Thank God for Netflix: : "Why the hell shouldn't college basketball be like this? Why don't more colleges field teams rich with walk-ons?" Henry Abbot on Quantum Hoops, the story of the Caltech basketball team. [via]

posted by yerfatma to basketball at 05:17 PM - 4 comments

Motorcycle daredevil Evel Knievel dead at 69: Immortalized in the Smithsonian Institution in Washington as "America's Legendary Daredevil," Knievel was best known for a failed 1974 attempt to jump an Idaho canyon on a rocket-powered cycle and a spectacular crash at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas.

posted by tommytrump to extreme at 04:22 PM - 19 comments

The Hoser's NFL Picks, Week 13 2007: NFL picks that heartily endorse watching "Clone High" on Teletoon.

posted by wfrazerjr to commentary at 02:40 PM - 0 comments

For The Love of Sport: The Sweet Science: Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Ricky Hatton will attempt to knock a little bit of the tarnish off of boxing’s image on December 8, 2007 when they clash for the WBC welterweight title in Las Vegas. The latest in a weekly series by sportsfilter member kyrilmitch_76.

posted by justgary to boxing at 11:20 AM - 32 comments

Who Starts?: Kurt of Forum Blue and Gold wonders whether its best to start your 5 "best players" or your "most complimentary" 5?

posted by lilnemo to basketball at 06:51 PM - 8 comments

CFL Pick 'Em, Final Playoff Standings: Apologies for the delay in getting this post up. It was a pretty wild party here in Toronto. The season is now entirely over, so do not make your picks inside.

posted by DrJohnEvans to fantasy at 06:26 PM - 17 comments

The Hoser's NFL Picks, Week 13: NFL picks that heartily endorse watching "Clone High" on Teletoon. Brought to you as always by sportsfilter member wfrazerjr.

posted by justgary to football at 04:38 PM - 12 comments

Where Amazing Birth Happens.: Jason Gurney of Ballhype sets up a Google Map that plots the birthplace of every current NBA player.
Shamelessly stolen from TrueHoop.

posted by lilnemo to basketball at 02:46 PM - 13 comments

Week 13 update for the Spofi EPL fantasy footie.: Looks like lawn wrangler has the team to beat this year....

posted by gspm to fantasy at 02:33 PM - 14 comments

The Curious Case of Willis' Baltimore-time:
What made it strange was that the Ravens, of any team, should have seen how fungible running back performance was. After drafting Lewis in the first round of the 2000 NFL draft, the Ravens allowed him to start while benching their previous starter, Priest Holmes. Holmes served as Lewis’ backup before departing for Kansas City, where he put up several historic seasons as part of the offensive juggernaut there. Holmes’ replacement as Lewis’ backup was Chester Taylor, who then departed for Minnesota after his rookie contract expired and proceeded to put up a 1216-yard season.

posted by yerfatma to football at 06:52 AM - 9 comments

For The Love of Sport: The Sweet Science : Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Ricky Hatton will attempt to knock a little bit of the tarnish off of boxing’s image on December 8, 2007 when they clash for the WBC welterweight title in Las Vegas.

posted by kyrilmitch_76 to commentary at 06:24 AM - 0 comments

Olympics 2010 Vancouver mascots revealed.: Miga the Sea Bear, Quatchi the Sasquatch and Sumi the Orca hat-wearing Black Bear/ThunderBird are cute, eh? Get to know'em.

posted by worldcup2002 to other at 02:41 AM - 13 comments

Bo Knows Best: ...And if you're wondering whether Bo was scared, hell no, Bo was not scared. Not even when that bear got so close Bo and his hunting companion could see the hairs bolt upright like pine needles on the back of its neck. "I wasn't scared," Bo says. "I wasn't scared because I knew I could outrun my white buddy. You've got to think about these things, man."

posted by justgary to culture at 12:42 AM - 21 comments

Five Arrested in Football Corruption Investigation.: Portsmouth FC Manager Harry Redknapp and Chief Executive Peter Storrie are among five men arrested by UK police as part of an ongoing investigation into alleged corruption within football.

The arrests follow a raid by police on Newcastle, Portsmouth and Glasgow Rangers football clubs earlier this year.

posted by Mr Bismarck to soccer at 03:06 PM - 7 comments

Jewell in the rough.: Former Wigan manager Paul Jewell is crowned the new manager at EPL bottom club Derby. His former assistant and recently-ousted replacement at Wigan, Chris Hutching, is expected to join him in leading the Rams. In other bottom-club manager moves, Birmingham has surprisingly secured Scotland manager Alex McLeish (who'll be earning four times what he did with Scotland). Meanwhile, Birmingham caretaker manager Eric Black has left to join former Blues boss Steve Bruce at Wigan. Whew.

