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Monday Night Football Returns ... And An Invitation
We noted that during the preseason, we enjoyed the work of the revamped "Monday Night Football" team; replacing Joe Theismann with Ron Jaworski really did make that much of a difference. But that was preseason....

To Watch Tonight
What to watch as you admire your new school pants ... • NFL: Baltimore at Cincinnati; Arizona at San Francisco. Oh, this is so on. [ESPN] • MLB: Braves at Mets. Putting the finishing touches on a division title? [SNY] • Pro Wrestling: WWE Monday Night Raw. TV Guide says about his listing: "Mr. McMah...

Shaq Has Many Idols
This weekend, during Tragedy Bowl I, ESPN's cameras found Shaquille O'Neal, a 2000 graduate of LSU, up in a luxury box. This means he needed transport to the game. This is what he rode....

In Case You're Already Ready For College Hoops
We've long told you about our intense fandom of the Baseball Prospectus kingdom they've gotten over there. In addition to BP, they've got Football Outsiders — or th yearly Pro Football Prospectus, anyway — and now they've created a new brand under the umbrella: Basketball Prospectus....

The Big Ten Network Needs All The Good PR It Can Get
We remember, back in March of this year, when we constantly railed against Major League Baseball's desire to put its Extra Innings package only on DirectTV, the masses rose up, and the uproar was so deafening that MLB couldn't help but notice, even way up there in their castle in the skies. (It floa...

There's LSU ... And Then Everyone Else
Dan Shanoff writes a weekly college football column for Deadspin. Email him to let him know what you think....

Shea Stadium Fans Love Them Some Pedro
Who was out at Shea yesterday for the big Pedro Lovefest '07? Faith and Fear in Flushing, for one, which is so giddy over their hero's return that they are declaring September the Mets' Second Spring. Pedro Martinez turned in his second strong outing following his return from the DL, lifting the Met...

College GameDay: An Appreciation
Drew wrote a thoughtful piece about ESPN's traveling band of college football analysts that we probably should have run yesterday. I still think it's semi-pertinent since these guys are the exact opposite of the professional counterparts that we'll be tolerating today, who seem to excel at nothing e...

A Quick Thought On Fantasy Football (Take 2)
I am in four fantasy leagues this year. Last year I was in eight. I'm also the proud owner of two keeper leagues, in both of which I am commissioner. When someone asked me why I would willingly serve as such a glutton for punishment, I replied simply, "I would rather be the guy in charge."...

A Quick Thought On Fantasy Football
I am in four fantasy leagues this year. Last year I was in eight. I'm also the proud owner of two keeper leagues, in both of which I am commissioner. When someone asked me why I would willingly serve as such a glutton for punishment, I replied simply, "I would rather be the guy in charge."...

Hugh II: The Nedessey Continues... Part 1
On 2nd and goal w/ 20 seconds to go and one timeout, Marshall's head coach elects to center the ball and kick a FG rather than go for the touchdown. Who knew Pam Ward's vagina was contagious? -Insomniac's Lounge...

Parlay O' the Week
Amateur athletics and gambling go together like bacon and hot fudge. Each weekend I will share some of my valuable college football gambling wisdom with you, the reader. Just remember, most of said "wisdom" comes from years of losing ridiculously speculative bets; when you lose all your money don't ...

Why The Radio Silence From The Cardinals?
It has been about 15 hours since the Rick Ankiel story broke, and so far, the only public comment has been Cardinals general manager Walt Jocketty's clearly confused, wha-wha-WHAT? quote of "This is the first I've heard of this; If it's true, obviously it would be very tragic, along with everything ...

What Kind Of Sports Bar Societal Dregs Will You Encounter During Week 1?
AJ Daulerio's Cultural Oddsmaker runs every Friday. Email him to let him know what you think....

It's Almost Like The Cubs Are Jinxed Or Something
After 100 years of futility, there was really no reason for the folks in the Wrigley bleachers to celebrate early. That's just inviting disaster, isn't it? Cubs fans have only themselves to blame for this one. Oh, and Ryan Dempster too, we suppose. Chicago, leading by a game in the NL Central and f...

What We Lost, And What We Never Had
The Rick Ankiel thing, for Cardinals fans, has always been about hope. There was hope in 2000, when we thought we had discovered a 19-year-old Steve Carlton. There was hope in 2001 when we believed a young man could conquer his demons. There was hope in 2003 when we anguished as another young star w...

Roy Hobbs Strikes Again ... And Again
Since the weekend we spent in St. Louis for Rick Ankiel's first games, we've done our best to take it easy on the coverage around here. Not because we didn't want to, but because we were afraid if we kept down that road, before we knew it, every post would be about him. And you might not like that....

Theo Epstein Is A Robot And Will Eventually Enslave Us All
In another chapter in our repeated quest to understand the quixotic planet of Red Sox Nation, we delve down the rabbit hole of the saga of Clay Buchholz....

Crimes And Misdemeanors At RFK
If you were going to rob a vendor at a Major League Baseball stadium, we're not necessarily sure we'd pick RFK in DC. Isn't it a lot easier to escape through a crowd? Certainly not a problem there....