Brian Burke era begins in Toronto.: After much speculation, Brian Burke was named president and GM of the Toronto Maple Leafs. He's already closed the book on Mats Sundin's return. He's got a lot of work ahead of him.

posted by dfleming to hockey at 02:21 PM - 2 comments

Giants' Receiver Burress Shoots Leg in Gun Accident: New York Giants wide receiver Plaxico Burress accidentally shot himself in the leg with his own gun at a New York City club Friday night. The injury required hospitalization but is not life-threatening, a source told Newsday. Burress had a concealed weapon permit in Florida that might be active, but New York does not recognize the permit so he could face charges.

posted by rcade to football at 03:15 PM - 19 comments

CFL Pick 'Em, Final Post-Season Standings: Our mini pick 'em is capped off by two feats unprecedented in pick 'em history.

posted by DrJohnEvans to fantasy at 11:28 PM - 10 comments

The Hoser's NFL Picks, Week 13 2008: NFL picks that wonder if anyone really ever wants the neck.

posted by wfrazerjr to football at 12:40 PM - 2 comments

Change Citi Field to Citi/Taxpayer Field? : Two New York City Council members say that Citigroup should show its thanks for a federal bailout by sharing the naming rights to the new Mets ballpark in Queens.

posted by bluesdog to baseball at 02:55 AM - 10 comments

NFL Will Broadcast Raiders/Chargers in 3D: The Thursday night game on Dec. 4 between the San Diego Chargers and Oakland Raiders will be broadcast live in 3-D to theaters in three cities: Los Angeles, New York and Boston. "We want to demonstrate this and let people get excited about it and see what the future holds," said NFL veep Howard Katz.

posted by rcade to football at 04:04 PM - 13 comments

Pirates sign 2 Indian pitchers — and, no, not from Cleveland: The two 20-year-old pitchers, neither of whom had picked up a baseball until earlier this year, signed free-agent contracts Monday with the Pirates. They are believed to be the first athletes from India to sign professional baseball contracts outside their country.

posted by AaronGNP to baseball at 10:30 AM - 10 comments

QMJHL suspends another Roy son : The Quebec Major Junior Hockey League suspended another of Patrick Roy's sons Monday, handing Quebec Remparts forward Frdrick Roy fifteen games for a high-sticking incident during Friday night's game against the Juniors in Montreal.

http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=pn3nmyvBU64

posted by tommytrump to hockey at 07:00 PM - 6 comments

Old Baltimore Stallion fans never die : Call it the U.S. branch of Canadian football's fan club. More than a decade after their Baltimore Stallions left town, a band of pigskin diehards from Maryland have made the trek to Montreal to watch Sunday's Grey Cup. Gregg Dieghorn said their presence at Grey Cup events across Canada has made them celebrities. "When you come to watch Canadian football from the States, people are just amazed. " He said his wife joined him on a Grey Cup trip a few years ago and she described it as "a combination frat party, college reunion and oh, yeah, there's a football game at the end."

posted by tommytrump to football at 11:02 PM - 3 comments

The Knicks Shed Some Cap: It looks like the Knicks are trying to dig out of the Isaiah Thomas mess by shedding salary. This is not going to help the Knicks' performance this year. When I watched their game against Boston, Jamal Crawford appeared to be the only player interested in playing.

posted by Howard_T to basketball at 06:30 PM - 8 comments

The Hoser's NFL Picks, Week Twelve 2008: NFL picks that really miss Sarah Palin. Seriously. It was that whole Tina Fey "hot in glasses" thing.

posted by wfrazerjr to football at 06:02 PM - 7 comments

MLB vs. NPB: To court or not to court? That is the question.

posted by BoKnows to baseball at 09:47 PM - 6 comments

Golfer Plays Illegal Ball in PGA Qualifying Round: After two rounds of PGA Tour qualifying last week, golfer J.P. Hayes made an excruciating discovery -- a ball he had used during the first round was a Titleist prototype that wasn't approved for competition. He could say nothing and go on to a likely berth in the final qualifying stage in December or turn himself in and be disqualified. "I called an official in Houston that night and said, 'I think I may have a problem,'" he said.

posted by rcade to golf at 06:53 PM - 12 comments

CFL Pick 'Em, 96th Grey Cup Edition: Here we go! Make your picks inside.

posted by DrJohnEvans to fantasy at 05:46 PM - 15 comments

Official nears final whistle after 30 years: Jake Ireland had barely cracked the lid on his coffee. "I heard a new line from a fan this year," he said, smiling. It was in Hamilton, and Ireland, a long-time referee, has always loved working C.F.L. games in Hamilton. The stands at Ivor Wynne Stadium are snug against the field, which fosters the growth of a certain rapport between officials and the paying customers, like the one who yelled at Ireland this season. "Jake," the man yelled. "I found your cell phone." There was a pause. "I know it's yours," he continued, "because there's six missed calls on it."

posted by tommytrump to football at 08:49 AM - 1 comment

Football: Swazi women's team win 33-0: A Swazi women football team's ambitious target of scoring 150 goals this season inched closer at the weekend after walloping a rival team 33-0 - a rate of one goal nearly every three minutes.

