Archives for December 2006

Goat's Head Soup Christmas-wrapped and placed under the tree, GM in Italy's Serie A gets the message.

posted by Texan_lost_in_NY at 11:45 AM PST - 7 comments

Rose Bowl wilts while title hopes push up daisies. Once upon a time the Rose Bowl was the goal. This year it's a classic match-up of Michigan against USC, but the game seems "like a consolation prize," writes Art Spander.

posted by commander cody at 3:00 AM PST - 21 comments

When does a pro sports league not follow its own rules? Apparently when hockey refs assume a puck crossed the goal line, even thought the rules require "visible evidence" (e.g., actually SEEING the puck go across the line) to award a goal and overturn a "No Goal" call that was made on the ice. The visiting Columbus Blue Jackets lost to the Minnesota Wild last night when a phantom goal was awarded in overtime to the home team. The game was important for the Jackets, who trailed Minnesota by 7 points going into last night's game for the last playoff spot in the conference. Yes, I'm a Jackets fan, but I'd feel bad for any team that had this happen to them.

posted by gdvbranz at 9:40 AM PST - 20 comments

TV shows with boxing in them. While trying to corroborate that the late great Godfather of Soul James Brown was an amateur boxer, I happened upon this page that lists TV shows and episodes that were boxing-related. Savor the sweet sport.

posted by worldcup2002 at 11:11 AM PST - 24 comments

MLB Resolutions What better way to set goals for 2007 than with New Year's resolutions for some of baseball's biggest and brightest. (Grum, there is even a shout out for you.)

posted by cardsfan at 9:40 AM PST - 7 comments

Is This Bill Cowher's Final Steel Curtain? Bill Cowher's 15-year coaching career with the Pittsburgh Steelers may come to an end in Cincinnati against the Bengals, a team he's beaten more than any other. Though a year remains on his current contract, Cowher moved his wife and youngest daughter to a new home in Raleigh, N.C., earlier this year, according to Most Valuable Network, and there's persistent speculation he'll retire next week.

posted by rcade at 8:21 AM PST - 18 comments

Mike Tyson's Downward Spiral Continues. Former heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson was arrested this morning in Scottsdale, Arizona after leaving a nightclub. Deputies stopped Tyson after he pulled out into traffic, nearly hitting a parked sheriff's cruiser. Tyson failed a field sobriety test, and a subsequent search found cocaine on him and in his car.

posted by The_Black_Hand at 7:50 AM PST - 42 comments

Zito Breaks the Bank. Barry Zito stays in the Bay Area, signing a seven-year deal worth $126 million. It's the richest contract for a pitcher in Major League Baseball history.

posted by The_Black_Hand at 5:26 AM PST - 38 comments

The Hoser's NFL Picks, Week Seventeen NFL picks that think you should rent "An Inconvenient Truth," Al Gore's film on global warming.

posted by justgary at 9:13 PM PST - 16 comments

How Good Is Your #4 Starter? Jeff Sackmann, of The Hardball Times and Brew Crew Ball runs the numbers and concludes: back-rotation starters suck. But you might be surprised at how bad they generally are.

posted by rocketman at 6:26 PM PST - 4 comments

Jayson Taylor feels that a suspension for steriods should include a ban from certain postseason awards. I personally agree. What do you think?

posted by yay-yo at 11:32 AM PST - 65 comments

"The Righteous Fury of Dick Pound" Wired brings us an interesting piece on the history of Dick Pound and WADA.

posted by apoch at 7:50 AM PST - 18 comments

2006 Retrospective Tis the season to honor the accomplishments of Big Ben, A-Rod, Barry, Bode, Floyd Landis, and many other deserving athletes.

posted by NerfballPro at 9:33 PM PST - 25 comments

Flex this! NBC has exercised its right to move the Chicago Bears/Green Bay Packers from noon to 7:15 p.m. on Sunday in accordance with the network's TV deal with the NFL. This is great news for TV viewers, but not so great if you have New Year's Eve plans or children, says Tribune columnist Ed Sherman.

posted by wfrazerjr at 4:27 PM PST - 21 comments

England's Plans Leaked: A spectator finds a copy of England's bowling plans for the Aussie batsmen. Then sends them to ABC radio. Just not cricket?

