closer Page 35 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

Gagne is French Canadian for "No Longer the Closer"
• Game 2 of the Doubleheader - Angeles 7, Red Sox 5. After losing the first game 8-4, the Angels were able to take advantage of "Mr. Blown Closer" Eric Gagne and score 5 runs in the final two innings. Gagne left the clubhouse without talking to the press, and seemed to only have the tepid endorsemen...

Our Only Regret Is That Gary Sheffield Does Not Have A Blog
This just in: Joe Torre is still a racist. He also hates puppies, and Flight of the Conchords. Let's get him! Such would be the cry if Gary Sheffield ran baseball....

Lots Of Announcers Saying "Bend It"
Any questions? I trust all of you who participated in the month-long orgy of Becklash after Goldenballs landed on our fair shores and healed his ankle poolside at Tom and Katie's will at least stay quiet for another week and let the rest of us enjoy last night's Hollywood moment....

Jobu Come, Take Fear From Bats
Fausto Carmona made sure that the only really compelling race in baseball stayed that way on Wednesday. What, Brewers-Cubs? Yankees-Red Sox? This is me yawning. OK, now this is me going to the fridge for an RC Cola. While I'm gone, reflect on Carmona's career-high 10 strikeouts and his 14th win, the...

Central Heating: Tigers Are Getting Warmer
The Tigers submitted a letter of intent to win the Al Central on Tuesday, as Curtis Granderson made the kind of diving catch we all fantasized about in our backyard when we were 10 ... or, um, in my case, I'll admit, last weekend (your fantasy may vary)....

Are The Yankees Doomed?
That was quite a heartfelt mea culpa by WWL columnist Jeff Pearlman on Monday, eh? Basically, Pearlman proferred a sloppy apology to Joe Torre for writing off the Yankees — and calling for Torre's head — in May. You can get in on the fun right here. But here's the thing: What if New York still ends ...

Trying Hard To Be Pure Of Spirit
David Hirshey writes regularly for Deadspin about soccer....

The Orioles Were Who We Thought They Were
And Kevin Millar has left town ... no need to worry about him for awhile. For those who are not Boston fans (and therefore do not have their heads in ovens right now), it was ex-Sox Millar's game-winning home run that gave the Orioles a 6-3 win over the Sox on Sunday; while Jason Giambi was homering...

It's Like, Major League Soccer, Only Overseas And Interesting
By popular demand: Recapping the first weekend of Premier League soccer action, without having a damn clue what I'm even writing, despite having Hirshey's EPL preview open in a separate window:...

He's A Rick ... House
When Rick Ankiel made his debut, I was sort of hoping he'd continuously foul tip the ball to the backstop, just like old times when he was a pitcher. But rather than indulge in my fantasy, Ankiel basically shut all of us up Thursday night, then duct taped our mouths shut Saturday night with his fir...

The Real Pennant Race Borders Lake Michigan
• Ha-Ha, My Win Cancels Out Your Win. Looks like the NL Central is the lone division that knows how to orchestrate a damn pennant race. The Chicago Cubs won 6-2 over the Colorado Rockies, and they remain just ½ game behind the Milwaukee Brewers. The Brewers also won, but with a smaller margin of vic...

Hey, New Yorkers, come out to Kinsale Tavern this weekend to meet David Hirshey and watch some Premiership. He'll be there from 7:45 a.m.-2 p.m. on Saturday and 7 a.m.-1 p.m. on Sunday. From Hirshey: "If they introduce themselves to me and say nice things about Arsenal, I'll buy the first round on L...

Drama At Shea Extends Over The Fence And Into The Clubhouse
Remember the old days in the NL East, when the Braves were pulling this crap on the Mets all the time? Willie Harris provided the heroics in the outfield and Chipper Jones the muscle in the clubhouse as Atlanta picked Mr. Met's pocket, 7-6. Harris leaped above the left-field fence to pull in Carlos ...

Welcome To Barry's Inferno
If it were possible to open the human mind and step inside, to shine a flashlight into the dark corners of the psyche and root around in our deepest anxieties, then you might possibly see what occurred in the left field bleachers of AT&T Park on Tuesday. Mets' fan Matt Murphy, as we all know by now,...

Yankees Fight For A Little Recognition
As New York continued to spit vitriol at Bonds (the Daily News came up with the gimmick of actually putting him on trial), it kind of forgot that the Yankees and Mets also played on Tuesday. In fact, the Yanks won; got into a scuffle with the Blue Jays, and crept to within five games of the Red Sox ...

Byrd Is the Word
Behold the leg kick, the high socks, the windmill windup; all he needed was the little stubby-billed cap to make one think that it was Christy Mathewson out there befuddling the Twins....

Your Essential EPL Preview
David Hirshey writes regularly for Deadspin about soccer. Here is his preview of the upcoming EPL season, which begins August 11....

Today's Story: Coco Crisp And The Very Careless Moose
It's always a sad thing when a moose goes bad. One minute he's delighting children with his playful antics, and the next ... vehicular assault. The victim: Boston's Coco Crisp, who was minding his own business, warming up for Sunday's game in Seattle against the Mariners. The assailant: Mariner Moos...

Bonds, Barry Bonds: Licensed to Thrill
Those were the words that adorned one of the posters that decorated the bedroom wall of my adolescence. Back then Barry Bonds was one of my favorite athletes in the world; now I stare at the Arizona State throwback jersey and think of happier times. Before his head physically swelled and before he w...

This Place Is Restricted, Wang
Who needs an A-Rod long-ball when you've got a Wang that just won't quit? Sir Alex failed to hit his 500th homer (again) but Robinson Cano picked up his slack (again!) as the Yankees dominated the Royals 7-1. Chien-Ming Wang allowed just 8 men to reach base in seven innings of work while Odalis Per...