Flyers cut the Barber.: Bill Barber is gone and the players want to get their parting shots in. That would be 5 coaches fired in 6 years under Clarkie. He must have dirty pictures of team owner, Mr. Ed Sninder. When will the blame be placed on the players or the GM, because the owner can't be wrong because he pays the bills? The system, the smishtem!!!

posted by gov to hockey at 08:21 PM - 2 comments

Instant Replay In the NBA?: It's an ESPN link but the idea of more stoppages during a b-ball game sends shudders down my spine. If there was a way to make me watch less pro basketball this would be it.

posted by jeremias to basketball at 08:12 AM - 5 comments

Remember the ABA: I found this great site about the American Basketball Association. One of my favorite parts is When Big Hair Ruled the ABA.

posted by dgeiser13 to basketball at 10:27 PM - 2 comments

Derek Freakin' Lowe pitched a no-hitter for the Red Sox! : Despite- or because of- his period as a frighteningly inconsistent reliever the past two years, this season Lowe was put into the Boston rotation as a starter. So far the results have been wonderful: 4-1, 2.04 ERA. He came within six outs of a no-hitter in his first start this season (shades of Hideo Nomo from last year), and he finished the job today against the Devil Rays, pitching the first no-hitter at Fenway since 1965. The last couple of days have seen an unusual number of near misses on no-hitter and perfect game bids, but today someone went the distance. In related news, the Boston Sports Guy just went into cardiac arrest.

posted by hincandenza to baseball at 03:42 PM - 3 comments

The Man Show with balls: Salon reviews The Best Damn Sports Show, Period and calls it Fox's answer to SportsCenter. Isn't there room in your heart for both?

posted by kirkaracha to culture at 01:55 PM - 5 comments

Flyers gone...is the GM next?: Will this be the end of Bob Clarke's "reign of error"? He's run out of excuses (Lindros, injuries, coach, goalie) and the franchise has been embarassed for the 5th year in a row.
Okay. No more hockey posts from me until the finals or something major happens.

posted by grum@work to hockey at 10:12 AM - 7 comments

Longsnap.com: is the site we've all been waiting for. A website about those unsung heroes of football (or the turkeys who screw up) - the long snapper. Make sure you check out the "week in the life" feature...

posted by owillis to football at 04:13 PM - 2 comments

Drew Bledsoe thanks Patriots fans in full-page ad : that ran in the Boston Globe today, thanking the fans for supporting him during his career as a Patriot. Now, maybe it's just a carefully thought out p.r. move, and if all athletes (this means you, A-Rod) did this is would quickly become just an expected cornball routine, but still- it's an awfully nice gesture, and I hope the New England fans remember that on December 8th.

posted by hincandenza to football at 01:47 PM - 4 comments

NCAA rule changes favor high-schoolers.: They're going to let high school players enter the NBA draft and retain their eligibility. Which makes a little more sense than the old "Gotcha" rules they used to have. Even more interesting proposals were tabled.

posted by pastepotpete to basketball at 09:23 AM - 4 comments

Broken nose, broken cheekbone and a concussion.: Richard Zednik suffers this at the "hands" of Kyle McLaren as a result of a vicious clothesline/elbow when the game was out of hand. The Montreal coach Michel Therrien has decided to take the low road and said that if the Bruins are targetting his stars, "We'll go after theirs."
What used to be the best playoff series on TV has suddenly turned very ugly. And I have a feeling that it's going to get worse before it gets better.

posted by grum@work to hockey at 06:59 AM - 49 comments

Bud Selig is a mental midget.: I just wanted to say that out loud. Here's Bud commenting on Minnesota and Montreal's winning ways. "The fact of the matter that they're winning on the field doesn't solve their problems," he said. Can't argue with that, I'd say their biggest problem is that the commissioner of baseball is trying to render them defunct.

