A Sterling Deposition: If you don't think LA Clippers owner Donald Sterling desrves his reputation as cheap and manipulative, read these amazing excerpts from a deposition he recently gave.

posted by rl55z to basketball at 08:00 PM - 2 comments

Lebron James was declared ineligible: by the Ohio High School Athletic Association for accepting two authentic throw-back jerseys once worn by Hall of Fame football star Gale Sayers and basketball great Wes Unseld, which were together valued at $845. James posed for photographs, which were hung in the store, in compensation. As of today LJ is ineligible, and he can of course appeal the decision, but this has some wider implications in high school athletics. Lebron was making all this money for his school and now he gets a gift, getting a small cash-in for all he has done for his school, and he gets this. Now it is obvious that he did violate the rule, and I think that if that is the rule, then it should be enforced, but maybe in the future rules like these might need to be looked into, so that high school phenom’s can get some cash for their work. Also of note is that the McDonalds High School All American Game is to be held in Cleveland this year, and we can all figure out why it will be there, but if Lebron is ineligible, then he is no longer a high school player, and he can not participate.

posted by Niche to basketball at 06:19 PM - 12 comments

The cricket world cup: starts very soon and I am sure we are all agog. Well if we can have chess why not cricket, at least it involves a bit of running about. It promises to be a peaceful and harmonious tournament. The Guardian has a cool game The Telegraph has a fantasy game , as does The Times I believe it is morally dubious to support an event at which your country will be humiliated, so intend to boycott it.

posted by Fat Buddha to other at 04:31 PM - 0 comments

Playing short-handed:: What do you think about the Seton Hall sixth man incident from the other night? Turns out Seton Hall's basketball team finished regulation play of its eventual overtime victory over Georgetown by using six players. And nobody noticed! Isn't this what scorekeepers are supposed to do?

posted by Vek to basketball at 01:35 PM - 5 comments

Can chess be exciting? Damn right it can be. Garry Kasparov and Deep Junior, the latest iteration in high powered chess playing machines, are tied at 1.5 points each after Deep Junior seized the moment to rally for a victory in Game Three. These vivid descriptions of the match make it as compelling an armchair sport as any, in my opinion. I believe that something will be lost from the game when Man can no longer beat Machine, but in their current state there are still some tactics where Man is far superior. Links via Robot Wisdom. Oh, and THIS is an excellent movie.

posted by vito90 to other at 09:10 AM - 11 comments

Major League Baseball and Real Networks are teaming up to offer live video feeds of most games this season, according to the New York Times. They already have the top paid webcasting service with 200,000 Gameday Audio subscribers.

posted by rcade to baseball at 11:13 PM - 1 comment

Intermittent NHL Beat Report

(inside)

posted by Samsonov14 to hockey at 03:19 PM - 10 comments

This weeks sign of the apocalypse: Bill Walton is turning into Larry King. C'mon Bill, any of us could have written this column. Horrible!

posted by geekyguy to general at 10:58 AM - 8 comments

Moving to a new stadium dents team performance.: A statistician studied results of professional baseball, basketball and ice hockey games in the US between 1987 and 2000. He found that teams that moved stadiums lost on average 24% of their home advantage.

posted by werty to general at 03:00 PM - 2 comments

Colts player speaks out against teammates, coach.: "Peyton Manning must show more emotion, coach Tony Dungy is too nice and many players on the NFL team lack passion." The player? Kicker Mike Vanderjagt!

posted by werty to football at 12:31 PM - 9 comments

NBA All-Star reserves announced.: Karl Malone to miss his first all-star game since 1987. Jordan makes it to his 14th all-star game. [More Inside]

posted by Ufez Jones to basketball at 12:26 PM - 2 comments

Changes to Fenway? My God, that's like remodeling the Vatican! But this sounds pretty cool: bar-stool seats atop the Green Monster. (NYT link...couldn't find anything on it elsewhere, including Boston Globe and Red Sox site)

posted by msacheson to baseball at 10:00 AM - 8 comments

EPL Live!: Liverpool v Arsenal (live text - 8pm GMT/3pm EST): My team Liverpool hosts the defending champions and league leaders in a battle for supremacy. Or at least a place in the Champions League next season. Witness the game in full-text glory at the Guardian and get all your trash-talking inside ...

