Quarterback Drew Brees tell his mom to go long -- off a short pier: Brees, the signal caller for the New Orleans Saints, has asked his mother Mina to remove his photo from political ads she's running in a bid for a slot on Texas's 3rd Court of Appeals. Brees says their relationship is "nonexistent" after he refused to hire her as his agent six years ago.

posted by wfrazerjr to football at 06:03 PM - 45 comments

CFL Pick 'Em, Final Standings: Final-week scrubs make for some strange movement in the standings—but not where it counts.

posted by DrJohnEvans to fantasy at 12:46 PM - 12 comments

NBA Doesn't Monkey Around with Racial Heckler: An Orlando Magic season ticket holder has been banned from all NBA arenas for allegedly calling Dikembe Mutombo a "monkey" after Thursday's preseason game against the Houston Rockets. Hooman Hamzehloui, an Orlando real estate sales director, claims he didn't know that calling a black man a primate was racist. Hamzehloui, who hosted a Magic party the night before attended by several players, is still having trouble figuring this out. He told an Orlando Sentinel columnist, "If I said he looked like a chimpanzee or like a gorilla, none of this happens."

posted by rcade to basketball at 08:40 AM - 98 comments

40th Annual Terlingua International Championship Chili Cookoff: Ok, it's not a sport, but it is definitely competitive, fraught with controversy, and always a lot of fun. Interesting note: the only winner not from the USA in years past was a Canadien in 1995.

posted by mjkredliner to culture at 07:03 AM - 8 comments

"...........the sheikh was looking for a gift for his brother".........: just a little trinket; a trinket going by the name of Liverpool FC. The EPL is for sale, and no name is too grand to be bartered like cheap sombrero in a Tijuana market.

posted by Fat Buddha to soccer at 01:22 PM - 10 comments

Leave It to Buckner: This time, it’s no mistake: Twenty years after The Error, the unforgivable first baseman and his unlikely new friend Mookie Wilson are cashing in on Sox fans’ pain.

posted by justgary to baseball at 01:32 AM - 39 comments

In a year of ups and downs: The Tigers gave baseball fans in Detroit a year to remember. No matter the lingering bitterness of the finish, they were a team that deserves to be cherished.

posted by Ying Yang Mafia to baseball at 08:18 PM - 15 comments

Key to Hockey Goalie Success Discovered: Scientists in Canada have discovered the exact spots hockey goalies need to watch to successfully block shots. I can think of a few goalies that might need to read this...

posted by wingnut4life to hockey at 12:54 PM - 10 comments

Club orders Bulgarian player to get married: Litex Lovech have ordered striker Ivelin Popov to get married in the coming year in the hope it curtails his wild living. "My bosses are right to want such a thing from me because they know my temper." Is there something lost in the translation here or is this a recipe for disaster?

posted by Texan_lost_in_NY to soccer at 10:59 AM - 13 comments

Arnold "Red" Auerbach Dead at 89.: Legendary Boston Celtics' Coach, General Manager, Chairman of the Board, President, and all-around architect of some of the best teams in NBA history passed away Saturday night of an apparent heart attack. Said author John Feinstein, "I never thought he'd die." The Celtics, who announced his passing, have also dedicated the upcoming season to Auerbach.

posted by The_Black_Hand to basketball at 09:24 PM - 13 comments

For the first time in 12 years, the MotoGP season comes down to the final race.: Nicky Hayden had been atop the championship points board the entire season until two weeks ago. That's when his own teammate, Dani Pedrosa, took him out on a corner during the second to the last race of the season. Now, Valentino Rossi is atop the leaderboard by 8 points. Hayden needs to win tomorrow's race and have Rossi finish no better than third to break Rossi's 5-year iron grip over the championship spot. If you have the Speed Channel on your dish/cable system, take an hour long break from the NFL action tomorrow afternoon and watch this race.

posted by NoMich to other at 07:51 PM - 6 comments

Think you were a good athlete in high school?: Think again.

posted by Ying Yang Mafia to general at 04:09 PM - 10 comments

Ex-heavyweight Berbick Dead.: Some news reports say he was slashed to death with either hatchet or a machete.

posted by commander cody to boxing at 02:08 PM - 36 comments

830!: .406, 61* (or 73, I suppose), 56, 100, 2,632... 830 joins the pantheon of great sports numbers.

posted by tieguy to other at 08:34 AM - 14 comments

Joe Niekro dies at the age of 61: Not as well know as his brother, Phil, Joe died of a brain aneurysm Friday.

posted by kidrayter2005 to baseball at 08:12 AM - 5 comments

2006 World Series Confidence Results: Congrats are in order for mkn who never really had to look over his shoulder in this inaugural SpoFi World Series Confidence Pool. Nice job by fritsy and mbd1 in their valiant attempts to catch him, but ultimately, his 7 points on St. Louis proved to be a bit too much for them. As for the Costanza Award, Yukon was in a same kind of boat as mkn; Yukon never really needed to look over his shoulder in his (southbound) boat.

posted by NoMich to fantasy at 07:46 AM - 13 comments

Fatal fall at Yosemite shocks climbing world: Skinner, a 47-year-old former rodeo cowboy and world-renowned rock climber, fell more than 500 feet to his death Monday after the nylon loop used to attach the climbing rope to his harness broke. The accident has sent shock waves through the climbing community, where Skinner's outgoing nature was almost as legendary as his courage and skill on some of the world's most dangerous rock faces.

