Archives for December 2012

December 31, 2012

Jets fire GM, but Ryan will return: Mike Tannenbaum was fired as the Jets' general manager after a 6-10 season, but the club announced head coach Rex Ryan will return next season.

posted by jjzucal to football at 10:11 PM - 7 comments

Romo, Cowboys Toss Away Opportunity: For the second straight season, the Dallas Cowboys lost a final week game and the NFC East, keeping them out of the playoffs in a 28-18 loss to the red-hot Washington Redskins. Dallas quarterback Tony Romo threw three interceptions, including a crushing late giveaway to Rob Jackson on a swing pass. "I wish I had made a better decision at that time," Romo said.

posted by rcade to football at 01:57 PM - 17 comments

December 30, 2012

Eagles Fire Coach Andy Reid: The Philadelphia Eagles have reportedly fired head coach Andy Reid, the NFL's longest tenured coach, after 14 seasons. Reid led the team to five NFC championship games and one Super Bowl appearance. His regular-season record was 130-92-1. The Eagles went 4-12 this season.

posted by rcade to football at 08:17 PM - 16 comments

December 29, 2012

Northern Illinois QB: We Will Wear Down Florida State: Northern Illinois quarterback Jordan Lynch is warming to his school's unexpected presence in the Orange Bowl and confident about its chances despite being a 13.5-point underdog against Florida State. "They're fast, they're physical," he said about FSU's defense, "but they haven't seen anything like our offense. We plan on wearing them down. In the fourth quarter, we plan to have them on their knees -- and then just keep pounding away. They're just like us. They're human. If you cut them, they bleed."

posted by rcade to football at 12:37 PM - 4 comments

December 28, 2012

December 27, 2012

Russian oligarch fires well-regarded coach mid-season: P.J. Carlesimo will replace Rafa Benitez Avery Johnson for now.

posted by yerfatma to basketball at 02:28 PM - 2 comments

Ex-Lion Lomas Brown: I got Scott Mitchell hurt on purpose.: Lomas Brown admitted that he blew a block with the aim to get QB Scott Mitchell out of the game. Scott Mitchell responds.

posted by NoMich to football at 12:42 PM - 18 comments

Hanrahan and Holt for Melancon, Pimentel, De Jesus and Sands: The Boston Red Sox have acquired closer Joel Hanrahan and second baseman Brock Holt from the Pittsburgh Pirates for outfielders Mark Melancon and Stolmy Pimentel and infielders Ivan De Jesus and Jerry Sands. Hanrahan, 31, closed 76 games the past two seasons and is a two-time All Star.

posted by rcade to baseball at 09:33 AM - 3 comments

December 26, 2012

December 25, 2012

December 24, 2012

How The Greed Stole Hockey: A christmas tale.

posted by Ying Yang Mafia to hockey at 08:52 AM - 3 comments

December 23, 2012

Megatron Breaks Jerry Rice Receiving Record: Detroit Lions wide receiver Calvin Johnson surpassed Jerry Rice's single-season yards receiving record of 1,848 yards Saturday, catching 11 receptions for 225 yards against the Atlanta Falcons. The receiver nicknamed Megatron now has 1,892 yards and one more game to build on his record. Rice set the mark in 1995 with the San Francisco 49ers. "How amazing was it?" writes Mitch Albom. "You almost forgot that the Lions lost their seventh game in a row, 31-18, and are now an awful 4-11."

posted by rcade to football at 07:32 AM - 9 comments

December 22, 2012

December 21, 2012

December 20, 2012

An Oral History of Fire Joe Morgan: The three authors of late, lamented sports blog Fire Joe Morgan share how FJM came to be, a behind the scenes look at their heyday and why they chose to call it quits in 2008. Part 2, Part 3.
(FJM previously on sportsfilter)

posted by Jugwine to baseball at 01:45 PM - 1 comment

Tony Hawk Ruffles Feathers with Family Photo: A photo of Tony Hawk skateboarding in his backyard skate park with his four-year-old daughter upset some people because she's not wearing a helmet. In response, Hawk tweeted, "For those that say I endanger my child: it's more likely that you will fall while walking on the sidewalk than I will while skating with my daughter."

