a Page 7485 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

Book Excerpts That Don't Suck: <em>Strokes of Genius</em>
Sports Illustrated's Jon Wertheim uses the 2008 Wimbledon final to reflect on Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and their rivalry, begetting "the greatest tennis match every played," the 2008 Wimbledon Final. Buy it here, if you're feeling frisky....

Even College Basketball's Awards Are A Fraud
Scandal! Darren Collison, winner of the Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award for players 6 feet and shorter, is actually a quarter-inch too tall to qualify. Jonny Flynn, 5'11¼", climbs down from his booster seat to lodge a protest. [ESPN]...

George Foreman III Wins First Professional "Fight"
One of George Foreman's eponymous sons began his illustrious boxing career with a time-honored tradition—beating up on a human tomato can. Everyone involved in the making of this post should be ashamed of themselves. (I know I am.)...

New Miracle Bat Probably Illegal In This Solar System
Reebok's new Vector-O baseball bat uses special alloys (adamantium?) and speed holes to help you make the cover of Sports Illustrated for your Hulk-like home run blasts. Also doubles as a harmonica. [Uncrate]...

Boy, That Decade Just Flew By, Didn't It?
This is a weekly column from Leitch....

How Reggie Miller Is Spending His Summer Vacation
Reggie Miller's belly-button-circling tattoo is hideously ugly and misplaced, but maybe that's the point....

Careful, Jazz Players. Jerry Sloan Is Monitoring Your Facebook Status Updates.
Grumpy old man Jerry Sloan and the Jazz brass are reportedly unhappy with little-used backup Kyrylo Fesenko, which isn't terribly surprising given that Jerry Sloan hasn't been happy since the Eisenhower Administration. What's surprising is the reason: Facebook status updates....

Your Occasional Update On Witchcraft Tomfoolery In The AL East
A Boston-based Yankees fan litters grass from Yankee Stadium in Fenway Park to jinx the Sox, and the construction worker who planted a Boston jersey in the Bronx claims his hex is working. In his magical kingdom, maybe. [NY Post]...

Soccer Player Survives On-Field Heart Attack
Today's most popular viral video? Belgian footballer Anthony Van Loo (funny) suffers a heart attack mid-game (not funny), but survives thanks to his implanted defibrillator (applause!)....

Barry Bonds Is Available, Ladies
Barry Bonds' year-and-a-half long exile from baseball has given him the opportunity to spend a lot of time with his family—which might explain why his wife filed for divorce yesterday. [SF Chronicle]...

$94 Million Just Ain't What It Used To Be
The world's financial oblivion has affected some sports clubs worse than others. Perhaps Real Madrid giving AC Milan $94 million to take their best player will clue you in on who the haves and have nots are....

The Favre Family Planned Ahead For Inevitable Capriciousness
"[T]wo months ago, a member of Favre's inner circle blocked off 25 to 30 rooms at the Midway Motor Lodge near Lambeau Field for the weekend of the Vikings game against the Packers on Nov. 1." [Green BayPressGazette]...

These Ladies Were Actually 35-Years-Old At The Start Of Sunday's Padres/Diamondbacks Game
Got an image you'd like to see in here first thing in the morning? Send it to [email protected]. Subject: Morning crap...

Ha Ha ... Tom Brady Fell Out Of A Boat
World's Fanciest Human can't even row a kayak down the Charles River without needing to be rescued from knee-deep water! What's that? Still a good-looking, supermodel-having NFL quarterback? Well....at least I didn't fall out of a boat! [Boston Herald]...

How Andrei Kirilenko Is Spending His Summer Vacation
There's so much absurdity in this little tableau that the fact Andrei Kirilenko is on a jet ski is probably the most normal thing about it....

Ninjas Responsible For The Death Of David Carradine?
So says Carradine's attorney, Mark Geragos, who told the NY Post there might be some foul play involved. Geragos was contacted by other media outlets about his ninja theory, but he was immediately banned from commenting any further...[DListed]...

A Gallery Of Other Recent Athletes Whose Heads Weren't Right
As we noted last week — and The New York Times observed Sunday — more and more athletes are reportedly suffering from mental issues....

Sean McAdam Is Not A Fan Of Julio Lugo's Defense
"Francona would be wise to lower his expectations with Lugo....The next base hit Lugo takes away will be the first. Seldom has an infielder thrown himself on the ground more and come up with fewer plays." [Boston Herald]...

Why Scott Boras Isn't As Evil As You Think He Is
Tomorrow, Scott Boras begins the process of jimmying a record bonus out of the Nationals on behalf of Stephen Strasburg. Let's dispense with the usual frog-raining about baseball's superagent and see him for what he is: Scott Boras, labor revolutionary....

One Unexpected Barrier When You Introduce Harlem Kids To Squash
"At first, the Harvard Club "freaked the kids out a little," said Mr. Polsky, who belongs to the club. "There were animal heads on the wall, and white people." [NYTviaTheAwlviaRambleOnRose]...