posted by justgary to extreme at 03:27 AM - 16 comments

Derek Jeter wins American League Hank Aaron Award: as the best offensive performer in the Junior Circuit.

posted by justgary to baseball at 01:56 AM - 42 comments

World Series Pick 'Em Final Standings: Shows what we know.

posted by DrJohnEvans to fantasy at 11:41 PM - 8 comments

The rich tradition of baseball in the city of St. Louis, MO got a little richer tonight.: Congratulations to the St. Louis Cardinals for winning the 2006 World Series.

posted by NoMich to baseball at 10:35 PM - 71 comments

Tiger Woods to end his season early.: Tiger decides to skip the Tour Championship after a hectic stretch through the Ryder cup.

posted by dviking to golf at 09:25 PM - 11 comments

'The Catch' May Rise Again: A possible re-enactment of The Catch in observance of the 25th anniversary of the most famous play in 49ers history is in the works as part of alumni day activities at halftime of the Minnesota game Nov. 5 at Candlestick.

posted by irunfromclones to football at 07:25 PM - 9 comments

McKinney was Lakers' fall guy: My only recollections of Showtime had Pat Riley on the bench. I didn't realize what a sad series of events put him there. Quite a touching story.

posted by cybermac to basketball at 05:25 PM - 0 comments

NHL '94 Online.: How to get started. Cue nerdgasm. I'm out of commission for most of the next 48 hours, but I'd love to hear anyone's experience with this.

posted by Ufez Jones to hockey at 05:09 PM - 27 comments

Curt Schilling looks to Green Monster for his future: Acknowledging his major league career will most likely be over in the next couple of years, the BoSox pitcher has founded a company based on his true love: computer gaming.

posted by billsaysthis to baseball at 04:05 PM - 1 comment

The "Cancer Sucks" Ball Park Tour: Jeffrey Newbauer, Jr. succumbed on Wednesday to recurrent Alveolar Rhabdomyosarcoma. His battle was chronicled by his mother, and the family has vowed to continue the fight with ""NEWBEginnings," dedicated to taking children with cancer and their families out to the ballpark.

posted by BullpenPro to baseball at 01:06 PM - 6 comments

The Physics of the Goopball: Slate examines the reaction of a baseball pitch to various substances being applied to the ball. Also of note, pitchers don't really consider using pine tar to be cheating very much.

posted by fenriq to baseball at 12:54 PM - 7 comments

Dallas Cowboys Coach Smells a Rat: Assistant coach Todd Haley is suing a Dallas McDonald's, claiming his wife and the family's live-in baby sitter found a six-inch-long dead rat in a salad they took home, but not until after they began to eat it.

posted by rcade to football at 11:48 AM - 31 comments

Ball vs ball.: Mark Cuban gets the University of Texas at Arlington Physics department to drop some science on the differences between the NBA's new synthetic balls and their old leather balls.

posted by gspm to basketball at 11:24 AM - 9 comments

No compromise here!: Every year since 1998 (and a few years before that) Ireland and Australia have come together to play International Rules Football, which used to be called Compromise Rules, it is a mixture of Gaelic Football and Australian Football. (Wikipedia) But recently there have been more than a few complaints about this game, and whether or not it is of value to either footballing code, given that neither body of players can really demonstrate what their game is all about. The first match of this year's season is on tomorrow in Galway, Ireland. With the second and final match being played next week in Dublin. Both games look like being sell-outs

posted by Fence to other at 06:22 AM - 7 comments

Eckstein Plays Hero as Cardinals Lead 3-1: There goes my prediction of the Tigers in 6.

posted by commander cody to baseball at 12:07 AM - 42 comments

The Hoser's NFL Picks, Week Eight: NFL Picks that wonder if Madonna knows there are tons of adoptable babies in her hometown of Detroit.

posted by justgary to football at 01:35 PM - 21 comments

The Hoser's NFL Picks, Week Eight: NFL Picks that wonder if Madonna knows there are tons of adoptable babies in her hometown of Detroit.

posted by wfrazerjr to commentary at 12:50 PM - 0 comments

The only guns NBA players should have are these (kiss biceps now): With David Stern's announcement comes the chatter.

posted by gradys_kitchen to basketball at 09:01 AM - 33 comments

"So how did I become a tenacious player? Dirty jockstraps. Try it. You'll see."

posted by lilnemo to basketball at 02:00 PM - 5 comments

CFL Pick 'Em, Week 20: Last week of the season, and every single player is still in contention for either first or last place! Make your last-ditch picks inside.

posted by DrJohnEvans to fantasy at 10:56 AM - 24 comments

Carpenter and Cards take 2-1 lead in series

posted by commander cody to baseball at 12:14 AM - 61 comments

Wrong Turn.: SI catches up with the Chris Andersen, ten months after his two year suspension for using a "drug of abuse". He's cleaned his act up, and has plans on making a stab at getting back into the NBA after his suspension is over.

posted by Ufez Jones to basketball at 10:51 PM - 6 comments

The NFL to play two regular season games overseas.: Owners agreed today to play two games a year overseas.

posted by apoch to football at 09:05 PM - 63 comments

'Don't You Need at Least One Good Quarterback to Make a Controversy?': Fort Worth Star-Telegram columnist Gil LeBreton asks that question after Dallas Cowboys QBs combined for four interceptions -- no, wait, Tony Romo just threw another -- in the Monday night loss to the New York Giants. Romo entered last night's game "to a standing ovation and chants of 'Romo, Romo, Romo,'" according to the Associated Press. "The cheers didn't die down until his first pass was swatted by Michael Strahan and intercepted by Antonio Pierce."

