- 05:26 AM
- 07/25/08
Pistorius fails to make Olympic team After winning the right to compete against able-bodied runners, Pistorius failed to meet the qualifying time for the 400 meters in his final attempt, and two others were chosen as alternates.
posted to Olympics at 2:40 PM CDT
Serena won't play Indian Wells; WTA's new rule won't change it Serena and Venus Williams' ongoing boycott of the Pacific Life Open at Indian Wells, Calif., could jeopardize their participation at other tournaments under recently adopted rules for mandatory events set to kick in next year. (edit) The Williams sisters have steadfastly declined to participate at the Pacific Life Open since 2001. That year, Venus defaulted to Serena minutes before their semifinal started. Spectators subsequently jeered Serena in the final. The sisters and their father, Richard, have said they believe the crowd's actions were racially motivated.
posted to Tennis at 10:36 AM CDT
According to this, Venus withdrew due to injury.
posted at 1:23 PM CDT on July 17
The Doping Dilemma Scientific American contributer, and Skeptics Society Founder, Michael Shermer uses Game Theory to explain why doping has become rampant in cycling and other sports. He also uses the theory to outline some actions that can be taken to remedy the problem.
posted to Culture at 1:42 PM CDT
The medical facts aren't really what concerns most people. For many it's about creating a fair playing field. If one person dopes and the other doesn't, the doper has an unfair advantage. Of course if you took too athletes and used two equaly effective training regimes, the winner would be decided by genetics.
Which I guess leads me to a question I'm not educated enough to know not to ask. Is sport as a whole just a form of a mating ritual? If you think about it in that light, doping is bad because it masks who has the best genes. It means the doper isn't just a cheater, they are a liar, a liar about how good their genetics are. People hate liars.
posted at 3:02 AM CDT on July 16
Tour of France rider Beltran in custody after doping "When are these idiots going to learn that it's over?" Thats why they call it dope, buddy. The Tour continues its downward spiral into cheating scandal hell.
posted to Other at 4:51 PM CDT
I hope you have no interest in football or baseball either. There are dopers in every sport.
posted at 8:03 PM CDT on July 11
Well as someone who is against doping in sports and a lover of cycling you should be watching Le Tour and chearing on one of the three teams with extensive anti-doping procedures. Garmin-Chipolte, Team Columbia, and Team CSC/Saxo Bank are all doing quite well. Kim Kirchin of Columbia currently holds the Yellow.
If one of these teams can win the Tour how good will it be for the sport?
posted at 2:57 AM CDT on July 12
It isn't the cheaters that are destroying the sport, it is the imbalance in media coverage of the dopers. When a cyclist dopes the media (and a large portion of the general public) act like he's the devil and single handedly ruins the sport. When a football player gets busted for doping he misses four games and everybody pretends it never happened after that.
Take half a glass of media bias, add a splash of doping history, garnish with an antidoping and arbitration system that assumes the athlete is guilty and makes it almost impossible to prove otherwise, top it off with incompetant labs and news leaks, and you have a nasty cocktail. Which cyclists are forced to drink every day of their professional career.
posted at 8:14 AM CDT on July 12
Nadal-Federer epic the most thrilling of all the Wimbledon finals I came here to see what the buzz was and was shocked to see Nadal/Federer hadn't been posted already. I only saw part of the match and sadly missed most of the last set, but it seemed pretty epic to me, especially during the 4th set tiebreaker.
posted to Tennis at 1:45 PM CDT
Except the Chicken is banned from competition for two years.
posted at 8:27 AM CDT on July 10
Sonics are Oklahoma City-bound "The transition and move of this team begins tomorrow morning," Bennett said in Oklahoma City, where he announced that season ticket sales for the soon-to-be named franchise at Ford Center would begin Thursday.
posted to Basketball at 4:19 PM CDT
I'm hoping they name the team something like the OKC Bandits, or Robber Barons.
I blame Stern, that starbucks guy, and Bennet et al for this fiasco. If taxpayer money is going to pay for stadiums, each household should get one pair of tickets to one home game a year for free.
posted at 6:29 AM CDT on July 5
Candace Parker Dunks As Sparks Top Fever ESPN.COM:Candace Parker had dunked in college, and she finally broke out the big move in the WNBA. The Sparks' star slammed one home with 33 seconds left in Los Angeles' 77-63 win over Indiana on Sunday. I love to watch this sport, but unfortunately we will have to see alot more of this if the WNBA is to survive.
posted to Basketball at 2:28 PM CDT
God, I hope you two never have kids that want to play sports. "I'm sorry son, I won't be making it to your peewee football game today, or any day. The NFL Network is showing reruns of The Superbowl every Saturday this fall. I just don't see the point in watching you play when I can see professional athletes do it so much better than you probably ever will."
posted at 2:36 AM CDT on June 24
An Instant Classic "A rivalry between the league's two most storied franchises -- with some of the game's biggest names and biggest moments -- now has its biggest rally. No team had ever overcome more than a 15-point deficit after the first quarter, and Elias Sports Bureau said it was the biggest comeback in the finals since 1971. One thing's for sure, it will forever be remembered in the annals of Celtics-Lakers lore."
posted to Basketball at 12:21 AM CDT
I blame this win on the Ghost of Red Auerbach. There is no way the Zen Master is going to surpass the man for coaching championship rings against the Celtics.
posted at 8:05 AM CDT on June 13
(actually, has any team heald the MLB and NBA championships at the same time?)
I can safely say, no, no they haven't.
posted at 6:47 PM CDT on June 13
Pro Cycling At The Crossroads: Clean Up Or Clear Off. A wide-ranging account of the sport's struggle to clean up its drug culture in advance of this weekend's DC-area race. The backstory is familiar to cycling fans, but it's an eye-opener to see the past decade of scandal laid out for a wider audience and juxtaposed with the approach of big-league American sports to doping.
posted to Other at 1:43 AM CDT
Rant Your Head Off has an interesting analysis of this article. It's about halfway down and starts at the big bold "Meanwhile...". Preceding that is a pretty good discussion of the Gatlin case currently before CAS.
posted at 7:54 AM CDT on May 30
Harkleroad fulfils naked ambition with Playboy shoot I had a hard time picking the category for this one, since it's not all that much about tennis, and spofi doesn't have a category for salacious. A 61st-ranked women's tennis player's who wasn't doing anything else at the moment further fuels the controversy of mixing court and camera.
posted to Culture at 1:45 PM CDT
Anybody remember the movie Sneakers where the blind guy really did read it for the articles?
posted at 5:54 AM CDT on May 28
Boston Herald Should Name Its SpyGate Source The newspaper and reporter John Tomase refuse to identify the unnamed source who burned them. Why the hell not?
