Archives for January 2005

Medal count time! No, it's not the Olympics, it's the alpine skiing World Championships -- and with two of twelve events completed, the US has two medals, both in super G, from a win by Bode Miller and a third-place finish by Julia Mancuso. Austria has two medals (silver and bronze), Sweden one (gold), and Italy one (silver). The week is young and the next races are on Wednesday (see schedule). Finally, lest any racers should be tempted to wear anything non-regulation in these races, be warned: the Underwear Police are prowling the hills of Bormio.

posted by lil_brown_bat at 5:29 PM PST - 2 comments

EPL transfer window closes. No more buying and selling players until the end of the season. What were the surprise deals? Which do you think were bargains? And which ones were duds?

posted by worldcup2002 at 1:22 PM PST - 31 comments

Fight of the year?? An early candidate for FOY will be the proposed June 11 bout between Floyd Mayweather, Jr. and Arturo Gatti.

Gatti dispatched "Jesse James" Leija on Saturday night clearing the way for the June superfight.

Should be a good year for the sweet science.

posted by gilcintron at 10:03 AM PST - 4 comments

Even after a loss Lleyton Hewitt gets the girl."

I wonder if he would have preferred a win.

posted by gilcintron at 9:43 AM PST - 5 comments

Linger, Oh Linger, Heffelfinger The highlight of attending NFL Experience, the Super Bowl event near Jacksonville's Alltel Stadium, was seeing Hall of Fame exhibits on loan from Canton. I didn't know the first pro football player had the Dickensian name of Pudge Heffelfinger. A standout at Yale, in 1892, Heffelfinger earned $500 ($10,200 in today's dollars) to play as a ringer for the Allegheny Athletic Association, a cheat that wasn't confirmed until 70 years later.

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

Curse the Patriots "We're going to win, probably the next three Super Bowls," New England season ticket holder Gary Vanderwater, sending his team off to Jacksonville by inviting the wrath of Touchdown Jesus.

posted by rcade at 1:48 PM PST - 11 comments

So who's got Mo's back? I'm not sure the Blazers do, after only levying a 2-game suspension on Darius Miles for verbally assaulting class-act Maurice Cheeks during a film session. Coach Cheeks says he's willing to forgive, but in the end, it may be Mo who's taking the fall.

posted by avogadro at 9:17 AM PST - 7 comments

Arizona Gives Fans the Bird The Cardinals logo has become angry after 45 years with only a single playoff win. "Hopefully it will be worn by tougher and faster and meaner players," says Owner Bill Bidwill. And then those players will sign with another team that offers them a competitive salary.

posted by rcade at 5:42 PM PST - 18 comments

A unique stadium-share Both DC United of MLS and MLB's new boys the Nationals will call RFK home for the next three seasons. Their plan requires three days to change the field from baseball to soccer, then two days in reverse; in other words, no baseball games for six days--and 18 home matches are scheduled, plus a couple more if the defending champs make the playoffs. Additionally, groundskeepers "plan to permanently grow huge, deep trays of grass in another location" to temporarily cover the infield dirt for United matches. Can it work?

posted by billsaysthis at 4:43 PM PST - 10 comments

Eagles sign Walter Mitty Jeff Thomason to play in Super Bowl. When Chad Lewis, the Philadelphia TE who caught two touchdowns in the NFC championship game, was ruled out of the Super Bowl with a foot injury, the Eagles called on an ex-player and current construction project manager to fill Lewis's spot. A neat story about a former role player called out of retirement to play in the big game.

posted by msacheson at 12:23 PM PST - 10 comments

Aussie Open women's final over, and the winner is...omitted so as not to be a spoiler.

posted by lil_brown_bat at 8:54 AM PST - 8 comments

Woman Mans the Blue Line Angela Ruggiero skated the first meaningful hockey ever by a female position player in a men's pro league, netting an assist and checking an opposing player into the boards for the Central Hockey League's Tulsa Oilers.

posted by rcade at 8:17 AM PST - 7 comments

Pittsburgh's Kevin McClatchy fears some Baseball clubs could face bankruptcy McClatchy, the Pirates' managing general partner, warned of a growing division between big-payroll and small-market clubs that could lead to contentious owners meetings and a much harder stance during the next labor negotiations. The current labor deal with players runs until December 2006.

posted by LROD at 8:34 PM PST - 7 comments

"How did Jacksonville get the Super Bowl?" laments Tony Kornheiser. "Jacksonville has this one great thing, the TPC course with the island green on No. 17. (Which is actually in Ponte Vedra.) And the rest of it can be described with this phrase, 'Welcome to Hooters.'"