posted by worldcup2002 to soccer at 12:26 AM - 9 comments

Gatorade Inventor Dies: Dr. Robert Cade, Who Created Sports Drink At University Of Florida, Dies At 80

posted by commander cody to culture at 09:41 PM - 12 comments

The count is up to four.:
Stop me if you've heard this one before: A Philadelphia Flyer has been suspended by the league this season for an illegal hit that injured an opposing player.

posted by grum@work to hockey at 05:49 PM - 24 comments

Replacing the BCS with a 16 team playoff.: Drew Wetzel discusses how this should be done.

posted by Ying Yang Mafia to football at 03:21 PM - 41 comments

8-year-olds suspended after hockey brawl: in Guelph, Ontario. Criminal charges may be pending against one of the coaches involved.

posted by smithers to hockey at 07:41 AM - 8 comments

The physics of a football hit.: "At 5 ft. 11 in. and 199 pounds, Marcus Trufant is an average-size NFL defensive back (DB). [...] a DB's mass combined with his speed -- on average, 4.56 seconds for the 40-yard dash -- can produce up to 1,600 pounds of tackling force." Given the recent research that's showing concussions are far more serious than was once thought, this is a sobering read.

posted by Drood to football at 05:19 AM - 14 comments

Redskins' Taylor Shot by Intruder: Washington Redskins safety Sean Taylor is in critical condition after being shot twice by an intruder early Monday at his Miami home. Taylor, 24, was the fifth overall pick in the 2004 draft and leads the team in interceptions. He's reportedly in emergency surgery.

posted by rcade to football at 01:07 PM - 65 comments

Saskatchewan End Grey Cup Drought: Saskatchewan Roughriders defeated the Winnipeg Blue Bombers 23-19 in the 95th Grey Cup. The Roughriders last won a CFL championship in 1989, when current coach Kent Austin was the starting quarterback.

posted by jc to football at 09:40 PM - 1 comment

Mourinho for England manager?: The Guardian makes perhaps the most compelling set of arguments for the former Chelsea coach's selection: he's eager (but still awaits contact from senior FA officials), his family and coaching staff are eager to get back to England, he's coached six of the current England side at Chelsea, including national captain John Terry. Recently sacked England assistant manager Terry Venables thinks a foreigner may be better suited to the pressure. Or will Alan Shearer be the dark horse?

posted by worldcup2002 to soccer at 05:26 PM - 8 comments

World Cup 2010 qualifiers offer England revenge against Croatia.: The draw for World Cup 2010 (South Africa) qualifying rounds was held today and put England and Croatia, who kept the English out of Euro Championship 2008 just this week, in Group 6 along with Ukraine, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Andorra. What's your take on how this group will play out? What about the other groups?

posted by worldcup2002 to soccer at 01:48 PM - 8 comments

Sampras defeats Federer in straight sets.: "Sampras never faced a break point and converted one of two against his opponent as he handed Federer a 7-6 (8), 6-4 defeat at the Venetian Macao arena, wrapping up a three-match Asian exhibition series between the two tennis greats."

posted by mr_crash_davis to tennis at 07:01 PM - 10 comments

College Coaches Franchione, Callahan and Orgeron Sacked: Say goodbye to Dennis Franchione at Texas A&M, Bill Callahan at Nebraska and Ed Orgeron at Ole Miss. Houston Nutt at Arkansas may be next.

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

Fergie bungles at Bolton.: With the "Big Four" teams playing mostly drop-zone teams today, defending champions Manchester United lose a shocker 1-0 to Bolton, who were the top of the bottom three at the start of the matchday but scrabbled out of the relegation zone with today's upset. Ferguson decided to rest Ronaldo (after he played two Euro qualifiers for Portugal in a week), his top performer this season, by not even naming him to the squad. This, with firebrand Wayne Rooney also out, turned out to be a bad gamble. Fergie also got sent into the stands by the referee after a prolonged outburst. Arsenal went on to beat second-from-bottom Wigan 2-0, and now heads Man U and the league by three points, with an extra game to play. Chelsea is, in the meantime, leading bottom-boys Derby 1-0. Also, Liverpool thumped Newcastle 3-0 to move into fourth. Has Ferguson lost the plot?

posted by worldcup2002 to soccer at 12:30 PM - 16 comments

MLB Pitcher Kennedy Dead: Joe Kennedy, 28-year-old pitcher who played for Oakland, Arizona and Toronto this past season, collapsed and died Friday morning. Cause of death currently unknown.

posted by TheQatarian to baseball at 08:53 PM - 8 comments

30 Games in 30 Nights: Steve Williamson, uber hockey fan, is traveling city to city to catch 30 games in as many nights. Keep up with him at his blog.

posted by NoMich to hockey at 02:52 PM - 3 comments

For The Love of Sport: What I’m Thankful for: The Army Navy game on Saturday December 1st in Baltimore is one of the all-time greatest rivalries in sport but it is so much more than that. A Thanksgiving edition of kyrilmitch_76's weekly column.