posted by worldcup2002 to soccer at 09:57 AM - 19 comments

The sad, sad saga : of Barret Robbins is coming to light as more info becomes available. The All-Pro center was booted off the Raiders team less than 24 hours before kickoff of the Super Bowl. The intial reason? He had missed a team meeting due to drinking in a bar in Tijuana before the game. But this story seems more Alonzo Spellman than Eugene Robinson. Hopefully Robbins will get the help he needs, although it probably won't come from his teammates.

posted by vito90 to football at 08:23 AM - 7 comments

Olympic laughingstock.: From the IHT: "More enduring than the Olympic flame is the seamy context of scandal, tooth-and-claw politicking and world-class mismanagement that finds the U.S. Olympic Committee bumbling its way toward the Games in Athens next year." Wow. Tell us how you really feel.

posted by worldcup2002 to other at 09:39 PM - 1 comment

"Hail to the, uh, team from Washington!" The Lincoln [Neb.] Journal-Star has joined the Minneapolis Star-Tribune in banning "Redskins" and other Native American team names and mascots from its pages. "When we're reporting on that team, we'll call it Washington, writes Editor Kathleen Rutledge."

posted by rcade to general at 08:20 PM - 7 comments

The right fit?: So the Broncos want Plummer. They drafted Tommy Maddox to be the heir of the irreplacable John Elway, only to trade him away to a team that makes Maddox a star. Rich Gannon gets passed like smelly cheese from 5 teams until he fits like a soft leather glove with the Raiders. Gannon becomes league MVP in the right program. Not necessarily asking just about the NFL, what makes a standout player the perfect fit? Coaching, teamwork, or something more ethereal?

posted by Wulfgar! to general at 06:47 PM - 5 comments

This is a stellar article: in my opinion. It's one man's eloquent defense of the Marinoviching of his son, and how he believes he made them into better people. Along the way he asks some pretty good questions, like is pushing your kid to be a baseball stud any worse than pushing them to be a biology stud or professional cellist? n.y. times magazine, registration required

posted by vito90 to culture at 02:37 PM - 5 comments

Man loses control of his cock, dies.: Be careful how you handle your cock. It could save your life.

posted by Samsonov14 to other at 01:44 PM - 5 comments

Kirkland is out for the season...now maybe Liverpool will win!: Jerzy Dudek is back between the sticks! Kirkland was hit hard and has some serious damage to his knee. Now if Gerard Houllier can drop Heskey, Murphy and Carragher...Liverpool can get their winning ways back and climb their way back up the table!! Arsenal should start worrying now.

posted by StarFucker to soccer at 06:53 PM - 18 comments

Hell freezes over!: Tampa Bay punked out Oakland today in Super Bowl XXXVII. Brad Johnson played a solid game, and Michael Pittman shined at running back as well. Meanwhile, Derrick Brooks and company ripped the vaunted Raiders offence apart. Who knows: one day the Bengals might actually win the Super Bowl themselves!

posted by jasonbondshow to football at 09:43 PM - 35 comments

In honor of today's Super Bowl, a few of the more unusual stories from hype week: the game will hurt the stock market, increase auto accidents, and should be followed by a relegation "Farewell Bowl".

posted by rcade to football at 03:23 PM - 4 comments

When I see this image,: I think just three words: Set as Wallpaper. Where are there more stunning football images on the Web?

posted by rabi to soccer at 07:49 PM - 9 comments

The swimsuit issue...: from National Geographic [via MetaFilter]

posted by kirkaracha to culture at 07:10 PM - 5 comments

Homophobia on the recruiting trail.: Washington Post article on an issue that always seems to be lurking just beneath the surface in women's college basketball - gay coaches and players - and how colleges play upon the fears of recruits and their parents.

posted by pitchblende to basketball at 02:12 PM - 3 comments

NHL intermittent beat report
(Three quick links inside)

posted by Samsonov14 to hockey at 12:51 PM - 4 comments

Annika Sorenstam to enter a men's PGA event?: Before you pooh-pooh it outright, peep this: "Fans of statistics as a measuring stick should note that the 5- foot-6, 150-pound (est.) Sorenstam's 2002 final driving- distance average of 265.6 yards would rank her only five yards behind Jose-Maria Olazabal and 7 1/2 yards ahead of Corey Pavin albeit right at the bottom of the PGA rankings. Her driving accuracy, the ace up her sleeve, would rank second at .803, while her greens in regulation (expected to drop on longer courses) would be tops among men, well ahead of Tiger Woods." Bobby Riggs redux? Does she have a chance on any given Thursday through Sunday? Personally, I'd like to see her go through Q school first, and if she qualifies she should get to play the Men's Tour.