posted by rcade at 1:46 PM PST - 31 comments

Another soccer phenom? This time he's nine years old. Is it a little over-the-top for major clubs (FC Porto and Manu U) to be already talking signing someone this young, or was Freddy Adu the first of many more to come? Check out the video! [shamelessly lifted from mefi]

posted by trox at 1:28 PM PST - 15 comments

Pete Rose has nothing on Robert Hoyzer Imagine if it is was umpires placing bets on baseball games instead of a player/manager such as Rose. The Deutscher Fussball-Bund (DFB) tries to deal with one of the biggest scandals in its history. Forget what this means for the next World Cup, won't anyone think about the message this sends to the children?

posted by terrapin at 12:50 PM PST - 2 comments

Frankly, who cares if every single Chelsea player can afford a fleet of Lamborghinis and a line of coke atop each bonnet? Using the NFL as a model - how about a salary cap in the Premiership?

posted by gspm at 11:17 AM PST - 11 comments

What Price Glory? How did UK lottery funding perform in the last Olympics? "A funded athlete is stark naked. You fail because you’re a failure. You win because you’re a champion. Your moment, your choice. For the rare ones, that is the most powerful stimulus in the world; for others, it is a realisation of blind, funking terror. And the difficult thing for investors is that you don’t know which athlete is which — not until you put them to the ultimate test. And the ultimate test is the Olympic Games."

posted by JJ at 11:16 AM PST - 1 comments

I'm going to Disneyland wherever the hell I feel like. After nineteen years, we will no longer be subjected to the Super Bowl MVP shilling for the Mouse.

posted by Ufez Jones at 4:47 PM PST - 1 comments

"What does she even need an agent for?" I couldn't agree more. "But he's a pitcher for the New York Mets, a former No. 1 draft pick, and she's also been getting a lot of attention." Just keep with the skanky talk, Anna.

posted by garfield at 9:28 AM PST - 40 comments

Hot Stove IM Find out what your favorite players think about Denny Neagle's travails, the current free agency market and other topics.

posted by yerfatma at 9:02 AM PST - 5 comments

The Manning Index : Revisiting the question of Clutch Performance, Doug Drinen at Sabernomics looks at who spits the bit and who thrives at playoff time in the NFL. You'll never guess who the top clutch QB is.

posted by yerfatma at 8:59 AM PST - 4 comments

Blue shadow over Ferguson . With Last night's Carling Cup final going to Chelsea, Alex Ferguson has now failed to beat the Chelsea manager Mourinho in 5 attempts. Has the balance of power shifted in the Premiership?

posted by BigCalm at 3:57 AM PST - 18 comments

Sharapova has lost "N" match points It was said that Maria Sharapova would go to death if she couldn't get the Grand Slam(the Aus Open),but now she has already cracked down on her way.

posted by luckygirl9 at 1:47 AM PST - 8 comments

You plonker, Rodney! Rodney Marsh has been sacked by Sky for making a tasteless joke on "You're on Sky Sports". How anybody could think a joke about the tsunami was acceptable, I have no idea. Personally, I've never forgiven him for his lipstick on a pig comment..

posted by salmacis at 5:39 PM PST - 6 comments

Mike Vrabel had my testicles in his hand, and he was squeezing them Sports Illustrated explores what happens at the bottom of the pile.

posted by Joey Michaels at 3:17 PM PST - 28 comments

Golden Globe winners are EPL fans. Clive Owen, Golden Globe supporting actor winner and Oscar nominee for "Closer", and Ian McShane, Golden Globe best actor winner for "Deadwood", are Brits who, surprise, love football. Clive, rumored to be the next James Bond, is a Liverpool fan. Good taste, that chap. McShane, on the other hand ...

posted by worldcup2002 at 2:11 PM PST - 9 comments

Rush the Passer The success of Donovan McNabb this season can be attributed to Rush Limbaugh, according to the nation's best-known recovered Oxycontin abuser and eight-day NFL Countdown commentator. "There's been a demonstrable change in McNabb's performance ... I think he was motivated, inspired by a whole lot of things."

posted by rcade at 2:05 PM PST - 25 comments

Hi, Mom! The success of Donovan McNabb this season can be attributed to a single event -- the use of real mother Wilma McNabb in Campbell's television commercials. Past spots paired McNabb, John Elway, Kurt Warner, Michael Strahan and Terrell Davis with fake moms, causing Touchdown Jesus to smite them all with the Curse of Chunky Soup.

posted by rcade at 11:26 AM PST - 9 comments

NUMB3RS [via offwing]

posted by garfield at 10:41 AM PST - 36 comments

Charles Martin, best known for his body slam of Chicago Bears quarterback Jim McMahon in 1986, has passed away. He is the second former Green Bay defensive lineman to die in the last 31 days (Reggie White being the other, of course). R.I.P. Charlie.