posted by justgary to football at 12:41 PM - 2 comments

Farewell to Another Great: : Tom Johnson, Stanley Cup winning player and coach has passed on at the age of 79. Kevin Paul DuPont has written this memorial to a man who lived for his sport.

posted by Howard_T to hockey at 11:11 AM - 1 comment

CBC Radio and TV Archives, Sports Category: includes vintage clips such as Wayne Gretzky interviewed after scoring 1,000th career goal (at age 13); NHL doubles in size (1966); Rocket Richard in playoffs (1944); "skurfing" the streets in 1965; wrestling legend Gene Kiniski interviewed in 1978; making wooden lacrosse sticks; Montreal Expos first home opener in 1969; no beer at Blue Jays games; Russ Jackson and Rough Riders beat Roughriders in 1969 Grey Cup; novelist W.O. Mitchell reviews curling; and much more. Worth a browse.

posted by rumple to general at 03:03 AM - 3 comments

McClaren sacked for big loss: After only 18 matches as England's coach, Steve McClaren and assistant coach Terry Venables have lost their positions after their side's failure to qualify for Euro 2008. The Football Association said was a unanimous decision by the board. So who's next? The speculation begins.

posted by scully to soccer at 11:24 AM - 17 comments

For The Love of Sport: What I’m Thankful for : The Army Navy game on Saturday December 1st in Baltimore is one of the all-time greatest rivalries in sport but it is so much more than that. Given that today is Thanksgiving and I am a firm believer in taking pause to reflect on all of that for which you are thankful, my column choice was easy.

posted by kyrilmitch_76 to commentary at 08:32 AM - 0 comments

The Hoser's NFL Picks, Week 12: NFL picks that will gladly give you the bird. Give thanks today for betting advice (fun only) from sportsfilter's own wfrazerjr.

posted by justgary to football at 02:25 AM - 14 comments

Tale of the Tape (Measure): "Not tall enough for the elite programs, that was the verdict. The tyranny of the tape measure can be a cruel thing. It canceled out a vast array of attributes both players had to offer . . . Maybe now it's time for colleges to break their own molds . . . Maybe that will be the enduring legacy of the little men currently occupying center stage in this jarringly unconventional college football season."

posted by brainofdtrain to football at 10:42 PM - 9 comments

The Hoser's NFL Picks, Week 12 2007: NFL picks that will gladly give you the bird.

posted by wfrazerjr to commentary at 10:39 PM - 0 comments

CFL Pick 'Em, 95th Grey Cup Edition: This is it! Make your picks inside.

posted by DrJohnEvans to fantasy at 01:14 PM - 14 comments

Sven gets £150 million shopping money for three stars.: Ronaldinho, Messi and Kaka are rumored to be top of Manchester City's list when the January transfer window opens. Holy moly. Anyone has corroborating reports?

posted by worldcup2002 to soccer at 11:55 AM - 4 comments

Knicks Disappoint The Entire World: New York Knicks owner James Dolan promised free tickets to all remaining Knicks games to UN ambassadors if the team won Tuesday night vs. Golden State at Madison Square Garden. How'd that work out? Not too good. After the Knicks got pounded by the Warriors, 108 - 82, even a seasoned diplomat like UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon was moved to say of the Knicks, "they're playing poorly, very poorly, and I'm disappointed."

posted by The_Black_Hand to basketball at 08:23 AM - 12 comments

McLaren drops Robinson and Beckham for final Euro 2008 qualifying group match.: After riding the qualifying rollercoaster almost off the rails, and having their campaign pulled back on the tracks by an improbable 2-1 win by Israel over Russia, England manager Steve McLaren has opted for relatively junior players Scott Carson (Aston Villa keeper) and Shawn Wright-Philips (Chelsea winger) instead of stalwarts Paul Robinson and David Beckham. With England only needing a draw to qualify for next year's competition, is McLaren making another unnecessary gamble? (Last Friday's friendly with Austria that ended with Michael Owen injured, and only one viable striker left for tomorrow's match is considered another recent example.)

posted by worldcup2002 to soccer at 09:59 PM - 23 comments

Jets Fans Gather Each Halftime For 'Show Us Your Tits!' Ritual: The New York Times describes a halftime ritual that has been going on for years at New York Jets games. Several hundred male fans line the pedestrian ramps at Gate D, whistling and chanting for females to expose their breasts. "Sunday's scene played out for about 20 minutes, and at least one woman granted the men's request, setting off a roar." Security guards claim they can do nothing about it, but they managed to successfully detain a reporter covering the story. Photos and video end up on YouTube and MySpace (link contains nudity). One comment on Jets Blog: "Don't bring your wife/girlfriend out to the ramps at halftime ... problem avoided."