posted by owlhouse at 3:37 PM PST - 6 comments

Court rules MLB players can be ID'd for steroids The names and urine samples of about 100 Major League Baseball players who tested positive three years ago can be used by federal investigators, a court ruled Wednesday — a decision that could have implications for Barry Bonds Whoever Cheated.

posted by wingnut4life at 3:20 PM PST - 88 comments

I Can't Grip My Balls! Another league complaining about new balls? Yep, this time it's the NFL.

posted by The_Black_Hand at 5:29 AM PST - 20 comments

Ochoa completes golf's clean sweep "Lorena Ochoa has been named Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year, completing a clean sweep of the awards by the world's golfers. " Making Mexicans very proud!

posted by zippinglou at 4:44 AM PST - 2 comments

Former star center for two University of Michigan national championship teams, Gerald R. Ford, dead at 93. Oh and he was also President of the United States for awhile too.

posted by commander cody at 12:18 AM PST - 31 comments

"World's Oldest Hockey Stick" goes for $2.2 million! The curved hunk of hickory, believed to have been carved between 1852 and 1856, was purchased by an anonymous bidder. The purchase price will go to charity. Here's a shock: a Canadian bought it.

posted by The_Black_Hand at 8:31 AM PST - 16 comments

2007 NFL Draft. Early projections on the top 20 college player picks.

posted by FonGu at 6:23 AM PST - 44 comments

Merry Christmas, Charlton. Recently-sacked West Ham coach Alan Pardew replaces Les Reed just two weeks after leaving the Hammers. West Ham just hired former Charlton manager Alan Curbishley, who promptly started his first game by beating EPL leaders Man Utd. Charlton (#19 of 20, six pts off the next rung) and West Ham (#18, one point away from the safety zone): Which of these teams will still be in the EPL next season?

posted by worldcup2002 at 1:54 PM PST - 7 comments

Bears beat the Lions and they're the worst team in the past five years. How much worse can they get? And what will it take to pull them out of this hell-hole? Is there hope?

posted by commander cody at 3:05 AM PST - 22 comments

Yao will miss at least 6 weeks

posted by Barry-from-H-town at 12:04 AM PST - 9 comments

Donovan, Dempsey, Twellman picked for Bob Bradleys first training camp with the USMNT. I see some glaring omissions, not including the Euro based players. I am not sure that the team Bradley assembled could even finish in the top five in CONCACAF. In a side note, Twellman turned down the invitation to recover from a sports hernia injury.

posted by urall cloolis at 11:07 AM PST - 10 comments

LaDainian Tomlinson is Sportsman of the Year. His teammates idolize him. He respects his profession. He cares about his community. Oh, yeah, and he's a touchdown-scoring machine. LaDainian Tomlinson is a worthy Sportsman in every sense of the word.

posted by Ying Yang Mafia at 10:16 AM PST - 24 comments

The NHL to realign? The NHL has been trying for weeks to tinker with its schedule configuration, but is now considering a significant overhaul of the face of the league that includes realignment and a reduction in the number of divisions from six to four.

posted by NoMich at 1:56 PM PST - 27 comments

'Scuse me while I whip this out... Florida Marlins pitcher Dontrelle Willis arrested on suspicion of DUI after cops observe him get out of his car and urinate in the street in Miami. Personally, I'd have held off on drunken shenanigans until after I'd finished with my contract negotiations. Then again, that's just me.

posted by The_Black_Hand at 7:52 AM PST - 59 comments

From a Hero to Felon. Addiction threw Sammy Stewart a curveball, and the former O's pitcher has yet to recover .

posted by Hugh Janus at 4:25 PM PST - 5 comments

Sh ane Warne announces his retirement. "I don't think I could have written my script any better. I thought I'd be sad, but I sit here a happy man." He has 699 test wickets to his name (and two test matches left to become the first person ever to take 700). The first ball he ever delivered in the Ashes (in 1993) has become known as the ball of the century.

posted by JJ at 9:23 AM PST - 19 comments

PITG wins slots casino license for North Side of Pittsburgh I'm totally confused on how Pennsylvania can tell a company they don't want a FREE arena. I'm afraid the Penguins will moving come this summer unless the city comes up with something quick.

