11/21/24
Recent Posts by insomnyuk
December 13, 2012
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
February 05, 2012
Giants edge Patriots 21 to 17: With just under a minute left the Patriots allowed the Giants to score a touchdown, and then in the final seconds the Pats failed to convert on a hail mary pass.
posted by insomnyuk to football at 10:13 PM - 122 comments
January 16, 2012
20 finalists selected for 2012 U.S. Olympics Men's Basketball Team: New additions from the 2008 gold winning team include Derrick Rose, Blake Griffin, Rudy Gay and Kevin Durant.
posted by insomnyuk to basketball at 09:33 PM - 0 comments
July 27, 2011
The Bengals refuse to trade Carson Palmer: the disenfranchised QB has threatened to retire unless he is traded away from the Bengals. Mike Brown, Bengals president and owner refuses to trade Palmer on "principle" and had the following to say about the situation- “Carson signed a contract. He made a commitment. He gave his word,” Brown said. “We relied on his word. We relied on his commitment. We expected him to perform here. He’s going to walk away from his commitment. We aren’t going to reward him for doing it.”
posted by insomnyuk to football at 10:22 AM - 13 comments
May 14, 2011
ESPN analyst and former Buffalo Sabre Matthew Barnaby arrested over domestic dispute: Pulling a Jay Mariotti, it looks like Matthew Barnaby will be spending at least one night in jail. Will ESPN continue to have him on the air after this?
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
June 09, 2010
Blackhawks defeat Flyers 4 to 3, win Lord Stanley's Cup: They did it in overtime on a goal from Patrick Kane, ending a 49 year hockey championship drought in Chicago. Oh, and the Hossa curse is broken as well, as Hossa had played on the losing teams in the last two years playoff finals with Pittsburgh and Detroit.
posted by insomnyuk to hockey at 11:20 PM - 39 comments
August 06, 2007
Does Bonds have a mechanical advantage?: Michael Witte provides a pretty interesting analysis of the possible impact of Barry Bonds' elbow armor apparatus, and how it might benefit his swing.
posted by insomnyuk to baseball at 04:24 PM - 31 comments
February 02, 2006
Ben Roethlisberger blogs the Super Bowl!: Blogging quarterbacks is definitely a movement I support. Yeah. Blog previously mentioned here, but this is some fresh content, and deserves a mention.
posted by insomnyuk to football at 03:21 AM - 12 comments
January 29, 2006
Carson Palmer blogs his recovery: "In terms of my injury, I will be completely ready for the 2006 NFL season and am anxious to get back out on the field with my teammates." He also talks about some details of the recovery process, urges the front office to resign John Kitna, and and avoids mention of how the injury happened. Though this blog is probably vetted by PR people, Palmer doesn't sound bitter, he sounds like a class act.
posted by insomnyuk to football at 08:32 PM - 8 comments
January 18, 2006
NBA brawl in the stands repeated: Or something else? New York Knick Antonio Davis ran into the stands during a game in Chicago, claiming his wife's safety was being threatened. Larry Brown supported him, immediately drawing a distinction between what happened last night and what happened that fateful day last year at the Palace, saying "That thing that happened in the stands had nothing to do with the two teams. That's a man concerned about his family." Regardless, this incident underscores the weak, often ineffective security at sports venues around the country.
posted by insomnyuk to basketball at 11:15 PM - 82 comments
July 02, 2004
Sad news:: Manute Bol, the NBA big man with a big heart, has been injured in a car accident (the cab driver died and Bol was somehow thrown from the car). Time and time again, he has put himself into humiliating circumstances, for public spectacle, to raise money for relief of his war-torn home country, the Sudan. This is truly sad news, but hopefully he will recover. Are there any charities he specifically supported? For more information on the human rights crisis occuring in the Sudan right now, check out Sudan: The Passion of the Present.
posted by insomnyuk to culture at 11:36 AM - 4 comments
June 27, 2004
Talk about incentive: If the Czechs win the European Championship, each player is guaranteed 160 litres of beer from a Czech brewery. This much brewed goodness is the average annual consumption per person in the Czech Republic. Oh, and their head coach is guaranteed a lifetime supply should they win. Looks like they are now one step closer. I, for one, prefer Pilsner Urquell. What's your favorite Czech brew?
posted by insomnyuk to culture at 10:28 PM - 16 comments
June 07, 2004
It is SO over. Lightning win.: Tampa bay has won in an unbelievable seven games. Brad Richards wins the Conn Smythe. Gelinas scored the goal that wasn't (in game 6). Will the controversy ever end? Dallas has won before, but what does it mean for hockey to have a team from Florida win? Finally, what do you think the odds of a lockout are now?
posted by insomnyuk to hockey at 09:57 PM - 55 comments
February 01, 2004
Did anyone: just see Janet Jackson's boob pop out during the half-time show? It looked like she has a ring on her right nipple.... Justin Timberlake grabbed it and it popped out, she looked down, shocked, and then they cut to commercial. It was weird.
