04/24/24
Archives for March 2011
March 31, 2011
Opening Day in Baseball: The longest tenured player with a single team, Chipper Jones of the Atlanta Braves, scored the first run of the 2011 baseball season in a 2-0 victory over the Washington Nationals on opening day Thursday. In the other 1:05 p.m. Eastern start, the New York Yankees played the first March game ever in the Bronx and defeated the Detroit Tigers 6-3.
posted by rcade to baseball at 07:00 PM - 5 comments
Cowboys' Dez Bryant Owes $840K in Unpaid Debts: Only one year into his NFL career, Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant owes $840,000 in unpaid personal debts, according to lawsuits filed against him by creditors. "He's in a dark place in his life," said his advisor David Wells. "Until you find that light, you're going to continue to be in a dark place."
posted by rcade to football at 12:14 PM - 27 comments
SportsFilter: The Thursday Huddle
posted by huddle to general at 06:00 AM - 3 comments
March 30, 2011
Cobi Jones Leads Soccer Hall of Fame Class: Players Cobi Jones, Bruce Murray, Eddie Pope and Earnie Stewart and coach Bob Gansler have been elected to the United States' National Soccer Hall of Fame. Jones made 164 appearances for the U.S. and scored 22 goals and 15 assists. He was on the 1994, 1998 and 2002 World Cup squads. Pope started all five matches in the 2002 Cup as the U.S. reached the quarterfinals, and Stewart scored the game winner over Colombia that sent the U.S. into the round of 16 in 1994.
posted by rcade to soccer at 01:57 PM - 2 comments
NCAA President: Players Need More Money: Although new NCAA president Tim Emmert has said it's "grossly unacceptable and inappropriate to pay players," at the upcoming NCAA board meetings in April he wants to explore the possibility of paying players -- at least a scholarship increase to cover travel, laundry and other typical college expenses. "The sooner, the better," he said. A USA Today analysis claims that a Division I men's basketball scholarship has an annual worth to the player of $120,000.
posted by rcade to basketball at 10:00 AM - 5 comments
SportsFilter: The Wednesday Huddle
posted by huddle to general at 06:00 AM - 33 comments
March 29, 2011
More Than Cricket: India versus Pakistan is always full of meaning. This time, it's a World Cup semi final.
posted by owlhouse to other at 07:37 PM - 23 comments
Draft guide rips Newton personally – how much is too much?: Nolan Nawrocki's takedown of Auburn quarterback Cam Newton was both shocking and very much outside the box. As much as Nawrocki talked about what Newton brings to the field, he also went way off the reservation and got deep into what he considers to be Newton's personal failings.
posted by BornIcon to football at 02:50 PM - 11 comments
'No One is Coming Out': "It is completely strange, isn't it? It's all fucked up. Where the hell are all the others?" The Guardian interviews Anton Hysen, the world's only openly gay male professional footballer (via MetaFilter).
posted by rcade to soccer at 12:54 PM - 3 comments
Ochocinqo goes 30 minutes in Reserve game for Sporting KC: 85 not match fit, but you have to wonder what might have been...
posted by Landis to soccer at 12:25 PM - 2 comments
On Deck, David Eckstein: David Eckstein is up next, and he's filled with familiar anticipation and butterflies. He's been on-deck thousands of times as a major league ballplayer, a few steps from home plate, waiting his turn. But this is different. He's ready to donate a kidney because that's what people with his last name do.
posted by dflemingecon to baseball at 10:57 AM - 1 comment
Only 2 Clean Brackets Out of 5.9 Million: Out of 5,923,829 entrants in ESPN's NCAA tournament bracket contest, only two had a Final Four of UConn, Kentucky, Butler and Virginia Commonwealth University. One picks Kentucky to win and the other picks VCU. "I wanted to pick one of the bubble teams," said Joe Pearlman, who leads ESPN's contest and had never filled out an online bracket before. "I backed into the right one." He has VCU beating Kentucky.
posted by rcade to basketball at 10:33 AM - 6 comments
SportsFilter: The Tuesday Huddle
posted by huddle to general at 06:00 AM - 7 comments
March 28, 2011
Heat's Big 3 Score 94 in Win: The Miami Heat's big three scored 94 of their team's points in a 125-119 victory Sunday over the Houston Rockets. LeBron James had 33 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists, Chris Bosh 31 points and 12 rebounds and Dwyane Wade 30 points and 11 rebounds. It was only the second time since 1997 that a team had three players each score 30 or more points in a game.
posted by rcade to basketball at 05:06 PM - 7 comments
English Football finally remembers its forgotten pioneer: Professional footballer, record-breaking sprinter, champion cyclist, club cricketer: to suggest Arthur Wharton could play a bit is to tell only a fraction of an incredible story. That story, which starts in the Gold Coast (present-day Ghana) in 1865 and appears to end in a pauper's grave near Doncaster in 1930, was lost for over 60 years but is now finally being given the attention it deserves.
posted by scully to soccer at 08:20 AM - 0 comments
The Greatest Pitcher You've Never Heard Of: He won more than 350 games and struck-out more than 4,500 batters but you won't find his name in Cooperstown.
posted by Ying Yang Mafia to baseball at 12:02 AM - 6 comments
March 27, 2011
VCU Rocks, Shocks Jayhawks: A few weeks ago, the VCU basketball team watched the Cartoon Network and went out for fast food instead of watching the NCAA selection show. Now they're on their way to the Final Four from the 11th seed, while all number 1 seeds are heading home.
posted by dyams to basketball at 05:43 PM - 23 comments
Cubs Release Carlos Silva: The Chicago Cubs have released starting pitcher Carlos Silva and will be swallowing $8 million on his contract. Silva had an ERA of 11.12 and a WHIP of 2.47 after the All-Star break last season and his spring training ERA reached 15.88.
