12/21/24
Archives for February 2010
February 28, 2010
Canada captures gold : Canada is once again on top of the hockey world as they have defeated the United States 3-2 in overtime in the gold medal game at the Olympic hockey tournament.
posted by tommytrump to olympics at 06:11 PM - 79 comments
Russia Sees Red at Lack of Success This Olympics: Currently in sixth place in the medal count, Russia is struggling with its lack of success at the Winter Olympics relative to past Soviet glories. "The highest level of sports can raise the prestige of the nation, unite it. Yes, we need victories," three-time gold medalist Russian figure skater Irina Rodnina wrote in a front-page commentary for the newspaper Komsomolskaya Pravda. "But how can we get them if the Olympic team is not in the mood?"
posted by rcade to olympics at 10:34 AM - 13 comments
Geoff Bodine takes NASCAR expertise to bobsled: The story about the "Night Train" and the first gold in 62 years for the USA.
posted by gfinsf to olympics at 09:52 AM - 4 comments
Sisu!: After a devastating 6-0 loss to the US on Friday and a poor second period against Slovakia last night, the Finns find their sisu and rally in the third with four unanswered goals to capture the bronze medal in hockey. This follows Friday's bronze medal win by the Finnish womens' team over their main rivals, Sweden.
posted by NoMich to olympics at 09:25 AM - 3 comments
SportsFilter: The Sunday Huddle
posted by huddle to general at 06:00 AM - 7 comments
February 27, 2010
SportsFilter: The Saturday Huddle
posted by huddle to general at 06:00 AM - 8 comments
Team Canada squeaks into gold medal game: Eight years after Canada upended the U.S.A. in Salt Lake City for its 1st Olympic gold medal in men's hockey in 50 years, the North American rivals will meet again. The Canadians hung on for a nervous 3-2 victory in their semifinal against Slovakia on Friday.
posted by tommytrump to olympics at 12:19 AM - 9 comments
February 26, 2010
Federal Authorities seek: former NBA player Alvin Robertson (wiki, career stats) in a Texas sex trafficking case. Authorities announced charges against seven people in the investigation. Of those seven, Robertson is the only person whose whereabouts are unknown. Robertson played in the NBA for ten seasons, was a four-time All-Star and was part of the 1984 Gold-Medal winning US Olympic Basketball Team.
posted by Ufez Jones to basketball at 05:31 PM - 2 comments
USA hammer Finland to advance to gold medal game : Finland were their own worst enemy in this one as they were hammered 6-1 by the Americans in their semifinal encounter. Patrick Kane scored twice in a six goal explosion in the opening period as the Americans now await the winner of the second semifinal between Canada and Slovakia later today. "When you are down 6-0 after 12 minutes, you know the game is pretty much over," said Finland's assistant captain Teemu Selanne afterwards. "You play for pride but it's tough."
posted by tommytrump to olympics at 05:30 PM - 11 comments
National Enquirer: Tiger Woods Now in Drug Rehab: Tiger Woods is undergoing treatment in Arizona for prescription drug addiction, according to a National Enquirer report today. Citing unnamed sources, the tabloid claims he's at The Meadows treatment center in Wickenburg, Arizona. No other media appear to have corroborated the report. In November after Woods' car accident, a Florida state trooper requested a subpoena for his blood test results because a witness -- reported to be Woods' wife -- said he had prescriptions for Ambien and Vicodin.
posted by rcade to golf at 05:11 PM - 14 comments
White Sorority Wins Stepping Competition: The all-white Zeta Tau Alpha sorority team from the University of Arkansas won the Sprite Step Off national stepping competition in Atlanta Saturday and were awarded $100,000 in scholarships. Their Matrix-themed performance was a shock to the crowd, as a YouTube video shows, but sparked a backlash "from a lot of angry black Greeks who couldn't believe a white sorority could honestly beat black sororities," blogs TheRoot. A second team was awarded first-place winnings due to an unspecified "scoring discrepancy." I liked the announcer's amazed reaction after ZTA's performance: "If you can step, you can step."
