Archives for May 2015

May 31, 2015

Blackhawks Beat Ducks, Return to Stanley Cup Finals: Jonathan Toews scored two early goals and the Chicago Blackhawks went on to defeat the Anaheim Ducks 5-3, advancing to the Stanley Cup Finals for the third time in six years. Brandon Saad, Marian Hossa and Brent Seabrook also scored for the Blackhawks and goaltender Corey Crawford made 35 saves. The Ducks lost a game 7 at home and wasted a 3-2 series lead for the third straight season. "I have no words," said Ducks forward Patrick Maroon.

posted by rcade to hockey at 08:41 AM - 0 comments

May 30, 2015

Arsenal Dismantles Aston Villa in FA Cup Final: Arsenal defeated Aston Villa 4-0 in the FA Cup Final Saturday, winning the trophy for a record-setting 12th time. Arsene Wenger became the first post-war manager to win it six times. Theo Walcott opened the scoring late in the first half. Alexis Sanchez roofed a brilliant long-range shot off the crossbar for the second and the Gunners were cruising after that. "Arsenal were so utterly superior here, in every department," writes Daniel Taylor in The Guardian. The win puts Southampton in the Europa League next season.

posted by rcade to soccer at 03:37 PM - 3 comments

Lightning Shut Out Rangers, Advance to Stanley Cup: Two streaks ended when the Tampa Bay Lightning shut out the New York Rangers 2-0 in game 7 Friday night to advance to the Stanley Cup as Eastern Conference champions. The Rangers' 7-0 streak of winning game 7 victories at home ended, as did goaltender Henrik Lundqvist's 6-0 streak in game 7 matches at home. Lightning goalie Ben Bishop stopped all 21 shots he faced. The game was tied 0-0 after two periods, but Alex Killorn and Ondrej Palat scored in the third and the Lightning kept the Rangers blanked.

posted by rcade to hockey at 10:08 AM - 0 comments

May 29, 2015

May 28, 2015

Golden State Reaches First NBA Finals in 40 Years: Stephen Curry's 26 points and 8 rebounds helped the Golden State Warriors defeat the Houston Rockets 104-90 at home for a 4-1 series win Wednesday night. The Warriors are in the NBA Finals for the first time since winning the championship in 1975. Alvin Attles, the coach of that team, handed Curry the conference trophy after the game. "The Bay Area's been waiting for 40 years," Curry said. "I think it's time."

posted by rcade to basketball at 10:27 AM - 8 comments

Blackhawks Force Game 7 With 5-2 Win Over Ducks: The Chicago Blackhawks, led by Duncan Keith's three assists and a goal-saving play, defeated the Anaheim Ducks 5-2 to tie their Western Conference Finals series at 3. ''He's kind of a freak as far as his metabolism and conditioning level,'' coach Joel Quenneville said of Keith. Game 7 will be Saturday. This is only the second time since the 1967 NHL expansion that both conference finals require a deciding game 7.

posted by rcade to hockey at 10:12 AM - 2 comments

May 27, 2015

Henchmen arrested, but the Joker is still at large: 10 FIFA officials arrested in Switzerland for extradition to the U.S. for a whole host of corruption charges. Sepp Blatter is up for re-election on Friday, but with only one challenger and such rampant corruption, it's a wonder whether or not this will affect his chances.

posted by dfleming to soccer at 04:46 AM - 12 comments

May 26, 2015

Rangers Force Game 7 with 7-3 Win Over Lightning: The New York Rangers made short work of the Tampa Bay Lightning in a 7-3 victory to force game 7 in the Eastern Conference Finals Tuesday. For the Rangers, Derick Brassard had three goals and two assists and J.T Miller and Rick Nash each had a goal and three assists. Lightning goalie Ben Bishop was pulled in the third with the score 5-1.

posted by rcade to hockey at 11:26 PM - 1 comment

LeBron Takes Cavaliers to NBA Finals in First Season Back: The Cleveland Cavaliers swept aside the Atlanta Hawks 118-88 Tuesday night to complete a 4-0 series win, advancing to the NBA Finals for the second time in franchise history. LeBron James had 23 points, nine rebounds and seven assists. He becomes the first player to reach the Finals five times in a row since Bill Russell and three teammates in the Boston Celtics dynasty of the 1960s.

posted by rcade to basketball at 11:22 PM - 8 comments

Phillies GM: Our Fans 'Don't Understand the Game': Hey, Philadelphia Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr., the team's 19-28 record stinks and fans would like to see two of your top pitching prospects now at Double A. What do you think about that? "They don't understand the game. They don't understand the process. There's a process. And then they bitch and complain because we don't have a plan. There's a plan in place and we're sticking with the plan. We can't do what's best for the fan. We have to do what's best for the organization so the fan can reap the benefit of it later on. That' the truth."

