ap Page 1681 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

The Phillies Had Extra Security In Right Field For Bryce Harper Last Night
Bryce Harper's main crime, since arriving in the big leagues, was his haircut, which was the most offensive thing not attached to a reliever's chin. Now that the haircut's gone, Harper's just a young, captivating, toolsy outfielder. Who should hate him?...

Jimmy Rollins Goes On Paternity Leave Exactly Nine Months After Straining Groin. Hmmm.
Today, the Phillies placed Jimmy Rollins on the paternity leave list after his wife gave birth to their first child, a daughter. On August 22 of last year, Rollins went on the disabled list with a grade 2 strain of his right groin. It doesn't take a genius to figure out that I don't really understan...

Aroldis Chapman Arrested Outside Columbus For Allegedly Driving 93 MPH On A Suspended License
I have a lot of questions with this one. Why is the Reds' presumptive closer 100 miles away from Cincinnati, in Grove City, Ohio, going north on the interstate (that is to say, away from Cincy) at 12:40 a.m. on an off-day? Where was he going at 93 mph? Is he defecting from Cincy?...

TNT's Slow Zoom On Mitch Kupchak's Face In The Final Minutes Of The Lakers' Season Was Sadistic
Only true Lakers believers (or the truly blind) couldn't see the Lakers' season was nearing an end long before the horn sounded on last night's 106-90 series-seizing Thunder victory. Yet it seems the moment of truth for Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak came at a time that TNT producers jumped upon for max...

Yankee Fans Think The Team's Play Of Late Has Been For The Birds
The Yankees fell to .500 after being shut out by the Kansas City Royals in the Bronx last night, but that hasn't stopped some fans from insisting the Yanks are #1....

If Beast Mode Exists In Basketball, Russell Westbrook Entered It
The action in Oklahoma City has been hot tonight, with Thunder fans matching the intensity of the players (from both OKC and L.A.) on the court. Russell Westbrook's been especially full of flair this evening, but his steal-and-circus-shot is the kind of highlight that deserves several looks; Kevi...

Better Know An Umpire: Gary Cederstrom
Welcome to Better Know An Umpire, an effort to educate ourselves on the human elements who have ultimate decision-making power over some 2,500 Major League Baseball games a year. (All cumulative statistics are through the 2011 season, unless otherwise stated.)...

"A Drunk Chuck Knoblauch Hit On Us On The G Train"
The G Train, after dark, on a weekend, is a place where magical things happen. You may never get to where you actually want to go, but you'll find yourself right where you need to be. Witness the tale of Erin, a young woman from Brooklyn, who just wanted to get home last night. What she never expect...

Sam Fuld Is A Dapper Gent
Rays outfielder Sam Fuld is out for the season with a wrist injury, but he isn't letting his time off go to waste. The Stanford grad who majored in economics (and, while working on his Master's, interned at STATS Inc.) spent yesterday's Rays-Braves game in the Sun Sports booth as part of a "Saberme...
![Pat Burrell Not Only Danced Shirtless At A Philly Bar, He Left No Tip On A $158 Tab [UPDATED]](https://images.deadspin.com/tr:w-900/17n8t3fvb8t4hjpg.jpg)
Pat Burrell Not Only Danced Shirtless At A Philly Bar, He Left No Tip On A $158 Tab [UPDATED]
Yesterday morning, we put out the call for photographic proof of Pat Burrell dancing shirtless while wearing a blazer the night before at the Pen & Pencil, a Philly press club that legally stays open after-hours, when most of its patrons are bar and restaurant employees just off work. The rumor was ...

LeBron's Choice Of Pre-Game Reading Material? <em>The Hunger Games</em>
ABC showed a brief clip of LeBron James in the locker room before today's Heat-Pacers Game Four in Indianapolis, and surprise of surprises, he was reading Suzanne Collins's young adult novel The Hunger Games. We won't shame anybody for their choice of reading material—indeed, we'd love for more ro...

LeBron James Cattily Responds To Lance Stephenson's Choke Gesture
Here's an example of that silly 24-hour news cycle we were chatting about earlier. Lance Stephenson made a choking gesture the other night as LeBron missed some free throws and now it's a federal case. Stephenson actually felt the need to apologize for the performance and has vowed to keep all futu...

"It's Doug, Not Dude": Philly Scribe Kicked Out Of Minor League Complex Twice For Trying To Watch Ryan Howard Rehab
Bob Brookover, a writer for the Philadelphia Inquirer had a tough time this week trying to watch Ryan Howard take batting practice and field ground balls. He was kicked out of the stadium twice while trying to catch a glimpse of Howard. The mantra: "What are you doing here? Spring training is over....

Was Pat Burrell Dancing Shirtless In A Philly Bar Last Night?
That's the rumor out of Philadelphia this morning and we'd love to hear more information if you've got it. We'd especially love pictures. Delicious, shirtless (with possible blazer combo), dancing pictures....

Which One's The Crackpot? Which One's The Lesbian? Know Your Rickettses, The Politically Active Cubs Owners
The newspaper headlines make it seem like the Chicago Cubs owner is up to no good. "Cubs Owner Ricketts' Anti-Obama Ad Proposal Risks Stadium Growth." "Report: Emanuel 'livid' with Cubs owner after soliciting Jeremiah Wright attack ad proposal." Sounds like this Mr. Ricketts has really vexed some fo...

Newspaper Reporter Fired For Leaving In Bit About "Coach's Bullshit And Laziness"
Wasn't that a fun time, when a reporter at a little Louisiana newspaper accidentally left in some dummy text that made it to print. Oh, we all had a guffaw or two, yes we did. But then we moved on....

Better Know An Umpire: Dana DeMuth
Welcome to Better Know An Umpire, an effort to educate ourselves on the human elements who have ultimate decision-making power over some 2,500 Major League Baseball games a year. (All cumulative statistics are through the 2011 season, unless otherwise stated.)...

The Los Angeles Kings Are A Hotter Ticket Than The Clippers
All three of the professional teams that call LA's Staples Center home are in the playoffs, and all three are scheduled to play host to opponents this weekend—a total of six games in four days, in fact, beginning with last night:...

It's All Going According To (Pat Riley's) Plan
1. "Jay, it's Pat. Pat Riley? Yes, I remember when I cursed you out and told you to never, ever call me 'Pat,' and then hit you pretty good with my briefcase. How many stitches did you need? That's a lot of stitches. But we're friends, right? You can call me Pat anytime. How's Michelle?...

MLB Suspends Umpire Bob Davidson For "Repeated Violations Of Situation Handling Standards"
In what's almost certainly a response to his repeated instances of "Fuck You, Charlie" during an incident at Tuesday's Astros-Phillies game, Major League Baseball has suspended umpire Bob Davidson for one game. The press release reads:...