News Today's Debate: Michigan Football Controversy
Every other sports media outlet has a format in which talking-head morons yell foolish, reactionary blather at each other, resulting in absolutely no cogent point other than that they are foolish, talking-head morons.
Now SportsPickle has such a format, too — Gallo Vs. Magary —pitting site founder DJ Gallo against guest columnist Drew Magary, a very fine set of morons indeed.
Today's debate … the Michigan practice time scandal.
News 1 Day To College Football: Tim Tebow
College football may have opened play last night, but the first Saturday of action is still a day away and SportsPickle is counting down the top stories of 2009. Today: No. 1, Tim Tebow.
September 4, 2009 Column
Tweet of the Week
Tweet of the Week
It's a tie! Between @DanicaPatrick and @Candace_Parker.
From @DanicaPatrick AKA Indy Car driver Danica Patrick …
I am drinking some liquid protein after my wkout……it just never tastes that good!
September 4, 2009 Column
Stuff You Might Have Heard
Rookie makes freshman mistake
Panthers rookie guard Charles Dunne false started three teams in a single series last night in Carolina's preseason game against the Steelers, mistakes head coach John Fox attributed to his inexperience. "These are the kinds of growing pains a young player is going to go through," he said. "Although these were particularly egregious. I wouldn't call them rookie mistakes. Maybe freshman mistakes. But freshman in college, not in high school. They weren't that bad. I want him to start playing like a senior out there — high school or college; they don't make mistakes. Then the next step is playing like a veteran." Dunne, who was a three-year letter winner and team captain at Wisconsin, says he just misheard the snap count. "A few of the veterans did it, too."
September 3, 2009 Column
Stuff You Might Have Heard
Budget shortfalls allowing schools to cut stupid sports
As high schools and universities all over the country face budget shortfalls due to the economic crunch, many have been forced to make cutbacks in their athletic programs — a mandate that delights them. "I've been wanting to scrap our field hockey team for 20 years," said Bob Ratliff, athletics director at Schenkley Park High in Mankato, Minn. "Now that it's gone, I don't have to go to their games anymore and pretend I care." Other schools have found creative ways to work around the issue. "Our superintendent told me I had to trim the budget for football, basketball and baseball," said Keith Ritschel, athletics director at Lippman College in Illinois. "Instead I cut the art, drama and band departments. He loved it."
News 2 Days To College Football: Notre Dame
College football may open play tonight, but the first Saturday of action is still a couple days away and SportsPickle is counting down the top stories of 2009. Today: No. 2, Notre Dame.
News 10 Q's with: Jeff Ecker, Associate Producer, EA Sports NCAA Football
In SportsPickle's "10 (or so) Questions With" series, DJ Gallo interviews people in the sports world doing interesting things.
Today's interview subject: Jeff Ecker, Associate Producer, EA Sports NCAA Football. (That means he's, like, the designer of the game. Or something.)
And, yes, these are real interviews.
Enjoy.
News Senator Curt Schilling? Here are his positions on the issues.
Curt Schilling says he has interest in running for the vacant U.S. Senate seat from Massachusetts.
Here are the former pitcher’s positions on the major issues of the day.
Health Care: “Government-run health care is bad for our country. I believe most any physical ailment can be fixed with a nice, thick, absorptive sock.”
Economy: “I believe in the free market and that the government should not interfere. It would be great if teachers and fire fighters and police officers got paid more. But that’s not how the system works. You don’t get compensated solely for what you contribute to society. For example, the free market allowed me to make a whole buttload of money for being a pitcher. Score!”
Defense: “The stuff I can do in World Of Warcraft is friggin’ sweet. We should do that. Suck on these fireballs, Bin Laden!”
Legalization Of Drugs: “I am against the use of illegal drugs. But this is not really the area of my expertise. As I told Congress, I have never seen anyone take illegal drugs, especially not during my playing career. (LOL!)”
Environment: “I’ll tell you what was a great environment: Yankee Stadium, Game 7, 2004 ALCS. That place was totally quiet. It was AWESOME! If we could recreate that environment everywhere, the world would be a better place. But not via cap-and-trade.”
Gay Marriage: “I am against it. I don’t think gay people exist, to be honest. I played major league baseball for 20 years with a lot of fit, good-looking guys. And not one of them said they were gay. Out of thousands of players! So if none of them are gay, no one else is either.”
Education: “More needs to be done. The younger generation is falling behind. I’ve seen it myself. Do you know that many rookie pitchers today don’t know you want to throw a slider outside of the zone if you go up 0-2 on a hitter? That’s f—king sad, man. They know that in Japan, I bet.”
Foreign Policy: “Don’t pay $50 million to have lunch with Daisuke Matsuzaka. He’s not worth it. Beyond that, I want to focus more on domestic issues. Although I would like to lift any existing tariffs on foreign hair gels.”
Technology/Infrastructure: “I support major investments into upgrading our existing technological infrastructure. I get so pissed when my Internet connection goes down or gets slow when I’m blogging or playing video games online. Just last week, I was about to cut this guy’s head off, and my internet connection went down. I won’t let that happen again as senator. That is my solemn vow to the people of Massachusetts.”
News AVOID: Carson Palmer, QB, Bengals
AVOID: Carson Palmer, QB, Bengals— Like a hot dog, Carson Palmer may seem appetizing, but he is tainted by toxic ingredients you should avoid if you are smart.
Consider the similarity between what fills a hot dog and what surrounds Carson Palmer.
Hot dog: leftover scrap meats /Bengals: Cedric Benson
Hot dog: saturated fats /Bengals: Andre Smith
Hot dog: filler /Bengals: Chad Ochocinco
Hot dog: floor scrapings / Bengals: Laveranues Coles
Hot dog: mechanically separated poultry / Bengals: Chris Henry
Hot dog: preservatives / Bengals: Marvin Lewis
Hot dog: unidentifiable /Bengals: Ben Utecht
And even if Carson Palmer wasgood … and even if he wasn't injury prone … and even if he played on a good team … really. That picture. You can't draft him. You just can't. You must question his judgment. If there's one pass on the line with my fantasy season in the balance, I don't want the guy who thought it was a savvy marketing move to fellate a weiner making the decision on where to put the ball.
September 2, 2009 Column
Stuff You Might Have Heard
Bird uninjured after being struck by Jamie Moyer pitch
A small bluebird flew into the path of a pitch Philies reliever Jamie Moyer threw today during his bullpen session, instantly dropping the ball to the ground. "I've never seen anything like it," said catcher Paul Bako. "The bird came out of nowhere, then — BOOM! — its wing just knocked Jamie's pitch right out of the air. Then the bird fluttered there for a bit until it eventually flew away." Moyer said he wasn't at all surprised by the scene. "It's actually happened to me before," he said. "I worked on my accuracy as a kid by bouncing balls off butterflies."