posted by vito90 to golf at 08:42 AM - 20 comments

LeBron James won't play for the Cleveland Cavaliers because of the firing of John Lucas, a "source close to the team" told the Cleveland Plain-Dealer.

posted by rcade to basketball at 08:56 AM - 9 comments

"If the NBA’s Most Valuable Player award were handed out at midseason, my vote would go to point guard Steve Nash of the Mavericks," writes Matt Guokas. Not bad for a guy who only shows up in one top-10 list for statistical leaders -- Nash leads everyone in free throw percentage at .926.

posted by rcade to basketball at 08:51 AM - 4 comments

Pete Rose is offering to admit that he bet on baseball and meet Bud Selig's other demands for reinstatement, according to an unnamed friend quoted by Newsday. The move "likely paves the way for his entrance into the Hall of Fame next year, providing the voters can forgive quicker than he apologized," according to the paper.

posted by rcade to baseball at 07:40 PM - 24 comments

In a match lasting nearly five hours and entailling a whopping 83(!) games, Andy Roddick beat Younes El Aynaoui 4-6, 7-6, 4-6, 6-4, 21-19(!) to advance to the semis of the Australian Open. This match surpassed the previous record for games by ten and nearly reached the record for longest match ever (Boris Becker/Omar Camporese, 5 hrs 11 mins, 1991). Roddick now faces Rainer Schuettler, who played a mere 34 games in his quarterfinal, in the semis on Friday.

posted by Ufez Jones to tennis at 01:59 PM - 7 comments

Arena music sucks. : You know it, I know it, even my very un-hip father knows it? I guess the question to be asked is if there is anything that can be done about it. New music? No music? Crowds making their own music?

posted by 86 to general at 12:04 PM - 7 comments

The Ultimate Standings.: ESPN ranks each NFL, NBA, NHL and MLB franchise based on how well they return their fans' affection (and money). What it all means. [via MetaFilter]

posted by kirkaracha to culture at 06:31 PM - 3 comments

Live text: Worthington Cup semifinal 2nd leg: Liverpool v Sheffield Utd. (8pm GMT/3pm EST): In one hour, my team Liverpool will play for a place in the Worthington Cup final. They will need to draw confidence from their first Premiership win in twelve games, as they strive to overcome a 2-1 deficit against First Division upstarts Sheffield Utd.

posted by worldcup2002 to soccer at 01:11 PM - 18 comments

In an article for ESPN SportsNation, Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban explains how he turned a moribund franchise into one of the most well-supported teams in any sport. "I spend every day thinking about the Mavericks," he writes. "That includes time dreaming about the Mavs while sleeping, often waking up in the middle of the night multiple times to e-mail someone about a problem I solved with my eyes closed." (Via An Experiment in Scotch)

posted by rcade to basketball at 10:36 AM - 6 comments

Michelle Kwan wins her seventh national championship, : getting closer to "Michael Jordan of her sport" status. Sara Hughes looks like she's in it for the long haul too, so we'll see what their battles will produce and what kind of rivalry we're talking about here. But seven titles is really impressive. And fudge the motherfreaking Olympics.

posted by Justin Slotman to other at 08:39 AM - 2 comments

After being taunted during last night's game, Edmonton Oilers Coach Craig MacTavish ripped the tongue out of Harvey the Hound, the Calgary Flames' mascot, tossing it into the crowd.

posted by rcade to hockey at 08:35 AM - 8 comments

Is anyone paying attention to the Australian Open?: The first Grand Slam event of the year is well into its eight day. Men's no. 1 player (and Aussie) Leyton Hewitt was knocked out by 18th seed Younes el Aynaoui. Agassi rolls on. Kournikova loses again. Women players make funny faces. Oh, never mind.

posted by worldcup2002 to tennis at 06:36 PM - 6 comments

The Times Online Sporting Calendar : has all of 2003's scheduled sporting events in an amazing range of sports.

posted by kirkaracha to general at 12:01 PM - 0 comments

Arr Matey! It's the pirate bowl!: Raiders vs. Buccaneers. Eyepatch vs. Winking. #1 Offense vs. #1 Defense. MVP vs. Defensive Player of the Year. Gruden vs. "That Guy Who Took Over For Him." Al Davis vs. well, everybody. Al Michaels vs. babbling John Madden. Tastes great blonde vs. less filling brunette. Who takes it? Who reigns supreme? Arr arr arr!