posted by pastepotpete to baseball at 12:14 AM - 0 comments

All of Albert Belle's bats were corked,: says Omar Vizquel in his newly released autobiography. OK, so the truth is out, and there's no big surprise, but I've got to ask... just why does Omar Vizquel have an autobiography? Aren't these books usually written by extremely popular/controversial retired players?

posted by Bernreuther to baseball at 12:16 PM - 6 comments

Major Project?: The Patriots signed my favorite player. That's the good news. Bad news inside.

posted by pastepotpete to football at 07:12 PM - 5 comments

Welcome to Winnersville: On Sunday the Celtics and Bruins won playoff games over longtime rivals, the Red Sox swept the Royals, and the Patriots traded Drue Bledsoe. Is this the best day ever for New England sports?

posted by kirkaracha to culture at 05:55 PM - 16 comments

The newest trend in game-used sports jersey collecting: undressing the players.

posted by rcade to general at 12:55 PM - 2 comments

Milton Bradley boozes up and riots.: "Can I get an officer in here to remove a drunk who's just pitching cookies all over the place?" a Dianna's Deli waitress said in a call to police early Monday. (via Obscure Store.)

posted by moz to baseball at 12:36 PM - 6 comments

The end of the NFL draft marks one of my favorite sports traditions: the selection of Mr. Irrelevant. As described on CBS Sportsline, since 1976, the last pick in the draft has received the Lowsman Trophy and a week-long celebration in Newport Beach, Calif. This year's winner: UNLV lineman Ahmad Miller.

posted by rcade to football at 08:36 AM - 1 comment

Three weeks into the season and look who's in 1st Place.: That's right, the Twins and les Expos. Not exactly the plan Budlite and Co. dreamed up. It's a long season and no one expects life to imitate Disney. Can you contract two winning teams, or are we going to have to buy a team?

posted by hysdavid to baseball at 04:57 PM - 4 comments

Scuderia Ferrari-Schumacher.: Michael Schumacher has been offered a contract for life by Ferrari. "I recently spoke to the president of Ferrari, Luca Di Montezomolo, who more or less offered me a contract for life," Schumacher said. "He (Di Montezomolo) told me, 'if you want to drive until you are 100 years old, then drive till you're 100 years old'. After I finish my driving career I will continue to work for Ferrari, but everything's working to perfection at the moment that I have very little effort to make so I think I'll be able to stay focused on my job a while yet."

posted by riffola to other at 08:55 PM - 0 comments

LaVar Arrington, Jessie Armstead and now Jeremiah Trotter joins the Redskins linebacker corps. The Danny also covets Joey Harrington, so draft day may be interesting.

posted by owillis to football at 11:25 PM - 1 comment

NBA Rigging the Playoff Schedule?: Two different columnists (The link here is to NESN.com, and ESPN.com's SportsGuy did it too...) have pretty much claimed that the NBA gave the Sixers-Celtics series more off days than any other in the East because David Stern wants Philly to advance.

Meanwhile, last year Ray Allen pretty much said that the league "wanted" Philly in the Finals. And then there's the Western Conference Game 7 in 1993 in which the Suns went to the line like 60 times, and according to George Karl, Barkley had allegedly already shot a Jordan-Barkley finals spot for NBC. Calling Vince McMahon...

posted by Conquistador to basketball at 05:01 PM - 1 comment

NBA playoff predictions?

posted by catatonic to basketball at 01:14 PM - 3 comments

Brewers fire manager Davey Lopes, record win over division leaders the same day.: I know they're in the cellar, and noone really pays attention to the Brewers anyway, and the firing wasn't a surprise considering their abysmal start to the season, but I still hate it when this happens. Call me a big ole softy. This softened the blow a bit, though.

posted by evixir to baseball at 12:25 AM - 2 comments

Chuck Finley walks onto field; White Sox employee notices, plays song from Whitesnake; has ass thrown onto sidewalk.

