April 28, 2010
And ... they're out! I'm not a gambler, but looking at some of these odds I'm wondering why I'm not. There is some great value out there....
April 25, 2010
For the second year in a row the winner of the Wood Memorial and would-have-been favorite in the Kentucky Derby is being pulled out of the Run for the Roses due to a health problem. In his place trainer Todd...
March 27, 2010
Is it just me or, at least in terms of competitiveness and the fun of it, is this year's NCAA tournament better than those we've seen over the last few years?...
March 15, 2010
And sadly there really isn't a single team I want to pick to win the South regional....
February 02, 2010
A stress fracture has knocked my favorite for the Kentucky Derby out of racing for the next few months. He becomes the latest of a string of prominent Rick Porter-owned thoroughbreds to have injury problems....
January 04, 2010
Why wait until Thursday night to watch the national championship? I'd say we call that championship game #2, as the first bowl-season battle of unbeatens is tonight in the Fiesta Bowl. Go Broncos!...
November 30, 2009
Okay folks, it's the last day of November and a lot of football teams are done with their season, though there are of course a few important games this week. It seems to me it's a good time to consider...
November 10, 2009
So it seems like every sportscaster and their mother thinks that the national championship game will be between Texas and the winner of the SEC, even though a few people are saying that the SEC seems to be having a...
November 07, 2009
It's an historic day in horse racing. Zenyatta just became the first female horse to win the Breeders' Cup Classic, the biggest thoroughbred race held in the United States. And the race didn't set-up easily for her either. She is...
November 05, 2009
So now that the giant yawn that is professional baseball is finally over, it's time for more important things - like the biggest weekend of horse racing in the US. The Breeders Cup races begin tomorrow with the contests among...
November 01, 2009
While I suppose breaking Herschel Walker's record moved Tim Tebow closer to winning this year's Heisman, I continue to think Houston's Case Keenum should be the leading candidate for this year's prize. Yesterday saw another spectacular performance by the Houston...
October 18, 2009
At least if the first 17.333 minutes of the game against the Giants is anything to go by....
October 06, 2009
How dare that woman ask him a question....
September 26, 2009
At the half Rich Rod and Michigan are losing to lowly Indiana. Yes!UPDATE: Oh well. That was nice while it lasted. At least LSU finally woke up, and, rather impressively, held on to win.UPDATE 2: Okay, I was much better...
September 24, 2009
Riiiight. It's now in the fourth quarter, they are behind a not too impressive Gamecocks team, and have only scored 3 points. How about we not rank teams until October? You know, after everyone's played a game against someone who's...
September 13, 2009
Roger Federer has already won 5 straight US Open singles championships and 15 Grand Slam singles championships - 2 feats no other man has accomplished in the history of tennis. He'll be going for his 6th straight and 16th overall...
Sadly it's not the first time she's behaved so terribly. And sadly it took away from a a great win for Kim Clijsters who has made it all the way to the finals as a wild card. Clijsters is a...
September 07, 2009
I realize that naming conventions in horse racing often result in names that might not seem the best of ideas. Still, I've got to say I shake my head a little more than usual when I am reminded that one...
September 05, 2009
Go Middies. Go Zips. Make Uga happy (is there a cuter mascot?). And of course, let's go Mountaineers. Demolish Liberty. And Syracuse is playing down to its reputation. Less than 20 seconds into the game Syracuse is already losing to...
August 18, 2009
How is it possible that I couldn't care less about Brett Favre and yet I'm sick of him nonetheless?...
August 03, 2009
The Preakness winner won another one the top races in the US, winning by 6 lengths over Belmont-winning Summer Bird. She was carrying less weight, but it's another impressive win for the filly. She won't be going to the Breeder's...
July 31, 2009
Most racing fans will be focused on the Haskell Invitational this weekend, watching to see if famed Rachel Alexandra can post yet another high-profile win (after her wins in the Kentucky Oaks, Preakness and Mother Goose). But here in the...
July 03, 2009
So the singles finals are set, and they'll involve the Williams sisters, Federer, and Roddick. The tv network must be thrilled....
June 26, 2009
I haven't cared about the NBA in years, but regardless, Bill Simmons' minute-by-minute coverage is amusing. And of course it reminds me of why I have no interest in the game....
June 25, 2009
Well of course the Tigers drubbed the Longhorns to win the College World Series. The tie noted in the headline is that LSU is now tied with Texas for the second-most College World Series championships. After winnning half of 'em...
June 06, 2009
Now that the first sports event of the day is done (congratulations to Ms. Kuznetsova!), attention can move on to today's racing at Belmont Park. This year's races have been exciting, and this year's 3 year-olds are strong, so I...
May 31, 2009
Since I don't like hockey or the NBA the biggest sports news of the week, for me, had been the news that Rachel Alexandra wasn't going to run in the Belmont. Well that just changed as Rafa Nadal lost to...