posted by rcade to other at 01:33 PM - 18 comments

December 19, 2012

Winthrop Coach Addresses Newtown Shooting: After his team's loss to No. 4-ranked Ohio State Tuesday night, Winthrop coach Pat Kelsey ended his post-game press conference with some impassioned remarks about the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School that claimed the lives of 20 first graders and six adults. "I'm not going to have a microphone like this the rest of the year, maybe the rest of my life," said Kelsey, the father of four- and five-year-old daughters. "When I walked into the press conference, I had never been in a chair with a microphone in front of me with that many cameras. Something came over me," the first-year coach said later.

posted by rcade to basketball at 08:29 PM - 5 comments

December 18, 2012

Jets Bench Sanchez, But Still No Tebow: The New York Jets have benched quarterback Mark Sanchez and will start third stringer Greg McElroy next weekend against the San Diego Chargers. McElroy, a seventh round draft pick in 2011, leaps over Tim Tebow on the depth chart. No word yet whether Tebow remains "excited to be a Jet."

posted by rcade to football at 05:01 PM - 28 comments

Posnanski Expects Big Decline for Pujols, Hamilton: Joe Posnanski predicts that the Angels' Albert Pujols and Josh Hamilton will contribute less offensively over the next five years than the Royals' Eric Hosmer and Salvador Perez. "Josh Hamilton, as mentioned, will turn 32 years old in May. ... Pujols, as mentioned, will turn 33 in January," he writes. "Players of those ages of 32 and 33, more often than not, are in full decline mode, some frighteningly so. "

posted by rcade to baseball at 01:13 PM - 8 comments

The Aboriginal Innings: Australia's first national cricket team were all indigenous. What has happened since then? A thoughtful piece from the Global Mail.

posted by owlhouse to culture at 03:51 AM - 2 comments

December 17, 2012

Russian Team's Fans Demand All-White, All-Straight Team: The biggest fan club of the top Russian soccer club Zenit St. Petersburg have released a manifesto demanding that the team only sign white heterosexual players. "Dark-skinned players are all but forced down Zenit's throat now, which only brings out a negative reaction," the manifesto by the Landscrona fan club states. It calls gay players "unworthy of our great city." Without referring specifically to the manifesto, Zenit coach Luciano Spalletti said, "I think that Zenit has proven through its work that the club understands what tolerance is, and what it means to have tolerant behavior." The fan club insisted, "We are not racists and for us the absence of black Zenit players is just an important tradition that underlines the team's identity and nothing more."

posted by rcade to soccer at 03:54 PM - 12 comments

Merry Christmas, Spofites.: The best, but mostly worst, of Christmas/football music.

posted by owlhouse to soccer at 04:35 AM - 2 comments

December 16, 2012

December 15, 2012

December 14, 2012

Yankees Hit with $18.9 Million Luxury Tax: The New York Yankees have been assessed an $18.9 million luxury tax by Major League Baseball. The team had a $222.5 million payroll, exceeding the $178 million threshold for the tax. This is the 10th consecutive year they've been hit with the penalty. The Red Sox, Angels and Phillies all were slightly below the threshold. Next year, the Los Angeles Dodgers may be paying the tax. The team is currently at $207.9 million for 21 signed players.

posted by rcade to baseball at 11:18 PM - 0 comments

Bode Miller Hits Wife in Face with Golf Drive: U.S. ski racer Bode Miller struck his wife Morgan Beck Miller near her left eye with an errant golf drive, leaving her with a gruesome facial injury that required 50 stitches. Bode's description of what happened is less than clear: "[The drive] wasn't really errant, I was trying to not hit the tree she was hiding behind, and I didn't."

posted by rcade to golf at 11:03 PM - 2 comments

December 13, 2012

Reebok signs 15-year-old hockey phenom to huge endorsement deal: The "next Sidney Crosby", only the third 15 year old allowed to play in the OHL, signs a multi-year, multi-million dollar deal with the Reeb. Hopefully there will be an NHL for him to play in before the contract term finishes.

posted by billsaysthis to hockey at 06:36 PM - 1 comment

Basketball only schools to leave Big East: The seven Catholic schools that make up the Big East's basketball only schools (Notre Dame not included) are planning to leave the conference. No word yet on what Cincinnati, UConn, and South Florida will do in the wake of the Big East's collapse. Louisville and Rutgers announced their plans to leave the conference earlier this year. Syracuse, Pitt and West Virginia announced their departures last year. The new schools leaving, Marquette, Georgetown, DePaul, St. John's, Villanova, Providence and Seton Hall can avoid conference exit fees as long as they leave as a group.

