nit Page 260 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

Hofstra Pride
1. What's in A Name? The team nickname was The Flying Dutchmen forever, and then it was changed to Pride in 2001. There was actually a bit of an uproar over this change, with many "well-educated" Hofstra alumni worried that the athletic teams would now be "gay" ... because, you know, Flying Dutchmen...

St. Joseph's Hawks
1. They Were Nearly "The Bomb." The famed Hawk mascot turned 50 this year, but the team nickname has been around since 1929, when a student yearbook editor started a contest for naming the athletic teams. "Hawks" just barely beat out "Grenadiers," the name of World War I soldiers who specialized in ...

We Could Learn A Thing Or Two About Loutish Behavior From The Brits
We Americans get so cute sometimes with our little disagreements in the stands at NBA games, and our occasional guy who runs onto the field to take the football from Brett Favre. Meanwhile, in England, they're doing things like this:...

Today In The Premiership...
• Arsenal 7-0 Middlesbrough. Holy Lord. 7-0? Did they let Arsenal use their hands? Man, there's real chance that Arsenal outscores the Chicago Bears this weekend. In fact, Thierry Henry might outscore the Bears himself, as he scored three of the seven....

Joe Paterno's Slip Of Tongue (Ugh)
It's a nice time to know Penn State coach Joe Paterno ... unless you're a woman, says the National Organization of Women. The organization has taken issue with Paterno's comments about Florida State linebacker A.J. Nicholson, who was accused of rape in a Florida hotel room. Here's what JoePa said:...

Some 1 A.M. Bowl Goodness
We're never reminded more of just how old we're getting than when we watch college freshmen play sports. Penn State kicker Kevin Kelly, we swear, has to be lying on his birth certificate; there's no way he's older than 12. The poor kid finally erased the chances he'd be a Buckner-type goat by fina...

Orange Bowl: A Contrast In Coaches
Everyone's making a huge deal about the coaching legends Joe Paterno and Bobby Bowden facing off in the Orange Bowl tonight. They're the two winningest coaches in Division I-A history, and they're both still going strong. It's nice when old people do well....

Today In The Premiership...
I don't know a whole lot about soccer, but I'm trying to learn... and I'm dragging you along with me, kicking and screaming....

Roy Keane Does The Celtic Jig
Famed Manchester United Hero-In-Exile Roy Keane has signed with Celtic until 2007, a move that could further signify the end of the Manchester United era. Our soccer expert chimes in with a report:...

Manchester United Having All Kinds Of Woe
We asked our Deadspin soccer correspondent just how important Manchester United's bouncing from the Champions League really was, and he wrote this. Pretend it's in our voice, and pretend we understand this soccer stuff....

Athlete Run-Ins: Lamenting Caminiti
Today's final athlete run-in story is a sad one, because it's a nice story about the late Ken Caminiti. It comes to us from Jason in Houston:...

George Best, R.I.P.
As all those who didn't like to play outside as a child mourn the passing of Mr. Miyagi Pat Morita, we pause to lament the passing of one of soccer's most popular players, George Best, a guy who drank hard, played harder and never met a pair of legs he couldn't scramble up....

Keane Bolts On Man U
For those of you who have your finger on the pulse of such matters, the big shocking news this morning is that Roy Keane — a soccer player so famous that we've heard of him — has left Manchester United — the team where he served as captain — after 12 years with the team. Of course, it's the middle...

Some Things You See That You Can't Unsee
From the evil-minded souls at Rotten.com — a site best viewed alone in an abandoned, completely dark dorm room, at 4 a.m. — comes a site that has apparently been around a while, though we hadn't seen it: The aptly named SportsDignity.com, which features countless photos of athletes (and fans) is v...

Joe Paterno ... Closet Raci — You Know, We Don't Have The Energy Anymore
Another day, another old college football coach being subtly accused of racism. The headline on ESPN.com's home page kind of lets you know how Penn State coach Joe Paterno's comments on black athletes is being spun: "Paterno Links Black Athletes To Increased Scoring."...

Manchester United Star Accused Of Rape
We know we're wading into dangerous territory — a sport that will openly confess to not understanding, to our own detriment, we're sure — but everybody tells us this is a big deal, so we'll run with it: Manchester United soccer player Cristiano Ronaldo has been arrested on suspicion of rape. He's ...

In Defense Of Joe Pa's Views Of Lesbians
(Honestly, we love that we get to write headlines like that.)...

Does Joe Pa Hate Lesbians Too?
Yesterday, we made a glib remark about Joe Paterno and Penn State's homophobic coach, because hey, we're a blog, we're glib, it's what we do. We joked that you could say what you want about Joe Paterno, but at least unlike his women's basketball coach, he didn't hate lesbians....

Richardson Nailed For A Costly Dunk
We know that a new paternity suit in the NBA can hardly be classified as "news" anymore, but hey, it's still pretty fun, right? Today's hammer fell down on Warriors dunk dude Jason Richardson, who is being sued by a former paramour — that means "lady he used to do it with" — for a monthly child su...

Glazer Throws Weirdo Fans a Bone
The impotent protest of Manchester United fans against the sale of the team to American Malcolm Glazer has inspired giggles from the rest of the world and yawns from the Buccaneers owner. Now, Glazer's representitives will meet with Premier League head Richard Scudamore to go over Glazer's "intentio...