si Page 652 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

A More Honest Version Of The Nike/Jordan Jeter "RE2PECT" TV Ad
Nike's Jordan brand released a new spot on YouTube today that has sports media outlets scrambling to heap on as much free advertising for the multinational sportswear behemoth and its retiring Yankees shortstop spokesperson as possible....


Maradona Calls Messi's Golden Ball Win A "Marketing Plan"
Lionel Messi was awarded FIFA's Golden Ball, as best player of the World Cup, and it was sort of a cruel selection. Not only did it highlight that the world's undisputed best player became increasingly less visible as the tournament wore on, but it forced Messi to receive his trophy on the pitch, wh...

Braves Suspend Dan Uggla For One Game, Reportedly For Tardiness
Braves second baseman Dan Uggla hasn't been a lineup regular since May, and with his .241 OBP, that makes sense. Tommy La Stella's taken his spot and hasn't provided any reason to give it back. Things got worse for Uggla today when Atlanta simultaneously called up another second baseman and suspende...

Every Univision ¡GOOOL! Of The World Cup, Ranked By Length
We've been fans of ESPN's excellent World Cup coverage, but for your money's worth it's tough to beat the live match broadcasts on Univision. Here's every goal scored thus far in the World Cup, stitched together into one very long ¡GOOOOOOOOOL!. Below you'll find a chart ranking every goal of the to...

ESPN: Where Casual Fridays Extend To On-Air Talent
Send stories, photos, and anything else you might have to [email protected]....

The Cavs Are The First Team In Over 25 Years To Have Four No. 1 Picks
With the addition of LeBron James, and assuming that no one is traded from now until the first game (which is obviously not a certainty), the Cleveland Cavaliers will become the first NBA team in more than 25 years to have four number one draft picks playing on the same team....

How Cleveland And <em>Sports Illustrated</em> Won The LeBron James Sweepstakes
As it happens, LeBron James's free agency, conducted under seemingly total radio silence, kicked off in earnest exactly when everyone thought it did: with a Cleveland radio guy reporting that Dan Gilbert's private jet was bound for Miami....

LeBron James To Sign With Cleveland: "It's Time To Get To Work"
Kaboom. After all that speculation, LeBron James has announced—in an as-told-to piece written for Sports Illustrated—that he will return to the Cleveland Cavaliers....

LeBron Would Be Nuts To Stay In Miami, Because Dwyane Wade Is Dead
In the commotion surrounding the immediate real estate plans of LeBron James and, to a lesser extent, a supporting cosmos of NBA stars, it has gone politely unsaid that one of the summer production's principals is—and in fact has been—dead. Dwyane Wade is no longer a great or even very good NBA pl...

How The World's Best Player Finally Won Over His Home Country
If there was one defining moment to memorialize what might be the tournament that solidifies Lionel Messi's place as the greatest soccer player of all time, it was the few seconds after he scored the game-winning goal in Argentina's first group stage match. The shot itself was a sign of what was t...

If you've been enjoying our excerpts and are in the New York area, tonight Dave Zirin will be discussing his book Brazil's Dance With The Devil as well as his time in Brazil during the World Cup during Gelf Magazine's Varsity Letters lecture series. Joining him will be basketball writer Roland Lazen...

Cruise Control: The Loopy Terror Of <em>Mission: Impossible—Ghost Protocol</em>
Tom Cruise is not like us. This was always pretty evident, but as recently detailed in this great Amy Nicholson L.A. Weekly story, it became inescapable fact around 2005, when he jumped on Oprah Winfrey's couch. That story is full of convincing evidence that the whole couch episode didn't happen t...


Argentine Player Hit In The Head, Stumbles And Falls, Stays In The Game
Argentina's Javier Mascherano couldn't even stand up after clashing heads with a Dutch player. He was taken off the pitch for only a couple moments—concussion protocol!—before returning. ...

Being Patient At The Plate Doesn't Correlate With Scoring More Runs
If you want a good baseball offense, you need to milk to pitch count. That's what it says in Moneyball, and it's been Red Sox gospel under Terry Francona. But as the graph above from The Hardball Times shows, it isn't significantly related to offensive production....

Showing Attractive Fans On TV? That Was One Man's Idea
Originally published on Slate....

Why Your World Cup Stadium Sucks: Estádio Nacional, Brasília
Estádio Nacional has the grim glory of being the most expensive stadium in Brazil, costing some $900m in public funds. (Now with more pictures!)...

World Cup Cuisine
George Zisiadis imagines the World Cup as a series of food mash-ups....
