowing a 31-point lead in a bowl game).
Callahan will probably end up back in the NFL as a coordinator, where he is a better fit. Nutt would be a good fit for the Baylor job, though he might aspire to higher. Franchione can probably land a head coaching job somewhere, but Orgeron is headed back to a coordinator position.
posted at 5:32 PM CDT on November 24
The dumbest football fines ever! Some of these are pretty funny. While others make you wonder, just how much time does the league actually have on it's hands?
posted to Football at 3:54 PM CDT
They left out John Randle getting fined something like $25K for wearing too much eye-black, which I think was the same week that John Lynch get fined only $5K for a dirty hit that injured someone.
posted at 4:27 PM CDT on November 7
New Hockeytown USA If Detroit isn't Hockeytown USA anymore, then what city is? From Hockeytown to Ghost Town. Holy Octopi, what the heck is happening to this tradition-rich Original 6 city? Who has displaced them as an American Hockey Mecca? Columnist Ross McKeon weighs in.
posted to Hockey at 6:44 AM CDT
As a Minnesotan, I believe that such a title should encompass a lot more than just the NHL. Now sure, the Wild make a strong argument from the pro angle, and the North Stars always drew well when they were here (the primary reason they left was a money-grubbing owner who was fleeing a sexual harassment lawsuit). But Minnesota hockey is about a lot more than just the Wild.
For example: In how many states could the term "fantasy high-school hockey league" be even remotely believable? Well, in Minnesota, they are fairly common. The state high-school hockey tournament is a massive event every year. In college, Minnesota schools comprise almost half of the college hockey's best conference, the WCHA, and Minnesota players are a large factor on every team in the conference and beyond. The WCHA Final Five is often a better tournament the the NCAA Frozen Four is.
Michigan is really the only state that can rival Minnesota when it comes to high school and college hockey, so Detroit has always been a good choice. But St. Paul is the best today, in my biased opinion.
posted at 7:02 PM CDT on November 4
The Curse Of Curtis Leskanic Is this the year the Red Sox break the agonizing 36-month-long curse?
posted to Baseball at 10:23 AM CDT
Personally, I think it would be fun to just say, "Damn you, Leskanic!" whenever something goes wrong.
posted at 11:38 AM CDT on October 25
Another Walker era ends. The Heat trade Antoine Walker, Michael Doleac, Wayne Simien, and a First Round draft pick to the Timberwolves for Ricky Davis and Mark Blount.
posted to Basketball at 4:31 PM CDT
Getting Blount's contract off the books and getting a first-rounder in return is enough to make this Wolves' fan happy. I don't think Walker is any better fit for a rebuilding team than Davis is, but Walker isn't quite the clubhouse cancer that Davis is, from what I'm led to believe. (Apparently, Walker drives coaches crazy, but his teammates like him.) Now if they could just get rid of Jaric somehow, they'd really be in great shape.
The other interesting thing about this trade to me is that the Wolves already had too many guys on their roster, and now they've added one more guy. So they will have to either make another deal, or cut some guys outright.
posted at 5:49 PM CDT on October 24
In Wolves-land, I can't say that I ever thought Blount was a "prima donna". He was good for about 10 points per game, but was soft on the boards. Sadly, he may have been the best center the Wolves ever had, which is an extremely sad statement.
As for why the Wolves get a first-rounder, well, maybe we're just due for that after that awful Jaric for Cassell and a first-rounder deal with the Clippers.
posted at 8:56 AM CDT on October 25
A dark day as National Lacrosse League cancels 2008 season. The NLL yesterday canceled the season after it failed to reach a new collective agreement with its players by its long-standing midnight Monday deadline..
posted to Other at 12:44 PM CDT
I went to a Minnesota Swarm game back in March, because my company gave people on our project tickets to the suite for that game. (Won't let us worker-bees go to a Wild game...grr. But I digress...) It was surprisingly entertaining: plenty of scoring, a fight, and a PA announcer who trash-talked a lot. I'd go again, if I could.
