Lights On: The Federal Communications Commission said Tuesday it repealed its sports blackout rule for the National Football League, eliminating a decades-old ban on airing local games that were not sold out.

posted by Bonkers to football at 03:05 PM - 4 comments

SportsFilter: The Tuesday Huddle

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

Tackled Ohio State Student Was Wearing Secret Booze Panties: Ohio State strength and conditioning coach Anthony Schlegel executed a ferocious open-field tackle on a student who ran onto the field Saturday in the game against Cincinnati, to the roaring approval of the home crowd. The student is a senior in mechanical engineering on a full housing and tuition scholarship. Why would he risk that? The answer is in his pants.

posted by rcade to football at 01:35 PM - 5 comments

Brady Hoke's Dangerous Incompetence So Bad ESPN Announcers Denounce It: Michigan quarterback Shane Morris took a nasty, and illegal, hit to the skull in the fourth quarter of last night's loss to Minnesota. Not only was Morris immediately re-inserted into the game, but Wolverines head coach Brady Hoke claimed " I didn't know if [Morris] had a concussion or not." Over-the-top deadspin headline aside, there is a growing demand to relieve Coach Hoke of his duties in Ann Arbor that isn't even based on the team's 2-3 start to the season. The university released a statement last night defending the team's handling of the situation, though not referencing the suspected head injury.

posted by bender to football at 12:39 PM - 16 comments

Mickelson slammed by Monty.: Phil Mickelson in trouble?

posted by leojames2 to golf at 11:14 AM - 0 comments

SportsFilter: The Monday Huddle

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

Jose Altuve Asks to Play, Risks Batting Title: Houston Astros second baseman Jose Altuve, originally kept out of the lineup, asked to start today and has gone two for three in his first two at-bats, lifting his AL-leading batting average from .340 to .341. The Detroit Tigers' Victor Martinez plays later with a .337 average. Altuve would be the Astros' first batting champ.

posted by rcade to baseball at 02:41 PM - 7 comments

SportsFilter: The Sunday Huddle

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

SportsFilter: The Saturday Huddle

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

33 Short Stories about 33:

“I would be all over him, trying to deny him the ball, and all Larry was doing was yelling at his teammates, I’m open! Hurry up before they notice nobody is guarding me!” then he would stick an elbow in my jaw and stick the jumper in my face, then he would start in on my coach “Coach you better get this guy out and send in somebody who’s going to D me up, because its too easy when I’m wide open like this”

posted by yerfatma to baseball at 02:04 PM - 4 comments

SportsFilter Fantasy Hockey Needs 4 Owners: Our head-to-head NHL fantasy hockey league, Koharski's Donuts, is looking for four more owners in its second season. Compete for the world's most delicious trophy (warning: not a food product). Use this link and the password shipley (all lowercase).

posted by rcade to fantasy at 10:49 AM - 7 comments

SportsFilter: The Friday Huddle

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

NFL Pick 'Em, Week 4: The NFL resumes tonight with the New York Giants going to Washington. Mattwalshvideo continues to lead our Pick 'Em Contest by 50 points, with Jagsnumberone, Crisisstills and Howardt98 tied for second. Jagsnumberone had the best week, going 14-2 with only Arizona's upset of San Francisco and the Colts defeat of the Jaguars as misses.

posted by rcade to football at 05:04 PM - 2 comments

CFL Pick 'Em, Week 14: Holy upsets, Batman! The East shows it's still got some fight left in 'er as the underdogs take three of four. That means excitement on the tee vee but tough going for us valiant pick 'ers. Shake it off and make your picks inside.

posted by DrJohnEvans to fantasy at 12:55 PM - 13 comments

SportsFilter: The Thursday Huddle

posted by huddle to general at 06:00 AM - 22 comments

Grand Jury Does Not Indict Tony Stewart in Accident: A grand jury in Ontario County, N.Y., decided not to file criminal charges against the Nascar champion Tony Stewart for the Aug. 9 crash that killed driver Kevin Ward Jr.

