el Page 1914 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights
Why The Heat Should Be Afraid Of Russell Westbrook
The Thunder won four straight last week against the unstoppable Spurs to earn a spot in the NBA Finals, which begin tonight on ABC. They'd tantalized us with potential for the last three years, but they've arrived now. They're grown-up. Scary, even—and not just because Kevin Durant has unlimited ran...
Mexican Drug Lords Launder Money Through Horse Racing, U.S. Government Alleges
There's a lot that's terribly shadowy and evil about the sport of horse racing, from the dead horses on set at HBO's Luck to the dead horses at the Aqueduct to the dead horses really anywhere horses race....
Better Know An Umpire: Paul Emmel
Welcome to Better Know An Umpire, an effort to educate ourselves on the human elements who have ultimate decision-making power over some 2,500 Major League Baseball games a year. (All cumulative statistics are through the 2011 season, unless otherwise stated.)...
L.A. Kings Win Stanley Cup; "Mavs Win!" Proclaims NBC Sports
The L.A. Kings are the best team in the NHL, but those poor souls just can't catch a break when it comes to people actually knowing who the hell they are. First there was the case of the mistaken logo, an abysmal highlight package, and then a misidentification of the team's mascot....
The Goat, The Goalie, And Another Easy Win For The Best Hockey Team In The World
Drew Doughty spent the last 10 seconds of the 2011-2012 NHL season standing around and doing nothing. As the Devils made a token effort along the boards in the Kings zone, and as the Kings made a similarly token effort to chip the puck out, Doughty stood on the edge of the crease, never leaving his ...
Dee Gordon Ends A Dodgers Threat By Running Into A Ground Ball
For an instant, it looks like the Dodgers are going to execute a hit-and-run, and that they might even score on the play. Dee Gordon breaks for third, and Bobby Abreu punches a ground ball toward the hole, right to where Alberto Callaspo is no longer positioned because he's broken toward the bag....
The Best Ending To A National Kickball Tournament Match You'll Ever See
You're watching extra innings of a quarterfinals match at a national kickball tournament in Harrisburg, Pa., this past weekend. (Our sender-inner promises "it isn't as douchey as it sounds," and we'll agree. Kickball might be the sport of choice for children and hipsters, but it's still really, re...
Dustin Brown Sums Up Joy Of Winning Stanley Cup With Big Ol' F-Bomb On Live TV
Pierre McGuire had just asked Los Angeles Kings captain Dustin Brown whether he could have envisioned this moment several months back. And after mumbling something about never knowing what might happen and considering his words for an instant, Brown cuts right to the chase. From here on out, anyon...
Owner Michael Heisley May Have Finally Found Someone To Take the Grizzlies Off His Hands
You may remember that Memphis Grizzlies majority owner Michael Heisley attempted to sell his team to a group that included Christian Laettner in 2006. That deal fell through when the buyers missed a deadline, and Heisley's been looking for a buyer ever since. Looks like he's found one in Robert J. P...
Olympics Field Guide: Nick D'Arcy And Kenrick Monk, Idiot Gun-Toting Aussie Swimmers
Names: Nick D'Arcy and Kenrick Monk...
The Rockies Are Losing Because They Were Mean To Ubaldo Jimenez, Idiot Columnist Claims
The Colorado Rockies have been awful this year. For example: Jamie Moyer was the team's most reliable starting pitcher for a good chunk of the season. After they ditched Moyer, Jeff Francis came back for the lamest return-of-the-prodigal-son ever (he gave up eight earned runs in less than four innin...
L.A. Kings PR Staff Plans To Withhold Stats From The Devils, Accidentally Tells Every Reporter About It
It's the responsibility of the home team's PR staff to compile statistics after each period, then rush print-outs down to both teams' locker rooms. It's not vital information, but it's nice for a coach to be able to quantify things like ice time and shots taken. During Saturday's game 5 in Newark, D...
Better Know An Umpire: Jeff Nelson
Welcome to Better Know An Umpire, an effort to educate ourselves on the human elements who have ultimate decision-making power over some 2,500 Major League Baseball games a year. (All cumulative statistics are through the 2011 season, unless otherwise stated.)...
![Rick Reilly's U.S. Open Column Is 18 Years Out Of Date [UPDATE]](https://images.deadspin.com/tr:w-900/17pgascdl4p66png.png)
Rick Reilly's U.S. Open Column Is 18 Years Out Of Date [UPDATE]
The U.S. Open is this weekend, and the best thing about the tournament is that just about anyone can enter. The worst thing about the tournament is also that just about anyone can enter. Thousands of golfers, from seasoned pros to Sunday duffers, take part in qualifying rounds, and if they're good e...
Why ESPN Should Worry About <em>First Take</em>'s Ratings Slide
This has been the working theory: ESPN2's First Take is bad for the soul but awfully good for business. In late September, ESPN made the show the personal property of the professionally disagreeable Skip Bayless, turning the format into wall-to-wall staged argument. The conceit looked like a hit an...
The Rays Need To Upgrade Their Bullpen Phone Plan
Joe Maddon had some instructions for his bullpen, but the landline call at Marlins Park just wouldn't go through. He couldn't use a carrier pigeon, and he couldn't send a telegram, so Maddon improvised as best he could: He dispatched infielder Will Rhymes to deliver the message. The human element be...
Rafael Nadal Wins French Open On Novak Djokovic's Double Fault, Restoring Balance To Tennis's Best Rivalry
The conditions were better, the courts were (mostly) drier and the power and topspin returned to Rafael Nadal's game. It took Nadal less than an hour today to break Djokovic's serve twice and win the fourth set, 7-5, continuing yesterday's suspended match and take his seventh French Open....
Bill Murray Entertains Minor League Baseball Fans During Rain Delay, Dives Head First On Tarp
Apparently, part of Bill Murray's duties as part owner of the Charleston RiverDogs, a Class-A affiliate of the New York Yankees, is to serve as Director of Fun. The Director can be seen here rounding the tarp-covered bases and taking a nice sloppy tumble dive into tarp-covered home....
Indians Closer Chris Perez Celebrated Earning His 20th Save By Projectile Vomiting All Over The Mound
Indians closer Chris Perez has been lights-out this season, and handcuffed St. Louis today in locking up a 4-1 Cleveland win. He did this, it seems, while suffering some degree of gastrointestinal distress—though given that he's done this before, maybe it's some kind of gross calling card....
Here Is A Seething Bob Costas Trying To Conduct A Post-Race Interview At The Belmont Stakes
Who won the Belmont Stakes? Who knows, it's not important. We're not degenerate gamblers, are we? This is fun, though. As Bob Neumeier attempted to kick it over to Bob Costas who was with Steve Duncker, chairman of NYRA, there was some confusion on Costas's end....