04/18/24
Archives for April 2014
April 30, 2014
SportsFilter: The Wednesday Huddle
posted by huddle to general at 06:00 AM - 8 comments
April 29, 2014
NBA Bans Donald Sterling for Life: Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling has been banned for life by the NBA for his racist comments. NBA commissioner Adam Silver said Tuesday that he will try to force the controversial owner to sell his franchise. Sterling has also been fined $2.5 million, and Silver made no effort to hide his outrage over the comments. "We stand together in condemning Mr. Sterling's views," Silver said. "They simply have no place in the NBA."
posted by rcade to basketball at 02:16 PM - 67 comments
SportsFilter: The Tuesday Huddle
posted by huddle to general at 06:00 AM - 21 comments
April 28, 2014
Dani Alves Takes a Bite Out of Racism: A banana was thrown at FC Barcelona's Dani Alves during Sunday's 3-2 win over Villareal. A target of racist abuse at times during his 12 years playing in Spain, Alves handled the offensive insult in an appealing way. "Picked it up, peeled it, ate it and proceeded to take the corner," former Barca striker Gary Lineker tweeted. "Top response." Said Alves: "If you don't give it importance, they don't achieve their objective."
SportsFilter: The Monday Huddle
posted by huddle to general at 06:00 AM - 8 comments
April 27, 2014
Video: Ryan Braun Hits Jean Segura with Bat in Dugout: The Milwaukee Brewers lost Jean Segura to injury Saturday after he was hit in the head by Ryan Braun recklessly swinging a bat on the top step of the team's dugout. "No concussion, no fracture but he was laid open pretty good," Brewers manager Ron Roenicke said.
posted by rcade to baseball at 09:34 AM - 6 comments
SportsFilter: The Sunday Huddle
posted by huddle to general at 06:00 AM - 2 comments
April 26, 2014
Audio: Racist Tirade by Clippers Owner: Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling has been caught on audio making racist comments to his girlfriend V. Stiviano, the gossip site TMZ revealed. Sterling, angered by a photo of his girlfriend and Magic Johnson on Instagram, said to Stiviano, "You can sleep with them (black people). You can bring them in, you can do whatever you want. The little I ask you is not to promote it on that ... and not to bring them to my games." He added, "I'm just saying, in your lousy ------- Instagrams, you don't have to have yourself with, walking with black people."
posted by rcade to basketball at 02:42 PM - 16 comments
SportsFilter: The Saturday Huddle
posted by huddle to general at 06:00 AM - 6 comments
April 25, 2014
posted by billsaysthis to culture at 04:05 PM - 1 comment
Northwestern Football Players Cast Union Vote: Seventy-six football players at Northwestern University cast secret ballots Friday on whether to form the nation's first union for college athletes -- a direct threat to the pretense that the huge money-making enterprise of college sport is an amateur activity. Required by law to let the vote proceed, Northwestern school officials couldn't tell the athletes to vote "no" but did send a 21-page document outlining problems with forming a union. "They are trying to rattle players," said Ramogi Huma, president of the College Athletes Players Association, which would represent the players if unionization succeeds.
SportsFilter: The Friday Huddle
posted by huddle to general at 06:00 AM - 0 comments
April 24, 2014
The Borders of Baseball: Using Facebook likes data, the New York Times has created a map that shows the territory held by each baseball team. See where the Munson-Nixon line dividing New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox fans lies, and the precise street-level split in Chicago between the Cubs and White Sox.
posted by rcade to baseball at 11:13 AM - 16 comments
SportsFilter: The Thursday Huddle
posted by huddle to general at 06:00 AM - 2 comments
April 23, 2014
Yankees' Pineda Ejected for Pine Tar on Neck: New York Yankees starting pitcher Michael Pineda was ejected from Wednesday night's game against the Boston Red Sox because of a foreign substance on his neck that he was applying to the baseball. Red Sox manager John Farrell asked home plate umpire Jerry Davis to check Pineda, and a shiny schmear of pine tar or a similar substance was obvious on the game broadcast.