posted by insomnyuk to general at 03:17 PM - 7 comments

Tom Watson Returns as Ryder Cup Captain: Tom Watson, the last American to captain a Ryder Cup champ on foreign soil, will lead the U.S. team again in 2014. He has a big challenge ahead of him. The U.S. has lost seven of the last nine Ryder Cups. In 1993, he was captain for the U.S. victory at The Belfry in England. "Tom knows what it takes to win, and that's our ultimate goal," said Tiger Woods. "I hope I have the privilege of joining him on the 2014 United States Team."

posted by rcade to golf at 02:16 PM - 0 comments

December 12, 2012

December 11, 2012

Bradford City stuns Arsenal: For Arsenal, a giant embarrassment against a team that refused to quit.

posted by roberts to soccer at 05:48 PM - 5 comments

Charles Pierce on Donald Fehr and the NHL lockout: So, when the NHL players turned to [Fehr], everyone on both sides knew they were hiring a wartime consigliere. The players came out of the last lockout with such impeccably clean clocks that it's a wonder they didn't hire someone with an RPG launcher this time around. Fehr's hiring should have come as a surprise to approximately nobody, since a lockout is always a deliberate tactic by management aimed at achieving a precise goal — in this case, clawing back what little was left after the last time Bettman fastened on this strategy.

posted by rumple to hockey at 03:43 PM - 3 comments

NBA Ref Won't Let Amir Johnson Rub the Ball: Amir Johnson of the Toronto Raptors was ejected last night after tussling with a ref who wouldn't let him rub the basketball after a free throw. Johnson was tossed by referee David Jones and was being restrained when he threw his mouthpiece at Jones, hitting him in the back. "Every free throw I always go and rub the ball and give it right back to the ref," Johnson said. "I guess the ref didn't let me have the ball, so we kind of got into a tug-of-war. No words were said and he ejected me out of the game. I kind of lost my cool from there."

posted by rcade to basketball at 11:10 AM - 5 comments

December 10, 2012

Zack Greinke Signs with Dodgers: Pitcher Zack Greinke signed a six-year, $147 million deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers Monday. Team co-owner Magic Johnson shared the news to his Twitter followers, calling Greinke "the best pitcher on the free agent market!" Greinke, 29, was 15-5 last season with the Milwaukee Brewers and Los Angeles Angels. The Dodgers signed South Korean left-hander Ryu Hyun-jin Sunday and have a 2013 payroll topping $225 million, a Major League Baseball record.

posted by rcade to baseball at 07:39 PM - 3 comments

Novak Djokovic Buys Up World's Supply of Donkey Cheese: The No. 1-ranked men's tennis player and Wimbledon champion has bought up the world's entire 2013 supply of donkey cheese for his chain of restaurants in Serbia. The Zasavica farm in that country is the only place in the world that milks donkeys for cheese, which is called pule and sells for around $650 an ounce.

posted by rcade to tennis at 01:27 PM - 15 comments

Royals Acquire Shields, Deal Myers to Rays: The Kansas City Royals, believing they can contend this coming season in the AL Central, traded top prospects Wil Myers and Jake Odorizzi along with two other players for pitchers James Shields and Wade Davis. Jeff Passan writes that although the Royals have the best young lineup in the Majors, "without better pitching, the Royals weren't winning the American League Central, let alone a World Series."

posted by rcade to baseball at 08:55 AM - 13 comments

December 09, 2012

December 08, 2012

Johnny Football is now Johnny Heisman: Johnny Manziel becoms the first freshman to win the Heisman Trophy.

posted by Bonkers to football at 09:06 PM - 3 comments

The New England Patriots are regularly accused of being poor sports: for running up the score. Any number of writers see karmic justice in Rob Gronkowski's injury (a Bills' reporter even hoped for an injury during the Pats/ Jets tilt). This, however, is a new one: Miami Dolphins' defensive tackle Tony McDaniel feels "It was disrespectful to us to run the same play over and over and be successful".