posted by rcade to football at 12:07 PM - 68 comments

"I remember the blood pouring and the nanny screaming.": Paul McGrath will always be regarded as a hero here, and no doubt by English fans of certain teams. This is an interview with him in The Guardian about his new biography and his life of drinking. It's one sporting bio I intend to pick up.

posted by Fence to soccer at 09:29 AM - 4 comments

Spofi EPL FFL: Update through week 9. Old blood, new blood.

posted by gspm to fantasy at 08:00 AM - 28 comments

Reyes Reminds Us Of Baseball's Greatness: When Cardinals rookie righthander Anthony Reyes threw his first pitch, he became the official worst pitcher ever to start Game 1 for the unofficial worst team ever to play in a World Series.

posted by irunfromclones to baseball at 12:17 PM - 25 comments

I will survive: : or maybe not. What an ugly week for SpoFi's survival football league.

posted by lil_brown_bat to fantasy at 10:56 AM - 21 comments

mlb.com reports handshake labor deal: The primary issues have been increased revenue sharing and a competitive balance tax. If it goes through, this will be the first time ever a deal has been reached before the active collective bargaining agreement expired. Nobody is confirming anything yet, because the deal has to be written up and signed -- and if you're wondering why that takes so long, here's the most recent CBA [pdf].

posted by BullpenPro to baseball at 09:52 AM - 8 comments

Shawne Merriman suspended for steroids.: The four game suspension comes less than a week after the news of the Falcon's Matt Lehr and the Lion's Shaun Rogers receiving steroid suspensions.

posted by tron7 to football at 09:50 AM - 33 comments

Tigers Win 3-1 in World Series Game 2

posted by Joey Michaels to baseball at 10:41 PM - 134 comments

It's Time for me to Fly...er.: Philadelphia Flyers General Manager Bobby Clarke quits and coach Ken Hitchcock is fired after the Flyers' worst start since the 1989-90 season. What happened the last time the Flyers opened the season 1-6-1? Bobby Clarke was fired as GM.

posted by The_Black_Hand to hockey at 08:57 AM - 11 comments

Rust belt blues: Cardinal rookie pitcher Anthony Reyes comes up big, Tiger starter Justin Verlander comes up small, and Tiger hitting pretty much takes the night off as St. Louis takes game one of the 2006 World Series 7-2.

posted by justgary to baseball at 01:11 AM - 16 comments

NHL 2006-2007 Power Ranking Madness Oct. 2006: Skydivedad's Early Season Power Rankings.

posted by justgary to hockey at 12:31 AM - 13 comments

The future of online sports betting: With the government's new laws against gambling online a new group of sites are growing around the concept of "fantasy wagering"

posted by SDM to general at 06:38 PM - 6 comments

Spartans Complete Greatest Comeback Ever.: Michigan State comes back from 38-3 down to win in the greatest comeback in NCAA 1-A history.

posted by commander cody to football at 06:30 PM - 16 comments

NHL 2006-2007 Power Ranking Madness Oct. 2006: Skydivedad's Early Season Power Rankings.....

posted by skydivedad to commentary at 06:09 PM - 0 comments

A collection of Mike Tyson Quotes...: And a great profile of same by Joyce Carol Oates. Link found via Metafilter...Discussion thread

posted by vito90 to boxing at 02:51 AM - 22 comments

: "Ah, the Buccaneers. That reminds me of the days I trod the boards in Gilbert and Sullivan's 'Pirates of Penzance' at the Cape Cod Melody Tent. What a group of fearsome fancy lads we were: hats a-plume, swords gaily polished — and even we could beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. They suck. Take the Eagles." Sideshow Bob makes this weeks NFL picks.

posted by NoMich to football at 08:50 PM - 4 comments

Cards win the NL Pennant.

posted by Joey Michaels to baseball at 03:31 PM - 49 comments

The next big brand in sports?: "I looked at protective products on the market and thought this is a load of crap," Palmer says. "I thought I could do something better."

posted by MrFrisby to general at 02:29 PM - 6 comments

The Hoser's NFL Picks, Week Seven: NFL picks that don't understand how people can hate Kim Jung Il when he was so funny in "Team America: World Police".

posted by justgary to football at 12:58 PM - 9 comments

New England v. Bill Polian, Take 10: "The New England Patriots have formally asked the NFL to ensure the safety of Patriots employees when the team hosts the Indianapolis Colts and their explosive president at Gillette Stadium on Sunday night, Nov. 5."

posted by yerfatma to football at 11:27 AM - 11 comments

The Hoser's NFL Picks, Week Seven: NFL picks that don't understand how people can hate Kim Jung Il when he was so funny in "Team America: World Police".

posted by wfrazerjr to commentary at 11:14 AM - 0 comments

What do you get when you cross a goat and a babe?: No shot in hell.

posted by everett to baseball at 12:29 AM - 13 comments

World Series Pick 'Em: Like it says. Also, results from the LCS.

posted by DrJohnEvans to fantasy at 11:17 PM - 42 comments

Carpe the Per Diem: Before they got clobbered 63-9 by Clemson, Temple Owls' football players unanimously to donate their per diem checks, $1,500 in all, to the Fahmarr McElrathbey Trust Fund ... (mentioned in an earlier discussion).

