2 Page 370 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

One Ugly Inning Downs Red Sox, Ties World Series At One
After David Ortiz's sixth-inning two-run homer put the Red Sox in front, Boston's reliable bullpen was in a position to take a 2-0 series lead to St. Louis. Craig Breslow relieved John Lackey with two baserunners and one out in the seventh, and everything fell apart....

NBA 2K14 Is So Realistic That It Features Failed High Fives
A Reddit user spotted this bit of inspired game action while playing NBA 2K14. Never has a video game felt more realistic....

How Miami Got Away With It: 125 FBS Teams, Ranked
Each week during college football season we put the conventional polls to shame by ranking every FBS team from 1-125, by whatever standard we see fit. As always, last week's rankings were not consulted....

What Dana DeMuth's Blown Call Means For Instant Replay
The next time someone argues that instant replay will unacceptably slow down baseball, remember this: Between the umpire conference and Mike Matheny's argument, it took four minutes and 26 seconds to get an obvious call right....

That Time Mike Matheny Took A Fastball To The Face And Barely Flinched
The World Series begins tonight, which means it's as good an occasion as any to look back at one of the more memorable moments from Cardinals manager Mike Matheny's playing career: The night a 90-something-mph fastball hit him square in the face and he barely reacted....

Audio: Waite Hoyt Telling Cool Old Babe Ruth Stories During Rain Delays
Here's an old record I picked up along the way. Thought you guys might dig it....

Your Guide To Giving A Shit About The Red Sox-Cardinals World Series
Though it will feature the two best teams in baseball, this year's World Series will be painful for non-fans of the Red Sox or Cardinals. It's the least appealing matchup out of this postseason's 10 teams. It'll achieve better ratings than Giants-Rangers, sure, but why should any casual viewer feel...

Hanley won't start: Hanley Ramirez, bothered by a fractured rib since Game 1, will not start at shortstop for the Dodgers in tonight's Game 6 of the NLCS. Nick Punto will take his place and bat eighth. Don Mattingly hopes Ramirez can pinch hit but says Ramirez "doesn't feel like he can swing the bat...

Michigan Gets Maced And Kicked In The Balls: 125 FBS Teams, Ranked
Each week during college football season we put the conventional polls to shame by ranking every FBS team from 1-125, by whatever standard we see fit. As always, last week's rankings were not consulted....

Here Are The FIFA Rankings That Will Determine The World Cup Draw
FIFA's world rankings are, almost without exception, meaningless. This is that exception. The rankings released today determine the top seeds at next summer's World Cup. That's a valuable reward: they get to avoid each other....

Will Ferrell Introduces The Dodgers Before Game 5 Of The NLCS
For what could be their final home game of the season, the Dodgers pulled out all the stops and had Will Ferrell handle today's player introductions. As one might expect, it was very Will Ferrell-y....

Why Genetic Testing Is So Important For Sports
Fast Company has a profile on 23andMe, the de facto public face of genetic testing, that's worth a read just for the look at the underpinnings of the science. But there's a moment in there that teases out the gut punch that can come from that knowledge, and that's closely related to how genetic test...

UEFA's Stacked 8-Team Playoff Guarantees World Cup Heartbreak: A Guide
Yesterday, we saw 53 European World Cup hopefuls get cut down to just 17. Nine teams—Belgium, Italy, Spain, Germany, the Netherlands, England, Switzerland, Bosnia, and Russia—advanced to next year's tournament in Brazil. There are still four spots up for grabs, to be fought for among the next eight ...

Cruelty Unchained. <em>Twelve Years A Slave</em>, Reviewed.
1. Twelve Years a Slave is a devastating movie experience, one that will leave you shaking with anger. This is not an attempt to shed new light on the shame of slavery, or, heaven forbid, a winky postmodern re-imagining of slavery as a self-referential cinematic revenge fantasy. (After seeing Twelve...

With The World Cup Clinched, USMNT Players Must Now Fight For Spots
The United States men's national team is take on Jamaica this evening in what is, thankfully, a somewhat meaningless World Cup qualifying match. That's because the Americans already whooped Mexico, as well as everyone else in CONCACAF, to clinch a spot in next year's tournament in Brazil. So what's ...

English Soccer Is Dead, And It Deserves To Be
World Cup qualifying runs this week, and a lot of what's going on involves glorified exhibition play. Continental giants like the Netherlands and Italy are booked for Brazil, as is our great nation; other teams of interest, like Germany, Spain, Portugal, and France are more or less box-checking. The...

Pirates-Cardinals, Game 5 Of The NLDS: A Very Deadspin Preview
Tonight's game is win or die. Here's Emeritus and me breaking down everything you need to know....

Why Clowney's Ribs Are An Existential Crisis For College Football
Each week during college football season we put the conventional polls to shame by ranking every FBS team from 1-125, by whatever standard we see fit. As always, last week's rankings were not consulted....

The Main Ingredient: Marcella
Last week, a post about the bluesman Furry Lewis, included this:...

Dodgers To Start Clayton Kershaw Tonight On Short Rest
Had they lost last night, the Dodgers let it be known, they would have considered starting Clayton Kershaw tonight in what would have been an elimination game. Sensible enough—Kershaw is the best pitcher in baseball, after all! No reason not to start him in an elimination game. But then they went ou...