A column by sportsfilter member rcade.
posted to Football at 12:17 PM CDT
I bet this is really setting Buzz Bissinger off. To think, people hide behind the cloak of anonymity to say whatever they want and to avoid being accountable for the veracity of their claims. I thought that vice was limited to blogs and the journalistic integrity of the real news media wouldn't tolerate such behavior.
On a less snarky note, I agree that anonymity should come with the requirement of a good faith effort to be truthful. Being incorrect shouldn't be punished but dishonesty should.
posted at 1:13 PM CDT on May 16
Pistorius makes strides is his quest to compete in Beijing. The double-amputee won his appeal against the IOC in his hearing with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (previous SpoFi discussion on this topic here and here; note Amateur's graphic that suggests how far Oscar still has to go in competition).
posted to Olympics at 8:56 AM CDT
Trust But Verify discusses this in brief with some quotes (and a link) to the actual decision. From the excerpts I got the impression that the case was decided in Oscar's favor because the IAAF failed to fulfil the burden of proof that he was receiving an unfair advantage. More specifically their methodology for testing was flawed and unfair, and they had predetermined to ban him.
posted at 11:33 AM CDT on May 16
Yeah, and before Jackie Robinson the other black baseball players were in the Negro League, "where they should be." God forbid anybody get out of place and try to do something no one else has done before.
posted at 12:56 PM CDT on May 16
Debo, no one has proved that he has an unfair advantage. The IAAF tried, but as CAS pointed out, it was a biased unfair sham. Since there is no proven advantage your argument consists of, "He doesn't have all of his legs, so he should go compete over there with the rest of the different looking folk instead of against us normal bodied folk." Which is why a comparison to racism is not only apt, but appropriate.
posted at 1:20 PM CDT on May 16
The burden of proof has to be on the agency that chooses to exclude the athlete. In any fair system, the prosecution has to bear the burden of proof. They made the assertion that his blades gave him an unfair advantage. So therefor they have to prove it. Otherwise they could ban people for whatever reason they wanted to, fair or otherwise, and the innocent would suffer. There is a reason that any fair legal system is innocent until proven guilty.
posted at 1:29 PM CDT on May 16
Okay, you want everyone else to be able to use blades? Fine, just as long as you find a way to allow Pistorius to use human ankles along with the blades. Oh wait, we can't regrow his legs! Which is why he has to use a prosthesis.
The decision, thanks for the link bperk, doesn't allow for blade use by any model for any athelete. It specifically states that it only allows Pistorius to use the specific model of blade. Furthermore, it states that if the IAAF can actually prove an advantage than it would be appropriate to ban Pistorius and that model of blade.
debo, good for you for working with special ed kids. I'm probably over-reacting to your "where they belong" statement, but I just don't understand how you can say you believe in equal treatment but that disabled athletes don't belong in the Olympics. Separate but equal does not exist.
posted at 1:39 PM CDT on May 17
Page 2's Bill Simmons channels Doc Rivers A knee-jerk tirade to an un-expected loss that upon more sober reflection turns into a tongue-in-cheek commentary on coaching.
posted to Basketball at 4:46 PM CDT
BornIcon, the Pistons are the only team to win a road playoff game in the semifinal round. There were several road wins in the quarterfinals. Secondly, your point about the Pistons being the only to win on the road so far in the semifinals seems to mean that the Pistons are at an advantage despite the home court advantage the Celtics would hold if they advanced. The Pistons can win on the road and the Celtics don't appear to be able to so the over all Home Court Advantage would actually belong to the Pistons. And finally, the Celtics still need to win 5 more games before the finals come along and acting like they are guaranteed to represent the east is putting the cart before the horse. Which is a good idea of if you don't want to smell equestrian gas but a bad idea if you actually want to go somewhere.
yerf, that linux joke was awesome.
posted at 8:39 AM CDT on May 16
Stats on the Celtics and Pistons performance in the playoffs by round.
Stats are Celtics / Pistons
Season Point Differential: 10.3 / 7.4
Divisional Round
Point Differential: 12 / 7
Average Margin of Victory: 25.25 / 16.5
Average Margin of Loss: 5.6 / 12
Results: 4 home wins - 3 road losses (winner) / 3h1r win - 1h1r losses (winner)
Semifinal Round
Point Differential: -1.6 / 1.4
Average Margin of Victory: 6.75 / 8
Average Margin of Loss: 8.75 / 25
Results: 3 home wins - 2 road losses(ongoing) / 3h1r win - 1 road loss (winner)
I'm not sure what this all means except when the Celtics win they tend to win big and when they Pistons lose they tend to really lose.
posted at 9:15 AM CDT on May 16
Road Records for teams remaining in the playoffs:
Utah Jazz: 3-3
Detroit Pistons: 2-2
Los Angeles Lakers: 2-2
Cleveland Cavaliers: 1-3
New Orleans: 1-4
San Antonio Spurs: 1-4
Boston Celtics: 0-5
It's not that other teams are having a hard time on the road it's that the Celtics are having a horrible time on the road and as the playoffs progress it should be harder to win away from home, not easier.
And isn't one of the biggest criticisms of KG is that he never steps up when it counts?
posted at 10:42 AM CDT on May 16
Who is Antonio Cromartie? Cromartie may be best known as the Chargers quaterback who led the league in interceptions last year and owns the league record for longest scoring play with a 109 yard return. But not many people know about the other aspects of Cromartie's life, life changing instances such as life-threatening illnesses, having his mom kidnapped at gunpoint, and a scary car accident.
posted to Football at 5:38 PM CDT
Should that read as "Chargers cornerback" and not quarterback?
posted at 9:53 PM CDT on May 7
posted to Baseball at 10:27 AM CDT
"I'd rather lose with honor than win with none."
posted at 9:39 AM CDT on April 30
Barry Bonds signs with Yankees!