posted by moz to baseball at 01:07 PM - 9 comments

Condoleezza Rice's Dream Job: Commissioner: ~ The New York Times has an interesting article on Condoleezza Rice's interest in being the NFL comissioner someday. (via SPORTSbyBROOKS)

posted by dgeiser13 to football at 12:10 PM - 1 comment

Rocker Sent to Minors by Rangers: "John Rocker and his troubled career are headed to the minor leagues. The left-hander was optioned to the minors early Wednesday, hours after he blew a save for the Texas Rangers in the 10th inning against the Anaheim Angels." "It's a disappointment for him," Rocker's agent, Joe Sambito, said.

posted by RGarraud to baseball at 10:36 AM - 2 comments

Rob Neyer's new page at ESPN.COM : is up and running with links to each day's column, a "Link of the Week" and a section titled "Quick Hits" which more or less resembles, well, a blog. As a Neyer fan, I think the new format suits him well. I'm also glad to see him getting a more open-ended platform, since his personal homepage is no longer frequently updated.

posted by Prince Valium to baseball at 11:27 AM - 1 comment

NBA playoffs well underway? : Wow, I must have slept longer than I thought last night. According to NBA.com, the Celtics beat the Hornets 3-0, the Nets are up 2 games to 1 over the Raptors, the Bucks are surprising the Pistons 2 to 1, and the Sixers are beating the Magic 2 to 1. Meanwhile, in the West, the Lakers swept the Blazers, the Kings are up on Utah 2 games to 1, the Sonics are upsetting the Spurs 2 to 1, and the Mavs have the Wolves under control -- also 2 to 1.

This has gotta be some kind of test content (and I'm sure it'll be gone by tomorrow) but someone's going to be very embarassed about letting it slip out onto the site. It's not quite self-consistent -- one of the sidebars shows Charlotte beating the Bucks 4-2 to face Detroit in the Eastern Finals. Funny.

posted by Bryant to basketball at 02:44 AM - 6 comments

The NHL Playoffs are upon us : starting Wednesday, and nobody could have predicted some of these matchups when the season began. New Jersey looking up at Carolina in the standings? An unlikely Original Six matchup? "Phoenix" and "playoffs" uttered in the same sentence? Who's gonna win? Who isn't?

posted by Succa to hockey at 08:12 PM - 39 comments

No real underdog to cheer on; no regional rivalry, unless you think England stops at Zone 3 on the Tube; no fairytale progress to Cardiff: it's hard to see how the Arsenal - Chelsea FA Cup Final will fulfil its traditional role as the climax to the season. (Throw in the fact that the Premiership will be decided a week later, then the Champions' League, then the World Cup.) Has the 'magic of the cup' finally succumbed to the quality gap between the biggest clubs and the also-rans? Will we hear more about traffic jams on the M4 than the match itself?

posted by etagloh to soccer at 02:29 PM - 2 comments

Afghans will be able to watch the World Cup thanks to some Japanese Kids!: Great story...

posted by StarFucker to soccer at 10:15 AM - 0 comments

Tiger Woods successfully defends his title
Jack Nicklaus and Nick Faldo have some company in their ultra-exclusive fraternity. Tiger Woods cruised to his third green jacket -- and seventh major -- today, shooting a steely 71 at Augusta National to join Nicklaus (1965-66) and Faldo (1989-90) as the only repeat winners of the Masters. Tiger has certainly positioned himself as one of the best to ever play the game.

posted by RGarraud to golf at 05:43 PM - 5 comments

The Shark's Diary Entry.: On his website, Greg Norman talks about his Masters' first round and his relationship with Arnold Palmer. The strange thing is he tells a story that he thinks is funny about him drunk driving (5th paragraph from end). And in this story Lynne Truss thinks the shark was mocking Arnie yesterday.

posted by gov to golf at 06:08 PM - 0 comments

Gonzalez attempts to end Gumgate: "This was a runaway train that needed to be stopped."

