It’s remarkable how arrogant the fan base of a team with zero Stanley Cups, no Hall of Fame players, and two homoerotic Swedish twins that seem physically afraid of the playoffs can act. It’s literally mind-boggling! These days, when they’re not too busy demanding trades on local radio shows or reminiscing about that year they almost signed Wayne Gretzky, you can usually find Canucks fans preaching about how hosting Jarome Iginla and the Canadian Olympic team will finally establish their city as a genuine hockey town (sort of like how marrying Lamar Odom made Khloe Kardashian a real celebrity – legitimacy by association).
Next time you see a suspected pyramid schemer in the corner of a trendy wine bar sporting a $200 hair cut, $900 suit, and emanating a distinct air of scumbag from his Drakkar Noir-soaked pores - go ahead and ask him about Kevin Bieksa, because odds are he’s a Vancouver Canucks fan and doesn't want to cry himself to sleep again before throwing out obscene predictions about the Norris Trophy.
ESPN's Jay Mariotti arrested by L.A. police
August 21, 2010 | 8:17 am
ESPN personalities and sports columnist Jay Mariotti was arrested overnight by Los Angeles police officers in the Pacific division.
He was booked on suspicion of a felony, but officials would not provide further details.
A source with knowledge of the case described it as a domestic disturbance charge involving his girlfriend. He was being held on $50,000 bail.
Mariotti is a well-known sports commentator who can be seen on the ESPN show "Around the Horn." He also writes for a sports website called Fanhouse.com. Known for his outspoken views, he used to write a sports column for the Denver Post and the Chicago Sun-Times.
Details of the arrest were not immediately available.
-- Andrew Blankstein
lol ESPN. Somewhere ozzie guillen is smiling right now
Tiger Woods is officially divorced now. Bring on da ho's!!Wasn't that what led to the divorce in the first place? :P
is ok now, no wife to cheat 8DTiger Woods is officially divorced now. Bring on da ho's!!Wasn't that what led to the divorce in the first place? :P
Didja read Dan Le Batard's bit at The Big Lead (http://thebiglead.com/index.php/2010/08/23/dan-lebatard-on-jay-mariotti-the-vitriolic-reaction-to-mariottis-misery-frightened-me/)? Possibly the most reasoned look at the whole mess.
Nevertheless, the glee is probably warranted and Mariotti would best take a leave of absence for a good, long time. The eyewitness account reported at Deadspin was brutal testimony...
The very successful and much-loved, Cabral (Cabbie) Richards, is leaving The Score after 10 years at the network for a another television position on the entertainment side. Kobe Bryant, for one, won’t be happy and neither will be a lot of kids, including Stamkos, who grew up watching Cabbie and was thrilled last season to be interviewed by him
ARGENTINA STILL ALIVE
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9 Rules For Watching Football With Guys
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Thumbs down on the pink jersey, ladies, and pick your team wisely. One woman's guy friends give her some guidelines on the serious business of co-ed football viewing.
By Erin Meanley
The last time I watched football with a guy, he said I needed to do a better job of keeping track of who had the ball. So I decided to ask a few of my guy friends how a woman should act when she goes with a date to a football-watching party. Jason, Ross, Pete, and John all had a lot to say about this matter, so I'm glad I asked! The art of watching football is serious business, girls. Here are their tips for appropriate behavior on Game Day:
1. DON'T wear a pink jersey
"A jersey isn't necessary unless you are a true fan. If you're wearing a player's jersey, you should know a lot about that player. T-shirts with team logos or colors are fine. Do not put your own name on a jersey unless you are under the age of 10. Don't wear pink versions of jerseys, t-shirts, etc." —Pete, 29, Dallas
2. DO know your refreshment options
"Drink beer. Out of the bottle. Solo cups are acceptable. Out of the can, not as hot." —Ross, 31, Burbank, CA
"Really, the only acceptable drinks are beers, and the only acceptable beers are Coors, Miller, and Bud. Do NOT drink wine." —Pete
3. DO choose a side wisely
"Root for a team you actually like, not simply the one I happen to like. If you grew up in Philly but you are rooting for the Cowboys because I like them, I'll think you're not really interested in football and/or you're a traitor to your city." —Pete
"Root for whomever you like but not because their uniforms are cute. Have a favorite player or coach or something (but if it's because he's cute, keep that to yourself)."
