Dwight Howard Treats Fans to Barbecue: Orlando Magic star Dwight Howard, hoping to reassure local fans that he's not planning to leave the franchise, hosted a free Memorial Day barbecue at a city park. "I want the Magic to do whatever they can to make sure that we can get our city behind us," Howard said. "That's the only thing that I want to happen: just to have the city behind me and the support of our fans. I never said I was leaving. I never, ever thought about leaving. That's basically where my head is right now."

posted by rcade to basketball at 02:46 PM - 24 comments

NHL hockey returns to the 'Peg!:

posted by grum@work to hockey at 01:02 PM - 26 comments

Writer: Hate the Mavericks, Not the Heat: The Dallas Mavericks are the real villains of this year's NBA Finals, writes Tom Ziller for SB Nation. "Mark Cuban and the Mavericks have been abusing the NBA salary cap and trade rules for years, completely ignoring the standards by which teams are supposed to abide for the good of the league, for the good of the fans," claims Ziller, who also says Cuban and his "ilk" are causing the looming NBA lockout.

posted by rcade to basketball at 12:29 PM - 8 comments

SportsFilter: The Tuesday Huddle

posted by huddle to general at 06:00 AM - 7 comments

The Game With The Most At Stake: is won by Swansea, who next season become the first non-English club in the Premier League.

posted by owlhouse to soccer at 09:22 PM - 5 comments

Dennis Rodman, Winner: Why Dennis Rodman should be the 1st pick in your all-time fantasy draft. Overview at the primary WSJ link, the concluding argument for Rodman, and the Rodman series index for the hoops fanatic.

posted by offsides to basketball at 06:10 PM - 0 comments

Jim Tressel Resigns : Less than three months after President E. Gordon Gee and A. D. Gene Smith said they fully supported their embattled coach, mounting pressure, a pending NCAA disciplinary hearing and new revelations about the culture of the program forced the university to act on their once-revered coach, sources said. Ohio State's football program came under fire in December when six players were suspended by the NCAA for selling or trading uniforms and other memorabilia to a Columbus tattoo-parlor owner. The NCAA also drew criticism for allowing the players to participate in the Sugar Bowl instead of serving their suspensions immediately.

posted by tommytrump to football at 09:49 AM - 21 comments

SportsFilter: The Monday Huddle

posted by huddle to general at 06:00 AM - 2 comments

Miguel Olivo Lands Another Faceplant: A year after being injured by a faceplant sliding into second, Seattle Mariners catcher Miguel Olivo did the same thing at first base in extra innings Saturday night. "I'm fine," Olivo said after doctors checked him out. "I thought I broke my tooth, but this is a little thing. The game's on the line like that, you have to hustle."

posted by rcade to baseball at 01:16 PM - 3 comments

Kiwi Lands First Triple BMX Backflip: Jed Mildon, a 24-year-old from Taupo, New Zealand, landed the world's first triple backflip on a BMX bike in competition Saturday. "I was still really nervous rolling in for my attempt, but once I was in the air it felt like time stood still and I could see each rotation perfectly," said Mildon, who performed the jump at an event in his hometown.

posted by rcade to extreme at 11:36 AM - 6 comments

SportsFilter: The Sunday Huddle

posted by huddle to general at 06:00 AM - 3 comments

Barcelona wins Champions League: After keeping pace for the first half, United were outdone by Barca's pace and passing. Messi only scored one of the three but he was the master of the ball and even Xavi stood second to him on this Wembley night.

posted by billsaysthis to soccer at 06:01 PM - 8 comments

2011 Stanley Cup Pickem: The Final Chapter: Original 6 vs. Canada's Last Hope...make your picks inside...

posted by MeatSaber to fantasy at 01:52 PM - 21 comments

Pippen: LeBron's Better Than Michael: "Michael Jordan is probably the greatest scorer to ever play in the game, but I may go as far as to say that LeBron James may be the greatest player to ever play the game." -- Scottie Pippen on ESPN's Mike & Mike in the Morning Friday

posted by rcade to basketball at 12:38 PM - 26 comments

SportsFilter: The Saturday Huddle

posted by huddle to general at 06:00 AM - 5 comments

Houston Rockets hire Kevin McHale as new head coach: The Houston Chronicle is reporting that the Rockets have agreed to a three-year deal with McHale, selecting him over Celtics Assistant (and former Nets head coach) Lawrence Frank and Mavericks Assistant Dwane Casey. The Chronicle's Jerome Solomon offers his thoughts on the hire here.

posted by Ufez Jones to basketball at 04:36 PM - 0 comments

Hockey Then and Now: In a recent New Yorker, Adam Gopnik dwells on the Habs. Two things caught the more disinterested eye of the post-Habs playoff-watcher. First, how much hockey really has changed in the past fifteen or so years—and though the changes aren’t entirely to my liking, their cause is: they’re all a function of ever-increasing skill and broad-based excellence. To watch highlights of Cups past, from the sixties and seventies, is to see awkwardly upright goalies waving their sticks apologetically at passing pucks; the perfection of the butterfly style now means that getting a goal is hard, and damn near impossible from a distance. This produces both the decreased scoring of this hockey epoch, and the ugly habit of playing “North-South” hockey, banging the net and basically trying to ram the puck home under or over a helpless goalie after a bad rebound from six inches away.

posted by rumple to hockey at 01:51 PM - 4 comments

Late Comeback Puts Miami Heat in NBA Finals: The Miami Heat are going to the NBA Finals after a late comeback in game 5 over the Chicago Bulls. With the Bulls up by 12 at home with 3:12 remaining, the Heat won 83-80 and finished on an 18-3 run fueled by LeBron James three pointers and stout defense. "Everything is on me," said Bulls guard Derrick Rose. "Turnovers, missed shots, fouls. ... I was just making dumb decisions, and it cost us the game."