posted by BornIcon to auto racing at 03:25 PM - 6 comments

SportsFilter: The Wednesday Huddle

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

SportsFilter: The Tuesday Huddle

posted by huddle to general at 06:00 AM - 14 comments

SportsFilter: The Monday Huddle

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

SportsFilter: The Sunday Huddle

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

Play SportsFilter's ESPN Fantasy Hockey League: Koharski's Donuts, our fantasy hockey league won last season by Steve Hollister's Pimpin Ain't Parise, has been launched for the upcoming NHL season that begins Oct. 8.

posted by rcade to hockey at 03:00 PM - 6 comments

Join the SportsFilter Fantasy Premier League: If you're playing Fantasy Premier League this season, use this link to join SportsFilter's league. Some owners weren't included in the league that rolled over automatically from last season, so a new one has been created. Anyone who has a current team on FPL (or wants to join five weeks late) is welcome.

posted by rcade to fantasy at 02:37 PM - 2 comments

SportsFilter: The Saturday Huddle

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

SportsFilter: The Friday Huddle

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

NFL Pick 'Em, Week 3: Make your picks for this week's games, which start tonight with Tampa Bay at Atlanta. Mattwalshvideo leads with 300 points after going 10-6 in week 2, putting him 50 points over the 1wurster in second. Here's how scoring works in the contest: 10 points for every winner you pick, plus a bonus of 10 if you get five right, 30 if you get 10 right and 50 if you get all 16 that week.

posted by rcade to football at 03:47 PM - 1 comment

SportsFilter: The Thursday Huddle

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

SportsFilter: The Wednesday Huddle

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

Bryan Cranston performs one-man show about the MLB playoffs:

posted by grum@work to baseball at 10:48 PM - 3 comments

CFL Pick 'Em, Week 13: Howard_T and owlhouse remain in lockstep at the top of the standings, like two voyageurs fighting over the same pair of long underwear. Speaking of blood spilt between countrymen, it's all east versus west this week. Will you take the easy route or go where no one has gone before? Find your nerve and make your picks inside.

posted by DrJohnEvans to fantasy at 09:55 PM - 19 comments

SportsFilter: The Tuesday Huddle

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

Gus Johnson Booted as Fox Soccer Announcer: Gus Johnson has stepped down as Fox's No. 1 soccer broadcaster. When Fox Sports president Eric Shanks was asked whether Johnson being widely reviled calling the sport was a reason for the move, he said no but added, "I am not going to lie and say we were unaware of it."

posted by rcade to soccer at 12:04 PM - 3 comments

SportsFilter: The Monday Huddle

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

SportsFilter: The Sunday Huddle

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

SportsFilter: The Saturday Huddle

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

Vikings' Adrian Peterson Indicted for Child Injury: Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson has been indicted on charges of child injury in Texas for "reckless or negligent injury to a child." The team is keeping him out of Sunday's game. Jay Glazer of Fox Sports reported that Peterson has been cooperating with investigators. The charges involve Peterson using a switch to whip his four-year-old child as punishment and leaving lacerations and bruises on his thighs, lower back and buttocks. The sports blog Deadspin gathers press reports with more details, including a text message reportedly from Peterson to the child's mother in which he wrote, "Never do I go overboard! But all my kids will know, hey daddy has the biggie heart but don't play no games when it comes to acting right."

posted by rcade to football at 09:48 PM - 21 comments

NHL Bans the Spin-o-Rama Move from Shootouts: Among the rule changes the NHL has added for the coming season: A ban on the "spin-o-rama" move in NHL penalty shots and shootouts an increasing scale of fines for diving.

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

Giancarlo Stanton Hit in Face with 88-Mph Pitch: Miami Marlins star Giancarlo Stanton was struck in the face with an 88-mph pitch by Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Mike Fiers Thursday night and suffered multiple facial fractures and dental damage. Stanton had to be carted off the field and taken to a nearby hospital. Brewers manager Ron Roenicke kept a visibly distraught Fiers in the game and he hit the batter who replaced Stanton with the next pitch.

