Archives for September 2015

September 30, 2015

NFL Pick 'Em, Week 4: First-Place Jacksonville Edition: Week IV of the NFL season begins Thursday night with Baltimore looking for its first win at Pittsburgh against backup QB Michael Vick. Sunday games begin at 9:30 a.m. Eastern as the New York Jets play Miami in London. Make your picks and select one stone cold lead pipe lock to win (or not).

posted by rcade to football at 02:37 PM - 33 comments

CFL Pick 'Em, Week Fifteen: Tight margins and underdog wins mean that points are hard to come by this week, but that doesn't mean we don't see movement in the standings. No, not at the top. Grab your bronzer and make your picks inside.

posted by DrJohnEvans to fantasy at 05:13 AM - 17 comments

September 29, 2015

Fifa scandal: Jack Warner banned for life by FIFA: More than four years after quitting football, the governing body’s ethics committee today announced the outcome of an investigation into Sepp Blatter’s disgraced former vice-president, who is also facing criminal charges in the United States over an alleged £100 million fraud. Warner’s ban begins at the same time as Fifa’s ethics committee examines evidence that could lead to the suspension of Blatter and Michel Platini over a £1.3m suspected criminal payment to the Uefa president.

posted by bender to soccer at 01:47 PM - 1 comment

September 28, 2015

September 27, 2015

September 26, 2015

Toronto Blue Jays Clinch Playoff Spot, But Nobody Notices: The Toronto Blue Jays clinched their first playoff spot in 22 years last night -- ending the longest drought in North American pro sports -- but this went without notice or celebration. The common perception was that they still had a magic number of 1, but it is impossible for the three other teams in contention (Texas, Houston and Los Angeles) to all tie Toronto in wins because they play each other. See the comments for the math that the media overlooked.

posted by rcade to baseball at 11:18 AM - 9 comments

September 25, 2015

Fantasy Premier League, Week Six: Spurs visits Man City early Saturday to open the Premier League weekend. Hillbilly F.C. takes first place back from FC Gallifrey. Maplewood Town rockets into third with a 72-point total that's the best in the league for a third straight week (damn!). Man United forward Anthony Martial (£8.3m) has scored 18 points in his first two weeks, inspiring 660,000 owners to pick him up this week. Diego Costa's (£11.0m) three-game ban for persistent douchery put him off 144,000 rosters. The FPL Scout likes Man U midfielder Juan Mata (£8.7m) as a pickup this week. He faces lowly Sunderland at home and has a goal or assist in four of six matches.

posted by rcade to soccer at 03:31 PM - 4 comments

Blatter faces criminal investigation: Totally unexpected, eh? Amusingly, one of the indicated counts involves a $2M "disloyal payment" to Michel Platini; Platini said the money was legit and "relates to work which I carried out under a contract with Fifa" and he had clarified matters with the authorities. Of course.

posted by billsaysthis to soccer at 02:40 PM - 1 comment

NFL Source: 'No Doubt' Brady Will Sit 4 Games This Season: An NFL source told WFAN radio host Craig Carton "there’s no doubt in his mind" that New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady will serve a four-game suspension this season over DeflateGate after the league's court appeal is heard. The source was not named, but it rhymes with Codger Whosmell.

posted by rcade to football at 12:50 PM - 6 comments

September 24, 2015

Ole Miss Fan's Jaw Broken After Win at Alabama: A 22-year-old Ole Miss fan leaving the team's 43-37 victory over Alabama was walking in downtown Tuscaloosa when he was punched by a Bama fan who broke his jaw in two places. A commenter claiming to have witnessed the incident said the fan, Ryan Moore, was drunk and saying taunting remarks until a man "turned around and walked back and stood right in front of Ryan and said something like ... you need to shut your mouth and hit him. It made a horrible breaking noise." Police are looking for the assailant, a man in his 30s who was walking with a woman and two children.

posted by rcade to football at 09:10 PM - 5 comments

Join Koharski's Donuts, SportsFilter's Fantasy Hockey League: With the NHL's season opener less than two weeks away, SportsFilter's Fantasy Hockey league is back for a third season and needs three more owners. The league has head-to-head weekly match-ups and a live snake draft Sunday Oct. 4 at 9 p.m. Eastern. We give cash prizes to the top four teams. Use this link and the password "sprinkles" to join.

posted by rcade to hockey at 05:50 PM - 5 comments

September 23, 2015

Craig Finn's guide to the best ever sports music: Hate to have to break it to him about Ragnar.

posted by yerfatma to culture at 02:02 PM - 9 comments

NFL Pick 'Em, Week 3: Indy's Bad Luck Edition: Week three of the NFL season begins Thursday night with Washington at New York Football Giants. Make your picks and select one stone cold lead pipe lock to win, if you dare. Results are being tabulated now.

