et Page 2289 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

Recruiting Makes College Sports Double Plus Unfun
As a fan of college athletics, we will confess to being depressed by the process of recruiting. Some fans are obsessed with it, subscribing to scouting services and reading tea leaves, analyzing every vocal inflection of a 17-year-old kid as if it's going to be an insight to their deeper mindset. (T...

Obviously, Joe Torre Was The Problem All Along
And so there is much wailing and gnashing of teeth in Yankee Land, as you probably expected. Word on the street is that manager Joe Torre is as good as out, and that Lou Piniella — yow — is in. Seems rather rash to us, but what do we know? Only what we read in the papers ... and in various Yankees...

There Is Exactly One Detroit Tiger Whose Eyes Didn't Sting This Morning
And that would be Jason Grilli, the Detroit Tigers pitcher who at some point in his life probably earned a boy scout badge for being well-prepared. In the Tigers clubhouse celebration last night, Jason Grilli sported the goggles you see above, with battery-powered headlights and windshield wiper...

Happy, Cuddly Tigers
The following are the words of Ray Wert, associate editor with our homeboys Jalopnik. He likes Detroit, cars, and the Tigers... maybe even some combination of Eminem, Kid Rock, and Aretha Franklin. He was fortunate enough to be at the Tigers/Yankees game yesterday (though he didn't get to kiss Jim...

David Stern Has A Thing For Cows
I missed it in Marc Stein's Friday blog update, but Stein mentioned that part of the reason that the NBA changed the basketball they use might be complaints from PETA, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. PETA is claiming responsibility, anyway. From their official website:...

NFL Week Five, Update #1
• The Tennessee Titans, eighteen-and-a-half point underdogs, could be in the process of pulling off the upset of the freakin' decade. They lead the Colts 10-0 at the half, behind a beautiful Vince Young touchdown run and a secondary that's held Peyton Manning to 56 yards, and Marvin Harrison without...

Excuse Me While I Kiss This Guy
I know that a lot of you will be commenting with heavy hearts today, in the wake of the Yankees stunning loss to the Detroit Tigers last night. It took the Tigers just four games to oust the Yankees from the playoffs, send George Steinbrenner into a murderous rage, make Brian Cashman hide under hi...

How Easy It Is To Switch Lyrics On Command
Our friends (and sisters in corporate bloggerhood) at Idolator, yesterday, took a brief stab at stupid theme songs for sports teams; we've covered this ground around these parts too, with the never-bested "Sweet Shaun Alexander."...

Your NCAA Mister Congeniality
We know that CBS Sportsline's Gregg Doyel has this little thing he does occasionally that he calls "Hate Mail." Essentially, like in this most recent incarnation, Doyel responds to angry emails he has received in the most taunting, borderline cruel manner. For example:...

9-4-2-2 DP? 2 U? 9-4-2 DP? What's The Frequency, Kenneth?
We might be the only person on earth who cares about this, but earlier, we wondered aloud how in the world a scorer — if you were, ahem, the type of dork who brings a scorebook to baseball games — would possibly handle that bizarre "double-play" during the Mets-Dodgers game. 2 Unassisted? 9-4-2? 9...

Live Playoff Blog: Yankees Vs. Tigers, Game 2
Seriously, we can't imagine a worse rainout scenario for fans than this one: Rather than a late-night Wednesday game, you have a Thursday game at 1 p.m. Imagine being at the game last night, at 9:30, thinking it might start, then learning they've cancelled it and you have about 13 hours to get home ...

The Steelers Know Their Bread And Butter
For all those who felt the infamous Ben Roethlisberger "Drink Like A Champion" pictures were some sort of bad publicity for the quarterback and the Steelers, we point out this display at a suburban Pittsburgh mall....

Live Playoff Blog: Mets Vs. Dodgers, Game One
This is John Maine, and, so it's known, he's really not a bad pitcher. (Why did everyone act like El Duque was somehow Johan Santana, anyway? You know he's about 84 years old, right? Plus, now the Mets have Oliver Perez on their roster, so what could possibly go wrong?)...

We Knew We Were Lame For Letting People With Tees Into Our Birthday Parties
All told, we realize now that our Sunday evening was rather sedate. (Chocolate milk, Fig Newtons and Diner Dash, now that you asked.)...

Live Playoff Blog: Twins Vs. A's, Game Two
It seems strange to have a 1 p.m. start the day after the same two teams played at the same time the day before, but hey, it's Minnesota. Those folks should feel lucky ESPN's even showing their game!...

Where, Oh Where, Is Sidd Finch When The Mets Need Him?
As the Mets, just four hours away from their first playoff games, continue to wonder who the heck is supposed to pitch these darned playoff games — it's John Maine, by the way — our attention is turned to a reference we always find irresistable: Maybe Sidd Finch should pitch!...

The Day After For The 0-1 Teams
One of the joys of writing about sports on the Web is how every day is a little more important than it would be if glimpsed from a wider perspective. Fortunately, during the baseball postseason, there is no wider perspective: Everything matters in every possible moment. (If you don't believe us, ask...

Playoffs Pants Party: Mets Vs. Dodgers
All told, we'd rather listen to "I Love LA" for the five-millionth time than "Our Team, Our Mets." This is probably the most intriguing series of the four, with teams from the two largest media markets in the country, which is probably why it starts on at 4 in the afternoon....

Ah ... When The Catchphrases Felt Only SLIGHTLY Warmed Over
Here's your little blast for the past today: As difficult as it is to believe that Hootie and the Blowfish were ever considered cool — we're not sure that actually ever happened — it's, these days, just as difficult to comprehend ESPN being, you know, down with the kids. These two unique cultural cu...

Five Tiny Tidbits On: The Detroit Pistons
It's hard to believe, but the NBA season is just around the corner. Let us celebrate with five tiny tidbits on each team. Today we continue with the Central Division, so do us a favor and send us your tips at [email protected]....