posted by rcade to other at 02:34 PM - 30 comments
SportsFilter: The Friday Huddle
posted by huddle to general at 06:00 AM - 21 comments
Strange that no one's talking about Kelly Kulick becoming the first woman to win a men's Professional Bowlers Association Tour title: Hello? America? This is the equivalent of "Man Gives Birth!" It's never happened in any ball sport in American history. Kulick, 32, should own Page 1...She beat 62 of the best male pros -- straight up -- in arguably the Tour's creamiest event, the Tournament of Champions. And she beat them like egg yolks. She beat Chris Barnes, the No. 1 bowler on the Tour, by 70 pins in the final!
posted by mediareport to other at 12:06 AM - 24 comments
February 25, 2010
Canadian women beat U.S.A. for hockey gold: The Canadian women, who only gave up two goals this entire Olympic hockey tournament, have their three-peat. Finnish women take hockey bronze in OT thriller In the "other" noted rivalry game in women's hockey, Finland took down Sweden in a 3-2 overtime thriller on Thursday to steal the bronze medal, taking a spot on the podium for the first time since women's hockey was introduced at the Games in 1998.
posted by tommytrump to olympics at 11:24 PM - 25 comments
Pole Dancers Want Sport in Olympics: "After a great deal of feedback from the pole dance community, many of us have decided that it's about time pole fitness is recognized as a competitive sport, and what better way for recognition than to be part of the 2012 Olympics held in London," says British pole dancer KT Coates. Here's video of current world champion Mai Soto.
posted by rcade to olympics at 11:01 AM - 28 comments
Slovakia advances to semi-final after dethroning Sweden : There will be a new Olympic champion this year as Slovakia moves on after beating Sweden 4-3 on Wednesday night. The win secures Slovakia's highest ever finish at the Olympic Games. Pavel Kubina looks for his hat, Finns knock off Czechs, An IIHF rule designed to protect players' heads cost the Czech Republic an Olympic quarterfinal game against Finland on Wednesday.
posted by tommytrump to olympics at 10:30 AM - 2 comments
Mr. David Deacon Jones: Watch and enjoy the best.
posted by gfinsf to football at 09:58 AM - 14 comments
SportsFilter: The Thursday Huddle
posted by huddle to general at 06:00 AM - 10 comments
February 24, 2010
Canada thumps Russia to advance to semifinals : OK, nobody saw that coming. United States survives a scare It had been a slow start to the Olympic tournament for Zach Parise, the most accomplished American goal-scorer and the closest player they have at the moment to a Sidney Crosby.
posted by tommytrump to olympics at 10:47 PM - 18 comments
Figure Skater Joannie Rochette places third in the short program: Two days after the sudden death of her mom. NBC video here. Excerpt of NBC Video on Mediaite here.
RIP Mosi Tatupu: Former Patriots' stalwart Mosi Tatupu passed away earlier today. He was a fan favorite during his playing days. One of the most remarkable things about Tatupu was that, despite his Pacific island background, he was one of the Pats' best winter weather players. Somehow he almost always managed to keep his feet under him, even in blizzard conditions. Condolences to Lofa and family.
posted by beaverboard to football at 12:56 PM - 10 comments
ESPN Needs Caller ID: Brian Westbrook talks to Scott Van Pelt about...prostate worship? I saw it live last night, and almost choked on my pizza.
posted by The_Black_Hand to other at 10:38 AM - 7 comments
SportsFilter: The Wednesday Huddle
posted by huddle to general at 06:00 AM - 21 comments
February 23, 2010
"We believe in live. We believe in live.": ESPN exec John Skipper talks about the Disney network stable's pitch for the 2014 and 2016 Olympics, and the "anachronistic" decisions that go into NBC's tape-delayed broadcasts -- which, this time round, extends to tomorrow's US hockey QF and the gold-medal game on Sunday.
posted by etagloh to olympics at 10:34 PM - 15 comments
Wizards F Josh Howard tears ACL, out for season: Howard joined Washington last week as part of a seven-player deal that moved the 6-foot-7 forward from Dallas to the Wizards. In 35 games this season he averaged 12.7 points and 3.6 rebounds.
posted by BornIcon to basketball at 06:01 PM - 3 comments
Russians Remain Comrades Despite Cross-Country Photo Finish: Two Russian cross-country skiers produced one of Derrick Z. Jackson's favorite Olympic moments. In the 1.6 kilometer sprint, Russians Nikita Kriukov and Alexander Panzhinskiy had a photo finish at 3 minutes and 36 seconds (event video), celebrating together before learning Kriukov won by inches. "the moments that most move me are the ones where frosty rivals break the ice and millisecond finishes do not set off an avalanche of bitterness," Jackson writes.