posted by rcade to football at 01:28 PM - 28 comments

CFL Pick 'Em, Week Fourteen: If the playoffs started today... we'd all have a lot more time on our hands. Especially if we lived in Saskatchewan. But we've still got seven more weeks of tooth-and-nail battles for the Costanza, so sharpen your pencils and make your picks inside.

posted by DrJohnEvans to fantasy at 08:46 AM - 18 comments

Hall of Fame catcher Yogi Berra passes away: at the age of 90.

posted by rumple to baseball at 02:35 AM - 6 comments

September 22, 2015

In Hockey Gaming, It Will Always Be 1994: "It's the No. 1 comment that is made to me over the course of every day, whether it's over Twitter or meeting on the street," Jeremy Roenick says. "Whatever the case may be, I would say one out of three people I meet mention ’94 Sega. They say one of three things: One, 'You couldn't beat the Chicago Blackhawks because of Jeremy Roenick.' No. 2, 'I got through college playing Jeremy Roenick in '94 Sega.' The third is it was a rule that you couldn't be the Chicago Blackhawks in the game, because they were that unstoppable. That still happens almost daily."

posted by rcade to hockey at 03:50 PM - 4 comments

September 21, 2015

September 20, 2015

September 19, 2015

September 18, 2015

Fantasy Premier League, Week Six: Premier League play begins early Saturday with Chelsea vs. Arsenal. FC Gallifrey holds on to the lead for a second week, seven points ahead of Hillbilly F.C. Maplewood Town and Liquid Football tie for the week's best score at 56 points, led by Leicester midfielder Riyad Mahrez's 11 points -- 22 for Liquid Football in a well-chosen captain double. Mahrez ranks in the top 3 pickups this week alongside Man City defender Aleksandar Kolarov and Everton midfielder Ross Barkley. Top drop: Man U defender Luke Shaw after his broken leg.

posted by rcade to soccer at 12:58 PM - 13 comments

Rugby (Union) World Cup Starts Tonight: As usual, the All Blacks will be favourites, but this time around it's a bit more open. England, Australia, France, South Africa and Ireland could all be in with a shout. Usually with Rugby World Cups, the pools are fairly predictable, and action won't get interesting until the knockout stages at the Quarter Finals. However, this year the Pool of Death (TM) means that one of England, Australia or Wales will be going or staying home early.

posted by owlhouse to general at 04:07 AM - 10 comments

September 17, 2015

September 16, 2015

NFL Pick 'Em, Week 2: Teddy Bridgewater Fail Mary Edition: This week's games begin Thursday night with Denver at Kansas City, so it's time to make your picks for a chance to win an official NFL game football signed by Roger Goodell or his successor (fingers crossed). NoMich is in first with 22 points, scoring 6 on a stone cold lead pipe lock of Carolina over Jacksonville by 10 (1 off the actual margin). Holden had the game of the week by picking Miami over Washington by 7 as a stone cold lead pipe lock (worth 9 points!). New players are welcome to join.

posted by rcade to football at 09:04 PM - 32 comments

September 15, 2015

Luke Shaw of Man U Suffers Broken Leg in Champions League Match: Manchester United left-back Luke Shaw suffered a don't click this broken leg from a tackle during a Champions League match today against PSV Eindhoven. Hector Moreno caught the leg of the 20-year-old while making what The Telegraph called a "full-blooded tackle."

posted by rcade to soccer at 04:51 PM - 2 comments

CFL Pick 'Em, Week Thirteen: Inevitably, Saskatchewan returns to its losing ways. But cheer up, fans of the underdog, for we may just have the beginnings of an actual race for first in our little Pick 'Em. Cross your fingers and make your picks inside.

posted by DrJohnEvans to fantasy at 10:11 AM - 17 comments

Jarryd Hayne's debut as seen in Australia: Very funny play by play commentary from The Guardian. Reminds of the hilarious bad British commentary videos like this.

posted by NoMich to football at 10:01 AM - 2 comments

Eli Manning Told Running Back Not to Score: When the New York Giants had a first-and-4 with under two minutes remaining and a three-point lead over Dallas, Eli Manning told running back Rashad Jennings on consecutive plays not to score. "I thought that they may let us score to get the ball back, so that’s why I informed Rashad if they let you score, just go down at the 1-inch line. Don’t score," Manning said. "I was wrong on that." New York kicked a field goal but lost 27-26 on a Dallas touchdown in the final seconds.

posted by rcade to football at 08:59 AM - 7 comments

September 14, 2015

September 13, 2015

Kent State's April Goss becomes 2nd woman to score in college game: “April deserved it,” Haynes said. “She is the first player out there every day at practice and the last one to leave. She didn’t get this because she is a female. It’s because she has worked hard. Everyone on the sideline was excited for her.”

