eve Page 331 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

Buster Olney Responds: "I Like My Job, Thank You"
One of the things we love about Mr. Irrelevant and his gang at AOL Sports Bloggers Live is that they're fun enough to pounce on the real sports stories yet clean and well-shaven (and AOL-affiliated) enough to bring in big-name guests that we don't have (or, more accurately, have little desire to ...

Saying A Sad Goodbye To Mock Press Conferences
Well, tonight's the final night for those brilliant and universally lauded Steve Phillips mock press conferences on ESPN, and we think it's important that the lunacy of the feature not be forgotten by time. Phillips — whom we don't mean to destroy here; he comes across sympathetic and intelligent...

More Mock Press Conference Shenanigans
An alert reader clues us into some ESPN tech snafus last Sunday, the first day of the mock Steve Phillips press conference things....

OK, Seriously, Knock It Off You Guys
All right, we know we've mentioned this already, but we're still kind of obsessed with this daily SportsCenter feature of Steve Phillips "playing" the role of every team's GM. At first, we thought this was just going to be a Boston thing, playing with the Theo Epstein press conference last week. ...

Sure, Yeah, Critics, ESPN's Totally Listening
Maybe it's that ridiculous Steve Phillips mock press conference thing that "SportsCenter" is doing right now, but for whatever reason, there's all kinds of anti-ESPN invective out there today....

The Sad Faces Of Buster Olney And Jeremy Schaap
For anyone who wondered just what sacrifices that legitimate journalists like Jeremy Schaap and Buster Olney have to suckle from ESPN's cash teat, look no further than this morning's "SportsCenter." In it, baseball analyst Steve Phillips answers mock questions in a mock press conference, pretendi...

Stevie Franchise's Charming Nickname
In response to our Steve Francis-Cuttino Mobley item from earlier today, a "lowly paid" source "familiar with the Rockets laundry room" sends us a depressing tip:...

Francis-Mobley The New Manning-Chesney
We had a few people tell us about this, but we still hadn't gotten around to reading ESPN: The Magazine — to steal Gregg Easterbrook's classic line, published on Earth: The Planet — and it's reportedly amazing story about the unusual "friendship" between former teammates Cuttino Mobley and Steve ...

Things To Do In Cleveland When You're Drunk
Cleveland Browns running back Reuben Droughns was arrested early yesterday morning for driving under the influence of alcohol, after weaving in and out of traffic, speeding and ultimately blowing a 0.08 on the Breathalyzer. (Our father once actually told us, in one of our favorite pieces of advice...

Steroid Rumors Confirmed ... But Who Is It?
On Wednesday, we reported on USA Today Sports Weekly rumors of an American League outfielder who tested positive for steroids. Yesterday, on his "Sports Bloggers Live" radio show, AOL blogdude Mr. Irrevelant interviewed Baseball Prospectus' Will Carroll about the rumor:...

Well, You'll Have To Wear Those Short Pants, First Off
In one of those stories you couldn't make up even if you were trying really, really hard, famed British Open choker Jean Van De Velde has announced he intends to try to qualify for the Women's British Open next year to protest the decision to allow women to qualify for the men's event....

The Cavs' Super Secret Club (No Girls Allowed!)
Free Darko has a find that's making us giggle like an idiot: Apparently, Cleveland Cavaliers stars LeBron James, Larry Hughes and Damon Jones (known around here as "two-and-a-half men") have come up with a "secret handshake that involves two low-fives, then a wave, then posing with their arms cros...

Much Respeck For TNT
We have to give the mad propers to TNT, which is promoting its upcoming NBA television schedule by giving their promos to the great Ali G. The hysterical faux hip-hopper interviews Lakers "star" Kobe Bryant and Esquire's Chuck Klosterman subject Steve Nash in commercials that YAYSports! helpfully ...

Hang In There, America: LeBron's Back With Us
Well, everyone can breathe a little easier: LeBron James has been released from the hospital. With Suns forward Amare Stoudamire out until at least the All-Star break, if James had been out for too long, this NBA season was in serious danger of sucking before it even started....

Blogdom's Best: Cleveland Indians
More than any other sport, baseball lends itself to individual blog obsession. Every Major League Baseball team has several blogs obsessed with chronicling the ins-and-outs of everything. Deadspin salutes these modem-addled souls and proudly presents Blogdom's Best, given to the most outstanding b...

MLB Playoffs: Second Verse, Same As The First
Yesterday was kind of a weird final day of the baseball season; it made us feel sorta dumb for thinking it was such a big deal that we missed most of the early football. The Red Sox "clinched" the wild-card yesterday in the least dramatic way possible, basking in a total choke by the Indians and s...

Blogdome: Bill Simmons Edition
• Sports blogger goes after Bill and Chuck for trashing sports bloggers. [The Mighty MJD] • In full book promotion mode, Bill shows up on blogger radio show and actually predicts the Yankees to win. [Mr. Irrelevant] • The Phillies might be pretty much done in the playoff chase, but hey, look, they'r...

We're Exhausted, And The Playoffs Aren't Even Here Yet
Despite what The Smoking Gun has discovered Major League Baseball thinks about the American League East, we appear primed for a final five days of rather intense pre-playoff madness. The Yankees and Red Sox are still tied, the Indians are tied with them too and the White Sox are still toying aroun...

Paris Hilton And Ross Verba: Our Lucy And Ricky
We're not saying that Paris Hilton's already decumbent standards are getting somehow lower or anything, but one would think that when you're on the cover of Vanity Fair, you'd be able to party with a relatively high class of athlete. Nope: Hilton was out boobing it up in Las Vegas last weekend wit...

Blogdome: Chief Wahoo Me, Baby
• Indians bloggers having extremely difficult time controlling their excitement, understandably, but still keeping perspective. [Let's Go Tribe] • There's still a way the Cubs could make the playoffs. No, really! [Baseball Musings] • Why you shouldn't link to The New York Times Web site ever again. ...