barryap Page 217 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

David Ortiz Takes Off For First Before Ball Four Is Thrown
Some might say this was another dick move by Ortiz, walking to first before actually being walked. I would not! Last night's 2-1 Cubs win somehow took 3:35, and I am in favor of anything that makes Red Sox games shorter....

The U.S. Lost And Everything Sucks
And that's how it ends, after a high-scoring, vein-popping extra time that provided the variety of heartbreak we never would have expected over the first 90: the sense that they could have done it. But that's the World Cup—could've-should'ves may provide moral victories, but they don't keep you warm...

Belgium's Extra-Time Goals Put Them Up 2-0
A rough sequence for Matt Besler led to Belgium's goal early in extra time. He got run through by just-subbed-in Romelu Lukaku, then over-committed while trying to help out on Kevin De Bruyne. Tim Howard can't save 'em all; but there's plenty of time left. ...

You Had <em>One</em> Job, Wondo
Off a hell of a header from Jermaine Jones, Chris Wondolowski—poacher extraordinaire—skied the U.S.'s best chance at a goal all day. (The flag was up [Update: This is in dispute now], so it wouldn't have counted anyway. At least be thankful we were spared that shitstorm.)...

How To Keep A Prospect From Getting Suspended For Weed? Promote Him.
Minor league baseball rules dictate that players who test positive for "drugs of abuse"—the fun, non-performance-enhancing ones like weed, cocaine, and ecstasy—receive a 50-game suspension for a second offense, 100 games for a third, and a lifetime ban for the fourth. There are no such penalties for...

Here's The USA Lineup Vs. Belgium
Jozy Altidore, while cleared to play, will not start. In a shock, neither will Kyle Beckerman—and it's a coach's decision. The USMNT starting XI:...

Your NHL Free Agency Open Thread
I'm not going to do a full accounting of the first day of free agency (here's a tracker for that), but you deserve at least the bullet points thus far, so as to point and laugh....

Cameroon To Investigate World Cup Match-Fixing Allegations
Following some very specific and accurate predictions from a convicted match-fixer, Cameroon soccer's governing body has announced it will probe the possibility of fraud in the team's World Cup performance....

Jürgen Klinsmann Isn't Happy About Getting An Algerian Ref
The match kicks off in seven hours. The gamesmanship has already begun, with Jürgen Klinsmann publicly casting a side-eye toward FIFA's choice of an Algerian referee for today's USA-Belgium clash....

Ex-NFLer Suffering Memory Loss Writes A Song For His Daughters
Former Colts and Bengals TE Ben Utecht retired in 2009 after suffering a concussion, his fifth officially diagnosed one in six seasons. At age 33, he says he's already suffering from memory loss. So he wrote a his daughters a song now, before it's too late....

Astros Acknowledge Leak Of Trade Talk; FBI On The Case
Just now, the Astros have issued a statement regarding the release of internal trade chatter from the front office's intranet:...

Marlins Deny Giancarlo Stanton Trade Talks
In today's leak of the Astros' internal trade chatter, the biggest bombshell was mention of Marlins slugger Giancarlo Stanton. Here's how it was worded in the Astros' system:...

Gambling Addict/Airport Scammer Spills His Life Story On Message Board
There is a fascinating thread over at the Two Plus Two poker forums that starts off as an everyday tale of an attempted scam at Las Vegas's McCarran Airport, but spirals into something else entirely....

Luis Suarez Apologizes For Biting
Luis Suarez, despite being sent home from the World Cup for biting Italy's Giorgio Chiellini, was hailed as a conquering hero in Uruguay, unjustly done in by a biased FIFA and, somehow, the English media. But now Suarez has sort-of owned up in his first public statement since the incident, apologizi...

Leaked: 10 Months Of The Houston Astros' Internal Trade Talks
Two years ago, the Houston Astros constructed "Ground Control"—a built-from-scratch online database for the private use of the Astros front office. It is by all accounts a marvel, an easy-to-use interface giving executives instant access to player statistics, video, and communications with other fro...

Texas Tech Recruit Punches Women's Hoops Star In Pickup Game
Incoming freshman cornerback Nigel Bethel II was dismissed from the Texas Tech football team yesterday, a day after punching Amber Battle, the Lady Raiders basketball team's leading scorer, in the face during a pickup game. Rec center hoops are serious fucking business....

Arjen Robben Apologizes For His Dive (But Not <em>That</em> Dive)
Arjen Robben blatantly dove multiple times in the Netherlands' comeback win over Mexico. He was also fouled multiple times. These happenings were not necessarily concurrent, though on certain plays they were, and they appeared to be on the final, fatal penalty call in the box. That's an unsatisfying...

Joel Embiid Did Not Sweat His Surgery
Not even surgery for a stress fracture in his foot—nor projections of him dropping precipitously in the NBA draft—can dent Joel Embiid's swagger:...