Archives for February 2016

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

February 28, 2016

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

February 27, 2016

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

February 26, 2016

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

February 25, 2016

New Rule Takes Out Slides Like Chase Utley's Legbreaker: The Chase Utley slide that broke Ruben Tejada's leg during the NLDS will no longer be legal in Major League Baseball: "Under the new policy for sliding, designated Rule 6.01(j), a slide to break up a double play will have to include a bona fide attempt to reach and remain on base. Contact with the fielder is permissible, but the runner cannot change his path to initiate contact or engage in a “roll block.” The plays are subject to review under video replay, and if it is determined that the runner did not engage in a bona fide slide attempt, then interference will be called and both the runner and the batter-runner can be called out."

posted by rcade to baseball at 03:06 PM - 8 comments

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

February 24, 2016

Pace Mannion NBA Pick 'Em: Week 17: There are seven national games this week, beginning tonight on ESPN with the Wizards at the Bulls and ending Saturday on ABC with the Warriors at the Thunder. Howard_T holds a dominating lead but the scrappy Rcade is poised for an unexpected surge, just like John Kasich.

posted by rcade to basketball at 10:54 AM - 7 comments

Tennis Authorities Warned About 73 Suspicious Matches Last Year: BuzzFeed News continues its series on possible match-fixing in tennis.

posted by NoMich to tennis at 09:53 AM - 2 comments

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

February 23, 2016

SportsFilter Fantasy Baseball League: The SpoFi Fantasy Baseball League is back for another season. Plenty of spots open, follow the link to create your team. The league is a roto league, ten category scoring, on yahoo. The draft is currently set for Sunday April 2, 2016 at 8pm.

posted by Ying Yang Mafia to fantasy at 09:09 PM - 0 comments

Cricket Star Kieran Powell Tosses His Bat and Picks Up a Smaller, Rounder One: Powell, a star batsman who has played internationally for the West Indies, has chucked that all aside, for now at least, in a long-shot gamble to become a professional baseball player. See also: (video warning) MLB Tonight: Cricket Conversions. Why would a star player from West Indies look to another sport? Windies cricket seems to be in a pretty sorry spot, financially speaking.

posted by NoMich to baseball at 09:30 AM - 3 comments

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

February 22, 2016

Bayer Leverkusen's game descended into chaos after coach Roger Schmidt refused to be sent to the stands: And sure enough, Schmidt is under investigation, as is his boss Rudy Voller. I was actually watching this and, thanks to Fox Deportes not having English SAP, had no idea what was happening until after the game; a very surreal experience.

posted by billsaysthis to soccer at 12:14 PM - 0 comments

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

February 21, 2016

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

February 20, 2016

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

February 19, 2016

Donald Trump's less than artful failure as a Pro Football Owner: "The [N.J.] Generals gave Trump something else: newspaper headlines. He was not yet a household name, though he was clearly on his way. Owning the Generals turbocharged his rise to fame. His views, his deals, his postgame comments — they dominated the news media’s coverage of the U.S.F.L. At first many of the owners were glad to have him play this role because it put a spotlight on the new league. But many U.S.F.L. observers soon came to believe that he did not necessarily have the best interests of the league at heart. “He was a dynamic figure, but he was dynamic on behalf of the Donald Trump interests, not the whole league,” said Keith Jackson, who broadcast U.S.F.L. games for ABC."

posted by rumple to football at 04:19 PM - 5 comments

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

February 18, 2016

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

February 17, 2016

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

February 16, 2016

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

February 15, 2016

The NHL Playoffs May Be Canada-Free: "If the season ended today -- and less than two months remain -- none of its NHL teams would qualify for the playoffs. The last time that happened? Forty-six years ago." -- Chris Hine, Chicago Tribune

posted by rcade to hockey at 12:53 PM - 3 comments

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

February 14, 2016

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

February 13, 2016

Peyton Manning’s squeaky-clean image was built on lies: as detailed in explosive court documents showing ugly smear campaign against his alleged sex assault victim. "As a general rule, it's not just gross to smash your testicles on a woman's face, it's a crime." Direct link to the court documents.