posted by rcade to football at 04:42 PM - 55 comments

BB Hall of Fame Scavenger Hunt: : Although this is somewhat Red Sox centered, it is an interesting look at the methodology of selecting the artifacts to be included in a Hall of Fame exhibit. I particularly liked the practical joking mentioned in the first part of the article. Does anyone else have any HOF stories to share?

posted by Howard_T to baseball at 10:49 AM - 2 comments

For The Love of Sport: The Final Lap: While it is obviously possible for Gordon to win the title, the question is does he have any realistic chance? The latest in a weekly column by sportsfilter member kyrilmitch_76.

posted by justgary to auto racing at 04:57 PM - 4 comments

ARod wins AL MVP award, but not unanimously.:
ARod got 26 of the 28 first place votes. The other two first place votes went to Magglio Ordonez of the Detroit Tigers. The voters who chose Ordonez over ARod? Writers from the Detroit News and Oakland Press (Pontiac, Michigan).

*cough*

posted by grum@work to baseball at 03:58 PM - 42 comments

Lloyd Carr announces his retirement.: Carr retires after a long and illustrious career that includes a 121-40 overall record, three Big Ten titles, and one National Title.

posted by Ying Yang Mafia to football at 02:17 PM - 10 comments

An All Prairie Grey Cup: After holding (and winning) their first home playoff game in 19 years and then beating the B.C. Lions on the road, the Saskatchewan Roughriders are heading to Toronto to play the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the 95th Grey Cup. After losing All-Star QB Kevin Glenn to a broken arm in the Eastern Conference Final, Winnipeg seems to be the clear underdog.

posted by jc to football at 07:18 PM - 14 comments

The Hoser's NFL picks, Week 11: Picks that are later than Britney Spears to a child-custody hearing. Brought to you once again by sportsfilter's own wfrazerjr.

posted by justgary to football at 10:57 AM - 2 comments

The Hoser's NFL picks, Week 11 2007: Picks that are later than Britney Spears to a child-custody hearing.

posted by wfrazerjr to commentary at 10:51 AM - 0 comments

Walter Tull: was born into a poor family and orphaned at an early age. Conditions were tough and opinions prejudiced but by the age of nineteen Walter Tull was playing first team football for Spurs – the first black outfield player in history. Then came the Great War. Tull signed up as a private but within three years he had become the first British-born black officer.

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

For The Love of Sport: The Final Lap: While it is obviously possible for Gordon to win the title, the question is does he have any realistic chance?

posted by kyrilmitch_76 to commentary at 10:14 AM - 0 comments

Casualties of the NFL:: The fits, when they come, turn him as white as the walls and send unself-conscious tears down his cheeks. It's DeMarco at 35: dirt-poor, broken, and in a headfirst spiral, taking his wife and children down with him. .... "There was no food in the house, and I mean none -- not a box of mac and cheese or a can of tuna ..... Brian and Autumn hadn't eaten in a couple of days and between them had 75 cents. Total." A harrowing account of post-NFL experiences.

posted by rumple to football at 08:53 PM - 39 comments

Duke Super Bowl: In-depth analysis of tomorrow's clash of 1-9 college football titans. Mostly sophomoric, but humor us Duke fans on our one chance for football glory...

posted by tieguy to football at 10:04 AM - 16 comments

The old left-hander, rounding third and heading for home.: Joe Nuxhall passed away at the age of 79 last night. His first appearance in a game was at the age of 15 for the Cincinnati Reds, making him the youngest player in MLB history. Joe went on to have a 15 year career (including 3 all-star selections) on the field and another 40 years in the broadcast booth.

posted by mick to baseball at 07:59 AM - 9 comments

Who would be No. 1 now?: A look back at the 2006 NFL Draft.

posted by justgary to football at 02:01 AM - 7 comments

Gaborik issues public apology to fantasy owners: "When developing this team it is obvious that management paid no attention to fantasy owners, but instead selfishly decided that winning games was more important." I have to wonder what sparked this.

posted by DrJohnEvans to hockey at 10:26 PM - 8 comments

ARod returning to the Yankees.:
Asked whether the only remaining details were putting the deal on paper, Steinbrenner responded: "pretty much so."

posted by grum@work to baseball at 08:37 PM - 38 comments

Barry Bonds indicted on perjury, obstruction charges

posted by kirkaracha to baseball at 04:26 PM - 83 comments

Foreign player quota gathers steam in England.: UK Sports Minister wants to study the impact of foreign players on the local game. I've been noticing a recent increase in reports of various soccer notables calling for foreign player limits in Europe. FIFA president Sepp Blatter seems to have re-ignited the debate by saying he'll challenge the EU anti-discrimination laws in order to instate the "only five foreign players in the starting 11" quota system. Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson agrees. Steve Coppell (Reading manager) claimed it would improve the quality of the national team. Steve Gerrard (Liverpool captain, local boy and England midfielder) agrees. What's going on here? It's not like this is a new issue. And lots of these managers and their high-end teams are first in line to benefit from open trade in international players. Why is this an issue now? What's your take on this?