posted by SummersEve to football at 01:12 PM - 27 comments

Henry wants wants rugby refs: Fans of football and rugby often point out the different ways that referees are treated by players. You'll rarely see a rugby team gathering around a ref in an intimidating way, as so often happens in soccer. But Thierry Henry points out that refs in soccer don't listen to players the way they do in rugby, and wants better communication.

posted by Fence to soccer at 03:44 AM - 11 comments

Favre angry that NFL turns its back on Robinson: "I don't like the way the league has, in my mind, turned their back on him," Favre said.

posted by wingnut4life to football at 03:40 AM - 74 comments

CFL - Week 19 Preview: Apoch breaks down the matchups.

posted by justgary to football at 12:27 AM - 1 comment

University of Oklahoma to honor first Black Sooner in this Saturday's game.: The Sooners have received permission from the NCAA and the University of Colorado, who travels to Norman this Saturday, to paint the 38 yard line of their field to honor Prentice Gautt, marking the 50th Anniversary of his debut. (more inside)

posted by Ufez Jones to football at 06:09 PM - 6 comments

Government doubts threat on NFL stadiums: A Web site is claiming that seven NFL football stadiums will be hit with radiological dirty bombs this weekend, but the government on Wednesday expressed doubts about the threat. It mentioned NFL stadiums in New York, Miami, Atlanta, Seattle, Houston, Oakland and Cleveland, where games are scheduled for this weekend.

posted by irunfromclones to football at 05:43 PM - 51 comments

CFL Pick 'Em, Week 19: Two weeks, seven games, twenty-one points left up for grabs. Make your picks inside!

posted by DrJohnEvans to fantasy at 03:44 PM - 14 comments

CFL Week 19: Statistical breakdown of the week 19 CFL matchups

posted by apoch to commentary at 12:55 PM - 0 comments

Joe Frazier is still fighting Ali, three decades later.:

Over the years, Frazier has lost a fortune through a combination of his own generosity and naïveté, his carousing, failed business opportunities and a deep hatred for his former chief boxing rival, Muhammad Ali. The other headliners from his fighting days — Ali, George Foreman and Larry Holmes — are millionaires. But while Ali has benefited from lucrative licensing agreements and remains one the world’s most recognized and celebrated athletes, Frazier lives alone in an apartment one staircase above the gym where he and others train young fighters in a run-down part of town.

“But I guess, in a way, I’m rich, too. I have my family and I have a sound mind and a sound body, and after all of those brutal fights, I’m lucky to still have my eyesight.”

posted by dusted to boxing at 12:32 PM - 13 comments

Tiki Passes the Torch: Despite being one of the elite running backs in the NFL and showing no signs of declining, Tiki Barber is prepared to walk away after this season to pursue "off-field opportunities"

posted by YukonGold to football at 12:17 PM - 49 comments

Wisconsin Wants District to Ground "W".: The University of Wisconsin is forcing a smaller school district to change its logo because its close to theirs.

posted by commander cody to culture at 12:15 PM - 23 comments

Heinekin Cup Preview: The BBC takes a look at all the teams in this year's Heinekin Cup. These views are mainly from the different teams' supporters, so don't expect impartial judgement calls.

posted by Fence to other at 07:37 AM - 5 comments

Post draft: NBA H2H smack tallk. : Dusty it going down down down

posted by Ufez Jones to fantasy at 10:42 PM - 35 comments

Uribe allegedly hits something: Two weeks after receiving a vote of confidence from general manager Ken Williams after a subpar season at the plate, Chicago White Sox shortstop Juan Uribe is a suspect in a shooting in the Dominican Republic. A farmer and a captain in the Italian Navy were wounded after walking near Uribe's Jeep, according to police.

posted by wfrazerjr to baseball at 07:28 PM - 4 comments

Spofi EPL FFL: Week 8 update. If only a) the pool awarded bonus points for having a keeper taken off on a stretcher b) you could pick goalies by team rather than by player, then c) you'd have scored big with Chelsea this week.

posted by gspm to fantasy at 07:06 PM - 25 comments

Jeter's Consistent Adjustments: Derek Jeter is not the guy who jumps out to me as having the "model swing," but it sure is hard to argue with the results. Jeter can hit.

posted by justgary to baseball at 03:37 PM - 12 comments

Tyson considers fighting women: And the circus continues...

posted by louisville_slugger to boxing at 08:41 AM - 94 comments

Piniella finds a wallet in Chicago.: Cubs bypass Joe Girardi and Bruce Bochy, grabbing Piniella for the bargain rate of $3 mil/season for 3 years.

posted by BullpenPro to baseball at 03:38 PM - 71 comments

2012 Summer Olympics Coincide with Ramadan: As noted with protest, the 2012 summer games in London are scheduled to occur during Ramadan, a lunar month in which Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset. Around 3,000 of the 11,000 athletes who will participate are Muslims.

posted by rcade to other at 11:38 AM - 35 comments

Who is Daisuke Matsuzaka?: A pitcher, a member of the Seibu Lions and potentially this year's biggest free agent prize. The attraction, despite his protestations to the contrary, is his gyro pitch^YouTube (Wikipedia citation). See previous Spofi discussion of the pitch and the pitcher.

posted by yerfatma to baseball at 10:27 AM - 28 comments

Miami, FIU have 31 suspended for role in brawl: The fight,shown as it happened in this YouTube clip, marred what was supposed to be the beginning of a rivalry between two schools with players who grew up playing each other on high school fields in South Florida.