Dan Jenkins on Tiger Woods: "Nice (Not) Knowing You": Legendary sportswriter Dan Jenkins unloads on Tiger Woods in a commentary for Golf Digest. "Sure, he can come back and even win again, if he man's up, but if he does he will only be a hero to the 'you-da-man' and 'get-in-the-hole' crowd. And I can't imagine him coming back as a 'humbled man.'"
posted by rcade to golf at 03:14 PM - 19 comments
ESPN Suspends Tony Kornheiser: ESPN has suspended Tony Kornheiser for comments he made on Pardon the Interruption last week about network anchor Hannah Storm dressing like a teenager on the air. Kornheiser said, "Hannah Storm in a horrifying, horrifying outfit today. She's got on red go-go boots and a catholic school plaid skirt ... way too short for somebody in her 40s or maybe early 50s by now. She's got on her typically very, very tight shirt. She looks like she has sausage casing wrapping around her upper body ... I know she's very good, and I'm not supposed to be critical of ESPN people, so I won't ... but Hannah Storm ... come on now! Stop! What are you doing? ... She's what I would call a Holden Caulfield fantasy at this point."
posted by rcade to general at 02:42 PM - 45 comments
Tomlinson exits San Diego: The San Diego Chargers have said good-bye to LaDainian Tomlinson, their signature player for nine years and one of the NFL's leading rushers.
posted by BornIcon to football at 08:50 AM - 27 comments
SportsFilter: The Tuesday Huddle
posted by huddle to general at 06:00 AM - 12 comments
February 22, 2010
Russians Honor, Horrify Aborigines with Ice Dance: Last night's Olympic pairs ice dancing featured reigning world-champion Russians Oksana Domnina and Maxim Shabalin performing their "Aboriginal original dance" (video), a supposed honor to the indigenous people that "seemed to borrow at random from ancient cultures through Africa and the South Pacific," according to The Australian. The routine included flesh-colored bodysuits, hair pulling, eucalyptus-stuffed loincloths, nose kisses, and lots of mugging -- all set to discordant didgeridoo music. The performance dropped them to third place and received tepid applause from the crowd. "As bad as they looked, they skated even worse," writes Christine Brennan.
posted by rcade to olympics at 12:32 PM - 22 comments
Spectator Killed by NHRA Dragster's Wheel in Arizona: A woman died Sunday after she was struck by a wheel when Antron Brown crashed during a National Hot Rod Association competition at Firebird International Raceway in Chandler, Arizona. The left rear wheel broke off right after Brown's crash at the start of a race and bounced over several barriers.
posted by rcade to auto racing at 07:42 AM - 5 comments
SportsFilter: The Monday Huddle
posted by huddle to general at 06:00 AM - 5 comments
John Napier: The good teammate: The other day in the Olympic Village at the Winter Games, bobsledder John Napier stopped snowboarder Shaun White and asked, "Hey, you mind if I get a picture with you?" Both men are 23. Napier is about seven inches taller. White is about $30 million richer. White obliged. Napier got his snap and thanked him. Here's why it should've been the other way around: Napier, the driver for two of America's six Olympic men's bobsled teams, wants to do two remarkable things. First, he wants to win a gold medal in these Olympics, something no American bobsledder has done in 62 years. John Napier has requested deployment to Afghanistan when his Olympic run is finished.Then he wants to leave immediately and go fight in Afghanistan.
posted by gfinsf to olympics at 05:14 AM - 15 comments
February 21, 2010
Brodeur's mistakes sink Canadians: There are two elements that every hockey team in the Olympics is trying desperately to grasp. One is teamwork; when you are a collection of stars, it's hard to create a working constellation in a week. On Sunday, for long stretches, Canada did just that. But the second plank is goaltending, and last night, Canada's was shaky enough in a 5-3 loss to the United States that the whole premise of this team is suddenly in question. Martin Brodeur, when his career is done, may be the greatest goaltender of all time. Sunday night, he wasn't. As a result of that -- that and a hungrier American team -- Canada now seems to be headed for a game with Germany to reach the quarter-finals, where Russia may await. If you were paying attention in Torino, that's how the ship began to sink.