posted by worldcup2002 to soccer at 12:49 PM - 16 comments

CFL Pick 'Em, Division Finals: Yee-ha! That was some good, ol'-fashioned three-down playoff ball last week. More of the same could be in store this week, but it all depends on you. Make your picks inside.

posted by DrJohnEvans to fantasy at 11:30 AM - 14 comments

"If you're not confrontational, you're not doing your job." : Due to step down as head of the World Anti-Doping Agency at the conclusion of this week's Third World Conference on Doping in Sport, Dick Pound offers some parting remarks in the Telegraph.

posted by lil_brown_bat to other at 08:00 AM - 12 comments

How Oprah ruined the marathon: Has this country's marathoning spirit been trampled by hordes of joggers whose only goal is to stagger across the finish line?

posted by justgary to other at 04:23 AM - 16 comments

Assembling the all-stars out of all the stars.: An all time global all-star team will be announced during an IIHF gala in Quebec City when the world championship tournament is held in Canada for the first time next spring.

posted by tommytrump to hockey at 12:12 AM - 2 comments

Lucky players ride loonie roller-coaster : Minor leaguer Jeff Glass has a curious wage perk that Maple Leaf captain Mats Sundin would love to have. The 21 year old goalie gets paid in Canadian dollars.

posted by tommytrump to hockey at 12:02 AM - 3 comments

Selected editions of the Spalding Baseball Guides from 1889-1939: are scanned (full text, high resolution) and free online at the Library of Congress. They also have 2100 baseball cards scanned and searchable.

posted by rumple to baseball at 04:48 PM - 3 comments

Football ref crew mistake may cost $4.5 million: Did the Big Ten make a $4.5 million mistake by allowing an officiating crew that was facing a suspension this weekend to work last Saturday's Illinois-Ohio State game?

posted by lil'red to football at 03:31 PM - 32 comments

Is sport an art?: Recently Frank Deford asked the question: "is not what we saw Michael Jordan do every bit as artistic as what we saw Mikhail Baryshnikov do?". Reader response surprised Deford: "One thing I learned. Defenders of the arts can be as mean as any defensive lineman stoked on steroids".

posted by justgary to culture at 03:19 PM - 32 comments

No Place Like Home: The 10 Toughest Venues in the World.

posted by justgary to general at 12:01 PM - 19 comments

Baseball Pitches Illustrated.

posted by DrJohnEvans to baseball at 09:44 AM - 5 comments

Stephon Marbury Leaves Knicks, Threatens to [Euphemism] Isiah Thomas: The New York Knicks are imploding earlier than usual this season, with guard Stephon Marbury leaving the team after a verbal (and possibly physical) blowup with Coach Isiah Thomas that seems likely to send one or both packing. The New York Daily News quotes a threat Marbury allegedly made on the team plane, bowdlerized for your protection. "Isiah has to start me," Marbury said. "I've got so much [doody] on Isiah and he knows it. He thinks he can [snu-snu] me. But I'll [snu-snu] him first. You have no idea what I know."

posted by rcade to basketball at 08:39 AM - 21 comments

Firecracker tragedy halts Malha match:: During the match, with a minute and a half remaining in the contest, a fan standing above the Amir section in Malha threw the fire cracker onto the floor, prompting the guard to run, scoop up the explosive and jump on it to absorb the blast in front of the Holon bench.

posted by cabuki to basketball at 03:36 AM - 19 comments

Spofi EPL fantasy footie: Week 13 update. The pool saw a 122 point week this week, the best yet. How did you do?

posted by gspm to fantasy at 06:05 PM - 19 comments

Josh Smith is a bad man.: Wait, no he's not.

posted by lilnemo to basketball at 01:03 PM - 4 comments

Fence, I, and maybe a few other SpoFites, are officially proud new owners of a bouncing baby football club.: Ebbsfleet United are about to set sail. (Click on "NEWSDESK" at the top of the page).

posted by Texan_lost_in_NY to soccer at 12:08 PM - 10 comments

Hamilton to secure $1bn future: It is believed that Hamilton has held discussions with his financial advisers about a range of options, including listing himself on the London stock market. The move could see the racing driver list a minority stake in a company in which he would be the main asset and remain the major shareholder. Several US sports stars are considering similar proposals, including Derek Jeter, the star batsman at the New York Yankees baseball team.

posted by billsaysthis to culture at 09:54 AM - 3 comments

Violence Threatens Italian Soccer: "The recent soccer-related violence hit a little too close to home," Nicole Martinelli writes from Italy, where riots and protests followed a soccer fan being shot and killed by a police officer during a scuffle. "Officials made the bad call of not canceling the day's games immediately. So when they finally decided to it was a better idea not to hold the Inter-Lazio face-off at Milan's San Siro stadium, they turned a river of irate young men into the streets."