This whole thing seems reminiscent of the WNBA strike/lockout (I forget which it was) from a few years ago...it's a bad thing for a league that doesn't have any sort of foothold and could be easily forgotten. I'm shocked the WNBA is still around, and it won't surprise me if this kills this league.
posted at 1:34 PM CDT on October 18
Assistant Coach Pisses Off Baylor University Eric Schnupp, an offensive line/tight ends coach in his first year at the Baptist school, has been suspended for urinating on the bar at Scruffy Murphy's tavern in Waco after closing time Sunday. "Schnupp apparently thought no one was watching him as employees were moving patrons out of the building," the Waco Tribune-Herald reported.
posted to Football at 4:33 PM CDT
Sounds more like he was pissing *on* Baylor University.
(Dont' know if the bar is on campus or not, but I couldn't resist.)
posted at 4:56 PM CDT on October 16
Globetrotters end 20 year road trip with game in Harlem Eke out rare home victory.
posted to Culture at 4:30 PM CDT
And the steroids.
And the brain-damaged competitors killing their families.
And Randy Orton as a general concept.
posted at 7:05 PM CDT on October 10
Nick of Time: Folk's 53-Yard Field Goal Caps Dramatic Comeback While there seems to be different versions of the story, there is a theory that Wade Phillips was eventually fired in Buffalo because of the Music City Miracle some seven years ago. So it was only fitting that is in his first trip back to Buffalo as a head coach, Phillips and the Cowboys pulled out a miracle of their own
posted to Football at 8:22 AM CDT
I agree, but I think it will end once it backfires on a coach, i.e. kicker misses first attempt, but gets a second shot and cashes it in. The coach will get blamed for the loss, and other coaches will think twice about it. It's only a matter of time before it happens.
posted at 9:37 AM CDT on October 9
Leave Steve Bartman Alone! Now that the Chicago Cubs have returned to the playoffs, Sun-Times columnist Jay Mariotti thinks the scorn heaped on Steve Bartman for the foul ball grab has made the infamous fan darker, sadder and lonelier. "I'm sorry," Mariotti writes. "And, really, Cubdom should be sorry, too. Without knowing his identity, I scolded him in print for acting like a dummy fan who should have known better. Next thing you knew, crazy message boards on Major League Baseball's Web site were outing his name, turning an ugly scene at Wrigley -- who can forget Bartman burying his head in his jacket while beer and obscenities were hurled? -- into the beginning of his new, unfortunate life."
posted to Baseball at 1:42 PM CDT
As a die-hard Cubs fan, I have always contended that no one should know Steve Bartman's name. If he didn't reach over the wall, then he did nothing wrong, and if he did, then the umpire blew the call, so get mad at him. (Blaming the umpire / referee / official is a good old-fashioned sports tradition.)
Was it a blown call? I believe it was. Did it turn the game? Quite possibly. But the Cubs also blew a double-play chance later in that inning and blew a lead in Game 7, so it's not like everything came down to that play.
So count me among the "Quit blaming Bartman" crowd of Cubs fans. As well as those who hope they win it this year so that most of those misguided souls who have blamed him can let it go as well (much like Bill Buckner was the happiest man on Earth in 2004 when he was finally let off the hook).
posted at 2:02 PM CDT on October 3
Karma is the key for Rockies play-in to playoffs The gods smiled on this one. The Rockies had to win 13 out of 14 just to get to this game. They won it in the bottom of the 13th by scoring three runs against the most successful closer in the history of the game. The winning run came on a controversial play at the plate. Of course it was scored by Matt Holliday, who just moments before got RBI #137, allowing him to claim the RBI title from Ryan Howard. Some think he's the MVP, and if he wasn't in that game (and the whole month of September), when the team needed him most, then the term has no meaning. Holliday could've been the goat after misplaying a fly ball that allowed the Pads to tie it up in the 8th. Pads fans no doubt are unhappy with how the play at the plate was called, but maybe it makes up the for home-run-no-it's-a-double that was taken from Brad Hawpe, the third time THIS MONTH(!) the Rox were robbed of a home run by a bad call.