posted by rcade to baseball at 11:13 AM - 2 comments

May 25, 2015

Blackhawks' Last-Minute Miracle Comeback Foiled in OT: The Chicago Blackhawks were looking at a 3-2 series deficit to the Anaheim Ducks in the Eastern Conference Finals when Jonathan Toews scored two goals in the final two minutes of regulation to tie the game at 4 apiece Monday night. The second goal, with 37 seconds left, was fired from an impossible angle parallel to the goal mouth, yet found its way into Frederik Andersen's skate and the net. But only 45 seconds into overtime, Ducks left wing Matt Beleskey put a rebound past goalie Corey Crawford. And now the Blackhawks are looking at a 3-2 series deficit.

posted by rcade to hockey at 05:03 PM - 3 comments

Rockets Avoid Sweep Behind Harden Heroics, Curry Tumble: NBA playoff teams are 0-116 after trailing a series 0-3. The Houston Rockets have taken the first step towards ending that streak, defeating the Golden State Warriors 128-115 at home after going ahead 45-22 in the first quarter. James Harden scored a career playoff-high 45 points and had nine rebounds and five assists. Warriors star Stephen Curry took a frightening head-first spill in the second quarter and was down for several minutes, suffering a head contusion, but came back after halftime. The Western Conference Finals go back to California Wednesday for another elimination game.

posted by rcade to basketball at 04:57 PM - 3 comments

May 24, 2015

LeBron's Epic Night Puts Cavaliers Up 3-0 on Hawks: LeBron James had 37 points, 18 rebounds and 13 assists, historic combined totals for an NBA game, in the Cleveland Cavaliers' 114-11 overtime win over the Atlanta Hawks in game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals Sunday. The Cavs now have an all-but-insurmountable 3-0 series lead. Hawks center Al Horford was ejected shortly before the half ended for throwing an elbow at the Cavs' Matthew Dellavedova after Dellavedova fell roughly into Horford's leg.

posted by rcade to basketball at 07:22 PM - 3 comments

Lightning Beat Rangers 2-0, Now Lead 3-2 in Series: The Tampa Bay Lightning shut out the New York Rangers 2-0 Sunday, taking a 3-2 series lead in the Eastern Conference Finals. Goaltender Ben Bishop had 26 saves. The Lightning's road win puts the team one victory from its first Stanley Cup Finals appearance since 2004. Steven Stamkos and Valtteri Filppula scored the only goals.

posted by rcade to hockey at 07:19 PM - 1 comment

Another Multiple-OT Goal Helps Blackhawks Tie Series with Ducks: After watching a 3-1 lead become a 4-3 deficit in 37 seconds during the third period, the Chicago Blackhawks rallied to tie the Anaheim Ducks and then won on an Antoine Vermette goal in double overtime. The Western finals are now tied at 2. The only faster three goals in NHL playoff history were scored in 23 seconds by the Toronto Maple Leafs over the Atlanta Flames. Chicago coach Joel Quenneville had an assist on the third Leafs goal.

posted by rcade to hockey at 09:46 AM - 4 comments

Golden State Routs Houston, Takes Commanding 3-0 Lead: Led by Stephen Curry's 40 points, the Golden State Warriors defeated the Houston Rockets 115-80 and now have a 3-0 lead in the Western Conference Finals. Curry has 59 threes this playoffs, a new NBA record, beating Reggie Miller in nine fewer games. Golden State is one win from its first trip to the NBA Finals since its 1975 championship, back when Rick Barry and Jamaal Wilkes won a sweep as underdogs over the Washington Bullets.

posted by rcade to basketball at 09:24 AM - 3 comments

May 23, 2015

Hall of Fame Harlem Globetrotter Marques Haynes Dies: Marques Haynes, the first Harlem Globetrotters player to be inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame, has died in Plano, Texas, at age 89. This New York Times story shows that Haynes was part of some historic moments in sports. He was playing for the Globetrotters when they beat the all-white Minneapolis Lakers and their star center George Mikan in 1948 and 1949, helping lead to basketball's integration. He also appeared with Jesse Owens at Olympic Stadium in 1951, 16 years after Owen's four gold medals showed up Hitler. "He got out of that helicopter, and there was an announcement: Jesse Owens has just arrived. Boy, that stadium went wild," Haynes recalled.