posted by tommytrump to olympics at 10:38 PM - 39 comments
Bode collects the set: : a bronze in the downhill, a silver in the super G, and now gold in the Olympic super combi. Trailing Sweden's Aksel Lund Svindal by .76 seconds after the downhill portion of the race, Bode made up the difference and then some to finish .33 seconds ahead of silver medalist Ivica Kostelic of Croatia. Switzerland's Silvan Zurbriggen claimed the bronze.
posted by lil_brown_bat to olympics at 04:31 PM - 22 comments
Cardinals Pitcher Upset About Clubhouse Gun Ban: St. Louis Cardinals closer Ryan Franklin is upset that Major League Baseball has issued a new directive prohibiting all firearms as well as some other weapons from the clubhouse. "There are a few guys that screwed it up for everybody," said Franklin, an outdoorsman who hunts and fishes on his 500-acre ranch in Oklahoma. "If it wasn't for the NFL guy a couple years ago bringing a weapon into a nightclub ... you've just got to be smart."
posted by rcade to baseball at 12:45 PM - 56 comments
Johnny Damon Reaches Deal with Detroit Tigers: New York Yankees free agent outfielder Johnny Damon has agreed to a one-year, $8 million deal with the Detroit Tigers, ESPN reports. Damon, who hit .286 with 24 homers last season, will likely bat leadoff. The move raises the question of why the Tigers traded outfielder Curtis Granderson in December, who is seven years younger and several million cheaper.
posted by rcade to baseball at 12:25 PM - 5 comments
SportsFilter: The Sunday Huddle
posted by huddle to general at 06:00 AM - 40 comments
February 20, 2010
SportsFilter: The Saturday Huddle
posted by huddle to general at 06:00 AM - 5 comments
February 19, 2010
Tiger Woods sorry, admits all: 'I had affairs. I cheated' : Disgraced golf superstar Tiger Woods is sorry. Mr. Woods said he and wife Elin Nordegren have started to deal with his infidelities. His wife was not obviously present at the event. “My real apology to her will not come in the form of words, it will come in the form of my behaviour over time.” “I was unfaithful. I had affairs. I cheated. What I did was not acceptable.” “I brought this shame on myself. I hurt my wife, my kids, my mother, my wife’s family, my friends, my foundation and kids all around the world who admired me. I’ve had a lot of time to think about what I’ve done. My failures have made me look at myself in a way I never wanted to before. It’s now up to me to make amends. And that starts by never repeating the mistakes I’ve made.” Mr. Woods said he plans to return to golf, perhaps this year. “When I return, I need to make my behaviour more respectful for the game.” Audio of his statement included in article.
posted by tommytrump to golf at 11:49 AM - 57 comments
SportsFilter: The Friday Huddle
posted by huddle to general at 06:00 AM - 15 comments
February 18, 2010
Knick get McGrady, more cap space in 3-team deal.: (Warning: embedded talking heads) The deal of the deadline assures the Knicks will make a serious run at LeBron, and possibly another top-tier free agent this summer.
posted by MeatSaber to basketball at 07:09 PM - 4 comments
Has Human Athletic Achievement Peaked?: Based on studies by sports scientists, a story in today's Los Angeles Times claims that human athletic achievement has reached its peak and from now on records will broken less frequently, if at all. "A French researcher who analyzed a century's worth of world records concluded in a recent paper that the peak of athletic achievement was reached in 1988," writes Shari Roan. "Achievement appears to have plateaued throughout the sports world."
posted by rcade to olympics at 03:06 PM - 16 comments
French Skier's Olympic Dream Ends in Four Seconds: In the grueling women's downhill Wednesday that was won by American Lindsey Vonn, French skier Marion Rolland fell just four seconds into her run and injured her knee in the process (video; second crash). "Obviously, the morale is not too good," a team spokesman said.
posted by rcade to olympics at 08:19 AM - 18 comments
SportsFilter: The Thursday Huddle
posted by huddle to general at 06:00 AM - 37 comments
February 17, 2010
Tiger Woods Will Break Silence Friday: Ending three months of silence during which the entire media of the world teed off on him, Tiger Woods will speak to a small group of reporters at 11 a.m. Friday from the clubhouse of the TPC Sawgrass in Jacksonville. "He's looking forward to it," lied his agent Mark Steinberg. Interestingly, the event is scheduled to occur at the same time as the first round of the Accenture Match Play Championship in Arizona. Accenture was the first sponsor to drop Woods.