posted by Stan Chin to football at 11:43 AM - 11 comments

EPL REPORT WEEK 23: Liverpool win! Heskey scores! [more inside]

posted by worldcup2002 to soccer at 11:07 AM - 5 comments

I present to you, Seattle Sonic's center, Predrag Drobnjak's website.

posted by corpse to basketball at 11:26 PM - 2 comments

SAILING: Alinghi win the LV Cup 5-1, America's Cup is next.: So much for Oracle winning the America's Cup and bringing it back to SF. :-(

posted by worldcup2002 to other at 10:41 PM - 4 comments

Redskins trying to change the rules.: The team from D.C. is trying to get worker's compensation laws modified in their favor, due to getting burned in the courts by a player recently. [more inside]

posted by bcb2k2 to football at 08:23 PM - 2 comments

Tampa Bay Site Fires Back.: The web trashing, started by Philadelphia Daily News' mocksite twinkiekilla.com and discussed here, continues with Red Tide News' mocksite the Philadelphia Daily Snooze.

posted by jacknose to football at 03:08 PM - 1 comment

In spite of his lack of coaching experience, Jack Del Rio has been hired to coach the Jacksonville Jaguars. "When you look a guy in the eye, and the chemistry is there, you know he's your guy," said team owner Wayne Weaver, clearly suffering from a mancrush.

posted by rcade to football at 11:09 AM - 2 comments

Yahoo! Sports has been redesigned to better compete with ESPN.com and CBS Sportsline: "Over the coming weeks, Yahoo will allow visitors to customize the page according to their preferred teams and leagues." (Via Brian D. Buck)

posted by rcade to general at 09:55 AM - 5 comments

The Dallas Stars have acquired one of those players you completely hate until he's on your team: Claude Lemieux.

posted by rcade to hockey at 12:13 PM - 9 comments

A man who gave us a few pretty good fights : is off to jail. Riddick Bowe fought a couple good wars with Evander Holyfield. But after his brief moment in the sun he couldn't seem to do too much right. Now he's off to jail for abduction. Wonder how well he can still defend himself?

posted by vito90 to boxing at 09:24 AM - 4 comments

SAILING: Alinghi one win away from LV Cup; America's Cup beckons.: Alinghi leads Oracle BMW Racing 4-1 going into race 6 this Sunday (barring bad weather). One more win and Alinghi will be crowned Louis Vuitton Cup champions, earning the right to challenge Team New Zealand next month for the America's Cup.

posted by worldcup2002 to other at 01:31 AM - 0 comments

In response to the effort by Martha Burk and the National Council of Women's Organizations to get females admitted to Augusta Country Club, a protest site has been launched: Show Burk Your Balls.

posted by rcade to golf at 11:21 AM - 2 comments

Gazza goes to China!: After attempting to sign up with virtually every club in the world, it looks like Paul Gascoigne's finally moving - to China.

posted by BigCalm to soccer at 03:11 AM - 1 comment

The FIA has radically changed: the Formula One regulations. [more inside]

posted by machaus to other at 03:35 PM - 3 comments

Even though he offered to take a salary cut, Steve Mariucci has been fired as the coach of the San Francisco 49ers. CNNSI ponders whether the move was related to an NFL-decreed moratorium on coach-for-draft-pick trades.

posted by rcade to football at 03:28 PM - 11 comments

Intermittent NHL Beat Report

(inside)

posted by Samsonov14 to hockey at 01:37 PM - 8 comments

The Canada Hockey Association is running a series of "Relax, it's just a game" ads to address the problem of psycho hockey parents. (Found on Teal Sunglasses.)

posted by rcade to hockey at 11:11 AM - 2 comments

Just a couple of more days until . . . Shaq vs. Ming. Shaq has apologized for his racially insensitive humor. In a scathing article about the hypocrisy of racism in sports, Irwin Tang (of AsianWeek) wrote: "Let’s not beat around the bush. If a white player had, for instance, made monkey sounds to taunt a black player, it would have been a national controversy. But Yao is Chinese and Asians are fair game. For evidence, watch TV for a couple of hours." Here's an NBA (anti-)Yao Ming Timeline. On the other side of Ming-life is YaoMingMania.com, a site that is "100% dedicated to Yao Ming's life in the NBA."

