yo Page 689 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

I Wonder What Kind Of Clever Anti-Kobe Shirts Orlando Has In Store?
Probably nothing as incendiary as the "Our Turn To Rape Kobe" t-shirt worn by this female Nuggets fan, but I hope for the best. Although it's probably highly unlikely if any Magic fans share the diminutive right brain size of Orlando Sentinel columnist Mike Bianchi....

Charles Barkley Plays By A Different Set Of Broadcast Rules
Charles Barkley's impromptu, line-crossing NBA analyst technique is what endears him to millions and it continues to amaze me how much he gets away with on-air/off-court without any career-ending consequences. The latest installment: Last night's TNT broadcast where Sir Roundmound calls Kenny Smith...

It Only Took 25 Innings...
But the University Of Texas beat Boston College with a one-out single to secure a 3-2 victory. It was the longest NCAA baseball game in history. Other records of note: Texas reliever Austin Wood pitched 12 1/3 innings of no-hit ball; two Longhorns had a record-tying 12 at-bats." [MLB.com]...

The Posnanski Curse Proves Fatal For Cleveland
Pity the NBA fan whose interest in the next round hinged upon a Kobe-Lebron showdown. Not to be. Orlando's magicicianship was too formidable, even to those who Witnessed. Hopefully this match-up will prompt the Henson cobbling team to create a Hedo Turkoglu muppet. [SI]...

Who Wouldn't Want A Mo Williams Tall Tee?
Alex is the biggest Cavaliers fan that he knows, and he prefers to wear his passion in the form of homemade clothing dotted with references to LeBron's Team....

Kobe Holds Up His End Of The Bargain
NBA executives can breathe a sigh of relief — even if LeBron loses tonight, at least they'll have Kobe Bryant in the NBA finals. Bryant scored 35 and the Lakers pounded the Nuggets 119-92, showing off the killer instinct that they established at just the right time. [OC Register]...

Why Your Stadium Sucks: AT&T Park
This is a new weekly feature in which I (and maybe you, too, readers) detail the various reasons for hating your ballpark. This week: The San Francisco Giants' AT&T Park....

Rugby Player Guilty Of Manslaughter After On-Field Hit
A high school rugby player in Canada was convicted of manslaughter after he engaged in some "extracurriculars" as they like to say—or "a brutal unprovoked attack" depending on your point of view—that accidentally killed an opposing player. Should the fact that they were playing rugby make any differ...

Kobe Bryant's Greatness Lacks Airness
"...Jordan broke his challengers, convincing every player in the NBA that no one else had what it takes ...Kobe Bryant, too, tests his opponents' will-but sometimes they pass the test. The real lesson of the Olympics: "Pick up a few pointers from Kobe, and maybe you can take him." [Slate]...

How Conan O'Brien Ruined The Stanley Cup Finals
For the first time in 54 years, two Stanley Cup Finals games will be played on back-to-back nights. Why the rush? Because NBC doesn't want boring old hockey games cluttering up their precious Law & Order reruns....

And Now A Nice Photo Of A Man Getting Kicked In The Face
No, it's not Champions League, but it is a good way to show off the WSJ's outstanding "Sports Snapshot" photo blog-a-majig. Amazingly, the man getting kicked in the head is Houston Dynamo forward Brian Ching who used that very same dented dome to score a goal later in the game....

Don't Let The Sun Go Down On The Bird People
Denver may or may not succeed in keeping Kobe Bryant from his eternal destiny, but at least they are making things interesting. The series heads back to Los Angeles tied at 2, but anything that keeps goofballs like Chris Andersen in the "spotlight" a little longer is okay by me....

What You Need To Know About The NBA's Jaunty Superfan
He's the multi-millionaire (but not quite a billionaire) sporting the cowboy hat on his head and God-knows-what on his torso, and he happens to sit courtside at a terrifyingly astounding number of NBA games, sometimes carrying European models, all the time hobnobbing with the league's superstars. Me...

Whoops, Sports Aren't So Recession-Proof After All
Turns out, it's proving difficult for the next Theo Epsteins and Jerry Maguires to catapult from frat parties to their dream jobs, so they're stuck cleaning minor league stadiums and taking unpaid internships at women's tennis tournaments. Tell me about it. I would write more, but Daulerio needs lun...

Sidney Crosby Taunts The Hockey Gods
The Penguins polished off a nice cold pitcher of Hurricanes last night, earning a return trip to the Stanley Cup Finals and a chance at redemption. Then captain Sidney Crosby just thumbed his nose at all that by skating around the ice with the Prince of Wales Trophy....

Uh Oh, Cleveland
No one is saying the city of Cleveland should be panicking right now, but it does seem like hoarding canned goods and putting your life savings into mason jars would not be the worst idea in the world. All is ... not well....

Scary Old She-Male In Plastic Gold Jacket Haunts The Sidelines (UPDATE)
Got an image you'd like to see in here first thing in the morning? Send it to [email protected]. Subject: Morning crap...

The Cavaliers Have A Couple Of Things On Their Mind
LeBron James is doing everything he possibly can to keep the Cavs in it and to stave off the possible Posnanski Curse that is now creeping up on the NBA's "best" team. Can Mike Brown save the Cavaliers from boobdom?...

Chinese Investors Eye Stake In Cavs, Signifying Something Or Other About LeBron
Over the weekend came news that a group of Chinese investors were looking to buy a 15 percent stake in the Cleveland Cavaliers. This is a big deal, not least because it would mean the Chinese now own most of our debt and a share of our favorite basketball player....

Sonia Sotomayor: Not A Squishy, Wild-Eyed Commie, After All
"Some say," Barack Obama offered this morning, by way of introducing his Supreme Court nominee, "Judge Sotomayor saved baseball." True, at least to the extent that Sonia Sotomayor saved baseball from itself. What Obama didn't say: Sotomayor totally screwed over Maurice Clarett....