posted by rcade to golf at 07:30 PM - 41 comments
Might It Possibly Be OK If We Kick Some Ass?: Why the world finds Canada's quest for Olympic gold strange and adorable.
posted by mkn to olympics at 03:20 PM - 20 comments
Don't blame the Zamboni for the Vancouver ice woes: The ice resurfacing machines at the games aren't Zambonis, they're Olympias.
posted by mr_crash_davis to olympics at 02:54 PM - 0 comments
SportsFilter: The Wednesday Huddle
posted by huddle to general at 06:00 AM - 11 comments
February 16, 2010
Japanese-Born Skater Can't Continue Russian Dynasty: Pairs skater Yuko Kavaguti, who has lived and trained in Russia since 2003, relinquished her Japanese citizenship a year ago so that she could compete in the Olympics for Russia. She also changed the spelling of her last name from Kawaguchi to a more Russianized variant. All of the effort was for naught Monday, as Kavaguti and partner Aleksander Smirnov finished fourth -- the first time since 1960 that a team from Russia or the Soviet Union did not win the event.
posted by rcade to olympics at 10:53 AM - 14 comments
SportsFilter: The Tuesday Huddle
posted by huddle to general at 06:00 AM - 31 comments
February 15, 2010
DePaul offers 8th-grader scholarship: Interim coach Tracy Webster has made an official offer to 12-year-old Jahlil Okafor of Rosemont Elementary School District 78 to play basketball at DePaul in 2014. The offer came after DePaul's narrow home loss to Syracuse on Jan. 30. After Jahlil's dad confirmed it was an official offer, he responded "I wouldn't commit myself to anything right now," Chuck Okafor said. "It would be stupid. It's good for his confidence, but we're not going to think about it too much." And if you are wondering, yes, they are related.
posted by BoKnows to basketball at 09:50 PM - 3 comments
America Wins the America's Cup: The wing sail came down before some really strong winds came up, software tycoon Larry Ellison hopped on his private jet to get back to his day job and the sailors who reclaimed the America's Cup for the United States were still groggy after partying until just before dawn.
posted by irunfromclones to extreme at 09:13 PM - 1 comment
Former Canadian and World Champion Elvis Stojko on what ails men's figure skating: There's been a lot of discussion about masculinity and figure skating recently. Do you think the discussion has been productive?
It basically started about one year ago, when Skate Canada said that they weren't getting enough young boys enrolling in skating. People tiptoe around the topic, and I was like, "You know, I'm just going to say it: Effeminate men's skating is not my style of skating. In men's skating I like to see power and strength." [....] Some guys get into the sport because it's difficult the spins, the speed and they like to showcase that within the music. When you're not appreciated for that, it takes its toll. And then when people call them effeminate, they get pissed. People call them gay, and some people don't like to be called that.
posted by rumple to olympics at 07:07 PM - 16 comments
Moguls Win Gives Canada Long-Coveted Gold: Men's mogul skier Alexandre Bilodeau won Canada's first-ever Olympic gold medal at home, a huge priority of the host country going into the Winter Games. Bilodeau edged defending Olympic champion Dale Begg-Smith, who was born in Vancouver and emigrated to Australia in his teens to work on a controversial software business.
posted by rcade to olympics at 12:26 PM - 19 comments
SportsFilter: The Monday Huddle
posted by huddle to general at 06:00 AM - 11 comments
The Playoff for Fourth?: It was revealed today that the English Premier League is considering introducing a playoff for the last Champions League position from England to break the hegemony of the Big Four (Manchester United, Chelsea, Liverpool, and Arsenal) on the Champions League spots. Teams that would have been eligible for the last spot in 2008-09 were Aston Villa, Everton, and Fulham (who would have joined Arsenal in the playoff).
posted by boredom_08 to soccer at 01:59 AM - 8 comments
February 14, 2010
Champion Jockey Dick Francis Dies: Dick Francis, a champion jockey in the 1940s and 50s who was once the Queen Mother's jockey and rode a horse that fell 45 meters from winning the 1956 Grand National steeplechase, has died at age 89. Also of minor note: Francis sold 60 million crime novels after his retirement, many based in the world of horse racing.
