According to HoopsTV.com, it is. Don't bother trying to go to the site -- it's no more. (For what it's worth, it was a great site -- all basketball, all the time. Featured great "And 1 style" videos, before they were big. Plus, it gave Tracy McGrady the nickname "The Big Sleep.") It was one of the (many) reasons I was academic probation after freshman year.

Anyways, I remember they used to say that this dunk was the BEST DUNK EVER:

Posted by Ryan Hudson at 10:00 PM | Email Author | Permalink |

1pm ET - ESPN - Blue Jays @ Yankees - Girardi's debut as Yanks manager.

1pm - ESPN2 - Brewers @ Cubs - The Cubs begin the 100th anniversary season of when they last won a World Series. But now they have Kosuke Fukudome! Bloggers everywhere begin to dream up brilliant (read horrible) puns.

4pm - ESPN - Giants @ Dodgers - Joe Torre's debut in Los Angeles. While, Barry Zito is attempting to change his pitching style. Could be a long season for the Giants.

7pm - ESPN2 - Angels @ Twins - Torii Hunter returns to Minnesota as an Angel and luckily he doesn't have to face Johan Santana as the Twins got rid of their best pitcher and best hitter from last season.

7pm - Versus - Penguins @ Rangers - Penguins can clinch the Atlantic division with a win, but more importantly stay atop the Eastern Conference.

7:30pm - ESPN - Women's NCAA Tournament: LSU vs. North Carolina - All of the top seeds have advanced to the elite eight. This might make for boring brackets, but could make for some good basketball.

9:30pm - ESPN - Women's NCAA Tournament: Stanford vs. Maryland - Stanford's Candice Wiggins might be the best player in women's college basketball, but she has still never led her team to the Final Four.

10pm - ESPN - Astros @ Padres - The last time the Padres were on the field for a meaningful game was a 13-inning wild card tie-breaking game with the Colorado Rockies. You remember Matt Holliday's phantom touch of home plate right?

Posted by Robbie Gillies at 11:00 AM | Email Author | Permalink |

This is Ovie Mughelli.
"That guy?"
No, that's Joey Harrington. He took over for Michael Vick as Falcons QB last season.
"Him?"
No, that's DeMeco Ryans. He was seventh in the league in tackles last season.
"#83?"
Nope. that's Alge Crumpler. One of the only offensive weapons the Falcons had last year...and they got rid of him. No, Ovie Mughelli is the other guy. That guy in the center. #34, by far the least famous player in that picture. And he has a blog! Let's see what Mughelli has to say.

Yesterday was the first day of team meetings, and it allowed me to witness the reshaping of our organization. It is definitely a lot more quiet with Crump, Wayne Gandy, Rod Coleman and especially "Mouth of the South" DeAngelo Hall no longer with us.

Yardbarker, to be honest, DeAngelo and I did not get along that well when I first arrived (to keep it really real we never got along).

Two, things: 1. Quiet doesn't necessarily mean better. You lost two of your best players in DeAngelo Hall and Alge Crumpler, get ready to be part of one of the worst teams in the league (again).
And 2. I love how he addresses Yardbarker. He's talking to the site he is blogging for...

But back to our 1st day volumandatory (I made this word up.) Because it says "voluntary" on the schedule, but if you don't show up to these workouts and meetings you might not want to show up at all).

Alright, some actual insight. And who doesn't like made-up words? I like it so far. As long as he doesn't say something completely ridiculous, I'm going to view this as a successful blog post...

I had the chance to meet Michael Turner, the man for whom I am going to be blocking in the years to come. I believe the synergy there will lead to great things on the field. After reuniting with the Boys, meeting Turner and the new staff, all I can think of is Championship.

So, after the first "volumnadatory" you're calling for a Championship? Despite the NFL being a league where parity rules, I can say with complete confidence you will not be competing for a Championship this season Ovie.

Posted by Robbie Gillies at 5:36 AM | Email Author | Permalink |

7pm ET - CBS - NCAA Tournament: Stanford vs. Texas - Playing in Houston, the crowd will obviously be partial towards Texas. Texas is a much more athletic team, but will their big men be able to contain the much bigger Lopez twins?

OR
Davidson vs. Wisconsin - Wisconsin has one of the best defenders in the country in Michael Flowers. Maybe he can finally be the one to stop Stephen Curry.