posted by Proto_Helium at 12:51 AM PST - 0 comments - Post a comment

Yeah. And maybe I'm a Chinese Jet Pilot A funny little story about one man's chameleon-like prowess with the authorities. I like to pretend I'm a hockey player too. But unlike Worrell, at least I can skate.

posted by WeedyMcSmokey at 5:32 PM PST - 4 comments

T.O. was second choice for dropping the towel First choice: John Madden. Rumor has it their third choice was Ostertag in a cheerleader outfit. Class act, those ABC execs.

posted by dzot at 10:41 AM PST - 17 comments

Australian Open temperature rises what with Hewitt's bad behaviour, Chela's dummy spit (without the dummy) and a dodgy drug story over the last week or so, it's now down to the Quarter Finals and the real heat.

posted by owlhouse at 1:01 AM PST - 8 comments

Call it the NHL lockout trickle-down theory What about all those companies that make hockey gear -- skates, sticks, pads, sweaters. This is only a sample of how the lockout affects more than the players and owners.

posted by roberts at 5:58 PM PST - 7 comments

Pittsburgh Steelers legend Mike Webster was so chronically injured by the sport that he had to taser himself to sleep, according to the first of five stories ESPN is running to mark the two weeks to Super Bowl XXXIX in Jacksonville (assuming anyone is left who wants to watch after they're done).

posted by rcade at 3:59 PM PST - 26 comments

Patriots taste revenge against the Steelers. In a dominating performance- albeit with a nail-biting New England defensive lapse through much of the 3rd quarter that allowed the Steelers to get back in it- the New England Patriots earned their 3rd trip to the Superbowl in 4 years, facing the Eagles on February 8th. This was the second time in those 4 years the Patriots defeated through the Steelers in the AFC Championship game.

posted by Hal Incandenza at 9:30 PM PST - 62 comments

Eagles Land in Jacksonville Behind two touchdown passes from Donovan McNabb to Chad Lewis and a defense that grounded Michael Vick, Philadelphia defeated the Atlanta Falcons, 27-10, and will play in Super Bowl XXXIX. This will probably be a good two weeks for the Philly's Finest restaurant in Jacksonville Beach.

posted by rcade at 5:27 PM PST - 22 comments

NFL Playoffs ads featuring the excellent Don Cheadle. I've always liked these ads, and though this year they're featuring other less appropriate actors (Dylan McDermott? Rene Russo? Uh, okay), these are kind of compelling. (My personal favoties: "5 Seconds" and "The Catch.")

posted by chicobangs at 1:36 PM PST - 3 comments

Hoop Nightmares ESPN the Magazine with the Dumb Pretentious Name tells the story of Rick Lopez, the legendary girls basketball coach in Colorado who was molesting numerous players as young as 13 for years.

posted by rcade at 10:36 AM PST - 8 comments

First Baseman Way Off Base Doug Mientkiewicz has little legal claim to the ball that ended the World Series for the Boston Red Sox, according to legal experts.

posted by rcade at 7:51 AM PST - 19 comments

New Zealand wins, charity profits In a follow-up effort to the magnificent ten million dollar match held earlier this month, the the first of the three match series between New Zealand and a World XI played today. New Zealand won the matchg, but the proceeds will go to Tsunami relief. The series features the return of dual-sport international Jeff Wilson to international cricket, and likely the only series when the two highest wicket takers in cricket will play together.

posted by rodgerd at 10:56 PM PST - 6 comments

Clemens is the highest paid pitcher in baseball history The Rocket and the Houston Astros agreed Friday to an $18 million, one-year contract, and the seven-time Cy Young Award winner made the commitment to play for his 22nd major league season.

posted by smithnyiu at 4:18 PM PST - 41 comments

Why girls shouldn't play sports Is this really a problem with Title IX? Or just a problem with the soon to be incarcerated Rick Lopez? Is there another agenda at work here? How many questions can I fit on a FPP?

posted by WeedyMcSmokey at 3:39 PM PST - 13 comments

Prof to study why women flashed breasts at hockey fans With the NHL but a distant memory, academics are looking back at the good old days of playoff hockey and Flames Girls (NSFW), and are pondering the deep question of WHY.