posted by rcade to other at 01:53 PM - 6 comments
SportsFilter: The Sunday Huddle
posted by huddle to general at 06:00 AM - 13 comments
February 13, 2010
Remember Spud Webb Winning the Slam-Dunk Contest?: The return of the NBA All-Star Game to Dallas after 24 years has revived memories of the legendary slam-dunk contest victor back then: 5-foot-7 rookie and Dallas native Spud Webb. "When they asked me to participate in the contest, I thought they were joking," said Webb, who's a judge this year. "What they didn't know was that when I said I would do it, I was in it to win it." See video of his win.
posted by rcade to basketball at 09:18 PM - 3 comments
Wizards and Mavericks agree to multiple-player trade involving Caron Butler & Josh Howard: The Washington Wizards and Dallas Mavericks have swapped Caron Butler, Brendan Haywood and DeShawn Stevenson for Josh Howard, Drew Gooden and two other players.
posted by tommytrump to basketball at 07:53 PM - 3 comments
SportsFilter: The Saturday Huddle
posted by huddle to general at 06:00 AM - 20 comments
February 12, 2010
Men's Luger Killed in Training Crash at Winter Olympics Track: Georgian luger Nodar Kumaritashvili was killed after losing control of his sled, going over the track wall and hitting a steel pole near the finish line at the Whistler Sliding Center Friday before the opening ceremonies of the Winter Olympics. Emergency crews performed CPR on the 21-year-old athlete, a native of Borjomi, Georgia, but were unable to save his life. Three days ago, British skeleton director Andy Schmid told the Daily Telegraph it was "irresponsible" of Canada to limit foreign athletes to 40 training runs compared to 300 for its own athletes. "Please, let there be no accidents there because that could kill the sport," Schmid said. "People have the argument that it's just home advantage and that's normal for an Olympic host country, but it's different for sports involving high speed."
posted by rcade to olympics at 03:12 PM - 68 comments
SportsFilter: The Friday Huddle
posted by huddle to general at 06:00 AM - 6 comments
February 11, 2010
The Big Hurt makes it official.:
After sitting out for a full year after getting no suitable offers in 2009, Frank Thomas has announced his retirement.
posted by grum@work to baseball at 11:47 PM - 5 comments
Douglas' knockout of Tyson still resonates 20 years later : I remember the fight well, I was stationed in the Air Force getting ready to go to work that night. The fight went further than anyone thought it would. Was almost late for duty that night because I wouldn't leave until the final bell
posted by m8nsman to boxing at 06:52 PM - 16 comments
Are teams getting better at playing with ten men?: Really interesting article from the Guardian today peering a little bit into how teams fare after they receive a red card after some results from this weekend where teams improved after being reduced to 10 men: Almeria 3-1 Sporting Gijon, Barcelona 2-1 Getafe, and Liverpool 1-0 Everton. There was also yesterday's match at Villa Park, where Manchester United held Aston Villa for more than an hour and sometimes looked like the better side with ten men. Match report: Aston Villa 1-1 Manchester United.
posted by boredom_08 to soccer at 12:31 PM - 5 comments
Rams to be sold to Illinois Businessman: Published reports say the majority owners of the St. Louis Rams have reached an agreement to sell the team to Illinois businessman Shahid Khan.
posted by yzelda4045 to football at 11:43 AM - 8 comments
SportsFilter: The Thursday Huddle
posted by huddle to general at 06:00 AM - 23 comments
February 10, 2010
Can a gay football (soccer) player ever come out?: Includes a link to an anti-homophobia video commissioned, and now delayed, by the FA.
He...could...go...all...the...way...to DirecTV: ESPN analyst personality Chris Berman's contract is set to expire in three months. Both DirecTV and the NFL Network are trying to lure the stumblin', bumblin' Swami (NSFW) away. Not everyone understands the appeal.
posted by dusted to football at 07:48 PM - 10 comments
The Search for Home . . . : Plate at Seals Stadium. Ever wonder what happened to a favorite old stadium? Where would home plate be now? via LaughingSquid
posted by geekyguy to baseball at 06:18 PM - 4 comments
Hal McRae Thought Racism Cost Him 1976 Batting Title: While looking through a 1976 issue of Sporting News, a blogger at Royals Review found a controversy that would receive wall-to-wall coverage today but was a footnote back then. Hal McRae believed that the 1976 batting title, which he lost on his final at-bat to teammate George Brett, was taken from him in a racist conspiracy by Minnesota Twins manager Gene Mauch. "I know what happened," McRae said after the game. "It's been too good a season for me to say too much, but I know they let that ball fall on purpose."