posted by rcade to basketball at 07:56 AM - 11 comments

SportsFilter: The Friday Huddle

posted by huddle to general at 06:00 AM - 9 comments

Posey Hurt in Brutal Home-Plate Collision: San Francisco Giants catcher Buster Posey, the reigning National League rookie of the year, suffered an ankle injury in a brutal home plate collision during Wednesday's game. Scott Cousins of the Florida Marlins tagged at third on a short fly ball and rammed Posey shoulder-first as the throw came in, scoring the go-ahead run in a 7-6 Marlins win. See the video.

posted by rcade to baseball at 10:12 AM - 35 comments

SportsFilter: The Thursday Huddle

posted by huddle to general at 06:00 AM - 4 comments

Mavericks Reach NBA Finals: Another fourth quarter comeback put the Dallas Mavericks over the Oklahoma Thunder 100-96 and into their second NBA Finals in franchise history. Shawn Marion had 26 points and eight rebounds to make his first finals. Dirk Nowitzki scored 26.

posted by rcade to basketball at 12:22 AM - 15 comments

NASCAR Driver Caught Speeding 128 mph: NASCAR driver Kyle Busch was stopped by police near Troutman, N.C., for driving 128 mph in a 45-mph zone. Busch, who was charged with reckless or careless driving, said he was testing a Lexus LFA sports car loaned to him by the manufacturer. "I thank the Iredell County Sheriff's Department and all law enforcement for the hard work they do every day to protect the public and to enforce the laws in a fair and equitable manner," he said.

posted by rcade to auto racing at 01:11 PM - 25 comments

Heat One Win From NBA Finals: The Miami Heat defeated the Chicago Bulls 101-93 in overtime Tuesday, bringing the player-assembled team just one more win from a berth in the NBA Finals. The big three scored all 16 of Miami's points in overtime. LeBron James has been effective guarding Derrick Rose late in games, holding him to 2-of-13 shooting. "They're both transformative offensive players," writes Henry Abbott of TrueHoop. "But James was my MVP because his defense is vastly better."

posted by rcade to basketball at 11:50 AM - 8 comments

Royals All Time Leading Pitcher Paul Splittorff Has Died: Paul Splittorff - The Royals all time leading pitcher and long time voice of the Royals has died due to complications from melanoma.

posted by Tinman to baseball at 10:28 AM - 5 comments

Lakers offer Mike Brown coaching position: Mike Brown is the Los Angeles' Lakers choice to replace Phil Jackson as head coach, the Los Angeles Times reported late Tuesday.

posted by BornIcon to basketball at 09:26 AM - 8 comments

SportsFilter: The Wednesday Huddle

posted by huddle to general at 06:00 AM - 12 comments

SportsFilter: The Tuesday Huddle

posted by huddle to general at 06:00 AM - 6 comments

Epic Mavs Comeback Shocks Thunder: Trailing by 15 points with four minutes left, the Dallas Mavericks won 112-105 over the Oklahoma City Thunder to take a 3-1 lead in the Western Conference Finals;

posted by rcade to basketball at 12:13 AM - 18 comments

Game Over: Contradicting some of baseball's most cherished clichés, statistics show that your team's fate may well be sealed by June 1. As Yogi Berra said, 'It gets late early out there.'

posted by kokaku to baseball at 09:43 AM - 3 comments

L.A. Police Hold Suspect in Assault on San Francisco Giants Fan: Los Angeles police are holding a suspect in the March 31 beating of a San Francisco Giants fan after a Major League Baseball game at Dodger Stadium.

posted by texpat to baseball at 08:35 AM - 3 comments

Mets mates support Carter as brain exam looms: As Gary Carter prepares for Thursday's examination to determine if his brain tumors are malignant or benign, former Mets teammates rallied around the 57-year-old Hall of Famer and prayed The Kid can avoid a cancer diagnosis.

posted by BornIcon to baseball at 08:12 AM - 0 comments

SportsFilter: The Monday Huddle

posted by huddle to general at 06:00 AM - 17 comments

AFC Wimbledon Reaches Football League: Nine years ago, the fans of Wimbledon FC lost their soccer team to Milton Keynes in a franchise move. Saturday, a team that fans formed 12 days later from an open tryout at the bottom rung of English soccer -- the equivalent of a beer league softball team -- reached the Football League. A shootout goal by Danny Kedwell put AFC Wimbledon over Luton Town. "It only took nine years," chanted the 6,000 fans who traveled to the game.

posted by rcade to soccer at 09:00 AM - 4 comments

Mavericks Hold On to Beat Thunder: A Dallas Mavericks lead as high as 23 points ended up as a 93-87 victory over the Oklahoma Thunder in game 3 of the Western Conference Finals. The Thunder shot 36.5 percent and were 1-for-17 on three-point attempts. Shawn Marion scored 18 points for the Mavs and helped hold Kevin Durant to 24 points and 7-for-22 shooting.

posted by rcade to basketball at 08:20 AM - 7 comments

SportsFilter: The Sunday Huddle

posted by huddle to general at 06:00 AM - 3 comments

“He plays like a child enjoying the pasture, playing for the pleasure of playing, not the duty of winning.": That's the Uruguayan novelist Eduardo Galeano on Lionel Messi, who receives a long profile from the New York Times in advance of next Saturday's Champions League final.

posted by etagloh to soccer at 01:50 AM - 7 comments

Fielder Hits 14th Inning Walk Off: With the Milwaukee Brewers trailing 6-5 in the 14th inning, Prince Fielder hit a two-run walk-off bomb to defeat the Colorado Rockies Friday night. See the video. Fielder's home run, hit with one out off Felipe Paulino, traveled 450 feet.