posted by rcade to baseball at 08:39 PM - 10 comments
Canadiens Complete 4-Game Sweep of Lightning: The Montreal Canadiens scored with 43 seconds remaining to beat the Tampa Bay Lighting 4-3 and advance to the second round of the playoffs. The 4-0 sweep is the first for Montreal since 1993, the last time the team won the Stanley Cup.
posted by rcade to hockey at 10:04 AM - 3 comments
SportsFilter: The Wednesday Huddle
posted by huddle to general at 06:00 AM - 12 comments
April 22, 2014
Albert Pujols Hits 499th, 500th Homer: Los Angeles Angels first baseman Albert Pujols homered twice at Nationals Park Tuesday to become the 26th member of baseball's 500-home run club. In the first, Pujols crushed a 1-1 changeup from right-hander Taylor Jordan well over the fence in left field for a three-run homer that gave his team the early lead. In the fifth, he took a 1-2 sinker from Jordan and lined one to left-center field, just to the right of the Angels' bullpen, to give the Angels a 6-2 advantage. Pujols, the first player to hit 400 homers in his first 10 seasons, has now homered off 316 pitchers in 36 different ballparks and against 29 of the 30 teams (St. Louis being the lone exception).
posted by rcade to baseball at 09:03 PM - 4 comments
Jaguars Linebacker Suffered Stroke During Game: Jacksonville Jaguars linebacker Russell Allen suffered a stroke during a game against the Buffalo Bills in December that is ending his NFL career at age 27. Allen suffered double vision after a collision with Bills center Eric Wood but went back in and finished the game. Two days later after an MRI, a Jaguars doctor told Allen he needed to go to the emergency room. he told MMQB. "I felt something flash -- like they say when you get your bell rung. I didn't lose consciousness. I walked back to the huddle and finished the drive."
posted by rcade to football at 04:40 PM - 0 comments
Jon Krakauer: Sherpas, Death and Anger on Everest: Jon Krakauer, author of Into Thin Air, assesses the situation on Mount Everest after 12 sherpas were killed April 18 by an avalanche. A detail from the story: "The astounding number of climbers who now attempt to reach the summit on the limited number of days when the weather is favorable presents a new kind of hazard. A notorious photo shot by Ralf Dujmovits in May, 2012, showed more than a 150 people attached to a series of fixed ropes as they ascended the Lhotse Face toward the South Col of Everest, jammed together so tightly that they had to move in lockstep. The static weight of all these people and their gear was well over 30,000 pounds. If some mishap had occurred that caused more than a handful of the climbers to put their full weight on one of the ropes simultaneously, the shock to the anchors securing the ropes to the ice could easily have caused them to fail, resulting in the climbers falling two thousand or more feet to the base of the Lhotse Face. If such an accident should come to pass in the future (which isn't far-fetched), the death count for both members and sherpas would be horrific"
Manchester United Fires David Moyes: Manchester United manager David Moyes has been sacked only 10 months after being the hand-picked successor to Sir Alex Ferguson. Moyes, who left Everton after 11 seasons to take the job, had the team in seventh place with four games remaining, out of the Champions League and in danger of missing the Europa League as well. Man U hasn't missed all European competition in 24 years.
posted by rcade to soccer at 09:27 AM - 12 comments
SportsFilter: The Tuesday Huddle
posted by huddle to general at 06:00 AM - 4 comments
April 21, 2014
"That makes two of us, doesn’t it Steve?": Mike Vaccaro on New York sports teams, Steve Philllips and Lupica.
Photo of Delino DeShields Jr. After Fastball Rearranged His Face: Houston Astros prospect Delino DeShields Jr. was hit in the face by a 90-mph fastball in a game for Double A Corpus Christi. He suffered a "a non displaced maxillary sinus fracture (left cheek)," according to Evan Drellich of the Houston Chronicle. The photo he tweeted shows what that experience is like.
posted by rcade to baseball at 04:55 PM - 2 comments
Boston Marathon Begins, One Year After Bombings: Nearly 36,000 runners are participating in the 118th Boston Marathon today, making it the second-largest field in event history. Accommodations were made for 5,000 runners stopped on the course last year to have another chance to compete. Reuters is live-blogging the race.