posted by rcade to baseball at 04:31 PM - 4 comments
Simon Kuper thinks hockey is starting to slip as Canada's number one sport, as Canadians fall for soccer: It's a ridiculous assertion, but still worth reading for an outsider's perspective.
posted by Steve-o to hockey at 04:09 PM - 8 comments
Argonauts sale has opened a can of worms: Having once had two teams with the same nickname, the Canadian Football League has now taken the position it isn't harmful to have two teams with one owner. Argonauts officially fall under Braley's control & Braley takeover of Argos damages CFL integrity
posted by tommytrump to football at 01:40 PM - 2 comments
SportsFilter: The Wednesday Huddle
posted by huddle to general at 06:00 AM - 24 comments
February 09, 2010
Phoenix Republican Rep. John McComish wants to keep the Cubs spring training facility in Arizona, at your expense of course.: Part of the $84 million cost would include a ticket increase for all spring training games in Arizona, including those not played by the Cubs. Cubs supporters have said all teams benefit from the Cubs because the Chicago team increases attendance at their away games.
posted by BoKnows to baseball at 02:30 PM - 4 comments
SportsFilter: The Tuesday Huddle
posted by huddle to general at 06:00 AM - 14 comments
February 08, 2010
Christopher Hitchens: Sports Bring Out the Worst in Humanity: "Whether it's the exacerbation of national rivalries that you want -- as in Africa this year -- or the exhibition of the most depressing traits of the human personality (guns in locker rooms, golf clubs wielded in the home, dogs maimed and tortured at stars' homes to make them fight, dope and steroids everywhere), you need only look to the wide world of sports for the most rank and vivid examples," writes Christopher Hitchens. "As George Orwell wrote in his 1945 essay The Sporting Spirit, after yet another outbreak of combined mayhem and chauvinism on the international soccer field, "sport is an unfailing cause of ill-will."
posted by rcade to general at 05:54 PM - 34 comments
SportsFilter: The Monday Huddle
posted by huddle to general at 06:00 AM - 14 comments
February 07, 2010
The New Orleans Saints win the Super Bowl: The New Orleans Saints have won Super Bowl XLIV. They beat the Indianapolis Colts 31-17 at Sun Life Stadium in South Florida. Saints quarterback Drew Brees was 32 of 39 for 288 yards and two touchdowns. But it was the big 75-yard interception return for a touchdown by cornerback Tracy Porter that sealed the deal.
posted by tommytrump to football at 09:54 PM - 93 comments
SportsFilter: The Sunday Huddle
posted by huddle to general at 06:00 AM - 11 comments
February 06, 2010
Emmitt Smith, Jerry Rice, 5 Others Join Hall of Fame: This year's NFL Hall of Fame inductees are Russ Grimm, Rickey Jackson, Dick LeBeau, Floyd Little, John Randle, Jerry Rice and Emmitt Smith. Links go to local coverage from their hometown papers. Smith and Rice were in their first year of eligibility. Little and LeBeau were veterans' picks, and LeBeau went in as a player, not a coach. Kudos to MSNBC for finding a picture of Smith and Rice in Cardinals and Seahawks uniforms, respectively.
posted by rcade to football at 08:56 PM - 6 comments
The virtues of big-time college sports:: According to columnist David Brooks at the New York Times.
posted by cjets to general at 01:51 PM - 4 comments
Fourth down and freakonomics: A football is often referred to as a “pigskin,” though it’s been a long time since that term was accurate. Modern-day footballs are made from cow leather, made from the hides of slaughtered cattle. That got us wondering: What are the odds a given cow will make it to the Super Bowl?
posted by rumple to football at 12:14 PM - 0 comments
Crash kills Leafs GM Brian Burke's son: Brendan Burke, 21, who broke homophobic barriers in hockey, dies in accident in Indiana. ESPN's John Buccigross weighs in with a moving history of the young man with We love you, this won't change a thing.
posted by NoMich to culture at 10:53 AM - 11 comments
SportsFilter: The Saturday Huddle
posted by huddle to general at 06:00 AM - 6 comments
February 05, 2010
13-Year-Old Commits to USC: University of Southern California coach Lane Kiffin received a verbal commitment Thursday from 13-year old quarterback David Sills of Bear, Del. "His skill set is off the chart," said Steve Clarkson, who has been Sills' "personal coach" for three years and produced a video of his play. "I've never seen anyone at his age do what he's been able to do."
