The Chicago Blackhawks have soared to the top of their division, surprising many NHL fans. The Hawks have had a short history of losing, to say the least, and casual hockey fans are probably surprised every day to find the team still atop the standings. But that doesn’t mean all the news for Chicago these days is good news. Patrick Kane – who’s developing a reputation for mischief – was caught, along with teammates John Madden and Kris Versteeg, without shirts on inside a limo in Vancouver last week. Read more
The NBA announced the teams for the rookie-sophomore exhibition game that takes place during All-Star Weekend. Unsurprisingly, Brandon Jennings will lead the rookie squad against the second-year players. The announcement was not the only time Jennings made sports news this week. Jennings hit the game winner with 22 seconds left in a game against the 76ers on Wednesday. Days earlier, he hit a three pointer with18 seconds left to beat the Warriors. These stories are mere movements in what has been an absolute symphony of a rookie campaign, a campaign credited by Jennings’ decision to skip college and play professionally in Europe after high school. Still, while conventional copy-cat wisdom indicates that more NBA-hopefuls will travel overseas in preparation for the big stage, the story of Jeremy Tyler warns that the road isn’t without serious up-hills and cries of prudence that the European way is not necessarily the best way. Read more
Living in New York City with a significant Hispanic population around, I have registered that there’s a disproportionate number of Pittsburgh Pirates hats bedecked on the heads of city dwellers. The explanation for this phenomena has less to do with a surge in displaced Pittsburghers; it’s a fitting tribute to Roberto Clemente, arguably the best and most prominent Hispanic ballplayer of all time.
It gives me great joy to see these caps around town, as an entire population celebrates the greatness of a fallen icon. But it says a great deal about Pittsburgh itself, too, as a small city gets so much recognition and exposure in out-of-town cities. It doesn’t end with Clemente, either. You’ll find a Steelers bar in practically every city, and Penguins fans lining up to attend hockey games out of state. Wherever Pittsburgh fans go, their teams – and their histories – go with them. There’s a Pittsburgh presence everywhere. Read more
We’ve all been citing the stats about Favre and his uncanny ability to end meaningful games with franchises by way of sloppy interceptions. On one hand, it’s sad for such an iconic figure to be tarnished by a mere fraction of a fraction of the passes he has thrown. On the other hand, quarterbacks are all-time-great or not based on the way they finish games, and Favre’s errant throw very well may have taken him out of the conversation of best quarterbacks ever. Sadder yet is the way the Vikings’ season ended. They put about 3,233,238 eggs in one 40-year-old basket and the gamble nearly paid off. When the clock ticked midnight, however, the Vikings lost both the game and their footing on their future; all they managed to accomplish was to solidify their legacy as the ultimate close-but-no-cigar team in NFL history. Read more
Tomorrow afternoon, four teams will compete to get a spot in the Super Bowl. These four teams – Jets, Colts, Saints, Vikings – don’t have much in common with each other on the surface. Some win on the run, others on the pass, some on defense, others with high-powered offense. What’s clear is that both match-ups are bound to be intriguing as they pin different coaching minds up against each other.
What’s remarkable about the coaches, though, is how little NFL experience they collectively have. The AFC championship pins rookie coaches Rex Ryan and Jim Caldwell against each other, while the NFC game will feature two comparatively veteran coaches Sean Payton and Brad Childress, both of whom have four years under their belts. So there’s a combined ten years of experience among the whole crew who will be manning the sidelines this weekend. Read more
Artsiom Parakhouski doesn’t have a wikipedia page. In two years from now, we’ll find that hard to believe. Parakhouski plays ball for no-name Radford University. He’s 6-11 (or 7-1 – depending on who you ask), Belorussian, and didn’t know English – or how to dribble a basketball – 5 years ago. Despite this, Parakhouski is the most exciting college ball player you never heard of this year. Only he and Saint Mary’s Omar Samham are averaging 20+/10+ this season. The difference between Samham and Parakhouski? Artsiom is doing it playing a non-conference schedule that would inspire even the most timid Highlander. Read more
From time to time, we get to laugh at athletes who don’t know the rules at play. Donovan McNabb was the most guilty of that ignorance when he wasn’t aware that the NFL had ties. In that case, McNabb’s poor rules education could have cost his team the game, as he may have played expecting sudden death. Fortunately for him, the team settled for a tie, and there were no resulting repercussions beyond the embarrassment. Read more
When your team loses and is out of championship contention (and now all but fans of 28 teams are included in this premise) the best you can hope for is pure, unadulterated chaos. A game going to seed is not very exciting. Short of wishing for meteor explosions and gonorrhea to plague the remaining teams, you wish for the unexpected, the entertaining, pandemonium so intense that no one wins easy. You root for the ‘dog, for sheer athleticism, for that which you cannot see coming. In short, you root for the Jets. Read more
I try to shy away from the mechanics and money that goes on behind the scenes to keep sports in operation. Sure, there are holdouts and buyouts, gripes and grievances, and other situations to be worked out between management and players. As fans, it’s always more entertaining and worthwhile to remain fixated on the game itself rather than the games that go on behind closed doors.