posted by wingnut4life to football at 09:17 AM - 48 comments

Cech has skull surgery after in-match collision.: "Chelsea keeper Petr Cech has undergone surgery for a depressed fracture of the skull after he was injured during the Blues' 1-0 win at Reading on Saturday. The 24-year-old collided with Reading's Stephen Hunt in the first minute of the game..." I watched Cech crawl off the pitch in order to get treatment. If they could only have guessed how seriously he was injured, noone would've let him move an inch. I couldn't tell but I don't think anyone could either.

posted by worldcup2002 to soccer at 12:01 AM - 21 comments

SportsFilter World Series Confidence Pool Update: mkn is kicking everyone's butt and Yukon seems to be achieving a little daylight in his race for the Costanza.

posted by NoMich to fantasy at 11:07 AM - 20 comments

One more NBA H2H player needed for full league!: There's no dress code and you can talk as much trash at the commisioner as you want...

posted by smithers to fantasy at 09:35 AM - 7 comments

Detroit Tigers Reach World You-Can't-Be-Serious: A bottom-of-the-ninth three run homer by Magglio Ordonez sent the Tigers past the Oakland A's and into the World Series for the first time since 1984. To put this into perspective, the Tigers had one winning season the past 13 years and lost 119 games in 2003.

posted by rcade to baseball at 07:19 PM - 43 comments

Fox fires Steve Lyons for racially insensitive comment: The veteran broadcaster, responding to a few comments in Spanish last night by booth partner Lou Pinella, said he wasn't "hablaing Espanol."

posted by liam to baseball at 04:16 PM - 92 comments

The Hoser’s NFL Picks, Week Six: NFL Picks that think Brad's really going back to Jen ... no, really!

posted by justgary to football at 11:03 AM - 12 comments

Long Live The King: After 60 years of tournament golf, Arnold Palmer hangs up his spikes. "Palmer said he finished the round because he owed it to his fans, a trait that followed Palmer throughout his Hall of Fame career."

posted by mjkredliner to golf at 09:15 AM - 5 comments

Rogers Continues His Age-Defying Brilliance: The Kenny Rogers story is the one that will make this year's World Series one for the ages. He and this series are the thing legends are made of and the reason this World Series will be spoken of in hushed tones for generations to come. Be glad you were alive during this moment in sports history as you'll be able to brag about it to your grandchildren.

posted by commander cody to baseball at 01:13 AM - 31 comments

Arena Building Pays Off in Orlando: Dear Orlando Magic management: All 15,448 members of SportsFilter strongly oppose the plan to build a new arena for the team in the near future. But we're open to per$ua$ion.

posted by rcade to basketball at 07:07 PM - 6 comments

The Navajo Football League - : The Oct 22nd Oakland at Arizona game will be broadcast in three languages, English, Spanish, and Navajo.

posted by apoch to football at 05:29 PM - 7 comments

The Hoser's NFL Picks, Week Six: NFL Picks that think Brad's really going back to Jen ... no, really!

posted by wfrazerjr to commentary at 02:41 PM - 0 comments

Football fans accused of hanging sheep from goalpost: The rivalry between two Sevier County high schools runs hot - so hot that Richfield football fans are suspected of killing a sheep and stringing it up at South Sevier on the eve of game day.

posted by AaronGNP to football at 12:01 PM - 32 comments

Covering the Bases After a Player's Death: If Corey Lidle was piloting the plane when he died earlier this week, his survivors won't collect a $1.05 million accidental death insurance policy that covers all Major Leaguers. The plan excludes players from "any incident related to travel in an aircraft ... while acting in any capacity other than as a passenger." His wife and son will receive a yearly "widow's benefit" of $166,250.

posted by rcade to baseball at 09:43 AM - 66 comments

Court case to end international football?: The BBC report on UEFA worries about a Belgian court case. It seems that a club, Charleroi, are suing FIFA after their player was injured while on international duty for Morocco. This follows recent complaints from Arsene Wenger about international fixtures, and of course Newcastle's negotiations with with the English FA over compensations for Michael Owen's injury.

posted by Fence to soccer at 08:50 AM - 9 comments

Nigel Melville's article in the Guardian: about the future of American rugby. He has just been appointed chief exec & president or rugby operations for USA rugby. This follows on from the US qualifying for the Rugby World Cup 07 by beating Uruguay. Of course their pool also includes England and South Africe so they'll have a few hard games.

posted by Fence to other at 08:30 AM - 10 comments

CFL - Week 18 Preview: Statistical breakdown of the CFL Week 18 games. By sportsfilter's own apoch.

posted by justgary to football at 03:56 AM - 6 comments

NFL Survival: Pick one team a week and see how long you can last. Never as easy as it sounds. Starting this weekend. Details inside.

posted by geekyguy to fantasy at 01:09 AM - 60 comments

Coach Offers Kid Money to Bean Autistic Player: A youth baseball coach accused of offering an 8-year-old money to bean an autistic teammate so he couldn't play was sentenced Thursday to one to six years in prison.

posted by Joey Michaels to baseball at 08:42 PM - 43 comments

Tiger Woods promotes his own video game : and sometimes comes across as an average guy. An amusing look at a day in Tiger's life.

posted by Desert Dog to golf at 03:14 PM - 11 comments

Landis Posts Doping Defense: His website seems to be down right now, but I look forward to seeing what his claims are. This has been a story worthy of a soap opera.