May 02, 2009
The horse racing news of the day is who isn't racing (Derby favorite I Want Revenge was scratched) and who raced yesterday (Rachel Alexandra won the Kentucky Oaks by over 20 lengths yesterday - yes, you read that right, over...
April 21, 2009
The 2009 Kentucky Derby is less than two weeks away. Are you ready for a mint julep? And maybe a big hat? A lot of people are saying it's a strong field this year (at the least, stonger than last...
March 22, 2009
So the seeding appears to have been on target. 14 (out of 16) of the expected, higher seeds have advanced to the third round. That seems about right. This is a year when there's been a lot of parity at...
March 19, 2009
You know coach, somehow I think the president of the United States can both fill out a bracket and deal with the economy. I mean really - whine much?...
March 15, 2009
If you want to make an predictions about it, feel free....
Is there a new early favorite for the Kentucky Derby? Quite possibly - this son of A.P. Indy....
January 17, 2009
WVU's hiring of Bob Huggins stunk of the hire-my-college-roomie syndrome you see too much at the top level in West Virginia, and that's before one gets into the ethical iffyness of some of his teams over the years. So I'm...
January 11, 2009
Will it happen? Will the Steelers beat the Ravens? Will the Eagles beat the Cardinals?...
January 04, 2009
So I've got the Miami-Baltimore game on, and in one commercial break there's the Giants QB advocating a fitness initiative. And then in a following commercial break, there he is with his brother and the Williams sisters doing an ad...
January 01, 2009
It's so very predictable, USC is crushing the best of what the Big 10 has to offer. It appears to be 30 minutes away from its 24th overall Rose Bowl win, and it's third in a row. Notwithstanding Iowa's big...
It's so very predictable, USC is crushing the best of what the Big 10 has to offer. It appears to be 30 minutes away from its 24th overall Rose Bowl win, and it's third in a row. Notwithstanding Iowa's big...
December 06, 2008
Gators 31, Tide 20. Gooooooo Gators! Sorry JPW....
December 04, 2008
He thinks Auburn is nuts to have lost (forced out?) their football coach....
November 30, 2008
Apparently he is. And apparently he will be Cleveland's starting QB next week since this week, for the second week in a row, the Browns lost their QB to injury....
If the BCS is going to produce results as messed up as sending Oklahoma to the Big 12 title game, well, I'm in favor of making it look even sillier. And the aftermath of a Missouri win would be fun...
Poor Boise State. It looks like they are on track to play in the Humanitarian Bowl in exotic ... Boise. A perfect season, a conference championship, and a win over the #2 team in the Pac-10 - Oregon (and yes,...
November 28, 2008
This one is going to sting, as the Panthers went ahead in the game's final minute....
November 23, 2008
Texas beat Oklahoma. That's all you need to know....
November 16, 2008
Congratulations to Vanderbilt (bowl eligible), Oregon State, Rutgers (4 straight wins), and Florida, who gave Steve Spurrier the biggest defeat (by margin of victory) in his coaching career. "You're so lame" awards go out to the ranked teams in the...
November 15, 2008
Today Michigan lost to Northwestern. Northwestern won, pushing the long-time Big 10 power's record down to 3-8. Yes, 8 losses. Never before in the 129-year history of Michigan football has their team lost 8 games in the regular season. Now,...
November 01, 2008
Alabama, Penn St., or Texas Tech?Of course Texas Tech, Oklahoma, and Oklahoma St. all still have to play one another, so how the Big 12 South will ultimately unfold remains to be seen....
October 24, 2008
Mike Smith had an exciting afternoon at Santa Anita. First he rode favored Stardom Bound to victory in the Juvenile Fillies, ahead of Dream Express and Sky Diva. Then he was along for the ride as heavy favorite Zenyatta won...
October 14, 2008
He tore one of his feet. His racing career is now over. And the Breeders Cup will now be looking for another headline draw as the much anticipated match-up between Big Brown an Curlin won't happen....
October 11, 2008
Some excellent suggestions about an event in desperate need of reform....
So the Mountaineers eventually pulled away from the abysmal Orangemen - another less than impressive victory over a lousy foe. Texas defeated #1 Oklahoma (yay!), even though Oklahoma's excellent QB threw 5 touchdown passes. And Rich Rod's Michigan team lost...
September 28, 2008
I'd say that so far the Jets' acquisition of the former Green Bay QB is working out well....
The son of Smart Strike won the Jockey Club Gold Cup (again) yesterday. That takes his lifetime earnings over $10 million and he's now the leading money earner ever, in terms of winnings, among horses based in North America....
September 23, 2008
So let's review. Every year Joe Torre was managing the team (1996-2007), they made the post-season. This year? No. Torre now manages the Dodgers. Are they likely to make the post-season? They are not in yet, but currently they lead...