posted by rcade to baseball at 05:12 PM - 4 comments
S.C. Recruit Mistaken for Burglar: Top South Carolina college football recruit Jadeveon Clowney was briefly detained and handcuffed by Columbia, S.C., Friday night because he fit the description of a burglar. "Jadeveon was not arrested. It was a mistaken identity and he was let go very soon after they asked him a few questions," said coach Steve Spurrier, who had himself detained and cuffed Saturday while talking to reporters at a scrimmage.
posted by rcade to football at 04:53 PM - 3 comments
Fan Sues NFL to End Lockout: Ken Lanci, a Cleveland Browns fan described as a "self-made millionaire" by AP, is suing the National Football league and its teams over the lockout, claiming it violates his contract to buy tickets through his personal seat license. "It's a fight between billionaires and millionaires," Lanci said. "There isn't any sympathy for multi-millionaires. It's just not going to happen. And somebody has to stand up and say, 'Enough's enough.'"
posted by rcade to football at 03:07 PM - 0 comments
Teen Scores in US Draw Against Argentina: Eighteen-year-old U.S. forward Juan Agudelo came on as a second-half substitute and scored the equalizer in the United States' 1-1 draw in an international friendly against Argentina Saturday night. Agudelo has scored in two of the three games he's played for the U.S. Goalkeeper Tim Howard and other players sounded a cautionary note about making too much of it. "I think there have been a lot of Juans who have come and gone," Howard said. "There have been very few guys who've been able to sustain it, so I think that's the challenge for us and for him."
posted by rcade to soccer at 11:12 AM - 5 comments
SportsFilter: The Sunday Huddle
posted by huddle to general at 06:00 AM - 12 comments
March 26, 2011
Player Lets Fans Choose His Walk-up Music: Colorado Rockies shortstop Troy Tulowitzki has invited fans to vote on his walk-up-to-bat song this season. The four finalists are Katy Perry's "Firework," Justin Bieber's "Baby," Ke$ha's "We R Who We R" and Chris Brown's "Yeah."
posted by rcade to baseball at 04:23 PM - 15 comments
Meet Baseball's Human Garbage Can: Arizona Diamondbacks bullpen catcher Jeff Motuzas has become a legend in the Majors for being willing to eat anything for money, reports the Wall Street Journal. "He has snorted wasabi and eaten horseradish by the bowlful. He has devoured a dozen donuts and guzzled 13 bottles of water. And this is the PG-rated version. 'Tooz will eat anything except poop, urine and vomit,' Diamondbacks reliever Sam Demel said. 'No, wait -- I'm sorry. He will eat vomit.'"
posted by rcade to baseball at 03:42 PM - 3 comments
If it’s March 25, Marc-Andre Fleury is shutting someone out: Fleury backstopped the Pittsburgh Penguins to a 1-0 win in the shootout last night to continue one of the NHL's quirkiest and impressive streaks: He's never lost a game or given up a goal on March 25 during his pro career.
posted by MeatSaber to hockey at 02:47 PM - 0 comments
VCU Beats Florida State: A layup off an inbounds pass with 7.1 seconds left and a blocked shot at the buzzer gave Virginia Commonwealth a 72-71 victory over Florida State Friday night. No. 11 seed VCU, one of four teams in the play-in round's "First Four," are now a win from the Final Four.
posted by rcade to basketball at 11:19 AM - 5 comments
SportsFilter: The Saturday Huddle
posted by huddle to general at 06:00 AM - 0 comments
March 25, 2011
The home run that launched the myth of Mickey Mantle: Sixty years ago in an exhibition game against USC, a young Mickey Mantle hit a home run that became baseball legend and spawned a mystery: Just how far did it go?
Arizona Clobbers Defending Champ Duke: No. 5 seed Arizona defeated defending champ Duke 93-77 Thursday, leaving only two No. 1 seeds left in the NCAA basketball tournament. Wildcats forward Derrick Williams had a career-high 32 points and 13 rebounds. Duke led at halftime but was quickly overrun in the second half. "We couldn't stop them," said Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski. "We just couldn't stop them."
posted by rcade to basketball at 11:44 AM - 11 comments
SportsFilter: The Friday Huddle
posted by huddle to general at 06:00 AM - 16 comments
March 24, 2011
Clijsters Withdraws from September Japan Event: Kim Clijsters has withdrawn from the Pan Pacific Open to be held in Tokyo over nuclear radiation concerns -- even though it doesn't take place until September. "I wish everybody a lot of courage," she said.
posted by rcade to tennis at 05:51 PM - 7 comments
Jim Tressel Strikes a Pose: The Ohio State Alumni Association offers people a chance to have a photo taken with head football coach Jim Tressel. Whether he'll look up or not is another matter entirely. Feel the love.
posted by rcade to football at 03:04 PM - 8 comments
Ed Rendell Defends Philly Sports Fans: Former Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell (D) has responded to a GQ article that called Philadelphia Eagles and Phillies fans the worst in America. "The Santa Claus incident was more than 40 years ago -- there are very few of us left who pelted that forlorn, scrawny Santa, and certainly current fans cannot be blamed for that," Rendell writes. "The vomiting incident was horrible, but it was one incident perpetrated by only one fan."
posted by rcade to general at 02:28 PM - 9 comments
SportsFilter: The Thursday Huddle
posted by huddle to general at 06:00 AM - 18 comments
March 23, 2011
The Outfielder is a Poet: Chicago Cubs outfielder Fernando Perez has published his poems in Poetry and The Southern Review. He studied creative writing at Columbia, just like James Franco. He is into Robert Creeley. He has a Twitter feed. His career batting average is .234 but he's hitting only .161 in the Cactus League and might not make the big league club. Spring Training is the cruelest month (via MetaFilter).