posted to Baseball at 11:30 AM CDT
Correction to drumdance's correction: The ball hit the top of the wall and bounced back into play. Atkins was not robbed of a home run...the call on the field was correct. Can't speak to the September 10th one...didn't see it.
posted at 3:23 PM CDT on October 2
Hope Solo Kicked Off Team for Consolation Game In response to Hope Solo's comments after the Brazil loss, Coach Greg Ryan said the benched goalkeeper won't play in Sunday's third-place World Cup game and won't even be on the bench, in spite of her apologies to the public and her teammates. "We have moved forward with 20 players who have stood by each other, who have battled for each other," said Ryan. "And when the hard times came -- and the Brazil game was a hard time -- they stood strong. Now it's the 20 who have stuck together who will be ready to go out and compete against Norway."
posted to Soccer at 8:02 AM CDT
I'll say this: in this age of political correctness and "let's make sure that we don't hurt anyone's feelings", I find Solo's honesty extremely refreshing. Was it a boneheaded decision by the coach? In hindsight, certainly. And I don't blame her for being upset. I think the only thing she should have done differently is waited until after the consolation game to fire off, though one could argue that the consolation game doesn't really mean much.
I wish we had more politicians that would be so blunt when the other side says or does something completely idiotic. But that's a topic for another discussion board.
posted at 2:36 PM CDT on September 29
Texas 30 - Baltimore 3 ... wasn't an NFL preseason matchup but the rather the Rangers posting the highest major league run total in 110 years. I guess there is no mercy rule in the MLB.
posted to Baseball at 8:09 PM CDT
My thoughts:
-- How many times will the Cowboys score 30 points this season?
-- Bad news for me: I don't have any Rangers hitters on my fantasy team.
-- Good news for me: I don't have any Orioles pitchers on my fantasy team, either.
posted at 10:36 AM CDT on August 23
Garcia Booted from PGA Championship for Incorrect Scorecard Reinforcing golf's reputation as the only sport that tests your counting skills, Sergio Garcia was disqualified from the PGA Championship Saturday for signing a scorecard one shot lower than his actual round. "It's my fault for putting the wrong score in, but it's his fault for not checking," said playing partner Bo Weekly.
posted to Golf at 4:54 PM CDT
Am I the only person who doesn't understand why golf insists on sticking with this rather archaic system when the tournaments are fully televised? In a tournament like this, everyone knows what the damn score is, so why go through all the crap with scorecards? I'm sure they think it's quaint and all, but it serves no purpose other than to get someone disqualified like this. I'm surprised that almost 40 years after the 1968 Masters (where Roberto De Vicenzo signed an incorrect scorecard and was denied a playoff because of it...he was tied with Bob Goalby for the lead after 72 holes, but the rules dictated the written score superseded the actual score that everyone saw happen) that the PGA still hasn't figured out that the scorecard is no longer necessary and only screws things up like this.
Thankfully, Garcia was out of it, anyway, so it's no great loss. But I wonder how long it will be before another major is decided by something like this. And how long it will take for the PGA to enter the 21st century when it comes to scorekeeping.
posted at 11:18 PM CDT on August 11
To clarify, if it's the "Fats Domino Desert Classic" and it's not televised, that's one thing. But you can track any PGA event live online these days, which means that someone is watching every hole and keeping score. So there's just no need for a scorecard. As I said, the only purpose it serves is to get someone DQ'ed for screwing up.