September 14, 2008
Umm, why did our university just do this? 6 years? Look, last year's bowl win was nice and everything. Hey, it was great. But in his last outing he lost to East Carolina by 3 touchdowns. Yes, East Carolina by...
September 05, 2008
Okay, so it's only week two, and only 2 teams have even played in a conference game - but how often do Vanderbilt fans get to see positive headlines? Congratulations to them....
August 30, 2008
WVU beat Villanova 48-21, while Bowling Green beat Pitt, East Carolina beat Virginia tech, and Utah beat Michigan. I think it's safe to say people in Morgantown will be happy tonight....
August 26, 2008
So let's see, an attractive blonde who speaks English, is a great interview, wears skimpy outfits and gets wet beats the favored Chinese for gold - and NBC's coverage of him is akin to the proverbial crickets chirping? Nope NBC...
August 25, 2008
You know I guess I can see Tom Benson avoiding the top (bottom) 3. Barely. But's he's being far too kind to the Yorks. Between them and Al Davis it's a wonder that all NFL fans in the Bay Area...
August 16, 2008
I'm seemingly less interested in the Olympics than almost everyone I know. But when my longtime favorite picks up a gold, I take note. Especially when he celebrates like this.But while I'm happy for at least one athlete (well, at...
July 06, 2008
Federer had won the men's singles championship five straight times. But he failed to win a sixth straight title. Nadal beat him in the longest final ever played. Since I think they are both great, it's fun to see that...
June 09, 2008
In this weekend's sporting news we saw Rafa Nadal win his fourth straight French Open title, and an unknown post a shocking win in the Belmont Stakes. Nadal completely dominated Roger Federer to win his fourth straight French Open (Federer...
May 02, 2008
So several weeks ago I looked at the possible field, and settled on 5 horses to keep my eye on - Pyro, Big Brown, Fierce Wind, Elysium Fields and Georgie Boy. Now that we are actually one day from the...
April 21, 2008
Apparenly someone doesn't know anything about international sporting events in 1936....
March 23, 2008
March 16, 2008
IN the West, number 7, first game against number 10 Arizona....
March 13, 2008
How the hell did that happen? Well, Joe Alexander scored a career-high 34 points, but still ... that was unexpected. I presume Georgetown will crush the Mountaineers tomorrow. But then I expected the Huskies to win today, so maybe I...
February 27, 2008
Myron Cope, the legendary broadcaster from Pittsburgh who gave us the Immaculate Reception and the Terrible Towel, and the glorious "double yoy," has passed away at the age of 79. The test of being a real Stillers fan - and...
February 15, 2008
The British can. But the US Olympic Committee won't let the Americans. They don't want to offend the Chinese.Ugh....
February 03, 2008
Okay, make any comments you want to about the game or the ads here. And Moon, congratulations on your Giants' victory. I'd still argue that the Patriots are the better team, but on this given Sunday the Giants gutted out...
January 23, 2008
One of the country's winningest basketball coahes is in a bit of trouble. St. Louis Archbishop Raymond Burke said this morning that St. Louis University basketball coach Rick Majerus should be disciplined over his public comments supporting abortion rights and...
January 16, 2008
We are now a few days into the Australian Open. That being the case, tonight I'll note this bit of sports trivia. Roger Federer has played in the last 10 Grand Slam Finals. Yes - 10 straight Grand Slam finals....
January 07, 2008
Apparently, it's winding up now, and Armand's alma mater is beating the snot out of our neighbors. It's 60 degrees and a Monday in the second week of January already. It's all wrong. Shrug....
January 03, 2008
And yes, it's exactly who you'd think we'd hire the day after humiliating Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl....
The Mountaineers take the Fiesta Bowl! Viva! Viva!. And of course, come mierda RichRod. Cozy on up to that lawsuit to get used to the Ann Arbor winter....
December 17, 2007
While our current coach packs his bags to begin a career that'll hopefully involve many losses to the Buckeyes, talk is building about who'll replace him. The Daily Mail describes likely candidates here. Out of those I'd say Doc Holliday...
December 16, 2007
They avoided going 0-16 this season! They just beat the Baltimore Ravens in overtime, 22-16, and now have a record of 1 win and 13 losses....
December 09, 2007
Tebow wins the Heisman....
December 02, 2007
The match-ups are set. Does anyone care? There should be one or two interesting games (Georgia vs. Hawaii in the Sugar Bowl is the one I'm most interested to see), but it's a rather ho-hum affair, and of course the...
December 01, 2007
We're down 10-7 at the end of the 3rd quarter. Are we going to lose this thing?UPDATE: Yeah, I guess we are. The Curse of being #2 strikes again. Seriously - has the #2 team in the country lost more...
November 24, 2007
From the AP: Pat White has No. 4 West Virginia on the brink of playing for a national championship.White rushed for 186 yards and accounted for three touchdowns to lead the Mountaineers to a 66-21 win over No. 20 Connecticut...