posted by rumple to football at 02:13 PM - 15 comments

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

February 12, 2016

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

February 11, 2016

Wenger's Arsenal : Jonathan Wilson goes totally postmodern, referencing Said, Shakespeare, Sophocles, Monet, Liszt, Rembrandt, Bach, Matisse, Foster Wallace, Becker and Freud. Actually, that wouldn't be a bad starting XI.

posted by owlhouse to football at 08:04 PM - 9 comments

The Wow Factor: Few could have guessed that the league's return would become so bloody, bitter and, most of all, emblematic of how power in the NFL truly works. From Seth Wickersham and Don Van Natta Jr. at ESPN.

posted by billsaysthis to football at 04:45 PM - 3 comments

Vince Carter: The Lion in Winter: Alone, the legend walks through the cool autumn evening, the hood of his navy blue sweatshirt pulled around the outline of his aging face. He strides through the players’ parking lot outside the FedEx Forum in Memphis, believing with all his heart that tonight he’ll turn back the hands of time, that tonight he’ll rediscover the high-flying magic of his youth—if for just one more game, one more moment.

posted by BornIcon to basketball at 01:48 PM - 1 comment

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

February 10, 2016

Pace Mannion NBA Pick 'Em: Week 15: There are eight NBA games airing nationally this week and two All-Star games pitting the U.S. vs. the World and West vs. East. All 10 are in the our NBA Pick 'Em contest, which is led by the merciless prognostication juggernaut Howard_T. Games start tonight at 8 p.m. on ESPN when the Lakers lose to the Cavaliers.

posted by rcade to basketball at 01:56 PM - 11 comments

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

February 09, 2016

Texans Owner Robert McNair: Cherokees Can't Hold Their Whiskey: An NFL owner who defended Washington's use of the offensive mascot "Redskins" then told an interviewer that he grew up among Cherokee Indians and they had drinking problems. "Everybody respected their courage," said Houston Texans owner Robert McNair. "They might not have respected the way they held their whiskey, but ..." McNair laughed and added, "We respected their courage. They’re very brave people."

posted by rcade to football at 03:22 PM - 6 comments

Senators acquire Phaneuf from Maple Leafs in nine-player deal: Dion Phaneuf is trading sides in the Battle of Ontario. A mammoth nine-player swap between the Ottawa Senators and Toronto Maple Leafs saw Phaneuf landing in the nation’s capital, ending a turbulent run in Toronto that began with a similar blockbuster trade six years ago. Leafs add a former 1st Rd pick in defender Jared Cowen, winger Milan Michalek, 2 youngish forward prospects in Colin Greening and Oscar Lindberg, as well as second-round draft pick in 2017. Ottawa also received AHL forwards Matt Frattin, Casey Bailey, Ryan Rupert and junior defenceman Cody Donaghey.

posted by tommytrump to hockey at 12:35 PM - 5 comments

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

February 08, 2016

NFL Playoff Pick 'Em Contest Winner: Tron7: The four-week contest to pick NFL playoff games on SportsFilter has been won by Tron7, vaulting from sixth place to first by predicting Denver by 10 and hitting six out of 10 bonus-point opportunities. Tron7 wins a copy of Gregg Easterbrook's new book The Game's Not Over: In Defense of Football. Congratulations!

posted by rcade to football at 02:26 PM - 20 comments

Peyton Manning Turns Super Bowl Moment into Beer Promotion: As Super Bowl 50 ended and Peyton Manning had his storybook ending to the season (and perhaps career), he sounded oddly robotic in his on-field interviews, touting Budweiser beer with all the spontaneity of a Nascar driver. "I'm going to drink a lot of Budweiser tonight, Tracy," he first told the on-field reporter, then told Jim Nantz on the trophy podium, "I'm going to drink a lot of beer tonight, Jim, Budweiser. Von Miller's buying. Manning's first celebratory kiss after the game was with Papa John founder John Schnatter.