posted by pastepotpete to baseball at 01:51 PM - 3 comments

This guy really likes Mickey Rivers.: Heck, I do too. Rivers was a colorful and quotable outfielder for several teams in the '70s and '80s. Bill James lists him as the 59th best centerfielder of all time. I don't know why but fan pages of things, you wouldn't be sure there were still fans of always cheers me up.

posted by pastepotpete to baseball at 01:42 PM - 1 comment

This is a great website about the Rangers farm system.

posted by pastepotpete to baseball at 12:52 PM - 2 comments

Bleacher-Bum Cone ready to start "Yankees Suck!" chant at Fenway...: Well, somehow I doubt it. Cone isn't picthing this year, but apparently he's been buying tickets. He was in the bleachers at Yankee Stadium last Friday, and apparently plans on sitting in the right-field stands at Fenway Saturday when the Yankees visit Boston.

What would you say to him if you we're in the bleachers with him? He did pitch for the Sox last year, but face it, this guy's a Yankee. Don't expect the Fenway crowd to start genuflecting or anything.

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

World Cup odds for England?: With Beckham's broken foot and the ever worrisome state of Michael Owen's health, how do you view England's odds in the World cup? After I saw them take apart Germany on German soil, I put them right up there. Now I'm not sure they'll be able to advance out of the group of death.

posted by trox to soccer at 10:08 AM - 10 comments

Too Much On Reid's Plate?!: While we can blame pretty much every participant that led to the split between Jeremiah Trotter and the Philadelphia Eagles, but one could lay the bulk of the blame on Head Coach/GM/VP/etc. Andy Reid. Andy "The GM" refused to speak with Trotter (presumably because of money) -- but if a player can't come to his coach for advice or to voice his opinion ... it looks like the Eagles front office may have some bigger issues to deal with...

posted by rosey8810 to football at 03:56 PM - 0 comments

Liverpool lose to Bayer Leverkusen...4-2. 4-3 on aggregate.: A minute after Gerard Houllier substituted Didi Hamann form Vladimir Smicer, Bayer Leverkusen scored. What was the reason for this?! And why didn't Michael Owen finish any of his 3 chances?! A disappointing match. Exciting as hell, but my team is now out of the Champion's League.

posted by StarFucker to soccer at 11:11 AM - 12 comments

Is Peter Angelos intentionally trying to field a bad team to keep baseball out of Washington?

"the Orioles apparently will put the most fan-repellent team possible on the field in Camden Yards so attendance will be as low as possible. Finally, after a lousy season, they'll poor-mouth: Please, don't put a team in D.C. You'll kill us."

posted by owillis to baseball at 11:06 PM - 10 comments

A tradition unlike any other...The Masters. : (yes, on CBS) I think this is going to be a very interesting edition of the spring classic, and I hope something unexpected happens. Here's what is expected, according to CNNSI/GolfOnline's Sal Johnson and ESPN.com's Greg Robertson. (see my take and add yours, inside)

posted by msacheson to golf at 06:54 PM - 16 comments

Ewing's last night at MSG?: Patrick Ewing is a shadow of his former self and isn't getting that ring he hoped for when he signed with the Magic, but he's still an NBA great, and I can't stand the Knicks. He plays what is likely his last game at Madison Square Garden tonight. Is he the best ever to not win an NBA Title? What would Charles Barkley say?

posted by Conquistador to basketball at 01:58 PM - 1 comment

Iverson a role model?: You 've come a long way baby. Dan Patrick talks about Vince Carter, and how the Raptors might be a better team without him, and also tells Carter he needs to watch Iverson in the playoffs to learn what heart is.

posted by jbou to basketball at 09:55 AM - 0 comments

MLB Active Player Search: : The official Major League Baseball site has a cool search engine for all of the active players for this season. I especially like the "diamond" graphic where you can select the team and see who they have available at each position. Enjoy!