November 15, 2007
Probably didn't happen at the Democratic debate. The live-blogging of that suggests most saw it as a tame affair that didn't move any of the major candidacies. But another race might well change tonight - the competition to get into...
November 03, 2007
Yeah, I know we're still in the 4th quarter of the Kansas game, but given how that game is going (and how the season's gone so far) I seriously wonder if Callahan will be fired before the game ends today....
October 28, 2007
If you haven't clicked on the footage of the end of the Trinity-Millsaps game you really should. It's incredible. Truly incredible. And the fact that this was done to a team coached by Mike DuBose makes it even a touch...
October 20, 2007
So we are seeing yet another week in college football featuring top teams going down to defeat. South Florida lost earlier in the week, and already today we've seen #23 Cincinnati lose to Pitt and #6 South Carolina lose to...
October 13, 2007
The early games have restored the natural order of the Big Ten - Illinois losing at football, and Ohio State and Michigan standing alone atop the conference standings. Both the Buckeyes and the Wolverines won by huge margins today, so...
September 30, 2007
That was bound to happen after yesterday's string of upsets. But still ... LSU as #1? South Florida #6? Boston College #7? Kentucky #8?South Florida is the highest ranked school in Florida, and 6th nationwide? Kentucky is ranked above Florida,...
September 22, 2007
Okay, West Virginia's overwhelming win today has got to be good for the Mountaineers. But the fact that the #2 team in the conference (Louisville) has been far behind the Orange Little Sisters of the Poor for much of the...
September 16, 2007
Okay, another post on a subject no one cares about, but for hours now I've been unable to get my head around today's Bengals-Browns game. Last week the Browns shipped their starting quarterback off to the West coast in a...
September 15, 2007
The Citadel is tied with Wisconsin at halftime, 21-21. If they upset the Badgers ... wow. On top of the Michigan upset that would have to make this the Southern Conference's best year. But hey, there are 30 more minutes...
September 08, 2007
They've entered the 3rd and the score is 3-2. Meanwhile the WVU-Marshall game is scarily close early in the 4th. Personally, I blame Gov. Manchin (D-WV)....
July 04, 2007
So let's see, South Korea and Austria came in second and third in the balloting for the 2010 Winter Olympics. So who would come in second and third in the balloting for the 2014 Winter Olympics? Why South Korea and...
June 07, 2007
I'm pulling for her to win the Belmont. No filly has won that race in over 100 years. That's one of those statements that I really can't quite get my head around. I mean during the entire lifetimes of my...
May 30, 2007
Well that didn't take long. In the worst performance the US team has ever posted in the Open era (which stretches back to the days of LBJ) every single one of their men lost in the 1st Round at the...
May 19, 2007
It should be a pretty day in Baltimore for the Preakness. I'm sticking with the two horses I liked in the Kentucky Derby - Street Sense (remember favorites tend to do really well in the Preakness) and Circular Quay. Steve...
May 01, 2007
As many of you know, I sort of follow it most years. It's kind of silly really as it's a terribly unrepresentative horse race - 20 horses running in one race is nuts - but at the same time it's...
As many of you know, I sort of follow it most years. It's kind of silly really as it's a terribly unrepresentative horse race - 20 horses running in one race is nuts - but at the same time it's...
April 15, 2007
He looked "spectacular" yesterday, winning the Arkansas Derby by a 10 1/2 length margin. But can he win the Kentucky Derby? He'll be breaking some long-standing Derby "rules" if he does. Were the lightly-raced Curlin to win the Kentucky Derby...
April 02, 2007
March 31, 2007
On this side of the Atlantic, the big horse race of the day was the Florida Derby, a key prep for the Kentucky Derby. Scat Daddy won that, and will try to follow in Barbaro's footsteps and follow a win...
March 30, 2007
So it's come down to 4. I'm sure Binky will be pulling for Florida. Any of the rest of you have an outcome you want to see - or predict will happen? I'm pulling for Georgetown to beat UCLA in...
March 29, 2007
It's WVU! The Mountaineers defeated Clemson, 78-73....
March 15, 2007
And then there were 16. Say what you will about the NIT, but the seeding of it seems to be done prettty well. In the first 16 games the higher seed won 13. As to those other 3, it appears...
March 11, 2007
To the surprise of probably no one, the WVU Mountaineers will not be playing in the NCAA tournament this year. To the surprise of some, neither will Syracuse. There will only be 6 Big East teams in the tournament....
March 07, 2007
I strongly disagree with this. Sure, hating Laettner has been the norm for almost 20 years, but to me Bobby Hurley always seemed the more worthy of intense loathing. And if not Hurley, Coach K himself....
February 22, 2007
The All England Club joined their peers in offering equal pay to women tennis players: "Tennis is one of the few sports in which women and men compete in the same event at the same time," club chairman Tim Phillips...