posted by rcade to football at 08:05 AM - 15 comments

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

February 07, 2016

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

February 06, 2016

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

February 05, 2016

NFL Playoff Pick 'Em: Super Bowl 0x32 Edition: For the Super Bowl, pick the game's winner a tiebreaker and 10 bonus categories. Make any game a stone-cold lead-pipe lock. Goyoucolts has a nine-point lead. Six players are within 20.

posted by rcade to football at 03:20 PM - 26 comments

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

February 04, 2016

BMX Biker, X-Games Star Dave Mirra Dies: Dave Mirra, BMX biker and 24-time X-Games medalist, was found this afternoon dead in his truck of an "apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound" in Greenville, North Carolina. He was 41 years old and is survived by his wife and two children. Mirra's fame in his sport was demonstrated by the Dave Mirra Freestyle BMX videogame series. His 24 X-Games medals set a record, since broken by skateboarder Bob Burnquist. An hour before the shooting, Mirra posted a photo on Instagram of himself and his wife captioned "My rock! Thank god."

posted by rcade to extreme at 08:14 PM - 3 comments

U.S. Soccer Lawsuit Reveals Home Addresses of USWNT Players: When U.S. Soccer filed suit Wednesday against the player's union representing the U.S. women's national team, the court filing included the home addresses and personal email addresses of many of those players. "It’s very unsettling," said Megan Rapinoe. "To know that someone could show up at your door? That’s extremely unsettling, and it’s something that you can’t get back."

posted by rcade to soccer at 07:48 PM - 6 comments

Roger Goodell's unstoppable football machine: or, "Why haven't concussions hurt the NFL?" Like anyone who has spent time around the league, Nate Jackson, the former Bronco, has heard a great deal about the Shield. ‘‘The thing is, isn’t a shield supposed to protect you?’’ Jackson asked me. ‘‘They want players to put their bodies in front of the shield, to sacrifice for this shield.’’

posted by rumple to football at 02:56 PM - 1 comment

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

February 03, 2016

Toronto Maple Leafs Adopt New Logo: For the first time in 28 years, the Toronto Maple Leafs have made changes to their logo. The leafier leaf's a throwback to one last used in 1967, the year they won the last of their 13 Stanley Cup championships. I'm guessing that's no coincidence. "They can wear pink if they're going to start winning," Dillon Bouma told CBC.

posted by rcade to hockey at 07:46 PM - 6 comments

Pace Mannion NBA Pick 'Em: Week 14: A packed NBA schedule on the tube this week, with eight games in five days stretching from Wednesday to Sunday. The first game tips off at 8 p.m. tonight on ESPN as the Golden State Warriors visit the Washington Wizards.

posted by rcade to basketball at 01:55 PM - 12 comments

With NFL Rams gone, St. Louis still stuck with stadium debt: In St. Louis, the $280 million agreement to build the Edward Jones Dome for the Rams raised eyebrows since its opening in 1995. Unlike other stadium deals, the St. Louis contract included a clause requiring the 67,000-seat dome be maintained to a first-tier standard, meaning the facility must be considered among the top quarter of all NFL football facilities. ... "This was a contract designed to be broken" by the team, said Matheson, who studies stadium finances. "They had a terrible, terrible contract with the Rams."

posted by rumple to football at 12:10 PM - 2 comments

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

February 02, 2016

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

February 01, 2016

Mike Martz on Terrell Owens as Hall of Fame Finalist: 'Ridiculous': Former St. Louis Rams coach Mike Martz called it "ridiculous" that Terrell Owens is an NFL Hall of Fame finalist when Isaac Bruce and Torry Holt aren't getting similar consideration. Martz told the St. Louis Post Dispatch, "You can't print how I felt when T.O. leapfrogged those two. That's just plain out-and-out ridiculous." Post Dispatch sportswriter Jim Thomas notes: Holt had more yards in his first 11 seasons (11,864) than anyone in NFL history. Bruce retired second in all-time receiving yards (15,208) and fifth in receptions (1,024). Both caught touchdown passes in the Rams' victory in Super Bowl 0x22. Owens compares well on all three counts: He had 15,934 receiving yards, 1,078 receptions and 11,715 yards his first 11 seasons.

posted by rcade to football at 10:00 AM - 3 comments