erikmal Page 5 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

Ichiro Doesn't Look Amused By Joba Chamberlain's Champagne Bath
Baseball celebrations make for great, out-of-context photos, and Joba Chamberlain pouring some (possibly frigid?) champagne down Ichiro's back after the Yankees clinched the American League East title last night is another excellent entry, especially when you consider that Ichiro's reaction is maybe...

The Oakland A's Now Have Their Own Folksy Theme Song
Any good championship run needs a catchy theme song. Unfortunately, it often derives from some iteration of "Don't Stop Believin'," either the original form (see: White Sox, Chicago, 2005) or some customized version, like the San Francisco Giants adopted in 2010....

The First Season Of Marlins Park Was A Tremendous Failure
The Miami Marlins opened their new ballpark in April to much pomp and fanfare and cringe-inducing spectacle, and there were great hopes that the empty orange seats that had come to represent the very idea of baseball in South Florida would fast become but a memory. Funny thing about that! The team, ...

The Oakland A’s Cap Off An Incredible Late-Season Comeback And Win The AL West
"The Oakland A's have shocked the Rangers and the baseball world!" That's one way to put it mildly. As Dan Brooks of BrooksBaseball.net reminded us all, the A's had less than a 1 percent chance of even making the playoffs back on June 15. That's just completely insane....

Nike's New NFL Uniforms Are Too Damn Tight: "It Looks Like You Ate A Small Baby"
It's got to be tough for NFL offensive linemen, whose entire vocation, at least more than any other position on the field, is dependent on how much they weigh. If you're skinny, you won't ever be an offensive lineman. It's their duty to stay as large as possible, for the sake of their livelihood. Pr...

A Miserable Season From The Houston Astros Ended With A Glorious Faceplant In The Dirt
Poor Carlos Corporán, who actually had a good game for the 'stros, getting them on the board with a run-scoring single in the first and then grabbing another hit after Houston tied the game in the eighth with a three-run home run. However, a botched hit-and-run turned Corporán into an easy out for C...

"Mike Tyson's Day Of The Champions" Speaking Tour May Have To Go On Without Mike Tyson
Presumably, if you buy a ticket for something called "Mike Tyson's Day of the Champions," you might be expecting (a) Mike Tyson and (b) some champions, especially if you're shelling out between $70 and $300 (US) to attend. For weeks, residents of Australia and New Zealand have been doing just that...

93 Years After His Death, Teddy Roosevelt Finally Wins The Presidents Race At Nationals Park
This is a great day for America. What, the presidential debate tonight? Psh. No, it's because Teddy is finally off the schnide, having won his first-ever Presidents Race after 525 consecutive losses, thanks to some assistance from a faux-Phillie Phanatic. Ryan Zimmerman then homered to lead off the ...

This Rap Song About Seattle Sports Might Make Your Ears Bleed
Any rap song about Seattle, or so I'm told, has to include shoutouts to all the great Emerald City sports stars, and Riff Raff provides all of them: Ken Griffey Sr. and Jr., Shawn Kemp, Gary Payton, and Brian Bosworth, with a Craig Sager reference thrown in because why not? Alas, Steve Largent, Ed...

David Cone Made An Unfortunate Reference To Ichiro's "Chopstick"
More than anything, I wager that David Cone's choice of words has more to do with the insatiable pressure that some announcers put on themselves to fill dead air or to feel as if they're adding their perspective to the telecast (especially if they happen to be a former player). Nonetheless, the fi...

When Vin Scully Starts Quoting Dylan Thomas, You Pay Attention
We can all agree Vin Scully is a national treasure, but if anyone dares to question that status, you just have them consider who else would be classy and confident enough to start throwing out Dylan Thomas lines in the more dramatic moments of a Giants-Dodgers NL West showdown with playoff implicati...

Santonio Holmes' Season Is Now Likely Over, And The New York Jets Just Got Interesting
The New York Jets appear to have lost wide receiver Santonio Holmes to a serious foot injury that will cost him the rest of the 2012 season in all likelihood. Yahoo's Jason Cole reported the news Tuesday evening, adding the following detail:...

A Wee Bird Terrorized One Yankee Stadium Grounds Crew Worker
You just never know when a li'l injured/scared bird will come onto a baseball field and starting flopping and flailing before (kinda) flying off, but this one made sure it first made an unfortunate example out of a Yankee Stadium worker. Oh, and don't miss the part where Michael Kay thinks, if onl...

Adam Greenberg Finally Got To Swing The Bat In A Major League Baseball Game
Adam Greenberg finally got his first official MLB at-bat tonight, seven years after getting hit in the head in his only plate appearance. Unfortunately, it came against R.A. Dickey, who whiffed him on three pitches, something the presumptive NL Cy Young Award-winner specializes in. Regardless, good ...

Replacement Official Speaks Out: "The Last Guy Who Was Perfect They Nailed To A Cross"
By the time the referee lockout ended last night, many of the scab replacements had become notorious for blunders or impropriety of some kind. Jeff Sadorus fell into that classification when reports surfaced 10 days ago that he had been a paid practice official for years with the Seattle Seahawks, w...

Tonight's Referee Crew Walked Out To A Standing Ovation In Baltimore
Referee Gene Steratore and his officiating crew, with a combined 70 years of professional experience, walked out of the M&T Bank Stadium tunnel to a standing O and cheers from everyone on hand. (For the record, the first penalty of tonight's game came just 2:41 in: Illegal contact on the Browns de...

The Time Tampa Bay's Rookies Put On Wigs, Dressed In Bikinis, And Danced In Front Of The Green Monster
Oh, to be a Major League Baseball rookie. Tampa Bay Rays ace David Price recorded this video yesterday, and while some teams will make their newbies carry children's luggage or dress funny to and from the stadium, that won't fly for Tampa Bay. You've got to get in bikinis and dance around in front...

The NFL's Replacement Referees Will Not Be Missed, But They Did Entertain Us
Here's a greatest hits compilation that surfaced on YouTube within minutes of the news that the NFL and its referees had come to agreement on a new labor deal. Seeing all these lowlights strung together in one sad clip after another does give an appreciation for the unprecedented levels of suckitu...

ESPN Wanted To Do A "Character Study" On Jonathan Vilma, Who Then Conducted His Own
A word to you sports television producers out there: Be careful who you contact for certain segments, as sensitive info has a way of making its way back to the source, and the results may not be pretty. In this case, it's Saints linebacker Jonathan Vilma, who was none too happy to hear that Eric Bar...