February 10, 2007
OK, I realize it's still very early in the second half - but right now the Mountaineers are leading the #2 team in the country 38-25. We could be in for an afternoon and night of some major celebrating in...
January 25, 2007
Mr. Practically Perfect in Every Way breezed past Andy Roddick to reach yet another Grand Slam final. And how about the run unseeded Serena Williams is having? She won in straight sets and will face top seed Maria Sharapova in...
January 11, 2007
It makes such perfect sense, as long as you take sports out of the equation. There are breaking reports out that David Beckham will soon be joining the LA Galaxy. Europe's #1 "we're so pretty and rich and fashionable" couple...
January 09, 2007
GO GATORS! Gators make it look easy The Florida Gators tonight obliterated the Ohio State Buckeyes to win the BCS Championship Game. "Upset" doesn't quite measure up in describing the No. 2 Gators' victory over the undefeated No. 1 Buckeyes....
January 06, 2007
I just clicked over to ESPN to see where things stood in the Colt-Chiefs playoff game, and what the fuck? I'm not surprised that the Colts are up 9-0, but all week long I've heard about how Larry Johnson was...
January 05, 2007
December 27, 2006
Coming in a few days late, as I only got back in town late last night. First, from what I've seen of the bowls so far the team that stood out most to me has been (surprisingly) Troy. Yeah, weak...
December 03, 2006
Great googly moogly! Mountaineers win!...
December 02, 2006
Oh yeah, my Gators just beat Arkansas. Whaddaya say, Armand?...
November 24, 2006
A&M beat Texas this afternoon - the first time they'd won that traditional game this millenium. What's more, Texas losing means that if favored Oklahoma defeats Oklahoma State, Texas won't even make it to the Big XII championship game. I...
November 18, 2006
When it comes to this week's college football upsets, I wasn't remotely surprised by Virginia Tech beating Wake Forest. And actually I'm not fall-on-the-floor stunned Cinci beat Rutgers. But I am definitely surprised by how badly Cinci beat Rutgers. How...
November 12, 2006
The Gators squeaked one out against that wily sumbitch Steve Spurrier. That's big....
November 09, 2006
Undefeated Rutgers just upset (formerly) undefeated Louisville! How high will they rise in the polls now? How high should they rise (doubtless higher than the "tradition"-minded polls will place them, but how high do you think)? In any event -...
November 05, 2006
Gomes dos Santos is the first South American to win the New York Marathon! Ole ole ole olaaaa.... Brasil.... Brasil.....!!!...
October 28, 2006
I don't want to count my upsets before they hatch, especially given that last weekend it seemed like half of the top 25 saved itself in the last 3 minutes of their respective games. That said, the Trojans are going...
I ask, because today Temple won a football game (poor, sad Bowling Green)....
October 27, 2006
So with Clemson's loss last night, at the moment it looks like the ACC Championship game will feature the winner of Boston College and Wake Forest (played at Wake on the night of November 4th) playing Georgia Tech. Is this...
October 17, 2006
Who even knew it was possible to have a quarterback rating of 10.7? But two things NFL fans know well, are that 1) the Cardinals often find a way to lose, and 2) the Bears have a tremendous defense. So...
October 15, 2006
There are a lot of things no one would have predicted at the start of the year. Joe Lieberman loses the Democratic primary in Connecticut? The implosion of the Tom Reilly campaign and the momentum behind the Deval Patrick campaign...
September 17, 2006
Not even a touchdown? Not even one? There were some great moments in football yesterday from Michigan crushing Notre Dame to Florida's narrow win over Tennessee, but to me the biggest surprise was TCU's win over Texas Tech. No, I'm...
September 10, 2006
For months and months all we've read about is how this is the most open and unpredictable year that college football has seen in a long time. Well, it looks like that's all changed over the last 8 days. Why...
Baltar will have more to say about this as our resident F1 guy. Plus, Schumacher is not the one I think of when I hear the words "greatest driver of all time."...
August 27, 2006
Last month Bernardini posted one of the most overwhelming victories in the history of the Jim Dandy. Yesterday he won the Travers by the largest margin in 27 years. It was his fifth consecutive win, and he's clearly established himself...
August 22, 2006
How sad - Saint Liam was euthanized after fracturing one of his hind legs....
August 21, 2006
In case anyone was wondering what my mother's up to tonight, she and Chuck will be at this game in Shreveport.Given the date, the location, and the teams involved, the commentators will likely reference Katrina frequently. If they are going...
July 30, 2006
The 2006 Preakness is probably best remembered for Barbaro's injury - but that race also featured a big win by Bernardini, a son of A.P. Indy. Bernardini raced for the first time since the Preakness yesterday, in the Jim Dandy...