posted by rcade to baseball at 09:06 AM - 3 comments
SportsFilter: The Wednesday Huddle
posted by huddle to general at 06:00 AM - 12 comments
March 22, 2011
Beating The Odds: A surfing accident in September 2009 snapped the C2 vertebrae in David Newhan's neck, akin to the injury caused by a judicial hanging. Eighteen months later he is attempting a comeback.
posted by Ying Yang Mafia to baseball at 11:02 PM - 1 comment
Benches Clear During Spring Training Game: Managers Tony La Russa and Jim Riggleman had to be separated when both benches cleared Monday during a spring training game between the St. Louis Cardinals and Washington Nationals. Cardinals reliever Miguel Batista hit Nats batter Ian Desmond, his teammate last year, and they exchanged words. "Yeah, it was intentional, but I mean Miggy throws like Miss Iowa," Desmond said after the game.
posted by rcade to baseball at 10:59 AM - 8 comments
SportsFilter: The Tuesday Huddle
posted by huddle to general at 06:00 AM - 7 comments
March 21, 2011
The Story of Panyee FC: "On our island we loved to watch football. But no one had actually ever played it." The story of a football team on the floating village of Ko Panyi. And look! The new-and-improved field is still there! (via MetaFilter).
posted by rcade to soccer at 01:04 PM - 4 comments
396-Pound Sumo Wrestler Runs Marathon: Kelly Gneiting, a 396-pound sumo wrestler, has set a new Guinness world record as the heaviest person to complete a marathon. Gneitling completed the Los Angeles Marathon in 9 hours 48 minutes and 52 seconds. "I was really struggling in the last five miles," he said, "but I said to myself, 'If I have to crawl, I will.'"
posted by rcade to other at 12:47 PM - 9 comments
Morneau Urges Players to Wear Safer Helmet: Eight months into rehab for a concussion, Minnesota Twins first baseman Justin Morneau has begun wearing the heavier, safer Rawlings S100 helmet. The new helmet is designed to provide safety for balls traveling at 100 mph, compared to just 70 mph for the helmets worn today by most players. is rated for a Little League pitch compared to a big-league fastball. Morneau said the older helmet "is rated for a Little League pitch compared to a big-league fastball. I'm sure Major League Baseball and the union won't be happy with me saying that."
posted by rcade to baseball at 11:11 AM - 4 comments
SportsFilter: The Monday Huddle
posted by huddle to general at 06:00 AM - 18 comments
March 20, 2011
Houston Oilers Receiver Drew Hill Dies: Houston Oilers wide receiver Drew Hill, the favorite target of quarterback Warren Moon and a two-time Pro Bowler, died Friday after suffering two strokes. He was 54. A 12th round pick of the Los Angeles Rams, Hill finished his career with 9,831 yards and 60 touchdowns on 634 receptions.
posted by rcade to football at 10:41 AM - 4 comments
SportsFilter: The Sunday Huddle
posted by huddle to general at 06:00 AM - 6 comments
March 19, 2011
Thoroughbred Charity Let Horses Starve to Death: The Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation, one of the world's largest racehorse charities, has failed repeatedly to pay for the upkeep of the 1,000 horses in its care, leaving some emaciated or dead from starvation. "They were making their administrative payroll this whole time, but the horses they were suffering," said Gayle England, the operator of an Oklahoma horse farm. "They need to be held accountable."
posted by rcade to other at 02:36 PM - 2 comments
Japan Baseball League to Play Despite Crisis: Japan's Central League is starting its baseball season on schedule on March 25, despite objections from the player's union and another league. The Pacific League, which has the Rakuten Golden Eagles based in hard-hit Sendai, has postponed its season until April 12. "The players' consensus is that it is inappropriate to start the season when we think of those who were killed, still missing and those staying in evacuation shelters," said union head Takahiro Arai. "It's just too early."
posted by rcade to baseball at 11:45 AM - 4 comments
Ichiro Suzuki: Ichiro donates $1.25 million to Japanese earthquake relief efforts. The Seattle Mariners will also dedicate their first six home games of the upcoming season to raising money for the victims of the earthquake and tsunami that devastated Japan.
posted by phaedon to baseball at 11:42 AM - 0 comments
New York Times to begin charging for online access: On March 28th, the NY Times will institute a pay wall and begin charging frequent readers of its content for online access via digital subscriptions. If they are successful and other content providers follow suit, the economic landscape of online content will change. How will this affect SpoFi and the linking to online content? When more online content sources have pay walls, SpoFi members may be able to continue following links to content without having to pay for the access, but will this coming transition end up imposing restrictions and/or an economic burden on SpoFi itself?
posted by beaverboard to general at 10:50 AM - 5 comments
President Obama's Bracket Goes 29-3: President Obama has picked 29 of 32 games correctly on his NCAA basketball tournament bracket, missing only on Morehead State beating Louisville, UCLA defeating Michigan State and VCU stunning Georgetown. Fifteen of his Sweet Sixteen selections are alive (all but Louisville).
posted by rcade to basketball at 09:21 AM - 17 comments
SportsFilter: The Saturday Huddle
posted by huddle to general at 06:00 AM - 2 comments
March 18, 2011
Roger Goodell, Pants On Fire?: NFL Commisioner Roger Goodell tries a little PR with players and season-ticket holders, and gets branded "a blatant liar" by San Diego Chargers linebacker Kevin Burnett.
posted by The_Black_Hand to football at 01:51 PM - 2 comments
Fantasy Baseball Reminder: Thanks to ursus_comiter, the 2011 SpoFi Fantasy Baseball League is up and running, but only has six teams. Join America's favorite pastime, and compete for the Jerseygirl Memorial Championship Trophy, or the equally prestigious Costanza Trophy! League ID - 129784 Password - madduxbodycount Do it! Do it now! Thanks again, ursus! And, by the way, The Chuck Norrises are gonna straight up murder your ass.