posted by rcade to baseball at 10:01 AM - 6 comments

SportsFilter: The Saturday Huddle

posted by huddle to general at 06:00 AM - 16 comments

Thunder Take Game 2 Over Mavericks: Kevin Durant scored 24 and James Harden 23 as the Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the Dallas Mavericks 106-100 in game 2 of the Western Conference Finals, taking home court advantage back to Oklahoma City with them up Interstate 35. Thunder coach Scott Brooks made the unexpected move of sitting point guard Russell Westbrook the entire fourth quarter.

posted by rcade to basketball at 09:05 AM - 2 comments

SportsFilter: The Friday Huddle

posted by huddle to general at 06:00 AM - 11 comments

Thrashers moving to Winnipeg: Done deal according to Canada's Globe and Mail newspaper.

posted by Drood to hockey at 01:44 AM - 4 comments

NBC Sports Chief Dick Ebersol resigns: Dick Ebersol has resigned as NBC Sports Group chairman, an industry giant who helped launch "Saturday Night Live" and built the network into the home of the Olympics.

posted by Demophon to olympics at 06:14 PM - 0 comments

Bryce Harper Won't Make Majors This Year: Washington Nationals prospect Bryce Harper won't be called up to the major leagues this year, Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo said Wednesday. "He's got to learn the nuances of the game of baseball. We certainly don't want him to push him to a level where he's overmatched and struggles even for a short period of time," he said. Harper, the first overall pick in the 2011 baseball draft, is hitting .366 with 9 home runs and 31 RBI in 37 games with the Class A Hagerstown Suns.

posted by rcade to baseball at 02:30 PM - 10 comments

Bama Fan Faces 5 Felonies for Tree Poisoning: The Alabama fan accused of poisoning the oak trees at Auburn's Toomer's Corner has been indicted by a grand jury on four felony charges and two misdemeanors Wednesday. Harvey Updyke Jr., 62, was hit with two felony counts of first-degree criminal mischief; two felony counts for unlawful damage, vandalism or theft of property from a farm animal or crop facility; and two misdemeanor counts of desecrating a venerated object. He discussed the incident on a Birmingham radio show, saying that he doesn't want to be remembered as "Harvey the tree poisoner." He added, "All my life, people have told me I cared too much about Alabama."

posted by rcade to football at 01:31 PM - 6 comments

The Tampa Bay Lighting Have Fans!: and we know because they've been organized by local sports radio host Mike "Cowhead" Calta "like Seal Team 6" to fight back against the villain that is the Boston Bruins marketing department.

posted by yerfatma to hockey at 01:10 PM - 31 comments

Heat Even Series with Bulls: The Miami Heat's 85-75 road win over the Chicago Bulls Wednesday night evens the Eastern Conference Finals at one and gives Miami home court advantage. The Heat held the Bulls to 10 fourth quarter points while scoring 14 themselves. LeBron James had 29 points, 10 rebounds and five assists. Heat coach Erik Spoelstra calls the series "an absolute street fight."

posted by rcade to basketball at 11:46 AM - 7 comments

SportsFilter: The Thursday Huddle

posted by huddle to general at 06:00 AM - 6 comments

NHL's Musical Chairs: If the Atlanta Thrashers move to Winnipeg, this would necessitate a realignment. Do you do the most geographically logical switch? Do you give the longtime power Red Wings the move to the East that they want? Or do you try to help the struggling Columbus franchise by moving them to save travel costs?

posted by TheQatarian to hockey at 10:03 PM - 10 comments

Don't Forget to Tip Your New York Yankees: If you bought something from the concessions at the priciest seats in Yankee Stadium, a 20 percent "service fee" was automatically tacked onto the price. Instead of paying that to the servers, Legends Hospitality has pocketed the money in violation of New York law, a new class-action suit alleges. The concessionaire -- which forbids the servers from revealing this to customers -- is owned by the New York Yankees, Dallas Cowboys and Goldman Sachs.

posted by rcade to baseball at 12:03 PM - 14 comments

McDowell Apologizes for Homophobic Heckling of Fans: After the end of his two-week suspension, Atlanta Braves pitching coach Roger McDowell faced the media and apologized for making homophobic and lewd comments to fans in San Francisco. "I would like to apologize to anyone who was offended by my actions," McDowell said, reading from a prepared statement. "I am not proud of the way I acted and I know that it will not happen again. ... I understand the responsibility we all have in this game."

posted by rcade to baseball at 11:47 AM - 10 comments

Cavs Get 1st, 4th Picks in NBA Draft Lottery: A 2.8 percent chance acquired from the Los Angeles Clippers paid off for the Cleveland Cavaliers, giving them the first pick in the NBA Draft Lottery along with the fourth pick. Nick Gilbert, the 14-year-old son of Cavs owner Dan Gilbert, represented the team onstage as the lottery was announced. Nick Gilbert may have coined the team's next slogan in his interview. When asked about being his dad's hero for how he's battled the disease Neurofibromatosis all his life, he said, "What's not to like?" Minnesota Timberwolves general manager David Kahn, called to the stage with the Cavs and Utah Jazz, said jokingly that he knew his team had no chance. "This league has a habit, and I am just going to say habit, of producing some pretty incredible story lines," Kahn said. "Last year it was Abe Pollin's widow and this year it was a 14-year-old boy and the only thing we have in common is we have both been bar mitzvahed. We were done."