9:30pm - CBS - NCAA Tournament: Kansas vs. Villanova - Villanova will have their hands full against the Jayhawks. Jay Wright's Wildcats are a very good defensive team, but Kansas just has so many weapons.

OR
Michigan State vs. Memphis - Memphis will intentionally miss all their free throws just to prove how unimportant they really are.

10pm - Sci-Fi Channel - Battlestar Galactica: Revealed - Get a quick overview of the show before it returns next Friday. It's frackin good...

Posted by Robbie Gillies at 2:33 PM | Email Author | Permalink |

7pm ET - CBS - NCAA Tournament: North Carolina vs. Washington State - WSU's defense is second in the country allowing just 56.1 points per game. Will they be able to slow down the Tar Heels offense that has averaged 89.9 points this season and over 110 points in their first two tournament games?

8pm - TNT - Mavericks @ Nuggets - The Mavs are just two games ahead of the Nuggets and Denver is 28-7 at home this season. Are the Mavs really going to miss the playoffs?

9:30pm - CBS - NCAA Tournament: UCLA vs. Western Kentucky - Will UCLA get favorable calls yet again? I'd say this is a foul:

10:30pm - TNT - Trail Blazers @ Warriors - Stuck in the middle between the Mavs and the Nuggets are the Warriors. One of these three teams will miss the playoffs...but would be the fourth seed in the East. It might be time to change the playoff system.

Non-sports pick - 8pm - AMC - Letters From Iwo Jima - It was nominated for Oscars for Best Directing (Clint Eastwood), Best Picture, and Best Writing in 2006.

Posted by Robbie Gillies at 3:00 PM | Email Author | Permalink |

By seemingly all accounts, the Milwaukee Bucks are not enjoying a particularly "good" season. They're currently 24-46 and 6.5 games back from making the playoffs (which, in the Eastern Conference, is saying something). Said more simply: they have just four more wins than the Knicks (now that's really saying something).

And now they're not even congratulating poor Andrew Bogut when he makes a free-throw. But that's OK -- Bogut will offer high-fives anyways:

Courtesy: Brew Hoops (thanks to reader/writer/friend to the site Caleb for the tip).

Posted by Ryan Hudson at 1:30 PM | Email Author | Permalink |

7pm EST - ESPN - Suns @ Celtics - The Suns are one of two teams Boston has yet to beat this season. Also, the Celtics have lost 2 in a row. They haven't lost three straight all season.

7pm - ESPN2 - NIT Quarterfinals - Mississippi @ Virginia Tech - I used to run a NIT pool. It made these games pretty exciting.

9pm - ESPN2 - NIT Quarterfinals - Dayton @ Ohio State - Don't worry, the real tournament comes back tomorrow.

9:30pm - ESPN - McDonalds High-School All-American Game - Watch the stars of next year's NCAA Tournament today!

Non-sports pick - 8pm - AMC - Death Wish IV: The Crackdown AND 10pm - Death Wish V: The Face of Death - Charles Bronson delivers vigilante justice and kills lots and lots of people. Best enjoyed with beers.

Posted by Jeff Briggs at 2:21 PM | Email Author | Permalink |

Good question. Let's take a look. After the first two rounds, "N. VandenHeuvel," and his "Official" entry, is in first place, with 490 total points (and for those hoping to catch him/her/it, V-Heuvel also has 1040 possible points remaining, tops in the pool). But something tells me that they're regretting that whole Tennessee-as-the-National-Champion pick right now.

And just because it's fun (and, I'm mean), let's peek at who is in last place. Ah, poor "B. LaBrie" and her "Brit Brat" bracket (say that three times fast). Having George Mason in your Final Four this year was not a good idea, as it turned out.

Posted by Ryan Hudson at 8:00 AM | Email Author | Permalink |

A-Rod regrets not going to the Mets back in 2000 . Rodriguez wasn't going to make the same mistake with the Yankees. He didn't want to be "taken down a road where I'm like, 'Oh, my God, where am I? Oh, $400 million to play in some place I hate? Great, I'll blow my --- head off.' To think he settled in New York for a meager $275 million. What a guy. (NY Daily News)

Jimmy Rollins makes "magic happen" in his vibrating bed. (AOL Fanhouse)

Broncos WR Brandon Marshall severely injured his forearm. Marshall initially reported that he did it slipping on a McDonald's wrapper. Turns out he did it wrestling with family members. Maybe Chad Johnson should use the McDonald's excuse when he skips training camp. Seriously, he loves the Golden Arches. (AOL Fanhouse)