Valentich said women have flashed their breasts at folk festivals and other musical events in the past, but it is not an activity usually associated with hockey. "We need to hear from women what was happening to them in that particular setting," she said.

posted by mkn at 2:16 PM PST - 18 comments

Masks!!! Nike unveils new masks ad campaign and ESPN Page 3 (to which I will link despite my general objection to the strange obession with the sports/pop culture mash-up) runs a quiz. I got 5 out of 6 -- how about you?

posted by holden at 2:12 PM PST - 17 comments

Even the dead hate the NHL lockout.
While I may have lost my passion for the sport, this reminds me that many people have not.

posted by grum@work at 12:41 PM PST - 8 comments

So long Qyntel, you sad piece of garbage. There is a nice black pit in Hell reserved for your filthy soul.

posted by Proto_Helium at 12:38 PM PST - 14 comments

Sportsillustrated.com redesigned. And where did the hell did the soccer tab go? Oh, that's right, under More Sports, which returns a picture of Michelle Kwan, when I select it there? Their dedicated Soccer Page doesn't seem to exist any more at all. Is SI giving up the ghost on it's soccer coverage? If so, where will I read Grant Wahl and Gabriel Marcotti (even though he annoys me more often than not).

posted by trox at 8:50 AM PST - 10 comments

French probe Armstrong book doping claims. Oh boy, stumbled upon this while looking for cool photos for rcade's post. The investigations [sic] stems from a magistrate's interview with Armstrong's former British masseusse Emma O'Reilly, who was reported to have confirmed the allegations of the Texan using the banned blood booster EPO (erythropoietin) she made in "LA - Confidential - The Secrets of Lance Armstrong" last year. Really.

posted by worldcup2002 at 12:58 AM PST - 1 comments

Spoon. Eye Socket. Gouge. Or as Chris Webber put it: "I hope little kids don't get to see that, man. That would ruin my whole childhood. I saw it up close and personal. Seven-foot man, 300 and something pounds with thongs on. Not cute."

posted by dzot at 4:37 PM PST - 10 comments

Tender Moment Franck Fife, a sports photographer for Agence France Press, takes a dive.

posted by rcade at 3:10 PM PST - 23 comments

Beer Vendor Liable for 1999 death of young girl

posted by garfield at 12:26 PM PST - 23 comments

New to the Axis of Evil -- the Florida Marlins The Florida State Senate president, Tom Lee, has labeled the Marlins "terrorists" for trying to get another $60M out of the state toward a new downtown stadium. The Marlins have already met with some folks from Las Vegas about relocating there. Should anyone care if they leave?

posted by wfrazerjr at 10:21 AM PST - 11 comments

Anna Benson "I'm getting more interested in baseball right now just because we're on a good team. The thought of winning makes me hot."

posted by rcade at 11:43 PM PST - 26 comments

Culpepper peeved as Eagles fans act like ... Eagles fans Minnesota Vikings QB Daunte Culpepper says his wife, along with the family members of other Viking players, were harrassed by the Philly faithful during the Eagles' recent 27-14 playoff win. Well, duh.

posted by wfrazerjr at 9:01 PM PST - 1 comments

Your fantasy could be ending (or at least getting more expensive) Major League Baseball has sold the exclusive rights to the league's fantasy games to Major League Baseball Advanced Media, which is ... uh, owned by the league. Experts, however, are not sure about who actually owns the right to use factual and statistical data. The most important factor here, of course, is whether or not Jerseygirl's reign of terror is over.

posted by wfrazerjr at 3:08 PM PST - 11 comments

Surprising? Maybe that is doesn't happen more often. Have you ever seen a game delayed/cancelled/altered because of entertainment?

posted by geekyguy at 9:12 PM PST - 21 comments

Lift-off is expected to be an expensive undertaking Roger, he of the seven-time Cy Young variety, decides to cut the Astros a little slack and request the largest sum in arbitration history. Well, without Beltran, Kent, Miller and the like, they've got the money. Red Sox fans circa 1995, please belly-up to the bar and order up some greivance.

posted by WeedyMcSmokey at 6:16 PM PST - 38 comments

Hope Springs Eternal I've grown tired of discussing the boardroom antics of the NHL and NHLPA. Instead lets follow Terry Frei's lead and have some faith. If there is a miracle on Wednesday and agreement is reached what kind of hockey season would we have? Terry proposes 3 possible options. I would hedge my bets on option number 2. (Via Colby Cosh)

posted by camcanuck at 11:57 AM PST - 11 comments

Angry soccer fans kill goaltender. A teenage goalkeeper for Benin's national youth soccer team was killed by angry fans after a loss to Nigeria in a weekend match, officials said Tuesday. Samiou Yessoufou, 18, died Monday from injuries suffered when he was attacked a day earlier near his hotel in Benin's largest city, Cotonou, said Issa Hayatou, chief of the African Football Confederation.