posted by rcade to basketball at 09:07 AM - 8 comments

Nowitzki Sets NBA Record as Mavs Take Game 1: An unstoppable Dirk Nowitzki hit an NBA record 24-of-24 free throws and scored 48 points in the Dallas Mavericks' 121-112 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder in game 1 of the Western Conference Finals. Kevin Durant scored 40 to keep the Thunder in the game.

posted by rcade to basketball at 08:40 AM - 7 comments

SportsFilter: The Wednesday Huddle

posted by huddle to general at 06:00 AM - 9 comments

Adrian Gonzalez tells manager he's going to swing like Ichiro, then hits a home run.:
(comparison of swing inside)

posted by grum@work to baseball at 01:09 PM - 5 comments

Twins great Harmon Killebrew has died: Baseball fans in Minnesota are mourning a legend. Twins Hall of Famer Harmon Killebrew died Tuesday at his home in Scottsdale, Arizona after battling esophageal cancer. He was 74.

posted by BornIcon to baseball at 11:55 AM - 13 comments

'Pirates Lose' Beer Special Brings Bar Heat From Team:

posted by dbt302 to baseball at 10:19 AM - 19 comments

Inmate Regrets Bird-Brained Prison Sentence: Seven years ago, Eric Torpy asked an Oklahoma judge to add three years to his 30-year prison sentence as a tribute to Larry Bird. Convicted of armed robbery and shooting a gun with intent to kill, Torpy now regrets his request for extra time. "Recently I've wisened up," he said. "That three is a big deal, you know? Three years matters." He's eligible for parole in 2033.

posted by rcade to basketball at 10:09 AM - 5 comments

Breaking news: Jim Crane is the new owner of the Houston Astros: Drayton McLane passed a torch he has been carrying since 1992, finalizing an agreement on Monday to sell the team to Houston businessman Jim Crane.

posted by texpat to baseball at 08:02 AM - 1 comment

SportsFilter: The Tuesday Huddle

posted by huddle to general at 06:00 AM - 9 comments

You Can't Spell Thunder Without N-E-R-D: Oklahoma City Thunder players Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook made some curious fashion choices at the press conference after their game 7 win over the Memphis Grizzlies. Durant always wears a securely strapped backpack to the postgame media scrum. Westbrook joined him Sunday with Clark Kent glasses. Some of the NBA's biggest stars have gone nerd up in their fashion for a while.

posted by rcade to basketball at 01:33 PM - 2 comments

Finland kicks a little Swedish ass: to claim first IIHF World Championship gold since 1995. Finland scored five goals in the third period en route to a 6-1 victory. The Finnish youth celebrated by taking to the streets by the thousands and getting naked. (all three of those links are best viewed away from work)

posted by NoMich to hockey at 11:20 AM - 4 comments

Phoenix Suns Exec Reveals He's Gay: Phoenix Suns president Rick Welts has revealed publicly for the first time that he's gay. "This is one of the last industries where the subject is off limits," said Welts, who lost a longtime partner to AIDS in 1994 while hiding their relationship from his work colleagues. Welts hopes to become a mentor to gay people fearful about having a career in sports. While an NBA executive, Welts created NBA All-Star Weekend and the slam dunk contest in 1984. Before going public he asked Suns guard Steve Nash for his support. "Anyone who's not ready for this needs to catch up," Nash said. "He's doing anyone who's not ready for this a favor."

posted by rcade to basketball at 10:50 AM - 7 comments

Bulls Beat Heat in Game 1: The Chicago Bulls defeated LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh 103-82 in the opening game of their Eastern Conference Finals series Sunday. The game was tied 48-all at the half but a 10-0 third quarter run put the Bulls en route to a rot.

posted by rcade to basketball at 07:55 AM - 14 comments

SportsFilter: The Monday Huddle

posted by huddle to general at 06:00 AM - 10 comments

K.J. Choi Wins Players Championship in Playoff: The Players Championship was decided in a first-hole playoff Sunday on the famous island 17th at TPC Sawgrass. K.J. Choi made a par putt to defeat David Toms, who had made an 18-foot birdie on the 18th to force the playoff. Choi and Tom both had to complete more than 30 holes today, finishing the third round in the morning because of a storm-shortened Saturday.

posted by rcade to golf at 09:56 PM - 5 comments

Posada Asks Out of Yankees Lineup: After being dropped to ninth in the batting order, New York Yankees designated hitter Jorge Posada asked to be taken out of the lineup Saturday before the team's 6-0 loss to the Boston Red Sox. "I told him I couldn't play today, and that I needed time to clear my head, and that was it," said Posada, who then contradicted himself by adding, "My back stiffened up a bit. I was taking a lot of groundballs at first base and working out, and it stiffened up"

posted by rcade to baseball at 10:41 AM - 18 comments

Thunder Meet Grizzlies for Deciding Game 7: The four-seed Oklahoma City Thunder and eight-seed Memphis Grizzlies meet at 3:30 p.m. Eastern Sunday in game 7 of their second-round Western Conference playoff series. In the NBA playoffs, home teams are 21-7 in game sevens over the past decade. The winner advances to face the Mavericks starting Tuesday in Dallas.

posted by rcade to basketball at 09:33 AM - 5 comments

SportsFilter: The Sunday Huddle

posted by huddle to general at 06:00 AM - 3 comments

The Tampa Bay Lightning make it eight straight with 5-1 win over the Boston Bruins: .

posted by NoMich to hockey at 11:23 PM - 8 comments

ESPN analyst and former Buffalo Sabre Matthew Barnaby arrested over domestic dispute: Pulling a Jay Mariotti, it looks like Matthew Barnaby will be spending at least one night in jail. Will ESPN continue to have him on the air after this?