posted by rcade to basketball at 03:40 PM - 3 comments

May 22, 2015

Cavaliers Beat Hawks by 12, Lead Eastern Finals 2-0: LeBron James scored 30 points and the Cleveland Cavaliers took total command of the Eastern Conference Finals, beating the Atlanta Hawks on the road 94-82 and taking a 2-0 series lead. The Cavs didn't have Kyrie Irving but it didn't matter. "The Hawks looked totally outclassed for one of the few times all season," reported AP.

posted by rcade to basketball at 05:57 PM - 3 comments

Rangers Beat Lighting 5-1, Tie Eastern Finals at 2-2: Henrik Lundqvist made 38 saves and Rick Nash scored twice to help the New York Rangers defeat the Tampa Bay Lightning 5-1 in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals in Tampa. Lightning goalie Ben Bishop allowed 5 goals in two straight games for the first time since 2011.

posted by rcade to hockey at 05:53 PM - 0 comments

May 21, 2015

May 20, 2015

May 19, 2015

NFL Moves PAT Kicks Back to 15-Yard Line: The NFL changed a crucial rule for the 2015 season. Extra points are no longer going to be automatic: In 2015, instead of kicking an extra point from the two-yard line, teams will be forced to kick from the 15-yard line. And the defending team will be allowed to score two points if it grabs possession of the ball and takes it back the other way. According to Lindsay Jones of USA Today, only two teams voted against the new rule, which is only in effect for the 2015 season.

posted by rcade to football at 08:19 PM - 16 comments

Kraft Says Patriots Won't Appeal DeflateGate Punishment: New England Patriots owner Bob Kraft said today that he would "accept reluctantly" the NFL's decision to fine the team $1 million and revoke their 2016 first-round draft pick as a result of the investigation of the team's use of allegedly under inflated footballs. "Although I might disagree with what he decided, I do have respect for the commissioner and believe that he is doing what he believes is in the spirit of the best for the whole 32 [teams]," Kraft said

posted by rcade to football at 01:37 PM - 18 comments

May 18, 2015

SpoFi NBA Pick 'Em: Round Two results and Conference Finals Picks. Picks need to be in by 9:00 PM Eastern on Tuesday (tomorrow) before game 1 of the Rockets/Warriors tips off.

posted by Ufez Jones to basketball at 10:56 AM - 16 comments

May 17, 2015

Messi goal puts Barcelona past the post: Winning 1-0 over Atletico Madrid, last season's champions, at the Vincente Calderon, clinches the season title despite Real Madrid's 4-1 win today. This is their seventh title in ten years, with the Copa Del Rey and Champions League finals still to play.

posted by billsaysthis to soccer at 03:43 PM - 0 comments

May 16, 2015

May 15, 2015

NHL Playoff Pick 'Em, Round 3: The NHL conference finals begin Saturday at 1 p.m. Eastern. Pick the two teams that will advance out of their conference and the number of games each series will require: Anaheim vs. Chicago and New York vs Tampa Bay. One extra point on winning picks for getting the number of games right. More extra points: Pick this playoff round's top goal scorer, top power play goal scorer, most penalized player (in minutes) and goalie with the best save percentage (starters only).

posted by rcade to hockey at 10:22 AM - 16 comments

May 14, 2015

Corey Kluber Strikes Out 18 in 8, But Doesn't Pitch 9th: Cleveland Indians ace Corey Kluber had 18 strikeouts through eight innings last night against the St. Louis Cardinals, a performance ESPN's David Schoenfield suggests might have been "the greatest performance in major league history." He took a no-hitter into the seventh and was at 113 pitches with just one hit. He was two strikeouts from tying the record shared by Roger Clemens and Kerry Wood. But Brad Mills, who took Terry Francona's spot as manager after his ejection during the game, didn't send him out for the ninth. "Millsy knows what he's doing," Francona said afterwards.

posted by rcade to baseball at 10:10 AM - 2 comments

May 13, 2015

May 12, 2015

May 11, 2015

NFL Announces Punishment for Patriots' Deflated Balls: The NFL has issued its punishment for the DeflateGate scandal: Quarterback Tom Brady is suspended four four games, the New England Patriots are fined $1 million and will lose two draft picks (a 2016 first rounder and 2017 fourth rounder). Last year's second-round pick Jimmy Garoppolo is expected get the starting nod against the Pittsburgh Steelers when the season gets underway September 10.