So who will come out the better man and center on Friday? Shaq or Ming?

posted by jacknose to basketball at 10:55 AM - 7 comments

The Philadelphia Daily News is upping the ante on pregame trash talk for Sunday's Eagles/Bucs clash -- they've published TwinkieKilla, a parody of Warren Sapp's QBKilla Web site.

posted by rcade to football at 10:54 AM - 6 comments

Kansas high school coach paddles his players.: Raytown South basketball coach Bud Lathrop has employed a wooden paddle to punish players during practice since the 1960s. This week he got a five-day suspension after he used the paddle on players in the presence of a newspaper reporter. Corporal punishment is outlawed by the school district. Six former players told the Kansas City Star that "the paddlings sometimes left red marks on their rears, but those went away after a few hours. Nobody reported knowing of anyone seriously hurt from the spankings."

posted by thescoop to basketball at 09:41 AM - 10 comments

SAILING: Alinghi one race away from Louis Vuitton Cup.: Looks like Oracle BMW Racing is on the edge of losing their bid to challenge for the America's Cup. Alinghi is 3-0 up after yesterday's races, and on their way to winning the Louis Vuitton Cup today.

posted by worldcup2002 to other at 09:26 AM - 2 comments

Marvin Lewis is the new head coach of the Cincinnati Bengals. "I could feel their enthusiasm for winning," said Lewis, who turned down a comparable multi-million dollar offer last month to coach Michigan State. Poor sap.

posted by rcade to football at 08:26 AM - 5 comments

1,686 yards, 27 touchdowns and a torn ACL,: is taking a chance on Willis McGahee just too risky? We just might be able to count on the Bangels.

posted by Bag Man to football at 11:59 PM - 13 comments

Mike Danton: is taking legal action against Devils GM Lou Lamoriello, apparently because he's unhappy with his ice time. He wants to be traded, released, or placed with an AHL team for two weeks so another organization can take a look at him. Isn't this the same guy who was suspended last month for not reporting to the Devil's own AHL affiliate, the River Rats? I just don't see how this is justifiable.

posted by Samsonov14 to hockey at 02:00 PM - 5 comments

"Well, OK. I think today's ass-whipping was definitive enough": Oakland's Lincoln Kennedy chimes in on yesterday's victory over the New York Jets. After a 10-10 first half, Oakland dominated in all phases of the game. Will it be enough to stop the Titans next week?

posted by patrickje to football at 01:00 PM - 2 comments

EPL REPORT WEEK 22: Arsenal stay five points clear with 4-0 drubbing of Birmingham. [much more inside]

posted by worldcup2002 to soccer at 11:59 AM - 8 comments

In High School, my pops gave me a 1979 Mustang II. : But then again my future earning prospects aren't as bright as some others. [This] SUV is outfitted with three televisions and a hookup for computer games. Three televisions in one car is just gauche if you ask me.

posted by vito90 to basketball at 07:47 AM - 10 comments

"You don't make that call in overtime and in a playoff game." : How about doing what it takes to win the game, and not blaming the refs when you fail?

posted by kirkaracha to football at 01:04 AM - 17 comments

SAILING: The contest to decide the America's Cup challenger begins in six hours.: The Louis Vuitton Cup final decides whether Oracle BMW Racing or Alinghi will challenge Team New Zealand for the America's Cup next month. Alinghi has already beaten Oracle 5-1 in this tournament (including a 4-0 sweep in the semifinals; Oracle got into the final by winning the "second-chance" repechage). But I want to see Oracle bring the America's Cup to San Francisco, so go Oracle!

posted by worldcup2002 to other at 12:33 PM - 3 comments

Two alternative sports mags. Elysian Fields Quarterly "features 96 pages of great writing on baseball from rookies and established veterans." Velovision covers "specialised bikes, cycling as transport and human power. It's a quarterly dose of cycle inspiration." Stumbled upon these in the back pages of Utne. Thoughts from anyone who's read these?

posted by worldcup2002 to culture at 12:10 PM - 2 comments

A sportswriting legend passes on : - Boston Globe columnist Will McDonough died last night at his home. A died while watching SportsCenter, appropriately enough. He will be missed by those of us who looked forward to reading his columns every week.