posted by rcade to general at 10:29 AM - 2 comments
SportsFilter: The Monday Huddle
posted by huddle to general at 06:00 AM - 11 comments
April 20, 2014
Bench-Clearing Brawl Between Pirates, Brewers: A slow home run trot on what turned out to be a triple sparked a bench-clearing brawl between the Pittsburgh Pirates and Milwaukee Brewers Sunday. A deep fly to center by Brewers outfielder Carlos Gomez stayed in the park and Pirates pitcher Gerrit Cole said something to him after he was safe at third. When Pirates outfielder Travis Snider left the bench and said something to Gomez he began throwing haymakers. Gomez, Snider and Brewers coach Jerry Narron were ejected. The game is tied 1-1 in the 8th.
posted by rcade to baseball at 04:11 PM - 12 comments
SportsFilter: The Sunday Huddle
posted by huddle to general at 06:00 AM - 8 comments
April 19, 2014
Who You Gonna Call? NBA Teams Afraid of Ghost: NBA teams that visit Oklahoma City typically stay at the Skirvin Hilton Hotel, a 103-year-old building that by legend has its own ghost, Effie the housekeeper. "The place is haunted," Jared Jeffries told the New York Daily News. "It's scary."
posted by rcade to basketball at 09:41 PM - 1 comment
Brewers' Maldanado Knocks Cover Off the Ball: Milwaukee Brewers catcher Martin Maldanado hit a grounder that knocked the cover off the ball in Friday's win over the Pittsburgh Pirates. Third baseman Pedro Alvarez fielded it and threw to first, but in the words of one announcer, "it flew like a napkin" and Maldanado was safe.
posted by rcade to baseball at 04:06 PM - 5 comments
SportsFilter: The Saturday Huddle
posted by huddle to general at 06:00 AM - 7 comments
April 18, 2014
Braves' Aaron Harang Has No-Hitter Through 7: Atlanta Braves pitcher Aaron Harang has a no-hitter through seven innings tonight on the road against the New York Mets. Harang has thrown 121 pitches and walked six. The Braves lead 1-0.
posted by rcade to baseball at 09:18 PM - 5 comments
Doug Glanville: I Was Racially Profiled in My Driveway: Former Major Leaguer and current ESPN analyst Doug Glanville has written an essay for The Atlantic about a troubling experience: "It was an otherwise ordinary snow day in Hartford, Conn., and I was laughing as I headed outside to shovel my driveway. ... The snow had finally stopped coming down and this was my mid-afternoon window of opportunity. Just as I was good-naturedly turning all this over in my mind, my smile disappeared. A police officer from West Hartford had pulled up across the street, exited his vehicle, and begun walking in my direction."
posted by rcade to baseball at 01:24 PM - 0 comments
Craig Sager Has Leukemia, According To His Son: If Craig Sager's son's Twitter is to be believed, the sideline reporter will be starting a treatment for acute leukemia Friday.
posted by BornIcon to basketball at 11:23 AM - 1 comment
Pro Golfer Attacked by Hornets at Malaysia Open: Pablo Larrazabal was attacked by 30 to 40 hornets on the 14th hole at the Malaysia Open today and dove into a water hazard to save himself. "I ran to the lake, threw my scorecard down, took off my shoes and jumped in the water," he said. "It was the scariest moment of my career, for sure. I've never been so scared." He birdied the hole.
SportsFilter: The Friday Huddle
posted by huddle to general at 06:00 AM - 7 comments
April 17, 2014
Chris Resop - The Most Interesting Reliever in the World.:
I went looking for these videos in search of a pattern; maybe a pattern of pitch location, or pitch type. What I found was something far more fascinating.
posted by grum@work to baseball at 11:43 PM - 9 comments
Yankees Go Around the Horn for Triple Play: In the second inning of Thursday night's game against the Tampa Bay Rays, the New York Yankees completed an around-the-horn triple play -- third baseman Yangervis Solarte to second baseman Brian Roberts to first baseman Scott Sizemore. Rays batter Sean Rodriguez, who hit the grounder, also hit into a triple play against the Boston Red Sox in 2011.
