ap Page 1550 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

SIU Coach Blasts "Mama's Boys" Players In Exquisite Rant
After Southern Illinois's 73-65 loss at Murray State last night, Salukis coach Barry Hinson tore into his team with a six-minute rant that's right up there with history's best. Give a listen:...

Justin Tucker, Kicker, Conqueror
It's a morning to unreservedly celebrate Justin Tucker, because how often do we get the chance? How rarely is the kicker the one proudly jogging off the field with his helmet held high? Tucker—who appears to have wrestled the "Legatron" nickname away from Greg Zuerlein—accounted for all of the Raven...

Caps Fan Takes Puck To Face, Waits Until After OT To Get Stitches
Meet the face that launched a thousand fans-just-as-tough-as-the-players quips. Alicia Drummond took a puck to the face during yesterday's Flyers-Caps game and rather than get the medical attention she needed to sew up her head, she stuck it out and watched the rest of the game....

11 Of America's Most Scenic And Significant Basketball Hoops
Robin Layton's new book, Hoop: The American Dream, is the fruit of a cross-country trip during which she photographed basketball hoops of every style, shape, and size. A selection of her photos is below, accompanied by her commentary. ...

Eli Manning Makes A Late Push For The Interception Record Books
When we last checked in on Eli Manning's quest for the single-season interception record, the Giants QB had thrown 17 interceptions through 10 games, but was tapering off and seemed in danger of losing the league lead to Geno Smith. We wrote at the time that they'd need a Tarkenton-level meltdown to...

Report: Ryan Freel Had CTE When He Killed Himself
Nearly a year ago, former MLB player Ryan Freel committed suicide. The history of his concussions surfaced in the aftermath, and a report released earlier this week concluded that Freel was suffering from Stage II chronic traumatic encephalopathy...

Week 15 NFL Viewing Maps: Canadian Edition
Courtesy of Carrie Hunt and the Spoonerisms....

Report: Rob Ryan Quit Rams Gig And Immediately Ate McDonald's
Before Rob Ryan was hired as the Saints' defensive coordinator, he went to the St. Louis Rams, a gig he held for 6,899 minutes. Differences with head coach Jeff Fisher led Ryan to quit and then—reportedly—to celebrate his new unemployment by immediately getting some fast food. It was 7:30 in the god...

Which TV Market's Getting Screwed Today? Your Week 15 NFL Viewing Maps
A guide to the best and worst of the NFL slate (and to which fans are stuck with the most of the worst). Maps via 506sports.com....

ESPN Broadcasters Are Talented Tweeters
Bruce Pearl and Carter Blackburn could use some creativity in the Twitter handle department. ...

The Rise Of Josh Gordon: The Browns' New Superstar Receiver
Buried, deep within the turd that is the 2013 Browns' offense, there is one bright, shining spot. (Do turds have bright spots? Whatever.) Josh Gordon, the only player taken in the second round of the 2012 supplemental draft, has become one of the best receivers in the NFL. ...

Florida State Is Historically Dominant: 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 It's Like To Shoot Football In The Snow
A photographer explains the challenges and victories of working the Lions-Eagles game in a blizzard. [News Journal]...

An Eyewitness Account Of The Baseball Agent Slapfight
We've been trying to piece together the fight in the parking lot at baseball's winter meetings in Orlando. Threats of arson? Yes. Gary Sheffield and Dave Stewart? No. Grown men twirling and clapping and slapping? My goodness yes!...

Report: Knicks Might Try Drafting In The First Round For Once
When the reports started coming down yesterday that the Knicks were seeking Kyle Lowry from the Raptors in exchange for a package including a 2018 first-rounder, it sounded eminently logical. Not in the "that's a smart move" sense, but in the "of course the Knicks are going to give up on a draft tha...

Two Agents Had A Fistfight At Baseball's Winter Meetings
A lot of news came out of the Winter Meetings in Orlando, but no transaction was more important than a confrontation in the hotel parking lot, where two agents reportedly threw down after one accused the other of trying to steal his client....

Does More Ball Movement Help An NBA Offense, Or Just Waste Time?
What counts as good NBA ball movement? The "seven seconds or less" theory developed by Mike D'Antoni's Phoenix Suns contends that teams are more efficient earlier in the shot clock (they are), and that the best strategy is, consequently, to get a shot off quickly with relatively few touches on the b...

In Case You Didn't Already Know, Recruiting Is Insane
Sam Farmer has a great piece in the L.A. Times on the difference between coaching in college football and the NFL. He interviews guys who have done both, like Pete Carroll, June Jones, Barry Switzer, and Chip Kelly, but the breakout star is easily Jerry Glanville....