How teams spend their money has never been something I’m concerned with. It impacts me only insofar as it limits teams’ abilities to field strong rosters full of talented players. Which is why I find it so hard to digest when I hear that Major League Baseball is actually forcing the Florida Marlins to start spending. So suddenly Josh Johnson becomes a $40 million pitcher. Just because. The rationale must be that spending brings in more spending from the fans, which keeps baseball alive in America. Read more
Baseball. Always testing our ethos. Today’s test, much like its predecessors, is on the topic of steroids. We, the spectators, are represented by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America, who will either choose to induct Mark McGwire into the Hall of Fame or reject him, despite his worthy credentials. The problem with Big Mac, of course, is that he achieved his records and endlessly-impressive statistics while using performing enhancing drugs. The guild will have to decide for us if Big Mac deserves to be placed among baseball’s elite. What I hope the BWAA understands is that more than judging his candidacy based on his past, it is baseball’s future that should be the subject of their concern. The guy that remained so silent about his shady past should be the litmus test for the way the game is played tomorrow. Read more
Vancouver Canucks’ forward Alexandre Burrows has earned his stay in the NHL for his work as an agitator. He’s getting attention today for agitating someone he didn’t try to set off: a referee.
At the top of last night’s game between the Canucks and the Nashville Predators, referee Stephane Auger supposedly warned Burrows that he’d be coming after him as revenge for Burrows tricking him into calling an undeserved penalty during a December match-up between the two teams. The ref must have felt embarrassed by the erred call – which led the NHL to overrule a game misconduct, in hindsight – so Auger informed Burrows he had a vendetta against him and would return the bad behavior during the game. Read more
Take it from a guy who was 0-4 this past weekend in playoff picks (not you, Bill Simmons) and who, not two weeks ago, called the Eagles “the best team in the league.” My years of watching football and drinking IC Lights have taught me little other than “always trust your gut when betting on football” because, after all, “the NFL is just wrought with sure-things.”
My picks for this coming weekend… Mark it zero. Next Frame. Read more
NBA players are on pace this season to break records for three-pointers. According to logic, if a player shoots 33 percent from three-point range it’s equivalent to another player shooting 50 percent from the rest of the field. Most players shoot well below that average which means that if sharp shooters can make one out of three attempts, they’ve given their team some value.
While the math is inarguable, the message is troubling. Anyone who’s ever played basketball even on a pick-up level recognizes how destructive a player’s love for the three-ball can be for his team. Yes, plays are designed to get open shooters behind the arc; but more often the three-line is a home for selfish players who want to show off their expertise at execution. And when they fail, it interrupts, if not destroys ,the flow of the offense. Take it from an NBA legend:
“Everyone loves that three-pointer,” said Hall-of-Famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who was famous for his close-in and almost indefensible skyhook. “It’s childish if you ask me.”
We all know the famous quote: I’ve missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.The quote that’s attacked yearbook- and Facebook pages, offices and locker rooms demonstrates how MJ was the epitome of hard-working. He played hard, fought hard, and took basketball – and sports in general – to a new level of prestige. Well, the days of the hard-working NBA player are over.
The NBA has become a total mockery of hard work. The Arenas shenanigans coupled with Artest’s comments from a couple weeks ago about sipping Hennessy during halftime have cemented what AI tried to explain to us over and over again: if you have sheer and unadulterated skill, you don’t need to practice, don’t need to focus, and don’t need to try to win in the NBA; it will come automatically. Simply put, the NBA is not the hard-working-man’s league. Read more
One of baseball’s great dynasties has been broken up. Peter Gammons makes his debut on MLB Network this week when he hosts a show built around the Hall of Fame induction proceedings. Gammons is bound to be his thoughtful and inquisitive self as he covers who’s in and who’s out of the Hall. The niche network will surround Gammons with some excellent contributors like Bob Costas, Tom Verducci, Ken Rosenthal, and more.
There’s no time for Gammons to settle in with his new and talented colleagues as he’s being put right to work. And then some. He’ll host shows, contribute to others, and appear more on MLB Network than he ever did on ESPN, a sports network that covers more than one sport during a broadcast and over the course of a season. Gammons even got the scoop about Boston (his local team) signing Adrian Beltre today. The man is a workhorse. Read more