posted by rcade to baseball at 09:36 PM - 6 comments
Secret Service Once Threatened to Kill Mr. Met: "We have snipers all around the stadium, just in case something were to happen. Like I said, do whatever it is you normally do. Nobody will bother you. But approach the president, and we go for the kill shot. Are we clear?" -- Secret Service agent in 1997 to Mr. Met, as related in Yes, It's Hot in Here: Adventures in the Weird, Woolly World of Sports Mascots
posted by rcade to baseball at 05:08 PM - 2 comments
Minnesota State players refuse to practice as coach Todd Hoffner returns: Football players at Minnesota State Mankato refused to practice for their former head coach Wednesday, greeting his reinstatement by an arbitrator by demanding that the interim coach keep the top job.
posted by BornIcon to football at 08:27 AM - 6 comments
SportsFilter: The Thursday Huddle
posted by huddle to general at 06:00 AM - 9 comments
April 16, 2014
NHL Playoff Pick 'Em, Round 1: Pick the eight teams that will advance out of the first round: Colorado vs. Minnesota, St. Louis vs. Chicago, Anaheim vs. Dallas, San Jose vs. Los Angeles, Boston vs. Detroit, Tampa Bay vs. Montreal, Pittsburgh vs. Columbus, New York vs. Philadelphia. The playoffs begin tonight at 7 p.m. Eastern. One extra point on winning picks for getting the number of games right.
posted by rcade to hockey at 04:53 PM - 14 comments
Escape from Cuba: Yasiel Puig's Untold Journey to the Dodgers: What was this gladiator-size man, with the Popeye forearms and the XXL chest, actually worth—to the people bankrolling his defection from Cuba
posted by BornIcon to baseball at 09:43 AM - 2 comments
Steinbrenner: We Don't Need Stephen Drew: New York Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner said the team's infield injuries have not changed his mind about signing free agent shortstop Stephen Drew, who's looking for a multi-year deal at $14 million per year. "I'm pretty content with our infield right now," he said. "I think guys like Anna and Solarte have been pleasant surprises." David Lennon of Newsday writes, "The Yankees are playing a dangerous game with their lack of infield depth. "But it's only mid-April, and the Yankees seem to be banking on the best-case scenario for their hurting infield."
posted by rcade to baseball at 09:42 AM - 5 comments
SportsFilter: The Wednesday Huddle
posted by huddle to general at 06:00 AM - 7 comments
April 15, 2014
Rays' Matt Moore to Have Tommy John Surgery: Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Matt Moore has scheduled Tommy John surgery for next week, ending his 2014 season and making it a challenge for him to be ready by the start of 2015. Moore, 24, has a partially torn ulnar collateral ligament. He left the game April 7 with elbow soreness. He was a 17-game winner and All Star for the team last year.
posted by rcade to baseball at 10:44 AM - 0 comments
MLB Admits Error in Calling Gwynn Out at Home: A play at the plate in Sunday's Philadelphia Phillies-Miami Marlins game was decided incorrectly, Major League Baseball officials said. Marlins catcher Jeff Mathis illegally blocked the plate before he had the ball on a Tony Gwynn Jr. slide home Sunday (see the video). Gwynn was called out and it was upheld by replay. The Phillies won 4-3. The new rule states, "unless the catcher is in possession of the ball, the catcher cannot block the pathway of the runner as he is attempting to score."
posted by rcade to baseball at 10:12 AM - 9 comments
"The unofficial king of sports paperbacks", Zander Hollander,: died at 91.
Before televised sports were pervasive and the Internet a nonstop gusher of sports trivia, Mr. Hollander found a niche in the market by annually providing statistics, team rosters, records, schedules and predictions for the coming season in the form of brick-size tomes he titled "Complete Handbooks."
SportsFilter: The Tuesday Huddle
posted by huddle to general at 06:00 AM - 16 comments
April 14, 2014
Red Sox Manager Rips Replay After Ejection: Boston Red Sox skipper John Farrell has become the first to be ejected for arguing a replay decision. A day after Major League Baseball announced that a replay call against the Red Sox was decided incorrectly, Farrell watched an inning-ending double play be reversed, putting a Yankees run on the board. He thought the replay of a close play at first against Yankees runner Francisco Cervelli was inconclusive. "It's hard to have any faith in the system," Farrell said.