A ranking of the top conferences in the Tournament based on winning percentages. (The Dagger)

Your NFL team might not make a smart decision on draft day, but you can check out the Wonderlic scores to see if they draft a smart player. (Potencial)

Look who's attracting more fans than the Nuggets and Avalanche. Maybe Carmelo should switch sports. He did go to Syracuse. He's gotta know something about lacrosse. (Larry Brown Sports)

The Lions are going to be REALLY good this year! (If all of their ridiculous predictions come through) (NFL Gridiron Gab)

The Baltimore Orioles have finally caught on to what 6-12 year-olds have known for a few years now - Heely's are awesome! The Red Sox, Yankees, and Rays might get more wins than them this year, but they won't be having as much fun! (AOL Fanhouse)

Posted by Robbie Gillies at 8:59 PM | Email Author | Permalink |

7pm ET - ESPN - NIT Quarterfinals - Massachusetts @ Syracuse - UMass scored 107 points against Syracuse in the Carrier Dome earlier in the season. This should be another high scoring affair.

7pm - ESPN2 - 2nd Round of Women's NCAA Tournament

7:30pm - Versus - Flyers @ Rangers - Just two points separates the Rangers in 6th place from the Flyers in 7th in the Eastern Conference and a playoff spot is not yet guaranteed for either of these teams.

9pm - ESPN - NIT Quarterfinals - Florida @ Arizona State - Last year's NCAA Champions against this year's biggest Tournament snub.

Non-sports pick - 9pm - ABC - Dancing With The Stars - Do you think all Dolphins fans are voting against Jason Taylor so he'll be back for mini camp?

Posted by Robbie Gillies at 2:15 PM | Email Author | Permalink |

A couple days ago Charley Rosen wrote an article about how he could care less about college basketball and how the NBA is so much better.

Here were his reasons:

-Relative to the NBA, the talent level is decidedly low-grade. -The game is much too sloppy, with too many unforced errors and boneheaded decision-making. -By and large, college teams are over-coached. Offenses are mostly ineffective. Defenses are primitive. Substitutions are frequently gratuitous and have little connection with matchups. And the sideline antics of too many coaches are over-the-top. -Dick Vitale and his cohorts are shrill shills. -The college refs are part-time employees and their work reveals their incomplete understanding of the game. -The relative paucity of college telecasts, along with the seemingly infinite number of college teams, renders even the most devout fans unfamiliar with the dramatis persona. -The only allure during the tournament is the constant threat of dramatic upsets. But except for bettors and alumni, who really cares?

Who really cares?? How about the millions of people riveted by the likes of Davidson's Stephen Curry hitting clutch shot after clutch shot, or Ty Rogers of Western Kentucky who hit the game-winning shot in overtime against Drake. Of course the talent level is worse and the refs probably aren't as good (ask seemingly every team that plays UCLA), but discovering a school like Western Kentucky and rooting for the underdog is what March Madness is all about. It's the obscurity of the unknown and the drama that is created that compels so many people and not simply "bettors and alumni."

But, I hardly need to argue for why Charley Rosen is so wrong. If you continue to read this article he loses all credibility when he starts to break down a game between the Cavaliers and Raptors. The Cavs and Raptors? Really? Had he chosen any of the teams in the Western Conference playoff race or either the Celtics or the Pistons perhaps I could give him a little more credence, but as it is, Charley Rosen just sounds like a cranky old man who needs a nap.

Posted by Robbie Gillies at 6:29 AM | Email Author | Permalink |

7pm ET - NIT Tournament - California @ Ohio State - Sure, the real Tournament takes three days off, but you still have the NIT...

7pm - ESPN2 - Women's NCAA Tournament - I believe they will be jumping around from game to game to cover the Tournament.

7pm - Versus - Penguins @ Islanders - Sidney Crosby could play for the Penguins for the first time since January 18th when he severely sprained his ankle.

9pm - NIT Tournament - Alabama-Birmingham @ Virginia Tech - The ACC has just one team alive in each of the post season tournaments. UNC in the real tournament, Va. Tech in the NIT, and UVA in the CBI.

Non-sports pick - 8:30pm - CBS - How I Met Your Mother - Britney Spears will be a guest star and will subsequently be the worst part of the episode.

Posted by Robbie Gillies at 2:15 PM | Email Author | Permalink |

Seriously. There is basketball on. Go Watch it.