posted by rcade to football at 05:42 PM - 108 comments

May 10, 2015

May 09, 2015

NFL Took Millions from U.S. Government to Salute the Troops: When the New York Jets paused to honor soldiers of the New Jersey Army National Guard at home games during the past four years, it was more than a heartfelt salute to the military -- it was also worth a good stack of taxpayer money, records show. The Department of Defense and the Jersey Guard paid the Jets a total of $377,000 from 2011 to 2014 for the salutes and other advertising, according to federal contracts. Overall, the Defense Department has paid 14 NFL teams $5.4 million during that time, of which $5.3 million was paid by the National Guard to 11 teams under similar contracts.

posted by rcade to football at 08:56 PM - 4 comments

May 08, 2015

Bill Simmons Out at ESPN: Bill Simmons will be leaving ESPN when his current contract expires in September, the network announced. "I've decided that I’m not going to renew his contract," said ESPN skipper John President. "We've been talking to Bill and his agent and it was clear we weren't going to get to the terms." Last year Simmons was suspended three weeks after calling NFL Commissioner John Goodell a liar and daring ESPN to fire him. Dare accepted.

posted by rcade to general at 02:03 PM - 7 comments

May 07, 2015

Dallas Cowboys Sign Undrafted Top Draft Prospect La'el Collins: The Dallas Cowboys have signed undrafted free agent La'el Collins, an LSU offensive lineman expected to be a top-15 pick in this year's draft until a story broke that Baton Rouge, Louisiana, police wanted to question him about the April 24 shooting death of his ex-girlfriend and the baby she was carrying, who died on May 1. Police have not called Collins a person of interest or a suspect. The baby's paternity was tested and Collins was not the father. "His situation ended up being a lot clearer this week than it was last week," Bryan Broaddus of DallasCowboys.com told Gannett Louisiana.

posted by rcade to football at 04:31 PM - 2 comments

The Cleveland Cavaliers catch heat for in-game promotional video.: The video features a couple re-enacting the final performance scene from Dirty Dancing; however after the male catches his girlfriend he proceeds to slam her into the ground when it's revealed she's wearing a Bulls t-shirt.

posted by Ufez Jones to culture at 01:40 PM - 4 comments

Yes, But Is It A Sport?: A landmark court case in Britain to judge whether Bridge is a sport or not. Significant lottery funding is at stake.

posted by owlhouse to culture at 05:11 AM - 4 comments

May 06, 2015

LeSean McCoy: Chip Kelly Got Rid of 'All the Good Black Players': LeSean McCoy on his former coach Chip Kelly: "You see how fast he got rid of all the good players. Especially all the good black players. He got rid of them the fastest. That's the truth. There's a reason. ... It's hard to explain with him. But there's a reason he got rid of all the black players -- the good ones -- like that."

posted by rcade to football at 05:35 PM - 4 comments

NFL Investigator: Patriots Probably Deflated Balls on Purpose: An NFL investigator's report has concluded that it is probable New England Patriots personnel intentionally deflated footballs after they were inspected for the AFC Championship Game and quarterback Tom Brady was generally aware it was happening. "we have concluded that, in connection with the AFC Championship Game, it is more probable than not that New England Patriots personnel participated in violations of the Playing Rules and were involved in a deliberate effort to circumvent the rules," reads the report by league-appointed attorney Ted Wells. The report implicates locker room attendant Jim McNally and equipment assistant John Jastremski and states "it is more probable than not that Tom Brady was at least generally aware" of what they were doing. Here's the full report.

posted by rcade to football at 01:39 PM - 62 comments

The Man Who Never Was, Or Who Was He?: The story of Clifford Grey and the gold medal winning 1928 and 1932 bobsled team.

posted by owlhouse to olympics at 05:07 AM - 1 comment

May 05, 2015

May 04, 2015

May 03, 2015

May 02, 2015

SpoFi NBA Playoff Pick 'Em: Round Two. First game tips off at 1 PM Eastern tomorrow, so hurry up and get your picks in.

posted by Ufez Jones to basketball at 11:23 PM - 12 comments

Relegation-Bound Blackpool's Fans Storm Field, Cancel Match: The fans in Blackpool invaded the field during the English Championship team's final game before relegation Saturday, calling for chairman Karl Oyston's ouster. The game had to be cancelled. Fans announced earlier they would begin their anti-Oyston protest at the statue of legendary Blackpool player Stan Mortensen outside their stadium. The team had the statue cut down on Tuesday, so all that remains is the base. Daniel Taylor of The Guardian writes of Oyston, "I couldn't say with absolute certainty that he is deliberately setting out to be regarded as the most unpleasant man in the business, but he is certainly making a good fist of it."

posted by rcade to soccer at 02:24 PM - 0 comments

May 01, 2015