The New York Yankees have pulled out all the stops to win this season and have signed Barry Bonds to act as their DH. This comes on the heels of Jason Giambi being diagnosed with another stomach tumour (his first one was in 2004). Bonds is expected to practice with their Florida State League team for a couple of weeks before being called up to the majors. The terms of his contract are currently unavailable.
posted to Baseball at 12:14 AM CDT
Haven't you ever heard of work furlough? Jeez.
posted at 1:51 PM CDT on April 1
Jose Canseco Has 'Stuff' on A-Rod Throughout this whole somewhat tainted steroids era, Alex Rodriguez's name has never really been slung through the mud. He obviously has a lot of home runs for his age, but he's never hit an exorbitant amount of them in one season. The general perception is A-Rod is just really, really good at what he does.
posted to Baseball at 10:40 AM CDT
I wasn't sure if it should be a fpp or not, but y'all are discussing Jose so here it is. Chase Jose by Pat Jordon on deadspin.
posted at 5:36 PM CDT on March 26
THX - as far as the libel things go, which looks worse? Suing Jose for Libel and losing or not suing at all?
posted at 3:01 AM CDT on March 28
Union to examine why Bonds has no offers The lack of offers to Barry Bonds will be examined by the baseball players' association as part of its annual review of the free-agent market. Less than two weeks before opening day, the 43-year-old home run king remains unsigned.
posted to Baseball at 4:21 PM CDT
The theory behind steroids increasing your HR total is that they make you stronger so that those balls you hit will go further, turning balls that would bounce off the wall/hit the warning track into home runs.
posted at 3:58 PM CDT on March 19
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
They are part biological and should still have pain nerves, so I don't see why not.
posted at 2:55 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
If you'd read the story you'd realize it wasn't about "Pumpkinhead", but about the last homerun ball hit by Mr. Bonds.
Thanks for the link BoKnows. Good read. I'd be curious to find out whatever happens if they auction it off.
posted at 8:38 AM CDT on March 14
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
Lots and lots of painkillers.
posted at 10:14 AM CDT on March 4
The Ten Best Individual Sports Rivalries Men's Vogue lists what they believe are the ten greatest individual sports rivalries in history.
posted to General at 3:59 PM CDT
gfinsf, rivalries may be played by teams but they are created and maintained by fans, especially in today's pro sports world.
posted at 6:06 AM CDT on February 25
Cavs Acquire Ben Wallace and Wally Alphabet for Playoff Run. Eleven player, three team deal between Cleveland, Chicago and Seattle. TrueHoop's thoughts.
posted to Basketball at 5:11 PM CDT
What about the fact that Ben Wallace has now completed the Central Division Triangle, playing for Detroit, Chicago, and now Cleveland in less than four seasons?
posted at 4:45 AM CDT on February 22
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
The Mavs aren't lacking in playoff experience, they are lacking in good playoff experiences and Kidd hasn't done anything their core group hasn't done already.
The Mavs traded for Kidd for the same reason the Suns traded for Shaq, they think they have a better chance to win a title with him than without. If this trade goes through, only time will tell if it'll help them rise to the top of a top heavy West. Of course, a beast from the least could still topple the best of the west. I can't wait for the playoffs.
posted at 10:58 PM CDT on February 13
posted to Football at 9:07 PM CDT
I thought the MVP went to the wrong side of the ball. Someone, Tuck maybe, from the defense should have won it.
posted at 9:28 PM CDT on February 3
Victory and Ruins - The Story of the 2000 Rose Bowl Champion Washington Huskies Pity Ty Willingham who inherited a program that protected and enabled:
UCLA fans, ask Rick Neuheisel what price you're paying for victories next year. Tampa Bay fans, stay off the roads. posted to Football at 12:49 PM CDT
I don't think Greg Maddux and Chuck Norris are the same person. If Chuck Norris was a pitcher he'd roundhouse kick the ball through the catcher everytime. Greg Maddux and Chuck Norris have never been seen together because they avoid each other because if Maddox's insatiable blood thirst ever came up against Norris' unstoppable roundhouse, the universe would implode.
posted at 9:49 PM CDT on January 30
First Day of Term Despite the hour, the temperature was already into the mid-twenties. Despite the temperature, I was shivering. It wasn’t nerves; it was terror.
Nine years and a day after it happened, JJ looks back at his first round as a professional golfer.
posted to Golf at 1:37 AM CDT
That was good. Thanks JJ.
posted at 7:53 AM CDT on January 30
ESPN's Dana Jacobson learns the Internet is always listening I didn't even learn about this until Jacobson apologized on her show Monday morning, but the question remains: Was one week away from the job that ESPN gave Dana enough of a consequence? Swilling vodka straight from the bottle at the podium and cursing Jesus?
posted to Culture at 9:11 AM CDT
Why are we having this discussion here? We are weeks away from the original incident, the punishment has already been served. This belongs on a media discussion website, if anywhere at all.
posted at 12:06 PM CDT on January 29
Hell, I get condescending just listening to sports talk fans.
posted at 10:31 AM CDT on January 30
All too perfect Tom Brady the pimp and the Patriots quest for perfection will be realized.
posted to Football at 4:28 PM CDT
the Ravens and the colts both had them beaten
And the Lions would have had a perfect record if they had managed to outscore their opponents in 9 more games. Your point?
posted at 10:12 AM CDT on January 26
Would that increase or decrease the value of my "Four Horseman of the Apocholypse" trading (complete, mint condition!) card set?
posted at 2:27 PM CDT on January 26
Tom Brady Wearing Walking Cast The Patriots quarterback was spotted leaving a New York apartment Monday wearing a walking cast on his right foot, as shown in photos and a video on TMZ.Com. Brady's 124 consecutive starts at QB are the third longest streak in NFL history.
posted to Football at 12:13 AM CDT
Three passes? We're supposed to decide which quarterback is most likely to fill in based on three combined pass attempts that were thrown, what, three months ago? If the Patriots have to use a backup QB I'm sure the decision will be based on something more concrete than three pass attempts.