posted by rcade to baseball at 11:51 AM - 7 comments
Video: Ball Girl Saves Run in Baltimore: A Baltimore Orioles ball girl made a terrific play on a sharp drive down the line by Edwin Encarnacion of the Toronto Blue Jays Sunday. Unfortunately, it was a fair ball, resulting in a ground rule double that put runners on second and third. Toronto won 11-3.
posted by rcade to baseball at 10:39 AM - 6 comments
Bubba Watson Wins Second Masters in Three Years: Bubba Watson birdied the 8th and 9th holes to separate himself from playing partner Jordan Spieth, birdied the par-5 13th hole after his drive ruffled the leaves of a tree and landed in the fairway, and signed for a final-round 69 to win his second Masters in three years. "A small-town guy named Bubba now has two green jackets," Watson said after he donned the iconic coat in Butler Cabin. "It's pretty wild."
SportsFilter: The Monday Huddle
posted by huddle to general at 06:00 AM - 12 comments
April 13, 2014
SportsFilter: The Sunday Huddle
posted by huddle to general at 06:00 AM - 19 comments
April 12, 2014
20-Year-Old Tied for Lead at Masters: Jordan Spieth, a 20-year-old from Dallas competing in his first Masters, is tied for first with Bubba Watson at 5 under after three rounds. Spieth became just the third Masters rookie ever to shoot under par in each of his first three rounds at Augusta. If he wins, he'll be the youngest Masters winner ever, besting Tiger Woods by five months.
Chicago Cubs Decide to Start Seeing Other Closers: Two blown saves from Jose Veras were all the Chicago Cubs needed to see. Headline 17 hours ago: Cubs' Renteria stands by Veras. Headline 5 hours ago: Veras loses closer role.
posted by rcade to baseball at 07:12 PM - 0 comments
Granderson Touched by Fan While Making Play: New York Mets outfielder Curtis Granderson angrily confronted a fan who touched him on the back as he was making a play during Friday night's loss to the Los Angeles Angels. Granderson made a catch in the right field corner, then was throwing the ball back as the incident occurred. "Say whatever you want to say. Boo, cheer, clap, cheer for your team, cheer for the other team. But just don't physically touch the players," he said.
Shanahan to Toronto: Homeward bound. Shanny takes a top job with Maple Leafs.
posted by roberts to hockey at 08:42 AM - 2 comments
SportsFilter: The Saturday Huddle
posted by huddle to general at 06:00 AM - 5 comments
April 11, 2014
Was Michael Pineda caught cheating: It looked brown and sticky and it was all over Michael Pineda's right throwing hand at some point during Thursday's game against the Red Sox at Yankee Stadium. But what, exactly, was it?
posted by BornIcon to baseball at 09:13 AM - 6 comments
SportsFilter: The Friday Huddle
posted by huddle to general at 06:00 AM - 6 comments
April 10, 2014
A's Demote Closer Jim Johnson After 8 Games: Oakland Athletics relief pitcher Jim Johnson, acquired in a trade with the Baltimore Orioles to be the A's closer this season, has been demoted from the job. Manager Bob Melvin said Thursday morning he's "going to give Jim a break." ESPN's David Schoenfeld notes, "Johnson has faced 26 batters so far and 16 of them have reached base.
Exceptionally Small Crowds Greet New Baseball Season: The New York Times has a 10-photo slideshow today with tens of thousands of fans disguised as empty seats at Major League ballparks in Kansas City, Cleveland, Toronto, Miami and New York City. The paper calls the attendance, even for the spring when colder weather keeps some fans at home, "especially bleak."
posted by rcade to baseball at 01:28 PM - 12 comments
Abby Wambach: Players Didn't Get Coach Fired: The surprise firing of U.S. women's national team coach Tom Sermanni was not orchestrated by the players, star Abby Wambach said. "Everybody out there who may think the players made this happen, none of it's true," she said. The team finished seventh in the Algarve Cup last month.
posted by rcade to soccer at 10:06 AM - 5 comments
Oops: Atlanta Braves Set Fire to U.S. Flag: The Braves home opener doubled as William Tecumseh Sherman Night.
