- 03:41 PM
- 05/17/08
Heisman Winner Tim Tebow Circumcises Kids How did Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Tim Tebow spend his spring break? Performing medical and dental surgeries on impoverished children in the Phillipines -- including circumcisions. "The first time, it was nerve-racking," he said. "Hands were shaking a little bit."
posted to Football at 6:28 PM CDT
WHAT GIVES, GUYS? Nelson says there's no problem, Davis says very little For Warriors coach Don Nelson, the mind-boggling question everyone wants answered is really a no-brainer. Why didn't he play Baron Davis in the second half of Monday's playoff-elimination game in Phoenix?
posted to Basketball at 8:05 AM CDT
Baron Davis is the leader of the Golden State Warriors and their best player.
Correct on one of two. While he is their most talented player, it is widely acknowledged that Stephen Jackson is their leader and emotional catalyst.
And, as Davis' agent points out in the article, no other team has the cap room to match what Davis is guaranteed in his player option for 08-09 with the Warriors. So he likely isn't going anywhere.
posted at 11:13 AM CDT on April 16
"Tech doping"? How Speedo's LZR suit breaks swim records As the Associated Press reports, "the LZR now has been worn for 21 of the 22 world records set since it was introduced in February."
posted to Olympics at 10:51 PM CDT
"...who must wear new suits every 10th swim."
WTF? Any swimmers out there that can explain this to me? Is this normal for any swimsuit, or just the LZR?
I wouldn't call this technological doping so much as a technological arms race. Wearing an old-school suit now is like bringing a knife to a gunfight. I'm sure less-wealthy countries will recall the universal values of Olympism as they're getting pasted in the pool.
posted at 8:16 AM CDT on April 15
Rushin' to the Olympics: Former Silver Stars guard Becky Hammons becomes a naturalized Russian citizen in order to compete in the 2008 Olympic games.
posted to Olympics at 11:12 AM CDT
But the Olympics (modern not ancient Greco) were started for countries to come together in peaceful means for the purpose of freindly competition. My guys against your guys, in sport, not war.
Hmmm....is it possible that binary my-guys-against-your-guys thinking perpetuates a war-like mindset? The modern Olympics were introduced in 1896 and their "peaceful competition" played out against perhaps the bloodiest century in the history of humankind. Or maybe you're right: the bloodshed would have been worse if we didn't have the salve of Olympic competition every quadrennial.
posted at 3:38 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
Spitztengle kind of beat me to it, but the Olympics have always been about politics, long before 1980. You can look at the Cold War state-sponsored doping programs at their peak in Montreal in 1976 or Palestinian terrorism in Munich in 1972 or the slaughter of Mexican students and Black Power in 1968 or Japan's post-WWII reconstruction and coming out party in 1960 or Berlin's showcase of the Aryan ideals in 1936 ...
... or, as lil_brown_bat points out, you could right back to 1896 when Coubertin revived the Olympic Games and decided to centre competition around nation-states when there was no historical precedent for such competition in Antiquity, instead of simply making it an open competition for the world's athletes.
In other words, the Olympics have always been a site of political discourse and conflict. Thinking that they ever were (revisionist nostalgia) or could be (delusional utopia) is like buying into the slick marketing rhetoric that says there are no human rights violations taking place in Guantanam...err...Guangzhou.
That said, I'm sort of torn, and perhaps cautiously optimistic (in the lesser of two evils) that the market economics the Olympics will facilitate in the very near Chinese future have a better chance of changing things internally than symbolic political acts like a boycott of the Games. And that said, I still fully support any individual (ie. non-nation-state based) acts of protest, boycott or other awareness-raising activities that express a personal political response to the situation.
posted at 9:18 AM CDT on April 8
Good point cjets, though a small clarification: the torch/flame was introduced in 1928 in Amsterdam and the first torch relay that traversed national borders was used by Hitler and Goebbels in 1936.
And there is no evidence from Antiquity of a torch run spanning multiple city-states, either. It was a local event in which a flame was run to an altar to light a candle in homage to the gods.
In neither 1936 nor Antiquity was the torch sponsored by Lenovo.
posted at 12:31 PM CDT on April 8
Barkley, Shut Up and Jam: Gaiden
Every material on earth is, at the initial level, constructed from b-balls. Carbon is b-balls. The blood flowing through our b-ball veins is made of b-balls. Every star in our cosmos is b-ball in origin. Understand this, and you may begin to understand Barkley, Shut Up And Jam: Gaiden.
Once you've digested that, download the game. [via]
posted to Basketball at 6:51 AM CDT
Vinceborg would be really funny, except cyborgs can't writhe in pain, can they?
posted at 12:31 PM CDT on March 17
Bonds’ homer No. 762 a bizarre mystery After Bonds connected on No. 756 to move past Hank Aaron, each of his home runs became the new final home run. Every fan who snagged one became an instant celebrity and, at least until the next one was hit, a potential millionaire. When the season ended on Sept. 30, every home run ball that Bonds had hit after 756 had been accounted for, except one: No. 762.
posted to Baseball at 8:28 PM CDT
Thanks BoKnows.....that was as interesting for the draconian lengths usually taken to authenticate as anything else....kind of a shadow world that most of would never have known about.
posted at 9:00 AM CDT on March 14
Fast and the Furious In a sport historically slow to adapt to any but the slightest change, basketball programs at every level from high school to the NBA are embracing a whole new way of playing the game. Stranger yet, the architect of this change has never coached above Division ll.
posted to Basketball at 5:20 PM CDT
And so, using a pepper shaker as the basket, white sugar packets as offensive players and pink Sweet'n Low packets as defenders...
If you've ever coached before, this speaks to you...
posted at 11:07 PM CDT on February 13
or refereed
Hey Spitz, I only included a referee if there was a slice of lemon or a bottle of vinegar on the table. ;)
posted at 12:56 PM CDT on February 14
Jason Kidd traded to the Mavs. ESPN reports that discussions are ongoing. But Yahoo is reporting its a done deal. The official word is that the teams agree on the deal "in principle" pending league approval.
posted to Basketball at 2:51 PM CDT
2008: Nets deal Jason Kidd for a young star (Harris), two nice young players (Ager and Diop), draft picks and financial flexibility
2009: Nets deal Vince Carter in a similar deal for 65 cents on the dollar, but get a few young prospects
2010: Nets deal Richard Jefferson at the trading deadline
2010: Nets move to Brooklyn
2010 (summer): Nets sign LeBron James to the Big Apple via free agency; the kids are now veterans; challenge for the title in 1-2 seasons
There's your game plan right now...
posted at 5:13 PM CDT on February 13
Sparano beginning of Dolphins shakeup Now that they have a head coach,they've got to start looking for some players.And maybe in a few years they start to be a contender in the AFC East.
posted to Football at 1:59 PM CDT
You'd better work hard for Tony Sparano, or you'll be sleeping with the fishes...
posted at 8:12 AM CDT on January 18
Double Amputee Can't Run in Beijing Olympics Oscar Pistorius, a South African sprinter dubbed the "blade runner" because he runs on prosthetics, has been barred from this year's Summer Games. "An athlete using this prosthetic blade has a demonstrable mechanical advantage (more than 30 percent) when compared to someone not using the blade," the International Association of Athletics Federations ruled. A May 2007 New York Times profile asked the question, "Is he disabled or too-abled?" A YouTube video shows Pistorius competing at the Golden Gala in Rome last year, his first race against "able-bodied" sprinters.
posted to Olympics at 9:06 AM CDT
Wheelchair racers have been a separate part of marathons for years.