posted by fabulon7 at 9:53 AM PST - 12 comments

Back to Work Randy: You Didn't Even Make the Top Five. SI's Don Banks lists his top 5 renegades in NFL history.

posted by yerfatma at 9:10 AM PST - 17 comments

Game On. I've watched too many episodes of survivor to be wrong about this one, and that's only for a million bucks. The players are not stupid enough to throw away this season and be in the same position next September. That's 12.5% of each players entire career on average I would say. IF the players do throw away this season?? I would have a lot of trouble watching these guys again KNOWING they are that stupid. Here's some discussion from my hockey forum.

posted by kremb at 11:52 PM PST - 7 comments

Scouts and Statisticians, together at last Since the publication of Moneyball, a baseball debate has raged between old-school scouts and Bill James-reading statheads. Here the two sides sit down and exchange ideas, information, and insults. People will be watching to see how this guy does in coming years, as the stat guys cite him as an example of someone the scouts let get away. More discussion here and here; a good Moneyball discussion here .

posted by ibmcginty at 3:42 PM PST - 5 comments

Unforgivable Blackness: The Rise and Fall of Jack Johnson, the "African-American Heavyweight Champion of the World." Just picked this up on my TV listing. A PBS documentary by Ken Burns. "Johnson's story is more than the story of a tremendous athlete, or even one who broke a color line," said Ken Burns. "It is the story of a man who forced America to confront its definition of freedom, and that is an issue with which we continue to struggle." Happy MLK Day.

posted by worldcup2002 at 2:52 PM PST - 5 comments

TV Commentator Awards from Dr. Z Some may say this is just a crotchety old guy playing the part, but I appreciate his calling out the BS and shortcomings of many announcing teams and some of the negative trends (talking over the action, hyping superstars/superteams, etc.) in NFL broadcasting.

posted by holden at 12:45 PM PST - 22 comments

Patriots Squash Colts, 20-3 Peyton Unitas threw none touchdowns in another crushing playoff loss to the New England Patriots, who were led by Corey Dillon's 144 rushing yards. Like my Jacksonville Jaguars in 1999, Indianapolis risked the wrath of Touchdown Jesus by releasing a premature celebration song while the playoffs were still taking place.

posted by rcade at 7:06 PM PST - 54 comments

Ex-Raider Barret Robbins shot, in critical condition. Robbins' long decline hit a new low Saturday night when he was shot several times after a "violent struggle" with a police officer in Miami Beach.

posted by dusted at 6:25 PM PST - 11 comments

Charles Pierce on Michael Jordan "He made some great plays and some pretty good commercials. Has anyone so completely dominated his sport and left so small a mark upon it?"

posted by rcade at 6:05 PM PST - 17 comments

Eagles Wipe Out Vikings, 27-14 The Philadelphia Eagles went scoreboard on the Minnesota Vikings, picking off two Daunte Culpepper passes in a laugher to proceed to the NFC Championship against the Atlanta Falcons. Roseanne Rosannadanna was held to three catches and ran off the field early once, botching a fake field goal.

posted by rcade at 3:47 PM PST - 18 comments

H-E Double Hockey Sticks NHL players should go ahead and accept European contracts for this year and next, the player's association president has told players privately on the group's Web site. " It's time for the moderate voices on both sides to exert their influence and save a $2-billion business that is on the verge of causing itself irreparable damage," laments Ottawa Sun writer Chris Stevenson

posted by rcade at 9:08 AM PST - 16 comments

Falcons Run Over Rams, 47-17 Atlanta's Warrick Dunn and Michael Vick ran for 261 yards over the St. Louis Rams, giving an NFL coach named Jim Mora a playoff win for the first time ever. "My dad is worried sick," the younger Jim said, referring to the winningest NFL coach to lay an egg, every time his teams reached the playoffs.

posted by rcade at 10:45 PM PST - 13 comments

Steelers Beat Jets in OT, 20-17 Safety Reggie Tongue was all over Ben Roethlisberger, taking a pick 86 yards for a touchdown, but the Steelers won after Jets Kicker Doug Brien doinked a last-second, 40-yard kick. Jeff Reed hit for Pitt from 33.

posted by rcade at 7:29 PM PST - 15 comments

Mike Sherman is still coach of the Green Bay Packers, but Ted Thompson is the new general manager...

posted by Proto_Helium at 12:10 PM PST - 2 comments

Deion Sanders on Moss. "Randy is the kind of dude that he's like a beautiful woman who can't cook, doesn't want to clean and doesn't want to take care of kids." (2nd item on the page, more inside)

posted by rocketman at 7:10 AM PST - 28 comments

Pittsburgh paper points out problems for players Al Thompkins of Poynter.org gathers a series of excellent articles by Carl Prine of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. The articles cover injuries in general...the non-usage of pads...defensive backs are hurt the most...lineman are bunch of fat arses, but not necessarily screwed.