posted at 10:18 AM CDT on January 22
Patriots are perfect 16-0 with a comeback win against the New York Giants, overcoming a 12 point third-quarter deficit. Tom Brady's 50 touchdown passes in a season breaks Peyton Manning's record; Randy Moss' 23 touchdown catches in a season breaks Jerry Rice's record.
posted to Football at 10:42 PM CDT
Technically the Patriots failed to cheat. The tape was taken before they could even view it. They got no advantage from their failed attempt to cheat and thus it had no effect on the season (besides motivation).
posted at 11:47 AM CDT on January 1
Records in sight after Patriots move to 15-0 ,but need to play better than they did in the second half against the Dolphins,didn't score in the second half for the first time this year as Brady seemed to continue to throw to Moss in double and triple coverage.
posted to Football at 12:30 PM CDT
The reason gambling on your own team is frowned upon is because if you end up in debt the people you owe money to can use that debt to influence you. It might start with a small thing such as point shaving but the influence could lead to throwing games.
posted at 4:08 PM CDT on December 27
B10, apparently you just don't get it. Gambling on baseball by people involved in baseball is forbidden and for good reasons. Rose gambled. Whether or not he got to the point where he could be pressured is irrelevant. Who he gambled on is irrelevant. The fact is he gambled. He has been banned. Rose and his apologists can try and justify it, but the justifications are irrelevant bullshit.
posted at 5:40 PM CDT on December 27
The Strong Nuclear Force is the greatest of all time! Nu uh! It's Gravity! No way man, it's the Weak Nuclear Force, it might not be the strongest but it is very important.
Protons are the best subatomic particle! No way dude, it's quarks!
posted at 6:18 PM CDT on December 27
grum and cjets, thanks for pointing that out. I had never thought of that angle. Even betting less on a game would be useful information.
posted at 2:54 AM CDT on December 28
Schilling Calls Out The Rocket Boston Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling called on Roger Clemens to give up the four Cy Young Awards he's won since 1997 if he can't clear his name from allegations that he used steroids to prolong and enhance his career.
posted to Baseball at 6:27 AM CDT
IANAL, but it would seem to me that the question is, where is the line drawn between withholding testimony and protecting your right not to self-incriminate? If the information falls on the withholding testimy side of the line, the witness could be found in Contempt of Court. But you'd think the 5th amendment would provide pretty broad protection against testifying, especially since they could be charged as an accessory for not reporting the illegal druge use. Of course, the 5th amendment protections become moot if you've been given immunity. In that case, you'd definitely could be found in Contempt of Court.
posted at 6:04 AM CDT on December 21
Everlasting Run What makes a man run 100,000 miles without ever missing a day?
posted to Other at 3:50 AM CDT
E-ticket is consistently the best ESPN has to offer. Thanks for the link. Good for the runners, that takes some dedication.
posted at 6:27 AM CDT on December 17
USADA loses its first case. The Arbitration Panel in the case of sprinter LaTasha Jenkins voids positive test results because of lab violations of testing protocols.
posted to Other at 6:56 AM CDT
lil'red, as lil_brown_bat pointed out, it is impossible for the athlete to prove that they never took steroids. The athlete can only prove that the test was improperly run and thus that the results have to be thrown out.
posted at 1:30 PM CDT on December 16
Jack talks to Golf Digest - that's Nicholson, not Nicklaus - "You don't understand golf. I can play this game as well as Tiger ... for a very short time. There's one shot a hole between me and the best golfers in the world..." [printable version]
posted to Golf at 4:14 AM CDT
One shot a hole doesn't sound like much, but if he was in a tournament that's 18 per day which leaves him, what, 72 strokes behind the leader?
posted at 10:32 AM CDT on December 10
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
Wins measure team performance. When measuring the worth of an individual, you have to rely on statistics that measure individual performance. His Win-Loss record is not an individual metric. Wins mean everything to the team, they are not relevant when measuring individual performance.
posted at 1:05 PM CDT on December 5
It is not an issue of semantics. It is an issue of perspective. If you evaluate a player only by wins and losses, than Darko was a huge loss for the Pistons because he won a world championship with them and they had great records while he was a member of the team.
Wins measure team success. If we want to see if Willis improves the chances of the Tigers collecting more wins, we need to look at his individual performance, not the performance of the team he was on. We should be paying attention to ERA, WHIP, and other individual pitching statistics. They are far better indicators of talent than his Win-Loss record, which as the example stickman provided so aptly shows, is very easily influenced by the performance of other members of the team.
posted at 1:32 PM CDT on December 5
Cave_Man, I'd like to reintroduce yerfatma's first post in this thread.
"Wow: seems like a good trade for both sides and a huge upgrade at 3B for the Tigers. The real shocker in that link for me was that Inge is signed 'til 2010. Maybe he's one of those guys you need to see night-in, night-out, but I've just never believed in him. Can't believe Detroit let Miller go, but they're pitching is so solid already (and only better with Dontrelle in the mix). Yikes."
So yes, yerfatma's argument that win-loss record is pretty crappy way to measure the quality of a pitcher has no bearing on how he feels about Willis as a pitcher.
Furthermore, you and BornIcon are missing the point. No one is saying that Wins aren't all important to a team, they are. The argument is about whether or not they are a valid measurement of individual performance. The only thing illogical is BornIcon's assertion that they are. ERA, WHIP, etc, etc, are all better measurements of a pitchers worth because they measure individual, and not team, performance.
posted at 2:13 PM CDT on December 5
ERA is a better measurement of individual performance than Win-Loss because there is less influence of other players on the stat than Win-Loss. In a team sport there are very few stats that cannot be influenced by the players around the player being measured. (Free Throw % being the only one I can think of off the top of my head that's truly individual performance.) A pitcher could give up 10 home runs and still get a win if the guys on his team hit well. But if he only gives up one hit, a home run, and his team doesn't score a run it is a loss. In the first instance he pitched poorly and won, but would have a bad ERA. In the second instance he lost but would have a good ERA. I don't understand why you can't see that ERA is a better metric than Win-Loss for measuring an individual pitchers performance.