posted by The_Black_Hand to fantasy at 11:19 AM - 18 comments
Ochocinco Trying to Get His Kicks in KC: Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Chad Johnson-Ochocinco-whatever he's calling himself these days might be playing futbol instead of football this season due to the NFL lockout. MLS team Sporting Kansas City has invited Johns, er, Ocho, er, Chad, who began playing soccer at age four, and played competitively until high school, to a four-day tryout. If he makes the team, Chad will wear jersey number 85.
posted by The_Black_Hand to soccer at 11:08 AM - 13 comments
Ohio State's Tressel Increases Own Suspension to Five Games: OSU head football coach Jim Tressel, originally suspended two games for not reporting player misconduct to the NCAA, has asked the university to add three more games to his suspension. The university has honored Tressel's request, meaning the Buckeyes will be without their head coach and starting quarterback for the Big Ten opener against Michigan State, who split the conference title with OSU last season. Even with the extended suspension, the NCAA might not be done with the OSU football program.
posted by The_Black_Hand to football at 10:50 AM - 11 comments
No Crying in Basketball? I would want my son to play for this man.: This is what true sports is about.
posted by gfinsf to basketball at 10:45 AM - 4 comments
Big Wave Surfer Dies at Maverick's: Big-wave surfer Sion Milosky, 35, died Wednesday at Maverick's Beach in Half Moon Bay, Calif., when he wiped out and was held beneath the surface by a second wave. "He had this huge smile on his face and just turned around and paddled into this 50- to 60-foot wave," said surfer Ken "Skindog" Collins. "That was the last time I saw him." See video of Milosky surfing.
posted by rcade to other at 10:41 AM - 10 comments
SportsFilter: The Friday Huddle
posted by huddle to general at 06:00 AM - 2 comments
March 17, 2011
Sacramento Kings File for New Name: An attorney representing the owners of the Sacramento Kings has filed for four trademarks: Anaheim Royals, Anaheim Royals of Southern California, Orange County Royals and Los Angeles Royals. The team was known as the Royals from its 1949 founding in Rochester until its 1972 move to Kansas City. Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson, a former NBA player, said the "likelihood of them leaving is probably greater than them staying, but it's not a done deal."
posted by rcade to basketball at 02:17 PM - 2 comments
Grant Hill, Jalen Rose and 'Uncle Toms': Grant Hill has written a column for the New York Times objecting to Jalen Rose calling him and other Duke players of their day "uncle Toms." Hill writes, "In his garbled but sweeping comment that Duke recruits only 'black players that were Uncle Toms,' Jalen seems to change the usual meaning of those very vitriolic words into his own meaning, i.e., blacks from two-parent, middle-class families." Rose responded by trying to tamp down the controversy. Rose said that as an adult he he has a "broader perspective of great respect and appreciation for Duke, their players and all they've achieved. The comments I made during the Fab Five documentary were clearly reflecting my thoughts as a teenager."
posted by rcade to basketball at 11:27 AM - 16 comments
SportsFilter: The Thursday Huddle
posted by huddle to general at 06:00 AM - 4 comments
March 16, 2011
How to Avoid Penalty Shoot Outs: Hold them before you play extra time. Counter intuitive or good economics?
posted by owlhouse to soccer at 11:14 PM - 11 comments
Boxer Doesn't Regret 'Gang Rape' Remark: World Boxing Association heavyweight champion David Haye said that he does not regret saying last year that an upcoming fight would be "as one-sided as a gang rape" and his opponent Audley Harrison would "get violated in that ring." "I don't regret anything I say," Haye explained. "To be honest, the most controversial things I've said actually give me more column inches. So the more controversial you are, the more column inches you get. The more column inches you get, the more people are aware you're a boxer. The more people know you're a boxer, the more people are interested if you win or lose ... the more they pay pay-per-views."
posted by rcade to boxing at 02:19 PM - 7 comments
MLS Season Opens in Pacific Northwest: Los Angeles Galaxy midfielder Juninho beat Seattle Sounders goalkeeper Kasey Keller on a 25-yard shot inside the near post in the 58th minute, leading the Galaxy to a a 1-0 win that opens the 16th Major League Soccer season. This is the first season for the Portland Timbers and Vancouver Whitecaps. The expected success of these franchises is shown by a remarkably common phrase in the media: "soccer-mad Pacific Northwest."
posted by rcade to soccer at 01:43 PM - 4 comments
NBA Players Saved Coach's Life: After the Los Angeles Clippers refused to cover the prostate cancer surgery of assistant coach Kim Hughes seven years ago, players Corey Maggette, Chris Kaman, Elton Brand and Marko Jaric did something unexpected. "Those guys saved my life," Hughes said. "They paid the whole medical bill. It was like $70,000 or more. It wasn't cheap." Maggette said, "Kim was one of our coaches and he's a really good friend of mine, too. ... I thought it was a great opportunity to help someone in need, to do something that Christ would do."
posted by rcade to basketball at 08:59 AM - 13 comments
SportsFilter: The Wednesday Huddle
posted by huddle to general at 06:00 AM - 7 comments
March 15, 2011
Adrian Peterson Calls NFL 'Modern-Day Slavery': Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson called the NFL's arrangement with players "modern-day slavery" in an interview Friday. "The players are getting robbed," said Peterson, who earned $10.2 million in salary last season. "They are. The owners are making so much money off of us to begin with."
posted by rcade to football at 04:31 PM - 32 comments
Mara: No Change to Calvin Johnson Rule: The NFL is unlikely to make changes to the "Calvin Johnson rule," New York Giants owner John Mara said. "If you read the rule, it's not a catch," he said. "The reason it's not a catch is you've got to control the ball when you hit the ground. It makes it easier to officiate. It's a bright line that you can draw."