posted by bobfoot to soccer at 11:06 PM - 1 comment

MLB MVPs Announced: Albert Pujols wins the NL MVP; Dustin Pedroia takes the AL honors. Rob Neyer makes a pretty compelling case that it could have been Lance Berkman in the NL and Joe Mauer in the AL, King Kaufman weighs in on the voting, and Baseball Prospectus takes a look at the AL candidates.

posted by holden to baseball at 03:45 PM - 9 comments

NFL overtime rules? Don't ask McNabb: "No, I didn't know that," Donovan McNabb said at his postgame press conference, saying he was not aware that one overtime is all you get in the NFL in the regular season. Then McNabb compounded his error by not knowing the postseason overtime rule. Those games do play to a conclusion for obvious reasons, but McNabb said, "I hate to see what happens in the Super Bowl or I hate to see what happens in the playoffs. You have to settle with a tie." A real student of the game.

posted by dyams to football at 07:41 PM - 17 comments

NASCAR Season Ends: In a chase that was much closer than the one the drivers just finished, the results are in and four teams were able to finish the long season.

posted by Folkways to fantasy at 07:09 PM - 5 comments

Lesnar proves size does matter: Despite it coming just weeks after Bernard Hopkins proved that a 45-year-old combat athlete doesn't have to turn into primordial paste in the ring, returning UFC champion Randy Couture -- as much an MMA institution as the cage itself -- failed in his attempt to write yet another storybook epilogue to a peerless career.

posted by BornIcon to other at 01:25 PM - 21 comments

Spofi H2H Basketball Update - Week 3: We finally had some more lopsided results and clearly something is wrong with the game, because Dusted and I are on the losing ends of them. I have contacted Yahoo about finding the issue.

posted by YukonGold to fantasy at 12:16 PM - 5 comments

Mark Cuban Accused of Insider Trading: Entrepreneur Mark Cuban, owner of the National Basketball Association's Dallas Mavericks, was charged Monday by the Securities and Exchange Commission with insider trading.

posted by BornIcon to basketball at 12:10 PM - 31 comments

"I really haven't seen them play...slidepiece...Dave Concepcion.": FJM goes dark.

posted by lilnemo to baseball at 12:51 PM - 1 comment

This Page is Illegal in Argentina, Thanks to Diego Maradona: Diego Maradona and more than 100 other public figures in Argentina have secured court orders blocking the Argentine versions of Google and Yahoo from all search results for their names except for those on major media sites. "Without the link in Google or Yahoo, nobody would even know these [other] sites exist," said Martin Leguizamon, attorney for Maradona and other celebs.

posted by rcade to general at 06:46 AM - 5 comments

Tampa Bay no longer Melrose's place.: The Tampa Bay Lightning fire first-year head coach Barry Melrose after just a month and a half. The Lightning take a gamble on Rick Tocchet for the interim.

posted by NoMich to hockey at 05:34 PM - 8 comments

Kerry Wood and Cubs Parting Ways: The Cubs all but said goodbye to their closer Thursday, announcing they wouldn't give him a multiyear contract and wishing him well in his free agency endeavors. He's about to become a much richer man.

posted by bluesdog to baseball at 01:30 AM - 6 comments

Spofi H2h Basketball Update - Week 2: Another competitive week with no blowouts. We've also upgraded our statistics package (i.e., there's now a google spreadsheet see link with stats by week and by team, along with individual team averages and best week ever stats)

posted by yukongold to fantasy at 08:37 PM - 9 comments

Yankees Acquire Nick Swisher from White Sox: The New York Yankees have begun the off-season swap meet by acquiring Chicago White Sox first baseman Nick Swisher and minor league pitcher Kanekoa Texeira for utility infielder Wilson Betemit and minor league pitchers Jeff Marquez and Jhonny Nunez. Swisher, 27, hit .219 with 24 homers last season. Marquez is a top pitching prospect who had a 4.47 ERA in 19 starts in Triple-A and Double-A.

posted by rcade to baseball at 06:14 PM - 11 comments

CFL Pick 'Em, Division Finals: Edmonton and B.C. both win on the road, and head into the strongholds of Calgary and Montreal. Closer to home, BoKnows bats .714 for a strong opening week. Can he keep up the pace? Make your picks inside.

posted by DrJohnEvans to fantasy at 09:49 PM - 16 comments

Halloween for 82 games.: 50+ photos of the NHL's masked men and their masks. Better than anything you'll find in your local drug store's Halloween section. (SI)

posted by BoKnows to hockey at 05:27 PM - 13 comments

What Might Have Been:: My first impression upon seeing Herb Score pitch (on TV) was, "The Red Sox will never beat this guy." Those who knew him best sum it up when they say he would have been better than Koufax or any other left-hander.