posted by rcade to soccer at 07:03 AM - 12 comments

Dancing Monkeys: Steven Wells asks why we can't have sports journalism where you don't have to check your brain at the door.

posted by owlhouse to culture at 11:42 PM - 23 comments

The Hoser's NFL Picks, Week 10: NFL picks that couldn't keep it up for three weeks. Betting advice (for fun only) from sportsfilter's own NFL guru, wfrazerjr.

posted by justgary to football at 10:35 AM - 11 comments

For The Love of Sport: Rivalry: This game is a classic rivalry, it will determine the Big Ten title, and by establishing a Big Ten champion it will punch at least one BCS ticket. Kyrilmitch_76 returns with the latest installment of his weekly column.

posted by justgary to football at 10:31 AM - 15 comments

The Hoser's NFL Picks, Week 10 2007: NFL picks that couldn't keep it up for three weeks.

posted by wfrazerjr to commentary at 07:07 AM - 0 comments

Spoil Sports:: An interesting article on the growing influence of Persian Gulf oil money on international sport.

posted by rumple to general at 02:22 AM - 1 comment

For The Love of Sport: Rivalry: This game is a classic rivalry, it will determine the Big Ten title, and by establishing a Big Ten champion it will punch at least one BCS ticket.

posted by kyrilmitch_76 to commentary at 09:27 AM - 0 comments

Carnegie Mellon and GM's Boss Wins DARPA Urban Challenge : Six out of eleven unmanned cars finished the 60-mile course in Victorville, California. Stanford University placed second, Virginia Tech took third, and MIT took an improbable fourth. Erik Sofge live blogged the event.

posted by MrFrisby to auto racing at 11:27 AM - 2 comments

Sporting News goes back in time.: In the off season, Sporting News are recreating the 1986 baseball season with Strat-O-Matic Baseball, and reporting it all. Teams are managed by various baseball luminaries. (Curt Schilling for example.)

posted by Drood to baseball at 10:54 PM - 10 comments

Tampa Bay Rays Cast Out the Devil: Baseball's most woebegotten franchise has changed its name, dropping the Devil and adopting a new two-blue color scheme and logo. No longer a filter-feeding eater of plankton, the Rays have become a "beacon that radiates throughout Tampa Bay and across the entire state of Florida," said a beaming owner Stuart Sternberg.

posted by rcade to baseball at 07:23 PM - 32 comments

Rob Stone versus 1 million Scoville units:: "It was like somebody tasered my mouth."

posted by mr_crash_davis to general at 05:54 PM - 8 comments

Lindros announces retirement, donates $5,000,000 to Ontario hospital: I truly enjoyed my days of playing, and look forward to the next chapter of my life.

posted by tommytrump to hockey at 05:10 PM - 15 comments

Pele has choice words for MLS.: On Beckham: "They announced him as a scorer of goals ... He isn't a goal scorer. That was a mistake." On MLS player salaries and trade restrictions: "This was one of the mistakes. They have to give freedom to the owners of the teams to buy the players and (chose) which players they want to put (out) ... The big mistake in the league now is to control the level of the teams. If they opened this up, it would be much better."

posted by worldcup2002 to soccer at 04:54 PM - 9 comments

American Idol: Modano Breaks NHL American Scoring Record: Mike Modano needed less than five minutes to break Phil Housley's NHL record for the most points by a U.S.-born player with two goals in the Stars 3-1 win over the San Jose Sharks. Congrats to this Michigan Born Native.

posted by skydivedad to hockey at 11:46 AM - 6 comments

I kept holding out because I thought I was right: When you hit a lot of home runs, drive in a bunch of tallies, do a good job in the field and, on top of all that, bring in fans who never before went to ball games, you say to yourself, "Joe, you certainly meant something in that box office, even if you didn't mean a thing winning the pennant."

When he held out for more dough and returned to the team after spring training, rusty and battling injuries, the fans actually booed him, the writers were no longer complimentary. They "taught him a lesson, or confirmed a lesson he was already prepared to believe: They were fans, they were friends . . . as long as he was a winner. But that could be over in a day."

posted by justgary to baseball at 12:19 AM - 6 comments

Trust But Verify,: has an primer on chromatography, with an emphasis on the Floyd Landis case. Part 1: Limits Part 2: Background and Background Substraction Part 3: Adjacent Peaks Part 4: Three Peaks Part 5: What the Doktor Meant.

posted by apoch to other at 06:49 PM - 4 comments

Shades of Litvinenko! : When Tommy Haas fell ill and had to concede his Davis Cup semifinal match to Mikhail Youzhny, he (and everyone else, including the team doctor) assumed it was a simple case of a stomach virus. Now, thanks to a remark from a Russian trainer to a member of the German team, Haas's illness is being investigated as a possible poisoning.

posted by lil_brown_bat to tennis at 04:27 PM - 7 comments

The dumbest football fines ever!: Some of these are pretty funny. While others make you wonder, just how much time does the league actually have on it's hands?