posted by rcade to football at 10:30 AM - 4 comments
SportsFilter: The Tuesday Huddle
posted by huddle to general at 06:00 AM - 12 comments
March 14, 2011
NFLPA Wants Draftees To Boycott Draft: The (recently decertified, thus supposedly non-existent) NFLPA is telling potential draftees (who are not yet members) to boycott the NFL Draft.
posted by TheQatarian to football at 10:37 PM - 22 comments
Celtics Hold Bucks to 56 Points: The Boston Celtics beat the Milwaukee Bucks 87-56 Sunday, setting a franchise record for their fewest points allowed in the shot-clock era. It beat the previous record when the Celtics defeated the Milwaukee Hawks 62-57 in 1955. "That's about as humiliating a defeat as you'll ever see," said Bucks coach Scott Skiles.
posted by rcade to basketball at 04:51 PM - 10 comments
Montreal Police Investigate Chara Hit: Montreal police have started a criminal investigation into the on-ice hit by Boston Bruins defenseman Zdeno Chara that gave Montreal Canadiens left wing Max Pacioretty a severe concussion and cracked vertebra. Chara was not suspended for the hit.
posted by rcade to hockey at 03:23 PM - 9 comments
Tsunami Disaster Disrupts Japanese Sports: Japanese sports leagues are debating what to do about their upcoming schedules as the country recovers from the devastating 9.0 earthquake and tsunami. Next week's World Figure Skating Championships in Tokyo have been cancelled. The baseball season is supposed to begin March 25 but could be affected by planned rolling blackouts. One of the missing in Sendai is Marty Kuehnert, an American who is the former GM of the Rakuten Golden Eagles baseball team.
posted by rcade to general at 01:18 PM - 14 comments
68-Team Field Set for March Madness: The newly expanded 68-team NCAA Tournament bracket has been set with Ohio State, Duke, Kansas and Pittsburgh as the No. 1 seeds. The Florida Times-Union breaks down the southeast, southwest, west and east regionals. Virginia Tech and Colorado were among the top snubs. Play-in games begin Tuesday.
posted by rcade to basketball at 11:32 AM - 5 comments
Golfer Murdered by Armed Robber During Round: On Jan. 13, two golfers at the 17th tee at Deerfield Country Club in Deerfield Beach, Fl., were confronted by masked armed robbers demanding their money. Golfer Lataurus Randall, 35, was shot in the back by a robber and died a day later. The robbers have not been caught. "When these guys showed up, I first thought it was a joke," said his playing partner Melvin Philpart. "I said to one of them, 'What do you think you're doing out here? This is a golf course.'"
posted by rcade to golf at 11:08 AM - 7 comments
SportsFilter: The Monday Huddle
posted by huddle to general at 06:00 AM - 3 comments
March 13, 2011
SpoFi March Madness 2K11: I've created a SportsFilter March Madness pick'em tournament page on Yahoo Sports.
posted by grum@work to fantasy at 06:29 PM - 9 comments
NFL broadcaster Cris Collinsworth rescued from floating restaurant: Kathy Kinane and her husband walked into the upscale Waterfront restaurant wearing snorkeling gear, a joking reference to the recent rain and rising water levels outside the eatery housed on a barge.
posted by Demophon to football at 02:36 PM - 4 comments
Herbstreit Leaves Ohio to Escape Buckeyes Fans: ESPN college football analyst Kirk Herbstreit has moved his family out of Ohio to get away from obnoxious Ohio State University fans. "Nobody loves Ohio State more than me," said Herbstreit, a former Buckeyes quarterback. "It's the vocal minority that make it rough. They probably represent only 5 to 10 percent of the fan base, but they are relentless."
posted by rcade to football at 02:09 PM - 4 comments
SportsFilter: The Sunday Huddle
posted by huddle to general at 06:00 AM - 8 comments
March 12, 2011
Bill Simmons Launching New Sports Site: Bill Simmons is developing a new website for ESPN that will have no ESPN branding and be "70% sports, 30% pop culture," SportsGrid reports. "When people launch sites they make the mistake of spending big dollars on people who've already kind of peaked," said Simmons, who turns 42 in September. "They don't look at the young and hungry people. Especially the people 32 and under."
Most Coaches in Tressel's Situation Lost Jobs: The Columbus Dispatch reports that since 2006, the NCAA has sanctioned 27 schools for violating the bylaw requiring coaches and others to be forthcoming about possible NCAA violations. Of the 12 coaches involved, one kept his job and all the others resigned or were fired. Ohio State fined coach Jim Tressel $250,000 and suspended him for two games because he knew of potential violations related to memorabilia sales by his players and didn't tell the school for months. "If ever there was a scenario that screamed for a bowl ban, this is it," writes Yahoo's Dr. Saturday blog. "Tressel's duplicity in December was specifically in service of winning a bowl game."
posted by rcade to football at 03:38 PM - 6 comments
4 Auburn Players Charged with Armed Robbery: Four Auburn football players -- including starting safety Mike McNeil -- have been arrested on charges of armed robbery and dismissed from the team. Three males entered a home and stole personal property, police allege, and the four players were stopped afterwards in a car with the gun and stolen items.
posted by rcade to football at 02:18 PM - 8 comments
Cliff Lee Preferred Rangers Over Yankees: The Texas Rangers had a better chance to sign him in the off-season than the New York Yankees, Cliff Lee told Philly radio station WIP. "Just as far as the quality of the team and the chance to win a World Series ring, I think they're a better team," he said. "It seems like some of the Yankee guys are getting older."
posted by rcade to baseball at 12:50 PM - 7 comments
SportsFilter: The Saturday Huddle
posted by huddle to general at 06:00 AM - 6 comments
March 11, 2011
NFL labor negotiations break down, union moves to decertify: on the table next is litigation.
