Sticks and Balls: We were able to enjoy bowling as a thread to a previous existence. An existence that didnt involve struggling with even the simplest of communication attempts. Bowling was a way to feel less lost.

posted by justgary to culture at 04:03 AM - 0 comments

Recalling Al Campanis' 'Nightline' nightmare: I turned to my wife, horror-stricken that the man I had invited to honor his old friend was committing professional suicide on live television, and predicted he might not survive this interview.

posted by justgary to baseball at 03:53 AM - 5 comments

The Return of Ocho Cinco: The Cincinnati Bengals receiver has legally changed his name to Chad Javon Ocho Cinco in Broward County, Fla., a switch that became official this week.

posted by AaronGNP to football at 02:17 AM - 24 comments

"Paul Newman says goodbye to his GT1 Corvette: - Legendary petrolhead Paul Newman took his GT1 Corvette out for a few laps earlier this month as he said goodbye to one of his greatest loves. The actor and former driver is terminally ill with lung cancer and is believed to have just weeks to live."

posted by mr_crash_davis to auto racing at 11:15 PM - 6 comments

What's missing from instant replay? Tony Verna has the answer.: "It's something that hasn't been done before. And the USA says whoever comes up with something can keep it."

posted by BoKnows to football at 10:20 PM - 3 comments

An Open Letter From Roger Ebert To Jay Mariotti: Mariotti is an easy target at the best of times, but his abrupt departure from the Chicago Sun-Times, right after they paid his way to China for the Olympics, left his most distinguished now-former colleague more than a little out of joint. And no one writes a screw-you letter like Roger Ebert.

posted by chicobangs to culture at 05:11 PM - 14 comments

NCAA Football Pick 'em: ID is: 26713 Password is: spofi

posted by BoKnows to fantasy at 02:41 PM - 4 comments

A Radical 'Radial' Solution:: "Even under the most severe conditions, the worst that will happen with one of the Radial Bats is one of the wedges will crack. No danger will be presented to any of the players, umpires, coaches or spectators in the stadium."

posted by BoKnows to baseball at 02:26 AM - 9 comments

Kevin Duckworth, ex-Trailblazer, Dead at 44.: I'll be the last to say I liked him as a player, but it's still sad to see anyone stricken down at such a young age...

posted by MeatSaber to basketball at 02:03 AM - 3 comments

NFL Survival Football Contest: Outwit, Outpick, Outlast

posted by apoch to fantasy at 08:45 PM - 11 comments

CFL Pick 'Em - Week 10: Make your picks inside.

posted by apoch to fantasy at 11:30 AM - 25 comments

LPGA Tour will suspend memberships if players don't learn English: The LPGA will require its member golfers to learn and speak English and will suspend their membership if they don't comply.

posted by BornIcon to golf at 09:35 AM - 34 comments

Spofi EPL pool 08-09: Week 2 update.

posted by gspm to fantasy at 12:14 PM - 14 comments

New Stadiums: Prices, and Outrage, Escalate : But even as fans of the Mets, the Yankees, the Giants and the Jets look forward to state-of-the-art stadium architecture, better sightlines, wider concourses and more bathrooms, some of them are also facing startling increases in ticket costs during a serious economic downturn.......The Giants Mara offered a blunt lesson in market-driven economics on WFAN radio this month. We have 130,000 people on our waiting list,-- he said. We could charge anything and still fill the stadium.--

posted by tommytrump to business and law at 09:35 AM - 18 comments

9 year old with a 40 mph fastball, gets the boot.: I'm not sure what to make of this. On one hand I can see the punishment for being very good. On the other hand they allowed him to either play a different position or go up to the next level. I really dont know what to think about this but I have a 9 year old who I think could hit him :)

posted by firecop to baseball at 01:14 AM - 38 comments

New York Giants' Osi Umenyiora out for season; Will Strahan return?: On Saturday, while almost everyone in Giants blue was spewing optimism about Osi Umenyiora's left knee injury, Justin Tuck did everything short of sticking his fingers in his ears and screaming.

posted by BornIcon to football at 08:02 AM - 5 comments

Video: Olympic Taekwondo Competitor Kicks Referee in Head: Angel Matos, a Cuban taekwondo competitor, kicked the referee in the face after being disqualified at the Olympics. The competitor and his coach are likely to be banned for life. See the video

posted by TheQatarian to olympics at 01:18 PM - 25 comments

Olympic Photos: Birds Nest panorama Water Cube panorama Opening Ceremony in 1 Minute Interactive Medal Count Map

posted by geekyguy to olympics at 12:42 PM - 5 comments

When is enough "enough"?: Hoping to put a definitive end to a simmering controversy, China was asked to provide additional documents that prove that five of the six team members were old enough to compete at these games. Although they had already provided these documents several times before, due to a website claim that the Chinese gymnasts were underage, the inquiry persists. Sour grapes for the Americans? Many international commentators think so.

