appic Page 76 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

Eric Murdock Sues Rutgers, Just Like He Promised

Former NBA player and Rutgers assistant Eric Murdock filed his long-awaited wrongful termination lawsuit against Rutgers today, claiming he was fired for attempting to blow the whistle on former coach Mike Rice. Rice was let go earlier this week, a day after Murdock's video was made public....

Here's Richard Pitino's Minnesota Contract, Complete With A Limit On Private Jet Rides

Little Pitino has taken over for some pretty big names as he moves up the coaching ranks. First Isiah Thomas at FIU, and now Tubby Smith at Minnesota, where he was officially introduced today. Pitino has a six-year deal, and we've published his full and finalized contract below. Let's dive into the ...

Brendon Ayanbadejo Was Cut Because He's Old And Expensive, Not Because He Supports Gay Marriage

The Ravens released linebacker Brendon Ayanbadejo yesterday afternoon, after five seasons in Baltimore. Ayanbadejo spent most of his tenure on special teams, and never once made the kind of news for his play that he did for his vocal support of a Maryland same-sex marriage ballot initiative. So mayb...

Here it is, just the saddest thing: A list of every MLB no-hitter since 1961 that was broken up in the ninth inning. [Lost in the Ninth]...

Rutgers Finally Fires Mike Rice

Rutgers head basketball coach Mike Rice was let go today, a day after a video of him swearing, slurring, and throwing balls at his players' heads was released. But let's be absolutely clear: Rice isn't being fired for actually doing any of that. He's being fired only because video exists....

It Was Carmelo Vs. Kobe, On Opposite Coasts

Kobe Bryant might be the most predictable man on Earth. He took the court knowing that Carmelo Anthony had just gone for 50 points against Miami, with a stat sheet thick with shots and little else. In L.A., Shaquille O'Neal's jersey was being retired at halftime. Phil Jackson was in the house. Was t...

Your Marquette-Syracuse Open Thread [UPDATE: Now it's a Wichita State-Ohio State Open Thread]

If you're watching at home, feel free to participate however you want—we put a big yelling Baye Keita Cleanthony Early picture up there in case you'd rather annotate something, or just yak about whatever in the discussion—and enjoy this last and pleasantly coincidental gasp of the Big East as we kn...

For Anyone Who Doesn't Think Serena Williams Is Capable Of Being Bubbly

Serena beat Maria Sharapova today in Key Biscayne, Fla. But flying suds and big trophies reminded everyone that it's just a game, y'all!...

UCLA Has Its First New Basketball Coach In 11 Years: The Architect Of New Mexico's Loss To Harvard

Steve Alford, a well-known name in basketball since he was a coach's favorite on the Hoosiers teams of the mid-80s, has signed on to replace Ben Howland at UCLA. As pointed out in Andy Katz's report, Alford's new contract with UCLA means breaking an almost equally new contract with New Mexico, where...

Metta World Peace Was Zonked Out On Painkillers After His Knee Surgery, And His Tweets Were Slightly Stranger Than They Usually Are [UPDATE: This Might Be Some Sort Of PR Stunt]

Update: This—part or all of it—is some sort of PR stunt, because in in this gilded age, even the most banal things are guerrilla marketing. A Deadspin staffer got this email yesterday, excerpted in part:...

Two Residents Of Dunk City Explain How Their Georgetown-Shattering Alley-Oop Came To Be

PHILADELPHIA—I’d like to take you back to a simpler time. Last Friday. Almost dinner. Standing outside the Wells Fargo Center in South Philly. Wondering if I should stick around to watch Georgetown blow out a tiny Florida nothing school....

As Sacramentans And Seattleites Fight To The Death Over The Kings, The NBA Counts Its Money

Three weeks from tomorrow, the NBA Board of Governors will vote on whether the Kings will be sold to Chris Hansen, who would move them to Seattle, or to a Sacramento group committed to keeping the team in town. They're bidding against each other, and no matter who wins, both cities will lose....

The Evolution Of Dirk Nowitzki's Beard

Sometime in late January, Dirk Nowitzki shaved. That would be the last time, at least until the disappointing Mavericks clawed their way back to a .500 record. Well, after last night's overtime victory against the Clippers, featuring a season-high 33 from Dirk, Dallas is 35-36. The beard? It is out ...

Every Obituary Should Have A NASCAR Reference In The First Line

From the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal:...

The Red Sox's Sellout Streak Is In Danger, So They're Lowering Beer Prices

For the first time in a few years, reason to cheer in Boston. Five-dollar beers! ...

Costa Rica Is Not Happy About This

Last night it was very cold in Colorado, and there also may have been some precipitation. Despite the inclement weather, Costa Rica played its World Cup qualifier against the U.S. Men's National Team, and lost (fair and square) 1-0. For some reason, they are piqued. From Reuters:...

Trent Richardson Is Being Sued For "Orchestrating A Physical Assault" After A Browns Win In December

Browns running back Trent Richardson, in the news lately as an example of how not to run, has been named in a lawsuit, along with his girlfriend and brother, by two women claiming that Richardson commanded three other women, his girlfriend among them, to assault them for disrespecting his home after...

Tree-Poisoner Harvey Updyke Will Spend Six Months In Jail And Five Years On Probation

Harvey Updyke, the Alabama football fan that, in 2010, poisoned two oak trees that figure prominently in Auburn athletic traditions, and then essentially confessed to the act (a Class-C felony in Alabama) unbidden on Paul Finebaum's radio show, accepted a plea deal on Friday. While Updyke will get c...

Harvard's Basketball Team Works Better Than Harvard

Sometimes Harvard Yard literally smells like bullshit. The grass takes a regular beating from the weather and the footsteps of mathematicians eager to find the shortest path to class. So, a few times a year, to spruce it up for the brochures and the visiting parents, the grounds crew gives it a fat ...

Holy Crap, New Mexico State's Center Is Enormous

If you're watching the New Mexico State-Saint Louis game, surely you've noticed Sim Bhullar, the Aggies' man-mountain of a center. He's listed at 7'5", 360 pounds. That's five pounds more than the combined weight of St. Louis's starting backcourt this afternoon. He's a big boy....