posted by rcade to baseball at 09:47 AM - 6 comments

SportsFilter: The Friday Huddle

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

CFL Pick 'Em, Week 12: It's snowing in Calgary, which means it's time for the revered Canadian tradition of... feeling really bummed out that summer's over. But as the saying goes: when summer is done, the Grey Cup's nearly won! That's right, only a scant nine weeks until we crown a Pick 'Em champion. Grab your toques and make your picks inside.

posted by DrJohnEvans to fantasy at 03:25 PM - 13 comments

NFL Pick 'Em, Week 2: Make your picks for this week's NFL games, beginning with tonight's matchup between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens. Five players are tied for first after week 1 with 12-4 records: 1wurster, aeonmcallister, cixelsyd, mattwalshvideo and me. No one on NFL.Com went 16-0, but five players went 15-1. Four of them missed Buffalo over Chicago and one missed Miami over New England.

posted by rcade to football at 02:33 PM - 2 comments

Former NY Mets VP sues baseball team for discrimination.:
According to the lawsuit, Wilpon "became fixated on the idea that Castergine would have a child without being married. He frequently humiliated Castergine in front of others by, among other things, pretending to see if she had an engagement ring on her finger and openly stating in a meeting of the team's all-male senior executives that he is 'morally opposed' to Castergine 'having this baby without being married,' " the lawsuit said.

posted by grum@work to baseball at 10:04 AM - 0 comments

SportsFilter: The Thursday Huddle

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

FCC chairman: Sack the NFL's blackout rule: "With the first weekend of professional football in the books, two things should be abundantly clear: The NFL is king; and the Federal Communications Commission's sports blackout rules are obsolete and have to go. ... The bottom line is the NFL no longer needs the government's help to remain viable. And we at the FCC shouldn't be complicit in preventing sports fans from watching their favorite teams on TV. It's time to sack the sports blackout rules for good." -- Tom Wheeler, chairman of the Federal Communications Commission

posted by rcade to football at 06:24 PM - 0 comments

SportsFilter: The Wednesday Huddle

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

Area Man Buys Bills for $1B: The trust that inherited the Buffalo Bills from Ralph Wilson has apparently agreed to sell the team to Terry Pegula, the owner of the Buffalo Sabres. The amount is being reported as slightly above $1 billion, which would be a record for a team that does not own its own stadium. Pegula had become a favorite due to his large wallet and his roots in Western New York. The other team owners still need to agree to the sale at their next meeting in October.

posted by Etrigan to football at 11:48 AM - 10 comments

Sea of 49ers Red at Cowboys Stadium: I listened to the Dallas/San Francisco game on the radio broadcast, and when Tony Romo threw one interception near the end zone the roar of the crowd made me check whether the game was really in Dallas. Photos show a massive sea of fans for the visiting 49ers, which local reporters estimated to be 40 to 50 percent of the entire crowd.

posted by rcade to football at 08:27 AM - 1 comment

SportsFilter: The Tuesday Huddle

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

Robert Mathis Tears Achilles in Workout, Out for Season: Indianapolis Colts pass rusher Robert Mathis, serving a four-game suspension for a PED violation, tore his Achilles tendon during a workout last week and will miss the entire season. Mathis was suspended for Clomid, a fertility drug that also can be used to mask PEDs. He had 19.5 sacks last season for the Colts, a franchise record. Mathis and his wife had twins in 2012 and are expecting another child this year.

posted by rcade to football at 08:19 PM - 1 comment

Video of Ray Rice Elevator Punch on Partner Released: Remember the theory that NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell's soft punishment of Ray Rice was justified by something he saw on the in-elevator video? Not so much. Video obtained by TMZ shows Rice hits Janay Palmer, she hits back, then he hits her again and knocks her out.

posted by rcade to football at 08:48 AM - 64 comments

SportsFilter: The Monday Huddle

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

Atlanta Hawks to be sold after owner reveals racist email:

I wrote an e-mail two years ago that was inappropriate and offensive. I trivialized our fans by making clichéd assumptions about their interests (i.e. hip hop vs. country, white vs. black cheerleaders, etc.) and by stereotyping their perceptions of one another (i.e. that white fans might be afraid of our black fans). By focusing on race, I also sent the unintentional and hurtful message that our white fans are more valuable than our black fans.