posted by knowsalittle to olympics at 10:37 PM - 35 comments

Island Breeze: The dominance of Caribbean (Jamaican) Sprinters: Coming from a Caribbean person, I wish there were more stories like this that highlight that, apart from the American and Jamaican sprinters,almost everyone else in the final fields for the men and women 100m and 200m finals were also Caribbean runners (Netherlands Antilles, Cayman Islands, St. Kitts, Bahamas, Trindad & Tobago, etc)

posted by habitz to olympics at 01:14 PM - 2 comments

Revenge of the Baseball Gods : "'Outside the Lines' revisits the battle between Danny Almonte and Matt Cerda in the 2001 Little League World Series.

Two airplanes destroyed the Twin Towers, and two boys went back to the rest of their lives.

Nineteen days before, these boys had played a crisp Little League World Series ballgame, a ballgame that would make one of them an icon and one of them weep."

posted by crqri to baseball at 11:39 AM - 2 comments

"Papa, I gotta go potty. Hold my fishing rod." : Man lands record catfish with daughter's Barbie fishing rod.

posted by lil_brown_bat to other at 08:28 PM - 11 comments

US softball team denied gold; Ueno dominant: Losing for the first time since 2000, the U.S. softball team was denied a chance for a fourth straight gold medal Thursday, beaten 3-1 by Japan. Yukiko Ueno, Japan's remarkably resilient right-hander, shut down the Americans and handed them their first loss since Sept. 21, 2000 at the Sydney Games.

posted by knowsalittle to olympics at 10:15 AM - 9 comments

NFLPA Director Gene Upshaw Dies: Gene Upshaw, the Hall of Fame offensive lineman for the Oakland Raiders who has led the NFL Players Association as executive director for 24 years, has died of pancreatic cancer at age 63.

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

Spofi EPL pool 08-09: Week 1 update. The Foreign Exchange is off to a Usainian start.

posted by gspm to fantasy at 03:37 PM - 15 comments

Bengals Resign Troubled Receiver Chris Henry: With their two Pro Bowl receivers hurt, the Cincinnati Bengals brought back troubled receiver Chris Henry on Tuesday, a move that their coach had emphatically ruled out only a month earlier as inappropriate. The signing helps the team but raises questions about its commitment to holding players accountable for their actions.

posted by BornIcon to football at 09:37 AM - 21 comments

To lift a nation: In every little corner of the Olympics, you'll find something that means everything to somebody. It's what keeps the flame burning, that every country here has something to wait for, something to hang on. Sit with an Indian watching his country's best woman play badminton, Go to Heineken House, the Olympic version of the Spirit of Edmonton suite at Grey Cup, and you'll see the Dutch celebrate a cycling medal the way a Brazilian celebrates soccer. Yesterday it was Latvia's turn.

posted by tommytrump to olympics at 06:57 AM - 2 comments

CFL Pick 'Em, Week 9: Hold your nose and ignore the stink from Week 8's games. Fortunately, everyone in the standings—both ours and the CFL West's—is still in the running, so this week should be a whole lot better. Make your picks inside.

posted by DrJohnEvans to fantasy at 11:52 PM - 18 comments

Baseball Hall of Famer YAZ hospitalized : BOSTON - Hall of Famer Carl Yastrzemski, the last player to hit for the Triple Crown, was hospitalized for tests Tuesday after experiencing chest pains. The popular Yaz was an 18-time All-Star and spent his entire career in Boston, taking over left field for Ted Williams in 1961 and playing through 1983.

posted by knowsalittle to baseball at 04:40 PM - 9 comments

Rays Walk Hamilton Intentionally with Bases Loaded: The Tampa Bay Rays made history Sunday night, walking Josh Hamilton of the Texas Rangers on purpose with the bases loaded so they could face Marlon Byrd, who struck out to cement a 7-4 Rays win. The intentional walk was the first time in 107 years that an American League player was walked intentionally with the bases full and only the fifth overall since 1900. "You don't pitch to Superman when you have Wonder Woman on deck," said Rays closer Troy Percival.

posted by rcade to baseball at 10:57 AM - 31 comments

Equestrians' silver touch: In his eight previous Olympic appearances, Perth Ont., equestrian Ian Millar had his wife Lynn by his side to help ride the highs and deal with the lows of his sport. Millar finally got an Olympic medal in his ninth try, a bittersweet highlight of his decorated career because it came without his wife by his side. She died of cancer earlier this year.