posted by dbt302 at 9:26 PM PST - 27 comments

31 Voices on the State of the Game Biz of Baseball contacted 30 "notable individuals" who cover or work in the business of baseball and asked them for their comments on what's right and what's wrong with major league baseball today. The Biz of Baseball forum has included some intelligent discussion on the topic as well. [via King Kaufman]

posted by Amateur at 11:47 AM PST - 8 comments

What if the BCS bowls all went to high school together?

posted by YukonGold at 8:49 AM PST - 14 comments

Applying business principles to sport. In the aftermath of a bad year for English sport the BBC turns to Humphrey Walters, one of Clive Woodward's backroom staff during the 2003 World Cup success, and he tells them the 8 corporate sins that English sport is guilty of.

posted by Fence at 3:59 AM PST - 4 comments

The Better Part of Pete The Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame is planning an 11-month, 2000 square foot exhibit celebrating the playing career of Pete Rose. Notoriously banned from consideration by the National Baseball Hall of Fame, he is not a member of the club's Hall either. There is no formal statement regarding Rose's eligibility on their list of inductees page, but it does say that there was no induction from 1989 until 1998, and after that the election process was handed over to the Baseball Writers Association of America. Are the writers executing their own ban of Charlie Hustle?

posted by BullpenPro at 3:21 PM PST - 79 comments

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 by PublicUrinal at 2:58 PM PST - 67 comments

How Sweet It Is, The #9 Book Introduces Past Hero to Present Generation..... and a Present Star shows respect for the past. A Holiday Reading list for the young Hockey Player in all of us.

posted by skydivedad at 12:00 PM PST - 8 comments

"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 by Spitztengle at 9:52 PM PST - 32 comments

QB: T-Rac Wrecked My Season Quarterback Adrian McPherson, who was injured during a pre-season game when run over by a golf cart driven by the Tennessee Titans's raccoon mascot, has sued the NFL team for $20 million in damages.

posted by scottypup at 1:20 PM PST - 22 comments

Suspensions Handed Out In lieu of the largest mayham since the Palace in 2004, 6 players got suspended for their roles in an intense fight. Carmelo Anthony got harshest penalty, and will serve 15 games for his actions.

posted by chemwizBsquared at 12:59 PM PST - 56 comments

S(he) failed Test reports sent to the Indian Olympic Association on Sunday said Soudarajan "does not possess the sexual characteristics of a woman," The Times of India reported.

posted by garfield at 11:21 AM PST - 77 comments

Canada's Royal Winter Game Considered the first book ever written about hockey, one of the four known copies has been digitized for your viewing pleasure. Available in the page-turning Flash version or plain old HTML. Part of Backcheck: A Hockey Retrospective. [via uniwatchblog]

posted by goddam at 11:09 AM PST - 2 comments

A little fine dining, a little cloak and dagger, and a whole lotta yen. Inside the California vacation that was signing Daisuke Matsuzaka and how the Sox got there.

posted by YukonGold at 7:50 AM PST - 7 comments

English flags banned at the Emirates. That's the Emirates Stadium; Arsenal's home stadium.

"Some of our fans have been upset with the flying of certain flags denoting particular regions of the world"

posted by Fence at 4:22 AM PST - 26 comments

Dream start for new Hammers boss. EPL relegation strugglers West Ham welcomed new boss Alan Curbishley with a surprise 1-0 win over leaders Manchester United, in his first game in charge. An early Christmas gift to the new manager and new owners ... and defending champions Chelsea, who had their own narrow escape today, and now see Manchester's lead cut from five to two. Is this the turning point for West Ham's season?

posted by worldcup2002 at 5:22 PM PST - 4 comments

Terrell vs. DeAngelo -- Who Gives A Spit? Consider the receiver before condemning the deliverer, says wfrazerjr.

posted by justgary at 4:20 PM PST - 21 comments

Spit Happens Owens gives Hall the weather, not the news. With friends like this, who needs enemies?