posted by insomnyuk to football at 07:49 PM - 58 comments
July 02, 2003
What are the Ducks thinking?: After coming extremely close to winning it all, the Ducks decided not to make qualifying offers to renew the contracts of Paul Kariya and Adam Oates, meaning they will have to negotiate with them as unrestricted free agents, just like any other team. They claim they don't have the money, but the Ducks don't have a lot of high priced players (especially after dumping Selanne), and after their playoff run, they should have some more money, the average NHL team brings in 4 million dollars in revenue per playoff home game. They'll be giving up two brilliant passers, and one of the best faceoff men in the NHL (Oates). Regarding the claim that they don't have enough money, should revenue sharing be instituted in the league?
posted by insomnyuk to hockey at 10:10 AM - 8 comments
June 26, 2003
How do you grade the 2003 NBA draft?: Enter your own grades and see what others think. I give the Cavs a B. LeBron sure, but Jason Kapono? They could have got Lampe, 3" taller and with a greater upside. What's up with that? Orlando did well to get a 2-way guard in Reece Gaines, the Lakers got what they needed at forward in Brian Cook, and New York should have a very strong frontcourt in a few years thanks to Michael Sweetney and Macoej Lampe(who surprisingly fell to the second round due to contract buyout confusion thanks to the FIBA), I give the Knicks an A.
posted by insomnyuk to basketball at 11:52 PM - 10 comments
July 19, 2002
The Toronto Maple Leafs would have a great team,: if they were playing in 1996. Personally, I'm tired of the Leafs buying up and re-signing old, retiring players, especially of the European variety (I'll take a fighter and a grinder like Doug Gilmour or Gary Roberts over them any day). Since the draft, with all the trades, I give the Leafs a D-. The Red Wings, on the other hand have signed assistant coach Dave Lewis, and nabbed goalie Curtis Joseph. I'd give them a B, overall. What grade do you give your favorite team, in light of its recent transactions and roster shuffling?
posted by insomnyuk to hockey at 12:43 PM - 8 comments
June 25, 2002
If a tree falls in the woods, and no one is around, does it make a sound?: The same question could be asked about the NHL draft, which happened this weekend with little to no fan interest and minimal media coverage. Such is the fate of hockey, the least popular of the big four pro sports. Columbus picked Rick Nash, LW from the London Knights, number 1 in the draft. Probably more interesting is that Hasek is going to retire. Expect more interesting things to happen with trades, as the Red Wings shop for a new goaltender and coach, and the Leafs try to figure out what to do with Cujo.
posted by insomnyuk to hockey at 10:35 AM - 16 comments
May 31, 2002
"Once they saw us, it didn't matter. They recognized us anyway, and they were ruthless.: I've been around the league in playoff situations -- Los Angeles, Utah, Sacramento and Seattle. Fans are fanatic. I understand that. But this was different. This was a lot of hatred -- a lot of hatred. The biggest thing that bothered me was going after a 3-year-old." -Joumana Kidd, on the vile behavior of some Boston fans in Game 4. To be fair, some Nets fans did something equally horrible, holding a sign in Game 5 which read: "Will Somebody Stab Paul Pierce?" (In case you didn't know, Pierce was almost fatally stabbed in a night club about a year ago) And what was with the crazed, beer swilling Carolina woman who was berating Maple Leaf Corey Cross while he was in the penalty box during that playoff's Game 5?
The first two examples border on criminal intimidation, in my opinion. I know where I go to watch hockey, the ushers would never stand for the behavior in Boston, New Jersey, or Carolina. Shouldn't these venues hold their fans to a higher standard than this? And just what the hell is wrong with these goon fans?
posted by insomnyuk to culture at 12:21 PM - 11 comments
March 21, 2002
IU WINS! IU WINS!: For the first time in years, IU is proceeding to the Elite 8, knocking down the number one team in the country. The last time Indiana beat Duke in the tournament in 1987, they went all the way. Could it happen again?
posted by insomnyuk to basketball at 08:45 PM - 17 comments
February 09, 2002
The 'Miracle on Ice' team: lit the Olympic torch last night, and wouldn't it be fitting if Team USA won the gold this time around? Who do you think is going to win it all? Slovakia could be the dark horse (perhaps garnering a bronze) if they manage to get past the qualifiers, but I think Canada has fielded the strongest team, under the leadership of two of the greatest athletes in the game, Wayne Gretzky (manager) and Mario Lemieux (team captain).
posted by insomnyuk to hockey at 06:56 PM - 7 comments
February 02, 2002
NFLers get scammed.: In the press release for that story, U.S. News mentions that in the last three years, 78 players have been scammed for 42 million dollars. Next year the NFL will pay $2.5 billion in salary, and the NFLPA is looking to institute background checks on all financial advisors. Somehow I don't think this will stop people from targeting young, impressionable athletes who are making millions...
posted by insomnyuk to football at 01:13 PM - 0 comments