SportsFilter

Last Chance for Several First Round Picks

rcade — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 11:09:45 -0400

Several once-acclaimed first round picks are getting what could be their last shot in the NFL: Seattle Seahawks receiver Mike Williams, Cincinnati Bengals cornerback-returner Adam "Don't Call Me Pacman" Jones, New York Giants offensive lineman Shawn Andrews and Baltimore Ravens receiver Donte' Stallworth.

Men's Doubles Team From India, Pakistan

rcade — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 10:35:40 -0400

A rising men's doubles team are from India and Pakistan, nuclear neighbors that have fought three wars against each other since 1947. Rohan Bopanna of India and Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi of Pakistan, currently ranked 35th in their sport, are both 30 and have known each other for 14 years. "[S]itting here together, you could not differentiate between us, as it was the same country before partition," Bopanna said.

Football or Neutron Bomb?

rcade — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 09:21:51 -0400

Sao Paulo, Brazil. With a population upwards of 11 million people and a population density of more than 7,000 people per square kilometre, it is a pretty crowded place. But on July 2, 2010 during the second half of the Brazil-Netherlands World Cup quarterfinal, the streets were completely deserted (via MetaFilter).

Football Outsiders' 24 Laws of Football

rcade — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 17:12:04 -0400

Aaron Schatz of Football Outsiders has summed up seven years of research on his site with 24 laws of football, including "Running on third-and-short is more likely to convert than passing on third-and-short" and "[a] running back with 370 or more carries during the regular season will usually suffer either a major injury or a loss of effectiveness the following year, unless he is named Eric Dickerson."

Science Confirms Amazing 1997 Free Kick

rcade — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 16:40:37 -0400

The incredible curving 115-foot free kick by Brazil's Roberto Carlos against France in 1997 was not a fluke, scientists have determined in an experiment involving tiny plastic balls and a slingshot. "People often noticed that Carlos' free kick had been shot from a remarkably long distance, we show in our paper that this is not a coincidence, but a necessary condition for generating a spiral trajectory," said researchers Christophe Clanet and David Quere.

Nyjer Morgan Ignites Nationals-Marlins Brawl

rcade — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 10:05:45 -0400

After a message pitch went behind his back, Washington Nationals center fielder Nyjer Morgan charged Florida Marlins pitcher Chris Volstad Wednesday night and was clotheslined by first baseman Gaby Sanchez after landing a punch, sparking a benches-clearing brawl between the teams. Morgan had been hit by another Volstad pitch two innings earlier after separating the shoulder of Marlins catcher Brett Hayes in a collision during the previous game. "It was a hard play, and I understand there are going to be some bad feelings," Morgan said. "You've got to get me back. They hit me the first time, and I let it go. But when they throw at me again, I've got to go."

Jim Brown Goes to Town on Mike Holmgren

rcade — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 08:59:14 -0400

NFL legend Jim Brown is skipping his own ring of honor induction with the Cleveland Browns this season and has fired off an angry public letter to team president Mike Holmgren about how he's been treated by the organization. "Your most powerful statement about me was that, and I must laugh, one monkey don't stop the show," Brown wrote to Holmgren. "I've never danced in the end zone, I always gave the ball to the referee, so you should know I don't dance. ... Mike, there's only one thing that I control in life, and that's being a man."

F1 Driver Mark Webber: How I Got My Body

rcade — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 08:24:42 -0400

In an ongoing Guardian feature called How I Got My Body, F1 driver Mark Webber describes the physical demands of his sport. Here's how he got his worst scar: "A plug popped off one of the pipes in the cockpit, and the heat basically blowtorched through my fireproofs, through my underwear, and peeled back the skin on my hip. It happened early on in the race and I told my team I was thinking about retiring."

Cardinals Shopping Leinart Around

BornIcon — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 16:23:26 -0400

The Arizona Cardinals have begun calling teams with quarterback needs to gauge interest in Matt Leinart, the former first-round pick and Heisman Trophy winner at U.S.C. who has failed on numerous occasions to seize the Cardinals� starting job. He now appears to have been supplanted by Derek Anderson, who was released by the Cleveland Browns in the off-season.

Troy Polamalu's Hair Insured for $1 Million

rcade — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 15:34:06 -0400

Pittsburgh Steelers safety Troy Polamalu's hair has been insured for $1 million by Head and Shoulders, the shampoo brand that he endorses. Spending 45 minutes before each game just on his hair, Polamalu explains, "It's correlated to what a warrior in the past would do to prepare for war. ... [Y]ou can almost get into the mind-way, preparing for some type of battle when you are doing your hair."

Last Surviving Player in First World Cup Dies

rcade — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 08:19:36 -0400

Francisco "Canoncito" Varallo, the last living player from the original World Cup in 1930, has died in Argentina at the age of 100. He scored 194 goals for his club Boca Juniors, a team record broken this year by current striker Martin Palermo. When interviewed last year, Varallo was still bitter about that 4-2 loss to Uruguay. "We weren't gutsy enough," he said. "How I cried that day. Even now when I look back it still makes me angry."

Who wants to bet Tiger never set a golf course on fire like this?

NerfballPro — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 03:18:46 -0400

Over the weekend, a golfer at Shady Canyon Golf Course caused a fire when he inadvertently struck a rock while swinging his club in the rough. Ground and air units responded to the blaze, which scorched 12 acres before being put out.

Longhorn coach Mack Brown believes Vince Young deserves 2005 Heisman.

sgtcookzane — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 23:36:31 -0400

"I think you have to go back and really give that choice to the Heisman Trust. If they take it away, I think Vince should be awarded the trophy . . . Vince was second in the voting, so even if they re-voted I would like to see Vince get it,"

European Ryder Cup Team Finalised

JJ — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 18:19:05 -0400

In addition to the 9 qualifiers, European captain Colin Montgomerie selected Padraig Harrington, Luke Donald and Edoardo Molinari, who finished birdie-birdie-birdie to win by a shot at Gleneagles on Sunday, and whose brother Francesco is one of the 9 automatic selections. How do you like the look of the team? [more inside, including some incredibly spurious use of numbers]

CEOs with headsets

kokaku — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 14:52:25 -0400

College coaches make a lot of money, who knew?