l Page 7985 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

Deconstructing Puppy Bowl III
Normally we would say that we take a back seat to no one when it comes to Puppy Bowl coverage; we love puppies, and even watched a few moments of the Bissell Kitty Halftime Show on Sunday. But we didn't count on Planet Haystack, whose coverage of this event was, well, comprehensive, to say the least...

The "Out" Scoop On Amaechi's Book
After we told you about John Amaechi's coming out in a few weeks as the gay former NBA player, the fine folks at OutSports, who had known about this for a while, released their story about the book, sections of which they have seen. Some fun tidbits:...

Ron Zook Will Turn Your Conventional Wisdom Upside Down
Our beloved alma mater, the University of Illinois, is having a mediocre year in basketball and has won, like, four games in two years, even forcing us to sit through a 33-0 loss to Rutgers last year that mostly resembled a cock fight between a rabid rooster and an egg. But worry not, fellow alums: ...

We Have To Ask ...
Suggested questions for today's ESPN SportsNation chatters ... • Noon. National Signing Day: For, like, anything in particular? Will there be snacks? Do I have to go to work? • 2 p.m. Baseball America's Jim Callis: May I openly loathe A-Rod now, or simply hold him in secret utter disdain as usual? •...

But When You Get Down To It, Does Michael Irvin Make Any More Sense?
Only a little more than a year to go before the 2008 Summer Olympics, which should just give the Chinese government enough time to run Beijing through spell check....

The Dakota Wizards Know How To Party
Not much on this sporting planet more glamorous than the NBA's Development League, nope. As evidence of the league's ability to raise the profile of a mere basketball player into an international superstar of unqualified proportions, we present this DraftExpress diary of Rod Benson, former Cal Golde...

Stephen A. Smith, Voice Of Reason In A World Of Insanity
OK, now we're not gonna get into politics this morning, but someone sent us this clip of Stephen A. Smith — listed as "Stephen Smith" — debating atheism on CNN. This isn't the first time he's debated non-sports topics on CNN, but this is the first time we've grabbed a clip....

NBA Roundup: It's Not Easy Being Celtic
Notes from Tuesday's games in the National Basketball Association ......

About Last Night ...
What you missed while celebrating your town's Return Carts to the Supermarket Month festivities... • NBA: It's a real Irish wake, and you're invited! Pistons hand Celtics 15th straight loss. • College basketball: Ohio State trounces Michigan? We have never heard of such a thing. • NHL: Devils beat R...

It's Like The Wii, But With Your MIND
Fascinating story in The Washington Post yesterday: A psychologist watched a group of fans viewing the Super Bowl in Philadelphia a couple of years ago and came away convinced that fans think they can control what's going on in the game....

To Watch Tonight
What to watch after running away from the killer rabbit ... • College basketball: Michigan at Ohio State; LSU at Tennessee. How many times will we hear the word "bubble" between now and the NCAA Tournament? [ESPN] • College basketball: Saint Joseph's at Villanova. Fear the Hawk! [ESPN2] • NHL: Minne...

Stuart Scott Is Ready To Kick Some Mustache Ass
The Big Lead has a fun wrapup of media party-related stories from the Super Bowl — which was Sunday, by the way — and we enjoyed this one considerably....

Leftovers: You're Doin' A Heckuva Job, Hockey
• President Bush, obviously not much of a hockey fan. [Out Of Left Field] • A big night in Philadelphia hoops tonight. [Fortress Of Pillows] • If you want to have some Spring Training fun, this is the place to be. (It kills us that we can't do this ourselves.) [U.S.S. Mariner] • Another grand Varsit...

Kevin Pittsnogle, All-Star For A 2-26 Team
You were wondering whatever happened to former Pittsburgh West Virginia hoops start Kevin Pittsnogle, weren't you? WEREN'T YOU? ADMIT IT!...

Your Anonymous Gay Former NBAer Is Less Anonymous Now (But Only Slightly So)
Last week, a Chicago Sun-Times "blog" mentioned that a former NBA player was going to come out of the closet on Valentine's Day, because that's a day for love. (Or desperate loneliness and regret. Pick your poison.) We'd heard this rumor, and some others have been speculating as well, and every sour...

Remembering The Long-Dead "The National"
Old-time media people might remember the short-lived "The National," a daily national sports newspaper founded by Frank Deford and featuring a lot of names you probably didn't know in the early '90s but certainly do now (Chris Mortensen, Keith Olbermann, Scott Ostler). As romantic as the idea of a d...

Blogdome: George Mason Back In Its Place
• In case you were wondering how George Mason was doing this year, the answer is "not well." [The Big Picture] • Look who the Dunk Contest judges are this year. [WBRS Sports Blog] • Mo Vaughn, making a difference in NYC. [I Dislike Your Favorite Team] • Bill Veeck would be 93 this week. A look back ...

Charles Barkley Will Split Those Nines And You Cannot Stop Him
We imagine that a night of gambling with Charles Barkley must be a lot like the scene in Casino where Nicky Santoro is losing at blackjack; very little tipping, and at some point Don Rickles ends up being savagely pummeled. Sunday was an exception though, as Barkley announced that he won $700,000 in...

Also, He Hired Snipers Outside The Training Facility, Just To Make It "Interesting"
What boxers put themselves through while training for a fight can border on the inhuman; if Rocky IV is to be believed, it's so rough that sometimes they're forced to grow a beard just to survive. Current world cruiserweight champion O'Neil Bell added a new wrinkle to the training process: throwing ...

Just What This Guy Needs: Free Stuff
We forget this sometimes, but the winner of the Super Bowl MVP is awarded with a brand new gas-guzzler for peddling their wares on the world's largest stage. Therefore, we have the sublime pleasure of watching a man who makes eight figures a season decided which mammoth Cadillac he'll give to staffe...