Second clarification: The rant above was not intended as a defense of Garcia. Yes, it is the rule, and it was his mistake. I'm not a fan of his, anyway. I just feel a bit bad for him in this case because he got tripped up by an unnecessary rule, though he is ultimately to blame.
posted at 6:15 PM CDT on August 12
Someone (or some group) is clearly tracking every score hole-by-hole. Otherwise, how do you have live online coverage of these tournaments? On top of that, there's a PGA official walking around with every group for rules interpretations and such, so why can't he be the official scorekeeper?
posted at 7:43 AM CDT on August 13
Wake Forest Coach Skip Prosser Dead Prosser collapsed while jogging, according to the Winston-Salem Journal.
posted to Basketball at 4:43 PM CDT
For those who asked, "How can this sports week get worse?" here's your answer. Not a big ACC fan (I'm in Big Ten country), but I've heard nothing bad about the man, and my best wishes to his family and the Wake Forest community.
posted at 4:44 PM CDT on July 26
Arbour to coach Isles one last time No, it's not a 15 year contract.
posted to Hockey at 4:39 PM CDT
I think it's a very cool gesture by the Isles, Ted Nolan and the NHL. 1,499 is just not the right number to end on.
posted at 7:54 PM CDT on July 19
Falcons QB Michael Vick Indicted on Federal Charges; somewhat of a surprise, given that two weeks ago, most legal pundits familiar with the case said it was unlikely that Vick would face charges. Vick and three others are charged with violating federal laws against competitive dog fighting, procuring and training pit bulls for it and conducting the enterprise across state lines. The indictment alleges that Vick and his co-defendants began dog fighting in early 2001, the former Virginia Tech star's rookie year with the Falcons.
posted to Football at 5:13 PM CDT
I also totally miss the point of skeet's post (who suggested race had anything to do with it?), but aside from that I can only hope that Atlanta enjoys the Joey Harrington era. Even better for us Minnesota fans, it starts against the Vikings.
posted at 10:17 PM CDT on July 17
Sporting perfection? The Telegraph's Brendan Gallagher compiles a list of 50 perfect sporting moments. You could go vote for your favourite, but isn't it much more fun to argue about why the list is wrong and how biased it is?
posted to General at 7:16 AM CDT
"Perfect sporting moment?" My own local bias points to Kirby Puckett's Game 6 home run in the 1991 World Series. His team was down 3-2 after getting swept in Atlanta, and he wasn't hitting that well, but Puckett told his teammates after batting practice, "Jump on my back tonight, I'm going to carry us."
All he did in that game was hit a RBI triple in the 1st, then score, rob Ron Gant of an extra-base hit in the 3rd with an amazing catch, hit a sacrifice fly in the 5th to put the Twins back ahead, and single and steal a base in the 8th to give the Twins a chance to get another run. So when he lead off in the 11th inning with the fans chanting his name, there was only one logical conclusion: a walk-off home run. And that's exactly what happened, which is why I think it qualifies as a "perfect" sporting moment.
As with everyone else, just my opinion.
posted at 11:17 AM CDT on June 27
IU Football Coach Hoeppner dies 'This is a sad, sad day for Indiana University."......"It was never a rainy day, the sun was always shining for him.".....from IU Basketball Coach Kelvin Sampson.
posted to Football at 11:39 AM CDT
It's rare to find someone whose lifelong dream is to coach at a school like IU. He achieved his dream, but it's a shame that he can't see it through.
Good man, sad story. Best wishes to all family, friends and players.
posted at 9:47 PM CDT on June 19
Balsillie to purchase Predators You might want to see if you can transfer carriers for your Blackberry, Barry Trotz.
posted to Hockey at 9:44 PM CDT
Send the Predators to Winnipeg, put them in the Northwest Division, then put the Wild in Nashville's old spot in the Central. It will be like old times for Minnesota hockey fans...the old Norris Division mostly reunited. OK, so Columbus would be in place of Toronto, but we'd cope. It would be a lot more fun for Wild fans to play Detroit, St. Louis and Chicago eight times each than to keep having to go up to the Frozen North constantly to try to follow the team.