posted by Howard_T to baseball at 02:13 PM - 3 comments

Kevin Garnett’s greatness awes coach: OK, so it was a wonderful achievement for Kevin Garnett last season when the big guy stepped into the Garden, and into local sports lore, by helping lead the Celtics to their 17th NBA championship. After all those years with the Minnesota Timberwolves, all those years of missing out on the NBA's grand stage, Garnett brought his talent, his desire, his smarts and his work ethic to Boston. And it paid off with a championship.

posted by BornIcon to basketball at 01:21 PM - 12 comments

49ers Let Cardinals Off the Hook: Tony Kornheiser was right -- the 49ers snatching defeat out of the jaws of victory must have been scripted -- or that's just what bad teams always do. The 49ers coaching staff and players totally mismanaged the end of the game. With no timeouts and less than 20 seconds, you keeping throwing -- or spiking -- the ball until the last play ... then maybe you run.

posted by habitz to football at 12:54 PM - 11 comments

Five Aces in a Week?: "It's incomprehensible this kind of luck could happen, but it does happen ..."

posted by BoKnows to golf at 04:10 AM - 15 comments

The Costliest Injuries In Sports: Remember when $2.3 million was a hefty annual salary for a player? That's what $28 million man Alex Rodriguez got for his one stint on the 15-day disabled list in May.

posted by m8nsman to general at 09:59 AM - 0 comments

Obama is a soccer fan.: West Ham invite Obama to watch a game at Upton Park. Apparently, he watched a Hammers game in 2003 while visiting his half-sister in London (article doesn't say if it was live, home, away or on the telly). Obama's older daughter plays on a soccer team. Change we can believe in.

posted by worldcup2002 to soccer at 04:25 PM - 10 comments

Smell The Glove: Brandon Marshall had a half-black, half-white glove stashed as part of a TD celebration / commemoration that recalled Tommie Smith and celebrated Barack Obama. Brandon Stokely ran over to him and made him put it away, fearing a 15-yard unsportsmanlike at the end of a close game. On the one hand, Brandon Marshall is no Tommie Smith. On the other hand, I can't shake off the nagging feeling (which owes more to Smith than Marshall) that it would have been a pretty cool gesture.

posted by etagloh to football at 02:26 AM - 8 comments

Warrick Dunn faces his mother’s killer: Warrick Dunn faces his mother's killer, an excerpt from Dunn's memoir "Running for My Life".

posted by paulus andronicus to football at 09:20 PM - 7 comments

The Hoser's NFL Picks, Week Ten 2008: NFL picks that use the ancient Chinese arts to reveal all -- no, not fortune cookies.

posted by wfrazerjr to football at 03:41 PM - 0 comments

The Next Tennessee Football Coach: Some fervent and deep thoughts on who will succeed Coach Fulmer at Tennessee. Posted Sept. 23, well before Fulmer's ouster (keep that in mind while reading). This SEC blog is zealous and energetic, but also quite rational, civil, and insightful. Complete with decent responses. The discussion drifts off into another zone after a while, but the first half or so is a welcome break from the crazed stuff you run into elsewhere. Recommended reading for Chuck Neinas.

posted by beaverboard to football at 07:48 PM - 1 comment

CFL Pick 'Em, Playoff Edition: Were you wistfully checking the CFL Pick 'Em standings all summer, wishing you could play? Or maybe you're looking for revenge/continuity after a disappointing/excellent regular season? Either way, here's your chance as the CFL heads into the playoffs. We begin anew and it's anyone's game. Make your picks inside.

posted by DrJohnEvans to fantasy at 04:26 PM - 17 comments

Pistons get Iverson for Billups, McDyess, Samb: It appears the promised shake-up has come to the Pistons. The Pistons are expected to trade guard Chauncey Billups, forward Antonio McDyess and center Cheikh Samb to the Denver Nuggets for guard Allen Iverson, the Free Press has learned.

posted by BornIcon to basketball at 01:18 PM - 13 comments

SpoFi Basketball H2H Week 1 results: No blowouts and a long season ahead, but a few teams got off to great starts. My team, not so much.

posted by dusted to fantasy at 01:09 PM - 8 comments

CFL Pick 'Em, Final Standings: tommytrump finishes off his victory run with a big week to leave no questions about the legitimacy of his championship. Congratulations!

posted by DrJohnEvans to fantasy at 12:35 PM - 12 comments

"You will never see a more dramatic conclusion to any motor race...: let alone a grand prix, and the result of it all is that, in the most harum scarum way possible - he doesn't make it easy for himself, does he? - Lewis Hamilton is the world champion." (Video here for the moment.)

posted by etagloh to auto racing at 08:25 PM - 12 comments

MLB Post-Season Pick 'Em, Final Standings: BoKnows plays through the rain and picks up three out of four points for the big win.

posted by DrJohnEvans to fantasy at 06:00 PM - 8 comments

Collina Speaks! to the NY Times no less: If I respect only a few referees, Pierluigi Collina is first among all. Though he claims no dissatisfaction at the 45 years old retirement rule, the man who stood out among the stars at the 2002 and 2006 World Cups is going strong and gives the Times a glimpse into his thinking.

posted by billsaysthis to soccer at 05:07 PM - 3 comments