—Ross
4. DO do your homework
"Before you show up, you should know who is playing, who are the quarterbacks for each team, what each team's record is (or just generally if they are good or bad this year), and if there are any big news stories involving players from either team. This really isn't hard, just read the preview article on espn.com before the game." —Pete
5. DO pay attention
"While watching the game, you should know what the score is, who has the ball, what quarter it is, etc. Most of this information should be somewhere on the screen at all times." —Pete
6. DO ask questions ... during commercials
"It's okay if you don't understand why a penalty was called or why the handsome quarterback man immediately threw the ball into the ground (to stop the clock), but ask at the commercial break. If you ask enough questions early on, by 4th quarter you should have a pretty good idea of what's going on and dudes will feel like they taught you something." —Ross
"Guys like to teach you about the game, so ask him to explain how the rules work. Learn to watch the game the way he sees it. It might not make too much sense at first, but your understanding will grow as more pieces of the game are revealed." —Jason, 30, Phoenix
7. DO respect the sport
"Do not criticize. If the rules don't make sense at first, don't give the 'that's dumb' response. The rules are there for a reason, and the decisions made by the coaches and players usually happen based off the rules. It is important to be open to learning the rules, and being dismissive is a turn-off." —Jason
8. DO ease up on the trivia, Cliff Claven
"Unless you're watching figure skating, never try to upstage a guy with sports trivia knowledge. I had a friend with a girlfriend that would constantly spew out stats like, 'Did you see so-and-so? They passed for 300 yards last week!' It was annoying — girls shouldn't try too hard to be one of the guys. Just show interest, cheer when appropriate, and it never hurts to offer to go get beers." —John, 30, San Diego
9. DO show or feign interest
"If you become bored during a game … FAKE IT! There's nothing more annoying to me than when a girl pulls out her BlackBerry and starts checking Facebook." —John
"The best way to make yourself more attractive to a guy while watching football with guys is to appear to be a legitimate fan. You're not watching the game just to meet guys, or because your friend dragged you there, but because you like football and know something about the game. Basically, be comfortable and look like you're enjoying yourself and the game." —Pete
Homeless man is the king of fantasy football
Three million people competed at fantasy football on ESPN.com this year. One man managed to rise above all of them, and he did it despite not having a computer. Or a place to live.
For the sake of comparison, I finished under .500 in a league of 12 people, and I spend all day with my face buried in NFL news, stats and highlights.
Obviously, Nathan Harrington, 33, of Salem, Mass., knows something I don't. Harrington ended up homeless after needing back surgery, going on medical leave from his job, and being forced to leave his home because it was condemned.
And still, he was better than over 3 million people at fantasy football.
He used computers at his father's nursing home, his mother's house, and the library. He knocked on neighbors' doors and asked if he could use their computers.
If you're wondering about specifics, Harrington drafted Arian Foster and picked up Brandon Lloyd as a free agent. He made trades for Adrian Peterson and Dwayne Bowe.
Oddly, Tony Romo(notes) was his quarterback, but when Romo went down with a season-ending injury,
Harrington had to make due with a string of borderline fantasy quarterbacks. He clinched the top spot behind Tim Tebow's surprising Week 17 performance against the Chargers. From The Salem News:
"My fantasy football was the one thing that kind of seemed to be going right at the time," Harrington said. "There was a lot to be upset about, but the one thing that was steady and heading in a positive direction was the fantasy football. So I thought I might as well stick with it and ride it out. Thank God I did."
For his unbelievable performance, Harrington won a $3,500 Best Buy gift card, which he's selling to his mother for $2,500 cash.