posted by mediaman to general at 08:12 AM - 4 comments

Raptors F Carter continues to lead East All-Star vote-getters. : Am I the only one pissed off by this? There's more to discuss here than Carter's "Grant Hill-ness". Yao Ming is beating Shaq by quite a bit. Is he rookie of the year, or just the blue plate special for now? Are we to the point yet to where the All-Star game is only a popularity/who is hyped the most by endorsements deal, or is there any legitimacy left (in any sport)?

posted by Ufez Jones to basketball at 12:12 AM - 12 comments

Alana Beard goes 16-30,: rest of the team goes 3-29, but Duke still wins. UConn (or is it Diana Taurasi?) wins a second tight one. Should be an exciting showdown on Feb. 1st for those of us who follow the women's game.

posted by tieguy to basketball at 10:09 PM - 0 comments

The designer should be shot, but ESPN.Com's new Daily Quickie is a great rundown of the sports news with a healthy dose of sarcasm and argumentative opinion. From yesterday: "After Kobe's performance, you need a forensic investigator to find the remaining traces of ex-record-holder Dennis Scott. They include DNA samples found in some crumpled-up fast-food wrappers and a few partial fingerprints on the passenger-side door of Shaq's Bentley."

posted by rcade to general at 03:53 PM - 2 comments

Mavs set to sign Frenchman: -- but, should they not tinker with the good thing they've got going now?

More importantly, who should be traded? What sorts of teams are looking to make a move? What are your local newspapers talking about?

What does your team need to make a playoff push?

posted by jmevius to basketball at 11:47 AM - 5 comments

They ain't the Ain'ts Shames no more:
I am known for being a fan of teams that choke and generally suck (and a bandwagon jumper, go Jets!), New Orleans Saints and the Calgary flames, here is a creepy insight into the mind of a Flames fan. The Shames are now unbeaten in 5 with our new coach. Basically all I want to say is (ala Phil Baroni), "YO, BUSTAMANTE! WE WANT OUR FUCXING CUP!/b>"

posted by kremb to hockey at 11:33 PM - 0 comments

Quilting? That's for sissies! Gimme my rod and reel!!: I hope I'm as active when I am 100 as this fly-fishin' centennarian. (Not much to say here, but I love a good "athletic elderly person" story.)

posted by Jaquandor to culture at 03:55 PM - 0 comments

LIVE! Worthington Cup Semi-Final (1st leg): Sheffield Utd. v Liverpool (live text: 8pm GMT/3pm EST): Liverpool journey to First Division Sheffield Utd, with a mind to avoiding an upset, and continuing their winning ways. Join the Guardian's Barry Glendenning as he makes fun of Emile Heskey and just about everyone else, including us.

posted by worldcup2002 to soccer at 01:36 PM - 2 comments

McBride Joins Everton!: I know this is a few days old, but no one else had posted it and I thought it was kind of important. McBride is the only US World Cup player (so far) to go to Europe...and this is only for 3 months. I know there is a whole debate about Landovan and Beasley either staying in MLS to help it or go to Europe to represent. I don't have a formulated opinion on it really...I just hope the MLS keeps getting bigger either way.

posted by StarFucker to soccer at 08:24 AM - 32 comments

The Ultimate Sports Road Trip: led two single Western, NY men to 121 teams, 102 venues, 49 cities and 4 sports. But wait, they are not done ... with new venues opening this year and a trip in the works to see the 2006 World Cup in Germany, the trip is looking more 'ultimate' as time goes on. Not every part of this experience has been favorable, visit their bad and the ugly stories of visits gone sour.

posted by jasonspaceman to culture at 07:56 AM - 6 comments

Eddie Murray and Gary Carter: gain entrance into Cooperstown. It's about time for Gary, he was always my second favorite player from the 80s. Congrats to both of them, well deserved.

posted by corpse to baseball at 03:03 PM - 10 comments

LIVE! FREE! NOW! Worthington Cup Semi-Final: Manchester Utd vs Blackburn Rovers (live text: 8pm GMT/3pm EST/noon PST).: The Guardian's Barry Glendenning provides more hilarious commentary as he takes the mickey out of this tie, the teams, and viewers. Email him and see if he'll post your message and even say something about SpoFi.

posted by worldcup2002 to soccer at 01:08 PM - 3 comments

We ain't hicks!: The governor of West Virginia was apparently not amused by the University of Virginia marching band's portrayal of his state's residents at halftime of the Continental Tire Bowl. The skit involved a ripoff of "The Bachelor," with the Mountaineer rep sporting "blue overalls, pigtails, a talent for square dancing and a dream to move to Beverly Hills, Calif. - a reference to The Beverly Hillbillies." Doesn't the Gov have anything better to do with his time?