posted at 2:33 PM CDT on December 5
BornIcon, I hope last season was an abberration, I hope you are correct about Willis doing well for the Tigers. The only problem I have is that you based your argument in favor of him on a worthless statistic, which is illogical. Winning Percentage is pretty worthless for measuring individual performance and as such is a poor indicator of how Willis will perform with the Tigers.
posted at 3:12 PM CDT on December 5
For the last time, I was not discussing relative merits of Beckett or Willis. My whole point is that Win-Loss is a shitty statistic. I think Willis is a good pitcher, I'm excited the Tigers picked him up. That doesn't change the fact that W-L is a stupid way to measure individual performance.
posted at 3:54 PM CDT on December 5
BornIcon, when measuring an individual pitchers performance Win-Loss record doesn't matter. Why? Because it only measures how well his team performed when he took the mound. Regardless of the outcome, it says nothing about how well he pitched that day. So, for the thousandth time, it is a worthless statistic. Just because some people talk about great pitchers win counts, doesn't mean it is a valid measure of their ability.
You've never once shown how a pitcher's Win-Loss record to be a valid measure of ability. You can spout all the platitudes and hermisms you want, but you have provided no concrete evidence that I, or anyone else, should give a gold plated rat's ass about Willis' Win-Loss record.
posted at 12:29 PM CDT on December 6
That's because I never stated that a pitcher's win-loss record is what validates him as a great pitcher.
You used Willis' Win-Loss record as support for your opinion that he is under-rated. It would logically follow that you think that it is a good indicator of quality.
posted at 1:58 PM CDT on December 6
Fabrication? Wait, what? How so? He said Willis was under-rated. Gave supporting evidence, one piece of which was his Win-Loss record. The only reasonable reason to bring it up in that context is to support his argument that Willis is under-rated and the only way it can support the argument is that if it is a valid measure of pitcher quality. Therefore it is reasonable to assume that BornIcon believes Win-Loss to be indicator of pitcher quality.
You can bring up the MVPs, or the possible thinking of the Tigers, or even how good a pitcher Willis is or was or could be, but that isn't what is under debate! The argument has only been about whether or not Win-Loss record is valid measure of pitcher quality. We can ignore Willis' numbers and change this to Pitcher A, because it doesn't matter who we talk about, Win-Loss does not measure the quality of a pitcher's performance.
posted at 2:51 AM CDT on December 7
An All Prairie Grey Cup After holding (and winning) their first home playoff game in 19 years and then beating the B.C. Lions on the road, the Saskatchewan Roughriders are heading to Toronto to play the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the 95th Grey Cup. After losing All-Star QB Kevin Glenn to a broken arm in the Eastern Conference Final, Winnipeg seems to be the clear underdog.
posted to Football at 7:18 PM CDT
Rider Nation? Shouldn't they be a herd? Also, Kliff Kingsbury is awesome. What a name.
posted at 2:57 AM CDT on November 19
"If you're not confrontational, you're not doing your job." Due to step down as head of the World Anti-Doping Agency at the conclusion of this week's Third World Conference on Doping in Sport, Dick Pound offers some parting remarks in the Telegraph.
posted to Other at 8:00 AM CDT
Good riddance. He deserves the criticism. Ever since he got burned by Ben Johnson he's assumed every athlete was guilty until proven innocent. A very bad mentality if you are interested in justice. A great mentality if you want to lead a witch hunt, which he did. A better named man there has not been.
posted at 1:35 PM CDT on November 15
We discussed Dick Pound previously. The article I linked to gives a good history of how the man became the Anti-Doping Crusader.
posted at 6:58 PM CDT on November 15
"I expected it to be kind of a factory setting...and what I found was a very loving, somewhat casual environment...they weren't factories, they were more like gardens." On NPR's Only a Game, Daniel Coyle talks about where great athletic talent comes from, as further described in his article How to Grow a Super-Athlete (NY Times Play magazine).
posted to Other at 11:34 AM CDT
That was a good read. Thanks.
posted at 12:54 PM CDT on November 6
New England By the Numbers The New England Patriots are not only 8-0 but also 8-0 against the spread, SportsFilter columnist Kyrilmitch_76 observes in his look at tomorrow's NFL games. "New England has beaten their opponents by an average of 41.4 to 15.9 and they have beaten the spread by an average of over 14 points per game."
posted to Football at 8:23 PM CDT
I read someone on another site advocating anti-fandom. Their logic being they were happy with 29 outcomes out of 30 (or 31/32) at the end season.
posted at 6:56 AM CDT on November 5
The Hoser's NFL Picks, Week Nine NFL picks that didn't know ships were still being hijacked by pirates. Betting advice (no wagering please) by SportsFilter's own wfrazerjr.
posted to Football at 11:59 AM CDT
Of the 17 victories the '72 Dolphins beat, only 5 were against teams that ended the season with winning records, and that includes their post season victories. That isn't particularly impressive.
posted at 12:57 PM CDT on November 3
Amazing goal by Rick Nash Even if you're not a Columbus Blue Jackets fan, you have to be impressed by this goal from Rick Nash. Click on the video highlights link and skip forward to about 2:25 into the clip. The slow motion, reverse angle replay they show offers the best look at what is sure to be in the running for the best goal this season. I'm glad the Jackets have locked this kid up in a multi-year contract!
posted to Hockey at 9:30 AM CDT
So wait, grum is wrong about Toews' goal being better than Nash's because the Jackets are up and coming? That, sir, is a non sequitor.
posted at 1:34 PM CDT on October 27
Chargers to play at Qualcomm as scheduled. The game's date and time had been in doubt because Qualcomm has been used as a major evacuation center during the wildfires that swept San Diego County.
posted to Football at 3:18 PM CDT
It sounds like they were planning on moving the people out regardless. Also, postpone the game? How? The playoffs start the week after the season ends. There isn't any time to play a makeup game. They could move where the game is played, but no way to postpone more than from Sunday to Monday.
posted at 2:50 AM CDT on October 27
The Hoser's NFL Picks, Week Eight NFL picks that went 10-4 ATS last week -- and won money at a freaking casino. Sportsfilter's own wfrazerjr is back with his latest NFL picks column.
