The Foreign Invasion of the American Game.: Does that mean the NBA is favoring the foreign and white player? Depends on who you ask. "The brothers talk about this all the time," says Robert "Scoop" Jackson, editor at large for Slam and a contributing editor for the NBA's own Inside Stuff magazine. "The black cultural perspective is different on this one. From our perspective, the NBA is getting whiter, and not too many of the brothers like it." Jackson, choosing his words carefully, adds, "It's about comfort levels. The stockholders, the ticket buyers, the corporate sponsors are all white. You have to do something to appease the financial backers of the sport. It's deeper than blatantly getting the brothers out of the game. It's about money."

posted by srboisvert to basketball at 08:50 PM - 18 comments

MLBP orders a Mets fansite to shut down: for copyright violation and cybersquatting. Next all fans will be sued for copyright violation for wearing team shirts and hats. It is getting easier and easier to turn my back on Major League baseball.

posted by srboisvert to baseball at 11:00 AM - 3 comments

My most memorable baseball moments By Allen Barra: Major League Baseball has asked me to pick my 30 most memorable moments. I decided to hell with the "Major League Baseball" part. I'm going to pick my 30 most memorable baseball moments, period. Major League Baseball is welcome to keep the ones they like. This week, the first 10 off the top of my head: 30) Oct. 21, 2000, at Yankee Stadium. Bernie Williams catches a fly ball hit by somebody on the Mets. The play wasn't memorable; what's memorable is that Williams is Puerto Rican, and the catch caused Jennifer Lopez, who was seated about six rows in front of me, dressed in a bare midriff halter top, to stand up and yell something in Spanish. Trust me, no one who was there will ever forget it.

posted by srboisvert to baseball at 12:48 PM - 9 comments

Ted Williams was baseball's greatest hitter: Ted Williams, the last major league player to hit .400 for an entire season, who was also Joe DiMaggio's arch rival, John Glenn's wing man, and Boston's preeminent athlete of the 20th century, died Friday in Crystal River, Fla. He was 83.

posted by srboisvert to baseball at 12:19 PM - 10 comments

DiMaggio's streak a fraud?: Joe DiMaggio's 56-game hitting streak is said to be the mountain nobody can climb, the river nobody can swim, the door forever locked. And now come sad words for those who believe what DiMaggio did in 1941 is baseball's Holy Grail. C. David Stephan says the record is a fraud.

posted by srboisvert to baseball at 01:31 PM - 3 comments

Football tackle leads to an assault charge : A 13-year-old football player came hard at the opposing team's quarterback, tackling him from the side and knocking him to the ground. What happened immediately afterward is in question, but the quarterback's arm was broken and the boy who made the tackle is charged with second-degree assault.

posted by srboisvert to football at 04:27 PM - 2 comments

The $250 million skate punk. : From extreme sports to extreme payoff. How many pairs of vans can you buy with $10 Million?

posted by srboisvert to extreme at 02:39 PM - 0 comments

Why sports journalism sucks.: In fact, investigation with stories such as this is sometimes actively discouraged because sports editors don't want to kill the golden goose that gives them so much space and status. It's also much easier and more fun to celebrate than debunk. That's why, in part, sports reporters are often seen as second-raters - unserious journalists covering unserious events. It's also in part why, in quality papers especially, sports sections are seen as mostly simple-minded stats and scores, a necessary but not status part of the paper. The news bosses, whatever their Walter Mitty fantasies of playing center field, generally see sports as beneath them, and leave sports sections to their own devices.

posted by srboisvert to baseball at 12:43 PM - 4 comments

Yao Ming or Ow Ming? Which will it be?: Houston begins negotiations with the Chinese for Yao. Meanwhile, Wang ZhiZhi has dropped out of sight and blown off commitments to the Chinese national team in favour of NBA summer league play. So would you risk a first round pick on international negotiations with a government and league that can break an agreement with little or no legal recourse?

posted by srboisvert to basketball at 11:09 AM - 5 comments

Nader urges NBA to review officiating: Consumer advocate Ralph Nader and the League of Fans, a sports-industry watchdog, sent a letter to NBA Commissioner David Stern on Tuesday urging a review of the officiating in the aftermath of the "notorious" refereeing in Game 6 of the Western Conference finals between the Kings and the Lakers in L.A.

posted by srboisvert to basketball at 10:08 AM - 4 comments

Baseball's desperation grows - Sleepovers the latest attempt to lure fans.: On June 8-9, 250 people can watch a night-day doubleheader that begins with a game against the Montreal Expos followed by a movie, an overnight stay on the Comiskey Park outfield grass and a game the next afternoon. Seating, or rather, sleeping, room has almost run out for the $250 tickets. ''We tried to create a totally new and unique White Sox experience,'' says Rob Gallas, White Sox senior vice president of marketing and broadcasting

posted by srboisvert to baseball at 05:59 PM - 5 comments

Valentine: 'It will be very difficult for us to hit him': The New York Mets have been waiting for Roger Clemens to pitch -- and bat -- at Shea Stadium ever since he beaned Mike Piazza two years ago. It looks like they might get their chance when the New York Yankees visit in three weeks. But Mets manager Bobby Valentine is fearful that all the attention will make it hard for his team to get revenge. ''It means it will be very difficult for us to hit him in the neck because of all the buildup,'' Valentine said Saturday

posted by srboisvert to baseball at 10:50 PM - 2 comments

‘I’m not gay,’Mets’ Piazza says: Piazza’s sexual orientation became an issue Monday when the New York Post suggested Valentine’s remarks about gays in an upcoming magazine article could be a prelude to one of his players saying he is homosexual. The newspaper said that, "There is a persistent rumor around town that one Mets star who spends a lot of time with pretty models in clubs is actually gay and has started to think about declaring his sexual orientation." Looks like the rumor was accurate about everything but the gay part!

posted by srboisvert to baseball at 10:22 PM - 17 comments

Doctor: Hingis may be forced to stop playing: Hingis' mother, Melanie Molitor, confirmed that her daughter was undergoing tests in Zurich. She said the damage may have been caused by the shoes that Hingis wore for tennis from the age of 11 until three years ago.Thanks mom, for keeping my sponsors happy !

posted by srboisvert to tennis at 11:51 AM - 0 comments

Retired slugger says he plans to write tell-all book: A day after announcing his retirement from baseball, Jose Canseco told ESPN Radio's Dan Patrick on Tuesday that he plans to write a tell-all book that will "name names" about Major League Baseball regarding women, steroid use and more. Include a how-to chapter and it should sell like hotcakes!

posted by srboisvert to baseball at 10:13 AM - 1 comment

Canadian women defeat Americans in Ice Hockey: despite having 13 penalties called by an American referee. Canadian girls apparently kick ass even while shorthanded.

posted by srboisvert to other at 08:46 PM - 13 comments

Shaq's toe is getting better. : Allen Iverson's is not, nor is Cassel's . Jason Williams missed 8 games with ingrown toenails. Camby and Hakeem have had toe trouble as well. In a sport that has a synergistic and symbiotic relationship with the marketing and retailing of excessively expensive sneakers are these foot injuries a potential black eye? Some researchers claim that the shoes that some players wear can contribute to the injuries. Are the latest crop of shoes producing toe trouble?

posted by srboisvert to basketball at 12:06 PM - 2 comments