yo Page 688 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

Justine Bateman Was NOT Roman Polanski’s Hot Tub Victim
This week's second Deadcast guest is actress, producer, and avid tumblr, uh, er, Justine Bateman....

One Smirk At A Press Conference Is Worth A 1,000 Box Scores
Got an image you'd like to see in here first thing in the morning? Send it to [email protected]. Subject: Morning crap...

Stephen A. Smith Tweets With Dusty Orange Fingertips
Stephen A. Smith was recently on the Best Damn Sports Show Period and that flash of national exposure has resulted in a raft of new Twitter followers. But some of them won't ever let him forget his snack habits....

Yorvit Torrealba's Son Rescued From Kidnappers
The Colorado catcher's 11-year-old son and two of the boy's uncles were kidnapped in Venezuela, but escaped before any ransom was paid. The incident was kept quiet by police and MLB until it was resolved. (Safely, thank goodness.) [Denver Post]...

The Problem With Wang
All right that's enough, people. Chien-Ming Wang (pronounced "wong," by the way) has been in the major leagues five seasons now and it has been well established that his surname is an English euphemism for "penis." Ha ha, very funny....

Economists Confirm That NBA Referees Are Biased
An academic study concludes that NBA zebras "tend to favor home teams, teams trailing in a game and teams trailing in a playoff series." Also, the team getting 10 points when Tim Donaghy is involved. [Oregonian]...

The Playoff Stress Has Really Taken A Toll On Stan Van Gundy
Got an image you'd like to see in here first thing in the morning? Send it to [email protected]. Subject: Morning crap...

John Sterling Still Struggling To Learn Yankees Lineup
"Voice of the Yankees" (as long as you don't own a TV) John Sterling has a made another memorable home run call. Mostly because he used his signature Alex Rodriguez-based "catchpharse" to celebrate a dinger by Hideki Matsui....

Surgeons All Up In LeBron's Face
LeBron James had a benign growth removed from his jaw yesterday. The good news is that surgery went fine, but the bad news is that he refused to shake hands with his doctors. [AP]...

Howling Wolves And Scary Wizards Aren't Good Enough For Red Sox Nation
Got an image you'd like to see in here first thing in the morning? Send it to [email protected]. Subject: Morning crap...

Joyless Mike Breen Threatens To Make Boring Finals Even More Unbearable
Of the many reasons to feel generally blah about the upcoming Magic-Lakers series, there is, above all, this sad fact: Mike Breen, the only man who watches basketball and cheers for the refs, is still the voice of the NBA finals....

The New York Times Somehow Finds A Silly Reason To Loathe Yankee Stadium
Leave it to the Times — the publisher's kid, no less — to come up with one of the dumber reasons to hate the infinitely hateable Yankee Stadium: The kiddies can't get autographs anymore!...

David Ortiz Is Still Worth More Than General Motors
David Ortiz's putrid 2009 numbers — .185, 1 HR, 18 RBI, 48 strikeouts — don't qualify for a government bailout, as his statistics translate to an approximate worth on the free agent market of negative $5.2 million. At least he's more valuable than Delmon Young. [Fangraphs, via Simon on Sports]...

FIGJAM Returns, Some People Depart
This is actually good news for those who like golf and story lines ready-made for sports columnists aching to showcase their Nicholas Sparks technique: Phil Mickelson will return to the PGA Tour, including the U.S. Open....

How LeBron Could Have Avoided Handshakegate Without Shaking Hands
Sports columnists must love LeBron James. Not only does he provide fanciful fodder during the regular season and permit them to wax rhapsodic as witnesses during the playoffs, but even when his season is done, he gives them the material they need for their next-day opinions....

Sir Charles Continues To Be The Most Bulletproof Person In Media
After his audible "pussy" blurt during Saturday night's Inside The NBA broadcast , Charles Barkley was reportedly given a stern talking-to by the suits at the TNT. Of course, that's all he received....

One Man's Fight For A Home Run Ball...In Pictures
We'll call Meech the "Unhappy Youngster" from now on. The photos are pretty incredible, though. [The Fightins]...

Redick And Morrison, Reunited And It Feels So Good
"Remember when they cried in college? Remember when they played Halo against each other? They were like Magic and Bird in college, except that they weren't in any way." Redick scored seven points in the conference finals. Morrison hasn't played since April 14. Guess that settles SI's cover question!...

One Theory About Lamar Odom's Consistency Problem
His fondness for candy. Yes. A Dr. Daniel Amen writes in a long essay: "I've been telling my patients for years that sugar acts like a drug in the brain. It causes blood sugar levels to spike and then crash, leaving you feeling tired, irritable, foggy and stupid. [LAT]...