While Gap Narrows, Professional Football Retains Lead over Baseball as Favorite Sport
January 20, 2011 | PR Newswire Association LLC
NEW YORK, Jan. 20, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- It's the eternal debate among sports fans – football or baseball? Most die-hard sports fans will always say both, but, if forced to choose, football wins yet again. Three in ten Americans who follow at least one sport (31%) say professional football is their favorite sport while 17% say baseball. This is a narrowing of the gap from last year when over one-third (35%) of sports fans said professional football was their favorite sport and 16% said it was baseball.
These are some of the results of The Harris Poll of 2,331 adults surveyed online between December 6 and 13, 2010 by Harris Interactive.
Looking at how other sports fared, just over one in ten sports fans (12%) say college football is their favorite sport while 7% say it is auto racing, 6% say men's professional basketball, 5% say hockey, and 4% each say men's soccer and men's college basketball. Most other sports are favorites for 2% or less of sports fans. Two sports however, women's professional basketball and women's college basketball, are not favorites for any sports fan.
There are some fluctuations in favorites over time. Since this question was first asked in 1985, professional football has gone up 7 points from 24% of sports fans saying it was their favorite sport then to 31% saying so now. Baseball, on the other hand, has gone down 6 points from 23% in 1985 to 17% today.
Who likes football and baseball… and who really doesn't
When it comes to the top sports, different groups are more likely to cite them as favorites. African Americans (45%), Baby Boomers (aged 46-64) (37%), and Easterners (34%) are more likely to say professional football is their favorite sport while Echo Boomers (aged 18-33) (23%), Hispanics (26%), and Midwesterners (26%) are less likely to do so. When it comes to baseball, Matures (those 65 and older) (21%), Hispanics (20%), and those with a high school or less education (20%) are more likely to cite it as their favorite sport. African Americans (6%), those with some college education (12%) and Echo Boomers (13%) are least likely to say baseball is their favorite.
So What?
While football may be the favorite sport, there is a decline in popularity from last year. And, with the possibility looming of a player's lockout after this season ends, will fans stay loyal? In 1987 there was a strike and the popularity of the sport didn't suffer any lasting damage. And all the major sports have been hit by labor disagreements over the past two decades, including the canceling of the World Series in 1994 and the Stanley Cup in 2005. What if there was no Super Bowl in 2012? Football will most likely survive, but that one day event is so different than both the hockey and baseball championships. Could you imagine no Super Bowl commercials?
Who would be the 5 you would place in your city's Hall of Fame?
Who would be the 5 you would place in your city's Hall of Fame?
I live in Hawaii so there wouldn't be a really long list of candidates.
That said, the topic would do GANGBUSTERS on talk radio, teevee, newspapers, etc.
1. Duke Kahanamoku
I don't know if I can watch SportsCentre the same way again...
Jay Onrait and Dan O’Toole are leaving TSN for Fox SportsFULL ARTICLE LINK - http://sports.nationalpost.com/2013/05/03/jay-onrait-and-dan-otoole-are-leaving-tsn-for-fox-sports/ (http://sports.nationalpost.com/2013/05/03/jay-onrait-and-dan-otoole-are-leaving-tsn-for-fox-sports/)
Sean Fitz-Gerald | 13/05/03 | Last Updated: 13/05/03 8:35 PM ET
Jay Onrait and Dan O’Toole are leaving Canadian television.
A year after the Wall Street Journal praised their efforts to “reinvigorate the genre” of sports highlight shows, the popular TSN anchors on Friday announced they are leaving for work in the United States. It has been reported they are leaving for Fox Sports.
Interview requests to TSN, as well as to the anchors, were not immediately answered.
“The moment I was paired with Dan on SportsCentre, I knew we had the chance to do something Canadians would really love,” Onrait said in a release distributed by TSN on Friday afternoon. “For the last decade we have received more love from our viewers than we could have ever imagined – and for this, we are eternally grateful.”