But wheeling with one's arms is not running, so it makes sense for it to be separate. As DJE points out, it is the process that is of concern here. Running with fancy new Nikes or prosthetic blades on your feet is still running.
How does one go about finding that well-defined line? How can Olympism claim to espouse a universal value system, but segregate and exclude based on defining what a body is/n't? If he only had one of these blades and one "real" leg, would he have been allowed to compete? And what if they find a way to synthesize the polymer with his DNA such that it becomes one substance? And ... I could go on for a while ... yikes.
posted at 10:41 AM CDT on January 14
Interview with Stan Honey, inventor of puck-swoosh and yellow first-down line TV graphics. The San Francisco Chronicle Sunday magazine has been doing interviews with "Bay Area people with innovative ideas who have put them to use." Meet Stan Honey, Palo Alto resident, pro sailor, and the man who put the blue highlight and red trail on the hockey puck, and the yellow first-down line on your TV.
posted to Culture at 10:32 PM CDT
Much of the technology that Mr. Honey used, borrowed, improved upon, and invented to generate the yellow line is in use in the defense industry today.
I remember talking to Juri Varangu, the Canadian contact for Princeton Video Imaging a few years ago, and he was telling me the same thing: it was trickle-down missile tracking technology from the first Gulf War.
The other thing it reminded me of, while I'm at it, is the glow-puck. I'm kind of curious as to why it hasn't been utilized again.
Instead of blue and red, make it gold and silver sparkles. Tracers, dude! Add it to racquetball and put it on ESPN2 at 2am....you're telling me stoned college kids wouldn't watch this? I've been wanting to do this for years now, but nobody will let me run a TV network.
posted at 4:08 PM CDT on January 6
He's on FIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIRE.....
posted at 3:38 PM CDT on January 7
Chris Bosh really wants to be an All Star.
posted to Basketball at 9:47 AM CDT
If you asked Bosh, he wouldn't think he should be there ahead of LeBron or KG either (particularly since Garnett has eaten him alive in every matchup this season). This video was just another step in the process of a young, shy kid gradually emerging from his shell (as 23-year-olds do) and coming to terms with his celebrity and stardom in the self-deprecating fashion that endeared fans to him in the first place.
posted at 11:40 AM CDT on January 4
Gatorade Inventor Dies Dr. Robert Cade, Who Created Sports Drink At University Of Florida, Dies At 80
posted to Culture at 9:41 PM CDT
I, for one, will miss rcade.
posted at 6:20 AM CDT on November 28
Which NBA lottery team built up the most positive karma during the season, thereby earning them a shot at Oden or Durant?
posted to Basketball at 2:32 PM CDT
Either way, don't fire him until after the draft. He's good at that.
The way I am reading it, Ainge is actually a lot like Isiah Thomas: they are both pretty big-name former players, both won championships and both are great at finding hidden talent. But neither are worth a goddam when it comes to the strategic planning and financial management of being a professional NBA GM.
posted at 3:41 PM CDT on May 23
Women's Basketball and Free Market Economics "They are too young to fully appreciate the irony of American basketball players traveling to Russia to earn a far better living than possible in the United States."
posted to Basketball at 8:59 AM CDT
Am I overlooking something?
I think Weedy meant something less US-centric....that in men's sports talent has migrated globally to where it most valued (in soccer, baseball, hockey, etc. etc.) for quite some time.....though maybe I am putting words in his mouth.
My only question is what happens when Daddy Warbucks pulls the plug on the whole operation? I mean, my "free market" title is a little misleading if the guy is essentially just throwing leisure money around with no sustainable business model.
posted at 10:52 AM CDT on May 17
Bulls 1 - Pistons 3
Cavs 3 - Nets 1
Suns 2 - Spurs 2
Warriors 1 - Jazz 3
posted to Basketball at 12:21 PM CDT
Team sport is built wholly on the premise of just that: the team.
You cannot ask a group of people to band together, grind through the practices, the games and the ups and downs of a season, travel through airports and room together on the road, share meals, banter in the locker room, work hard to come back from injuries, have everything crystallize for one run through the playoffs ... and then if some opponent takes a cheap shot at your best player, to NOT instinctively react.
What should happen is that AFTER you instinctively react and take the first steps towards the conflict, you'd better regain your composure and not get involved. The PHX assistants did a great job of not letting Diaw and Stoudemire reach the fray, which dissipated their initial (reasonable) desire to protect their teammate. Suspension unwarranted.
If they get there and shove, elbow, punch, then suspension warranted. I have no problem with that.
That's why there must be a subjective interpretation with this rule, and not the (purportedly) objective usage of a "cross the sideline and you're suspended" policy. The NBA expects these guys to turn off the sense of "team" like a switch -- you cannot do that and still have a compelling product on the floor. We watch pro sport because of what great individuals are capable of accomplishing as a team.
posted at 8:14 AM CDT on May 16
From 0 to 99 and everything in between. The Sporting News breaks down who are currently the best athletes at each number in sports.
posted to General at 7:25 PM CDT
And he owes it all to you.
While I've got you......
Laugh of the day. +1
posted at 6:55 PM CDT on May 14
Pistons 4 - Magic 0
Cavaliers 3 - Wizards 0
Nets 3 - Raptors 1
Bulls 4 - Heat 0
Mavericks 1 - Warriors 3
Suns 3 - Lakers 1
Nuggets 1 - Spurs 2
Rockets 2 - Jazz 2
posted to Basketball at 2:11 PM CDT
Echoing Weedy, watching the Raptors has been painful to the point of misery (while lightening my wallet in the process)....
PublicUrinal, in my opinion you are right about Bosh not stepping up...I honestly believe his ineptitude has been the key to this series. I understand long and lean Mikki Moore giving him problems, but Jason Collins has essentially shut him down as well, which is inexcusable. He has become in this series what we always lamented about Vince Carter: an amazingly quick talent who settles for outside jumpers.
