w Page 4844 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

Spell F-A-I-L-U-R-E, Kid
We'll confess: We love the Scripps Howard National Spelling Bee. We watch every minute we can, and apparently we're not alone, considering ABC is broadcasting the finals live tomorrow night in primetime. (To the network's eternal credit, Robin Roberts will be hosting, not Stuart Scott. Whew.)...

World Cup Preview: Group A
The World Cup is almost here! So that you aren't caught flat-footed, we're previewing each group, in no particular order, to explain why your team has no chance to win (you'll thank us later). Today: Group A! If you have any thoughts on a particular group, send them to [email protected]. Operators...

NASCAR Shocks!
A reader sends us this picture, which he took of NASCAR veteran Rusty Wallace at The Sanctuary, a golf resort in Charleston, S.C. He didn't think much about it until he got home and noticed Wallace's shirt....

In Support Of More Lego Violence
Inspired by this well-done ranking of the best five baseball fights — we agree that Nolan Ryan pounding Robin Ventura is No. 1, but Izzy Alcantara catcher-face-kick/take-on-all-comers minor league battle is one of the more underrated sports events of our lifetime — we are proud to showcase The Bat...

To Watch Tonight
What to watch as you realize that some people's faces were not made for high-definition TV (we're talking about you, Pete Postlethwaite) ... • MLB: Chicago White Sox at Cleveland. How sweet is it to be Jim Thome right about now? [ESPN] • NBA Playoffs: Conference finals, Game 4, Dallas at Phoenix. If...

Great Moments In Academic History
Outstanding yeoman's work from The Seattle Times' Bud Withers, who, apropos of nothing, decided to chronicle various college athlete amusing misdeeds from throughout the years. Our favorites include the tennis player hopping from car hood to car hood waving his racket around, the Cincinnati player...

Let's Go Buckeyes! Yeah!
As we continue to sift through the rubble of last Thursday — a day we are perfectly comfortable with commemorating with the "Deadspin Festivus" moniker, from now into eternity — we check in again on Carl Monday, who, as always, reminds us to ask, "Are our libraries a beacon of light ... or a cessp...

World Cup Preview: Group D
The World Cup is almost here! So that you aren't caught flat-footed, we're previewing each group, in no particular order, to explain why your team has no chance to win (You'll thank us later). Today: Group D! If you have any thoughts on a particular group, send them to [email protected]. Operators...

From Stoned To Brewer
On Sunday, Philadelphia's Ryan Howard hit yet another home run, his 12th of the month. The guy's hot, and, judging from his physique, pretty obviously not on steroids. But that's not the most interesting part of his homer; what we're fascinated by is whom he hit it off....

The Closer: Amazin' Dave's Greatest Hits
Notes from a day in baseball:...

Say Goodnight, Detroit
We tend to agree with True Hoop: Something inside the Pistons looks broken. After the Heat's 11-point win over the Pistons last night, they're one game away from their first conference NBA finals ever and changing the face of the Pistons forever. (As True Hoop points out, are they really going to ...

I Will Joust You With My Finger, Bitch.
It's very sadly missing from the Sunday TV sports lineup, but there is a hot new sport on the horizon. It's called Finger Jousting, and it's sweeping the... okay, it's not sweeping the nation or anything else. But they do have a website. So that's step one. Here's how the sport works:...

To Watch Tonight...
• Soccer. International Friendly, Latvia @ United States. It's time to work up some good, old-fashioned hatred for Latvia. 7:00, ESPN2. • NBA Playoffs. Dallas Mavericks @ Phoenix Suns. This is the series where they run and score a lot of points... not the boring one where they walk the ball up and t...

NASCAR Gets An Asterisk Of Its Own
When the Coca-Cola 600 kicks off later today, Michael Waltrip will make his 262nd consecutive start, which ranks sixth on the all-time list. But I'm favor of adding a big fat asterisk to Waltrip's spot on the list, because he didn't earn his spot, he bought it....

Ironhead Heyward Passes Away
Craig "Ironhead" Heyward has passed away at the age of 39. He'd been battling a brain tumor for more than seven years, and it finally got the better of him. I think most people will remember him for four things, not necessarily in this order: 1) An outstanding college career at Pitt. 2) A non-quit...

I'm Getting A Good Vibe From This World Cup...
Since we're already on a pretty good masturbation theme this week, I want to be sure that we don't leave out the ladies. If the video of Mike Cooper in a library wasn't quite doing it for them, the England soccer vibrator may do the job. The company's website makes some bold claims:...

Today In Soccer...
Germany 7-0 Luxembourg. Lots of international friendlies going on today in preparation for the World Cup, and you know, I don't think it would kill Germany to be nice to Luxembourg, just once. They unleashed a serious beating on the undermanned 'Bourgers today, with two goals each from Oliver Neuv...

More Hasselhoff On Your Friday Night Than You Probably Expected
The Mavericks found their groove against the Suns last night, winning 105-98, putting the series at 1-1 heading back to Phoenix. The three stars of the evening: Dirk Nowitzki, who had 30 points, 14 boards, and 6 assists. Josh Howard, who had 29 points and 7 boards. And David Hasselhoff, who is th...

Week In Deadspin: "Get Away From Me, Carl Monday!"
• So we probably don't need to say much more about our new friends Mike Cooper and Carl Monday. • If only people loved themselves as much as they love a horse. • ESPN anchors are now GQ models. History will not think of us well, people. • Careful of those trampolines, kiddo. • Pat Robertson is pac...

To Watch Tonight
What to watch as you sort through your fan mail ... • NBA Playoffs: Western Conference finals, Game 2, Phoenix at Dallas. "Win Or Gome Home!" But, um, the Mavericks already are home. [TNT] • NHL Playoffs: Eastern Conference finals, Game 4, Carolina at Buffalo. Welcome to the Sabres' website. Notice ...