posted by insomnyuk to hockey at 02:04 PM - 1 comment

Stem Cells Power Colon's Comeback: New York Yankees pitcher Bartolo Colon underwent a controversial treatment in the Dominican Republic to regain his old form (via MetaFilter). A doctor took fat and bone marrow stem cells from Colon and injected them into his elbow and shoulder to help repair ligament damage and a torn rotator cuff. "This is the future of sports medicine," said Joseph R. Purita, a Florida surgeon who led the treatment.

posted by rcade to baseball at 10:50 AM - 6 comments

SportsFilter: The Saturday Huddle

posted by huddle to general at 06:00 AM - 9 comments

NHL Player Derek Boogaard Found Dead: in his Minneapolis apartment Friday. He was 28.

posted by TheQatarian to hockey at 11:02 PM - 5 comments

Brian Shaw’s Unimaginably Tragic Summer Of 1993: From ESPN’s Arash Markazi comes this great (and very, very sad) piece on Lakers assistant, and possible next head coach, Brian Shaw.

posted by BornIcon to basketball at 03:24 PM - 2 comments

Casey has taken his final swing in his final at-bat and now waits for the game to end: One of the greatest homerun hitters has decided that he can no longer fight a losing battle. In a statement released jointly by the Minnesota Twins and the National Baseball Hall of Fame, Harmon Killebrew said "it is with profound sadness" that he will no longer receive treatment for the "awful disease."

posted by Demophon to baseball at 02:50 PM - 2 comments

Blatter says FIFA won’t survive if he is deposed: “The ballot on 1 June could lead to a seismic shift with irreversible damage,” Blatter said. “It is a question of whether the game’s established world governing body will continue to exist after this date or whether it will disappear into a black hole.”

posted by billsaysthis to soccer at 02:48 PM - 6 comments

Lesnar out of UFC 131 amid health battles: Former UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar has had a reoccurrence of diverticulitis and has been forced to withdraw from his June 11 fight against Junior dos Santos in Vancouver.

posted by BornIcon to other at 01:51 PM - 1 comment

Done Deal: Doc Rivers Agrees to Five(!)-Year $35 Million Extension: Doc Rivers made no secret of his intentions to return to this team in the interim, but I don’t think anyone was expecting any news as good as this.

posted by BornIcon to basketball at 12:39 PM - 3 comments

"The history is too easy to uncover. The myths don’t stand a chance.": Joe Posnanski on how easy access to data affects our view of sport.

posted by yerfatma to culture at 09:57 AM - 1 comment

Bulls Finish Hawks to Reach East Finals: The Chicago Bulls beat the Atlanta Hawks 93-73 to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals and face the Miami Heat. Carlos Boozer led the Bulls with 23 points and 10 rebounds. The Bulls swept the Heat during the regular season.

posted by rcade to basketball at 07:16 AM - 3 comments

Sharks Gut Out Game 7 Win Over Red Wings: Days after being described as "gutless, gutless" by former teammate Jeremy Roenick, Patrick Marleau scored a goal with 7:47 left in the third and made a key defensive play in the closing seconds to help the San Jose Sharks defeat the Detroit Red Wings 3-2 in game 7 of their playoff series. The Sharks advance to the conference finals and avoid becoming the fourth team to lose a series they led 3-0.

posted by rcade to hockey at 07:10 AM - 6 comments

SportsFilter: The Friday Huddle

posted by huddle to general at 06:00 AM - 7 comments

2011 Stanley Cup Pickem, Conference Finals Edition: So once again, we are assured of not seeing an Original Six matchup in the Finals. Frankly, I blame Gary Bettman, but then I blame him for everything. Post your picks inside...

posted by MeatSaber to fantasy at 01:44 AM - 23 comments

Broadcaster Loses Job After Tweets In Support of Reynolds: I said it the other day on this issue: The vast majority of us would lose our jobs for comments like those made by Todd Reynolds. This is proof, and I support the organization's move.

posted by Tinman to hockey at 11:33 AM - 44 comments

Tiger Woods Injury Forces Withdrawal From Players Championship 2011 : On Thursday, Tiger Woods' start to the 2011 Players Championship was an abysmal one. He shot a terrible 6-over through the front nine at TPC Sawgrass, which put him at the very bottom of the leaderboard. And now, we may have an explanation for his play: citing multiple injuries.

posted by BornIcon to golf at 11:00 AM - 2 comments

Albert Pujols hugs Cubs GM with Wrigley faithful looking on: The embrace that will start a million rumors. CSN Chicago’s Patrick Mooney reports that Albert Pujols and Cubs GM Jim Hendry shared a hug prior to Tuesday’s Cardinals-Cubs game at Wrigley Field. A simple bro hug it wasn’t.

posted by BornIcon to baseball at 07:55 AM - 1 comment

Bernard Hopkins: McNabb isn’t tough enough or black enough: Donovan McNabb probably didn't wake up thinking he'd get blindsided in the media Wednesday with possibly the most vicious comments he's ever heard.

posted by BornIcon to football at 07:39 AM - 17 comments

SportsFilter: The Thursday Huddle

posted by huddle to general at 06:00 AM - 11 comments

Robert 'Tractor' Traylor Found Dead: Former NBA player Robert "Tractor" Traylor has been found dead in his apartment in Isla Verde, Puerto Rico, from what appears to be a heart attack. Traylor was in Puerto Rico playing for the Bayamon Cowboys. He was 34. The sixth overall pick in the 1998 NBA Draft out of Michigan, Traylor played seven seasons in the NBA. He was drafted by the Mavericks and traded that night to the Milwaukee Bucks for two other first round picks, Pat Garrity and Dirk Nowitzki.