Posted by Jeff Briggs at 2:30 PM | Email Author | Permalink |

Charles Barkley is by far the best current sports analyst because he speaks his mind. He'll come right and say something like, "Why we spendin' our time watchin' Heat vs. Pacers highlights?" But, Barkley raised his level once again in my eyes.

Last night following the Lakers ending the Jazz's 19-game home winning streak, Barkley was explaining why Kobe Bryant is his current choice for MVP, but unfortunately he doesn't get a vote:

And as for Bayless, well, if you need proof, perhaps you are a numb skull.

Posted by Robbie Gillies at 4:23 AM | Email Author | Permalink |

On a day like this, is there really any reason to do a What To Watch? We all know what's on...ALL DAY. The first days of the Tournament are probably the best time in sports. Obviously everyone who cares about sports (and many who don't) will be watching, so it's always funny to see what ESPN counter-programs with. So, I give you What NOT To Watch.

7:30pm ET - ESPN - ISU World Championships - "Ladies short and free dance programs." Isn't this always ESPN's go-to counter-programming?

8pm - ESPN2 - Boxing - 1998: Arturo Gatti vs. Ivan Robinson - II - A fight from 10 years a go - compelling stuff.

Posted by Robbie Gillies at 3:38 AM | Email Author | Permalink |

Well, between online and office pools, I've entered 8 brackets. All of them are slightly different and I'm officially excited for every possibility and every game. Other blogs are just as excited as me. Lets take a look at a last minute roundup of blogs and the NCAA Tournament before we all become in-active for the rest of the work day (thank you March Madness on demand):

-Mapping the NCAAs. If you like charts, this is for you. (Ball Hype)

-Guide to betting during March Madness. (The Love Of Sports)

-It's the most wonderful time of the year. (Scott's Sports Spot)

-George Mason seems to be enjoying themselves. (DC Sports Bog)

-SimonOnSports hates his bracket. (SimonOnSports)

-A Guide to the 'experts' picks. (FanIQ)

-Obama likes UNC. (The Big Lead)

-Follow a live blog of the tournament. (Storming The Floor)

Posted by Jeff Briggs at 10:42 AM | Email Author | Permalink |

12pm ET - 5pm - TOURNAMENT - Check out which games will be on in your area. OR go online and watch whichever game you want.
7pm - 12am - CBS - TOURNAMENT - Truly a glorious day.

8pm - TNT - Celtics @ Mavericks - What's that you say? There are other sports besides college basketball happening?

10:30pm - TNT - Lakers @ Jazz - Let's see if the Utah fans have any class and can refrain from booing Derek Fisher this time around.

Non-sports pick - 8pm - FX - American History X - Teams might bight it in the Tournament, but not quite like this.

Posted by Robbie Gillies at 7:38 AM | Email Author | Permalink |

For those who aren't in the blogosphere (wow - actually using that word. I feel so...cheap) the NCAA Tournament brings about many posts. Most are breaking down the brackets, picking the cinderella's - just people putting in their two cents. But, then there are the other posts.

Let's take a look at what's out there:

One popular type of post is to have non-basketball related brackets. The folks at The Big Picture have their "Who Would You Do?" bracket. To the right is the #1 seed, Amanda from the Cavaliers dance team. Unsure if a 16 seed has ever beat a one seed in this tournament.

ESPN has a ton of interesting ideas for how to fill out your bracket from "If Your School Was a Beer" to "Inverse Graduation Rate". UNLV gets to re-live the glory days in the "Inverse Graduation Rate" bracket.

AOL Fanhouse tipped us off to the Bracket-O-Matic brought to you by Coke Zero. You can adjust the settings based on how important you think mascots are, coaching experience, senior leadership, seeding, and the ever-important east coast vs. west coast. Let the Bracket-O-Matic do your work for you.














The Dagger has put together their All-Tournament Players...if they were in adult films.

Sports Illustrated offers us a look at the Nerd-Off in which self-proclaimed nerds try to create computer programs to determine the outcome. I'm sure Vegas is paying attention.
























The Best Week Ever gives the 10 most ridiculous mascots in the Tournament.

And we'll end on the most innappropriate one: This fun fact, isn't particularly fun...(TIP: Awful Announcing) (Ed. note - recognize that it was NOT a blog that wrote the "fun fact" but simply discovered it).