posted by wisportcheese to other at 10:29 AM - 13 comments

UT tells woman she cheers too much: Tennessee fan Victoria Caldwell said she was speechless after receiving a call from the UT Athletic Department on Thursday. Fans seated near her in Neyland Stadium would have a hard time believing that. Caldwell, a first-time season ticket holder, said UT's Bill Higdon called her at home and said other fans had complained about her. Their complaint? She cheers too much.

posted by AaronGNP to football at 09:33 AM - 108 comments

CFL - Week 18 Preview: Statistical breakdown of the CFL week 18 games

posted by apoch to commentary at 07:48 AM - 0 comments

Euro 2008 tables are looking interesting: and a little strange. Scotland ahead of France and Italy being the big surprise so far. And in the England game, you have to feel sorry for Robinson as a result of that bounce (youtube)

posted by Fence to soccer at 05:32 AM - 27 comments

CFL Pick 'Em, Week 18: Things are setting up nicely for the final playoff push. Three weeks left in the season: make your picks inside.

posted by DrJohnEvans to fantasy at 04:24 PM - 32 comments

Corey Lidle's Plane Crashes into New York City Skyscraper: The plane that crashed into the Upper Ease Side building today was registered to the New York Yankees pitcher. One month ago the New York Times ran a feature on Lidle and his plane that's disturbing in hindsight. "A player-pilot is still a sensitive topic for the Yankees, whose captain, Thurman Munson, was killed in the crash of a plane he was flying in 1979. Lidle, acquired from the Philadelphia Phillies on July 30, said his plane was safe."

posted by toradio to baseball at 03:53 PM - 117 comments

Fight Night!: What if Boxing tried this? Yesterday, UFC president Dana White provided a big-time fight for free on Spike TV. Tito Ortiz puts the final nail in Ken Shamrock. Kendall Grove wins, Matt Hamill wins, and Ed "Short fuse, short career" Hermann gets taken down by a VERY talented unknown. (Unknown in the US at any rate, but soon to BE known if that fight was any indication!

posted by vito90 to extreme at 01:43 PM - 15 comments

New NBA Rules: Players can no longer complain about a bad call...what's next?

posted by SDM to basketball at 01:07 PM - 25 comments

White Sox home games to start at 7:11pm next season.

posted by DrJohnEvans to baseball at 12:08 PM - 20 comments

Another Yahoo Fantasy Hockey League.........: Fantasy Hockey It's not to late. Skydivemom has set up a Yahoo Fantasy Hockey League using the Fanatsy Point Scoring System. Fantasy point scoring is similar to rotisserie scoring, except that each category is weighted based on its perceived value to a team (e.g. goals are worth more than assists). Fantasy point scoring is only available in Custom Leagues, and the commissioner must specify both the categories used and the point modifier values. If the commissioner does not specify a point modifier for a given category, no fantasy points accrue in that category. 12 Team Max allowed in FPS Leagues on Yahoo. So join now. Draft is Monday Oct. 16th 6:15PM EST. Autodraft set if you can't be live for the draft. Details Inside. Thanks

posted by skydivedad to fantasy at 10:33 AM - 54 comments

A tough workout before the day off.: Or "NBA rule changes for the new season." (from truehoop via kottke.org)

posted by worldcup2002 to basketball at 12:46 AM - 10 comments

NY Yankees: Liars, cheats and gangsters: Interview with Bill Cleary discussing "Big Bill" Devery and how he started the Yankees

posted by SDM to baseball at 07:26 PM - 13 comments

"Don't be the guy,": Brad Childress warns his players before their bye week. As in "Don't be the guy who gets arrested and embarrasses the organization".

posted by mr_crash_davis to football at 12:27 PM - 8 comments

Farewell to the "Beckham of the Baize" : Popular and talented young snooker star Paul Hunter, three times Masters champion, succumbs to cancer at the tender age of 27. He leaves behind a wife and young daughter. RIP.

posted by squealy to other at 04:21 AM - 6 comments

US Soccer assistant coach Glenn "Mooch" Myernick dead at 51.: "We lost a great person today," said former U.S. Men’s National Team head coach Bruce Arena. "He was an unbelievable husband and father, and the finest soccer person I've ever come across in the United States."

posted by rabi to soccer at 06:53 PM - 2 comments

NBA - Playing with old balls: The uproar among the players in the NBA has forced David Stern to announce that the NBA may abandon the new synthetic basketball in favor of the 30 year old model.

posted by timdawg to basketball at 02:31 PM - 14 comments

The New Monsters Of The Midway: Even Da Fan is impressed. And, Revenge Is Sweet for some teams and their players. Also, some of this years rookies finally had breakout games. It's shaping up to be a great season, lets talk some football!

posted by mjkredliner to football at 10:48 AM - 29 comments

LCS Pick 'Em: Also, results from the LDS picks. Games start tomorrow.

posted by DrJohnEvans to fantasy at 09:54 AM - 41 comments

Dalglish heading for Ireland?: After that woeful display against Cyprus, it doesn't look good for Stan and the Republic of Ireland boys. And now rumours are floating around that Kenny Dalglish may come on board as a consultant to Steven Staunton.

posted by Fence to soccer at 04:02 AM - 9 comments

Carpenter shuts down Padres: Cardinals will open the National League Championship Series against the New York Mets at Shea Stadium on Wednesday.

posted by justgary to baseball at 02:12 AM - 21 comments

Hit-happy Mets pepper Dodgers into submission: and Tiger pitching downs Yankees (Manager Joe Torre rumored not to survive collapse.)