posted by BornIcon to basketball at 02:33 PM - 5 comments

Jockey Found Dead at Churchill Downs: Michael Baze, a 24-year-old jockey who rode this year's Kentucky Derby second-place finisher Nehro to its only win, was found dead in his vehicle Tuesday afternoon at Churchill Downs. No signs of foul play were found. Baze had 34 wins out of 238 starts this year with purse earnings of nearly $1.2 million.

posted by rcade to other at 01:23 PM - 1 comment

Glendale Gives NHL $25 Million to Keep Coyotes: The Glendale City Council voted Tuesday to pay the National Hockey League up to an additional $25 million so the Phoenix Coyotes could continue stay another year at the $180 million city-owned Jobing.com Arena while new ownership is being secured. Glendale paid $25 million last year as the Coyotes lost $37 million, posting among the lowest attendance in the league. "There can't just be this bottomless pit of dollars to underwrite the Coyotes," resident Kurt Larson said.

posted by rcade to hockey at 11:49 AM - 8 comments

SportsFilter: The Wednesday Huddle

posted by huddle to general at 06:00 AM - 16 comments

Washington Wizards Bring Back Old Colors: The Washington Wizards franchise is going back to the patriotic red, white and blue colors it had as the Washington Bullets. Owner Ted Leonsis made the change in response to fan suggestions. "I'm not naive enough to think that changing the colors [by itself] will improve anything," he said. ESPN uniform dork Paul Lukas has declared this a major victory in the war on teal.

posted by rcade to basketball at 04:39 PM - 10 comments

No Hands, No Arms, No Problem: Tom Willis is on a quest to throw out the first pitch at all 30 MLB stadiums.

posted by Ying Yang Mafia to baseball at 04:35 PM - 0 comments

Fear the Turgeon: University of Maryland director of athletics, Kevin Anderson, announced Monday that Mark Turgeon, who won back-to-back Big 12 Conference Coach of the Year honors at Texas A&M in 2010 and 2011, has been hired as the new men's basketball coach. Turgeon comes to College Park after directing Texas A&M to four consecutive appearances in the NCAA Tournament and posting a 97-40 record in four seasons with the Aggies. He is the only coach in Big 12 history with at least 24 victories in each of his four seasons.

posted by scully to basketball at 02:06 PM - 1 comment

'The GAA Player who Performs in Front of 70,000 at the Weekend Will Be Teaching Your Kids on Monday': "It was a picture of the dissidents' worst nightmares. The GAA was defining the police in Northern Ireland as 'us' and Ronan Kerr's killers as 'them'." Fintan O'Toole muses on the role of the Gaelic Athletic Association in defining and redefining what it is to be Irish (via MetaFilter).

posted by rcade to other at 10:14 AM - 7 comments

SportsFilter: The Tuesday Huddle

posted by huddle to general at 06:00 AM - 17 comments

Sean Avery gets criticized, for, uh, not being a jerk.: An agency representing several NHL players has publicly called out New York Rangers forward Sean Avery for supporting same-sex marriage. "Very sad to read Sean Avery's misguided support of same-gender 'marriage,'" wrote Uptown's Todd Reynolds in the tweet. "Legal or not, it will always be wrong."

posted by fabulon7 to hockey at 08:39 PM - 21 comments

Peyton Hillis: God Stronger Than Madden Cover Curse: After being voted to appear on the EA Sports Madden NFL 12 cover, Cleveland Browns running back Peyton Hillis isn't afraid of the infamous cover curse. "I'm a Christian man and I don't believe anything could be put in front of me that God can't take away," he said. "I would love to prove everyone wrong and have an exceptional year and not get hurt."

posted by rcade to football at 07:14 PM - 6 comments

Belgian cyclist dies in Giro D'Italia crash: Today was a tragic day in professional cycling. Leopard-Trek's Wouter Weylandt was fatally injured today in a crash on the third stage of the Giro d'Italia. The 26-year-old went down on the Passo del Bocco and was unable to be revived by paramedics and doctors.

posted by misskaz to other at 12:11 PM - 7 comments

US Tennis Players Completely Absent from Top 10: Monday is a historic day for United States tennis. For the first time since computer rankings begain almost 40 years ago, no man or woman from the United States is ranked in the top 10 in the world in singles. "Europe has done a remarkable job; they are producing virtually all of the top players," said Doug MacCurdy, the former director of player development for the United States Tennis Association.

posted by rcade to tennis at 08:28 AM - 13 comments

No Shirt No Service: High School Coach Jobless After Boys Track Team Goes Topless: Westwood High track coach Tom Davis was fired last week because one of his runners decided to whip off a shirt during training on a 75-degree day. This wasn't a girl, by the way. It was a boy.

posted by Demophon to olympics at 08:19 AM - 12 comments

SportsFilter: The Monday Huddle

posted by huddle to general at 06:00 AM - 16 comments

Mavericks Sweep Lakers from Playoffs: The Dallas Mavericks pulled off a 4-0 sweep of the Los Angeles Lakers in the second round of the NBA Western Conference playoffs, ending LA's threepeat hopes and sending coach Phil Jackson into retirement a little earlier than expected. Mavs guard Jason Terry scored 9 of 10 three pointers and the entire team shot 20 of 32 threes, both tying NBA records, in a 122-86 stomping that was over by halftime. Lakers Lamar Odom and Andrew Bynum both were ejected in the fourth for flagrant fouls.

posted by rcade to basketball at 06:25 PM - 17 comments

'Thank God It Just Popped Back In': Boston Celtics guard Rajon Rondo gruesomely dislocated his elbow with 7 minutes left in the third quarter Saturday night against the Miami Heat and was taken to the locker room. He returned and one-armed the entire fourth quarter of the crucial 97-81 win, bringing the series to 2-1 Heat.