Posted by Robbie Gillies at 5:38 AM | Email Author | Permalink |

For the past few days, we've advertised that if you win our tournament pool, you might win a prize. Well, now it is official: the winner WILL get a prize(!). To be specific, a $50 gift card to Best Buy. You can put it toward a sweet TV for next year's tournament...or finally buy that TV-series on DVD you've always wanted (I suggest Arrested Development).

Anyways, go join the RealClearSports Tournament Challenge. You can now win bragging rights AND a Best Buy gift card.

Posted by Ryan Hudson at 3:00 PM | Email Author | Permalink |

7pm ET - ESPN2 - NIT Tournament: Alabama-Birmingham @ Virginia Commonwealth - VCU was the top team from the CAA, but were upset by William & Mary in the conference tournament. UAB almost upset Memphis earlier in the season. A battle of a couple of true mid-majors.

8pm - ESPN - Pistons @ Cavaliers - A possibly preview of the second round of the playoffs.

9pm - ESPN2 - NIT Tournament: San Diego State @ Florida - Will Florida's lack of practice time effect them?

10:30pm - ESPN - Warriors @ Clippers - Let's check in to see how Baron Davis's beard is growing. No matter how much he groes it, he can't out caveman Kaman.

11pm - ESPN2 - NIT Tournament: New Mexico @ California - Something to fall asleep to.

Non-sports pick - 12am (yeah, technically Thursday) - ABC - Jimmy Kimmel Live - Jimmy is reunited with Adam Carolla from their days on The Man Show (ed. note - Jimmy and Adam are actually best friends and see each other very often).

Posted by Robbie Gillies at 2:25 PM | Email Author | Permalink |

Ronny Turiaf doesn't want to be called a cheerleader, but I doubt he wants to be called an ugly girl either.

"Isn't the bag supposed to go over their head?"

Posted by Robbie Gillies at 5:27 AM | Email Author | Permalink |

On Tuesday, Minnesota Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor, when trying to make a point about how his team had to win now (I think), had some harsh words for one of his former players, Kevin Garnett.

"I don't like that so much," Taylor said Tuesday of the suggestion the Wolves tanked at the end of last season, which ended on a seven-game losing streak. "It was more like, I'd say, KG tanked it."

And David -- tell Charles, Kenny and Ernie that I say, "What up," too.

Posted by Ryan Hudson at 11:30 PM | Email Author | Permalink |

7pm - Versus - Thrashers @ Flyers - The Thrashers look to play the spoiler as the Flyers sit just one point ahead of the ninth place Sabres.

7pm - ESPN2 - NIT Tournament: UNC-Asheville @ Ohio State - Ohio State lost in the Championship game last year, lost in the pre-season NIT this year...let's see if the trend continues.

7:30pm - ESPN - NCAA Tournament: Coppin St. vs. Mount St. Mary's - The Tournament starts! Better watch this game to determine how badly the loser will get crushed by UNC.

9pm - ESPN2 - NIT Tournament: Oklahoma State @ Southern Illinois - What happened to the Salukis?? They're always everyone's favorite to make a run in the real Tournament. Let's see what they can do in the NIT.

9:30pm - ESPN - NIT Tournament: Maryland @ Minnesota - Maryland collapsed down the stretch, losing five of their last six games. Can Gary Williams get them motivated for a trip to Minnesota?

9:30pm - TNT - Celtics @ Rockets - The Celtics are coming off of a huge come from behind win against the Spurs. This should be a physical game with both teams playing great defense.

11pm - ESPN2 - NIT Tournament: Alabama State @ Arizona State - The Sun Devils were the team most thought was the biggest snub. Can they get over the disappointment and beat the Hornets?

Non-sports pick - 10pm - Comedy Central - Brian Regan: Standing Up - For anyone who has had this interaction:
Ticket Taker - "Enjoy your movie!"
You - "You too!"

Posted by Robbie Gillies at 3:30 AM | Email Author | Permalink |

The Hornets have a unique marketing campaign for Chris Paul for MVP.

Posted by Robbie Gillies at 4:30 PM | Email Author | Permalink |

Went from one of the best days in sports on Sunday to one of the worst today. I guess you can spend all day researching and filling out your brackets.

7pm ET - ESPN - NCAA Women's Basketball Selection Special - I know you can't wait to fill out your brackets. I'll go out on a limb and say Tennessee vs. UConn in the finals.