Oh yeah, this thread was about the Preds...sorry.
posted at 11:40 AM CDT on May 25
Sabres 0 - Senators 2
Red Wings 1 - Ducks 1
with apologies to lilnemo
posted to Hockey at 9:47 AM CDT
I, for one, am cheering for anyone but the Ducks. It's not that I have any particular animus toward them, but I'm tired of the Stanley Cup residing in cities where it rarely (if ever) snows. Detroit, Buffalo and Ottawa are all perfectly acceptable locales, but I think the Cup might spoil if it has to spend a fourth straight year in a warm-weather climate. (It sat for two years in Tampa because of the strike.)
posted at 10:46 AM CDT on May 14
Dear Senator Brownback: Please refrain from using Peyton Manning as the quarterback in your football analogies.
Love,
Cheeseheads
posted to Football at 12:42 PM CDT
The worst part of it is that he was right. He may have been better off just sticking to what he said and not being ashamed of it. But that's politics.
posted at 5:37 PM CDT on May 12
Warriors back in playoff run after 12 years of not making the cut. Chris Mullin was on the Golden State Warriors' last playoff team, and he's the architect of the current club's return to the playoffs after a 12-year absence.
posted to Basketball at 11:55 AM CDT
Good for them. I hope they enjoy their four games against the Mavericks.
posted at 2:14 PM CDT on April 20
Hargrove Robs Pitcher of Five-Inning Snow Hitter As snow fell in Cleveland with increasing strength, Indians pitcher Paul Byrd was one strike from an official game against the Seattle Mariners in the top of the fifth when Mariners Manager Mike Hargrove, known as the "Human Rain Delay" during his playing days, made a well-timed trip to argue with the umps.
posted to Baseball at 9:38 PM CDT
Whatever happened to that "Global Warming" stuff I keep hearing about?
posted at 9:57 AM CDT on April 7
I'd just like to point out that my previous post was a *joke*. Here in Minnesota, it was 80 degrees less than two weeks ago, then it snowed this week. Most of us in these parts simply wish it was a little warmer. I was not suggesting that unseasonably cold weather and odd snowfall amounts disprove global warming. (I could, however, cite dozens of other things that do disprove it, or at least the "man-made" part of it, but that's not the point of this website.)
But for the sake of making this post relevant, I agree that scheduling early April games outdoors is a mistake. As a Twins fan, that's going to be one drawback to the new park we will be getting at some point. I could live with the home opener being put off for a few days if need be.
posted at 9:46 PM CDT on April 8
Tubby Fills A Gopher Hole... ...Tubby Smith leaves Kentucky for Minnesota.
posted to Basketball at 4:33 PM CDT
It sounds like Kentucky fans wanted him gone, and given their unrealistic expectations (worse than Notre Dame football fans, if you ask me...Kentucky basketball deals with a lot tougher competition than Notre Dame football does), a move to Minnesota should be great for his stress level. Here in Gopher-ville, we'll be thrilled if we can get back to the Big Dance. And it's a good big-name hire after taking a chance on a no-name football coach. Good move for the Gophers and for Smith, but what of Kentucky?
posted at 4:38 PM CDT on March 22
Nice to feel appreciated, squirrelone.
Anyway, he can't possibly do worse than his predecessor. Dan Monson was in so far over his head with this job that you needed sonar equipment to locate him. He was brought in initially to clean up the mess that Clem Haskins made, and he did do that much, but his good players didn't respect him. Rick Rickert, Joel Przybilla and Kris Humphries all bailed early on him, and all of the good in-state talent has gone to either Wisconsin or Michigan State.
Minnesota has the resources and facilities (one of the best arenas in the country), and its fanbase will show up if things don't look totally hopeless. This is especially good timing for the Gophers given the state of the local professional (and I use that term loosely) basketball team.
posted at 10:31 PM CDT on March 22
2007 NCAA Hockey Tournament The brackets have been selected, with the #1 seeds going to Minnesota, Notre Dame, Clarkson, and UNH. Notre Dame has been ranked #1 for most of the season, riding a hot goaltender. They have won five straight and only given up 3 goals total in those games. Minnesota beat North Dakota (the hotest team in the nation) in a thrilling OT game for the WCHA conference championship, after an amazing goal by Blake Wheeler (YouTube). First round of the playoffs start this weekend, with the Frozen Four in St. Louis in two weeks.
posted to Hockey at 1:57 PM CDT
It's a shame that Minnesota and North Dakota got placed in the same region. Not saying that I don't understand why or anything, but switching Michigan and BU instead of switching Michigan State and North Dakota to avoid the Michigan-Michigan State matchup would have kept the potential Minnesota-North Dakota rematch for a bigger stage.