posted by dfleming to basketball at 01:44 PM - 9 comments

NFL Lockout Leaves Undrafted Players in the Cold: The NFL lockout's reinstatement during the draft has hurt a group of athletes who've grown increasingly important: undrafted free agents. Last season ended with 140 undrafted players on NFL rosters, taking up spots freed by injuries. They can't be signed or contacted during the lockout. "The NFL secured its expedited hearing in the 8th Circuit Court for June 3," reports ESPN's John Clayton. "A decision from the three-judge panel could come sometime in late June or early July. But that timing effectively kills the offseason and really affects the undrafted class."

posted by rcade to football at 01:23 PM - 1 comment

Rangers Spell Relief G-R-U-M-P-Y O-L-D M-E-N: Texas Rangers pitchers Darren Oliver, 40, and Arthur Rhodes, 41, are filling out a unique demographic in baseball. "You'll never see two old black left-handed relievers in the game again, let alone on the same pitching staff," Oliver said. "I don't think it will happen again in our lifetimes. There are probably some old Negro Leaguers happy and looking down on us and smiling, I can tell you that much."

posted by rcade to baseball at 01:14 PM - 4 comments

SportsFilter: The Sunday Huddle

posted by huddle to general at 06:00 AM - 9 comments

Memphis come back from 16 down, win in OT: Zach Randolph's 21pt/21reb performance has the upstart Grizz up 2-1 over the Thunder.

posted by dfleming to basketball at 08:55 PM - 3 comments

Justin Verlander Throws No-Hitter: Detroit Tigers pitcher Justin Verlander threw his second career Major League Baseball no-hitter on Saturday, a 9-0 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays. Verlander's only walk occurred against Blue Jays catcher J.P. Arencibia in the eighth. His first no-no was against the Milwaukee Brewers in a June 2007 interleague game.

posted by rcade to baseball at 07:35 PM - 13 comments

Mavericks Put Lakers in 3-0 Hole: The Los Angeles Lakers are down 3-0 to the Dallas Mavericks, a defense of their title now dependent on becoming the first NBA team ever to win four straight to climb out of that hole. "Why are the game's toughest pressure players crumbling under a push from some of the game's softest?" asks Bill Plaschke. "[Phil] Jackson had lost his composure, [Pau] Gasol has lost all confidence, and after a long and distracting season, the Lakers have finally lost all sense of each other." Bob Sturm called the end of the Mavericks' 98-92 win "one of the most amazing final 5:00 in Mavericks' history."

posted by rcade to basketball at 01:22 PM - 7 comments

Golfer Seve Ballesteros Dies: Severiano Ballesteros, golf legend, has passed away at 54. If you could say anything about his game, was that he could win a British Open from the car park (via MetaFilter).

posted by rcade to golf at 10:19 AM - 13 comments

SportsFilter: The Saturday Huddle

posted by huddle to general at 06:00 AM - 0 comments

How to Get Into Adrian Beltre's Head: When you see how Adrian Beltre responded to his head being rubbed while playing for the Boston Red Sox, you'll understand why his teammates couldn't stop themselves from doing it -- particularly Victor Martinez. Now he's in Texas, where the Rangers have picked up where the Sox left off. "Sometimes I thought about killing him," Beltre said of Martinez. "But I thought about it. ... I have a family so I didn't."

posted by rcade to baseball at 11:00 PM - 2 comments

Reporter Hit By Pitch: Kansas City Star sports reporter Lee Judge wrote earlier this season that Wilson Betemit should have taken one for the team and let himself get hit by an 81-mph slider with the bases loaded in a tie game. "Just stand still, take a knock, bring in Soria for the ninth and go home a winner," he lamented. After musing out loud about what he was asking of the player, Judge ended up taking a pitch himself in the team's batting cages with amused players looking on. "I hope you all appreciate the sacrifice I made when I gave up my six-pack abs to build up some protective fat around my waist," he said. "I've been training for this for 58 years."

posted by rcade to baseball at 02:02 PM - 7 comments

Maryland basketball coach Gary Williams retires: After sweating through crisp white shirts and expensive suits for more than three decades, Maryland basketball coach Gary Williams is finally ready to take it easy.

posted by BornIcon to basketball at 09:53 AM - 10 comments

Gus Johnson may have called his final NCAA tournament game: In short, the NCAA tournament experience for college basketball fans watching on TV is taking a significant hit. And it's a complete shame.

posted by BornIcon to basketball at 09:44 AM - 2 comments

SportsFilter: The Friday Huddle

posted by huddle to general at 06:00 AM - 3 comments

Sabbatini, O'Hair Nearly Come to Blows on Course: Golfers Rory Sabbatini and Sean O'Hair got into such a heated argument on the 14th hole at the TPC Louisiana tournament last week that O'Hair's caddie had to separate them before it became physical, two players told USA Today. The paper claims Sabbatini is facing a possible suspension over this incident and an earlier one at the Northern Trust Open in which he berated a teen volunteer for how he marked Sabbatini's lost ball after a drive. Sabbatini recently apologized for some of his past actions. "I'm not proud of everything I've done out here, but I'm trying to learn," he said. "My son is old enough now that he understands everything that I do." Tom Edrington calls Sabbatini the PGA Tour's "genuine jerk". "I saw Sabbatini up close and personal at the Transitions over here at the Innisbrook Resort in March. At the 18th tee, he called out someone who was supposed to be talking in his backswing. I was standing right there and there was no such talking. One of the caddies in the group was standing by me while Master Rory was bitching, we looked at each other and simply gave it the 'you gotta be kidding' eyeball roll."

