da Page 1191 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

Japan Games End, But Opening Day Is Just Beginning
This photo pretty much explains the lunacy of the Red Sox-A's series in Japan. They had all this pageantry before the second game. Each of these teams is pretty much going to have four opening days. You could argue the Red Sox will have five....

Your AL West "Preview"
Well, this is kind of cheating, considering the Oakland A's already played this morning, and lost, but we hope that having 1/162 of the season over already won't make you distrust our predictions any more than you already do....

We'll Believe It When We See It ... And Even If We Don't
Matthew Berry, whatever you do in this world, you've made a Midwestern boy happy this Tuesday morning. We don't believe it, at all, but you know, no matter what, it's quite the fun next chapter....

In Japan, The Pitchers Pose Nude
We don't know how we missed this from Jeff Passan's excellent column on Japanese-Iranian pitcher Yu Darvish, but apparently the fella, in addition to being the Sports Elvis of Japan right now, isn't afraid to take it all off....

A-Rod Comments On Canseco's Book "Revelation"
Well, that didn't take long: Just five hours after our post on writer Joe Lavin's early purchase of Jose Canseco's new book, which, according to Lavin, claims that Canseco introduced A-Rod to a steroid supplier, A-Rod has responded with characteristic stoicism....

And So The Red Sox Love Begins
Say what you will about having the start of the baseball season happen in Japan, but, all told, it's not too shabby to come into work and watch the end of a game while drinking your coffee. And if you're a Red Sox fan, it's doubly pleasant....

About Last Night ...
What you missed while the Red Sox-A's game goes into extra innings ... • NBA: Now everyone will be naming their babies Chauncey. Even the girls. Pistons 110, Suns 105. • MLB: Athletics lead Red Sox 2-0 in Japan, where this afternoon already happened last night. • College basketball: Tulsa beats Utah...

At Last, The Glory Of Youkilis Is Introduced To Japan
Well, it's doesn't feel the start of the baseball season tomorrow morning — jeez, like, 11 hours from now — but it is, in fact, the beginning: The Red Sox and the A's, in the Tokyo Dome, 6 a.m., baseball is here ... kind of....

There Are Right Reasons, And Wrong Reasons, To Slap A Lady, Apparently
This is James Harrison, an All-Pro linebacker for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Earlier this month, Harrison, charmingly, smacked his girlfriend in the face, breaking her glasses, during an 1 a.m. argument. Harrison was not kicked off the team. Just a few days later, though, wide receiver Cedrick Wilson ...

Arsenal Gets Its Bear Stearns On
David Hirshey writes regularly for Deadspin about soccer....

All Hail Davidson, Our Link To Why This Is Fun
If Florida hadn't have won the NCAA Title again last year, it would be safe to say that it would be difficult to remember who was the 2006 NCAA Champion. That's because 2006 was the year of George Mason, and the Final Four itself — which, you may recall, was lousy that year — was just a sidebar to ...

Dirk Has Fallen And He Can't Get Up (For At Least Two Weeks)
The NBA Closer is written by Matt McHale, who loves March Madness as much as the next guy but is really tired of hearing the phrase "You can tell they don't want to go home!" I mean, seriously, do the announcers need to tell us that over and over? Are there teams of players that DO want to go home? ...

To Watch Tonight
What to watch while wondering where your dad went with that meat... • NBA: Detroit Pistons at Washington Wizards. And sadly, I won't be attending. [ESPN] • WCBB: Women's Tournament Whip-around coverage. [ESPN2] • Movie: Futurama: Bender's Big Score. [Comedy Central]...

The Sons Also Rise
Another day, and another day of great basketball lies waiting. Villanova has moved on to the Sweet 16 by way of an 84-72 win against Siena. There are now four games underway, so continue after the jump for your live update needs. I'm watching Georgetown/Davidson, but I've also been keeping track of ...

Drogba Blows Kisses, Hirshey Blows
Didier Drogba and Chelsea just finished off Arsenal at the Bridge 2-1, moving the home team in to second on the table. Drogba scored two goals in the second half to bring the Blues back from a one goal deficit. Chelsea now stands just five points shy of Manchester, and speaking of them......

Sports Illustrated Can't Spell
The powers that be at Sports Illustrated like to put out regional covers for certain special issues, the NCAA Tournament preview being one such example. It's a nice thing to do because it allows several different college players to appear on the cover of sport's most iconic magazine who might not n...

Red Sox, A's Look Like They'd Rather Not Be In Japan
The Boston Red Sox and Oakland A's landed in Japan yesterday — their series starts Tuesday at 6 a.m. ET — after an 18-hour flight. We've never taken an 18-hour flight, but if we did, the last thing we'd want as soon as we got off the plane would be a bunch of photographers ready to take our picture....

Love to Love You, Lovedale. Oh, And: WKU!
Storming The Floor wraps up the four early afternoon games....

The Cowboys Are Quite Stealth
We are pleased that we don't work in a field as compulsively paranoid as professional football. (The world of online journalism is typically too narcotically enhanced to have time for paranoia.) Every move, no matter how small and seemingly insignificant, is in danger of being swiped by another team...

The Swept Room Of Finnicky Dollars: Role-Player Roundup
Every two weeks, the gents at Free Darko will be taking a look at the deranged ecosystem that is the National Basketball Association in their own indelible fashion. Here's this week's entry, from Dr. Lawyer Indian Chief....