mat Page 113 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

Great Ape: <em>Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes</em>, Reviewed
Three years ago, expectations for Rise of the Planet of the Apes were understandably low. The director (Rupert Wyatt) wasn't well-known, a lot of people despised the film's star (James Franco) for his Renaissance Man routine, and we all remembered how terrible Tim Burton's 2001 Planet of the Apes...

Head Of FIFA Corporate Partner Arrested In Ticket-Scalping Sting
It took a few weeks, but we've finally gotten a 2014 World Cup corruption story. Ray Whelan, the chief executive of Match Hospitality, a FIFA corporate partner that sells tickets and hospitality packages for the World Cup, was arrested on Monday as part of a Brazilian investigation into the illega...

Belgium's Extra-Time Goals Put Them Up 2-0
A rough sequence for Matt Besler led to Belgium's goal early in extra time. He got run through by just-subbed-in Romelu Lukaku, then over-committed while trying to help out on Kevin De Bruyne. Tim Howard can't save 'em all; but there's plenty of time left. ...

Cameroon To Investigate World Cup Match-Fixing Allegations
Following some very specific and accurate predictions from a convicted match-fixer, Cameroon soccer's governing body has announced it will probe the possibility of fraud in the team's World Cup performance....

Phillies Play-By-Play Guy Catches Home Run, Throws Ball Back On Field
The Phillies announced earlier in the week that their three-man broadcast team of Tom McCarthy, Canadian Stone Cold Steve Austin Matt Stairs, and Jamie Moyer would call Friday night's game against the Braves from a special location in centerfield. Good idea!...

Walter Matthau, '70s Action Hero: The Lurid Charms Of <em>Charley Varrick</em>
For much of his adult life, Walter Matthau looked like a weathered chew-toy version of Ronald Reagan, not like anyone's idea of an action hero. But for a three-movie run of early-'70s crime thrillers, he made a case for himself as one of the all-time great movie tough guys, a calm and sardonic every...

Listen To Vin Scully Tell A Charming Story About Bird Shit
"And that's the story of Mike Matheny and the bird poop."...

Pat Sajak Asks Gay <em>Wheel</em> Contestant About The Woman In His Life
A man named T.K. Klotz appeared on Wheel of Fortune tonight, and apparently put on his contestant questionnaire that he's recently engaged. Show host Pat Sajak brought up the "woman who agreed to marry" Klotz during the introductions; no, no, that's not right....

Ghana Soccer Official Involved In Match-Fixing Sting
The president of Ghana's soccer association was caught on camera negotiating a contract that would have Ghana playing in fixed international matches. The Telegraph and Dispatches conducted a six-month undercover investigation into Ghana's soccer association and found that they were set to pay a comp...

Matt Joyce Hits Ball Back Into Pitching Machine; Machine Fires It Again
Your latest baseball oddity comes courtesy of Matt Joyce. During Thursday's batting practice, the Rays designated hitter fouled a ball that bounced off the top of the cage and right back into the pitching machine's loading slot. The machine then zipped another strike before Joyce realized what had h...

Cards Manager Mike Matheny Didn't Like Jonathan Lucroy's All-Star Ad
Brewers catcher Jonathan Lucroy's All-Star ad poked fun at the St. Louis Cardinals, their NL Central rivals, and it was legitimately funny. Today, someone asked St. Louis manager Mike Matheny for his thoughts on the anti-Cardinals spot, and he thought it was hilarious. Nah, just kidding....

Mike Florio To Eagles Receipt Prankster: "Grow Up"
Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio—journalist, TV personality, and lawyer at Schmuck, Hack, and Gasbag LLP—has some thoughts on Eagles guard Evan Mathis's receipt gag:...

The Eagles' $64,000 Receipt Is Fake And Has A Hidden Message
Last night, guard Evan Mathis tweeted out this receipt, purportedly from a hearty steakhouse dinner with drinks, that after tax and (three percent) tip, came out to a whopping $64,055.76. The caption: "Teaching rookies a lesson..."...

Watch Famous World Cup Goals In Gorgeous Painted Animation
Just by its nature, each World Cup is more certain to produce indelible moments than just about any other sporting event we have. Here are a bunch of the best, animated beautifully by Richard Swarbrick....

Double Dragon: <em>How To Train Your Dragon 2</em>, Reviewed
Celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, DreamWorks Animation has enjoyed plenty of commercial and critical success, winning two animation Oscars and earning almost $11.6 billion worldwide. And yet, the company remains in the shadow of Pixar, which in about the same amount of time has won sev...

Sportswriter Fired For Calling Louisiana City "Worst Place In America"
Matthew Stevens, formerly the Mississippi State beat guy for The (Columbus, Miss.) Commercial Dispatch, recently got back from Lafayette, La., where was covering an NCAA baseball regional. On his radio show, Stevens had some not-so-kind things to say about the host city:...

This Guy Will Be Representing England In The Marathon
If you've ever been fat, lazy, addicted to cigs and junk food or old, or if you have a job, you might find Steve Way's story inspiring. ...

My Anger Therapy
Here's an excerpt from Bosnian-American writer, MacArthur "genius" fellow, and Howler contributor Aleksandar Hemon's new e-book, The Matters of Life, Death, and More. It'll give you a little taste of how seriously this World Cup debutante nation takes its soccer....

The Nationals And Rangers Both Challenged The Same Play
A little bit of baseball replay history, and an old-fashioned inexplicable Ron Washington decision, all on a simple stolen base attempt....

Just Shirtless Tyrann Mathieu Singin' And Drinkin' Some Rosé
Here we have Cardinals free safety Tyrann Mathieu and Nichols State wide receiver Terry Lucas, Jr. singing and waving around a bottle of some Belaire rosé....