w Page 5064 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

Bill Belichick Ruins Yet Another Family
Danny Baugher dreamed of being a punter. He went to the University of Arizona, and signed late last year to the Patriots' practice squad. Big hopes, big dreams, this kid. Booming leg. Ten cent head. But just a strugglin' kid, hoping to catch a break. And then Bill Belichick sent him down the spiral ...

It's The NFC North Pants Party
OK, now it's time for the NFC Central North. We haven't seen anybody pick anybody other than the Bears yet. We suspect it won't be much different here....

Yahoo Fantasy Gets Its ESPN On
You thought ESPN had some trouble last year with their fantasy games? Yahoo had a major disaster of its own last night, at the worst possible time....

Scott Van Pelt Hates Anonymous Internet Garbage
It is amusing to watch a guy like Scott Van Pelt, one of the better ESPN personalities and a guy we certainly have our fair share of history with, struggle with the Internet. He is a Web guy, but he hates the Web; he fears becoming what he most despises....


It's The NFC East Pants Party
Considering the NFL season starts tomorrow, we figured it was probably time to stop dawdling and start previewing. You've seen all our NFL Season Previews — except for Dallas, which we're told is coming — and now it's time to go division-by-division. And do our yearly roundup of picks from around t...

A Kindly Plea For Tiki Barber To Shut The Hell Up
Tiki Barber, from all accounts, seems like a rather charming fellow. He's handsome, smart and obviously talented and comfortable in front of a camera; you don't just fall into a spot alongside Matt Lauer by stuttering and stammering. (This is why CBS went with Katie Couric rather than Eric Dickerson...

NL Central, What Would We Do Without You, You Crazy Nut?
You mocked the National League's Central Division. Called it the race nobody wanted. But now it's September, and it's the most compelling race in baseball, with three teams within a game of each other atop the standings. You've got Carlos Zambrano pouting into his sippy cup. Rick Ankiel not caring ...

About Last Night ...
What you missed while feeding your llama ... • MLB: Right back atcha ... Diamondbacks move back into virtual tie for first with Padres. Drama! • Tennis: Ferrer, not Federer, upsets Nadal at U.S. Open. • Gymnastics: Bend it like Horton ... lithe, flexible U.S. men qualify for Beijing Olympics....

To Watch Tonight
What to watch tonight that's hot, hot, hot. Come on, everybody sing! • Tennis: U.S. Open, at New York. Get a load of this pile of crap. [USA Network] • MLB: Mariners at Yankees. The AL Wild Card, and the fate of the nation, hangs in the balance. [YES Network] • Soccer: 2007 FIFA U-17 World Cup, Fran...

NFL Season Preview: New Orleans Saints
Believe it or not, folks, the NFL season is much closer than you can possibly imagine. So close, in fact, that, if we're going to fit in every NFL team preview by the start of the season, we have to go this early. So there you have it....

Don't Even THINK Of Ranking Michigan In Your Top 25
Dan Shanoff writes a weekly college football column for Deadspin. Email him to let him know what you think....

Three Days Later, The Upset Still Stuns
As much as we enjoyed the link to all the other Big Ten teams celebrating Michigan's loss, and as happy as we are for Appalachian State — some of whose fans actually saw this coming — we still have to focus on those Michigan fans, who saw their entire season (and perhaps so much more) evaporate in a...

About Last Night
What you missed after an extended weekend of light drinking ... • MLB: Vote For Pedro. Martinez returns, reaches milestone, Mets win. • Golf: Get your kicks, on Route 66 ... Mickelson defeats Tiger, now must rest for about two weeks. • College football: The Son Also Rises ... Clemson Tigers 24, Flor...

About Last Night
What you missed while searching for a matching shirt to go with your fishnet pants ... • Basketball: Carmelo Anthony is tired of bronze! U.S. 118, Argentina 81. • MLB: Let t be known that the Cardinals are above .500! I shall now bang this gong! • Motor sports: Wait, Danica gets to celebrate for fin...

Women Are From Venus, Ivanovic's Are From Heaven
While it's always good to see Venus Williams healthy and playing at her peak I can't help but lament the loss of her opponent. Ana Ivanovic (previously featured for her sexiness in these parts by Dan Shanoff) was easily the sexiest creature remaining in the women's draw—although Rafael Nadal sure is...

Ole' Ball Coach Has Half a Mind to Tear Off Corso's Merkin
When Steve Spurrier arrived at South Carolina questions arose as to just how quickly he could turn the perennial also-rans into legitimate contenders. As a an undying supporter of the Ball Coach (yeah, I got custom tags when he came to DC) I knew it would just be a matter of time. Unfortunately not ...