posted by rcade to football at 05:10 PM - 10 comments
QMJHL suspends Marco Scandella indefinitely : For the second time in less than 3 weeks, the QMJHL has suspended one of its players indefinitely for elbowing an opponent in the head. And for the 2nd time, the incident involves a member of Team Canada’s silver-medal-winning 2010 world junior team. Val d’Or Foreurs defenceman Marco Scandella has been suspended pending a disciplinary investigation into an elbow he dished out against Rimouski Océanic forward Alexandre Durette during the first period of a game Wednesday night. The impact reportedly shattered Durette’s protective visor and left him with a concussion and deep cuts to his face. Video: Marco Scandella strikes Alexandre Durette in the face with his elbow
posted by tommytrump to hockey at 02:19 PM - 0 comments
SportsFilter: The Friday Huddle
posted by huddle to general at 06:00 AM - 10 comments
February 04, 2010
Devils add Kovalchuk: New Jersey added a little bit of firepower for the playoffs, adding the NHL's leading goal scorer over the last 9 years.
posted by tahoemoj to hockey at 08:52 PM - 13 comments
38 Years of Super Bowl Commercials: The "world's largest archive of superbowl [sic] commercials." In some years all the regional ads are included as well, but "banned ads" that claim to have been rejected from the Super Bowl are not. The site has 38 out of the 44 super bowl years. [via MetaChat]
posted by scully to football at 08:04 AM - 18 comments
February 03, 2010
Who Dat who say Who Dat when I say Who Dat?: Come on sports fans. Where is this going to end? Is the NFL going to claim Yay as their intellectual property too? Is any word or phrase once remotely associated with professional football be at risk?
posted by irunfromclones to football at 07:20 PM - 14 comments
Affair Split Up US Men's Team Before '98 World Cup: Former U.S. soccer coach Steve Sampson said Tuesday -- for the first time ever -- that when he dropped team captain John Harkes from the U.S. men's national team right before the World Cup in 1998, it was because Harkes had an affair with the wife of teammate Eric Wynalda. The US went on to finish dead last in the 32-team field. "There are just certain lines that one cannot cross," Sampson said. The incident was dredged up by new reports that England captain John Terry had an extramarital affair with a teammate's ex.
posted by rcade to soccer at 03:49 PM - 15 comments
Photos of Super Bowl Venues: from Time.
posted by scully to football at 10:33 AM - 2 comments
SportsFilter: The Wednesday Huddle
posted by huddle to general at 06:00 AM - 8 comments
February 02, 2010
The Path Less Traveled: Six years ago, no major college team wanted Pierre Garcon because he’d given them no reason to want him. Sunday he plays for the Super Bowl.
posted by Ying Yang Mafia to football at 11:05 PM - 17 comments
SportsFilter: The Tuesday Huddle
posted by huddle to general at 06:00 AM - 12 comments
February 01, 2010
College coaches, players, parents clash: Tywanna Patterson watched her son, Patrick, get lambasted by former Kentucky basketball coach Billy Gillispie during a game at Rupp Arena last season, the outspoken mother felt compelled to send a message to her only child. “Don’t let [Gillispie] yell at you like that,” said Tywanna, screaming as she rose from her seat. “You yell at him. He’s the one who’s messing up.”
posted by irunfromclones to culture at 02:13 PM - 19 comments
League announces 2000s NFL All-Decade Team: This decade's 53-player team is comprised of two quarterbacks, four running backs, one fullback, four wide receivers, two tight ends, four offensive tackles, four guards, two centers, four defensive tackles, four defensive ends, six linebackers, four cornerbacks, four safeties, two kickers, two punters, two kick returners and two punt returners. Current New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick and retired Colts coach Tony Dungy also were chosen for the team.
posted by bender to football at 12:14 PM - 11 comments
SportsFilter: The Monday Huddle
posted by huddle to general at 06:00 AM - 34 comments
NFL Playoff Pick'em - SuperBowl Round: The end is finally here. The final round of our pick 'em. Some shuffling in the ranks, but the top 3 are still the same after the ProBowl. Make your picks inside.
posted by apoch to fantasy at 05:10 AM - 48 comments