Der Kaiser ist tot: Franz Beckenbauer, one of only three men to have won the World Cup as a player and manager, has died at the age of 78.

posted by scully to soccer at 01:16 PM - 4 comments

Brick-by-Brick Olymp... errr... Global Sporting Event: "Animated reconstructions of the best moments of the global sport event taking place in the UK from 27 July to 12 August 2012."

posted by scully to olympics at 12:09 PM - 1 comment

Steelers' Minority Owner Interested in Buying into Browns: The Cleveland Browns have spent much of their recent history likely feeling as if they have been owned by the Steelers ... Now, they might be bought by a member of the Steelers ownership group who is a self-described ardent Steelers fan.

posted by scully to football at 10:13 AM - 3 comments

Weaver Wonder Wins One for Woeful Angels: Before only 27,288 fans, local boy Jered Weaver helped the Angels forget their slow start by striking out nine and walking one in the first home no-hitter for the team since Nolan Ryan's in 1975.

posted by scully to baseball at 08:32 AM - 5 comments

Bayern Munich Earn Champions League Final with Victory over Real Madrid: Former Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho will miss a chance to face his old squad and Bayern Munich's Jupp Heynckes gets revenge on the team that fired him despite winning the Champion's League title in 1998. Bayern Munich goalkeeper, Manuel Neuer, played a major part, saving Real's first two penalties - from Ronaldo and Kaka. Sergio Ramos's missed effort is thought to be somewhere in low orbit. Bayern Munich will probably be favoured as the pre-selected "neutral" ground will in fact be their home stadium. Plus Chelsea will be without many starters due to accumulated yellow cards and the idiocy of their captain, John Terry.

posted by scully to soccer at 12:43 PM - 2 comments

Two Horses Put Down at 2012 Grand National: For the second consecutive year two horses have died at England's prestigious Grand National. Synchronised and According to Pete were destroyed after breaking legs. The RSPCA described the deaths as "totally unacceptable" and called for "an urgent examination" of the race.

posted by scully to other at 06:06 PM - 2 comments

Messi Nets 60th Goal of Season: Messi has scored 38 goals in La Liga this season, and 14 in the Champions League and now is 7 goals behind Gerd Muller's (Bayern Munich) 1972-73 campaign all-time record.

posted by scully to soccer at 10:18 AM - 2 comments

Baylor Lady Bears First to Go 40-0 in Winning Second National Title: Brittney Griner and Baylor dominated Notre Dame in the NCAA women's basketball championship on Tuesday night, winning 80-61, and capping a 40-0 season.

posted by scully to basketball at 10:28 AM - 1 comment

NASL All-Time Leading Scorer Giorgio Chinaglia Dead at 65: Mostly known as a big fish who played in little ponds over his career — and a legend in his own mind — Giorgio Chinaglia lit up the North American Soccer League in the late 70s and early 80s, playing along side legends such as Pele and Franz Beckenbauer, and scoring 242 goals in 252 NASL matches including playoffs.

posted by scully to soccer at 02:42 PM - 11 comments

Knicks Starting Point Guard Suffers Linjury: New York Knicks point guard, Jeremy Lin, will be out approximately six weeks with a small chronic meniscal tear in his left knee, missing the rest of the regular season.

posted by scully to basketball at 07:16 PM - 4 comments

Fabrice Muamba collapses on pitch during FA Cup match: "Tottenham's FA Cup game against Bolton Wanderers has been abandoned after Trotters midfielder Fabrice Muamba collapsed and stopped breathing."

posted by scully to soccer at 03:27 PM - 12 comments

Live Soccer for the Sightless: BBC Sport journalist attends the epic Swansea win over, then top of the table, Manchester City with his blind cousin — and wears a blindfold in an attempt to experience the match as a sight-impaired person would.

"Currently, only seven of the 20 Premier League clubs provide blind fans with a dedicated descriptive commentary provided by specialist commentators who describe what is happening, where the ball is, and what is happening off the ball, so they can react with the rest of the fans."

posted by scully to soccer at 07:52 PM - 0 comments

Messi Nets Five as Barça Reach Final Eight: Lionel Messi became the first player to score five goals in a Champions League fixture as Barcelona crushed Bayer Leverkusen 7-1 (10-2 agg) to cruise into the last eight.

posted by scully to soccer at 12:10 PM - 13 comments

Say it Ain'ts So: The NFL has announced that they are investigating reports that players and coaches for the New Orleans Saints paid into a pool that then rewarded players for such things as interceptions, fumble recoverys, as well as "knockouts" and "cart-offs." NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has "advised the Saints that he will hold proceedings to determine potential discipline against the team and the individuals involved, and confer with the players' union regarding the approriate [sic] punishment. That discipline could include fines, suspensions and the forfeiture of draft choices."