posted by tommytrump to olympics at 12:08 AM - 1 comment

Olympic Traitor?: Chris Kaman of the Clippers, a US citizen, obtained German citizenship and plays basketball for the German Olympic team in these Olympics. He is three generations removed from his great-grandparents who came here from the motherland. There's some dispute about whether a US citizen playing for another national team is kosher. Opinions?

posted by boredom_08 to basketball at 01:00 PM - 29 comments

Bolt wins Olympic 100m and breaks the world record: Michael Johnson can't believe what he's watching. The best bit? He didn't even bother to tie both of his shoelaces.

posted by JJ to olympics at 03:54 AM - 15 comments

Let's hope the Pope says condoms are OK after all: Italian team Premiata Montegranaro announced Sunday that 38-year-old Shawn Kemp has agreed to play for the team starting in November.

posted by wfrazerjr to basketball at 11:34 PM - 3 comments

Eight.: Phelps.

posted by Joey Michaels to other at 03:56 PM - 16 comments

Fantasy League Kicks Out Mike Holmgren's Daughter: Seattle Seahawks Coach Mike Holmgren said that his daughter Calla was recently booted from her league "because of 'inside information.' But I will say, she was clean. It was the appearance."

posted by rcade to football at 04:08 PM - 11 comments

I was robbed: : James Blake knocked out of Olympic final by Fernando Gonzalez, complains about contested point.

posted by lil_brown_bat to olympics at 12:22 PM - 9 comments

Liukin wins gold, Johnson silver in gymnastics : BEIJING - Nastia Liukin won the gold medal in women's gymnastics Friday, beating teammate and friend Shawn Johnson. Liukin, whose father was a double gold medalist for the Soviet Union 20 years ago, finished with 63.325 points, more than a half-point ahead of Johnson, the reigning world champion. Johnson finished with 62.725. Yang Yilin of China won the bronze medal.

posted by knowsalittle to olympics at 01:51 AM - 20 comments

This is Football's Biggest Player Fine Ever: Adrian Mutu can finally count the true cost of his positive drugs test while a Chelsea player after Fifa yesterday ordered him to pay 13.8m in damages to his former club. It is the biggest fine ever handed down against a football player.

posted by tifosinyc to football at 06:45 PM - 5 comments

I could beat Michael Phelps: Ocho Cinco says he could beat Michael Phelps in the pool.

posted by BoKnows to other at 12:54 PM - 24 comments

Spanish Racism Toward China?: In anticipation for the Olympics in Beijing, the Spanish basketball team took a picture for an advertisement a courier company had carried in a major Spanish newspaper. In the picture, all the players pulled the sides of their eyes, making the well known "slant eyed" look that mocks Asians' most recognizable feature.

posted by BornIcon to olympics at 11:57 AM - 21 comments

Are you ready for some (weird-looking) football?: Piedmont (CA) High School is running a novel new offensive package. How novel? How about two quarterbacks and all 11 men potentially eligible to catch a pass? College and pro coaches are calling, but not everyone thinks it will translate.

posted by wfrazerjr to football at 10:38 AM - 14 comments

CFL Pick 'Em, Week 8: SpoFi is back and so is the CFL. Well, technically the CFL never left, although I'm having a continuing debate with the commissioner's office about that. Make your picks inside.

posted by DrJohnEvans to fantasy at 01:29 AM - 21 comments

Spitz spits fit: US swim legend Mark Spitz won't be on hand in Beijing if Michael Phelps breaks his record of seven gold medals at a single Olympics because, he says, no one bothered to invite him. Should he be reacting this way, or is he simply overreacting?

posted by Kendall to olympics at 12:34 AM - 15 comments

Gold, patriotism and revenge spur on the Games : For most Olympians the question of motivation is a simple one -- it is all about the glory of gold. "The medal around my neck was my motivation," said Britain's Rebecca Adlington simply after winning swimming gold in the 400 meters freestyle on Monday and it is the most commonly cited driving force.

posted by knowsalittle to olympics at 10:41 PM - 4 comments

Jason Lezak's Unbelievable Freestyle Relay Swim: The final leg of the men's 4x100-meter freestyle relay may be the most stunning achievement thus far in the Summer Olympics. American Jason Lezak entered the pool a half-second behind Alain Bernard of France, who had said earlier that they would "smash" the Americans. Only 46.06 seconds later, Lezak touched 0.08 seconds before Bernard to claim the gold -- the fastest anchor leg ever by 0.73 seconds. See the video.

posted by rcade to olympics at 07:05 PM - 19 comments

Gullit and Lalas gone from the Galaxy.: Too much is given much is expected...