As others pointed out, Detroit-Chicago is going to be a fantastic series. They *really* are almost identical: great jumpshooting 2-guards (Hamilton, Gordon), athletic and versatile wings (Prince and Deng) and deep in the post (Webber, Wallace, McDyess vs. Wallace, Brown and Thomas). Both teams defend like all hell and both rely probably a little too much on their perimeter game to win the championship. They even both have an Argentinian swingman coming off the bench.
Keys: Chicago usually puts Hinrich on the opposing team's scoring guard (ie. Rip), which leaves Gordon to guard Billups. Chauncey is going to torch him a few times in the series, shooting over him and breaking him off the dribble.
Hinrich *has* to make shots or the Bulls are f+cked. Likewise for Tay Prince.
Ty Thomas has to continue his impressive learning curve, or McDyess will eat him up.
The coaching matchup: I don't think the Pistons generally like Flip Saunders all that much, so we'll see what happens when the series gets tight down the stretch. On the other hand, I think Skiles runs the best stuff out of timeouts in the league, and that he has more flexibility to make adjustments as the series progresses. I also think the Bulls generally buy into what he's all about. Give Skiles the edge here.
The Big Ben factor: it's relatively easy to take a gifted shooter out of his game, but much harder to take an aggressive rebounder, defender and shot blocker away -- there are fewer fine motor skills involved. He will be very motivated and will probably win a game for Chicago outright in the series with his presence.
Pick: I am going with athleticism and coaching over experience.....Bulls in 6.
Maybe that is why my wallet is lighter? ;)
posted at 9:25 AM CDT on May 1
Sorry TelamarketersBeware, I took it as given that Gordon and/or Deng will make shots on any given night....Hinrich always seems to be the question mark for the Bulls team. When he is on, their emotion and focus is pretty unbeatable.
As for Thomas, I hear your point, but the main reason he didn't play in the Miami series revolved around matchups...there was nobody for him to guard. I will be very surprised if he doesn't get much more time in this series, although if Nocioni is playing well, that could be negated (which is what I was referring to when I said Skiles has more flexibility offensively...ie. go big, small, shooters, defenders).
Oh, and by the way Snikastyle, it's not exactly the prediction you were looking for, but...
posted at 3:51 PM CDT on May 1
The Real Winning Eleven Want to own a stake in an English football team, but don't have pockets as deep as Roman Abramovich, Malcolm Glazer, George Gillett and Tom Hicks, Randy Lerner, or possibly even Stan Kroenke? Now's your chance! MyFootballClub is recruiting 50,000 members to bid for an English football club. Hoping to make history together by voting on which team to purchase—as well as which players to buy and sell—members plan to guide a club up the leagues and share equal ownership and control. Just like a football management game, but for real.
posted to Soccer at 11:50 AM CDT
Neat idea. But for all us non-footie followers on SpoFi, how far will £ 1,375,000 actually go?
posted at 12:56 PM CDT on April 27
Pacers Bounce Carlisle The Indiana Pacers announced Wednesday that Rick Carlisle will not return as head coach. In four seasons as Pacers coach, Carlisle compiled a 181-147 record (.552 winning percentage). The Pacers made the NBA playoffs in three of the four seasons and reached the Eastern Conference Finals in Carlisle’s first year, 2003-04. That same season, the Pacers posted a 61-21 record, the best in franchise history.
posted to Basketball at 2:15 PM CDT
Beat me to it, Weedy....Colangelo's trump card is allegedly Marc Iavaroni.
posted at 3:29 PM CDT on April 25
posted to Culture at 8:32 AM CDT
Thank you yerfatma. 'nuff said.
posted at 9:34 AM CDT on April 18
Referee Suspended Indefinitely NBA referee Joey Crawford was suspended indefinitely by commissioner David Stern on Tuesday for his conduct toward Tim Duncan, who contends the ref challenged him to a fight.
posted to Basketball at 1:02 PM CDT
I think the suspension was warranted, but knowing the NBA and Stern, I am surprised they made such a public spectacle of the whole thing. They are very capable of squelching the media when necessary -- why not just say the situation is under review and quietly not assign Crawford to a playoff crew?
posted at 1:15 PM CDT on April 17
I'll admit, I hadn't seen the video before, but now that I have it's even worse to me....what an abuse of power. Crawford was reading a lot of bias into that second laugh.
posted at 2:34 PM CDT on April 17
Familyman: great point.
alvinthefirst: though an interesting suggestion that I didn't consider, I would argue that if Crawford really wanted to influence a game for gambling purposes, he could do it a lot more subtly than that.
I think even Stern isn't clear about what Stern said.
No problem here....Crawford is evaluated technically as one of the top officials year in and year out. But there have been blowups -- such as the multiple technical Dallas game mentioned above -- that otherwise cloud his usually impeccable technical proficiency.
posted at 5:07 PM CDT on April 17
LeBron steps up sneaker war ...when asked if he could envision endorsing sneakers that retail for one-tenth the price of most Nikes, James managed to take a shot at Marbury. "No, I don't think so,"..."Me being with Nike, we hold our standards high." Marbury shot back, "I'd rather own than be owned." LeBron's going to need that money for his new 35,440 ft. mansion and goal of becoming the world's first billionaire athlete.
posted to Basketball at 11:47 PM CDT
Is IT in you?
posted at 6:45 AM CDT on March 29
London Irish player Juan Leguizamon pulls a Jacobellis. With a twist of Patrick Stefan.
posted to Other at 10:22 PM CDT
holden, you beat me to it on Benny Blanco...
posted at 2:50 PM CDT on March 21
When Naming Rights Become Naming Wrongs Comerica is moving its headquarters from Detroit to Dallas, a black eye for a city that will have the bank's name on the Tigers' ballpark for another 22 years. "If you want to go, go," said one fan. "Take the name with you."
posted to Baseball at 10:22 AM CDT
Who headquarters in Connecticut?
SpoFi's mortal enemy, The Worldwide Leader.
posted at 3:32 PM CDT on March 7
The Innovations of Lew Fonseca Partially inspired by this thread, a look into the man whose fingerprints dot the blueprints for sports training films, highlight films, sports broadcasting... even the speed gun. A column by The Crafty Sousepaw.
posted to Baseball at 1:01 AM CDT
Wow, that was one of the best columns I have read here, Crafty. Interesting, well-written, and I really learned something new. Thanks!
