nl Page 197 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

Beckett, Lester Take Aim at Charity (and Pull Trigger)
Josh Beckett, putative Red Sox ace, believes the best charity comes at the end of a shotgun. Therefore, he has gathered all his rowdy friends (including fellow hurler Jon Lester-Who-Once-Had-Cancer, comedian Bill Engvall, and singer Troy Gentry) to his ranch this weekend, where they will hold the fi...

Ryan Leaf Has Gone and Ryan Leaf'd Himself Yet Again
And...scene. Former inept NFL quarterback Ryan Leaf seemed poised for success while coaching at DII West Texas A & M , but thanks to a recent pill-popping scandal, that career path might also be over for good. At first, Leaf was given a leave of absence by the university for him to work on his "pers...

Pill-Popping Trouble In Ryan Leaf Land
It was just a couple months ago when Portfolio.com did an interesting feature about the post-NFL career of quarterback Ryan Leaf, detailing his remarkable success as football and golf coach at West Texas A & M and, most surprising, the fact that he's still a multi-millionaire thanks to past endorsem...

No Hollywood Ending
What they're saying out in the ether about the Phillies' 5-1 win over the Dodgers in Game 5 of the National League Championship Series ... • But At Least I Have A Husband. (2008-10-15 3:40 p.m., PST) I just want to tell you all good luck. We're all counting on you. [Dodger Thoughts] • Farewell, Cond...

Oh Happy Day
Last February, I received an email from a friend-of-a-friend of the publisher at Philadelphia magazine who wanted to know if The Daily Examiner, the Philly mag blog I was writing for at the time, would be interested in having weekly interviews with Shane Victorino throughout spring training. The guy...

I Don't Believe What I Just Saw...
1988 was a year I didn't watch as much sports as I used to because I discovered Headbanger's Ball and had hair that looked like this, but I did watch the one-legged walk-off game by Kirk Gibson. (Most likely while ironing a Megadeth back patch to my jean jacket. Who got all the chicks?) As you may k...

LA Sports Bar Bans Dodgers Gear ... Phillies Gear OK, Though
My sports bar of choice when in the Los Angeles area? Big Wangs, of course. Now with two locations — Hollywood and North Hollywood — making it more convenient to head on over to watch Game 5 of the NLCS, and enjoy a heaping basket of Wangs Wings. Of course, if you're planning on wearing your Dodgers...

The New York Times Helps Matt Stairs Retrieve His Masculinity
Matt Stairs' stay as a Philadelphia's favorite 40-year-old beefy homer-hitting Canuck continues today, with a story about him in today's New York Times that gives America's baseball nation a closer glimpse at the 16-year vet. The whole piece focuses on Stairs' everyman-ness and how he's a "guys' guy...

Phillies Threaten To Eliminate Dodgers; PETA Threatens To Eliminate Phillies
What they're saying out in the ether about the Phillies' 7-5 win over the Dodgers in Game 4 of the National League Championship Series ... • Video: Shane Victorino And Matt Stairs. That may have been the most excited I've ever been watching a single swing of a baseball bat. If this Phillies team bea...

Matt Stairs Enters the Pantheon of Philadelphia's Portly Sports Heroes
When the Philllies added journeyman hitter Matt Stairs to their roster August 30th, it was a move that barely registered on most people's radar. Another left-handed bat off the bench seemed like something the Phillies didn't need — even though Geoff Jenkins was recovering from an injury — but with e...

NLCS Game Four Live Blog: Phillies Vs. Dodgers
The Dodgers want to even up this series at 2-2. Strangely, the Phillies don't agree with them on that issue. It remains to be seen if the Phillies will stay unbeaten in Deadspin live blogs, or if Tim McCarver will fall asleep sometime during the sixth inning. Derek "Derrick" Lowe will pitch against ...

Evan Longoria's Not Making a Lot of Amigos at ESPNDeportes
Nice catch by Shysterball, about a minor controversy from Evan Longoria's Eva Longoria-filled interview with Big League Stew's Dave Brown earlier this month. It stemmed from this question, where Brown pithily asked who on the team should not sport a Rayhawk: ...

Old People Fighting, Old People Pitching, And Alyssa Milano Feels Your Pain
What they're saying on the Intertubes about the Dodgers' 7-2 win over the Phillies in Game 3 of the National League Championship Series. Pictured: Third-inning benches-clearing scuffle, as Dodgers' first-base coach Mariano Duncan utters pleasantries to Phillies' first-base coach Davey Lopes. Combine...

Greetings from Angryville
Los Angeles Times columnist T.J. Simers touched a nerve with Philadelphia's finest cranks when he penned his pre-NLCS column about the long-established crappiness about my fair city of Brotherly Shove. To wit: "It's an angry place, all right, everything old here in Philadelphia, crumbling and in rui...

The Magic Of Prom Night, And Of Being 1-0 In The NLCS
Above we see Anna Li and Cody Yoka on the day of their Senior Prom back in May, and what a magical evening it must have been. It's every young lady's dream to attend prom in a gown dedicated to their favorite baseball team, especially if one attends an all-girls Catholic school, as does Miss Li. (No...

NLCS Game 1: Dodgers vs. Phillies
Wow, it's already the League Championship Series. If this were the NBA, tonight would be Game 2 of the first round. Instead it's Cole Hamels throwing when Derek Lowe isn't, and it's probably true the other way around. So sit back, relax, then stop. Jumpertime. * * *Top 9th 2 ...

Why Yes, Tim McCarver <i>Does</i> Have An Opinion About Manny Ramirez
The NLCS starts tomorrow ON FOX! We know Joe Buck is amped, but how does Tim McCarver feel about covering the Phillies, the Dodgers, and the story of the moment—i.e., Manny Ramirez Reborn? Well, let's just say Tim should bring some extra towels with him if he decides to head down to the Dodger locke...

'Shrine To Futility' Growing Outside Of Wrigley Field
As we chronicled this morning, Cubs fans passed through the anger phase of their playoff mourning ritual, and are now seemingly on to acceptance. A solemn 'Shrine of Futility' outside of Wrigley Field has been growing by the hour, as Cubs fans leave notes and artifacts lamenting their team's failure...

NLCS Preview: Phillies Vs. Dodgers
I pay so much closer attention to the National League than the American League, and I got both of the NLDS dramatically wrong. To be fair, I was trying to jinx the Cubs and spite the Phillies. Yes, I have that kind of power. So do you, actually. Being a fan rules. Series Schedule Game 1: Thursday, ...

In Which Cubs Fans Look To The Heavens And Ask, WTF?
If God is a Cubs fan, as some people say, He has a really sick sense of humor. So many reasons to be optimistic this season; only to fail once again. Mere words cannot describe the 100 years of frustration suffered by the North Siders, although some of the following blog entries come close. Come wit...