7pm - Versus - Avalanche @ Wild - They are currently tied atop the Northwest Division. The winner will be in third place in the West and the loser will fall all the way to seventh.

9pm - ESPN - Black Magic part II - I heard part I was amazing, so I'm going to have to give part II a try.

Non-sports pick - CBS - How I Met Your Mother - Finally! New episodes. This is just the beginning too. All the shows will start up again in the next month.

Posted by Robbie Gillies at 4:05 PM | Email Author | Permalink |

NBA players and coaches beware - there could be a new curse looming. The curse of complimenting the halftime reporter. On Thursday, Baron Davis complimented (allbeit sarcastically) Craig Sager's outfit and the Warriors went on to lose to the Suns.

Fast forward to Sunday. Phil Jackson complimented Michele Tafoya:

And the Lakers lost their second straight game.

I'm not ready to call it a curse yet, but we will definitely be keeping our eye on this one.

Posted by Robbie Gillies at 4:05 AM | Email Author | Permalink |

Look, Charlotte Lady Cats, I know this is for a great cause. I know that by voting for you in the NBA Dance Team Bracket Challenge that I'm also voting for elementary school students and that kids, in general, help get votes. I know that you are the first dance team to incorporate a charity in to the Bracket Challenge. But even though I know these things, this picture is just not working for me.

Especially when the competition is giving me material like this,



this,



or even this.

Seriously, Charlotte, step up your game.

Posted by Dave Nye at 9:53 PM | Email Author | Permalink |

I got guys named Hubert, Digger and Knight currently on my TV, talking about "snubs," so that must mean the brackets are out. Your four number 1's are UNC, Memphis, Kansas and UCLA, with Carolina being the tournament's overall number-one seed.

Of those teams left out (Dayton, UMass, Ohio St., to name a few), people seem to be the most upset about Virginia Tech not getting in. I guess the selection committee is indeed "certifiably insane." Also, Bobby Knight is currently talking a 128-team tournament. I think its time to end this post.

Don't forget to join the RealClearSports Tournament Challenge group by clicking on this link. If you win, you get a prize (maybe).

Posted by Ryan Hudson at 6:10 PM | Email Author | Permalink |

"Let's go Tigers!"

Cause it's a picture of a cat...and the cat would be rooting for tigers...cause they're cats also...
Anyways, one of the best days of the year for sports on TV.

1pm ET - CBS - SEC Championship - Georgia vs. Arkansas - Can Georgia pull off the upset and win three games in just two days?

1pm - ABC - Hornets @ Pistons - Hornets are currently are the third seed in the West. But, with a loss they could fall all the way to seventh.

1pm - NBC - Flyers @ Penguins - Is this game played outdoors? No? I think I'll watch college basketball then.

1pm - ESPN - ACC Championship - Clemson vs. #1 North Carolina - The two regular season games between these two went to a total of three overtimes. Let's hope we get another game like one of those.

1pm - ESPN2 - Southland Championship - Texas-Arlington vs. Northwestern State - Can the Demons pull off the upset? If you know which team is the Demons - could you fill out my bracket for me?

3pm - ESPN - Big 12 Championship - #5 Kansas vs. #8 Texas - I've become an honorary Longhorn after being in attendance for Texas's win over Kansas earlier this season. Can they beat them for a second time? Hook 'em horns.

3:30pm - CBS - Big Ten Championship - Illinois vs. Wisconsin - All those bubble teams will be rooting for Wisconsin. With a win, Wisconsin could get a two-seed.

3:30pm - ABC - Lakers @ Rockets - #24 will try to stop the streak at 21.

6pm - CBS - NCAA Basketball Championship Selection Show - It's like the NFL Draft for college basketball, except you get results just four days later as opposed to waiting five months. Ah, instant gratification. Speaking of the Tournament, I hear there's an awesome pool you can join.

Posted by Robbie Gillies at 6:44 AM | Email Author | Permalink |

Chris Duhon was recently suspended and in response the suspension said, "Usually, I don’t play anyway, so it doesn’t have that much of an effect on me." As you might have read, that made my day.

Well, Duhon was quickly de-throwned as King of sports sarcasm by Mariners Ichiro Suzuki. Ichiro had been 0-21 in his first 21 at bats of Spring training. He finally got his first hit Thursday against the Giants. In response to, what I'm sure was a barrage of annoying questions on the topic, Ichiro said (note - his comments ARE going through a translator):

Today, my feeling is kind of sad. It's sad to say goodbye [to the hitless streak]. Part of me wishes it would have gone on a little longer.