posted by yerfatma to baseball at 09:13 AM - 7 comments
SportsFilter: The Thursday Huddle
posted by huddle to general at 06:00 AM - 11 comments
April 09, 2014
Josh Hamilton Needs Thumb Surgery: Los Angeles Angels outfielder Josh Hamilton needs thumb surgery for an injury that occurred in Tuesday night's game, the MLB Network reported Wednesday afternoon. During a head-first slide, Hamilton suffered a torn capsule and partially torn UCL and will be out an anticipated 6-8 weeks.
posted by rcade to baseball at 06:22 PM - 4 comments
UMass Basketball Player Says He's Gay: "I am the first Division 1 male basketball player to come out and not the last. I AM gay. I'm not afraid. I'm not alone. -- sophomore Derrick Gordon of the University of Massachusetts on Twitter today
posted by rcade to basketball at 12:10 PM - 7 comments
SportsFilter: The Wednesday Huddle
posted by huddle to general at 06:00 AM - 4 comments
April 08, 2014
Tigers Pitcher Evan Reed Investigated in Alleged Sexual Assault: Detroit Tigers relief pitcher Evan Reed, who just made his first Opening Day roster since being a third-round draft pick in 2007, is being investigated in connection with an alleged sexual assault March 30, the Detroit Free Press reports. A 45-year-old woman seen on surveillance video entering Motor City Casino with Reed alleges that he drugged and sexually assaulted her, a "source familiar with the investigation" told the newspaper.
posted by rcade to baseball at 10:21 AM - 0 comments
UConn Wins National Championship: Led by 22 points from Shabazz Napier, 14 points from Ryan Boatright and strong defensive games from both, the Connecticut Huskies defeated the Kentucky Wildcats 60-54 in the NCAA college basketball championship. UConn entered the tournament as a seventh seed but left with the school's fourth national title since 1999. They never trailed in the game, but Kentucky narrowed the lead to one point with 8:13 left. They are the highest seed to win it all since eight seed Villanova in 1985.
posted by rcade to basketball at 07:10 AM - 7 comments
SportsFilter: The Tuesday Huddle
posted by huddle to general at 06:00 AM - 15 comments
April 07, 2014
Can the Major League Snuff Out Its Smokeless Tobacco Habit?: "I made it through the whole game without dip, so that was a bigger victory than beating the Braves." -- Washington Nationals shortstop Ian Desmond on Sunday. A presentation to the Smokeless Tobacco Summit describes the long history of its use in baseball and the health consequences. The first restrictions on smokeless tobacco were put in Major League Baseball two seasons ago, but it's still permitted for players to do it during games. The use of chewing tobacco among high school boys has been rising since 2003, up to 15 percent.
posted by rcade to baseball at 11:20 AM - 0 comments
SportsFilter: The Monday Huddle
posted by huddle to general at 06:00 AM - 10 comments
American recruit scores first goal for the Swans: Patrick Mitchell, a college basketball player from Iowa, signed for AFL's Sydney Swans last year.
posted by owlhouse to other at 02:43 AM - 2 comments
April 06, 2014
Mets Closer Bobby Parnell to Have Tommy John Surgery: The New York Mets closer Bobby Parnell has changed his mind and will have Tommy John surgery on Tuesday, ending his season. After Parnell blew a save on opening day, an MRI revealed a partially torn medial collateral ligament. Rehab from the surgery typically takes 12 to 15 months. Parnell, 29, had 22 saves for the Mets last season.
New Home Plate Rule Confuses Yankees: The New York Yankees lost a run at home Saturday on a play where they believe the plate was illegally blocked. New rules this season don't allow a catcher to block the plate before the ball arrives, part of an effort to reduce violent collisions. Toronto Blue Jays catcher Josh Thole was straddling the plate as Francisco Cervilli ran home and tagged the runner out. The Yankees lost 4-0. "This is going to be the toughest replay of all of them because it's such a judgment," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. "The way it was explained to us, if the catcher is in front of home plate toward third base, straddling the base, that is considered blocking home plate if you don't have the ball. And I believe that's how it was."
posted by rcade to baseball at 01:39 PM - 3 comments
SportsFilter: The Sunday Huddle
posted by huddle to general at 06:00 AM - 17 comments
April 05, 2014
Pirates Give Hurdle, GM Three-Year Extension: Pittsburgh Pirates general manager Neal Huntington and manager Clint Hurdle have signed three-year contract extensions that each include an option for the 2018 season. The Pirates were 94-68 in 2013, their first winning season since 1992, and reached the NLDS. Hurdle's in his fourth season as skipper, winning Manager of the Year honors last year. Huntington became GM in 2007.
