us Page 808 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

Time To Retire The Verducci Effect: What <em>Really</em> Predicts Pitcher Injuries?
Originally published in Baseball Prospectus....

A Text Message From A South African Rugby Player May Be At The Center Of The Pistorius Shooting
Over the weekend, we learned of a South African rugby player, Francois Hougaard, who may or may not have once dated the woman Oscar Pistorius shot and killed, Reeva Steenkamp. According to one report, Pistorius and Steenkamp were fighting over a text message from Hougaard early Thursday morning, sho...

Australian Man Fights Cactus, Cactus Wins
With beer snakes, kangaroo delays, and a giant doping scandal, Australia is rapidly becoming our second-favorite sporting nation. Canada has some more catching up to do after this, a decidedly unsanctioned MMA bout between a shirtless man and an unsuspecting-but-not-defenseless cactus. The real wi...

Reports: A Bloodied Cricket Bat Was Found At Oscar Pistorius's Home And Reeva Steenkamp's Skull Was "Crushed"
South Africa's City Press is reporting that a bloodied cricket bat was found in Pistorius's home and that it may have been used against his girlfriend of four months, Reeva Steenkamp. Police are investigating several different scenarios involving the bat, including whether it was used against Steen...

Watch Raw Footage Of The Shot That Took The Bulls Past The Cavs In 1989, Jerry Reinsdorf's Post-Game Hug With Jordan, And An Amazing Media Scrum
We're not sure of the provenance of this footage—it comes to us from reddit, but we're not sure which TV station shot it—but it's all great: the crowd noise, the incredible baseline angle, the media scrum in which the local guy ("YOU STUCK IT BABY!") gets crowded out for a peeved James Brown and t...

The Young Football And Hockey Players Allegedly Disciplined For Making Harlem Shake Videos Are Getting Screwed By Alleged Adults
So, here are two news stories that illustrate the artificial (read: administrator-made) perils of being a young person who plays sports and does funny things with friends....

How Clark Olson Beats Everyone Else In Fantasy Everything
The guy who just beat everyone else in America at all the fantasy sports, again, is a computer science professor who is not so much into trades but who is really, really into spreadsheets. Clark Olson, the 2012 winner of ESPN's omnibus Uber Challenge fantasy game, again, tallied the high score acros...

How To Cook Sausage And Peppers: A Guide For The Stir Crazy
This is the worst time of year....

Report: Oscar Pistorius Attempted To Revive Reeva Steenkamp, Who Was Sitting On The Bathroom Sink When Shot
South African newspaper Beeld has contacted sources close to the police investigation of Oscar Pistorius's shooting of Reeva Steenkamp and filled in a few details about that morning: First, police believe that Steenkamp was sitting "on the lavatory"—bathroom sink—when Pistorius shot her through the...

Charles Barkley Kept Vaseline In His Belly Button During Games Because "There Is Nothing Worse Than A Black Man With Crusty Lips"
Last night, Karl Malone went on TNT's studio show and revealed, during Charles Barkley's rather conspicuous absence, a new and disgusting fact about Barkley that somehow hadn't seen the light of day. Are you ready? Eating breakfast? Put it down, maybe: Barkley used to keep vaseline (shudder) in his ...

Usain Bolt Continues To Move His Feet Incredibly Quickly, Even When He's Playing Basketball
The hijinks were fairly low-wattage on the first night of the NBA's All-Star Weekend— the Rising Stars game saw Kenneth Faried score 40 points on 18 of 22 shooting and Kyrie Irving do this to Brandon Knight, while United States Secretary of Education Arne Duncan scored 11 points in the celebrity g...

Media Somehow Find Way To Sell Boring Story Of World-Famous Olympian Charged With Murder
You had to feel bad for the editors of America when they heard that Oscar Pistorius was suspected of the murder of his girlfriend. I mean, sure, Pistorius is one of the most well-known athletes in the world, long held up as an inspiring tale of overcoming adversity. And sure, his involvement in a vi...

U.S. National Team Member Robbie Rogers Comes Out As Gay, Walks Away From Soccer
Rogers, who had 18 caps for the USMNT, starred for the Columbus Crew, and most recently played for Leeds United, has made the decision to leave soccer at just 25 years old. He made the startling announced in a post on his blog, in which he also publicly proclaimed that he's gay....

Russian Meteorite Damages KHL Arena, Putting Playoffs In Jeopardy
A meteorite exploded over the Russian city of Chelyabinsk today, shattering glass, damaging buildings, and injuring nearly 1,000 people. (Head over to Gawker for all your bolide porn.)...

Reports: Police Were Called To Oscar Pistorius's House Hours Before The Shooting, Reeva Steenkamp Was Shot Through The Bathroom Door
Oscar Pistorius appeared in a crowded Pretoria courtroom today, barely a day after he was arrested for the murder of Reeva Steenkamp, his girlfriend of four months. Steenkamp was found early Thursday morning in a puddle of blood, with four gunshot wounds to her head, chest, pelvis, and hand. A 9mm p...

<em>A Good Day To Die Hard</em> Is The Worst <em>Die Hard</em> of Them All
As far as action movie franchises go, the Die Hard films hold up pretty damned well. The first one is obviously a classic: Grierson summed up its enduring charms quite well over at IFC. But the way the movies worked never seemed a proper fit for a franchise. The greatness of Die Hard lies in large p...

Jim Boeheim Is Mad At Andy Katz Because Jim Boeheim Is An Officious Turd
Last night, Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim took time out of his post-game press conference to take a shot at ESPN's Andy Katz. "I'll answer anybody's question but yours," Boeheim said, "because you're an idiot and really a disloyal person."...

Flyers Prospect Accused Of Sexual Assault Has Had Some Really Tough Breaks, You Guys
What the hell is this?...

This Move By Rockets Rookie Donatas Motiejunas Belongs In An AND1 Mixtape
OK, so he probably didn't do this on purpose, but we still can't help but be impressed by Motiejunas's deployment of the old throw-the-ball-off-some-poor-sap's-shoulder move during last night's Rockets-Clippers game. Blinded by the brilliance of the trick, the Clippers' defenders could do nothing ...