posted by rcade to golf at 11:26 AM - 8 comments

Mavericks Take 2-0 Lead Over Lakers: The Dallas Mavericks defeated the Los Angeles Lakers 93-81 Tuesday night, taking a 2-0 lead in their playoff series back to Dallas. The Lakers were held to only 32 points after halftime. Lakers forward Ron Artest, recent recipient of the league's citizenship award, was ejected for clotheslining Mavericks guard J.J. Barea in garbage time.

posted by rcade to basketball at 08:37 AM - 15 comments

SportsFilter: The Thursday Huddle

posted by huddle to general at 06:00 AM - 4 comments

Lightning Sweep Capitals Out of Playoffs: For the fourth year in a row, the star-studded Washington Capitals have left the playoffs early, this time in a sweep at the hands of the under-heralded Tampa Bay Lightning. The Lightning won Game 4 5-3 on the strength of Dwayne Roloson's continued excellence in net and two goals from Sean Bergenheim, who has already scored half as many goals in the playoffs (7) as he did the entire regular season. This is the Lightning's first trip to the conference finals since their Stanley Cup win in 2004.

posted by boredom_08 to hockey at 11:18 PM - 12 comments

The Supreme Court Don't Wanna Hear It: if you're a cheerleader, you must cheer: even for the kid with pimples. And the kid who only made the team because he's the coach's son. And, uhm, that kid who raped you.

posted by yerfatma to culture at 08:16 PM - 14 comments

Justice Department Asks NCAA About BCS: The Justice Department has sent a letter to the NCAA asking why there isn't a playoff system for college football. "Serious questions continue to arise suggesting that the current BCS system may not be conducted consistent with the competition principles expressed in federal antitrust laws," assistant attorney general Christine Varney wrote to NCAA president Mark Emmert.

posted by rcade to football at 05:04 PM - 11 comments

Heat Take 2-0 Lead Over Celtics: The Miami Heat beat the Boston Celtics 102-91 Tuesday to take a 2-0 lead in their Eastern Conference playoff series. Lebron James led the Heat with 35 points and Dwyane Wade had 28. "The first two games were not a fair fight," writes Ken Berger of CBS Sports.

posted by rcade to basketball at 10:13 AM - 3 comments

SportsFilter: The Wednesday Huddle

posted by huddle to general at 06:00 AM - 13 comments

Francisco Liriano no-hits White Sox : Liriano walked 6 but came up with clutch pitches in a 123-pitch effort. In the 9th, Juan Pierre drew a walk with one out. But Liriano got Alexei Ramirez to hit a soft pop to short, and then induced Adam Dunn to hit a hard line drive at shortstop Matt Tolbert to complete the no-hitter.

posted by tommytrump to baseball at 10:29 PM - 28 comments

Where Title IX apparently doesn't apply both ways: "I'm sick of boys dominating the game,'' Gloucester field hockey coach and athletic director Kim Patience

posted by Demophon to culture at 03:01 PM - 8 comments

RB Mendenhall offers questionable bin Laden tweets: Rashard Mendenhall has created a stir with comments made on his official Twitter page regarding Osama bin Laden’s death.

posted by BornIcon to football at 01:38 PM - 126 comments

Mavericks Edge Lakers in Game 1: Dirk Nowitzki's go-ahead free throws with 19.5 seconds left and a Pau Gasol turnover led the Dallas Mavericks to a 96-94 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers in game 1 of their playoff series. The Lakers, playing at home, blew a 16-point second half lead. Dallas had never beaten Los Angeles before in the playoffs in 10 tries. "This team can beat us, it's clear," Kobe Bryant said.

posted by rcade to basketball at 08:47 AM - 9 comments

SportsFilter: The Tuesday Huddle

posted by huddle to general at 06:00 AM - 8 comments

The first man to floor 'The Greatest' passed away: Henry Cooper fought Ali, who was then known as Cassius Clay, at London's Wembley Arena in 1963 and sent the American falling into the ropes with a fierce left hook in the fourth round.

posted by Demophon to boxing at 03:41 PM - 1 comment

Heat Beats Celtics, Grizzlies Maul Thunder: In the east, Dwyane Wade scored a game-high 38 points as the Miami Heat beat the Boston Celtics 99-90 to open their playoff series. In the west, Zach Randolph scored 34 and rebounded 10 in the Memphis Grizzlies' 114-101 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder in their opener.

posted by rcade to basketball at 11:51 AM - 8 comments

SportsFilter: The Monday Huddle

posted by huddle to general at 06:00 AM - 6 comments

Rice's Cheta Ozougwu This Year's Mister Irrelevant: Rice defensive end Cheta Ozougwu was the 254th and final pick in this year's NFL Draft, earning him the honor of being Mr. Irrelevant. "No matter what the outcome was going to be, either it was free agency, the fifth-round pick, or the last pick, I just wanted the opportunity to play the game I love," he said. "I am really thankful it was given to me." Ozougwu receives the Lowsman Trophy and a week in Newport, Calif.

posted by rcade to football at 12:46 PM - 9 comments

SportsFilter: The Sunday Huddle

posted by huddle to general at 06:00 AM - 6 comments

Requiem for boxing: the decline of the Sweet Science: And the MMA fights themselves feel like fast food – sometimes extraordinarily good fast good – compared with what boxing at its best can produce, a three-hour, three-star meal. They feel like a tweet (though sometimes, a great, clever, provocative tweet), not a sonnet, and certainly not an epic, a really catchy jingle, not a fully realized popular song. There's no arguing with the marketplace. Fifty-five thousand people can't be wrong. There's no turning back the clock. And there's no point in trying to explain what's missing, because what's missing has already been, and is already gone.

posted by rumple to boxing at 02:13 AM - 7 comments