posted by insomnyuk to football at 05:37 PM - 27 comments
Bleacher Report Exploits Japanese Earthquake: Bleacher Report responded to today's natural disaster with the pure search-engine bait story "Japan Earthquake and Tsunami: The Worst Natural Disasters in Sports History." The story was subsequently taken down from the front page. "We are dealing with this internally and will hold ourselves accountable," writes a site admin.
posted by rcade to general at 04:40 PM - 4 comments
If Stan Van Gundy Goes Missing ...: "I would venture a guess that we're not going to be hearing from him for the rest of the season. I think when he stops and reads what he said, realizes what he did, he will say no more. ... I have a feeling some modicum of self-restraint will cause Stan, and the team for which he works, to rein in his aberrant behavior." -- NBA Commissioner David Stern
posted by rcade to basketball at 02:34 PM - 10 comments
Chuck Greenberg Out as Top Rangers Exec: Chuck Greenberg, who guided a bid to win control of the Texas Rangers in bankruptcy court last year and was viewed as the driving force to lead the club, will be replaced as the club's managing general partner, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported Thursday night. Greenberg, who only had $5 million invested in the team, has reportedly been making people angry in the organization for months. "This is bad," writes the fan site Lone Star Ball. "And it is ridiculous that this sort of thing continues to dog this franchise."
posted by rcade to baseball at 11:23 AM - 2 comments
SportsFilter: The Friday Huddle
posted by huddle to general at 06:00 AM - 2 comments
A car dunk better than Blake Griffin's: The title says 'better', but I think it's a whole lot better. It's a wider car parked further from the basket. Pretty impressive. Maybe a new feature at an upcoming NBA All Star game would be to have a World All-Star dunking competition with the winner taking on the NBA's All Star dunking competition in a man-on-man battle? Kind of like the Little League World Series of pro basketball dunking. I bet there are a lot of great dunkers around the world that don't have the basketball skills to play in the NBA but could hold their own in this competition. Might be fun.
posted by Shotput to basketball at 01:07 AM - 2 comments
March 10, 2011
Why can't basketball stats nerds separate the superstars from the ball hogs?: "To number-crunching nerds raised on baseball, in which pitcher and batter compete in statistically delicious one-on-one duels, such messy "interaction effects" are a lumpy blemish in the box score. In January, seasoned baseball sabermetrician (and occasional Slate contributor) Phil Birnbaum argued in his blog that basketball's so-called "advanced" box-score stats are so gnarled with this problem that they can't be trusted. (He went so far as to call them "the RBIs of basketball"—a brutal insult to lovers of well-validated statistics.) Is Birnbaum right? Is this why people can't agree on the value of Carmelo?"
posted by rumple to basketball at 03:30 PM - 0 comments
Buccaneers Coach Manages Rays: Tampa Bay Buccaneers Head Coach Raheem Morris led the Tampa Bay Rays to a 3-2 win over the Toronto Blue Jays Tuesday. Morris pulled James Shields from the game after he threw 60 pitches in 3 1/2 innings. "He walked out there and said: 'What do we do now?'" Shields said. "I was like, 'You're supposed to get the ball from me."
posted by rcade to baseball at 12:35 PM - 3 comments
Drawing Every Baseball Hall of Famer: Every Hall of Famer is a blog where Summer Anne Burton is drawing pictures of all 295 members of the baseball Hall of Fame. She started in January and plans to finish by the end of the year. Here's an interview with her about the project. The drawings include telling bits of information and cool quotes. It's a fun way to learn about baseball history.
Braves Coach Knocked Out by Foul Ball: In the first inning of a spring training game Wednesday, Atlanta Braves minor league coach Luis Salazar was knocked out by a sharply hit foul ball as he stood on the top step of the dugout at the Braves' stadium at Disney World. Salazar was hit in the face and lay unconscious for 20 minutes, some players fearing he was dead. An ambulance was brought onto the field and took him to a helicopter. Salazar is recuperating in an Orlando hospital.
posted by rcade to baseball at 09:37 AM - 2 comments
SportsFilter: The Thursday Huddle
posted by huddle to general at 06:00 AM - 14 comments
March 09, 2011
Stanford Gave Athletes Easy Class List: Stanford is no longer giving athletes a list of easy classes after it attracted media attention. The list from the school's Athletic Academic Resource Center included a drama class in Beginning Improvising, another in Social Dances of North America and a sociology class on Interpersonal Relations. The classes were "always chock-full of athletes and very easy A's," said Kira Maker, a soccer player who used the list her freshman year.
posted by rcade to general at 04:58 PM - 17 comments
Library of Congress Acquires 6,000 Sports Broadcasts: When he was 17, John Miley asked his parents to buy him a wire recorder so he could capture broadcasts of sporting events. Sixty-three years later, his collection of more than 6,000 radio and television recordings of sporting events from 1920 to 1972 is being acquired by the Library of Congress. They will eventually all be digitized and shared online.
Kansas City Stadium Gives Name to Livestrong: Kansas City's new $200 million dollar soccer stadium is being named Livestrong Sporting Park, thanks to a donation by the team to Lance Armstrong's cancer charity. Sporting KC (the renamed Kansas City Wizards) start play in the facility June 9. The stadium also will donate a portion of ticket and concession revenues to the charity and ban tobacco products.
posted by rcade to soccer at 10:29 AM - 7 comments
Greinke Fractures Rib Playing Basketball: Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Zack Greinke fractured a right rib playing pick-up basketball during the off season and is likely to begin the season on the disabled list, the team revealed. "Everyone always told me not to do it because I was going to get hurt," Greinke said. The team is not penalizing the ace and hopes he'll miss just two or three starts.