posted by wingnut4life at 11:41 AM PST - 25 comments

Nuggets-Knicks brawl ends with 10 players ejected Ten players, including NBA scoring leader Carmelo Anthony, were ejected for fighting during a wild brawl near the end of Saturday night's game between the Denver Nuggets and New York Knicks. I can't believe Melo actually clocked Collins in the mouth.

posted by STUNNER at 11:11 PM PST - 49 comments

End of an era for Houston Baseball One of the original Killer B's,Jeff Bagwell retires due to his well documented shoulder problem. Is he a future Hall of Fame inductee?

posted by mjkredliner at 9:10 PM PST - 23 comments

Everything you ever wanted to know about the ugliest helmet in the history of organized football is inside this link. Click it. You know you want to. (Pantheon: I think we need a new 'ugly' category, just for this post. Trust me.)

posted by tieguy at 5:02 PM PST - 13 comments

Chicago Bears Tank Johnson is at it again After having his home searched a couple of days ago and illegal weapons and drugs found, now his body guard was shot and killed. Baffling!

posted by panteeze at 9:04 AM PST - 8 comments

New "toy" to play with at Baseball-Reference.com
Want to know what Pedro Martinez's 2000 season pitching stats would look like if he played in 1968 for the Los Angeles Dodgers?
Click on the title link, choose the red link: "Neutralize Stats".
Choose 1968.
Choose NL.
Choose Los Angeles Dodgers.
Whoa.
(more inside)

posted by grum@work at 8:50 PM PST - 23 comments

The Hoser's NFL Picks, Week Fifteen NFL picks that have been busy looking for old acetate records at garage sales.

posted by justgary at 8:09 PM PST - 16 comments

Young Buckeyes considering NFL draft I wonder how good they will be next year if they all go?

posted by livewire at 5:52 PM PST - 25 comments

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 by smithers at 2:47 PM PST - 7 comments

Want to Watch the New York Football Giants Like a True Fan? Here's how!

posted by yerfatma at 2:22 PM PST - 6 comments

You did what?! Those three games that Detroit Tigers rookie phenom Joel Zumaya missed during the ALCS? Not inflammation due to baseball, but inflammation due to Guitar Hero 2. If that's not bizarre enough for you, try these on for size.

posted by The_Black_Hand at 8:38 AM PST - 17 comments

The L.A. Times runs a two-part investigative report and critique of the anti-doping regime: The worldwide sports anti-doping program, created to fight performance-enhancing drug use in international athletics, imposes severe punishments for accidental or technical infractions, relies at times on disputed scientific evidence and resists outside scrutiny.

posted by holden at 8:34 AM PST - 4 comments

Is cancer performance enhacing? Robin Parisotto, a former Australian Institute of Sport researcher, takes issue with claims that Lance Armstrong's testicular cancer actually helped him during the Tour de France

posted by Fence at 5:38 AM PST - 9 comments

Athletes under siege In Iraq sport has become entangled in the politics and violence, meaning that it really can be a matter of life and death.

"The idea is to destroy the sports system in Iraq because it is symbolic of how all creeds can come together in a common cause"

posted by Fence at 7:37 AM PST - 9 comments

Lamar Hunt Dies Lamar Hunt, one of America's most innovative sports entrepreneurs of the last half-century, died Wednesday night.

posted by yzelda4045 at 6:54 AM PST - 8 comments

Jason Kidd’s 80 Triple-Doubles- Will he make it to 100 triple doubles?

posted by msusportsguy at 11:34 PM PST - 26 comments

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 by wfrazerjr at 3:29 PM PST - 34 comments

Looking For Mr. Longball ESPN senior writer Wright Thompson turns in this longform piece on the public disappearance of Mark McGuire. Thompson says if you have questions for the former slugger, "...you've got to get past the security guard and the gates — one large one out front and a smaller one past the golf club. Unless he gives his blessing, the gates remain closed, keeping his past locked safely outside, his future neatly barricaded behind these walls."

posted by wfrazerjr at 2:33 PM PST - 18 comments

One Last College Football Poll An interactive Flash movie of who voted and how they ranked the teams. [via]

posted by yerfatma at 11:28 AM PST - 9 comments

A.I on his way out. Allen Iverson is no longer Philadelphia's headache. Then again, maybe it's the other way around. Either way, this much is sure: One of the great players in franchise history has likely played his last game for the 76ers. Iverson wants out and Philadelphia will grant his wish.