posted to Football at 1:32 AM CDT
No it isn't a British thing, he was referring to Dick Cheney's liver spots. He's old and has a bad ticker, while he can handle canned hunts, I'd hate to see what would happen if he went up against a 350 lbs lineman.
posted at 7:29 AM CDT on October 26
Rudy Giuliani, Red Sox Fan "I will be rooting for the Red Sox because I am an American League fan," former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani told a group of local reporters in New Hampshire Tuesday. "In this case, you won the division and we lost." On the other side, the Democratic frontrunner so famously switched teams that it was mocked in a book, I've Always Been a Yankees Fan: Hillary Clinton in Her Own Words.
posted to Baseball at 2:27 PM CDT
Mrs. Clinton, what is your opinion on the Cover 2 and do you believe that is superior or inferior to 3-4 and why?
posted at 9:45 AM CDT on October 26
Chargers May Play Texans in Dallas The use of San Diego's Qualcomm stadium to house refugees of the wildfires may move Sunday's NFL game to either Houston, the home of the visiting Texans, or Texas Stadium in Dallas, where the Cowboys have a bye week. Four years ago, fires chased the Chargers to a home game against the Dolphins at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe.
posted to Football at 2:16 PM CDT
When exactly would they play if they postponed the game?
posted at 10:34 AM CDT on October 25
Manny Ramirez, as Himself All right, then, be it resolved: Manny Ramirez knows more about baseball than you do.
posted to Baseball at 2:43 AM CDT
For some reason, the idea of a loafer (the shoe) running (ambling) along in the outfield or even better, at the plate wearing a batting helmet strikes me as hilarious. Someone should do a film of inanimate objects playing baseball.
posted at 3:21 PM CDT on October 24
But Will It Be a Good Use of a Timeout when ESPN has to sit Greg Easterbrook down again? Easterbrook was all over the Pats' camera scandal. Unlike the rest of mainstream sports media, he's still on about it, even accusing the NFL of covering up Superbowl cheating, all of which earned him a decent rebuke from ESPN's ombudsman. That didn't stop him from using this week's column to make an interesting comparison between the Pats and Colts before their Week 9 matchup. Even the less-than-serious quarters of Internet sports are taking notice.
posted to Football at 6:22 PM CDT
"Shut the fuck up"
posted at 10:33 AM CDT on October 25
Chief Wahoo: A Modest Proposal.
posted to Baseball at 4:59 PM CDT
gdvbranz, your argument/analogy, while probably intended to be absurd, misses the point. Patriot is a term that is not specific to any race, creed, or even nationality. So if you aren't being intentionally absurd and are sincere in your feelings of offense, look up the definition of patriot.
posted at 8:14 AM CDT on October 20
Rockies Going to World Series With the 4-0 sweep of the Arizona Diamondbacks, the Colorado Rockies' winning streak now stands at 20-1. Only two other teams in Major League history had a run that compares -- the 2001 Oakland A's and 1977 Kansas City Royals went 23-1 -- but neither extended it into the postseason. .
posted to Baseball at 2:27 AM CDT
Only as a column.
posted at 3:59 PM CDT on October 16
The Hoser's NFL Picks, Week Six NFL picks wearing just a kimono, thank you. Sportsfilter member wfrazerjr is back with his weekly NFL picks.
posted to Football at 5:36 PM CDT
I'm just sorry this happened on a Lions bye week. I would have liked to have seen Matt Millen jokes in the form of haiku.
posted at 7:39 AM CDT on October 13
The Cardboard Conversation, vol. 1 In the following interview, the first edition of the Cardboard Conversation, I ask Akim Reinhardt, author of the critically acclaimed study of the political history of the Lakota reservation, Ruling Pine Ridge, about Yankees, Indians, and the possible spiritual implications of a plague of midges. The Bronx-born Reinhardt, currently associate professor of history at Towson University, grew up playing little league baseball in Van Cortlandt Park and going to Yankees games with his father.
posted to Baseball at 3:05 PM CDT
I really like the idea of Cleveland changing their name back to the Spiders. Too bad it probably won't happen anytime soon.
posted at 8:13 AM CDT on October 13
Landis appeals his doping case to the Court of Arbitration of Sport
posted to Other at 4:38 PM CDT
A much better article from VeloNews. via [TBV]
posted at 4:47 PM CDT on October 10
Comments like yours make me want to stab myself in the eye. I mean, really, what the fuck is your point? Comparing accused doping to accused murder? Comparing mounting a vigorous legal defense with little to gain to "looking" for the real murders on a golf course?
OJ fought his case in court to prevent going to jail and the civil case to prevent losing millions upon millions of dollars.
Landis is fighting to keep a title and to reduce a two year ban that is already a third over. He has spent over a million dollars so far fighting this case. In the end even if he wins, there will always be a stain on his reputation.
I hardly see how the two are the same.
Is it too much to ask for a discussion of the facts? Is it? Some people (Dick Pound) are too blinded by their rage against potential dopers to even give due process a fair shake. Are you one of them?
I don't give a shit if you think he's guilty. At least base your beliefs on facts and testimony. There are a complexity of issues and you do no one justice by not taking the time to understand them.
posted at 5:27 PM CDT on October 10
I didn't attack jhkaplan because he does not agree with me, I attacked his comparison because I believe it to not only be counterproductive but to also have no factual basis to back it up. Regardless, you are correct about jhkaplan not deserving the antagonistic response. I apologize.
posted at 7:30 PM CDT on October 10
The single greatest problem with the current fight against doping in sport is that once accused, an athlete is assumed guilty until proven innocent not only by the sport's governing body but by the court of public opinion. Test results are leaked and even if the B sample comes back negative the damage has already been done to the athlete's as well as the sport's reputation.
In any fair system of justice the defendant is assumed innocent until proven guilty. The burden of proof is rightly placed upon the prosecution to prove that the defendant committed the offense. Why is this the case? Because it is impossible to prove a negative except in the most specific cases.
