The True Villain

By bsd987, Section Other Sports
Posted on Thu May 08 2008 at 11:39 PM EST
More on: (all tags)

Eight Belles wasn't the only sign of death on Saturday at Churchill Downs.

Horse racing will die too, at least in the United States. It must. I don't want to say it and it hurts, but there seems to be no other alternative right now.

Sure, there are solutions, fixes if you will, but nobody is going to listen; nobody, that is, with the power to listen.

(1279 words in story) Full Story

From Penn State to State Penn

By alexferguson60, Section College
Posted on Sat May 03 2008 at 9:01 PM EST
More on: Penn State, College Football, Joe Paterno (all tags)

If there's anyone with bigger problems in the world of college sports than Penn State's Joe Paterno, then we'd like him or her to put their hand up.

(1 comment, 511 words in story) Full Story

Loss of Jamiel Shaw's Life Transcends Sports

By dgrassi, Section Other Sports
Posted on Mon Apr 28 2008 at 9:15 PM EST
More on: Sports, Illegal Immigration, Government, Football (all tags)

The story of Jamiel Shaw, Jr., as reported, is not that of sensation but rather that of the war between our communities and our federal, state and local governments. For they have dropped the ball, not Jamiel, not his family, not his neighborhood.

(1475 words in story) Full Story

The Guru's 2008 Mock NFL Draft

By TheGuru8700, Section NFL
Posted on Fri Apr 25 2008 at 2:28 PM EST
More on: 2008 NFL Draft, NFL, Draft Preview (all tags)

It's that time once again, time for teams to either rebuild or destroy their franchise's future.  Though the true meddle and talent of a draft class needs about five years to truly be measured, I think I can pick out about ten players that I believe won't measure up to what they're expected to be.  But who knows...

(1538 words in story) Full Story

Welcome Back Old Friend

By Trevor, Section MLB
Posted on Fri Apr 25 2008 at 1:21 PM EST
More on: Oakland A's, Frank Thomas, Greatest Right Handed Hitter Since 1990 (all tags)

by Trevor Freeman

I believe in signs.  I do.  I firmly believe in karma as well.  I am one of those nutjobs who honestly thinks that if I screw somebody over it will come back to not only haunt me but quite possibly my beloved Oakland A's.  Well yesterday morning, I held the door open in an elevator so that somebody who was beaded with sweat could run in.  Not only that, but I chipped in three dollars to my co-worker's March of Dimes fundraiser.  You do little things like that not thinking there is going to be a payoff and then it happens.  As I was eating lunch at my desk with the radio quietly blaring "Tonight" by the Smashing Pumpkins, I logged onto yahoo.com.  And there it was.  Staring me right in the eye.  

"Thomas agrees to contract with the Oakland A's"

Giddy, I turned up the radio just in time for Billy Corgan to sing the verse "Do you believe there's not a chance tonight?"  Fellow A's fans, there is a chance and that is because Frank Thomas returned home for the major league minimum.  "The Big Hurt" is back in Oakland and the A's blossoming postseason hopes got a shot in the arm that only a legend could provide.

(2 comments, 1061 words in story) Full Story

Should We Even Consider It...

By Trevor, Section MLB
Posted on Mon Apr 14 2008 at 4:16 PM EST
More on: MLB, Oakland A's, Barry Bonds (all tags)

By Trevor Freeman

I am pretty sure that I approached this baseball season the same way every Oakland A's fan did.  Hopeful that our youngsters would be better than expected and that we would avoid the AL West cellar.  Maybe it was because I approached the season with low expectations that I have all of the sudden been jolted by a 5-1 road trip and an 8-5 start to the season.  If somebody had told me before the season that we would be 8-5 after playing Boston, Toronto and Cleveland twice, I would have told that person they need to dial back the amount of herbs they have been purchasing in the Humboldt County area.

It was after Saturday's game against Cleveland that I got an energetic phone call from a friend who asked a million dollar question that I never even thought of.  The question was, "Do you think we would sign Barry Bonds if we are in the mix in June?"

(2 comments, 1215 words in story) Full Story

Jose Canseco Has Gone Too Far

By mfitz, Section MLB
Posted on Mon Apr 14 2008 at 4:14 PM EST
More on: Jose Canseco, Baseball, MLB, Steriods, Alex Rodriguez, A-Rod, Yankees (all tags)

Jose Canseco's latest desperate attempt to sell books has gone too far. Fans and media alike must stop taking the allegations of individuals such as Canseco as absolute truth.  

(2 comments, 542 words in story) Full Story

Joba To 'Pen Is Right Move

By YanksWS96, Section MLB
Posted on Wed Apr 09 2008 at 12:36 AM EST
More on: New York Yankees (all tags)

by Matt Wells

When Joba Chamberlain was called up from Triple-A Scranton-Wilkes Barre last year to pitch for the New York Yankees, he took the baseball world by storm.  A pitcher in his early twenties who could make hitters look foolish with 100 MPH fastballs and then freeze them with wicked sliders was surely a diamond in the rough.  A pitching prospect like Chamberlain certainly doesn't come around all that often.

(2 comments, 1293 words in story) Full Story

Breaking Down The Final Four

By Trevor, Section College
Posted on Sun Mar 30 2008 at 8:40 PM EST
More on: NCAA Tournament, Kansas, North Carolina, UCLA, Memphis (all tags)

by Trevor Freeman

For the first time ever, all four top seeds made it to the Final Four.  The only plus to this in my opinion is that it should shut up everybody who claims the current tournament system does not reward the best regular season teams.  That is because the four teams remaining were without a doubt the best four teams during this year's college basketball season.  Outside of Kansas who had an epic tussle with Davidson in the Elite Eight, they all romped their way into this Final Four with convincing wins in the Regional Finals and Semifinals.  We have four bluebloods attending this event as UCLA, North Carolina, Kansas and Memphis represent the college basketball elite.  Without further ado, let's breakdown the matchups.

(6 comments, 1210 words in story) Full Story

Translating the NBA for your Girlfriend

By leftcoast, Section NBA
Posted on Sun Mar 30 2008 at 8:34 PM EST
More on: (all tags)

Have you ever tried to get your girlfriend or wife to watch a basketball game with you on T.V.?  You would swear you were pulling teeth, right?  Well, I had to sit through a "Desperate Housewives" marathon, along with "The Hills".  The only redeeming factor is that they have some good looking chicks on there.  I don't get why basketball is so foreign to some women.  It has world class athletes, drama, and is a relatively easy sport.  My girlfriend is the worst at trying to speak metaphorically.  She makes me more confused than when I start sometimes.  Recently, she tried to explain "D-H" to me using metaphors that I can't honestly even remember.  I looked at her the same cocked-head way a dog looks at something strange.  She challenged me to describe the NBA to her in terms she would understand.  So I did.  I thought I would share.

(1 comment, 899 words in story) Full Story