posted by msusportsguy at 10:13 PM PST - 36 comments

Teammates for life. Former Cowboy cornerback Everson Walls, victim of one of the most infamous TD's ever is set to donate a kidney to former teammate and diabetic running back Ron Springs, who just happens to be the father of current Redskins cornerback Shawn Springs.

posted by Ufez Jones at 8:47 PM PST - 15 comments

Red Sox brass meeting with Matsuzaka's agent Red Sox front office, pitcher's agent hammering out contract details.

posted by Clevelander32 at 3:47 PM PST - 79 comments

Two-timers Posluszny, Jarrett lead team Penn State linebacker Paul Posluszny and Southern California receiver Dwayne Jarrett overcame adversity to become two-time Associated Press All-Americans.

posted by Clevelander32 at 3:41 PM PST - 0 comments - Post a comment

Almost 49 years since the Munich air crash, Manchester United and England icon Sir Bobby Charlton is still haunted "It was taking so long to get off the ground and I suddenly realised that everyone felt the same. Then it went really quiet and as I looked out the window we hit a fence. We knocked it flat and then everyone knew this was really serious."

posted by Texan_lost_in_NY at 7:26 AM PST - 12 comments

Heineken Cup in doubt It seems that the future of the Heineken Cup may be uncertain as French clubs may be siding with English ones and refusing to sign up to the competition unless certain details are altered. The board of European Rugby Cup has been due to be held this week; this has now been postponed until next month.

posted by Fence at 5:11 AM PST - 1 comments

Cindy Klassen Wins Lou Marsh Trophy as Canada's Best Athlete In a year in which a Canadian athlete was MVP of the NBA, another was MVP of the American League, and a third was MVP of the NHL, a speedskater gets the nod as athlete of the year. The voters have a history of doing pretty well by Canada's female athletes, and by Olympic champions in general.

posted by Amateur at 10:25 PM PST - 12 comments

NHL 2006-07 Power Ranking Madness Skydivedad's December Rankings.

posted by justgary at 7:52 PM PST - 46 comments

NBA going back to old ball. I wish David would make up his ****ing mind.

posted by graymatters at 4:41 PM PST - 25 comments

Hall of Famer Gainey's Daughter Swept Off Ship in Storm The daughter of hockey Hall of Famer Bob Gainey was swept off a Nova Scotia ship during an Atlantic storm, and Canadian and U.S. rescuers are looking for her in an extensive ocean search.

posted by wingnut4life at 12:59 AM PST - 12 comments

Seven Times a Winner Surfer Layne Beachley does it again.

posted by owlhouse at 9:51 PM PST - 1 comments

ESPN: Smith Wins Heisman Troy Smith became the first player from Ohio State to win the Heisman since 1995.

posted by nort_12345 at 10:10 PM PST - 31 comments

Knight passes Rupp as Texas Tech wins Love him or hate him. He's one of the best.

posted by pcbenedict at 7:01 PM PST - 14 comments

Yankees Ink Pettitte To One-Year Deal One year, $16 Million, with an option for 2008. Could this mean Roger Clemens will be back in pinstripes too?

posted by dyams at 8:46 PM PST - 41 comments

What John Wooden Gets Wrong About Basketball "It is another Wooden contribution, however, that I fear will endure. … Wooden provided a framework for linking on-court play with virtue. A bounce pass is not just fundamentally sound, but somehow morally expedient; a missed dunk is a straight path to damnation. Leave aside some of the more repellent conclusions this might lead one to—it is simply a boring and blinkered way of watching a basketball game. This, ultimately, is John Wooden's legacy: He taught us to take a profane bit of beautiful exercise and turn it into church."

posted by Amateur at 8:30 PM PST - 10 comments

The Hoser's NFL Picks, Week Fourteen. NFL picks that just can't get into "Grey's Anatomy."

posted by justgary at 8:22 PM PST - 20 comments

Wilt Chamberlain-Archie Clark, Charles Barkley-Jeff Hornacek, Allen Iverson-? What once was merely a theoretical question has evolved into a real life problem for Philadelphia 76ers president Billy King. What is fair trade value for Allen Iverson?