Tell us more about this presentation at the BHOF....
posted at 6:37 AM CDT on February 27
A point that might be of additional interest:
In the 1880's Eadweard Muybridge used strobe-lit photography and other technical tricks in what was a precursor to motion pictures. He did capture sporting subjects such as horse racing and lawn tennis, though I am not familiar with him ever shooting baseball.
posted at 11:10 AM CDT on February 27
"Say goodbye to international sports and most national sports" because of caps on pollution emissions and peak oil, according to David Horton of the Huffington Post.
posted to Culture at 9:27 AM CDT
Hmmm....better jump in and mention that I'm not actually supporting Horton or Huffington by posting this here. I am, however, curious about the hypotheticals: while I don't believe that international and national sport will come to an end (there's too much money involved), could the NBA, for example, become a major player in trading carbon emission credits, or something along those lines? Does a major league season actually require the supply of so many airline flights, etc. that it makes a substantial difference?
posted at 11:51 AM CDT on February 14
Can we do a little bit better job policing ourselves? It would be great if we could try to keep SpoFi 100% sports related. This post is only incidentally sports related. Whether I agree with the article in question, it's AgendaFilter.
Perhaps the article is a little thin, but asking, in effect "how would climate change affect sport?" IS 100% sports-related. I'm not trying to push an agenda, and I resent that implication, particularly since I already fucking said as much when I tried to steer the thread back on track.
I got news for you Jack: every columnist has an agenda, and that's in part why SportsFilter exists -- to discuss and ferret out the bullshit. See, in the process I learned from Drood that there are racing series out there using biodiesel....I never knew that before. That's why I like coming here.
In conclusion, if you don't like it, stay out of the fucking thread, take it to the Locker Room, or go back to the comfort of Barry Bonds, Terrell Owens and Michelle Wie. That's 100% sports.
posted at 5:48 PM CDT on February 14
Well, YYM beat me to the punch in checking if my FPP satisfies the criteria for a good post. But I'll elaborate on one point -- does it encourage discussion? First of all, I can't know ahead of time that people are going to talk about shoveling snow, but I can guess that it will encourage adult discussion. The fact that it wasn't as good a thread as I'd hoped? Oh well.
HuffPo in SpoFi? The internet is a big place.....I never knew what the hell HuffPo was until yesterday.....followed a link from a link from a link...it happens. Yeah, the guy was an asshole, but we dissect asshole columns all the time here; I thought there might be something interesting to discuss about sports and the environment. It certainly wasn't a troll-by-proxy, as you seem to think. I've never once trolled here before, why would I start now?
The Locker Room is an area to discuss topics specifically about the site: bugs, the quality of front page links, feature suggestions, and fantasy leagues our members participate in. (Don’t discuss etiquette issues here—if you have a complaint about a member’s conduct, contact us.)
The rules are pretty clear. If you don't like the thread, that's your prerogative, but take it to the Locker Room.
Apologies for being quick to temper and misquoting Bukowski. And I owe you my thanks as well for your condescension: look, no typos again!
posted at 7:46 AM CDT on February 15
Whoa. ESPN buys TrueHoop.
posted to Basketball at 6:57 PM CDT
Don't forget the former SportsJones (god bless its little progressive heart), which was killed when ESPN came in and grabbed Royce Webb, Jeff Merron and Eric Neel. Essentially, ESPN's blog strategy 1.0 was to try and kill blogs off by poaching the best writers. As tieguy points out, TrueHoop might constitute the beginning of blog strategy 2.0.
posted at 9:22 AM CDT on February 14
"We've Got The Software, We Just Need The Formula" Moneyball strategies applied to English football. And why baseball is like the Championship, but not the Premier League. From the ever readable Observer Sports Monthly.
posted to Soccer at 4:36 AM CDT
Cool story owlhouse....cheers.
posted at 7:57 AM CDT on February 5
Joe Buck and Jim Nantz, Sportscasters or corporate shills? Slate asks - yawn - are Buck and Nantz the best TV can do?
posted to General at 2:55 PM CDT
To be fair, yerfatma, Don Cherry (generally) just does a short studio piece once a week, rather than actual game broadcasting, which I think might be a touch easier to stay "interesting"...(which he is, no doubt). Barkley also fits into the same category, methinks.
But to the human beings with flaws point, I really love the Toronto Raptors' Chuck Swirsky (pbp) and Jack Armstrong (colour). Swirsk is an unabashed homer with unparalleled energy, and Armstrong is a very knowledgeable guy who calms Chuck down without being a dick about it. For me, they are an integral part of the Raptors feel-good story this season.
(Has anyone else around the league heard the Toronto guys when NBA TV does those random games from other markets? I know that I have caught a bunch of other local announcing teams that way, and a lot of them are also pretty bland. Though Red Kerr calling Nocioni "Noach" always seems to crack me up.)
posted at 9:44 AM CDT on February 2
Goodbye Basketball Jones. The Memphis Grizzlies waive veteran guard Eddie Jones.
posted to Basketball at 2:09 PM CDT
Both of those guys were prop 48, by the way. Shows what can happen if you work with somebody.
Umm....how, exactly? Prop.48 has to do with academic performance, not basketball performance. It is my understanding that the athletic capabilities of Prop.48 casualties are never in question.
And this has nothing to do with SummersEve's post, but I just don't get the Eddie Jones love-in....decent player, decent career -- now go count your money and hope that Shaq and Wade can drag your ass to a title.
posted at 11:21 AM CDT on January 31
TBH....I got that point, but I don't understand its relevance to the issue at hand. Whether or not he "succeeds" academically by somebody "giving him a chance", he goes on to the NBA and makes a pile of money. One has nothing to do with the other, especially since the FPP was about him getting waived, not about him receiving his degree because somebody gave him a chance. If anything, Prop.48 slowed him down from attaining his true success as a professional basketball player.
posted at 4:30 PM CDT on January 31
OK, dude. It never happened.
posted at 11:31 AM CDT on February 1
Maybe they could name it after Vlade: the Divac Decree. The NBA is looking at making "flopping" a technical foul.
posted to Basketball at 5:31 PM CDT
it's real easy to tell when a 240 pound power forward goes flying backwards after being touched by a 165 pound guard,he's faking.
Not true. I am (a little over) the guard weight you list, and I can knock guys over in the 220-240 range when I go to the basket, and I am nowhere in the vicinity of strength that the NBA guys possess. It is all about balance at the moment of impact, and not an automatic "fake" as you might suggest.
posted at 8:46 AM CDT on January 26
Tuna Melts Bill Parcells retired from coaching Monday, leaving the Dallas Cowboys after four seasons and ending a stellar career that featured three Super Bowl appearances and two championships.
posted to Football at 12:13 PM CDT
@Weedy: "A lightning rod over the years for sports radio hosts, football experts, talking heads and snarky columnists like myself, ...".
posted at 1:48 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 couldn't think of a clever comment to write so I could sign my alias.....so I'm just going to sign it anyways.