July 20, 2006
Oh puh-leeze, you have GOT to be kidding me. Trash talking gets Materazzi banned for two games and fined over $2,000? What, Zidane can't possibly play amidst those mean, mean words? I'm disgusted by this penalty....
Today's edition of ESPN's Daily Quickie features a list of the supposed greatest sidekicks in the history of sports. Some of them are entirely predictable (Scottie Pippen to Michael Jordan, John Stockton to Karl Malone, Fluff Cowan to Tiger Woods),...
July 09, 2006
I love him so very, very much. Four straight Wimbledon mens' titles (something only Borg and Sampras and now Federer have done), and eight Grand Slam singles titles - and he doesn't even turn 25 until next month. He was...
July 08, 2006
Justine Henin-Hardenne might be the Olympic gold medalist, and she might have been in the finals of every grand slam event this year - but it's Amelie Mauresmo who's now won two of this year's slams (the Australian and now...
July 07, 2006
The Cypriot who turned 21 a few weeks ago has never won a singles title. So maybe you've never heard of him. But he's the guy who lost to Roger Federer earlier this year in the Australian Open final. And...
July 01, 2006
June 27, 2006
Rafael Nadal (who is all of 20, and barely that) is in the midst of (by far) the longest clay court winning streak in the Open Era, and now Roger Federer (who is still just 24) is in the midst...
June 26, 2006
I realize no one outside of West Virginia will care about this, but WVU and Marshall (the two major universities in WV) have recently agreed to play football once a year against each other. This hasn't happened in a very...
June 22, 2006
In case you don't know, the US World Cup team lost to Ghana today, and we've been eliminated from the tournament. But is it all Landon Donovan's fault? I realize his play in both games is attracting a lot of...
June 18, 2006
Get to a TV immediately and watch the end of the US Open. It looks like it's headed to a really exciting finish, even without Tiger. At the moment Geoff Ogilvy has a one shot lead over four others including...
June 09, 2006
As expected, the top seed in the men's draw (and probably the greatest men's tennis player playing today) has made it into the finals at the French Open. If he wins that (and that's a big "if" since Nadal is...
May 19, 2006
I won't be watching it as it seems every person I know with cable is out of town this weekend. I won't be betting either. I think Barbaro will win, and if he doesn't it'll be one of the other...
May 15, 2006
"University of Georgia President Michael Adams objects to the phrase "World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party" to describe the annual Georgia-Florida football game. And he has asked CBS Television and the city of Jacksonville, Fla., to not use the phrase when...
Doug Flutie retired Monday, ending a 21-year career in which the undersized Heisman Trophy winner threw one of college football's most famous passes and played a dozen seasons in the NFL....
May 07, 2006
That was some performance yesterday. He won the Kentucky Derby by the largest margin since Assault won by 8 lengths in 1946....
May 06, 2006
Not that I'd ever gamble, and gambling on this year's unusually competitive Kentucky Derby is even more of a gamble than usual, but A.P. Warrior at 15-1 seems a great price, as does Bluegrass Cat at 30-1. Yeah, he's possibly...
April 30, 2006
It's almost over, and still no one has taken Virginia Tech QB Marcus Vick. I can't say I'm surprised. As to where famed/controversial Colorado Buffalo, Olympian, and sometimes model, Jeremy Bloom wound up - the Philadephia Eagles took him in...
April 29, 2006
WTF? To me, this was as unlikely as a Rumsfeld resignation. I mean what do they want? A new (local) star quarterback with great marketing potential? Take Young. The consensus sure-to-be Hall of Famer? Take Bush. Someone who'll provide key...
April 16, 2006
Given the peculiarities of Keeneland, I wouldn't think too hard about what the Bluegrass Stakes tells us about the relative merits of the Triple Crown hopefuls. But Sinister Minister's huge win is nothing to sneeze at. Any time your margin...
April 03, 2006
Orange and Blue! 73 to 57! Yeah!...
From ESPN: 16. Mascot superiority Albert the Alligator is a more impressive sideline figure than that teddy bear UCLA trots out. Did I ever tell you all the story about how I got punched by the opposing mascot at a...
April 02, 2006
Presumably yesterday's most notable winner in the world of horse racing was either Barbaro (who won the Florida Derby, which means he'll be running in the Kentucky Derby with a perfect record) or Bandini (a 4-year-old son of Fusaichi Pegasus...
March 26, 2006
It's just a little more than a month until the Kentucky Derby. You know what that means - mint juleps at Lara's! Well that, and all too often injuries that knock some of the most impressive three year olds in...
March 24, 2006
They played their hearts out, and lost by one shot at the buzzer. Went down fighting. And didn't make anyone from Texas bleed either....
March 19, 2006
West Virginia wins over Northwestern State!...
March 18, 2006
...Binky bled Orange and Blue. Sometimes it still happens. Go Gators!...