posted by dgeiser13 to baseball at 07:04 PM - 2 comments

After the Tigers got off to an 0-for-6 start, manager Phil Garner and GM Randy Smith have been fired. Has there ever been an earlier April firing?

posted by rcade to baseball at 05:37 PM - 8 comments

7 months after being diagnosed with cancer, Saku Koivu returns on Tuesday night to the Montreal Canadiens lineup.

posted by skwm to hockey at 05:07 PM - 6 comments

Haters' websites: not just for prominent franchises or college sports programs like the New York Yankees or Notre Dame, but also for unpopular GMs and quarterbacks.

posted by jackhererra to general at 03:42 PM - 1 comment

Is Junior cursed?: He slips during a rundown, and is now out for 3-6 weeks. Will he ever live up to his full potential? How long before he is traded to the AL to becme a DH? If he is out for the year, will he ever reach 500 home runs?

posted by silent4lie to baseball at 11:35 AM - 6 comments

Kidd for MVP? How about The Truth, Paul Pierce?:
Hey, J-Kidd is the best point guard in the league, and a great MVP candidate, but how about Paul Pierce of the 45-32 Boston Celtics? This guy kills everybody, including the Nets (remember his 46-point second half in December?) and leads the NBA in points in the fourth quarter. He had 32 Sunday night against NJ and is third in the league with 26.5 PPG. Pierce is also good for 7 rebounds, 3 assists and almost 2 steals a night. And he shoots the three at just over 40%. People need to start including Pierce when they talk about Vince (Raps are 8-0 without him), T-Mac (disappears in the fourth) and Iverson...

And while we're at it, what about Jim O'Brien for Coach of the Year? If you think Kidd is the MVP than the Nets turnaround can't be solely attributed to Byron Scott. As this writer points out, O'Brien turned around essentially the same Celtics team. Scott dumped Marbury and added Kidd. No wonder they're better this year.

posted by Conquistador to basketball at 10:54 AM - 3 comments

Kidd for MVP?: Jason Kidd has helped the New Jersey Nets double last season's win total and put them in the playoffs. Who's your choice for MVP?

posted by kirkaracha to basketball at 04:00 PM - 8 comments

A timely day at the ballpark.: The San Francisco Chronicle’s Bruce Jenkins took a stopwatch to two major league games this week to test baseball's new timesaving rules (even though he already said it’s “destined for failure.” What should they do to speed up the game, or is it OK as is?

posted by kirkaracha to baseball at 03:38 PM - 1 comment

Jim Duqette is gone? : Peter Gammons writes: Condolences to the family of Jim Duquette, who died Tuesday morning. The longtime Dalton, Mass. schoolteacher's son, Jim, is the Mets' assistant GM, while his other son, Pat, is an assistant basketball coach at Boston College.

I can't find any information about this anywhere else - can you someone fill me in? Jim was rumored to be on the short list of GMs for the Red Sox.

posted by djacobs to baseball at 02:43 PM - 1 comment

"With an opening day payroll of $105,302,124 that ranks third in the majors, the 2002 Rangers will have to win at least 79 games to avoid unseating the 2001 Red Sox as the least cost-efficient team ever," writes Ken Daley, introducing a groovy new baseball stat: team payroll divided by the number of wins that year.

posted by rcade to baseball at 12:44 PM - 2 comments

"Minnesota exorcised the ghosts that have haunted its proud hockey program for the last 22 years by overcoming Maine, 4-3, in overtime Saturday to win the 2002 NCAA men's hockey championship." College hockey is the only sport I really enjoy watching, and Gopher hockey to Minnesota is like Nebraska football, Duke basketball, and English football all rolled in one. To have your school win the title in OT, and for our defensman Jordan Leopold to win the Hobey Baker award, this has been the best weekend of my short life.

posted by emoeby to hockey at 11:25 AM - 3 comments

GB Womens Underwater Hockey: "The game demands a high level of fitness, as you play without breathing." Sounds kinda Octopushy to me.