posted by rcade to baseball at 09:08 AM - 9 comments
SportsFilter: The Wednesday Huddle
posted by huddle to general at 06:00 AM - 36 comments
March 08, 2011
Tiki Barber Unretires from Football: Former New York Giants running back Tiki Barber has notified the NFL that he's coming out of retirement to play in the 2011 season. Barber, 35, retired in 2007 after 10 seasons as the Giants' all-time leading rusher. He was reportedly making $300,000 a year on NBC as a sports reporter before being fired last year after leaving his eight-months-pregnant wife for a 23-year-old NBC intern.
posted by rcade to football at 05:03 PM - 18 comments
Source: Tressel Knew for Eight Months: Ohio State coach Jim Tressel was informed that several Buckeyes players were selling memorabilia more than eight months before the school claims it was made aware of the scheme, an unnamed source told Yahoo Sports. Tressel received information that players were selling items to Edward Rife -- the owner of Fine Line Ink Tattoos in Columbus -- as early as April 2010, the source said. Not disclosing this information for months would break multiple NCAA violations.
posted by rcade to football at 04:13 PM - 4 comments
Player Gets Red Card for Tackling Streaker: During a lower-level British soccer match, Dorchester Town player/manager Ashley Vickers was sent off against Havant & Waterlooville for tackling a streaker in a mankini who was faster than security guards. "My only thought was to get hold him so we could get on with the game," Vickers said. "The stewards actually thanked me for it."
posted by rcade to soccer at 08:49 AM - 9 comments
SportsFilter: The Tuesday Huddle
posted by huddle to general at 06:00 AM - 8 comments
March 07, 2011
Save Me From Myself: Daniel Geey of European law firm Field Fisher Waterhouse with a long-form essay about the impact of UEFA's Financial Fair Play rules on Liverpool Football Club.
posted by Mr Bismarck to soccer at 11:36 AM - 4 comments
Parity vs. Greatness: "Winning a title in European soccer, like having fox-hunting experience or standing near Charlotte Casiraghi, is largely a matter of pedigree." - Brian Phillips of Run of Play looks at "the most important debate in sports."
posted by Mr Bismarck to soccer at 11:13 AM - 4 comments
A New Home for Football Writing: the Blizzard is a new quarterly publication for journalists and authors to write the football stories that matter to them. Issue Zero is available for free pay-what-you-like.
posted by Mr Bismarck to soccer at 09:12 AM - 5 comments
Miami Heat Losing Streak Hits 4: The Miami Heat lost 87-86 to the Chicago Bulls Sunday as LeBron James and Dwyane Wade missed shots in the final six seconds with the game on the line. Wade said, "The Miami Heat are exactly what everyone wanted, losing games. The world is better now because the Heat is losing." Heat coach Erik Spoelstrasaid that players were crying in the locker room afterwards. The Heat are 1-9 against the NBA's top five teams and 0-6 against the Boston Celtics and Bulls.
posted by rcade to basketball at 08:38 AM - 27 comments
SportsFilter: The Monday Huddle
posted by huddle to general at 06:00 AM - 17 comments
March 06, 2011
Alvarez Becomes Youngest Super Welterweight Champ: Mexican boxer Saul Alvarez became the youngest world champion in super welterweight history by defeating Britain's Matthew Hatton for the vacant World Boxing Council crown Saturday. Alvarez, 20, improved his record to 36-0 with one draw and 26 knockouts, taking a belt vacated by Manny Pacquiao.
posted by rcade to boxing at 02:42 PM - 2 comments
Karlovic Hits Fastest Serve Ever: Croatian tennis player Ivo Karlovic has set a new world record with a 155.96-mph serve during a Davis Cup World Group doubles match against Germany, passing Andy Roddick's 154.96-mph serve in 2004. Video of the shot.
posted by rcade to tennis at 11:55 AM - 2 comments
SportsFilter: The Sunday Huddle
posted by huddle to general at 06:00 AM - 5 comments
March 05, 2011
Six degrees of Mark Macon.: Find the shortest path from one NBA player (past or current) to another. (Henry Bacon would've been a better choice, but sadly he never actually played in the NBA)
posted by Ufez Jones to basketball at 05:01 PM - 4 comments
What Baseball Team Should I Root For?: Looking for a Major League Baseball team to root for this coming season? An InspirationByDesign flowchart will help you pick the team. Criteria include "Do I care if my team wins another game?" and "Look at me like that again and I will punch you."
posted by rcade to baseball at 10:53 AM - 48 comments
Auburn Spent $2.9 Million on BCS Trip: Despite being given an expense allowance of nearly $2.3 million from the SEC for the BCS Championship game, the University of Auburn ran a deficit of $600,000 at the event. That total includes $600,000 for the 473-member traveling party of team and staff to go on the trip for nine days and $360,000 for 435 band members and cheerleaders to attend for four days. The school also bought tickets for 2,456 tickets to attend at a cost of $780,000.
posted by rcade to football at 09:34 AM - 5 comments
Yankees, Sox Unite to Help Child: An 11-year-old girl who lost her leg in an accident has managed to unite the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees. After the daughter of Sox first base coach Ron Johnson needed a prosthetic leg after being hit by a car, Yankees hitting coach Kevin Long asked the team's players to help last September. Members of both teams passed the hat and sent "significant" checks. "You just wanted to help in any way you can," said Yankees pitcher A.J. Burnett. "We're a huge family here. Whether you're a Yankee or anybody else."
posted by rcade to baseball at 08:44 AM - 14 comments
SportsFilter: The Saturday Huddle
posted by huddle to general at 06:00 AM - 0 comments
March 04, 2011
NFL, union execs back at mediator's office : NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and several league executives arrived at the offices of federal mediator George Cohen in the morning, with the current collective bargaining agreement set to expire at midnight. Both groups agreed to a 24-hour extension on Thursday, with another extension on the agenda.