March 17, 2006
Thank goodness for ESPN gamecast. Up by 20 with 2 minutes to go! FINAL SCORE: 64 WV 46 those guys who lost!...
February 27, 2006
February 22, 2006
Not that they'd say that of course. Then there's three-time American champ Johnny Weir. For the short program to Camille Saint-Saens' "The Swan," he was dressed as the bird itself. The bottom of his costume was black with cutouts that...
February 12, 2006
Yeah I've got a link to both schools, but I'm very happy to see that the #10 Mountaineers defeated the #16 Hoyas tonight....
February 05, 2006
Yinz better be rootin' for the Stillers!...
January 26, 2006
She's been in the top-tier of women's professional tennis for years, but for whatever reason Amelie Mauresmo has repeatedly underperformed in the Grand Slam events. Until this week she had only made it to one Slam final - and she...
January 13, 2006
If you'd told me back on New Years Eve that WVU would win every one of its first three Big East games (against South Florida, Villanova and Georgetown) and be on a big (I think it's 9) game winning streak...
January 05, 2006
OK, I'll admit it's a trivial question, but who do you think should be ranked as the 4th best football team in the country following the Rose Bowl (it looks fairly obvious to me after the bowls that Texas, USC...
January 03, 2006
If the town of Morgantown (WV) is a pile of smouldering cinders by morning, it will be because West Virginia University just won the Sugar Bowl, defeating the Georgia Bulldogs (the SEC champions). WVU hasn't had very good luck in...
January 02, 2006
I've thought this for years, but it bears repeating: Doug Flutie is cool as shit Dropkick. Made it. Couldn’t have kicked it any better. Any cleaner. The Dolphins were hypnotized, reduced to stonelike figurines on the sidelines. Hey, did I...
Looking for a job? If you've got the qualifications to become an NFL head coach you're in luck! The regular season only ended hours ago, but by the end of today there will be at least 6 coaching vacancies (Detroit,...
December 10, 2005
Ai, ai aidê é jogo bonito que eu quero ver Ai, ai aidê é jogo bonito que eu quero aprender OK, so not exactly that jogo bonito. The other one. BBC: GROUP A Germany Costa RicaPoland Ecuador GROUP B England...
November 20, 2005
If there was any doubt that Reggie Bush should win the Heisman Trophy this year, his performance yesterday against Fresno St. should dispel it....
November 19, 2005
For those of us who enjoy seeing Phillip Fulmer lose ... Today Vanderbilt defeated Tennessee. Now Vanderbilt hadn't won since September, so they still won't be heading to a bowl game (bet they really wish that Middle Tennessee St. game...
November 03, 2005
I went to the WVU/UConn game last night. WVU might not be especially TV friendly (they virtually never pass - honestly, last time I checked they ranked #116 in pass attempts in division 1 football, and there are only 117...
October 30, 2005
Saint Liam was the star of this year's Breeders Cup. He was the only favorite to win all day, and he won the biggest race of the year that's held in the United States. But to me the horse that...
October 16, 2005
The USC running back remains my favorite Heisman candidate - against Notre Dame he carried the ball 15 times for 160 yeards and 3 touchdowns (even though Notre Dame cheated by not cutting the grass in a sad attempt to...
October 02, 2005
Not to take anything away from Vince Young, Brodie Croyle, Brady Quinn, and Marcus Vick (the quarterbacks at Texas, Alabama, Notre Dame and Virginia Tech, all of whom looked great yesterday) but if anyone's stock is going to rise in...
September 27, 2005
As the New York Jets continue to reel from the news that West Virginia's own Chad Pennington won't be able to return to the field this season, they've gone in a familiar direction, signing former Jet (and Cowboy, and Brown,...
September 12, 2005
There were moments yesterday when Agassi looked stunningly good. And yet it still wasn't enough. Federer is simply amazing. It was a fine championship, won by one of the best players tennis has ever seen....
June 09, 2005
Mark Kleiman wonders how New York will ever survive - "Now it's doomed to be nothing but the financial and cultural capital of the world. And all that land will have to be used for housing or open space or...
June 07, 2005
Now that the proposed West Side Jets stadium appears dead, I think it's time for New Yorkers and Americans to acknowledge something. Whether or not the stadium was approved, New York was not going to get the 2012 Olympics. It...
May 09, 2005
For those of you looking for something uplifting to read over lunch, consider what Mike Smith has overcome to reach the heights he reached on Saturday....
April 09, 2005
The Kentucky Derby is just 4 weeks away, and this Saturday features two of the main preps for that race, the Wood Memorial in New York and the Santa Anita Derby in California. As to the first race, Bellamy Road...
March 31, 2005
The M.T.A. approving the sale of the railyards on the West Side is far from the last hurdle standing in the way of the construction of the new Jets stadium that Mayor Bloomberg hopes to make the centerpiece his plans...