posted by scully to football at 04:16 PM - 25 comments

Steelers Release Hines Ward: In 14 seasons, all with the Steelers, Ward had 1,000 receptions for 12,083 yards and 85 touchdowns, all Steelers records. He was MVP of Super Bowl XL and made the Pro Bowl four times, more than any receiver in team history. According to a source close to Ward, the Steelers released him without even asking him to take a pay cut. On his Facebook page, Hines stated that he plans to play in the NFL this season.

posted by scully to football at 08:36 PM - 37 comments

Williams Late Try is Winner for Wales: Wales lifted the Triple Crown at Twickenham after a thrilling victory over England. Replacement Scott Williams was the hero as his sensational second-half try completed a dramatic Welsh comeback. With the scores tied at 12-12, the replacement centre ripped the ball off Courtney Lawes and regathered his own kick ahead to score the decisive try. In a thrilling finale, England wing David Strettle came within inches of scoring with the final play of the game, as the television official ruled he had not grounded the ball in the corner.

posted by scully to other at 01:29 PM - 3 comments

FA strips England captaincy from John Terry: In a statement, the FA said Terry would not "captain the England team until the allegations against him are resolved." While FA chairman David Bernstein has spoken to both John Terry and Fabio Capello to explain the facts to them, Capello has not been involved in the FA Board discussions. The BBC reports that as it understands things the majority view among FA board members was that Terry should be stood down.

posted by scully to soccer at 11:44 AM - 7 comments

Whether he retired or was fired, offensive coordinator Bruce Arians is officially no longer with the Pittsburgh Steelers: Despite a second straight 12-4 season, two 1,000 yard receivers, and a running game that averaged 4.4 yards per carry, Arians is out. Now the speculation begins about who will replace Ben Roethlisberger's favorite coach. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette sports writer, Gerry Dulac, writes that since running back coach Kirby Wilson was badly burned in a house fire earlier this month, he is unlikely to be able to take the position as had been expected. So will the Steelers look outside the organization for only the 3rd time since 1969 or will they promote from within? Perhaps current quarterback's coach Randy Fichtner?

posted by scully to football at 08:36 AM - 19 comments

When you Say Budweiser, you've said it all: Fifa General Secretary Jerome Valcke said the right to sell beer must be enshrined in a World Cup law the Brazilian Congress is considering. "Alcoholic drinks are part of the Fifa World Cup, so we're going to have them. Excuse me if I sound a bit arrogant but that's something we won't negotiate. The fact that we have the right to sell beer has to be a part of the law." There's no way that Budweiser being a major sponsor has anything to do with his position though, right? And what about the 2022 World Cup in Qatar?

posted by scully to soccer at 01:50 PM - 0 comments

Not for the Sheepish ... or is it?: New Zealand produces some of the world's best shearers and its national championship, the Golden Shears, receives substantial media coverage; but the IOC is unlikely to be persuaded that it should be an Olympic demonstration sport. [more inside]

posted by scully to olympics at 06:51 PM - 4 comments

Chris Coleman Possible Successor to Late Gary Speed: Chris Coleman, who recently resigned as manager of Greek side Larissa, is set to meet with the Football Association of Wales to discuss the opening left when former boss Gary Speed committed suicide last November. Coleman may be a favourite of the players as he has indicated that he would be open to keeping the staff that was in place, saying "If it ain't broke, you don't fix it." The only other known candidates are also Welsh, but have no managerial experience, leading many to think that Coleman is likely to be appointed.

posted by scully to soccer at 10:19 AM - 4 comments

Michael Irvin Champions Equality: Former Dallas Cowboys great Michael Irvin appears shirtless on the cover of this month's gay men's magazine Out and discusses his passion for equality issues. The former Cowboy wide receiver known more for his hands, motor mouth, flashy clothes and cocaine use says he will support any current player who decides to come out... "If anyone comes out in those top four major sports, I will absolutely support him. ... When a guy steps up and says, 'This is who I am,' I guarantee you I'll give him 100 percent support."

posted by scully to culture at 04:24 PM - 8 comments

Fear the Turgeon: University of Maryland director of athletics, Kevin Anderson, announced Monday that Mark Turgeon, who won back-to-back Big 12 Conference Coach of the Year honors at Texas A&M in 2010 and 2011, has been hired as the new men's basketball coach. Turgeon comes to College Park after directing Texas A&M to four consecutive appearances in the NCAA Tournament and posting a 97-40 record in four seasons with the Aggies. He is the only coach in Big 12 history with at least 24 victories in each of his four seasons.

posted by scully to basketball at 02:06 PM - 1 comment

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

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