Alfred Alaska (aka Jorge India)
posted at 3:47 PM CDT on January 18
So all SpoFi needs to do is run the Ron Mexico name genorator in a thread a couple times a year to pull the lurkers into our little web of sports paradise. Too cool!
I'm sure that Mr. Mexico himself will be happy to oblige us with the opportunities...
btw, first name only gives me Karl Hong Kong.
posted at 1:06 PM CDT on January 19
Jackson, others shoot their way out of Indiana The Pacers have traded Stephen Jackson, Al Harrington, Josh Powell, and fan favorite Sarunas Jasikevicius to the Golden State Warriors for Mike Dunleavy, Troy Murphy, Ike Diogu, and Kieth McLeod.
posted to Basketball at 2:04 PM CDT
I like Indiana's side of the deal. Addition by subtraction. Plus, Murphy might be able to stretch defences out with his shooting and allow O'Neal some more room to work in the post. I still think Dunleavy's best basketball is ahead of him, and perhaps in Carlisle's system (very different from Nellieball) he will flourish. I would hate losing Jasikevicious, though, and I think he might prove to be the X-factor off the bench in an up-tempo system for the Warriors.
posted at 8:53 PM CDT on January 17
Floyd Makes Dick a Little Testy In an unjustly overlooked interview last Sunday, World Anti-Doping Agency chairman Dick Pound had this to say about Floyd Landis' testosterone-to-epitestosterone ratio level after Stage 17 of last year's Tour de Farce. "It was 11 to 1! You'd think he'd be violating every virgin within 100 miles. How does he even get on his bicycle?"
posted to Other at 10:07 AM CDT
Once again, rcade jumps out to the early lead for SpoFi Link Title of the year.
posted at 2:54 PM CDT on January 13
AI to Denver "Iverson, pending NBA officials' approval, will be traded to the Denver Nuggets for a package including guard Andre Miller, forward Joe Smith and both of Denver's 2007 first-round picks, according to a source with knowledge of the trade talks between the teams." A bright spot amidst a huge mess plaguing the Denver organization?
posted to Basketball at 2:58 PM CDT
A team traded for a player based on an All-Star Game performance?
posted at 9:02 AM CDT on December 20
"He should be a team player 100 per cent." A junior hockey player has been ousted from the Saint John Sea Dogs after he did not sign a Canadian flag that the team was sending to troops in Afghanistan.
posted to Hockey at 9:52 PM CDT
TBH, that is too funny.
posted at 6:28 PM CDT on December 19
Son of the Great One Kid just looking to have fun playing hockey Neat story in the NYT about Ty Gretzky finding a balance between the expectations of others and his desire to enjoy the game with which his family name has become synonymous.
posted to Hockey at 2:47 PM CDT
I dunno how I got it for free....I'm certainly not a subscriber.....any help here?
posted at 3:35 PM CDT on December 15
Do You Hear What I Hear? The NFL takes no action against the Miami Dolphins in "Tapegate." After the Dolphins blasted New England 21-0 on Sunday, several Miami players referred to "purchased" tapes they used to help decipher Patriots QB Tom Brady's audibles and line-blocking calls.
posted to Football at 3:29 PM CDT
Hey, Jesus got snippy a few times in the Gospels too. People still worship Him. In one of the non-Synoptic Gospels, Thomas asks to see the Superbowl rings on His fingers. It got cut in post-production.
Thank you for turning a non-thread about a non-story into my laugh of the day.
posted at 2:37 PM CDT on December 14
Writer: Athletes Should Bounce 'Nigga' From Vocabulary "The N-word has somehow woven itself into the sports culture, particularly basketball, as much as wristbands and crossover dribbles. ... In certain settings, the word is used interracially, with white players calling blacks by the name and vice versa. Players compliment opponents with it. It can be neither age-specific nor an idiom specific to one culture. ... This is where sports is failing a generation." -- John P. Lopez, Houston Chronicle
posted to Basketball at 8:19 AM CDT
Those posts are part of a path, not a stopping point.
Well put, chico...
posted at 4:24 PM CDT on December 7
EUROPEAN FIELDS The landscape of Lower League Football. by Hans Van Der Meer. 85 photographs in colour of amateur-football in twenty-two different European countries. From Amazon: "At the beginning of the 1995 soccer season, Hans van der Meer set out to take photographs of the game that dodged the cliched traditions of modern sports photography. In an attempt to record the sport in its original form--a field, two goals and 22 players--he sought matches at the bottom end of the amateur leagues. He avoided tight telescopic details and the hyperbole of action photography, pulled back from the central subject of the pitch, and set the playing field and its unfolding action in the context of local elements. Over the last 10 years, Van der Meer has continued this project across the playing fields of Europe, traveling to every country with a significant history of the game. ... Van der Meer's understated observations of the poetry and absurdity of human behavior on the field use soccer to consider--and provoke a laugh at--the human condition." Published in hardcover and paperback. (via kottke)
posted to Soccer at 12:48 AM CDT
Once again, a wc2k2 gem....thanks for the link!
posted at 3:49 PM CDT on December 1
Legally blind woman, 94, bowls a 244. Of course this was her 2nd highest score for the season.
posted to Other at 12:02 AM CDT
It's always about the celebrity athletes and their sex lives.....jeez.
posted at 3:48 PM CDT on December 1
Accession Notes: In Praise of Athletic Beauty A review of Hans Ulrich Gumbrecht's In Praise of Athletic Beauty: "Gumbrecht has the ordinary sports fan in mind as an audience. Perhaps the 'educated' sports fan might be more accurate; someone with a passing familiarity with history, and the interest in seeing sports in historical context. One thing is clear: Gumbrecht is not providing an academic defense of the many 'readings' of sports of which he is so critical. Sports, in Gumbrecht's view do not need such a defense; they have the intransitive quality of being 'for themselves'." A good sign: no mention of Huizinga's Homo Ludens.
posted to Culture at 5:42 PM CDT
Why is the absence of Homo Ludens a good thing, UncleToby?
posted at 11:16 AM CDT on November 29
Hundreds to compete for Rock, Paper, Scissors Title. It's that time of year again for the 4th annual championships. With more then $8000.00 on the line it's time to warm up your fists and strategy.
posted to Other at 2:43 PM CDT
mkn: I might be the bald guy in the back left of this photo. I finished 9th that year (well, I lost in the round of 16 anyways)......whooo, 9th in the world, baby!
posted at 12:35 PM CDT on November 12
True Hoop Wiki. Henry Abbott and a few of his loyal readers have created a Wiki aiming to provide simple, public access to pertinent information on NBA players. (more inside)
posted to Basketball at 9:22 AM CDT
grum....thanks for my morning laugh!