posted by kirkaracha to other at 12:11 PM - 0 comments

NAKED SOCCER!: Great reason to take up soccer folks! They should go a step further and make it Naked Midnight Drunken Soccer.... I am going to start a league in my hometown...a COED league....

posted by StarFucker to soccer at 09:25 AM - 1 comment

A used wad of gum spit out by Arizona Diamondbacks player Luis Gonzalez is up for auction at the Internet site NoContraction.Com. Current high bid: $500.

posted by rcade to baseball at 08:58 PM - 1 comment

Straight to DVD for a reason: It's not in the same rink as "Slap Shot," but "Slap Shot 2" doesn't stink as bad as the 2001-02 Florida Panthers. There are two Bobby Orr punchlines, the Hanson Brothers, and an adequate cast of characters. This wasn't even to close to watching "Mad Love." You won't light yourself on fire and run around the neighborhood to alert friends NOT to rent the DVD. I, for one, will rent this movie, since I have seen the first more times than I have had a hot meal. My favorite sports commentator takes a look at the sequel.

posted by adampsyche to hockey at 12:38 PM - 5 comments

He's bac- er, check that; He's gone. : MJ's out for the season now with that knee injury, putting the last coffin in the nail of the Wizards coulda-been season. He says he plans to play again next season if he's able, but more importantly: did this season accomplish anything for the future of the Wizards franchise?

posted by hincandenza to basketball at 08:06 PM - 5 comments

Carr WILL be the #1 Pick.: Houston does away with the usual posturing and "maybes". Perhaps now we can make it through the first round in a reasonable amount of time instead of waiting on the stupid "clock" when teams have already made their choices? Nah.

posted by owillis to football at 01:26 PM - 5 comments

Fantastic football fools.: Some great soccer April fools jokes. Were there any good pranks in other sports?

posted by Ben to soccer at 12:59 PM - 1 comment

Celebriducks: —rubber duckies with the faces of celebrities or athletes—are the next bobblehead, according to ESPN's Page 2. I dunno, they're pretty disturbing.

posted by kirkaracha to culture at 12:49 PM - 3 comments

Think filing your taxes is tough? Imagine being a PGA TOUR player who has earned money in 15 states and has a 12-inch stack of forms to fill out.

posted by msacheson to golf at 11:39 AM - 3 comments

Jeff van Gundy to coach the WNBA's Washington Mystics, : an alarming development if I've ever heard one. The thought of van Gundy attaching himself to Rebecca Lobo's leg when she tussles with Chamique Holdsclaw just rates far too high on the potential comedy scale. The rumors that had him in Golden State or elsewhere next season seemed to make a bit more sense (or perhaps kicking Vince in the tail in Toronto?), but maybe he needs a year or two off in a lower-pressure environment.

posted by sashae to basketball at 01:15 AM - 6 comments

It seems increasingly clear that Rickey Henderson is going to be the first active player in baseball history to die of old age.: Rickey just wasn't content to retire last year having reached the milestones of 3000 hits and career records for walks and runs scored and go into Cooperstown in 2006 playing third-fiddle behind Cal Ripken and Tony Gwynn. Now he might as well try to play for all 30 teams, says ESPN's Ray Ratto.

posted by msacheson to baseball at 12:22 PM - 11 comments

Maryland wins.: Terps defeat Hoosiers to win national championship.

posted by kirkaracha to basketball at 11:10 PM - 12 comments

Now that the Red Wings have clinched the Presidents' Trophy and home ice throughout the playoffs, should they be forced to put their best team on the ice the rest of the season? Many of their concluding games are against teams jockeying for playoff position or fighting just to make the playoffs. The NHL says the team can rest players "within reason", but I think the Wings have earned the right to sit out anyone and everyone they want (irrespective of the league's ambiguous "reasonableness" standard) in order to get rested and ready for the playoffs. Any thoughts?

posted by holden to hockey at 06:36 PM - 12 comments