March 13, 2005
So I think I mentioned Rockport Harbor two times on this blog last fall. He has been viewed as one of the strongest contenders for the Kentucky Derby for several months. It now appears that the injury I noted in...
March 12, 2005
In the span of a mere two days, injuries appear to have knocked what appeared to be the two leading favorites for the Kentucky Derby out of that fabled race. Declan's Moon and Rockport Harbor will apparently not be running...
February 12, 2005
If you like the Sox and are looking to kill a minute or two of your day, you might want to check this out. Me? According to the quiz ...You are Mark Bellhorn! You are extremely quiet, which makes you...
February 05, 2005
The star race today has got to be the Grade I Donn Handicap. Its field is impressive, and it includes two excellent five year-olds, Roses in May (who last year was only beaten by the amazing Horse of the Year...
January 02, 2005
Happy New Year! If there's one thing that marks the start of another year in the United States it's college football bowl games. Looking back over yesterday (and the preceding weeks) the following things stand out to me: That the...
December 23, 2004
Bill Finley engages that bit of prognostication. It's really hard to know so far in advance how these young horses will develop, but his top 5 choices - Declan's Moon, Rockport Harbor, Fusaichi Samurai (yes, he is noting a maiden...
December 10, 2004
Not from the press, George Bush, Bud Selig, John McCain ... This Matt Welch column is positively delicious. I don't have much interest in Bonds one way or the other (though I don't see how anyone can argue with considering...
December 06, 2004
OK, so in many ways it's as meaningless as an Emmy, but for those who care ... If the winner isn't Oklahoma's Adrian Peterson or USC's Reggie Bush, something is just wrong. It probably won't be Bush since he does...
December 03, 2004
What is with the "news"? Yes, one could write that most days, but this latest media sensation seems particularly egregious. Who doesn't know that professional athletes use performance enhancing drugs? Do all of them? No. But from baseball, to track...
November 29, 2004
As long as I'm being silly enough to comment on the problems with the BCS (it's not perfect - well, duh), I might as well be silly enough to comment on a 2 year old's potential. It is a very...
Last week I was reading about how Walt Harris might be forced out of his job, and the Independence Bowl was talking about landing the Panthers. This week, Pittsburgh appears to be a lock for a BCS bowl. People can...
November 15, 2004
Since I went to the WVU-Boston College game this weekend college football has been on my mind - even more than usual. First off, I'd like to note that Morgantown is a great place to go to a game. Really....
November 02, 2004
Yes, I know that I'm probably the only person who reads this blog who's interested in thoroughbred racing, but on the off chance someone else cares ... I was just looking at Bill Finley's column on the race for Horse...
October 30, 2004
Today's the day. Many of the greatest race horses from around the world have come to the US to compete in 8 races. While the Kentucky Derby may still be the most famous horse race in the United States, Breeder's...
October 17, 2004
I'm extremely reluctant to bring up the race for the Heisman Trophy since I don't think it conveys who's really "the best" any more than I think that the Emmys or American Idol really spotlight someone who is inherently better...
October 03, 2004
If you remember the 2003 Triple Crown you'll remember that Funny Cide was last year's Smarty Jones. But since losing last year's Belmont Stakes, the New York-bred gelding has had a very disappointing career. Prior to Saturday he'd lost 9...
August 29, 2004
For you Triple Crown fans out there ... Birdstone, the horse that defeated Smarty Jones in the Belmont, won the 135th running of the Travers Stakes yesterday at Saratoga. It was Birdstone's first race since he won the third leg...
August 23, 2004
For those of you who have some interest in horse racing but forget it continues to go on after the Belmont ... Pleasantly Perfect, the reigning Breeder's Cup Classic Champion and arguably the best racehorse in the world added another...
August 19, 2004
Ahmed Manajid, who played as a midfielder on Wednesday, had an even stronger response when asked about Bush's TV advertisement. "How will he meet his god having slaughtered so many men and women?" Manajid told me. "He has committed so...
While others are analyzing the Olympics and their relation to both foreign policy and the US election, there's another story that ought to get more press than it has. For those of you who don't follow Latin American and Caribbean...
August 15, 2004
I suppose this is not some kind of record, but given that much of the next two weeks will be spent observing international sporting competitions I think it's worth noting that Godolphin's Crimson Palace won the Grade I Beverly D....
I had the following thoughts watching the opening ceremonies of the Athens Olympics. I like living statues, so I thought that bit was interesting. While I understand the need to clothe all the actors, doing so in certain cases looked...
July 26, 2004
The things you learn. ESPN examines 100 years of presidents playing sports. Among the surprising highlights -- Dwight Eisenhower actually played football against Jim Thorpe....
June 20, 2004
Yes, horse racing really does continue after the Belmont Stakes. For those of you with any interest in it, it looks like we may be seeing the rise of a new female champion. Azeri, the 2002 Horse of the Year...