posted by wfrazerjr to culture at 01:30 PM - 11 comments

FootballTransfers.info.: Transfer info from all divisions, all over the world. Includes this pictorial list of Team Bosman 02-03, Euro players who will go on free transfer in the summer, and can therefore start pre-contract talks with new clubs starting now.

posted by worldcup2002 to soccer at 12:15 PM - 1 comment

Don't know much about history.: Wow. The Falcons of all teams just ended the Packers' Lambeau playoff unbeaten streak. Let the passing the torch stories begin. Now, do these Falcons have a shot at upending a somewhat gimpy Donovan McNabb and the decidedly un-gimpy rest of the Eagles next week?

posted by trox to football at 09:56 AM - 13 comments

ESPN analyst Jim Donnan's in-game comment sums up the Fiesta Bowl: "It is really amazing that the national championship came down to five different fourth-down plays, the final one resulting in a win for OSU and a loss for Miami."

posted by rcade to football at 11:41 PM - 3 comments

[Friday Fun] 2002 Sports Images review.: Thanks to SFGate.com and KRON 4, we have some jaw-dropping sports pictures and video from 2002. My faves ... 1: Guy who carjacks judo students. (mpeg) 2: Anna Kournikova joins the Kabuki. 3: [better than Anna and a bag of chips!] World Champion footbag freestyler Carol Wedemeyer. (mpeg)

posted by worldcup2002 to culture at 03:33 PM - 8 comments

SAILING: Louis Vuitton action heats up ... in the wrong way.: With the LV Cup Final only a week away, New Zealand members of the Swiss Alinghi sailing team have received threatening letters from "patriotic groups" accusing them of betraying their country. "... (T)he letters warned that the group would damage team members’ property and inflict violence on their families. They said they had tracked the movements of children and other family members, and gave personal details about one crewmember." And Alinghi haven't even won the cup yet; they need to win four races against Oracle BMW Racing in order to contest Team New Zealand for the America's Cup.

posted by worldcup2002 to other at 02:45 PM - 2 comments

The 2003 World Junior Championship: is down to four teams. The Fins smoked the Slovaks (behind the play of Atlanta's Kari Lehtonen) and will face the as yet unstoppable Russians in the semifinals. Team USA eked out a 4-3 win against the Czechs and will face Canada. Both games take place today.
In other news, USA!USA!USA!

posted by Samsonov14 to hockey at 08:48 AM - 11 comments

"We had to tell our son that our baby was going to heaven instead.": Leeds and England defender Danny Mills speaks to the Guardian about the death of his third child. "Late complications ... meant our third child could not survive, would not be given the chance of life. But so advanced was the pregnancy, at beyond 4 months, that Lisa would still have to go through childbirth. Our baby would be born but we would have only minutes together."

posted by worldcup2002 to soccer at 02:52 PM - 4 comments

The Fiver: offers you its humerous Christmas awards.

posted by BigCalm to soccer at 10:40 AM - 4 comments

A newspaper columnist in Jacksonville has an interesting theory about Tom Coughlin's firing from the Jaguars -- he didn't realize that the NFL is show business. "Coughlin, whose public persona was angry, authoritarian and humorless, never seemed to get that he was an entertainer as well as a football coach," writes Charlie Patton.

posted by rcade to football at 10:11 PM - 3 comments

Matt Haughey's TicketStubs offers stories by people who saved a stub from a sporting event, concert, or other venue. One of the first offerings explains why Luke Seeman stuffed his pants with Oh Henry! bars before a 1999 Cubs-Giants game.

posted by rcade to general at 09:42 PM - 0 comments

EPL REPORT WEEK 20: 3-2 Arsenal squeaker over Chelsea, Gunners five points clear at the top. [much more inside]

posted by worldcup2002 to soccer at 05:18 PM - 5 comments

It's official: Jerry Jones has landed the Tuna.

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

Mini Motty.: With a full football programme today and the F. A cup at the weekend now is as good a time as any to download the mini motty. It will alert you whenever there is an incident involving one of your teams, and there is a cool keepy uppy game too. Happy New year one and all, even Starfucker, the fucker.

posted by Fat Buddha to soccer at 06:15 AM - 6 comments