That being said, here are my predicitons:
-- Frozen Four will be Minnesota, Notre Dame, Clarkson and BC, though I will not be at all shocked if North Dakota defeats Minnesota. Clarkson is a weak #1 seed that could even lose to UMass, but their bracket is weak.
-- St. Cloud State will continue its 0-for-the-NCAA record by losing to Maine in the first round. They look awful right now. Taking a dump at the Final Five (going 0-2) is a bad omen...the only team I can recall that got to the Frozen Four after doing so was Minnesota in 2005, and that's only because the regional was at Mariucci. The only saving grace for St. Cloud is that Maine is stinking just about as badly lately.
-- Billy Sauer of Michigan will allow at least 2 or 3 soft goals against North Dakota in the 1st round. He's awful. If Michigan somehow escapes North Dakota, Minnesota will beat them down.
-- Anyone who chants "Holy Cross" at the Gophers after they defeat Air Force will officially be a loser. Not that they aren't already, but that joke is on its deathbed. ;-)
-- Like in 2006, Wisconsin will play the entire tournament at home. But this time they'll do it by themselves.
-- For the first time in 6 years, a non-WCHA team will win it...I'm picking BC over Notre Dame in the final.
We'll see if I'm right about any of this or not, but that's my call.
posted at 2:22 PM CDT on March 19
PU: The Gophers' #1 seed is a product of mathematics...or are you not familiar with the PairWise rankings? They did win both the regular season and playoff championship in the WCHA...hard to argue they aren't a #1 seed.
Otherwise, I agree with you, but they do have some momentum and confidence going into the tournament. I think the game they lost to Anchorage was their wake-up call.
posted at 9:10 AM CDT on March 20
For skydivemom, here are the basics on the NCAA hockey tournament:
It's a single elimination tournament, just like basketball. Sixteen teams participate in four regionals, then the winners go to the Frozen Four.
The sixteen teams are chosen as follows: the winners of the six hockey conference tournaments (WCHA, CCHA, Hockey East, ECACHL, Atlantic Hockey, and CHA) automatically make it. This year, those teams were Minnesota, Notre Dame, Boston College, Clarkson, Air Force and Alabama-Huntsville. The other 10 teams are chosen using the "PairWise Rankings", which can be found (along with lots of other useful information about how the tournament is put together) on uscho.com. There's practically no subjectivity to the process, unlike basketball.
Hope that helps.
posted at 9:16 AM CDT on March 21
Team Me Up Scottie Pippen wants to return and is looking for another NBA championship ring.
posted to Basketball at 10:14 AM CDT
It surprises me no one has mentioned this yet, but does anyone suppose that he might just be looking for a way to get himself at least partly out of Jordan's shadow? His 6 rings all come with that particular "Yeah, but," and maybe he's thinking that if he can get one ring without Jordan, people might take his selection as one of the 50 greatest players ever a bit more seriously?