posted by yerfatma to football at 10:27 AM - 11 comments

Stern Would Like to Eliminate Hack-a-Howard: "I would have liked to have seen the rule changed to make the last-two-minute rule the whole rule,” he said. “It was getting to a point last year where, [in the] first period, they were just grabbing players. I think that’s ludicrous."

posted by DudeDykstra to basketball at 12:06 AM - 8 comments

December 07, 2012

NFL Might Eliminate Kickoffs: NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said the league is considering the elimination of kickoffs for safety reasons. One option being floated: After a score, the scoring team gets the ball on its own 30 with a situation analogous to fourth-and-15. It can go for it or punt.

posted by rcade to football at 08:19 AM - 21 comments

December 06, 2012

December 05, 2012

Justin Kievit, Middle School Wrestler, Lets Boy With Cerebral Palsy Win Match: When Jared expressed that he wanted to participate in a wrestling match, Mayes said he called his friend Randy Stevens (no relation), a coach at another middle school. “It wasn’t about weight class,” Mayes told the Tennessean. “I told him to point me toward the kid who has the kindest heart.”

posted by johndurkin8 to general at 01:46 PM - 2 comments

Passan: Rangers Should Keep Josh Hamilton: Despite the acrimony between them last season, the Texas Rangers and Josh Hamilton should reconcile with a new multi-year deal, argues Jeff Passan. "Texas is where he belongs, even if Rangers fans booed him off the field during the final game of the 2012 season," he writes. "As immaterial as Hamilton wants teams to believe his drug and alcohol addictions are -- while he has fallen off the wagon in recent years, the episodes have not affected his play -- teams are scared if they give five years or more to a recovered junkie something awful is going to happen."

posted by rcade to baseball at 08:45 AM - 2 comments

December 04, 2012

The New Orleans Hornets are changing their names to the Pelicans: Look at the Pelican fly, come on Pelican!

posted by phaedon to basketball at 07:56 PM - 13 comments

A-Rod Needs Hip Surgery: Alex Rodriguez will have surgery in January to repair a torn labrum, bone impingement and cyst in his left hip, a procedure that will require four to six months of rehab time. He's 37 and had surgery on the other hip in 2009, but specialists believe he can make a full recovery. Among the options at third base for the Yankees are Chone Figgins, Mark DeRosa and Eric Chavez.

posted by rcade to baseball at 08:32 AM - 3 comments

December 03, 2012

College Coach Rick Majerus Dies: St Louis University basketball coach Rick Majerus died Saturday while awaiting a heart transplant. He was 64. Majerus was 517-216 in his 25-year career coaching Marquette, Ball State, Utah and St. Louis and took Utah to the 1998 NCAA tournament final, which Kentucky won 78-69. Majerus played freshman basketball at Marquette but couldn't make Al McGuire's varsity roster, but he went on to serve as his assistant for 12 seasons. He was known for being a great quote, such as when asked about becoming coach at Notre Dame: "I don't wear socks. ... I think those guys have socks with all kinds of logos on them. I think everybody at Notre Dame has a tie rack in their wardrobe, and I don't even have a tie in my wardrobe."

posted by rcade to basketball at 08:50 AM - 5 comments

December 02, 2012

December 01, 2012

Alabama Defeats Georgia: The Alabama Crimson Tide defeated the Georgia Bulldogs, 32-28, in the SEC championship game and will advance to play the Notre Dame Fighting Irish for the BCS crown. Georgia had the ball inside the Alabama 10 in the final seconds, but quarterback Aaron Murray's pass to the end zone was tipped and caught by Chris Conley inside the five with five seconds left, leaving no time for another play. Alabama is making its third trip to the BCS title game in four years. Georgia's bid for its first national championship since 1980 falls short.

posted by rcade to football at 09:03 PM - 10 comments

CFL Pick 'Em, Grey Cup Edition Final Standings: Sorry to be so late with the results, folks. I've been sick with a mystery virus all week. I must've caught it from one of the cheerleaders at the Argos victory party. But enough about me: check your results inside!

posted by DrJohnEvans to fantasy at 01:16 PM - 2 comments

Kansas City Chiefs' Linebacker Jovan Belcher kills girlfriend, self: Belcher drove to the Chiefs' practice facility where he was confronted by coach Romeo Crennel and general manager Scott Pioli before shooting himself.

posted by yerfatma to football at 12:07 PM - 16 comments