Even in the absence of positive tests it is impossible for any athlete to prove that they never doped. In a situation where they are guilty until proven innocent, there is no way for an athlete to ever clear their name, regardless of test results. Even taping every second of every day of their lives since birth would not be conclusive proof of not doping. There could always be doubt about additives to food or drink that weren't prepared on camera.
The only defense an accused athlete has is to disprove the prosecutions case. Some will call this looking for a loophole, or skating by on a technicality, but it is the only defense an athlete has. They can't have an alibi, they are never accused of being at a specific place or time. They can't prove they didn't dope. The charge against them is that they failed a drug test and the only defense against that is to attack the legitimacy of the drug test.
There are two ways to do this: Attack the Chain of Custody and Attack The Testing Procedure.
Attacking the Chain of Custody (CoC) shouldn't be an option the athlete ever has the opportunity to take. The CoC starts when the specimen is collected. After collection the specimen is sealed and the collector and collectee sign off on a form stating date and time of collection and that the specimen is in the collectors possession. Every time the specimen changes hands the next person signs date and time that they received it from the person before hand. When the specimen gets to the lab it can be signed into storage, but it is signed out of storage when being used and signed back into when done. It is even signed for when the specimen is disposed off. This simple procedure provides proof that the specimen was always accounted for. Breaking the COC is either a mistake or a deliberate attempt to tamper with the specimen, either way, the vaildity of the sample is in question.
The athlete can also try and prove that the test was not run properly. They can try and prove the machine wasn't calibrated properly, the testing procedure wasn't followed, problems with the testing procedure, or human error in running the test.
Pretend the athlete has successfully shown that the test is invalid for any of the above reasons. In a climate of guilty until proven innocent they are still guilty. All the athlete has proven is that the authorities didn't catch him properly. He has still failed to prove his innocence. The athlete has only succeeded on finding a technicality.
The only way the fight against doping against sport can be fair is if the athlete is innocent until proven guilty. Otherwise the burden of proof on the accused athlete is impossible to meet. The current system is neither fair nor just, and will remain so until the paradigm shifts to innocent until proven guilty.
If you want to accept the decision of the arbitration panel 2-1 against Landis, fine, that is your right. I read the testimony, examined the evidence to the best of my ability. I've drawn my own conclusions and they are that the arbitration panel came to the wrong conclusion because the lab did such a poor job testing the specimen that we can never know if Landis doped or not. In a system of innocent until proven guilty, he must be assumed to be innocent. In a system of guilty until proven innocent, the lab results are irrelevant, he can never prove his innocence.
I have two reasons for supporting Landis' decision to appeal: I hope and believe he didn't dope, and the system is not fair and needs serious action to correct the issues inherent to it. Even if Landis doped, a greater good is served by clearing him and correcting the injustices in the system than by stripping him of his title.
On preview: I'm sorry for the length.
posted at 9:05 AM CDT on October 12
All athletes are subject to sceptism based on the past behaviour of other athletes in similar positions.
That is what we in the definition business (*disclaimer - Poster is not in the definition business*) like to call a stereotype.
While the Jones' situation has public opinion implications, it has no legal implications on the Landis case. Any arbiter that takes the Jones situation into consideration while hearing Landis' appeal doesn't belong in the arbitration business.
You, however, are free to be as skeptical and stereotypical as you like.
Anyone know of a list of all athletes with positive A samples and the end result? It'd be interesting to see.
posted at 12:47 PM CDT on October 12
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
Crispin Glover : Charles Nelson Reilly :: Going for the two point conversion : Kicking a Rouge
Do I get the job?
posted at 12:38 PM CDT on October 12
Bombed: New York Yankees Make Another Early Exit from Playoffs Yankees who might no longer be in pinstripes after the team's elimination from the AL playoffs by the Cleveland Indians Monday night: Jorge Posada, Mariano Rivera, Alex Rodriguez, Roger Clemens, Andy Pettitte and Manager Joe Torre.
posted to Baseball at 11:20 PM CDT
I asked a simple question which was why wasn't there a delay and seeing that I am actually excited that the Yanks were bounced, you got things twisted.
BI, what's the deal with the run on sentence? Seriously man, lay off the grammar and spelling edits. Everyone makes the occasional mistake and it's just plain polite to overlook them.
posted at 12:42 PM CDT on October 12
The Playoffs, As We Know Them, Are Bunk My (quixotic, admittedly) proposal for overhauling the playoff and regular season system for all of American sports. A sportsfilter column by our own chicobangs.
posted to General at 7:14 AM CDT
chico, I have a question. If you are playing the playoffs during the next season, when do player contracts end?
posted at 3:09 AM CDT on October 6
Had Enough Steroids Yet? Marion Jones, You're Next! Multiple Olympic medalist Marion Jones has admitted using the steroid known as "the clear" for two years beginning in 1999. Jones, once considered the best female athlete in the world, says her former coach Trevor Graham gave her the steroid, telling her it was flaxseed oil.
posted to Olympics at 5:41 PM CDT
I have, uphill, both ways. The 80 degree hills were the easy ones. Why, when Coach was feeling foul, we'd sprint while carrying each other up 160 degree hills. When Coach was feeling really mean, we weren't allowed to use the suction cups. Our only performance enhancer was fear. Coach once caught Pauly about to give himself a steroid injection in a bathroom stall. Coach literally chewed Pauly's head off. After that the hill drills didn't seem so bad.
Of course when Coach was feeling fowl, we had to race to the grocery store for frozen chickens.
posted at 2:50 PM CDT on October 6
Six foot snow drifts? You must have lived in the south.
posted at 5:26 AM CDT on October 7
brickman, in a thread about steroid use you bring up Mark McGwire's weight loss after his retirement, compare it (vaguely) to other retired players weight fluxuations and call it "suspect". It is heavily implied that you assumed his weight loss was because he quit taking steroids. If this was not what you meant to imply, what was the point of your comment? Especially when you claim your thanks to justgary is supposed to be ironic.
"I never said MM used steroids." While literally true, any reasonable person (and I have strong doubts that you are one) would come to the conclusion that you are accusing of Mark McGwire of using steroids. The fact that you refuse to own up to your accusation or back it up with facts shows a serious lack of spine.