posted by jojomfd1 to football at 03:54 PM - 5 comments

CFL Pick 'Em, Playoffs Edition: Missed the boat on the CFL Pick 'Em? The second season starts anew this Sunday, for both the league and our pick 'em. Everybody is welcome. Vaguely hot bonus action included. Make your picks inside.

posted by DrJohnEvans to fantasy at 11:21 AM - 16 comments

Small-market NHL teams crying poor again: Unless you're hockey obsessed and an insomniac, it's doubtful you've read Article 49 of the NHL's labour contract. It's a passage in the voluminous document that's beginning to attract a lot more attention these days.

posted by tommytrump to hockey at 10:46 AM - 21 comments

Getting Tough with the '72 Dolphins: In response to Don Shula's asterisk comments, Neate Sager takes a closer look at the perfect-record Dolphins and their schedule, trying to envision how their story would be treated by today's media.

posted by DrJohnEvans to football at 10:20 AM - 62 comments

Spofi EPL fantasy footie Week 12 update.: Really mixing it up in the 5-11 spots, a new team in the second slot and 8 teams looking back and savouring their best week yet.

posted by gspm to fantasy at 07:45 PM - 13 comments

Coudal Partners: had less than a week to come up with TV spots advertising the new Chicago Blackhawks home television schedule, and here's what they came up with: Fifteen Years, Are you serious?, My Goal, and Soda.

posted by DrJohnEvans to hockey at 05:46 PM - 9 comments

Liverpool bury Besiktas 8-0.: Liverpool takes the first step in salvaging its Champions League campaign by recording the highest-margin in a Champions League match. Hilarious Guardian match coverage ensues. Notes: 1. Liverpool needs to win its remaining two matches to qualify for the next round. 2: How the hell did we lose 2-1 to these clowns just two weeks ago? 3. Rafa, please keep this starting 11 for this weekend. Please.

posted by worldcup2002 to soccer at 04:04 PM - 13 comments

Baseball GMs Vote in Favor of Instant Replay.: In a move sure to make at least one former SportsFilter member roll over in his grave/production booth, baseball GMs have voted to propose that MLB adopt instant replay for disputed home run calls.

posted by holden to baseball at 01:23 PM - 42 comments

"I expected it to be kind of a factory setting...and what I found was a very loving, somewhat casual environment...they weren't factories, they were more like gardens.": On NPR's Only a Game, Daniel Coyle talks about where great athletic talent comes from, as further described in his article How to Grow a Super-Athlete (NY Times Play magazine).

posted by lil_brown_bat to other at 11:34 AM - 6 comments

MU,KU chart path to showdown in KC: Midwest showdown is coming Nov. 24 for two teams not accustom to the national stage.

posted by brickman to football at 11:39 PM - 28 comments

Myth Of The Closer: In the 20 seasons since LaRussa's brainstorm, teams holding late leads have won at about the same rate they did in the 20 seasons before. Since 1988, teams leading after eight innings have won at a .951 clip, according to Baseball-Reference.com and STATS Inc., compared to .948 from 1968 to 1987. That adds up to less than one win per season per team.

posted by justgary to baseball at 03:31 PM - 23 comments

Beckham beats Hollywood strikers.: No, not those Hollywood strikers. I'm talking about Beckham's LA Galaxy beating by 12-4 Vinnie Jones's Hollywood United FC last night to raise money for victims of the Southern CA wildfires. Apparently, England manager Steve MacLaren was in town to assess Beckham's fitness, unbeknownst to the England FA, and that is adding further controversy to an already contentious management stint.

posted by worldcup2002 to soccer at 02:17 PM - 16 comments

CFL Pick 'Em, Final Standings: No surprises here. Congratulations to MrFrisby and apoch.

posted by DrJohnEvans to fantasy at 12:43 PM - 21 comments

New Hockeytown USA: If Detroit isn't Hockeytown USA anymore, then what city is? From Hockeytown to Ghost Town. Holy Octopi, what the heck is happening to this tradition-rich Original 6 city? Who has displaced them as an American Hockey Mecca? Columnist Ross McKeon weighs in.

posted by skydivedad to hockey at 06:44 AM - 20 comments

Pyramid passion: One man's odyssey around the lower reaches of British non-league football. Lots of quirky reading about such luminaries of the game as Staveley Miners Welfare and Gala Fairydean. Much photography of various ramshackle grounds and the supporters who half-fill them. You can almost smell the Bovril.

posted by Abiezer to soccer at 06:29 AM - 5 comments

Navy Beats Notre Dame In Triple Overtime: It took 44 years, but the Navy football team finally beat Notre Dame. The Midshipmen had not won a game against Notre Dame since Roger Staubach was the QB in 1963.