Not saying that he'd succeed at it, mind you, just wondering if that's what he's thinking.
posted at 12:08 AM CDT on February 17
posted to Golf at 6:47 PM CDT
I'm definitely in the category of, "Bored with golf unless Tiger's involved." (Unlike my father, who would probably watch the Paraplegic Teenage Girls' Tour is such a thing existed.) I am awed by anyone who is so much better at something than anyone else and isn't totally arrogant or cocky. I'm getting back into men's tennis a little bit for the same reason (Federer). I'm sure I'm not the only one who is this way, as evidenced by TV ratings and what-not. From that standpoint, I'd have to say that yes, Tiger is good for golf.
posted at 1:11 PM CDT on January 29
Timberwolves Fire Coach Dwane Casey. The Wolves are currently 20-20, and have a tenuous hold on the 8th and final playoff spot. Assistant Randy Wittman will take over as interim coach.
posted to Basketball at 4:44 PM CDT
If only this were the year that Kevin McHale got moved, too. He and Flip got the team off the mat when they came here initially, but ever since then, McHale has made enough mistakes that any other GM would have been fired multiple times over. But for some reason, Glen Taylor (the owner) think the Wolves can't do better. Apparently he's the only one.
posted at 5:20 PM CDT on January 23
Unfortunately for Wolves fans, Taylor has also said that McHale will leave whenever he wants to.
It is hard to blame the Wolves situation on the coach. Trading a first-rounder and Sam Cassell for Marko Jaric? Not the coach's fault. Trading another first-rounder in the Szczerbiak deal in order to get Marcus Banks? Not the coach's fault. Signing Mike James, Troy Hudson, Trenton Hassell and Eddie Griffin to over-inflated deals? Not the coach's fault. Losing four draft picks to illegally sign Joe Smith (not even someone good)? You get the idea...
posted at 8:12 PM CDT on January 23
Steelers Aren't So Grimm after all The Steelers hire Mike Tomlin as their new head coach, instead of media darling and heir apparent Russ Grimm.
posted to Football at 8:01 AM CDT
From another perspective, allow me to be the first to say, "So much for the one good thing the Vikings had going for them." We're stuck with a total dry-ball for a head coach, and the offensive coordinator is pretty useless. Tomlin was the only guy on the coaching staff with any presence and any fire in his belly. One more year like this year, and he'd probably have been the Vikings' top guy.
posted at 1:46 PM CDT on January 22
posted to Football at 9:28 PM CDT
"The pass is to the back of the endzone, Smith leaps up to grab it...caught it! But before his feet hit the turf, he's CAUGHT by the two cornerbacks! He's struggling, but they are carrying him sideways to the edge of the endzone and they throw him out of bounds! Oh! Tough break for Smith. I guess they are going to have to go for the field goal now."
Actually, in college, your feet have to come down in bounds, period, just like this proposal. Never seen the sort of thing grum describes happen in college. It would be pretty hard. I'd second this proposal, and add the other part of the college rule, which only requires one foot in bounds. (Personally, I wish such a rule change had been in effect before the Nate Poole pseudo-catch that cost the Vikings the NFC North title a few years back.)
That being said (and this being from a de-facto Colts fan), I agree with the officiaiting mistakes Howard pointed out. That being said, the Pats don't choke away 15-point leads everyday, either.
I wonder: Did the Colts turn up the temperature in the RCA Dome on purpose? The announcers were talking about how hot it was, and New England clearly looked exhausted.
posted at 1:33 PM CDT on January 22
One Toke Over The Line, Ron Mexico... Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick "reluctantly" turned over a water bottle to TSA agents at the Miami-Dade International Airport yesterday. Upon closer inspection, the bottle had a hidden compartment containing "a dark particulate" and emanating "a pungent aroma closely associated with marijuana." Considering that Ron Mexico's had at least one TSA problem before, why would you even try to get something through security?
posted to Football at 12:34 PM CDT
I wonder if he had an Original Whizzinator (tm) as well? He should talk to Adonis Sweden -- er, Onterrio Smith.
Dante Cape Verde (real name: Rock Uzbekistan)
posted at 3:31 PM CDT on January 18
Players want BCS cut "Playing in a bowl is no longer reward enough for some players." With rising revenues for schools, conferences, and seemingly anybody not wearing a jersey on the field, are the claims legitimate or are some student-athletes losing perspective?
posted to Football at 1:22 PM CDT
As someone who worked his way through college with a few scholarships and a lot of his own work to secure a degree and get a good-paying job, I have a difficult time feeling sorry for guys who are being compensated more than my annual salary (depending on the school) in the form of a scholarship. At some schools, that's in the neighborhood of six figures per year.