posted by Landis to soccer at 05:46 PM - 2 comments

Meet Michelito, Mexico's 10-Year-Old Bullfighter: Although he was recently banned in France, the 10-year-old Mexican matador Michelito Lagravare continues to perform in Latin America. He's fought at least 56 bulls and reportedly earned £146,000 last year (approximately $275,000 U.S.).

posted by rcade to other at 01:16 PM - 1 comment

Equestrian sport too deadly?: ....more than a dozen riders many, top level athletes have died around the world, in less than two years.

posted by tommytrump to olympics at 12:57 PM - 5 comments

Spofi EPL pool preseason update: The EPL kicks off this coming weekend. The door on Spofi's EPL pool will then be shut. So if you want in, time to make it happen. We have 30 participants so far (same as last year) with a few returning entrants.

posted by gspm to fantasy at 12:04 PM - 17 comments

Phelps Wins Ninth Medal with World-Record 400: American swimmer Michael Phelps shattered his own world record by 1.41 seconds in the 400-meter individual medley, finishing in 4:03.84 for his first gold medal of the 2008 Olympics and his ninth overall. He's hoping to win seven more.

posted by rcade to olympics at 10:42 AM - 24 comments

Olympics Open in China: China didn't just walk onto the world stage. It soared over it. At last playing its long-sought role as Olympic host, China opened the Summer Games in spectacular fashion Friday with an extravaganza of fireworks and pageantry dramatizing its ascendance as a global power

posted by knowsalittle to olympics at 11:04 AM - 13 comments

Close season is almost over: The Community Shield is in 36 hours, the EPL opens in another week. Who made the most of the transfer window? Will the Top 4 do anything but play musical chairs? Scolari has come to Chelsea, kept Lampard and Drogba (so far) and wants Robinho. SAF has not lost Lady Boy and not bought Berbatov. Arsenal bought teen heartthrob Aaron Ramsey and Samir Nasri. Liverpool got Keane, Dossena, Degen and Ngog.

posted by billsaysthis to soccer at 01:39 AM - 8 comments

Swimsuit models: Speedo International Ltd. and their research partners performed body scans of some 400 elite swimmers, tested low-friction materials in a mini NASA wind tunnel, and subjected swimmers to rigorous pool tests wearing their new swimsuit.

posted by habitz to olympics at 02:46 PM - 2 comments

The Science of Doping: "The processes used to charge athletes with cheating are often based on flawed statistics and flawed logic." By Donald A Berry, published in Nature.

posted by apoch to business and law at 05:55 AM - 1 comment

A crack at Canada's count: Van Koeverden should lead way but who else will take podium?

posted by tommytrump to olympics at 01:54 AM - 0 comments

Meet Team USA: The U.S. has sent nearly 600 athletes to Beijing for the Olympic Games. But who are they? America's new set of Olympians are from 47 of the 50 states -- as well as athletes who were born in 28 other countries -- and includes identical twins, teenagers, a cancer patient and the daughter of a Super Bowl champion. Who's from the smallest hometown? Which team is the brainiest? Which college is represented by the most Olympians? Get to know a little more about Team USA.

posted by BoKnows to olympics at 01:16 AM - 5 comments

The Shocking deal...that changed hockey forever: On Aug. 9, 1988, Wayne Douglas Gretzky was sold to the Los Angeles Kings for $15 million US, $18 million Canadian. And like Americans, who remember exactly where they were when John F. Kennedy was assassinated or when man landed on the moon, most Canadians can tell you where they were that day.

posted by tommytrump to hockey at 12:19 AM - 7 comments

CFL Pick 'Em: Didn't know what else to do to get my picks in, so I just started my own damn thread. Selfish? Maybe, but that's just how I roll.

posted by The_Black_Hand to fantasy at 04:54 PM - 3 comments

Favre Saga Ends with Trade to Jets: Brett Favre's month-long effort to get back to the Green Bay Packers ended with his trade late last night to the New York Jets.

posted by rcade to football at 09:21 AM - 35 comments

"Whatcho talkin' 'bout, ump?!":
Kudos to the team for taking a potentially dull publicity stunt and ratcheting it up a couple of notches on the entertainment meter.

posted by grum@work to baseball at 08:19 AM - 1 comment

Reflections on a break-through Tour: John Wilcockson of VeloNews reflects on the success of the clean teams in this years Tour de France and shifts in cycling culture that have occured since the Festina Scandal in 1998.

posted by apoch to other at 05:14 AM - 0 comments

McCarthy: marketing deal good for Favre : Green Bay Packers coach Mike McCarthy says a potential marketing contract for Brett Favre could benefit the star quarterback and the team. More importantly, it also could resolve their standoff over Favre's retirement.

posted by knowsalittle to football at 02:15 PM - 14 comments