posted by justgary to baseball at 02:52 AM - 73 comments

Dad Names Son 'ESPN': Leann Real promised her husband Rusty, an avid sports fan from D'Iberville, Mississippi, if they ever had a son he could pick the name. Happy birthday, ESPN Montana Real!

posted by rcade to general at 03:15 PM - 38 comments

Yankees, Looking Powerless, Face Elimination: While Twins’ season swept away in disappointing finale.

posted by justgary to baseball at 04:13 AM - 73 comments

The Importance of Being Civil: Scoop Jackson responds to criticism from Jason Whitlock.

posted by justgary to culture at 04:04 AM - 10 comments

Sports Illustrated's All-Time All-Star Team:
Their choices for 25 players (seven starting pitchers, two relievers, two catchers, seven infielders and seven outfielders), one manager and two coaches in building an team from the history of baseball. I'm sure that no one will have a problem with their selections...

posted by grum@work to baseball at 11:25 PM - 66 comments

The Hoser’s NFL Picks, Week Five: NFL picks that wonder if Albert Haynesworth would have missed Barry Bonds's melon on the first try.

posted by justgary to football at 11:14 PM - 5 comments

Negro League Great Buck O'Neil Dies: Baseball's charismatic Negro Leagues ambassador, who barnstormed with Satchel Paige and inexplicably fell one vote shy of the Hall of Fame, died Friday night. He was 94.

posted by hawkguy to baseball at 10:57 PM - 21 comments

Dick Wagner Dead at 78: Wagner helped build the Big Red Machine into a team that won consecutive World Series titles in 1975 and 1976.

posted by jojomfd1 to baseball at 10:03 PM - 1 comment

The Hoser's NFL Picks, Week Five: NFL picks that wonder if Albert Haynesworth would have missed Barry Bonds's melon on the first try

posted by wfrazerjr to commentary at 06:03 PM - 0 comments

Online Gamling bill passed by Congress: Soon the government is going to pass a law that outlaws online gambling including poker and sports betting

posted by SDM to general at 02:59 PM - 7 comments

The Seven Deadly Sins: Nine NFL teams, seven deadly sins.

posted by Ying Yang Mafia to football at 02:07 PM - 6 comments

2006-07 NBA Head-to-Head League: Register now for the SpoFi NBA H2H fantasy league. Details inside...

posted by smithers to fantasy at 12:38 PM - 30 comments

Pacers new line-up, watch out for the Heat: Stephen Jackson and three teammates, Marquis Daniels, Jamall Tinsley and Jimmie Hunter, visited a strip bar and were involved in an alteraction where Jackson allegedly jumped on a car hood, fired gunshots "in the air" and was hit by a car. Two of the other Pacers also had guns in their cars, all with permits.

posted by gfinsf to basketball at 09:57 AM - 23 comments

Forget the jumbotron: (Scroll to the bottom, the last story) Kangaroo TV, a Montreal-area company with handheld video screens meant to let fans watch TV at events.

posted by SummersEve to general at 07:39 AM - 14 comments

Coach Sets High School Bad Sportsmanship Record: When Matewan [W.V.] High School running back Paul McCoy had more than 300 yards at halftime in a Sept. 29 game, he thought Coach Yogi Kinder would sit him for the second half. Instead, Kinder went no-huddle, the team stopped fielding punts so they'd have more potential yardage to gain, and McCoy broke the national record with 658 yards.

posted by rcade to football at 05:28 AM - 48 comments

John Duddy wins a hellacious 12-round unanimous decision: over former junior middleweight world champion Yory Boy Campas in a fight of the year candidate. (Campas was previously interviewed on sportsfilter.)

posted by justgary to boxing at 01:52 AM - 3 comments

NBA changes ball despite player gripes: I don't know what to think of it. It is hard to change tradition but change is good, right?

posted by kidrayter2005 to basketball at 07:35 PM - 25 comments

Vote For Santana: Clinton Portis, who recently got some flack for taking himself out of Washington's recent victory of Jacksonville, is doing press conferences as characters again. This week, he's a Napoleon Dynamite parody named Dolemite Jenkins.

posted by Joey Michaels to football at 04:41 PM - 5 comments

Yardbarker == Digg for sports: Do with that what you will.

posted by yerfatma to culture at 02:38 PM - 4 comments

Raingate?: In the wake of last night's rainout of Game Two of the American League Division Series, some of the Detroit Tigers are wondering whether the New York Yankees were given an unfair advantage in being told first the contest was cancelled.

posted by wfrazerjr to baseball at 10:54 AM - 55 comments

Farrell Transfer Has England Out of Position: Blog entry on the problems arising out of Andy Farrell's transfer from Rugby League to Rugby Union.

posted by Fence to other at 07:14 AM - 2 comments

Marat Safin to retire: ... in four years. Aiming, apparently, to become the Yogi Berra of his sport, Safin added, "The season has been very tough. If I had won half the games I should have, I would have a different ranking."

posted by psmealey to tennis at 04:18 AM - 1 comment

RIM CEO buys Penguins: Jim Balsillie, the co-CEO of the company that invented sells the Blackberry, has purchased the Pittsburgh Penguins from Mario Lemieux and company. Rumours abound that Balsillie wants to move the team to southern Ontario.

posted by Amateur to hockey at 08:48 PM - 24 comments

"The Red Sox were in the playoffs every year from Mohegan Sun to Citgo.": ...selling the naming rights to a season may be one of the next money-raising gambits by financier John Henry’s business savvy ownership group...

