da Page 1097 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

Sean McAdam Is Not A Fan Of Julio Lugo's Defense
"Francona would be wise to lower his expectations with Lugo....The next base hit Lugo takes away will be the first. Seldom has an infielder thrown himself on the ground more and come up with fewer plays." [Boston Herald]...

How Did Green Day Become The SportsCenter House Band?
SportsCenter doesn't often use popular music as background for their various clip packages, but if you watch as much of the show as I do, you may have noticed that only one band ever seems to make the cut....

Jimmy Johnson: A Lovable Scamp Just Dancing Through Life
KSK spotlights this Le Batard column detailing the silver-haired coach's quest to live life like a Jimmy Buffet song. Pirate party next week at JJ's! [KSK]...

Maybe This Is What Threw Off Brad Lidge Last Night
Got an image you'd like to see in here first thing in the morning? Send it to [email protected]. Subject: Morning crap...

Sex, Lies, And Zionism
So long Deadspin. The anorexic Jewish James Spader must now run off to his weekend gig—selling counterfeit menorahs on the street in exchange for methadone....

<em>Moneyball</em>’s Deep: How Baseball Prospectus Is Like The Oakland A’s
Under Billy Beane, the Oakland A's won by scraping together undervalued assets. Since the rest of baseball has started valuing assets properly, the A's are having a harder time. The same thing is happening to baseball's leading propeller-heads....

Adam LaRoche Is A F&*#ing Soldier
The Pirates first baseman on this week's Nate McLouth deal: "It's kind of like being with your platoon in a battle, and guys keep dropping around you." Kellen Winslow adds: "We don't care about nobody except this P." [ESPN]...

Stupid Child Labor Laws Ruining American Horse Racing
How did Calvin Borel—who has a chance to become the first jockey to win the three Triple Crown races on two different horses—get so good at his job? Because dangerously illegal backwater death tracks made him that way....

Tennessee's Ingenious Plan To End The Recession Hits A Snag
Tennessee plans a new tax on professional athletes—but not NFL players because "NFL rules would have penalized the state had it included their guys." Also, the Smokey Mountains to be renamed the Goodell Hills. [On The Forecheck]...

David Ortiz Suffering From Mr. Magoo Syndrome
There are already a million theories as to why David Ortiz has suddenly and cruelly turned into Junior Ortiz, but now David has one of his own to throw into the mix. He needs thicker glasses....

Deadspin Very Special Guest Editor Days Are Here Again...
And tomorrow, we've got ourselves a lofty one. Funny, but lofty. Perk up readers, skimmers and clever commenters who yell at the sun — Slate sports editor Josh Levin will be your sea captain tomorrow....

Dallas Cowboys Get What They Want, When They Want It
Irving, Texas, officials possibly suspect that the Cowboy's practice bubble that collapsed last month may have lacked some structure integrity. (Ya think?) They're fairly confident, however, that anyone other than the Cowboys would never have been allowed to build it....

Crazy Parents Work, But...
What do Serena Williams, Andre Agassi and Mary Pierce have in common? They all were the products of obsessive — even sociopathic — fathers and, more to the point, they enjoyed the kind of success no up-and-coming American tennis prodigy can currently boast. And maybe that's not a coincidence....

Beware Jogging And Tweeting At The Same Time
Perhaps China is right to ban Twitter, not because of censorship, but because the 140-character-microblogathingy-service is dangerous. Just ask James Coleman, a well-to-do 23-year-old, the latest victim in Twitter's quest to establish its world peril. And look how innocent: A penchant for exercise w...

David Ortiz Is Still Worth More Than General Motors
David Ortiz's putrid 2009 numbers — .185, 1 HR, 18 RBI, 48 strikeouts — don't qualify for a government bailout, as his statistics translate to an approximate worth on the free agent market of negative $5.2 million. At least he's more valuable than Delmon Young. [Fangraphs, via Simon on Sports]...

Not Even Tasers Can Stop The Gators
Florida's starting cornerback Janoris Jenkins had a brainstorm this weekend, powered by a few thousand watts of taser juice courtesy of the local police. As if that could ever slow down a Gator superstar....

Add Trannies To The List Of People Faintly Annoyed By Danica Patrick
The new Danica Patrick commercial: clever deconstruction of gender identity or grievous insult to the transgender community? Discuss. [Trans Universe, via All Left Turns]...

FIGJAM Returns, Some People Depart
This is actually good news for those who like golf and story lines ready-made for sports columnists aching to showcase their Nicholas Sparks technique: Phil Mickelson will return to the PGA Tour, including the U.S. Open....

Redick And Morrison, Reunited And It Feels So Good
"Remember when they cried in college? Remember when they played Halo against each other? They were like Magic and Bird in college, except that they weren't in any way." Redick scored seven points in the conference finals. Morrison hasn't played since April 14. Guess that settles SI's cover question!...

Stop Me If You've Heard This One Before
Ohio State faces a team from the South in the postseason, loses 37-6. Wait ... this story isn't a repeat? And it was actually a baseball game? Oh, that's unfortunate. [Rumors and Rants]...