mat Page 135 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

ShortCenter: Matt Millen And Robert Smith Solve All Of College Football's Problems
What is ESPN prattling on about right now? We condense your morning SportsCenter to its essence....

The Falcons Need Some New Fourth-Down Plays
The cat-and-mouse game of defensive scheming decided both playoff matches yesterday, but in different ways. In Denver, the Steelers stacked the box, daring Tim Tebow to throw. He did. But at the Meadowlands, on a pair of fourth down conversions, the Falcons telegraphed a pair of sneaks up the middle...

NFL Wildcard Weekend Open Thread: Atlanta Falcons At New York Giants
Day two of the best weekend ever kicks off from New Jersey with Joe Buck and Troy Aikman guiding us through all the things they're not so sure wouldn't, shouldn't, couldn't or didn't happen....

Eli Manning and Matt Ryan: Post-Turnover Face-Off
The quarterback matchup today isn't just about who can throw for more touchdowns, it's also about who can make the most ridiculous face after giving one away to the other team. While the Manning face is certainly more renowned, Matt Ryan is certainly no slouch. In anticipation of today's head-to-h...

Analyst Trent Dilfer Would Rip Quarterback Trent Dilfer
We're doing a season-long NFL roundtable with our friends at Slate. Check back here each week as a rotating cast of football watchers discusses the weekend's key plays, coaching decisions, and traumatic brain injuries....

If The Canadiens' Interim Head Coach Doesn't Learn French, He'll Probably Be Fired
Montreal Canadiens' interim head coach Randy Cunneyworth doesn't speak any French. This is apparently such a problem among fans that the team's GM had to address the issue with the sort of groveling, mealy-mouthed statement you give when your coach blows a .48 on his Breathalyzer....

Was Matt Flynn's Big Game A Fluke?
We're doing a season-long NFL roundtable with our friends at Slate. Check back here each week as a rotating cast of football watchers discusses the weekend's key plays, coaching decisions, and traumatic brain injuries....

Most Of ESPN SportsNation Thinks NFC QB Matthew Stafford Is The AFC's Biggest Pro Bowl Snub (UPDATED)
For more information, the ESPN SportsNation poll results are available via this link until someone — anyone — in Bristol, Conn. realizes that the Detroit Lions are, in fact, an NFC team....

ESPN's <em>Monday Night Football</em> Intro Featured Betty White Talking About How Hot Matt Ryan Is
ESPN's been slowing scraping the bottom of the barrel since jettisoning Hank Williams, Jr., and this holiday-themed Betty White intro was less funny than weird. What, the usual New Orleans staples of zydeco and Cafe Du Monde weren't available? ...

Kobe Is (Allegedly) A Better Womanizer Than He Is A Basketball Player: A Statistical Analysis
The National Enquirer dropped one of its perhaps-truth bombs this week on Kobe Bryant's marriage (here's a summary, since the Enquirer wants you to splurge in the supermarket and didn't put its story online): The tab reports that Bryant had affairs with 105 women during the 10 years he was married t...

Because Bringing Your Dog To An English Premier League Match Makes Complete Sense
I suppose it's possible this Sunderland fan celebrating Nicklas Bendtner's opening goal over QPR at Loftus Road has a service animal of some sort, but I'm pretty sure seeing-eye dogs aren't meant to be tossed around like this poor pup. Sunderland won in a 3-2 heartbreaker. [BBC]...

Jerry Sandusky's Adopted Son Was Once Arrested For Repeatedly Calling Someone An "Ass-Licker"
Jerry Sandusky has six adopted children. One of them is Matt. He's a Second Mile kid who burned down a barn as a teenager and attempted suicide as a foster child in the Sandusky home in 1995. Plenty has been reported about Matt's unstable behavior, which includes several stalking and harassment inci...

This Is Don Mattingly As Mother Ginger In A Ballet Rendition Of <em>The Nutcracker</em>
The Dodgers manager's wife, Lori, had introduced him to the ballet. He "thought it would be fun" to join the company in his hometown of Evansville (Ind.), and he made his debut on Saturday night—blonde wig, makeup, blue dress, and all, thinking it "would be funny." Mattingly didn't dance, but based...

Penn State's Backup QB's "Minor Legal Issue" Was A Bottle Of Gatorade Stolen From The Dining Hall
While starter Matt McGloin remains questionable for the Ticket City Bowl after being knocked out by a teammate in practice, some light has been shed on backup Rob Bolden's legal troubles....

Penn State Wide Receiver Reportedly Knocks Out Quarterback Matt McGloin In Locker Room Scuffle
According to various Penn State reporters' twitter feeds, handily pieced together by Larry Brown Sports, the Penn State locker room played host to some more horsing around today as wide receiver Curtis Drake knocked out Matt McGloin following some "jawing in practice." ...

Ex-ESPN Analyst Matthew Barnaby Drove Nine Miles On Three Wheels While Drunk
Matthew Barnaby, the ESPN hockey analyst who promptly got canned after his DWI arrest earlier this month, pleaded guilty and apologized for "bad decisions" in court yesterday. There were reportedly some repentant tears to go along with it....

The Honey Badger's Father Don't Care Either
Though Baylor's Robert Griffin III won the Heisman Trophy this weekend, he probably hasn't been the most captivating player in college football this year. That distinction belongs to LSU's Tyrann "Honey Badger" Mathieu, a sophomore defensive back and returner, who finished fifth in the Heisman votin...


"Honey Badger Does Care": LSU Is Cracking Down On The Proliferation Of Tyrann Mathieu T-Shirts
The school's compliance office has issued cease and desist notifications—with a great headline, by the way—to the makers of several really cool T-shirts, even though the shirts don't mention LSU or Tyrann Mathieu by name. The reason?...

This Pretty Remarkable Goal Allowed Marseille To Advance To The UEFA Knock-Out Stage
"Mathieu Valbuena's late winner sealed a stunning comeback from Marseille in a 3-2 win against Borussia Dortmund to book the French side's place in the last 16 of the Champions League. ... Jakub Blaszczykowski and Mats Hummels put Dortmund in front at the break but Loic Remy and Andre Ayew drew Ma...