posted by BullpenPro to baseball at 08:42 PM - 37 comments

"Collymore comeback a joke": After five years out of the profession, striker Stan Collymore says after three weeks of training up in Tenerife he'll be ready to rejoin a Premiership squad. BBC Sport writer Phil McNulty thinks not.

posted by billsaysthis to soccer at 05:17 PM - 7 comments

CFL Pick 'Em, Week 17: While the CFL teams begin jostling for playoff position, some long-overdue movement occurs at the bottom of our pick 'em standings. Make your picks for Week 17 inside.

posted by DrJohnEvans to fantasy at 01:15 PM - 18 comments

Should Duke Drop Football?: Raleigh News & Observer columnist Caulton Tudor says so. At least, he says they should drop to Division I-AA.

posted by BlueCarp to football at 11:26 AM - 28 comments

I swear my mom! My home!: Alexander Ovechkin hit a hole-in-one on his first round of golf. Which seems even more unlikely after you check out his swing. Watch out Tiger!

posted by gspm to hockey at 08:21 AM - 18 comments

Chelios, et. al., v. Saskin, et. al.: Chris Chelios, Dwayne Roloson and Trent Klatt have filed a federal lawsuit against the NHLPA, current NHLPA executive director Ted Saskin, as well as Trevor Linden, Bill Guerin, Vincent Damphousse and Bob Boughner. The lockout debacle may not quite be dead yet. A nice (legal-ese intense) summary from the Sports Law Blog here.

posted by Ufez Jones to hockey at 10:11 PM - 14 comments

Police Examine Barton's Backside.: I couldn't make this up if I wanted to. EPL fans will get it. I know I'm on a roll, but don't kill the messenger. I don't make the news. I just post it. btw, did anyone see the incident?

posted by worldcup2002 to soccer at 03:07 PM - 12 comments

World Series Confidence Pool!: If George Plimpton were alive today, he would join the SportsFilter World Series Confidence Pool and write a hilarious, first-hand account of his misadenventures of being a last-string confidence pooler, matching wits (and numbers) with us. However, he's dead, but you should join our pool anyway. Maybe you can be the one to "blog" about your hilarious misadventures of being a last-string confidence pooler.

posted by NoMich to fantasy at 10:16 AM - 76 comments

True Hoop Wiki.: Henry Abbott and a few of his loyal readers have created a Wiki aiming to provide simple, public access to pertinent information on NBA players. (more inside)

posted by Ufez Jones to basketball at 09:22 AM - 17 comments

US Soccer May Name Coach: ... in 30-60 days. I don't know if a new coach would be able to install their system in time for a successful showing at Copa.

posted by FonGu to soccer at 02:47 AM - 6 comments

Injured Johnson Pulls Out, Gets Bent In.: Only England soccer aficionados will get it. But it's a good headline no less.

posted by worldcup2002 to soccer at 12:40 AM - 5 comments

100 Reasons: Oh man, this got me sooooo excited for tomorrow at 2 mountain that I was seriously thinking about showing up late to a test. The Cardinals seemed to be the best at No. 89, but with Izzy out, I'm not sure what to expect...

posted by edub1321 to baseball at 10:49 PM - 13 comments

Spofi EPL FFL: Week 7 Update. Ch-ch-changes.

posted by gspm to fantasy at 09:57 PM - 39 comments

LDS Pick 'Em: What, no thread's been started yet? It's October! Games start tomorrow!

posted by DrJohnEvans to fantasy at 09:06 PM - 32 comments

NBABlogPreviews.: Taking one team per day and getting preview reports from established local bloggers. Yesterday was the Celtics' preview. Today it's New Jersey's turn.

posted by Ufez Jones to basketball at 02:11 PM - 8 comments

A Resigning Cub Man's Last Request: "There is one rule that applies to everything. You've got to win and if you don't win, it's subject to change." -- Chicago Cubs President Andy MacPhail, who has resigned from the "ivy covered burial ground."

posted by rcade to baseball at 12:59 PM - 14 comments

Talk about getting kicked in the teeth!: Tennessee defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth cleated Dallas center Andre Gurode's face during the game Sunday, earning two penalties and an ejection. Update: In 2002, he kicked Titans center Justin Hartwig during training camp.

posted by firecop to football at 12:06 AM - 59 comments

Perspective: The Sydney Swans lose the AFL Grand Final by a single, solitary point. But coach Paul Roos isn't all that disappointed.

posted by owlhouse to other at 10:42 PM - 5 comments

MLB's Postseason eight is set: Who would have expected this setup at the allstar-break.

posted by kidrayter2005 to baseball at 05:48 PM - 54 comments

Grimsley Called Clemens, Tejada and Pettitte Steroid Abusers: The teammates identified by Jason Grimsley as steroid abusers, previously blacked out in an affadavit, are Roger Clemens, Miguel Tejada, Andy Pettitte, Brian Roberts, Jay Gibbons and the previously identified David Segui, according to today's Los Angeles Times.

posted by rcade to baseball at 09:08 AM - 76 comments

Nice tribute to Arsene Wenger: by Lee Dixon, of Arsenal's (Dixon, Winterburn, Adams, Keown) "Famous Back Four". Almost more than anything else, Wenger introduced the concept to the Premiership that not going out the pub every night and going on the piss wasn't cheating.

posted by psmealey to soccer at 06:07 AM - 6 comments