e Page 8021 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

Forbes Uses Science! To Prove Red Sox Have The Best Fans
The metrics: attendance, merchandise sales, and something called "in-market popularity." Which sounds like most fans rather than best, but who are we to argue with photo slideshows? [Forbes]...

American Footballer’s Soccer-Themed Touchdown Celebration
It was a toss up for the final video treat of the day - between the above, and a rendition of "Fire" by Kasabian, now that it's been unveiled as the official football song for the coming season....

"Those Guys Have All The Fun," Will Make Many "Fun" ESPN Employees Crap Their Pants
There's a creeping paranoia in Bristol thanks to the upcoming 2011 release of Jim Miller's and Tom Shales's massive oral history of ESPN. What filthy skeletons will reveal themselves? Even ESPN execs will have to wait....

Shaq and Awe: The Big Shakespeare On Social Media And The Influence Project
Fast Company's Mark Borden sat down with Shaquille O'Neal to discuss how social media—with an emphasis on Twitter—has changed the way that athletes can interact with their fans....

Little Kid Freaks Out Over X Games Flasher
Watch the boy on the stairs. I didn't realize it was humanly possible to be that excited about a woman showing her breasts, especially if you haven't gone through puberty yet....

Window On The NCAA Slams Shut, After Blogger Is Outed As Compliance Officer
For the better part of a year, the Bylaw Blog gave a look inside the NCAA's arcane rules for punishing programs. Two weeks ago, the anonymous author was revealed as a D-I school's compliance officer, and promptly shut it down....

This Is What It Looks Like When You Get Hit In The Face With A Beer Bottle
Oklahoma State linebacker Jamie Blatnick pleaded not guilty to (allegedly) hitting former teammate Steve Denning in the face with a beer bottle during a bar scrap early Sunday morning. [TulsaWorld]...

Brett Favre To Retire. We've Heard This Before.
Favre says his ankle hasn't responded to treatment (maybe he shouldn't have waited until May for surgery), and he's ready to hang it up. Vikes brass aren't convinced, and may offer to rework his contract. Don't bother, guys. [Star Trib]...

Last Night's Winner: Akron, But Not Cleveland. No, Never Cleveland.
In sports, everyone is a winner-some people just win better than others. Like the fine people of Akron, Ohio, who received thanks from LeBron James in a full-page newspaper ad that didn't happen to mention Cleveland or the Cavaliers....

X-Games Flasher, Large Photo Make For R-Rated Where's Waldo
Because no one reads the newspaper, and SportsCenter's anchors are too perky for this early in the morning, Deadspin combs the best of the broadsheets and internets to bring you everything you need to know to start your day....

Mark Wahlberg Says Boring Bristol Is The Reason Why There's So Much Banging Between ESPN Employees
This is not the first time we've heard this theory: "That's why all those people at ESPN are having sex with each other. ... They're doing wife swaps and all sorts of craziness." Horndggity-dog. [BristolToday.com via MovieFone]...

Phillie Phanatic Immortalized As Art, Promptly Vandalized
Not all of Philadelphia has Phillies Phever. Two men were arrested for assaulting a 6-foot, 100-lb sculpture of the Phanatic. His prehensile tongue offered pathetically little defense....

Today In Dogs Raving Their Faces Off
Per YouTube user BlueBlazeful, "Like anyone at a rave, he's either really feeling the music, or he's got rabies." We don't know what kind of raves BlueBlazeful attends, but if there are techno loving dogs there, we want to go....

Your Andre Ethier Photoshop Roundup
Andre Ethier's LAT Magazine photo shoot provided some good fodder for Photoshopping. There were some common motifs, but for the most part, everyone brought something different to the table. Keep sending them in as well; we'll update accordingly....

Rex Ryan Loses Weight-Loss Contest, Despite Having Lap-Band Surgery
The Jets coach came in third out of three, in a race with two of his players to see who could drop the most pounds in the offseason. That's even with the surgery which makes it impossible not to lose weight....

Breaking: Knife Twisted Further
The rumor is that the new-look Heat will open the season in Cleveland. But because every goddamn thing has to be televised, we'll know for sure when the NBA announced opening week, Christmas and MLK Day matchups tomorrow in primetime. [Plain Dealer]...

The Mysterious Trouble With Jason Whitlock
Despite the fact that he hasn't published a column since May 26, the KC Star said today via phone that their oversized noisemaker, Jason Whitlock, is still currently on staff. He's just on extended vacation. But, still, something's amiss....

Trick Shot Off Vulcan Monument Mired In Controversy
According to YouTube, this is the farthest basketball shot of all time. The makers of this video, The Legendary Shots, are in a pissing contest with another trick shot crew, Dude Perfect over semantics and that superlative. Unnecessary squabbling ahead!...

Mike Tyson Did <em>The Hangover</em> For Drug Money
Every morning, the fine folks at Sports Radio Interviews sift through the a.m. drive-time chatter to bring you the best interviews with coaches, players, and personalities across the sports landscape. Today: Mike Tyson....

Miami Bound Cavs Star Thanks Cleveland Fans. Not <em>That</em> One, Obviously.
Zydrunas Ilgauskas took out a full page ad in yesterday's Plain Dealer, thanking the fans for his time spent in Cleveland. It's a nice gesture, but why does the wording leave an odd taste in our mouths?...