leitch-old Page 370 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

One Last Draft Handshake For Tagliabue
As had been expected, NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue announced his retirement this afternoon, effective this July. Tagliabue has been on the job for 15 years, and, while not exactly having the mob boss persona of David Stern or the dopey, semi-clueless car salesman vibe of Bud Selig, has still be...

When The NCAA Tournament Destroys You
But there's a downside, of course, and anyone who was a fan of Kansas, Michigan State and, yes, Iowa can tell you how much pain this tournament can wreak. Above, via Extra Points, is a video of Iowa fans converging at a bar in Columbia, Mo., ready to cheer their Hawkeyes to an easy first-round victo...

Arroyo Ready To Take Cincinnati By Storm
After an brutal spring so far — OK, he didn't really get rocked by a Little League team — rockin' righthander Bronson Arroyo was traded this morning to the Cincinnati Reds for outfielder Wily Mo Pena. We support this trade, for three major reasons....

Four Tiny Tidbits On: The White Sox
We re only a couple of weeks from Opening Day, so it s time to start previewing the season. Inspired by an old feature on The Black Table, we re going team-by-team and distributing Four Things You Don t Know about them. If you have suggested oddities on your team, send them to us at tips@deadspin....

Blogdome: You Can Call Him Gone
• Saying goodbye to Al Leiter, who, we swear, was once pretty good. [Faith And Fear In Flushing] • We're a little confused by the whole Fans Buying Billboards thing, but it doesn't seem to be letting up. [The M Zone] • On Lisa Loeb, reality shows and Jason Giambi. [Nandovia] • What to do now that yo...

They Grow Their Quarterbacks Big Down There
We know that everyone is excited about Vanderbilt quarterback Jay Cutler, whom some project being drafted ahead of Texas' Vince Young and possibly even USC's Matt Leinart....

Terrell Owens Can Rap Quicker Than You
In recent months, we have done everything in our power to institute a moratorium on Terrell Owens-related news, if just so that, if we were hit by a bus tomorrow, we would be able to talk to our maker with our pure heart, free of egregious sin....

Applebee's Is Taking Over Your Life
As MJD noted yesterday, one of the worst parts of the NCAA tournament is the endless cycle of the same commercials being played. Whether it was the State Farm guy, or Julia Louis-Dreyfuss or that jerk guy who's so damned smug about his cellphone, every sports fan had an ad or two that made you wan...

Big Ten: We, Who Are About To Die, Salute You!
You began with nothing more than a crumpled $10 bill and a dream. You labored long and hard over your NCAA Tournament picks, scratching them out with a worn pencil nub while the frantic cries of friends and family went unanswered. Your strategy was clear — you would ride the six Big Ten teams to t...

We Have To Ask ...
Suggested questions for today's ESPN SportsNation chatters ... • 11 a.m. NFL with Gary Horton: T.O. to the Cowboys? Why didn't you warn us? It's the Apocalypse, and I have nothing to wear ... • Noon. Sound Off on the Sweet 16: You had to rub it in, didn't you? Thanks. When we're done, let's discuss ...

NCAA Roundup: Packing Pittsnogle
A look back at the first weekend of the NCAA tournament. • We've come completely around on this Billy Packer thing; we now can't imagine college basketball without him. Sure, he's loathsome, stubborn and almost always wrong. We find these qualities to be what make up his charm. He's that crazy old...

Week In Deadspin: Stimulation Overload
We were kind of into the NCAA tournament around here this week. And as you can tell from this picture, so was Northwestern State. (Though, uh, watch that hand, buddy.)...

How Hockey Players Dress In Finland
Check Out The NCAA Live Blog!...

Leftovers: Pitying The Poor Lakers
Check Out The NCAA Live Blog!...

NCAA Live Blog: Friday Afternoon Games
You know what time it is, people: It's time for a little Oral Roberts madness. You've got the fever. You know you do....

Much Fan Friendliness In San Diego
Check Out The NCAA Live Blog!...

NCAA Live Blog: Friday Noon Games
All right, we're ready to do this again. Two live blogs again today, starting with the following matchups....

The Dork RPI
So here's something we wish we would have had before we filled out our bracket: A complete dissertation of The Nerd Factor, a definitive way to predict college basketball games by alloting for a particular team's "nerd atmosphere" and how it relates to on-court success. Factors include:...