at Page 2562 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

We Have To Ask ...
Suggested questions for today's ESPN SportsNation chatters ... • 11 a.m. Soccernet's John Brewin: This is getting ridiculous. I get a red card simply for going to the restroom before halftime? • Noon: Stanley Cup with E.J. Hradek: Suddenly there's an unlikely Game 7 in the Finals one year after hock...

Howard's Boner (Or, Why Refs Are A Natural Male Enhancement)
Another reason that it would have been more fun to live in the early 1900s rather than now — also on the list: speakeasies, jalopies, no Internet — is the fact that they used the word "boner" to describe embarrassing mental missteps. We wish this were still true today; we'd have Buckner's boner, W...

To Watch Tonight...
• NBA. Mavericks @ Heat, Game 5. Your last chance to see 19,000 people clad entirely in white. Unless you're attending some sort of a massive Klan convention soon. 9:00, ABC. • MLB. Red Sox @ Braves. Schilling looks for his 10th win. John Smoltz looks for someone on his team to get a damn hit every ...

Heat/Mavs Game Five: The Lack Of Stack
Game Five of the NBA Finals will serve as your capper to an excellent sports weekend. And there's certainly no lack of intrigue for tonight's game. The Heat have all the momentum. The Mavs can't stop Dwyane Wade and his myriad of injuries and ailments. Dirk Nowitzki has gone into hiding. Avery Joh...

Checking In At The World Cup...
Brazil 2-0 Australia. It might just be me, but does Brazil seem a little but underwhelming thus far? They seemed lethargic in their 1-0 win over Croatia, and all anyone could talk about afterwards was Ronaldo's apparent tubbiness, and Australia really gave them all they wanted today. They do not l...

To Watch Tonight...
• Stanley Cup Finals: Carolina @ Edmonton. Carolina with another opportunity to close it out. Boy, I've really ignored that one, huh? Sorry. 8:00, NBC. • College Baseball: NCAA World Series, Game 4: Miami vs. Oregon State. I wonder if Dennis Erickson will be watching this one, feeling all torn-up in...

A Closer Look At Jorge Larrionda
I don't often blames losses on officiating. And I'm not doing that here, either, particularly since there was no loss to speak of, and sure, both the Italian and United States sides have complaints. But there is plenty of controversy concerning red-card happy official Jorge Larrionda of Uruguay. ...

Boom Goes A Young Man's Dignity
If you've ever wondered what happened to the people who star in those internet videos that make you laugh, the answer appears to be, well, nothing good. Brian Collins, he of "Boom Goes The Dynamite" fame, talks about his experience here....

A Love Letter To Ghana
With their courageous defense and scorching balls, Ghana has provided hope and inspiration to a United States soccer team that can use all it can get. With their unlikely 2-0 drubbing of the Czech Republic, a US win over Italy today leaves Group F wide open....

Jerry Stackhouse And Common Sense Have Been Suspended
Jerry Stackhouse was found to be in violation of the NBA's strict "Do Not Touch Shaquille O'Neal" policy yesterday, as the league announced that it was suspending him for Game 5 of the NBA Finals. Stackhouse committed a hard foul on Shaq as the big man was driving for a lay-up. Have a look:...

To Watch Tonight
What to watch as Big Ben goes helmet shopping ... • Boxing: Lightweights, Anthony Peterson vs. Adan Hernandez, at Memphis. Just once we'd like to actually see the old horseshoe in the boxing glove gag. [ESPN2] • College World Series: at Omaha, Game 2, Cal State-Fullerton vs. North Carolina. Do one t...

Sadly, It Appears, Michael Jordan Is Back
So here's a scary thought for you: Imagine thinking of Michael Jordan the same way you think of Isiah Thomas right now....

We Have To Ask ...
Suggested questions for today's ESPN SportsNation chatters ... • 11 a.m. Baseball with Jerry Crasnick: Wouldn't it be easier just to place an asterisk next to the names of the players who aren't taking steroids? • Noon. NBA Finals with Chris Sheridan: I've begun a support group for people who have b...

And Here Come The Heat
As True Hoop pointed out this morning, this guy must feel like a complete idiot right now....

Hey, Remember These Guys?
Not to remain so firmly ensconced on the jock of Free Darko, but we're completely fascinated with their McSweeney's column today. Namely: Has anybody noticed that Antoine Walker and Jason Williams are playing in this series? Obviously, Dirk and Shaq and Wade and Cuban are the headliners of the ser...

To Watch Tonight
What to watch after Shamu looked at you in the front row, suddenly making you feel like lunch ... • Golf: U.S. Open Championship, first round, at Mamaroneck, N.Y. Yes, we are wearing a Jim Furyk t-shirt under our regular shirt. What of it? [NBC] • MLB: Atlanta at Florida. Remember, 'catch and releas...

When Bat Boys Attack
If you were to believe television broadcasts, every fan who runs on the field is violently tackled, beaten or otherwise pummeled. Networks won't show a guy who's just running around, but they love to see him hammered. Hence, last night's Boston-Minnesota game, when a bat boy wallops a sliding fan an...

Taking 'Group Of Death' A Little Too Literally
It may be of interest to our men and women soldiers serving overseas that war is just like the World Cup. So says U.S. forward Eddie Johnson, anyway. The U.S. team was at Ramstein Air Base outside Kaiserslautern, Germany, where they will play Italy on Saturday. Johnson stopped by on Wednesday to say...

We Have To Ask ...
Suggested questions for today's ESPN SportsNation chatters ... • 2 p.m. World Cup with Dale Johnson: iTS hARd too tyupe with&out usng my6 handds ..3 • 3 p.m. Page 2's Michael Davies: We understand that you're responsible for "Win Ben Stein's Money." Therefore, we would like to talk to you. • 4 p.m. ...