Do they make more money for their schools and the NCAA than they get back? Probably. But a lot of us in the real world do, too. Welcome to life, guys. College football is just like an internship program; it has its purpose, and if you make the best of the opportunity, you'll make your money, either playing pro football or using the free college degree to its fullest.
posted at 5:54 PM CDT on January 7
A Man’s Place at a Woman’s Practice Faces Limits The idea is that the men are bigger, stronger and faster than the women and can provide more rigorous opposition. But if the N.C.A.A.’s committee on women’s athletics has its way, the use of men in practices will soon end.
posted to Culture at 7:42 PM CDT
I don't get the big problem with this, either. If this is what provides them the best chance to win, then so be it. The line that annoyed me the most in this article was the one about "an archaic notion of male pre-eminence"...come on, can we not accept that (generally speaking) males are bigger, stronger and overall better athletes than females? This story from almost a year ago today fell along those same lines, though in that case it was the parents of the guys who were worried about the game being played.
Note to NCAA: Lack of D-I football playoff system? Something most fans are upset about. This? No one cares except them and a few feminists. Way to tackle the big problems, guys.
posted at 10:15 PM CDT on January 3
The NHL to realign? The NHL has been trying for weeks to tinker with its schedule configuration, but is now considering a significant overhaul of the face of the league that includes realignment and a reduction in the number of divisions from six to four.
posted to Hockey at 1:56 PM CDT
As a Wild fan, I gotta say that it sucks bieng in a division with Calgary, Colorado, Vancouver and Edmonton instead of the old Norris Division. Maybe we could just moved the Penguins west, slide Nashville or Columbus into the Eastern Conference and let the Wild play with the Blues, Red Wings and Blackhawks again.
posted at 7:59 PM CDT on December 22
Red Sox brass meeting with Matsuzaka's agent Red Sox front office, pitcher's agent hammering out contract details.
posted to Baseball at 3:47 PM CDT
Am I the only person here who thinks that the Red Sox never really intended to sign Matsuzaka in the first place, and simply put up the enormous bid that they did to keep him away from the Yankees? They lose nothing if they don't sign him (except maybe some face, but they can easily transfer blame to Boras on that), and no one else can have him for another year.
That being said, Boras has to know he has no leverage here, and if Matsuzaka wants to play in the bigs this year, he's going to have to take whatever the Red Sox offer. The numbers I've heard seem reasonable for a guy who hasn't pitched in the majors yet.
posted at 5:39 PM CDT on December 12
ESPN: Smith Wins Heisman Troy Smith became the first player from Ohio State to win the Heisman since 1995.
posted to Football at 10:10 PM CDT
Everyone who's surprised by this raise your hand.
...
That's what I thought. No argument from me, either.
posted at 10:47 PM CDT on December 9
2006 College bowl listings Does exactly what it says. A list of who plays who, and where.
posted to Football at 6:48 PM CDT
I've been arguing the point about imbalanced leagues for quite a while. It is completely ridiculous that one division has 4 teams and another has 6 when the solution is readily apparent.
As for the schedule, you would have to have interleague series going on throughout the season, but that raises the following question: So what? Does that really matter? I'd like that over the setup where they put all the interleague rivalries on the same weekend so that the Cubs-Sox matchup can be routinely ignored for the (yawn!) Yankees-Mets. While we're at it, instead of focusing on the rivalries every year, they should simply rotate the divisions each team plays each year. The rivalries would mean more if they only played every three years.
As for the DH, I'm in favor of leaving it as it is. I think back to the 1991 World Series, and ask if Jack Morris pitches a 10-inning shutout in Game 7 if there is no DH. The answer is "no", since he'd have been pulled for a pinch-hitter long beforehand. Plus, leaving it as it is leaves the debate going, which is something that I've always thought was good for baseball.