posted by NoMich at 10:18 PM PST - 3 comments

Bud gets out of the ownership business Selig and family have sold the Brewers to Mark Attanasio, with the selling price in the neighborhood of $200M. The new owner has said in the past that Milwaukee doesn't have to worry about losing the team.

posted by wfrazerjr at 2:52 PM PST - 9 comments

MeFi tackles NHL lock-out: i think two posts are worth sharing...and then promptly breaks down into violence/ethics blather.

posted by garfield at 10:44 AM PST - 29 comments

New MLB steroid-testing agreement adds penalties for first-time offenders and increases penalties overall -- small incremental increases, that is, nothing really huge.

posted by lil_brown_bat at 6:54 AM PST - 14 comments

NCAA Schools to Actively Recruit Skolar-Atheletes! Starting this year, the NCAA will penalize schools for poor academic performance by scholarship athletes (but not dropouts). Plus the rules actually have teeth. HoyaSaxa provides another summary and links to multiple articles on the subject.

posted by yerfatma at 9:17 PM PST - 5 comments

Home field advantage: Patriots leave the roof off the Razorblade.

Probably won't make any difference given the forecast for Foxboro...certainly not like the Raiders in '02.

posted by lil_brown_bat at 4:53 PM PST - 29 comments

Robot makers say World Cup will be theirs by 2050 Some of us may not agree with The Fooker on using technology in sports but even a technophile such as myself thinks this goes too far.

posted by billsaysthis at 2:40 PM PST - 10 comments

Knockout prose The always excellent Observer Sports Monthly is looking for the top 50 sports books of all time. It gives a some examples of top reads here. What would SpoFiers pick as their top three sports books? After ten seconds' deliberation, for me, it would probably be Fever Pitch (Nick Hornby), Broken Dreams: Vanity, Greed and the Souring of British Football (Tom Bower) and Basil D'Oliveira: Cricket and Conspiracy—The Untold Story (Peter Oborne). Anyone daring to pick David Beckham: My Side - The Autobiography will have their internet connection taken away from them!

posted by Pete at 2:31 PM PST - 17 comments

Second cyclist dead at Dakar, stage cancelled With approx. two dozen deaths since 1979, this year seems to have doubled the rally's average.

posted by garfield at 12:08 PM PST - 4 comments

Giles Smith waxes lyrical about last week's disallowed Spurs goal against Manchester United and its implications for the game as a whole. "Why go to the trouble [of applying new technology] anyway? It’s not even as if over-the-line debates happen often. The best efforts of the archivists this week yielded a maximum of five memorable incidents in 40 years. It’s hardly a storm of controversy."

posted by JJ at 11:31 AM PST - 4 comments

Turn-Ons: Angry Karate-Kickin' Centerfolds Carmella DeCesare, the 22-year-old Playboy playmate girlfriend of so-not-gay Cleveland Browns quarterback Jeff Garcia, is on trial for grabbing a dance club pole and executing a flying head-kick to one of his ex-girlfriends.

posted by rcade at 9:46 AM PST - 33 comments

Harrington era may be over in Detroit. (A/S/L check req.) Millen continues his man-crush on Joey, while Mooch and his staff want to go another way. Is 3 years a long enough time to call a QB a bust?

posted by MeatSaber at 7:48 AM PST - 17 comments

Little known fact: Shaq prepares for games by squatting ball boys

posted by Proto_Helium at 10:29 PM PST - 5 comments

Stumped England loses one of it's most loved sporting icons. At over 200 years old, it certainly had a good innings.

posted by afx237vi at 3:52 PM PST - 1 comments

Name Game : Phil (the Power) Taylor, Bob (the Limestone Cowboy) Anderson, Wayne (Hawaii 501) Mardle, Andy (the Viking) Fordham, Kevin (the Artist) Painter.

posted by garfield at 11:52 AM PST - 11 comments

The (somewhat struggling) Sacramento Kings, apparently looking to bolster their offense, have traded long time punchline and potential future reality show TV star Doug Christie to the Orlando Magic for Cuttino Mobley.

posted by Ufez Jones at 10:32 AM PST - 16 comments

Play stick cricket: and while you are at it donate to the Tsunami appeal.

posted by Fat Buddha at 8:59 AM PST - 6 comments

Stephen A. Smith = Football Expert Did anyone see this on The Sports Reporters??

posted by dales15 at 10:08 PM PST - 17 comments

"But people don't want to hear excuses in pro sports, even if the excuse is cancer." Former basketball player Shawn Respert goes public with his fight against cancer.

posted by lilnemo at 9:13 PM PST - 4 comments

Start spreadin' the news. Randy Johnson "got a little physical" with a TV cameraman in New York today, and was heard to say, "No cameras. Don't get in my face. I don't care who you are...Don't get in my face, and don't talk back to me, all right."