I was planning to keep the ball and send it to Cooperstown, but we couldn't get the ball back.

Either Ichiro has a great sense of humor, or that translator likes messing with people. I really hope it's the latter.

Posted by Robbie Gillies at 3:44 AM | Email Author | Permalink |

Trent Dilfer who is best known for dispelling the myth that you need a good quarterback to win a Super Bowl, was released by the 49ers Thursday. The news was shocking to many. An anonymous source (ed. note - definitely made up) had this to say: "He was still in the league?"

Posted by Robbie Gillies at 3:20 PM | Email Author | Permalink |

If you don't know who Balke Hoffarber is, consider this a warning, because he is coming for your basketball game. And he'll hit a ridiculous shot at the buzzer there, too.

First, if you don't remember, a few years, in the Minnesota State Championship, Hoffarber made a shot, at the buzzer, while lying on his back, to force a second overtime. Crazy, right?

Well, last night, he outdid himself.

Unbelievable.

(And how about those questionable calls/awful foul-shot shooting form Indiana??)

(Thanks to Awful Announcing for the heads-up.)

Posted by Ryan Hudson at 12:20 PM | Email Author | Permalink |

Yesterday, the Red Sox released Doug Mirabelli. The guy never had the best numbers, but he was a good back-up catcher, was actually able to handle the knuckleball and was a great "team guy." I know that last one is a terrible cliche, but Curt Schilling thought so, too, as he said in his blog today:

In the 20 years since I was first called up to the big leagues I’ve played with exactly 2 players who’s presence in the clubhouse carried onto the field. Darren Daulton in Philadelphia, and Doug Mirabelli here in Boston.

9:25 Shaves and leaves his goatee.
9:30 Takes 35 vicious cuts with his bat naked in front of the mirror, screams out loud "DOUGIE'S GOING DEEP TONIGHT!"
9:45 Puts on his cowboy boots and tight jeans and tank-top and gets ready to leave.
9:50 Grunts at his wife and kids and tells them he'll see them tomorrow.
9:57 Pulls onto Rt-1 with Led Zeppelin blaring, cuts three people off, gives the finger to all three people.
10:15 Pulls into Fenway Park, tells clubhouse parking attendant to make sure he blocks Nomar in.

Posted by Ryan Hudson at 4:15 PM | Email Author | Permalink |

On TNT's post-game show last night, David Aldridge had a sit down interview with Chris "The Birdman" Andersen. It told the story of Andersen, who grew up in a foster home, has battled with alcoholism, was suspended for violating the league's substance abuse policy, and his recent reinstatement and subsequent signing by the Hornets. The subject matter is extremely interesting, unfortunately the subject doesn't seem like the brightest light. But, the 'Birdman' wants to put his past behind him and start a family:

But, that wasn't the worst part of the piece. Chris Andersen has never been anything close to a star in this league. He has averaged a modest 5 points and 5 rebounds in 253 career games. So, when Andersen was suspended in 2006, there probably weren't many newspaper headlines about the event. So, here's what TNT did:

Posted by Robbie Gillies at 4:00 PM | Email Author | Permalink |

Lately though, JMU is beginning to actually produce notable alumni. They've taken over the sports world: Gary Clark, Charles Haley and Scott Norwood ("wide right!"). Even the translator for Yao Ming was a Duke Dog.

Then, they left their footprint on the entertainment industry: two of the guys from the Dave Matthews Band (Leroi Moore, the saxophonist, and Butch Taylor, the keyboardist) are both from the 'Burg, along with Phil Vassar. And let's not forget a couple local (to DC) celebrities: Wizards play-by-play man Steve Buckhantz ("Dagggggger!!!") and Lindsay Czarniak.

And now, apparently, JMU grads are set to take over the world of sports blogs. Two of the guys on this site, including myself, are JMU alums (alumnus? alumnae?). So is Jamie Mottram, the so-called "Godfather of Sports Blogging," and Awful Announcing, the guy who posts like 90% of all sports videos you see.

Now you can add The Big Lead to that list. After years of anonymity, the author finally revealed his true identity yesterday. His name is Jason McIntyre, and it turns out, he graduated from James Madison, too.

Here come the Dukes. Consider yourself warned.

Posted by Ryan Hudson at 12:45 PM | Email Author | Permalink |