posted by urall cloolis to football at 09:00 PM - 41 comments

New England By the Numbers: The New England Patriots are not only 8-0 but also 8-0 against the spread, SportsFilter columnist Kyrilmitch_76 observes in his look at tomorrow's NFL games. "New England has beaten their opponents by an average of 41.4 to 15.9 and they have beaten the spread by an average of over 14 points per game."

posted by rcade to football at 08:23 PM - 50 comments

A-Rod a Mud Hen?: Alex Rodriguez was offered a lucrative minor league contract from the Toledo Mud Hens. Of course it came from one of George Steinbrenner's sons. Will this be the only offer he gets considering he is asking for a $350 million contrat just to begin negotiations?

posted by urall cloolis to baseball at 07:07 PM - 20 comments

Marathoner Ryan Shay Dies During Olympic Trials: Runner Ryan Shay, a four-time national champion in distance running events, collapsed and died during the U.S. Olympic Team marathon trials today in New York's Central Park. He was 28. New York Road Runners profiled Shay before the race, describing his training regimen of running 145 miles a week at 7,000 feet during the preceding month. "Competition brings out the best in me," he told an interviewer. "I love this sport."

posted by rcade to other at 02:40 PM - 4 comments

For The Love of Sport: Chasing Perfection : And then there was one. New England travels to Indianapolis and only one team makes it out of the weekend with their perfect record intact.

posted by kyrilmitch_76 to commentary at 01:07 PM - 0 comments

Training Through Pregnancy to Be Fastest Mom: Paula Radcliffe, the British distance runner who holds the world record in the women's marathon, ran throughout her pregnancy last year. She even ran the day before she gave birth to a healthy baby, Isla, on January 17th. And 12 days after Isla's birth , she started running again.

posted by tommytrump to culture at 11:19 AM - 9 comments

The Hoser's NFL Picks, Week Nine: NFL picks that didn't know ships were still being hijacked by pirates. Betting advice (no wagering please) by SportsFilter's own wfrazerjr.

posted by rcade to football at 11:59 AM - 28 comments

Judge Hits Andy Reid Out of Bounds: A county judge called the home of the Philadelphia Eagles' coach a "drug emporium" when sentencing his adult sons Garrett and Britt to jail time for drug- and weapon-related offenses Thursday, questioning why so many prescription drugs were around a house with two known abusers. Both have been living with Reid, who took a five-week leave when they were arrested on the same day in January, but their parents have not been implicated in their crimes. "This is a family in crisis," Judge Steven O'Neill said.

posted by rcade to football at 10:58 AM - 22 comments

Trick or Treat: If you had a choice between some M&M's or an autograph from a recent World Series champion catcher which one would you take?

posted by YukonGold to baseball at 07:26 AM - 26 comments

The Hoser's NFL Picks, Week Nine 2007: NFL picks that didn't know ships were still being hijacked by pirates.

posted by wfrazerjr to commentary at 06:18 AM - 0 comments

Bonds will boycott HOF: " I don't think you can put an asterisk in the game of baseball, and I don't think that the Hall of Fame can accept an asterisk" Bonds response to question about marked baseball and Hall of Fame.

posted by brickman to baseball at 10:14 PM - 54 comments

Pictorial: How a soccer ball is made.: 39 pics chronicling the making of an Adidas football, from the pressing of a single panel until the ball is packed in the box.

posted by worldcup2002 to soccer at 07:19 PM - 4 comments

How the Colts Fund Their Defense

posted by yerfatma to football at 04:21 PM - 4 comments

AL Elias player rankings released: The rankings are compiled based upon player performance over the past two seasons.

posted by justgary to baseball at 02:47 PM - 13 comments

Tocchet's ban for role in illegal gambling ring ends in February: Partnered in bookmaking venture for 5 years, handling as much as $1,700,000 in wagers over a 40 day period shortly before charges were laid.

posted by tommytrump to hockey at 01:38 PM - 1 comment

Martina Hingis reveals she tested positive for cocaine at Wimbledon, announces retirement immediately thereafter.: Is there any possible reason why she'd retire immediately after this announcement hit the news? I'm just trying to give her the benefit of the doubt, I guess... whether or not it's warranted at this point.

posted by evixir to other at 01:27 PM - 35 comments

Kicking the ball to Holland.: I explain that few people are even aware that Suriname exists, yet, far away ... where the stars of European soccer shine, Edgar Davids, Patrick Kluivert, Clarence Seedorf, Ruud Gullit, Frank Rijkaard are famous names. They have Suriname in their past, but the jerseys they wear, or did wear, are Dutch. ... There are countries twice the size of Suriname without half its number of celebrity names. ... But the tragedy is that none of them can come and play for their country of origin.

posted by worldcup2002 to soccer at 12:58 PM - 3 comments

Golfing right up til the end: .....then going fishing. Canadian links legend a winner of more than 400 tournaments around the world.

posted by tommytrump to golf at 08:34 AM - 0 comments