open-thread Page 20 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

Your NBA Playoffs Open Thread
The NBA Playoffs start with four games on today's schedule. Pacers vs. Bulls at 1 p.m. Sixers at Heat at 3:30 p.m. Hawks at the Magic at 7 p.m. Blazers at Mavs at 9:30 p.m. Throw all the octopi you want; it's fantastic. Except in Orlando, where they're already scared Dwight Howard might take his ta...

Your NHL Playoffs Open Thread
At 7 p.m., the Canadiens visit the Bruins. Then, the Flyers host the Sabres. Finally, the nightcap features the Los Angeles Kings and San Jose Sharks. HOCKEY. (PHOTO: Afflictor)...

Your Start Of The National Hockey League Playoffs Open Thread
So, the hockey season that actually matters is about to start, with the Phoenix Kai Oats visiting the Red Wings (Nos. 6 and 3 in the Western Conference respectively) and the Tampa Bay Lightning heading to Pittsburgh for some 4-versus-5 eastside action....

Your Final Round Of The Masters Open Thread
There's a story on the Masters website about how Rory McIlroy and Jason Day set aside the "fun and frivolity" of "talking about random stuff, about Florida, jumping on Sea-Doos" during yesterday's round. Oh, those crazy kids....

Your Masters Open Thread
Tiger Woods and KJ Choi are scheduled to tee off at 2:35 p.m., with Jason Day and Rory McIlroy to follow 10 minutes later. CBS coverage of the third day of the Masters commences at 3:30 p.m. If you can't wait that long, there's live coverage online, too....

Your UConn-Butler NCAA Championship Open Thread
This one's for a considerable amount of the Tostitos. Will it be the likable Bulldogs, swiftly moving from giant-killers to giants? Or the Huskies, who haven't lost since we still considered the Big East fearsome?...

Your Other Opening Day Open Thread
Aw, don't feel bad that MLB gave you a Friday game to open the season. For example, it's slightly more acceptable to booze your way through the game. We're looking at you, Phillies fans....

Your First Night Game Of The Season Open Thread
Opening Day for 12 of 29* Major League Baseball franchises comes to a close with a Giants/Dodgers game. One team is the defending World Series Champion; the other fills some seats with gang-bangers. Facts....

Your Opening Day Open Thread
It seems like just yesterday that Tim Lincecum and the Giants were donning their dong-hats as world champions, but baseball is here again, and we're so happy about it. In the early-afternoon block, we've got Tigers-Yankees, Braves-Nationals, and Brewers-Reds. Express your giddiness, joy, and/or curs...

Your Second Elite Eight Open Thread
Virginia Commonwealth and Kansas will play for the right to face Butler in the Final Four next Saturday. The winner of Kentucky/North Carolina will draw UConn. Let the games begin....

Your First Elite Eight Open Thread
The Elite Eight will become seven after the Butler/Florida game, which tips off around 4:30 p.m. Seven will become six after Arizona tries to do to UConn what it did to Duke. (It really never gets old.) And then, we'll wait for tomorrow to learn the other two entries into the 2011 Hall of Final Fou...

Your Second Sweet Sixteen Open Thread
Remember kids, now that Duke is gone, UNC is the new Duke. They're up first tonight against Marquette. Also on the slate: Richmond-Kansas, Kentucky-Ohio State, and an intriguing VCU-Florida State game that will decide our weekend's Cinderella representative....

Your Omnipresent Sweet Sixteen Starter Open Thread
Tourney games is comin', yo. UConn/San Diego State at 7:15 p.m. BYU/Florida a dozen minutes later. Arizona/Duke at 9:45 p.m.-ish. Finally, Butler and Wisconsin close out the Sweet Sixteen's first night starting at three minutes before 10 or thereabouts....

Your NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen Finishing Touches Open Thread
In the next few hours, all attendees will have RSVP'd for the Sweet Sixteen extravaganza. The final five match-ups are Arizona vs. Texas; VCU vs. Purdue; Marquette vs. Syracuse; Illinois vs. Kansas; and in the weekend's final game, Florida State vs. Notre Dame....

Your NCAA Tournament Early Games/Return Of Gus Open Thread
Washington and North Carolina tip off at 12:15 p.m., followed by Michigan vs. Duke at 2:45 p.m. Who knows, maybe Jalen and Bobby and Grant and Tom will put on a halftime slap fight....

Your Late Round-Of-32 Games Open Thread
Today's second batch of games starts around 6:10 p.m. eastern with Temple vs. San Diego State. About an hour later, Butler goes up against Pittsburgh. Then, it's Gonzaga vs. BYU and Kansas State against Wisconsin....

Your Early Round-Of-32 Games Open Thread
In the early game, a Kentucky team that barely beat Princeton faces a West Virginia team with a coach who's 8-1 against the head Wildcat....

Your Night Games Open Thread
This one's your open thread for the rest of the evening. First up we've got BU-Kansas, LIU-UNC, St. Peter's-Purdue, and Marquette-Xavier....

Your Open Thread For The Second Block/Batch/Wave Of NCAA Tourney Games
Memphis-Arizona, Hampton-Duke (in Charlotte), FSU-Texas A&M, and UTSA-OSU. Fun fact: late afternoon is always the lowest-rated block of games on TV. It's why you see a ton of mismatches there, and we could be in for a few blowouts today. Let's hope not: go Hampton....

Your Tourney Day 2 Open Thread, Featuring The Debut Of Gus Johnson
The opening slate of games features Oakland-Texas, Tennessee-Michigan, Akron-Notre Dame, and George Mason-Villanova. We've been aware of a growing mini-backlash against Gus recently, so we'll lay down our official position now: he seems like a nice guy who really likes basketball, and isn't overexpo...