posted at 8:15 AM CDT on October 4
Madden Jinx? Shaun Alexander rushed for 187 yards through three games, which is less than a thousand projected yards throughout the entire season (997 to be exact). Not to mention he was on pace for only eleven rushing touchdowns. Terrible numbers for a guy who rushed for 1880 last year and had 27 rushing tds.
posted to Football at 6:24 PM CDT
Does the jinx extend to the Chad Johnson vs Daunte Culpepper commercial? Culpepper has been dreadful, so I am just waiting for Johnson to slip on a banana peel in the endzone or something...
posted at 6:10 AM CDT on September 26
NFL Fans, Your Silence is Appreciated New NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell is considering a change that would make crowd noise meaningless: Allowing wireless communication between quarterbacks and the offense before the snap. "They come into an opposing stadium and they are not able to put the full offense in," he said. "They are not able to run plays in, they are not able to change the plays at the line of scrimmage."
posted to Football at 10:12 AM CDT
posted at 7:52 AM CDT on September 25
The Curse of the Orlando Magic "I don't have any pain." -- Grant Hill, who begins the final year of his seven-year, $93 million contract when the Orlando Magic begin training camp in Jacksonville. Injuries have kept Hill out of 73 percent of the team's games.
posted to Basketball at 11:16 AM CDT
Wow, he has really stolen a lot of money.
My sense is that he would trade a lot of it back if he could have had an injury-free career.
posted at 7:06 PM CDT on September 21
You've heard of "shanking a kick," but how about "shanking a kicker?" In a move I can only describe as "Tonya Harding-ish," Mitch Cozad, the backup punter for the University of Northern Colorado, stabbed starting punter Rafael Mendoza in his kicking leg. The link above has the straight info, and this one has the snark.
posted to Football at 9:33 AM CDT
The_Black_Hand: 100 points for your link title....shank you very much for making me laugh.
posted at 11:56 AM CDT on September 13
Greece celebrates stunning upset. Why did the U.S. lose to Greece? Try three words... but don't panic...yet.
posted to Basketball at 1:27 PM CDT
chalmetteowl, your nationalistic insularity doesn't appear as clever insight when posted on the internet, but rather as utterly laughable ravings to the rest of us readers. Don't you understand that the NBA is a basketball-entertainment variant of the "real" game (that, as sic mentioned, highlights stars, calls fouls relative to reputation, modifies rules to create saleable highlight reel video clips, etc.)? There is no anti-American bias....you're (since you said "we") just not very good at playing the form of the game that has been ratified by 212 nations around the world -- including the USA.
---
To further that point Fran made, yerfatma, he also said that the star Greek guard who was the MVP of the Euroleague just signed a 3-yr, $17 million deal with CSKA Moscow. Tax free. So why would he come and play for peanuts in the NBA? And what does he f---ing care that no American player knows who he is?
posted at 10:28 AM CDT on September 2
Then, they play a Greek team that always play together.
Is this not a bit of a myth-slash-excuse? I mean, it's not like we're talking about the Soviet Red Army sports teams of yesteryear that literally did nothing but train and play together.
The Greeks, Spaniards, Argentinians, etc. all have their own professional and club teams that they play on during the year, and they are put together in the summer before the championships just like in the States. The Argentinians have loads of guys who just played the same gruelling NBA schedule as the Americans, yet they managed.
Do they have more history together? Perhaps a little, but many of the Americans have played together on AAU, World Juniors, Under-21, Student Games teams, etc. over the years, so its not like they are total strangers to one another.
Speaking of the World Juniors, if you go back and look at the records U.S. teams have posted in the Championships since their inauguration in 1979, you see the following placings: 1st, 1st, 2nd, 1st, 7th, 2nd, 5th. I won't call this a trend just yet, but American basketball players -- even before they are tainted by the variant of basketball called the NBA -- don't appear to be able to just walk all over everyone anymore, do they?
posted at 2:59 PM CDT on September 2
"It's 'Bull Durham'-meets-fantasy-sports come to life." The Schaumburg Flyers are managed by, well, a few hundred (or thousand) armchair coaches via the internet. "Fans" set the lineups before each game. After starting 31-17 and winning the Northern League's first half division title before the fans took over, the minor league team has gone 14-31 and sits in last place with the democratic managerial style. But those 14 wins and 31 losses have been viewed 500,000 times via the web-reality show based on the team. Still, the manager and some players are not happy. "It's the dumbest thing I've ever heard of in baseball, period," says the closer. (This, of course, is to counteract the recent feel-good publicity surrounding the Vintage Base Ball Association, where the mitts are flesh and walks take six balls.)
posted to Baseball at 11:54 AM CDT
Would be better if the fans in attendance could make the managerial descisions.
That is what is happening in basketball with the Vermont Frost Heaves of the ABA, the team started by Alexander Wolff of Sports Illustrated. They created the Bump in the Road Club, which will allow fans to vote on managerial decisions. The club has already chosen between two finalists for its first-ever head coach.
posted at 10:33 AM CDT on September 2
Weekend warriors to play forever? Umbilical cord blood might provide the perfect "repair kit" for athletic bodies that are seriously injured or breaking down. (via Toronto Star)
posted to Culture at 8:06 AM CDT
Well BPP, remember that 8 samples of Ted Williams' DNA are missing....
jojomfd1, I think you might be right about the religion/politics angle, but in this case, I think the discussion is appropriate, since sport is providing a context in which these technologies/methods may or may not become normalized.
posted at 10:13 AM CDT on August 31
Finn takes Gold at Mobile Phone Throwing World Championships. Showing once again why the Finns lead the world in new and innovative sports. Considering that competitors came from as far away as Canada, is it only a matter of time before this too is an Olympic sport? What the heck throwing a stick is and so throwing a really heavy Frisbee, so why not a phone?
posted to Other at 10:22 PM CDT
That sounds like artificial testosterone enhancement to me.....but I doubt WADA has its hooks in this sport yet.
posted at 7:08 AM CDT on August 29
Time to restore 61 as the gold standard in baseball It was 45 years ago last week, and Roger Maris' hair had not yet begun to fall out. A bigger milestone awaited, but on Aug. 22, 1961, Maris hit a home run off of Ken McBride of the Los Angeles Angels that had its own place in history.
posted to Baseball at 3:43 PM CDT
Umm....Babe never had to face steroid-enhanced pitching, either. It goes both ways.