posted by Bishop at 8:14 PM PST - 17 comments

Good News: The Sparks are staying in Los Angeles. Bad News: Their best player is taking the year off.

posted by chicobangs at 11:52 AM PST - 21 comments

Jose Uribe 1959-2006 The former Giants shortstop was killed in an automobile accident in his native Dominican Republic early Friday morning December 8.

posted by NerfballPro at 11:51 AM PST - 1 comments

ESPN Writer Re: ESPN Show "Ali Rap" Thankfully the writer is Chuck Klosterman, who doesn't take his relationship with ESPN too seriously (and manages to reference DFW on tennis). Does the amount of money available in sports today bleach athletes' opinions (especially political ones) away or are we all that shallow now?

posted by yerfatma at 7:24 AM PST - 9 comments

Tom Brady Blitzes Yahoo! In a federal complaint, Brady charges Yahoo! used his photo without authorization in a September 2006 Sports Illustrated ad and in banner ads on Yahoo! Sports pages. Brady alleges that Yahoo!'s use of his image (he's one of six players in the ad) connotes a false endorsement and, as such, is seeking unspecified punitive and compensatory damages against the company.

posted by forrestv at 9:31 PM PST - 45 comments

Vote for Rory! This grassroot fan initiative has made journeyman Rory Fitzpatrick the fifth highest vote getter at his position for the upcoming All-Star game. If he can climb up to #2, he'll be a starting defenseman, alongside Scott Niedermayer or Nicklas Lidstrom. He's not sure he likes the idea.

posted by qbert72 at 8:15 PM PST - 6 comments

Marvelous Joe Three time Stanley Cup winner and Olympic gold medalist, Joe Nieuwendyk retires. There are countless memories, but absolutely no regrets.

posted by MrFrisby at 5:16 PM PST - 6 comments

Klinsmann changes his mind Oh, great.

With news circulating that Klinsi has all but donned red, white, and blue, he has now withdrawn his name from further consideration.

posted by igottheblues at 3:09 PM PST - 17 comments

The 2006 Dave Kingman Award Awarded annually to "the player doing the least with the most".

posted by mjkredliner at 9:08 AM PST - 25 comments

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 by rcade at 8:19 AM PST - 82 comments

Surf magic Great story about how surfing has changed the life of one profoundly autistic little boy. (via TCAL)

posted by Fence at 3:10 AM PST - 9 comments

Young athlete brings inspiration. But where Martin differs from every other college player is the fact that NFL stars such as Winslow and Owens are much bigger fans of him than he could ever be of them.

posted by Ying Yang Mafia at 8:00 PM PST - 2 comments

Kalifornia Klinsy to manage US Soccer Team And thus a new era begins.

posted by psmealey at 8:34 AM PST - 11 comments

Jersey Chair It's too late for Christmas, but you can still order one in time for International WTF? Day.

posted by DrJohnEvans at 12:14 PM PST - 25 comments

Tressel Skipped Final Coaches' Poll Vote Ohio State Coach Jim Tressel chickened out of voting in the final USA Today football coaches' poll, which is made public, saying he wasn't going to give his next opponent extra incentive. "That's a bunch of sanctimonious bunk," said Texas Tech Coach Mike Leach.

posted by rcade at 8:04 AM PST - 66 comments

New tool to catch sports cheats: Gene-doping test The news that scientists have found a way to detect gene doping is the rare case in which a test is being developed before an actual offense has occurred: So far, there is no evidence of the existence of gene-doping labs ... But Wc2k2's told us about the potential.

posted by SummersEve at 6:32 AM PST - 4 comments

2006 College bowl listings Does exactly what it says. A list of who plays who, and where.

posted by Drood at 6:48 PM PST - 41 comments

NHL Shootouts, Season 2: More Shots, Fewer Goals So far in the 2006-07 season, there are more shootouts per NHL game, more attempts per shootout, and more saves per attempt. What's changed? A column by sportsfilter member Amateur.

posted by justgary at 5:37 PM PST - 34 comments

Where did they come from? Wichita State (6-0) had already posted road victories over two teams that made last April's Final Four - 72-66 over George Mason and 57-53 over then-No.6 LSU - and made Syracuse (7-1) their latest victim, with a 64-61 win over the Orange.

posted by hawkguy at 9:43 AM PST - 10 comments

Classless Chelsea Michael Henderson isn't too fond of Chelsea and their desire to be a 'brand leader' in the premiership.