posted by Etrigan to basketball at 11:55 AM - 10 comments

SportsFilter: The Sunday Huddle

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

SportsFilter: The Saturday Huddle

posted by huddle to general at 06:00 AM - 1 comment

Ron Washington Resigns as Texas Rangers Manager: "Ron Washington informed us today that he has chosen to resign as Rangers manager in order to turn his full attention to addressing an off-the-field personal matter," general manager Jon Daniels said. "Out of respect for Ron's privacy, the Rangers will leave any comment on the details to him." Washington leaves after eight seasons as the skipper with the most wins in team history with a .521 winning percentage that trails only Billy Hunter. He twice led Rangers teams that won the American League, losing the World Series in 2010 and 2011. His expletive-laden, secretly leaked locker room speech before game 7 in the latter series has become a part of MLB lore.

posted by rcade to baseball at 04:13 PM - 4 comments

SportsFilter: The Friday Huddle

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

CFL Pick 'Em, Week 11: Labour Day proves entertaining as the home teams all find their way into the win column. Now that we're over the hump, the race to the top is on—or if you're in the East, the race to the not-bottom. Calibrate your altimeter and make your picks inside.

posted by DrJohnEvans to fantasy at 11:30 AM - 14 comments

SportsFilter: The Thursday Huddle

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

Colts Owner Irsay Suspended 6 Games for DUI: The NFL has suspended billionaire Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay for six games and fined him $500,000 following his guilty plea in an Indiana court to operating a vehicle while intoxicated, a misdemeanor. Irsay admitted to having hydrocodone, oxycodone and alprazolam (Xanax) in his system March 16 when arrested in Carmel. He was originally facing four counts of felony possession of a controlled substance. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell issued a statement that said owners, coaches and team executives "must be held to a higher standard than players."

posted by rcade to football at 06:29 PM - 7 comments

SportsFilter NFL Pick 'Em, 2014 Edition: I've set up an NFL Weekly Pick 'Em group for SportsFilter on NFL.Com for the season, which begins Thursday night with Green Bay at Seattle. It's a straight-up league with no point spreads. The password to join is kickoff. This will be the first contest in the SportsFilter Cup, a year-long competition to find the best fantasy sports player in this site.

posted by rcade to football at 01:08 PM - 18 comments

SportsFilter: The Wednesday Huddle

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

Dallas Cowboys to Sign Michael Sam After Physical: Michael Sam, the first openly gay athlete to be drafted in the NFL, is flying to Dallas Tuesday night to take a physical for the Dallas Cowboys. If he passes, the team plans to sign him to its practice squad, ESPN reports. ESPN football writer Kevin Seifert wasn't surprised Sam didn't make an NFL roster but was surprised he didn't isn't already on a practice team. "He'll now get a second chance to impress another organization, albeit after a longer-than-usual wait and with a franchise whose owner craves attention like no other," Seifert writes.

posted by rcade to football at 06:08 PM - 4 comments

SportsFilter: The Tuesday Huddle

posted by huddle to general at 06:00 AM - 15 comments

Phillies Toss Combined No-Hitter vs. Braves: Four pitchers for the Philadelphia Phillies combined to no-hit the Atlanta Braves on Labor Day. Starting pitcher Cole Hamels threw six innings and was relieved for one inning apiece by Jake Diekman, Ken Giles and Jonathan Papelbon. The Phillies won 7-0. Hamels had thrown 108 pitches and walked 5 when he was sent to the showers.

posted by rcade to baseball at 04:28 PM - 0 comments

University of Minnesota Not Thrilled to Host Slurskins: When Washington comes to play Minnesota at the University of Minnesota for an NFL game Nov. 2, the university has asked Washington to use throwback jerseys without the team name or logo, not have any team apparel or paraphernalia sold on the premises and for the team's name not to be used by the PA announcer or on the scoreboards. "The Vikings have a great working relationship with the tribal nations of Minnesota, and they're very understanding of how this team name and logo impacts our community," said Katrice Albert, the college's vice president in the office of equity and diversity.

posted by rcade to football at 02:38 PM - 2 comments

SportsFilter: The Monday Huddle

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