l Page 7408 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

To Watch Tonight
What to watch while lamenting the passing of Crazy Ray ... • College basketball: MasterCard National Invitation Tournament, second-round games, Mississippi at Clemson; DePaul at Kansas State. Shouldn't there be another tournament for teams that didn't make the NIT? [ESPN] • College women's basketbal...

Calipari Is Already Out There Recruiting
You know, it's one thing when puppies lick out of water bowls on a football field. That's cute, because they're puppies, and they won't grow up to resent their parents....

Leftovers: Is There Insulin In MGD?
• David Wells has diabetes. [Rumors And Rants] • The biggest Dolphins fan died over the weekend. [SI.com] • The Rangers like to have fun with Gerard Laird. [Babes Love Baseball] • No, you see, this means there IS parity in college basketball. [Chicago Sports Review] • We won't be the same without To...

Nothing But Fleabags For You, No. 15 Seed!
There's a clear caste system in college basketball, and it appears it is set up entirely by where you are seeded. Just take a look at Southern Illinois; as a No. 11 seed a few years ago, they were shacked up in a moldy, rundown hotel. Now, as a No. 4 seed?...

And Then The Woodpeckers Arrived, And Suddenly It Was All Over
It's the story you've heard so many times before: Your local university wants to expand its athletic facilities, but construction is thwarted because there are naked people living in the trees. Cal's plan to cut down a grove of oak trees on campus to build a $125 million athletic training center has...

Bill Raftery And Verne Lundquist, Au Natural
Like most of you, we enjoyed the dulcet tones of Bill Raftery during the tournament this past weekend, and we can't wait for more of the "with the KISS!" this coming Sweet 16 slate. But those of you who braved the NCAA Tournament On Demand saw even more of Raftery, catching him and partner Verne Lun...

Iowa Stifles Online Dissent (Almost)
So here's a clever idea: To make sure that no enterprising and surly fan starts a campaign to take down the head coach at your program, the University of Iowa has bought the rights to FireKirkFerentz.com....

Blogdome: Go Ducks!
• This year's Florida? How about Oregon? [Just Call Me Juice] • A festive PSAL fight. [Bread City] • Won't you be Jerramy Stevens' neighbor? [Kissing Suzy Kolber] • Those ex-Phillies like to complain. [The 700 Level] • Bo Ryan? Kind of scary. [Thighs Wide Shut] • How's the KSK vs. Ladies ... bracket...

Baseball Season Preview: Toronto Blue Jays
You might remember, from back at the beginning of the NFL season, when we previewed each team by having a writer we liked write about their favorite team....

Billy Packer, As Charming As You'd Think He'd Be
If you needed any more proof that Billy Packer is an insufferable prick — and boy, DID YOU! — the guys at CSTV's Hoops Odyssey blog caught up with Packer before the second-round games in Chicago yesterday and ... he's a dick!...

We'd Recommend Not Playing Blackjack With Joey Porter
When you put Joey Porter in the same room with a Cincinnati Bengal, in Las Vegas, no less, this is probably destined to happen...

We Have To Ask ...
Suggested questions for today's ESPN SportsNation chatters ... • Noon. NCAAW with Graham Hays: All right, brackets where Maryland and Notre Dame are still alive! • 2 p.m. NCAAMBB with Andy Katz: It's just a chat; is the Tyler Hansbrough mask really necessary? • 4 p.m. ESPN host Stuart Scott: They're...

Just When You Thought Your Day Couldn't Get Worse
It was a bad enough day yesterday for Texas fans, what with the whole "last time we're gonna see Durant" business. But for this sad Longhorns fan (note the hat), the day was just going to get worse. The guy who took this picture notes that this happened about half an hour after Texas' loss....

NCAA Blogdome: Hurts So Good
Every NCAA Basketball Tournament seems to produce one classic coaching photo, and this may be the one. Wisconsin coach Bo Ryan is now resting comfortably and doing fine. His pain is over. But for others, it's just the beginning. Here's what some of the blogs are saying after the first two rounds....

Wrapping Up The First Tourney Weekend
After a weekend's worth of games, what have we learned?...

NBA Roundup: Welcome To Kobeland
Notes on Sunday's games in the National Basketball Association ......

About Last Night ...
What you missed while being questioned by Columbo ... • College basketball: There it is, we hear it somewhere in the distance ... Conquest. USC 87, Texas 68. • NBA: Kobe's been rather active lately. Lakers 109, Timberwolves 102. • NHL: And so the Jarkko Ruutu Era begins. Penguins 4, Senators 3....

Open Thread: The 5:00ish Games
After a solid, but not spectacular set of games, we get set to wind the weekend down with a block of three more. Purdue was able to give Florida a little bit of a scare before petering out down the stretch. UNLV upset Wisconsin, ending Alando Tucker's college career and capping a thoroughly poor tou...

To Watch Tonight...
• Women's College Basketball. Drake vs. Tennessee. I'm intrigued. Tell me more, Trey Wingo. 7:00, ESPNU. • NBA. Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Los Angeles Lakers. Like you could watch this with Drake/Tennessee going on. 8:00, ESPN. • Women's College Basketball. East Carolina vs. Rutgers. An ECU loss wou...

They Should Let This Guy Kick The Ball More Often
That's Tottenham goalie Paul Robinson, wondering why it's so damn hard for anyone else to score a goal. He buried this one from 75 yards out against Ben Foster, who I believe had a bit of a smile on his face there before turning around and fishing the ball out of his own goal....