Methinks the Big Unit has a few things to learn about life in the Big City...

posted by lil_brown_bat at 5:20 PM PST - 25 comments

Simon Barnes' Magic Numbers for 2004 An annual look at the important numbers from the sporting year. "16 - Putative position in the medal table for Michael Phelps if he were a country." "169,998,000 - Difference in cost, in pounds, between Chelsea and Scarborough squads when they met in the FA Cup fourth round."

posted by JJ at 11:35 AM PST - 5 comments

Smarter Soccer Through Chips. A technology outfit in Germany have created a new wireless ball and player location system, via inserting microchips in soccer balls and shinguards that can tell the precise location of a ball or player - to the centemeter. They claim that these chip-enhanced features can not only provide a wealth of stat-pr0n, but also end off-sides and goal line disputes. They also plan to develop the technology for other sports, such as ski jumping, baseball, and basketball.

posted by Ufez Jones at 11:04 AM PST - 8 comments

Sure, Ruben Sierra might have a crush on Steinbrenner, but there's many other deals to report from the weekend in baseball. Bobby Bonilla, I mean Carlos Beltran is on his way to the Mets for seven years, $119 million. Shawn Green is moving to Arizona after agreeing to a three year, $32 million contract. In return, the Dodgers get including catching prospect Dioner Navarro and pitcher William Juarez, plus some minor leaguers. This paves the way for LA to sign Derek Lowe, whos thinks he is taking his high ERA and arm in for a physical. (more inside)

posted by jasonspaceman at 5:58 AM PST - 7 comments

Vikings Sack Packers, 31-17 Brett Favre spread the ball around to 12 different players in Green Bay's playoff game against Minnesota at Lambeau Field. Four of them wore purple uniforms. No one will take the loss harder than Peter King of Sports Illustrated, whose man-crush for the future Hall of Famer is the stuff of legend.

posted by rcade at 7:11 PM PST - 35 comments

Colts Stomp Broncos, 49-24 In the playoff game between the Young Male Horses of Indianapolis and the Unbroken Wild Horses of Denver, an interception of a Peyton Manning pass by Kelly Herndon (of the Canton Herndons) was the only thing that kept Manning from a perfect 158.33 quarterback rating. With 476 yards, 27-of-33 completions, four touchdowns, and one pick, he settled for 142.90.

posted by rcade at 3:58 PM PST - 9 comments

Jets Beat Chargers in OT, 20-17 A late comeback was spoiled when San Diego rookie Nate Kaeding's 40-yard kick sailed wide right in overtime. The NFL's coach of the year, Marty Schottenheimer didn't use a third-down running play to set up the boot, leaving it on the right hash. Kaeding, who has a pizza named after him in Iowa City, had an "I see dead people" expression as the Jets' Doug Brien set up for his game-winning kick.

posted by rcade at 9:36 AM PST - 11 comments

Politics in sports rears its ugly head again. It didn't matter if it's part of a sports celebration, part of history, or symbol of bad times ... the fans are up in arms over it.

posted by roberts at 8:43 AM PST - 16 comments

Ring Bling the superb Observer Sports monthly on the rise of bling in boxing: Ali came back from exile to fight Jerry Quarry in 1970. It seemed like the entire black elite of America was there and also a large number of underworld thugs. The gold was dripping off them. You couldn't miss it.'

posted by Fat Buddha at 6:23 AM PST - 1 comments

The Great Debate Baseball America gets two scouts and two stat guys into a room for a Texas Tornado match. Dip spit flies.

posted by yerfatma at 9:58 PM PST - 3 comments

Rams Top Seahawks 27-20 Cam Cleeland picked a good time for his first touchdown catch as a member of the St. Louis Rams, a fourth-quarter grab that beat the Seattle Seahawks in the first round of the NFL playoffs. The Tor Johnson lookalike kept the Hawks from winning their first playoff game since 1984, a 20-year drought that's the longest in the NFL.

posted by rcade at 7:42 PM PST - 7 comments

The FA Cup Third Round starts today, as the big boys join the little fish like Yeading, who have alread fought through six rounds to get here.