If you believe his weight loss is suspect, back it up. It isn't an unreasonable request. If you want to post random drivel without having the decency to willingly engage in intelligent, fact based debate, please do it elsewhere. Quite frankly, I'm getting tired of your ruining perfectly good discussions with your bullshit.
posted at 6:57 AM CDT on October 8
You brought up Mark McGwire's weight loss in a discussion about steriods. Are you or are you not trying to imply that you think his weight loss is due to stopping the use of steroids after retirement? If you are trying to imply that is the case, then why did you claim, "I never said MM used steroids." If you aren't trying to say that, what is the point of making the comment in the first place?
posted at 10:49 AM CDT on October 8
This thread is comedy gold. That goes for the intentional and unintentional humour.
posted at 1:13 PM CDT on October 8
Most Popular NFL Teams (in Order): Cowboys, Colts, Steelers, Packers This year's Harris poll of NFL team popularity has the Dallas Cowboys passing the Pittsburgh Steelers to claim the top spot, ahead of the fast-climbing Indianapolis Colts and the Green Bay Packers. The least popular team for the third straight year: My Jacksonville Jaguars.
posted to Football at 6:34 PM CDT
steelerbroad, how can you say that only the Packers, Steelers, and Cowboys are the only ones who have true fans? I think you'd be hard pressed to find any bandwagon fans on for the Lions. Every team has it's core fan base that follows no matter the W/L ratio. The more successful your team is, the more likely you are to attract bandwagon fans, but when times turn bad some of the bandwagon fans stick and become part of the core.
posted at 9:37 AM CDT on October 3
Debo, I don't buy your assertation that Pittsburgh has a better core fanbase because they travel well, especially to a Superbowl where the other team was much further away.
I disagreed with steelerbroads claim that only the Steelers et al have true fans and not bandwagon fans.
Definitions -
Bandwagon fans: Fans that only stick around while a team is successful. Core Fans: Fans that follow the team even when they stink.
Looking at the stats since 1978 (the start of the 16 game schedule), the Steelers have 20 winning seasons, 7 losing seasons, and 2 .500 seasons. They've never done worse than 5 and 11. They have a record of 268-187-1 for a .587 winning percentage. Over that time period, they've never had three nonwinning seasons in a row (and two in a row only twice). Not much time for bandwagon fans to jump off.
Let us compare the Steelers to the Lions. Over the same time frame 8 winning seasons, 19 losings seasons, 2 .500 seasons. The Lions 2 seasons each of 2, 3 and 4 win totals. (not counting the four win strike shortened season in 1987). Total record for that time: 182-273-1 for a .399 winning percentage. During this time frame the Lions have only had a winning season strike once, from 1993 through 1995. Three seasons. They've had consecutively losing streaks of 2, 2, 7, 2, and the current streak of 6. Almost no time for band wagon fans to jump on. By definition, anyone cheering on the lions any time before this year would almost certaintly be a core fan.
Sure the Steelers are more popular than the Lions, but that is because the Steelers are more successful.
posted at 1:20 PM CDT on October 3
debo and steel_town, I'm not saying that the Steelers don't have good fans. My point is this: Bandwagon fans are attracted to succesful teams. Over the last 28 years the Steelers have been pretty good. They are more likely to have bandwagon fans than teams that haven't been very good, such as the Lions or Cardinals or (new) Browns. It logically follows that popularity polls will favor successful teams because they have more support from fans who only like to cheer for successful teams.
posted at 3:52 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
If a SS and a DH were head to head for MVP and had the same, or very similar numbers, under what justification would the DH get the nod as MVP? Is the only influence on Value offensive production? Shouldn't defensive contributions be figured in?
posted at 4:51 PM CDT on October 2
Lions Stun Bears With Record 4th Quarter The Lions scored an NFL-record 34 points in the fourth quarter as they overcame the Chicago Bears 37-27 Sunday.
posted to Football at 6:56 PM CDT
And not to mention which their/there/they're to use.
They're celebrating that their runningback ran the ball all the way there.
They're = They are
Their = possesive
There = place.
posted at 1:23 PM CDT on October 1
I was talking about this with my brother the other day. If the Lions do well this year, as a fan, I have to give Matt Millen credit. His personnel moves are starting to pay off. Gah! Of course, I'd rather see the Lions be successful than spite Matt Millen.
posted at 6:14 PM CDT on October 1
It matters because it makes any point you may have harder to read. There is no reason to be ashamed of using a dictionary or spell check, it means you at least care enough about communicating to make sure your point gets across.
Nobody here is saying that the Lions are equal to the Colts or the Patriots in team quality. Are they a hell of a lot better than they were a couple of years ago? Yes. Are the Bears worse than they were a year ago? Yes. As far as the playoffs go, I'd be happy just to make it at this point. Running games aren't as important as you think. If you have the top rated passing offense you are more likely to win the Superbowl than you are if you have the top rated rushing offense.
posted at 5:40 AM CDT on October 2
The Hoser's NFL Picks -- Week Four NFL picks that wonder why they didn't just replace all four of the Bionic Woman's limbs. Brought to you once again by sportsfilter's own wfrazerjr.
posted to Football at 1:04 PM CDT
Mr. CHIEF FAN, I would like to humbly submit to you the idea that one exclamation mark is almost always sufficient in providing emphasis to a point.
posted at 8:29 AM CDT on October 1
The Hoser's NFL Picks -- Week Three NFL picks that wonder what Hank Williams Jr. is doing with his free time now. A sportsfilter column by our own wfrazerjr.
posted to Football at 1:43 PM CDT
Love the T-Hip shout out, and the Lions pick.
posted at 2:55 PM CDT on September 21
Floyd Landis loses arbitration: by a 2-1 vote, an arbitration panel voted to "uphold the results of Landis's positive test" in the 2006 Tour de France. If Landis does not appeal, he will be stripped of his 2006 Tour de France title and be suspended from racing for two years. Full text of the decision here.
posted to Other at 3:22 PM CDT
Trust But Verify has a lot of good analysis on the decision. They are biased towards Landis' point of view, but still are providing a lot of info as to the why behind the decision instead of focusing solely on the end result.
posted at 6:24 PM CDT on September 20
Until 2012. Or maybe next years World Championships.