ball Page 1870 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

Franken Friar Is Alive!
Apparently, during their last homestand, the San Diego Padres introduced a new mascot called, inexplicably, "Franken Friar." He's an oversized Friar who dances and flops around and was, uh, brought back from the dead? We're a little confused about that part, actually....

Ryan Freel's Little Friend
As we deal with the psychological ramifications of last night's backbreaking Cardinals walkoff loss to the Reds, and try to inspire ourselves to watch another game this afternoon, we turn our attention to Reds outfielder/infielder/drunken driver/scrappy hustler Ryan Freel. He's the Pete Rose-type of...

Well, That Answers That Question, Definitively
Remember that idiot who jumped onto the netting behind home plate at Yankee Stadium a year ago, hanging up there and looking like a scared, brittle foal?...

The Closer: Finally, Some Power In Minnesota
Notes from a day in baseball:...

The Last Clarett Update
Probably time for one final update on our man Maurice Clarett, who has gotten himself in so much trouble that we're actually worried about him. And not just because we're afraid he'd shoot us....

That Confused Guy You See, That's Matt Doherty
Anybody wondering what former North Carolina men's basketball coach Matt Doherty has been up to? Anyone? Well, you might know he's coaching at SMU (and apparently already dealing with some NCAA violations). But did you know he was also embracing "new" "technology?"...

Minor Enterprise: A Mighty Wind
Welcome to Minor Enterprise, where each Wednesday we preview, and occasionally review, the great events and promotions of minor league baseball. If you have a tip about a minor league promotion, or perhaps you're dressed as a large mascot beaver and are hopelessly stuck in the suit, contact us at ti...

Four Tiny Tidbits On: The Mid-American Conference
We must confess that we can't wait each year for the crunch of shoulder pads; for cleats churning up chunks of turf, and red-faced coaches screaming from the sidelines. But enough about lacrosse. College football season is upon us, and to celebrate, we're going to get back into tiny tidbit mode an...

Gammons Back Where He Belongs: At A Ballpark
Outstanding news from the Cape Cod Times (with their first, and likely last, big scoop):...

Bad Ass Tatt, Dude: BAD. ASS.
We can't possibly thank Inside STL ("Retire 51!") and Cardinals Diaspora for this photo of a Cardinals fan and his eternal devotion to his team. We're totally getting this tattoo....

It's A General Manager Blood Feud!
We don't mean to imply that when you're screwed over by Washington Nationals GM Jim Bowden, it might be time to re-evaluate one's career choices, but ......

This Could End Up Affecting The Eastern Indoor Football League Opener
It's almost no fun to point out Maurice Clarett's foibles anymore. But when cops pull him over with a bunch of loaded guns and a hatchet in the car, it's probably worth mentioning....

The Closer: In Which We Inadvertantly Prop Up The White Sox
Notes from a day in baseball:...

Lord Help Us: They're Doing The Wave At Wrigley
Our personal favorite moment of our night at RFK Stadium was when the tiny smattering of Nationals fans spread throughout the place tried to cobble together a version of The Wave. The response of our Deadspin corner was instantaneous: We scoffed, scowled, booed, grumbled. We were very proud....

Four Tiny Tidbits On: The Ivy League
We must confess that we can't wait each year for the crunch of shoulder pads; for cleats churning up chunks of turf, and red-faced coaches screaming from the sidelines. But enough about lacrosse. College football season is upon us, and to celebrate, we're going to get back into tiny tidbit mode an...

USA Basketball Barely Escapes (And We Don't Mean "From China")
We don't mean to ruin it for those of you who had your Brazilian Tivos all set up, but USA Basketball just had its first serious scare in preparation for the World Championships, edging Brazil 90-86. The Americans led by 14 at halftime, but Brazil — led by the immortal Tiago Splitter — closed it lat...

The Closer: Liriano's Miner Setback
Notes from a day in baseball:...

Four Tiny Tidbits On: The Pacific-10 Conference
We must confess that we can't wait each year for the crunch of shoulder pads; for cleats churning up chunks of turf, and red-faced coaches screaming from the sidelines. But enough about lacrosse. College football season is upon us, and to celebrate, we're going to get back into tiny tidbit mode and ...

Your Hollywood Minute
There's crazy, and then there's that special brand of crazy that is Reds pitcher Bronson Arroyo. What would you do if you were a major league pitcher going for your 10th win of the season, as Arroyo will be doing on Thursday? Why, you'd dedicate the win to actress Bo Derek, naturally. Because she wa...

Free Darko, Live On Scene, And Loving Jim Gray
Generally speaking, we think it's silly for online writers — who are the only ones free from the PR/press pass/everybody-play-nice circle jerk of commercialized athletics — to salivate over press passes as if they had, at last, been invited to the ball. But we will make an exception when the folks f...