ti Page 1872 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

Your AL West "Preview"
Well, this is kind of cheating, considering the Oakland A's already played this morning, and lost, but we hope that having 1/162 of the season over already won't make you distrust our predictions any more than you already do....

Media Approval Ratings: Steve Phillips
It's not often you hear ESPN's Steve Phillips in the broadcast booth for a game, but hey, it's tough to turn down a trip to Japan. We think the days of the fake press conferences are over, but Steve Phillips remains, undaunted....

ESPN's Featured Comment Of The Day
ESPN scoured its message boards this morning to find its cleverest, boldest, most enlightening comment, and chose this one above all others ......

And So The Red Sox Love Begins
Say what you will about having the start of the baseball season happen in Japan, but, all told, it's not too shabby to come into work and watch the end of a game while drinking your coffee. And if you're a Red Sox fan, it's doubly pleasant....

At Last, The Glory Of Youkilis Is Introduced To Japan
Well, it's doesn't feel the start of the baseball season tomorrow morning — jeez, like, 11 hours from now — but it is, in fact, the beginning: The Red Sox and the A's, in the Tokyo Dome, 6 a.m., baseball is here ... kind of....

It's Still Not As Dangerous As A Typical Eagles Game
Please bear with me if you've seen this before; any time I see something this large and angry go into the stands that isn't Ron Artest, I must post it. Three things of note here: 1. Love the three guys sitting under the little overhang in the middle there, safe from harm in the stadium's finest lux...

Your AL East "Preview"
The baseball season officially kicks off tomorrow, though no one will really think of baseball as happening until next Monday. (Or maybe that Braves-Nationals game on Sunday night.) So we figured this would be the last week to actually start previewing each division. So we're gonna hit one a day, s...

Media Approval Ratings: Stuart Scott
Last week, The New Republic, in a post about Sen. Barack Obama calling into a Philadelphia sports talk radio station, unleashed the following groaner:...

Does Anybody Buy What Memphis Is Selling Anymore?
A "bold" proclamation: If Memphis doesn't at least make the Final Four this year, no matter what their record is next year, they're not getting a No. 1 seed. The team has looked downright wobbly so far and just about blew it yesterday. Though at least Derrick Rose was able to keep playing past the f...

To Watch Tonight
What to watch while wondering where your dad went with that meat... • NBA: Detroit Pistons at Washington Wizards. And sadly, I won't be attending. [ESPN] • WCBB: Women's Tournament Whip-around coverage. [ESPN2] • Movie: Futurama: Bender's Big Score. [Comedy Central]...

Things That Draw In Denver When Attendance Is Dead
As you may or may not know (probably the latter) the Denver Nuggets and Colorado Avalanche aren't doing so well from a financial standpoint. Hell, the Broncos have already begun downsizing. For some reason the city of Denver isn't stuffing enough cash into the coffers of their pro franchises. Of cou...

About Last Night
What you missed while discovering the fashionable new way to transport your dog... • CBB: The Hoosier's debacle of a season is over. • CBB: Against all odds, all four number one seeds advanced to the second round. Memphis made sure of it with a thumping over UT-Arlington, although somebody must hav...

Red Sox, A's Look Like They'd Rather Not Be In Japan
The Boston Red Sox and Oakland A's landed in Japan yesterday — their series starts Tuesday at 6 a.m. ET — after an 18-hour flight. We've never taken an 18-hour flight, but if we did, the last thing we'd want as soon as we got off the plane would be a bunch of photographers ready to take our picture....

Obama Vs. McCain: The Only Way To Decide
Barack Obama's NCAA Tournament office pool brackets vs. John McCain's: It's a battle for the ages, the likes of which America hasn't seen since the great Lincoln-Douglas baseball rotissierie league showdown of 1859. Who will prevail? The race for the White House — and the fate of the nation — may ha...

It's So Cute When Newspapers Fight Over The Cubs
The Chicago Sun-Times announced earlier today that Katie Hamilton, a 22-year-old college student, won its "Zell No" video contest. The newspaper says her entry "chastises [Tribune CEO Sam] Zell for pondering the sale of Wrigley Field's naming rights." What the paper didn't seem to realize was that H...

Media Approval Ratings: Buster Olney
When we first moved to New York, Buster Olney was the anonymous, goofily named reporter in The New York Times who knew pretty much everything you needed to know about baseball. He was their star. And then he went to ESPN. He's not the star anymore, but at least everybody knows his name now....

What's Half A Year's Salary For An Image That Lasts A Lifetime?
Say what you will about the supposed coarseness of new media and today's supposed graceless sports culture, but at least we didn't go in and start snapping nude photos of future legends. That's Willie Mays. Almost nude. And it will cost you only 25 grand to see the real Say Hey junk....

Bonds, Clemens Providing Endless Comedy Fodder For Minor League Teams
As long as Minor League Baseball has general managers willing to put out comedy press releases, Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens will always have job offers. Last week we told you about the Huntsville Stars' offer to make Clemens their backup mascot. Then on Wednesday, Bonds — who wants to play in the ...