posted by rcade to baseball at 05:10 PM - 0 comments
Ian Desmond Loses Inside-the-Park Home Run on Replay: Washington Nationals shortstop Ian Desmond had an inside-the-park home run changed to a ground-rule double on Friday, a huge call in a 2-1 loss to the Atlanta Braves. Desmond drilled a ball into the left field corner, where it went under padding. Braves left fielder Justin Upton didn't attempt to field the ball, raising his hands to get the ground-rule call, but then fielded it easily as Desmond reached third.
posted by rcade to baseball at 09:37 AM - 3 comments
SportsFilter: The Saturday Huddle
posted by huddle to general at 06:00 AM - 7 comments
April 04, 2014
Would You Bat Bryce Harper Sixth?: ESPN's David Schoenfield and the Washington Post's Adam Kilgore puzzle over the decision by newbie Washington Nationals manager Matt Williams to bat Bryce Harper sixth against the New York Mets Wednesday. Harper hasn't batted from a spot that low since the first four games of his career. "For all the sabermetric advances in the game, such as the increased use of infield shifts, a lot of managers still use sub-optimal batting orders, failing to realize you're better off getting one of your best hitters higher in the order instead of worrying about having an RBI guy batting fifth or sixth," Schoenfield writes.
posted by rcade to baseball at 11:00 AM - 3 comments
LPGA players frustrated by Golf Digest cover of Gretzky: With a provocative pose, Paulina Gretzky will be the cover girl in the upcoming issue of Golf Digest. That doesn't sit well with some LPGA tour stars
posted by BornIcon to golf at 10:40 AM - 9 comments
SportsFilter: The Friday Huddle
posted by huddle to general at 06:00 AM - 9 comments
April 03, 2014
Four strikes and you're out: A study of more than one million pitches reveals "Umpires want to make the right call, but they also don't want to make the wrong call at the wrong time. Ironically, this prompts them to make bad calls more often." Illustrated with some nice heat maps.
posted by rumple to baseball at 10:21 PM - 8 comments
Some Indians Fans Are De-Chiefing Their Gear: Cleveland Indians fans have begun to protest the team's use of the racially questionable Chief Wahoo logo by removing it from their hats and jerseys. Paul Lukas of ESPN's Uni-Watch writes, "This is the 'de-Chiefing' phenomenon, a form of silent protest by a small but growing number of Indians fans who love their team but are opposed to the Wahoo logo, which they view as an offensive caricature." De-chiefing Cleveland fan Michael Kaus said, "I've always been anti-Wahoo. I'm ashamed that it's part of the face of my team. It's embarrassing that we're holding on to this. If it had any other context, it would clearly be viewed as racist."
posted by rcade to baseball at 12:16 PM - 10 comments
SportsFilter: The Thursday Huddle
posted by huddle to general at 06:00 AM - 3 comments
April 02, 2014
SportsFilter: The Wednesday Huddle
posted by huddle to general at 06:00 AM - 7 comments
April 01, 2014
Tiger Woods out of Masters after back surgery: The world's No. 1 player announced on his web site Tuesday that he will be unable to play in the Masters
posted by BornIcon to golf at 04:00 PM - 5 comments
Expanded Replay Makes Debut in Baseball: Opening Day featured the first managers' challenges under Major League Baseball's new expanded replay system. Each manager gets one challenge per game, two if the first call is overturned. The first five reviews Monday were resolved in under two and a half minutes. "It's kind of weird going out there. You used to go out there to kind of argue with the umpire. Now you go out there to say, 'Hey, I didn't see it good. What did you have?'" said Milwaukee Brewers manager Ron Roenicke.
Angels Hitting Coach Don Baylor Breaks Leg On Ceremonial First Pitch: Never seen that before ... Here's to a speedy recovery for "Groove..."
posted by DraftSharksFF to baseball at 08:42 AM - 5 comments
SportsFilter: The Tuesday Huddle
posted by huddle to general at 06:00 AM - 12 comments