Status is not something you can buy over the counter at the grocer's, like a bag of King Edward's. 'I'll have half-a-pound of tradition, please, and throw in a few slices of heritage while you're at it. Oh, and some turnips, for Michael Ballack'. It is something that develops incrementally over decades of achievement.

posted by Fence at 5:48 AM PST - 9 comments

Liverpool to be bought by Dubai royal family? Dubai International Capital (DIC) have been given exclusive permission to look at Liverpool books in anticipation of a £450m purchase of the club. DIC is owned by the Maktoums, Dubai's ruling family.

posted by worldcup2002 at 8:24 PM PST - 5 comments

Florida Will Face Ohio State in BCS Championship Game Thanks to votes in the non-computer polls, Florida jumped over Michigan to grab the No. 2 spot and a chance to face Ohio State for the national championship. This is the first meeting ever between the storied college football programs.

posted by rcade at 7:17 PM PST - 120 comments

Who's Next? Now that Hurricanes' defenseman Glen Wesley has finally won a Cup, who's the new sentimental favorite to finally win one?

posted by NoMich at 10:18 AM PST - 17 comments

UCLA Pulls Off Shocker Against No. 2 USC. And the BCS Championship Game is up for grabs again.

posted by commander cody at 11:10 PM PST - 56 comments

Another Opinion on the BCS Just to keep the BCS controversy going, here is an interesting column from "The Washington Post"

posted by Howard_T at 1:51 PM PST - 17 comments

Bonds not offered Arbitration Who is Barry going to play for next year? My guess is an American league contender, possibly the Yankees

posted by texasred at 6:18 AM PST - 29 comments

Good things come to those that wait..
A nice little story about a man who needed 250 4-cent stamps.

posted by grum@work at 1:36 AM PST - 16 comments

Sorry Mr. Stern but the players have had enough. There has been two unfair labor practice charges filed against the NBA, do in large part to issues involving the new ball and the "zero-tolerance policy."

posted by Ying Yang Mafia at 7:30 PM PST - 17 comments

The Ten Biggest Stadium Naming Rights Deals. On the heels of Citigroup's 20-year $400+ million deal with the Mets, Forbes takes a look (and an auto-loading slideshow, in the name of fair warning) at the largest arena/stadium naming rights deals.

posted by Ufez Jones at 7:14 PM PST - 8 comments

UCLA Moves Toward Century Mark. Even though the Bruins' Women's Soccer team lost to the North Carolina Tarheels 2 - 0 today, the men's team still has a chance to make UCLA the first Division I school to attain 100 NCAA Championships.

posted by The_Black_Hand at 4:56 PM PST - 5 comments

NHL 1st! TSN to Broadcast Rinkside Sabres vs Rangers...... If you have the Canadian sports channel TSN, tune in tonight to watch the first NHL hockey game broadcast with the commentators at rink side. The game between the Buffalo Sabres and the New York Rangers is believed to be the first NHL hockey game that will be broadcast like this. For those fans who have had the good fortune to watch a hockey game close to the ice, it is a vastly different game, primarily due to the speed. The announcers will work between the benches at center ice. It will be interesting to see how this experiment works out. Should be a fantastic contest between 2 of the Top Teams in the East........

posted by skydivedad at 9:33 AM PST - 31 comments

Kobe drops 52 in 3 Quarters, against Utah... Guess who's back?!?!?! In the third quarter, Kobe was 9-of-9 from the field including 2 3-pointers and 10-of-10 from the free throw line. A perfect 19-of-19!!

posted by yay-yo at 9:20 AM PST - 38 comments

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 by worldcup2002 at 12:48 AM PST - 12 comments

Legally blind woman, 94, bowls a 244. Of course this was her 2nd highest score for the season.

posted by commander cody at 12:02 AM PST - 24 comments