posted by NoMich to football at 07:52 PM - 0 comments

September 12, 2015

September 11, 2015

Fantasy Premier League, Week Five: The international break is over. The Premiership kicks off at 7:45 a.m. Eastern Saturday and roster moves are due an hour earlier. FC Gallifrey takes over first place with a second-best 57-point week led by Man City defender Bacary Sagna (12 points) and Everton keeper Tim Howard (11). Mid-table Maplewood Town had the best week with 59 because of Sagna, Southampton forward Graziano Pelle (9) and Leicester forward Jamie Vardy (8). Not-so-fun fact: My strikers Christian Benteke of Liverpool and Harry Kane of Tottenham are two of the five most dropped players for the gameweek.

posted by rcade to soccer at 12:19 PM - 0 comments

September 10, 2015

Super Bowl Ditches Roman Numerals: Suspending an XLV-year tradition that I've been mocking for years by numbering the game in hexadecimal, the NFL has dropped the use of Roman numerals on this season's Super Bowl. There will be no Super Bowl L. Instead, Super Bowl 50 will be held on Feb. 7, 2016, at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California. But next year will be Super Bowl LI, the league says. Reaching 50 also is being marked by the new gold 50-yard line numbers.

posted by rcade to football at 12:15 PM - 8 comments

Cheating in Sports: With computers and downloadable apps.

posted by owlhouse to other at 03:25 AM - 4 comments

James Blake reportedly thrown to the ground, cuffed and detained by several NYPD officers.: Blake, retired for the past two years, is in NYC to appear at US Open related events. NYPD officers say they mistook him for a suspect in a fraudulent credit card operation. James, who has cuts and bruises as a result of the event stated "To me it’s as simple as unnecessary police force, no matter what my race is. In my mind there’s probably a race factor involved, but no matter what, there’s no reason for anybody to do that to anybody. I was just standing there. I wasn’t running. It’s blatantly unnecessary. You would think at some point they would get the memo that this isn’t O.K., but it seems that there’s no stopping it.”

posted by Ufez Jones to culture at 12:27 AM - 9 comments

September 09, 2015

CFL Pick 'Em, Week Twelve: SASKATCHEWAN WON A GAME. Make your picks inside.

posted by DrJohnEvans to fantasy at 04:34 PM - 17 comments

September 08, 2015

NFL Pick 'Em, Week 1: Win One for the Duke: The NFL season starts Thursday, so it's time to channel your inner Norman Chad and make picks each week. Choose the winners of each game, the margin of victory and up to one stone cold lead pipe lock. The winner will receive a prize (details inside).

posted by rcade to football at 12:06 PM - 36 comments

September 07, 2015

Who Has College Football's Biggest Home-Field Advantage?: From the Wall Street Journal: "The best college football programs typically have the most intimidating home environments. Few teams enjoy the experience of visiting venues such as Alabama's Bryant-Denny Stadium or Oregon's Autzen Stadium. But, according to one study, the biggest home-field advantage in college football belongs to a much less-heralded program: North Texas."

posted by rcade to football at 01:20 PM - 1 comment

September 06, 2015

2 High School Players Intentionally Hit Referee: Two high school players in San Antonio, Texas, intentionally slammed into a referee during a play as the clock was running down Friday night. After a controversial call that enabled Marble Falls to run out the clock on a 15-9 victory, two Jay defensive backs struck the official -- one from behind and the other while he was down on the ground. Both players were ejected.

posted by rcade to football at 01:12 PM - 10 comments

September 05, 2015

Surprise military reunions at NFL games reach peak Bullsh*t: one might wonder why no headline writer went with “Husband Surprises Military Wife At Her Job”

posted by rumple to football at 05:41 PM - 6 comments

September 04, 2015

September 03, 2015

Federal Judge Tosses Brady's 4-Game NFL Suspension: New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady won a court victory over the NFL as U.S. District Court Judge Richard Berman nullified the league's four-game suspension Thursday morning. Berman said in the decision that NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell exceeded his authority in the punishment. Brady will be eligible to play next week, though the NFL may appeal.

posted by rcade to football at 10:29 AM - 26 comments

September 02, 2015

CFL Pick 'Em, Week Eleven: The in-season drama has been kind to the schedule-makers. This year's Labour Day Classics could turn over the top of the standings in both divisions. You can't buy that sort of drama at your dollar store's DVD discount bin. Put down your hammer and make your picks inside.

posted by DrJohnEvans to fantasy at 03:35 PM - 17 comments

September 01, 2015

If You See Bart Starr at Brett Favre's Number Retirement Ceremony ...: ... it will be a special moment over a year in the making. The 81-year-old Starr suffered two strokes and a heart attack last year and often suffers from confusion, but his family says it has been a priority for him to be there on Thanksgiving night to stand alongside Favre and Aaron Rodgers. Favre delayed it a year to make Starr's attendance possible. "Now, we can't sit back and say, 'Dad, we're going to try to get you there,'" his son Bart Jr. said. "Every comment from us has to be along the lines of, 'Dad, we know you will make it there on Thanksgiving. We are certain of it.'"

posted by rcade to football at 02:38 PM - 1 comment