posted at 9:37 PM CDT on August 28
Who is William Wesley? Players need someone who knows the ropes, a mentor, an advisor, an uncle. Enter William Wesley. ... He was right there in Michael Jordan’s ear. The whole time. “Wes” helped pull off one of the great feats of modern legend-making. He held the hand of one of the NBA’s less likable characters—an angry, cussing, yelling, gambling, adrenaline addict with some sort of over-competitive personality disorder—as he became the most successful pitchman in sports history, complete with his own animated children’s movie. [via kottke.org]
posted to Basketball at 12:13 PM CDT
The third thread in what Ebert and Roeper call a "trilogy of True Hoop mystery".
posted at 12:49 PM CDT on August 28
I'm just busting your chops, wc2k2...the story has definitely progressed, as Abbott clearly points out, so as they say, no harm, no foul.
posted at 9:10 PM CDT on August 28
Viva border volleyball. No name, no facilities, no parking lot, no lifeguard, no swimming. Human waste, heavy metals, toxic poisons and other industrial effluvia from Mexico. But screw it, let's play some 'ball.
posted to Other at 11:36 PM CDT
Cool article, Ufez...
posted at 7:47 AM CDT on August 4
Biggest deal in town -- Ortiz again saves day for Sox I'm saying it now: David Ortiz is the best hitter, and clutch hitter, I've ever seen. I also understand why the Sox didn't need to make any deadline trades when this guy's in the lineup.
posted to Baseball at 7:07 AM CDT
I agree with you Bernreuther....it's not about doing more in certain pressure-filled situations -- it's about not doing less in those situations.
posted at 5:35 PM CDT on August 1
Worlds fastest man tests positive Gatlin said he has been informed that he tested positive for testosterone or other prohibited steroids — the same violation that, only two days ago, threw Floyd Landis' victory in the Tour de France into question.
posted to Other at 9:32 PM CDT
Well, R_A_Mason, I'll have to admit that from where I'm standing the answer is about as clear as the six inches of bullshit you just posted. It's the agents?!?
I still have faith they're not juicing in the NFL.
posted at 11:35 AM CDT on July 30
The Fortuanate 50 List of Top 50 Fortunate athletes based on how much money they make.
posted to General at 7:37 PM CDT
The article did include a link to the Top 20 International (ie. non-U.S.) athletes.
FWIW, Sharapova came in 4th. The article also had an addendum suggesting who will be on the list next year, when the 2006 totals are tallied up. Danica Patrick and Michelle Wie are certain to be there on endorsements alone.
posted at 3:16 PM CDT on July 29
New haka still a problem Australian coach John Connolly has criticized New Zealand's use of the Kapa O Pango Haka (which was introduced back in Spetember) but the AB coach reckons its just a smokescreen ahead of their tri-nations test.
posted to Other at 6:57 AM CDT
Could Fence or someone else more enlightened than I explain if/how the haka is different from, say, the tomahawk chop that we see in American sporting cultures, or, say, Native American mascots that purportedly "honour" the colonized groups from which they came?
posted at 8:29 AM CDT on July 28
Thanks for all the assistance on this one, guys. Owlhouse, your points are particularly well taken.
posted at 10:26 PM CDT on July 29
Faith Day After the Braves game Thursday, you can attend a Christian music concert and hear John Smoltz talking about his life-changing conversion to the Christian faith. And Atlanta is not the only team: the Arizona Diamondbacks are having their own Faith Day later this season, and the Marlins will have one next season.
posted to Culture at 7:01 PM CDT
Make sure you let us all know when he stops practicing and starts in for real.
Line of the day.
posted at 11:37 AM CDT on July 27
Is the current roster on USA Basketball the new Dream Team? Comparison of this year's USA Basketball team to the likes of 92's "Dream Team"
posted to Basketball at 5:42 PM CDT
(Actually, Weedy, they are played every four years, staggered in between Olympic Games. But your point is taken, nonetheless.)
posted at 11:42 AM CDT on July 27
Run Around the Block The world's longest foot race is on in Queens, New York, as successful athletes complete a 3,100 mile course around just one city block.
The race lasts for 51 days and requires competitors, most of whom follow the meditation teachings of Master Sri Chinmoy, to run for just over sixty miles a day, before its end, on August 2nd.
The current course record is 42 days, 13 hours, 24 minutes and 3 seconds, set in 2002.
The winners receive a small plastic trophy and a tshirt.
posted to Extreme at 7:36 AM CDT
Given the philosophical/spiritual dimensions involved with this run, does anyone else find the existence of a "record time" and "small plastic trophy" to be a touch incongruent?
posted at 4:45 PM CDT on July 27
John Salmons rejects Raptors 5 yr $23 Mill offer. Raptors promptly sign Fred Jones. And then add Spanish Cup MVP Jorge Garbajosa.
posted to Basketball at 1:38 PM CDT
Weedy, I can't say I was a big fan of Salmons' game while in Philly, but I hear what you are saying regarding Jones' size. I am hoping, however, that his athleticism allows him to overcome that negative. However, the fact that Indiana (with Walsh/Bird at the helm...a savvy pair if there ever was one) rescinded their offer to him is perhaps more worrisome to me.
Also, don't forget my boy Calderon. He'll be the best backup PG in the league this season.
posted at 2:17 PM CDT on July 24
And to be fair, with all of the young guys on the team and/or guys new to the NBA, the Raps as an organization prolly need another year of "defence and effort" more than they need up-tempo. In other words, since we know deep down that this is a development year, Sam is ideal for the job.
And to your questions, Weedy, I will add: 4. Who is going to make a jumper between Ford and Calderon? Tony Parker has proven that you can dominate the point guard spot (and shoot a high FG%) with a suspect jumper, but neither of these guys is Parker, and Bosh isn't Duncan for that matter either.
posted at 4:11 PM CDT on July 24
nemo, I understand the business rationale, but I will be sorry to see Alvin go. He always busted his chops, never bitched, and really worked his butt off to come back from the injury. I know he got a decent parting handshake, but I hope he lands well in life, nonetheless.
posted at 10:22 PM CDT on July 26
Commentary on Zidane's gesture by Dany Laferrière In the old, bloody fables of the Brothers Grimm, it was acceptable to have a red card ending. But today, in this strange epoch when everyone seems to have drunk Disney milk in their infancy, no one tolerates anything but rosy endings. Everything must finish happily. Our heroes must be loveable so that we can file them away in the cupboard of our happy memories. So where does that leave Zidane?
(...)
Young rappers will surely introduce into their video clips the eight seconds where Zidane left the game to re-enter their stifling reality.
