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Oh, By The Way, Pitchers And Catchers Reported Today
With all the mess of this steroid Congress business (hopefully) behind us, perhaps we look to the land of happy: Pitchers and catchers reported today!...

Media Approval Ratings: Chris Mortensen
Mr. Mortensen, ESPN's NFL reporter who isn't a cranky old coot, has been on the air less and less in recent years. We always enjoyed him bickering with Bill Parcells, back when they were on NFL Countdown together. Mr. Mortensen certainly receives some credit for siring an actual, real live football ...

Media Approval Ratings: Jim Gray
True story: Way back in 1998, when we were a wee lad logging agate text at The Sporting News, one of the magazine staffers sent a company-wide email after Jim Gray's famous Pete Rose interview demanding that all writers sign a petition saying that Gray should be fired. We found this a bit extreme, a...

Latrell Sprewell Could Use A Raft Of Some Sort
In case you have forgotten, in 2005, according to Wikipedia, here's where Latrell Sprewell stood, contract-wise....

We Watched The NFL Pro Bowl So You Didn't Have To, But We're Not Doing It Again
The sports world has no greater spectacle than the Pro Bowl. Therefore, we dispatched Zach Everson to write about the Pro Bowl for us. He's out in Hawaii. Jerk. Here's his final dispatch....

Introducing The Media Approval Ratings
One of our favorite features ESPN.com has run is the NFL Coach Approval Ratings. We liked watching the fluctuation, seeing a coach go from 81 percent to 20 percent with one loss. But mostly, we liked the collective wisdom of Crowd. We trust Crowd's judgment. Therefore, we've decided to start a new f...

Anti-ESPN Christian Protest Sure To Draw In Five, Maybe Six People
You only have 45 minutes, folks, to get thee to Bristol ("across from the McDonald's," actually) to join the Christian Defense Coalition's protest of ESPN. They're still fired up about the Dana Jacobson mess, but they seem more incensed these days by the infamous Chris Berman video....

The Heavy-Hearted Pro Bowl Starts Now
So, that'll be it for me today. Please enjoy the Pro Bowl festivities. Remember to pour a Pina Colada out to pay tribute to fallen soldier Sean Taylor....

Braylon Edwards Honors Sean Taylor His Own Way
Today the NFL season officially ends with the annual Pro Bowl game in Honolulu. Its a day filled with Gonzo Friday-esque wardrobes, leis, coconuts, and, in this year's, hearfelt Sean Taylor tributes. Redskins reps Chris Cooley, Ethan Albright, and Chris Samuels will all be wearing Taylor's number 21...

God, I Miss Jack
Depending on how you feel about professional eating, this could be somewhat amusing for those of you who love the sport, but unfortunately have a stomach the size of a fieldmouse. A California-based video gaming company is trying to put together a "virtual" professional eating game and went as far a...

Lunch Break With Judas Priest
Clare, get a Flyers chant going on while I'm gone....

"Fun" In The "Sun" At The NFL Pro Bowl
The sports world has no greater spectacle than the Pro Bowl. Therefore, we dispatched Zach Everson to write about the Pro Bowl for us. He's out in Hawaii. Jerk. Here's his first dispatch; he'll file again for Monday....

A Tale Of Two Trades
Every two weeks, the gents at Free Darko will be taking a look at the deranged ecosystem that is the National Basketball Association in their own indelible fashion. Here's this week's entry, from Bethlehem Shoals....

About Last Night
What you missed while putting up your Super Tuesday decorations ... • NBA: Yes, I traded Iverson back to the Sixers. Sorry. Philadelphia Denver 105, Portland 103. • College basketball: Cardinals win! Cardinals win! Cardinals win! • NHL: Bad CuJo! No biscuit! Bad! Oilers 5, Flames 0....

Pitchers And Catchers Will Report Sooner Than We Think
OK, so now football is over. We can all move in with our lives, with a newfound focus on the America East conference and the MEAC. But don't worry: Spring Training is so freaking close now....

To Watch Tonight
What to watch as you subsist on various leftover dips ... • College basketball: Louisville at Marquette (7 p.m., ET); Missouri at Kansas (9 p.m., ET) [ESPN]; Gonzaga at Saint Mary's (11 p.m., ET) [ESPN2]. It's just possible that the best of these six teams is that last one listed. • College women's ...

Dick Questions For Coach Bob Huggins, Press *1 On Your Telephone Please
On Wednesday, Will told you about a group of pranksters who had successfully crashed some SEC women's basketball coaches' teleconference. On Thursday, Steinz informed the masses that the Big East men's coaches had been hit. On Friday, The Big Lead posted the audio. God, I love the Internets!...

Ethan Albright, Finally Vindicated
Remember Ethan Albright? The Redskins long snapper who had the worst rating in all of Madden 2007 and was immortalized in The Phat Phree's famous mock letter to John Madden? Well, his rating won't be so low next year: He's going to the Pro Bowl....

The Ultimate Warrior Likes All But One Of Heath Ledger's Movies
If you're like me, your social and political outlook is heavily influenced by blogs written by former pro wrestlers. You may or may not remember The Ultimate Warrior (aka Brian James Hellwig), who retired from the WWF in 1997 after a contract dispute. To let you know what kind of guy we're dealing w...

Hey, At Least SOMEONE Was Calling In
We remember the old days, back when we were dorfing around at the Daily Illini, of media conference calls with Big Ten coaches. Gene Keady would ramble on too long, Lou Henson would drone that earnest whine of his and Bob Knight, of course, would never show up. It was strange, really, to have a phon...