(Fixtures and classic finals inside)

posted by Mr Bismarck at 8:27 AM PST - 6 comments

It's MY ball, dammit! Doug Mientkiewicz, he of the .215 avg as a 2 month defensive replacement, is refusing to give the Sox the ball he caught for the final out of the Series. "That's four years at Florida State for one of my kids". Selfish? Resourceful?

posted by brewdudepa at 11:40 AM PST - 70 comments

The Sports Economist: a blog that deserves some love. I was only going to steal this Slate story about Free Throw Defense when I realized how much good stuff I find at this site. Maybe the econ and sports together only works for me, but there's something decent every week.

posted by yerfatma at 9:29 PM PST - 6 comments

The GameBoy shot The New York Times (nice infographic) checks out the overhead cameras used at NFL games, an XFL innovation that was initially unpopular. Fox and CBS use CableCam; ABC and ESPN use SkyCam.

posted by kirkaracha at 9:11 PM PST - 5 comments

Manhattan judge gives woman go-ahead to sue MSG. How far are we from seeing the entire rink surrounded by netting, if the NHL ever comes back?

posted by MeatSaber at 7:53 AM PST - 21 comments

Makes Me Want to La La La La Though Ashlee Simpson's caterwauling was "simply hideous," Orange Bowl fans were booing the entire halftime recording industry infomercial, writes Dick Scanlon. "Most of the 77,000 people at that game paid good money for their tickets. They didn't ask for a silly and annoying MTV promotion to fill up their halftime."

posted by rcade at 7:20 AM PST - 29 comments

Beltran Bidding Begins The Astros have made their initial offer and haven't heard back in a week. (more inside)

posted by 86 at 10:56 AM PST - 24 comments

Muralitharan leads Sri Lankan aid convoys. He might have a dodgy bowling action, but he seems to be making sure there are no backhanders involved in the distribution of aid in Sri Lanka.

posted by JJ at 7:43 AM PST - 4 comments

We wuz robbed! Or, as SoccerNet phrased it, "Goal-line howler denies Spurs victory." Watching this afternoon I simply could not understand how Tottenham were not given the score as the ball was clearly visible touching the grass almost a yard inside the goalmouth after Carroll was way off his line and touched it back in himself. The last acknowledged quality ManU keeper, Peter Schmeichel, put the blame on Carroll. Will this get Timmy another chance or increase the odds on purchase of a keeper? What about video replays?

posted by billsaysthis at 8:28 PM PST - 41 comments

Business Week Votes Bettman among the worst managers of 2004 A fairly scathing review of Bettman's performance, and not just this year. He is in good company with luminaries such as Eisner (Disney) and Scott Livengood of Krispy Kreme.

posted by owl at 6:03 PM PST - 9 comments

World Jrs. Final Tonight For hockey fans this will have to tide you over til the World Championships (baring some sort of act of God). A matchup between Canada and Russia should produce the best game of the tournament. The game is being hyped as Sidney Crosby vs. Alexander Ovechkin and it should be a classic. It will hopefully put a exclamation point on what has otherwise been a fairly dull tournament.

posted by camcanuck at 4:54 PM PST - 18 comments

'O.J. Simpson plans to root like crazy at the Orange Bowl.' He's suspending his search for the real killers long enough to attend the game.

posted by rcade at 7:13 AM PST - 18 comments

Behind the Mask. Since LeBron began donning one this week, NBA.com takes a look at the history of the basketball mask (including a bonus WNBA shoutout to Sue Bird). Is it just me, or does 'Zo look like Snoop in that picture?

posted by Ufez Jones at 9:31 PM PST - 4 comments

Team of Two Cities The Angels are now the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, thanks to new owner Arte Moreno's shady use of prepositions to break a contract with the city of Anaheim.

posted by rcade at 7:51 PM PST - 7 comments

"I got stabbed in the back." Shaun Alexander comes up 1 yard short of the NFL rushing title, and gripes about it....

...even though the rush that could have been, ended up locking up the NFC West.

posted by lilnemo at 6:41 PM PST - 23 comments

The window is open. From Jan 1 to 31, the EPL clubs are again allowed to buy and sell players (after which they have to wait until the summer). Kevin Beattie has agreed to a 6.5m-pound transfer from Southampton to Everton. The main post is BBC's early round-up of of speculated moves. What would be your dream moves, likely moves and surprise moves?

posted by worldcup2002 at 12:52 PM PST - 31 comments

"Sports franchises [...] are targeting previously untapped ethnic groups to expand their fan bases. The Internet, the recent influx of foreign players into leagues dominated by Americans and the global appeal of athletes allow teams to pursue new fans locally and internationally."

posted by allaboutgeorge at 10:08 AM PST - 5 comments