The Toll of Fighting on Hockey Enforcers: In a development that may influence discussion and debate regarding the future of fighting in hockey, researchers have found that deceased NHL enforcer Bob Probert's brain exhibits the same condition (chronic traumatic encephalopathy) that has afflicted former NFL players.
posted by holden to hockey at 11:07 AM - 15 comments
Star Player Dies After Game-Winning Shot: On Thursday night, star athlete Wes Leonard of Fennville [Mich.] High School scored the game-winning lay up in overtime to give his team a 57-55 victory that clinched a perfect 20-0 season. Moments afterward, the 16-year-old collapsed on the court and lost consciousness. Leonard later died at a local hospital.
posted by rcade to basketball at 09:04 AM - 11 comments
SportsFilter: The Friday Huddle
posted by huddle to general at 06:00 AM - 2 comments
March 03, 2011
NBA's Regular Season Reaches England: The first regular season NBA game in England will be played Friday between the New Jersey Nets and Toronto Raptors at London's sold-out O2 Arena. Tipoff is at 3 p.m. Eastern, 8 p.m. Limey. "It's a good time to be a Nets fan," said Brett Yormark.
posted by rcade to basketball at 04:53 PM - 2 comments
James Spreads 'Decision' Donations: Keeping a promise made during his Decision broadcast last July, basketball star LeBron James has used his family charity foundation and Hewlett-Packard to install 1,000 new computers at 59 different Boys & Girls Clubs nationwide. "I won't play this game forever. But the things that we're doing in the communities, things that we're doing in the gymnasiums, in the computer labs, they will last," James said.
posted by rcade to basketball at 03:18 PM - 10 comments
Serena Williams Suffers Blood Clot in Lungs: Serena Williams suffered a blood clot in one of her lungs last week and needed emergency treatment Monday for a hematoma. "What if we have seen the last of the career of the great Serena Williams?" Injuries have kept the 29-year-old out of tennis since she won last year's Wimbledon. asks Christine Brennan.
Red Sox Owner Was Fined $500,000: Boston Red Sox owner John Henry revealed that in 2009 he was fined $500,000 by the league's disciplinary officials for publicly criticizing Major League Baseball's revenue sharing rules. Henry told the Boston Globe that seven "chronically uncompetitive teams" had received over $1 billion and he asked, "Who except these teams, can think this is a good idea?" He said this week of the fine, "The large markets aren't allowed to give their opinions. I made statements which turned out to be true, or at least there were various documents that were leaked after that."
posted by rcade to baseball at 08:21 AM - 7 comments
SportsFilter: The Thursday Huddle
posted by huddle to general at 06:00 AM - 7 comments
BYU kicks Brandon Davies off team for violating honor code: Apparently, he admitted to sexual relations with his girlfriend.
posted by reenum to basketball at 12:30 AM - 28 comments
March 02, 2011
Irish Cricket Team Defeats England in World Cup: In an upset of monumental proportions, the Ireland cricket team defeated the England cricket team by three wickets with five balls remaining in Bangalore today. A Test-playing nation being defeated by an associate nation is rare at best. England is ranked 3rd in the world among one-day international (ODI) playing squads, and had just managed a tie against India, one of the tournament favorites, on Sunday. The achievement is being hailed as a victory to lift the national spirit in Ireland, a country dealing with heavy financial problems and a bailout from the EU.
posted by boredom_08 to other at 02:24 PM - 7 comments
Lucky Black Cats: Swiss Ramble looks at the money required to be a middling Premiership team.
posted by Mr Bismarck to soccer at 09:43 AM - 1 comment
Mirror Ball Trophy Will Have to Make Up for Lack of Lombardi : Pittsburgh Steeler wide receiver Hines Ward will participate in the next installment of Dancing with the Stars. He joins a long list of former NFL players who have danced on the highly-watched show including winner Emmitt Smith, runners-up Jason Taylor (a Pittsburgh native) and Jerry Rice, as well as Chad Ochocinco, Warren Sapp and Kurt Warner. Let's just hope he lays a crushing block on Ralph Macchio.
posted by scully to football at 08:29 AM - 2 comments
SportsFilter: The Wednesday Huddle
posted by huddle to general at 06:00 AM - 9 comments
March 01, 2011
Judge rules in NFLPA's favor on lockout issue: "Judge David Doty has ruled that the NFL violated the Collective Bargaining Agreement by striking deals with television networks that require ongoing payments to the league during a work stoppage." Follow up here.
posted by yerfatma to football at 07:35 PM - 8 comments
Bibby Gives Up $6.2 Million Salary: Less than a week after being traded from the Atlanta Hawks, guard Mike Bibby has relinquished his $6.2 million salary with the Washington Wizards next season to get to a contender now. The Miami Heat are reportedly his next destination once he clears waivers. CSN offers a retrospective on Bibby's career with the team, which totaled 2 points, 1 field goal in 9 attempts, 8 assists, 1 steal, and 29 minutes.
posted by rcade to basketball at 04:06 PM - 10 comments
Iran: London Olympics Logo is Racist: Iran is threatening to urge a Muslim boycott of the 2012 London Olympics on the grounds that the official logo spells the word "Zion." "There is no doubt that negligence of the issue from your side may affect the presence of some countries in the Games, especially Iran which abides by commitment to the values and principles," writes Bahram Afsharzadeh, the secretary general of Iran's National Olympic Committee.
posted by rcade to olympics at 08:36 AM - 81 comments
Much like George W. Bush, Donald Sterling likes black people: In honor of Black History Month, Donald Sterling will admit 1,000 "underprivileged" kids and their parents in free for a Clippers-Rockets game on Wednesday, MARCH 2, 2011
posted by Demophon to basketball at 08:28 AM - 15 comments
SportsFilter: The Tuesday Huddle
posted by huddle to general at 06:00 AM - 16 comments