Onrait and O’Toole have inspired a legion of tributes on YouTube.
Justin Kievit, Middle School Wrestler, Lets Boy With Cerebral Palsy Win MatchFULL ARTICLE LINK - http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/04/justin-kievit-middle-school-wrestler-heartwarming-video-cerebral-palsy_n_2237480.html (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/04/justin-kievit-middle-school-wrestler-heartwarming-video-cerebral-palsy_n_2237480.html)
By Dominique Mosbergen | Posted: 12/04/2012 12:58 pm EST Updated: 12/05/2012 4:26 pm EST
A video that exhibits the "true sportsmanship" of a 12-year-old boy and his plucky wrestling opponent has gone viral on Facebook.
The clip, which features seventh grade wrestlers Justin Kievit and Jared Stevens, has racked up more than 87,000 shares since Justin's dad posted it on Facebook less than a week ago.
97 Rock Online explains:QuoteOver the weekend a young wrestler from a Middle School in Tennessee did something that a lot of kids his age would not think about doing. He intentionally lost a match, but unintentionally won the hearts of anyone that watches his actions in the video.
“I think a lot of people are scared to put kids like me on the mat, but they don’t need to be,” Jared, a boy with cerebral palsy," told Franklin Home Page on Monday. His match with Justin had been his first.
Jared's father told the Tennesean that though his son has the physical capacity of a 6-month-old, his intellectual ability is close to his age level. Socially, his dad adds, Jared "hits it out of the park."
“Jared just likes to do stuff like everybody else," he told the Franklin Home Page. "There's a limit to what he can do, but something like wrestling, he can do that as much as he can do. He just enjoys being out there participating. He doesn't mind trying anything."
Clay Mayes, Jared's wrestling coach, said that the 13-year-old practices with his school's wrestling team every day.
When Jared expressed that he wanted to participate in a wrestling match, Mayes said he called his friend Randy Stevens (no relation), a coach at another middle school.
“It wasn’t about weight class,” Mayes told the Tennessean. “I told him to point me toward the kid who has the kindest heart.”
And that's how Justin Kievit got involved. In the clip, Justin can be seen shaking hands with Jared, before helping his opponent put an arm around him -- "pinning" him and therefore, winning.
“The first time he met Jared was when he shook hands with him before the match. So it really was spontaneous. They just picked this kid. If you watch the video, he just did an amazing job. There's not many adults comfortable putting hands on a disabled kid, much less another [7th grader],” Jared's dad said of his son's wrestling opponent.
Many people who have watched the video said that they were deeply touched by both the sportsmanship and bravery shown by the two young boys.
"Love it!! Love the spirit of both boys!!! Both my boys wrestle now... Can't wait to share this with them and their team," one Facebook user wrote.
"This has truly warmed my heart... thanks for sharing, what a wonderful act of kindness," another said.
Korean Baseball Team Creates Robot Fans to Sit in StandsLINKS
By: Mike Cardillo | July 25, 2014
The Hanwha Eagles, a Korean professional baseball team, has created robot fans to digitally cheer up on the home team at its stadium in the city of Daejeon. No, this isn’t some sort of in-joke from Twitter between me and Stephen Douglas. Nope, by all accounts its a real thing and its happening.
Apparently fans can get their faces superimposed over the robots or send messages for the robots to display, which should provide a very significant boost for the Eagles’ players.
01010000111000000 (That’s binary code for “I believe that we will win.”)
[Via Sploid (http://sploid.gizmodo.com/this-south-korean-baseball-team-now-has-interactive-rob-1610735905)]
OHHH-em-jeeeeezzzz!! http://www.sbnation.com/lookit/2015/5/7/8568487/watch-a-nut-shot-that-ended-in-hospitalization(http://picroda.jphip.com/misc/jphip08501.gif)
Oh gads Drew Brees truly doesn't get it. Or had his brain replaced by twitter bots. Blah, blah, blah...