ew Page 3560 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

Carlos Ruiz Just Can't Get Any Respect
Poor Carlos Ruiz. Sure, the squatty Phillies catcher has been an offensive liability all season, but he was one of the only players to get an actual hit yesterday without the aid of shoddy Brewers' defense. Still, the man affectionately known as "CHOOCH" by his teammates was the victim of an unfortu...

30 Previews In 30 Days: The Boston Celtics
NBA training camps have begun; the season is rapidly approaching. Can you dig it? I knew that you could. And so we continue our previews: 30 of them in 30 days. Up next is a team you might have heard of in the news: The Boston Celtics.When last we saw them: Finished 66-16, best record in the league,...

Not A Bad Way to Spend a Wednesday Afternoon in the Rain
One jumbo hot dog. One cheeseburger. One heat lamp Schmitter. Seven beers. 1-0. The only thing that was pretty about it was Cole Hamels who did everything he was supposed to do as the reluctant ace of the staff. Other than that — thank you Mike Cameron. I guess his glove is also no longer using perf...

New Yorkers Taunted By Ironical TBS Signage
Anyone notice anything wrong with this gi-normous sign promoting the MLB playoffs on TBS? The banner is hanging on 7th Avenue in downtown New York, and features Josh Beckett of the Red Sox and, hmm, who is that other player exactly? Oh TBS, why do you mock them so? From the New York Post: ...

ALDS Preview: Rays Vs. White Sox
The Tampa Bay Rays are in the playoffs. Let it roll off your tongue. Toss it around. Swish it a bit. Look at the sentence closer. It might be a palindrome. The Tampa Bay Rays Are In The Playoffs. Everything's freaking NUTS, people. Series Schedule Game 1: Thursday, October 2, 2:30 p.m. Chicago (Vaz...

30 Previews In 30 Days: The Atlanta Hawks
NBA training camps have begun; the season is rapidly approaching. Can you dig it? I knew that you could. And so we begin our previews: 30 of them in 30 days. Let's begin with everyone's secret favorite: The Atlanta Hawks. When last we saw them: Finished 37-45, third in the Southeast Division and eig...

Watch Your Balls Around This Kid
Young Zack Hample, who scrounges for major league baseballs with the determination of a bear in a restaurant dumpster, has recorded rather a noteworthy feat; having caught the final Mets home run ball at Shea Stadium. This came on Sunday (Carlos Beltran), about a week after Hample had caught home ru...

Plaxico Burress Has Tardiness Issues
When the New York Giants suspended Plaxico Burress last week, everyone sort of assumed it had to be something more nefarious than simple "insubordination"—like those domestic disturbance calls to his home or maybe short-selling Lehman Brothers. It turns out that it was just because he didn't show up...

The Bigger The Hands, The Larger The ... Wristband
This came in a little too late to make Who's Sorry Now?, but the Boston Globe has issued an apology on its web site that can only be described as comedy gold. The paper today apologized for a photo it ran in Sunday's paper that depicted Patriots' back-up quarterback Kevin O'Connell throwing a pass i...

Hollis Thomas Would Like A Krabby Patty
This here gent is Hollis Thomas, former defensive lineman for the New Orleans Saints, who tore a pectoral muscle in August and was released prior to the regular season. He's now a free agent. And now meet his rather unhealthy obsession with SpongeBob SquarePants, the nautical cartoon sponge made pop...

You The Man Now, Dawg
It's one thing to be arrested, but to be arrested for something called "pedestrian under the influence" and then having your mugshot show off the stylish temporary Bulldog tattoos stuck to your face ("cheek flair") adds another level of humiliation. That's what happened to former Georgia Bulldog and...

Tell It Goodbye
The Beatles played there, Pope John Paul II took a spin around the infield in the Popemobile, Spider-Man married Mary Jane Watson there, and one day in 1986 Bill Buckner rather famously had a ball roll through his legs. On Friday we asked you to send us your Shea Stadium memories, and you came throu...

NLDS Preview: Cubs Vs. Dodgers
From the very first day of Spring Training, the general consensus has been that This Is The Cubs' Year. (This has caused me considerable frightened quivering, pretty much from the get-go.) It's not just the 100 years thing either. It's difficult to argue that the Cubs haven't been the best team in ...

NLDS Preview: Phillies Vs. Brewers
At a certain level, it has to be tempting for Brewers manager Dale Sveum to just start C.C. Sabathia every game of this series. Obviously, that's not actually feasible, but who cares about Sabathia's future? The Brewers are losing him anyway. Ride the guy until he dies. Let the Yankees pay the pric...

ALDS Preview: Angels Vs. Red Sox
The most refreshing aspect of the Red Sox-Angels series is that it's happening in the ALDS rather than the ALCS. This means, no matter what, that either the Devil Rays, the White Sox or the Twins will be playing for the World Series. In a crazy year, this is far more fitting than yet another Boston...

Prince Fielder Would Like To Invite You To Milwaukee's Erotic Playoff-Clinching Festivities
Perhaps the most joyful of playoff entrants this year are the Milwaukee Brewers, who just a couple weeks ago were in the midst of an epic free-fall out of wild card contention. Ned Yost was shown the door, Dale Sveum moved over to the manager's stoop (and didn't wave anyone home from the dugout), t...

Mets Fans Go Out With Quiet Grace And Dignity
I prefer not to think of this as an obscene gesture, but as a salute to 45 great years at Shea Stadium. The Marlins' 4-2 win on Sunday ended the Mets' season, but please, let there be no tears. Did you really want Shea to go out in some bland early-round playoff game? This is a much more appropriate...

Mets Close Out Shea as Losers; Brewers Go Wild
CC Sabathia, Milwaukee's big time mid-season acquisition, stepped up on the final day of the season to help the Brewers clinch the National League Wild Card spot with a win over the Cubs. Ryan Braun was once again the hero as his 2 run homer in the 8th put them ahead for good. The Brew Crew clinched...

For Your Viewing Pleasure: Shut Up, Shark Bait!
• 1:00 — NFL: Green Bay @ Tampa [FOX] — Here is your full NFL distribution map. • 1:10 — MLB: Marlins @ Mets [MLB.tv] — Heimlich! • 2:05 — MLB: Cubs @ Brewers [MLB.tv] — CC Sabathia can prove his mettle with a win today. • 1:30 — Outdoors: Bill Dance Outdoors [Versus] — Because if you're not actuall...

Game 162: Win or Go Home (or Play Again Tomorrow)
• Mets 2, Marlins 0 Johan Santana pitched the gem that the New York faithful needed from him. It was an absolutely impressive complete game, three hit shutout. But man, was it bizarre to hear Mets Manager Jerry Manuel talk about the game afterward, "Wow, wow, wow, wow. I think if I had to describe t...