A whole different take on the Zidane incident...
posted to Soccer at 2:44 PM CDT
I wonder if he would've been so cavalier in his walk past the trophy if he hadn't already won one in '98.
posted at 8:03 PM CDT on July 20
Teen with cerebral palsy completes marathon swim 15-year-old Jenna Lambert of Kingston, Ontario, an athlete in ultra-marathoner Vicki Keith's swimming program, swam 32km across Lake Ontario yesterday. Oh yeah, because of her CP, she did it without the use of her legs.
posted to Extreme at 10:59 AM CDT
ps#1: I only used "Extreme" as the category because this was extremely damned impressive and thre was no "Swimming" category.
ps#2: I swam for Vicki for a year when I was around 11 years old.
posted at 11:01 AM CDT on July 20
Thanks jerseygirl and steelergirl....I'll have my goodness on a cone. ;)
posted at 6:03 PM CDT on July 20
Baseball Reading List Some potentially interesting books like A Game of Inches and Between The Numbers, which has the subtitle, "Why everything you know about baseball is wrong."
posted to Baseball at 4:50 PM CDT
grum, on "what is old is new again", I just finished reading a paper called "From scientific baseball to sabermetrics: Professional baseball as a reflection of engineering and management in society" by a guy named Puerzer in the journal NINE.
A lot of it is probably familiar to the statshead, but for those who are uninitiated, it details what you describe very neatly.
posted at 8:20 AM CDT on July 19
The world's most famous hacker, Maurice Flitcroft, bought a half-set of mail-order clubs and set a tournament record of 49-over for 18 holes in trying to qualify for the 1976 Open Championship. At the age of 75, he has reluctantly called it a day. Twenty years after winning his first Open, Greg Norman has had to withdraw from this year's tournament due to injury. John Daly, winner of the 1995 Open at St Andrews will be there though, as will Mr Preparation, Phil Mickelson. The lesser-spotted Tiger has even been seen prowling the course.
posted to Golf at 8:32 AM CDT
That is an awesome story, JJ. It reminded me of my (late) grandfather, a Scot who hacked around hell and creation, and who taught me to play when I was wee.
posted at 10:05 AM CDT on July 17
Juventus Unplugged: The Old Lady goes down. Lazio and Fiorentina join the drop, AC Milan start the season 44 points in the hole. Should be interesting to see if they can avoid relegation. For Sale: World Cup Winner. Name your price.
posted to Soccer at 6:10 PM CDT
Wow, that is a lot of big-name talent up for grabs!
posted at 11:32 AM CDT on July 15
Watch out for Terrapaldo! Generate your own Brazilian nickname football/soccer shirt!
posted to Soccer at 1:08 PM CDT
Sealdo Pau. It has potential. Really.
posted at 11:25 PM CDT on July 17
Canada advances to World Cup semis Hector Vergara, a referee from Winnipeg, will work the sidelines for the Germany-Italy semi-final, and has blogged his Cup experience. (via Toronto Star)
posted to Soccer at 7:19 AM CDT
I wish I could take credit for digging up the story, but I have to pass that on to Chris Young, the Toronto Star sports columnist who is blogging the World Cup and filing stories from Germany. I'm sure he is having a heck of a time.
posted at 7:05 PM CDT on July 4
Big Ben the newest Chicago Bull? He wasn't happy with the Pistons initial offer. So Wallace will sign with the Bulls for $52 Mill over 4 years. True Hoop has a good recap of how the story could develop. Still waiting for reaction from Blog-a-Bull.
posted to Basketball at 7:57 PM CDT
Chicago, you have just made the Central division the 2nd best in the NBA (to that powerful Southwest division in the West that is home to Dallas, San Antonio, Memphis, a rising New Orleans team and the Houston Rockets).
Chemwiz, we finally agree on something basketball-related. You're right, both divisions will be a bloodbath, so I hope that the playoff rule which saw a Dallas-SA 2nd-round matchup will be off the books by then.
posted at 7:23 AM CDT on July 4
Ken Dryden for Prime Minister Dryden -- the former All-Star goalie for the Montreal Canadiens, Hall of Famer, and former president of the Toronto Maple Leafs -- is running to be leader of the Canadian Liberal Party and Prime Minister of Canada. His site isn't bad and he does have a blog. Other than George Bush (who may not count because he was an owner), what other professional athletes have reached a high level of political office?
posted to Hockey at 6:07 PM CDT
Actually, yerfatma, we're up to 33 million now.....did a lot breeding up here this winter.
posted at 8:55 AM CDT on June 30
Crying Foul You know who made the stupidest moves in the NBA Draft this year? Not Seattle. Not Boston. Hell, even Isiah made a better decision going with Balkman. The winner for the WORST move in the draft goes to the Houston Rockets, sending Rudy Gay (picked 8) AND Stromille Swift to the Memphis Grizzlies for Shane Battier. Has to go down as one of the worst draft day trades ever. Makes very little sense
posted to Basketball at 10:23 AM CDT
Agreed, tieguy. Houston has TWO superstars already, they aren't trying to find another one. They are, however, trying to find serviceable pieces to put around those two who will make shots, play defense, offensive rebound, and generally provide a veteran presence with some toughness. I think this was an amazing move for Houston and I like where they're headed if everyone stays healthy.
On update: chemwiz....you're crazy if you think Battier is coming off the bench.
posted at 11:32 AM CDT on June 29
Does the beer come off our salary cap? Just sayin'...
posted at 2:48 PM CDT on June 30
NBA introduces a new basketball the first change in more than 35 years! (but it's still orange, don't worry.)
posted to Basketball at 2:59 PM CDT
As a basketball player and spectator, I have always found multi-coloured basketballs both distracting to shoot and watch. Many times you can catch the ball on the seams and shoot it so that the colours blend together, but sometimes it doesn't work that way, so the ball looks like a kaledioscope in mid-flight. I know that sounds really irrational, but multi-coloured balls just don't look or feel right when you play with them.
posted at 11:37 PM CDT on June 28
The rim isn't my target spitztengle, it's the big hole in the middle of it.....maybe that's what's been wrong with your jumper all these years!! ;)
posted at 8:15 AM CDT on June 29
yerfatma: that is SO awesome....
posted at 11:34 AM CDT on June 29
posted to Culture at 11:09 PM CDT
How long will it be before Nike's lawyers issue a cease-and-desist letter (or letters)?
Doubt it will happen. I am pretty certain that American copyright law allows for artistic expression that acts as criticism as falling under fair use.
psmealey: yeah, I was thinking of eXistenZ the whole time, or perhaps of the Australian artist Stelarc.
posted at 9:35 AM CDT on June 28
First In War, First In Peace… Washington is no longer last in the American League. Not that you would notice.
A column by sportsfilter's own BullpenPro.
posted to Baseball at 4:39 PM CDT
Hey, BullpenPro, really liked the column. I can't say I'm a Nationals fan or anything, but your passion came through in the writing. Good luck with the local media!
posted at 4:46 PM CDT on June 22
The Tim Tebows of the world are a refreshing change from the Greg Madduxes of the world.