Saturday, October 19, 2013

Your College Football-Free Viewing Guide For 19 October 2013

Tired of lopsided matchups? Could you care less about a Bowden-less FSU/Clemson tilt? Then here's your College Football-Free Viewing Guide for 19 October 2013.
BEST BETS: The Cardinals locked up the National League Pennant last night, so it's the Sox and Tigers turn tonight as Boston looks to end the series in Game 6 on Fox. First pitch is at 8:07 ET, but some guides may still show 4:00.
- IndyCar's championship will be decided tonight. It's a fight between Scott Dixon and Helio Castroneves at Auto Club Speedway in California. Will Power will lead the field from pole at 8 ET on NBCSN.
- If you didn't get the reference in The Simpsons' third Treehouse of Horror XXIV story, "Freaks No Geeks", then turn in to Turner Classic Movies at 8:00pm for Freaks, the 1932 film about sideshow performers it was based on.
All times Eastern. For local stations, check local listings.

Baseball
ALCS Game 6: Detroit Tigers at Boston Red Sox - 7:30pm, Fox

Motorsports
American Le Mans Series: Petit Le Mans (Start) - 11:00am, Fox Sports 2
NASCAR Sprint Cup: Talladega Time Trials - 12:00pm, Fox Sports 2
American Le Mans Series: Petit Le Mans (Mid-Race) - 2:30pm, Fox Sports 2
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series: Talladega - 4:00pm, Fox Sports 1
American Le Mans Series: Petit Le Mans (Late Race) - 6:30pm, Fox Sports 1
IndyCar Indy Lights: Fontana - 7:00pm, NBCSN
IndyCar World Championships - 8:00pm, NBCSN
American Le Mans Series: Petit Le Mans (Finish) - 8:00pm, Fox Sports 2
AMA Motorcross: Monster Energy Cup - 9:00pm, Fox Sports 2
 
Soccer
Ligue 1: Paris St. Germain vs SC Bastia - 11:00am (Live), Univision Deportes; 12:00pm (Tape), BeIn.
EPL: West Ham United vs Manchester City - 12:30pm, NBC
Ligue 1: Ajaccio vs FC Nantes - 2:00pm, Univision Deportes
Primera Division: CA Osasuna vs FC Barcelona - 1:55pm, BeIn
MLS: FC Dallas vs Seattle Sounders FC - 3:00pm, NBC
Serie A: AC Milan vs Udinese Calcio - 4:15pm, BeIn
MLS: Colorado Rapids vs Vancouver Whitecaps - 5:30pm, Altitude
Liga MX: CD Tiburones Rojos de Veracruz vs Monarcas Morelia - 6:00pm, Univision Deportes
Liga MX: Tigres UANL vs Atlante FC - 8:00pm, Univision Deportes
Liga MX: Jaguares de Chiapas vs Pumas de la UNAM - 10:00pm, Univision Deportes

Rugby
Heineken Cup: Munster vs Goucester - 12:00pm, Fox Soccer Plus
Heineken Cup: Cardiff vs Toulon - 3:00pm, Fox Soccer Plus
Heineken Cup: Leinster vs Castres Olympique - 5:30pm, Fox Soccer Plus

Hockey
NHL: Vancouver Canucks at Pittsburgh Penguins - 1:00pm, NHLN
NHL: Toronto Maple Leafs at Chicago Blackhawks - 7:00pm, NHLN
 
Basketball
NBA Preseason: San Antonio Spurs at Miami Heat - 7:30pm, NBATV
NBA Preseason: Denver Nuggers at LA Clippers - 10:30pm, NBATV

Golf
PGA Champions: Greater Hickory Classic, Second Round - 2:00pm, Golf
PGA Tour: Shriners Hospitals For Children Open, Third Round - 5:00pm, Golf

MMA
UFC 166 Preliminary Fights - 8:00pm, Fox Sports 1

Other Programing
Freaks: Sideshow performers punish acrobat Cleopatra for humiliating Tiny Hans - 8:00pm, Turner Classic Movies

Monday, October 14, 2013

High School Football Wins Again In Rape Case

Even after Steubenville, there are still stories of towns choosing football over the welfare of other people. As the Kansas City Star's Dugan Arnett reported, it's happened in Maryville, Missouri. In January 2012, 14-year-old Daisy Coleman (her name released by her family to raise awareness of the case) and an unnamed 13-year-old friend claimed they were raped while unconscious. Daisy's attacker was identified as 17-year-old Matthew Barnett, senior defensive end for the high school Spoofhounds, who'd already been arrested for drunken driving. The 13-year-old's attacker was an unnamed 15-year-old, and a third individual, junior Jordan Zech, was a linebacker who videotaped the whole thing on a phone. The next morning, Daisy's mother found her dumped on the front porch, left unconscious outside to fend for herself on a 30-degree night. Police were called when her mother took her to a hospital, and the sheriff's department had evidence, confessions, and what they felt was a solid case.
Except the town turned on the Colemans. Death threats came through, threats to assault Daisy's older brother who was booed in wrestling matches, and a girl showing up to a dance competition wearing a shirt saying "Matt 1, Daisy 0." Daisy was cut from the cheerleading squad unexpectedly, and her mother fired from the local veterinary clinic. Then the charges were dropped, and the video of the assault was conveniently never found. One of the first tweets towards Daisy read, "Fuck yea. That’s what you get for bein a skank : )." The entire town turned on them so horribly the whole family moved out, leaving their house up for sale. This April, a fire struck the home, burning it to the ground: there's very little doubt foul play wasn't involved.
Daisy still lives with her stigma, being in regular therapy, spending four stints in a local hospital, attending a local Girls Town, and attempting to take her own life twice. Two of the accused are now at Northwest Missouri State, both unscathed, and one's mother asking the Colemans for an apology. Matthew Barrett is now at Central Missouri, where this tweet got collected by the Kansas City Star before he went private:
“If her name begins with A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z, she wants the D.”
The horrible truth in this case is how often high school football players, no matter how deep the evidence, are protected by their town. And no doubt little will change; a year after Steubenville, a Gawker article featured a citizen who defended her town. Her excuse was an applause for an opposing team being boat raced by their town's Big Red: "If we were such terrible, football-obsessed people, why would we have clapped?" Yes, because applauding a losing team shows you were not willing to stick your heads in the sand and ignore a rape. And like Steubenville, rumors of Anonymous descending on the town have circled, meaning things could get very ugly.
But for now, it's another sad reminder of our country: football always wins. No one is an exception.
Read more of Dugan Arnett's story in the Kansas City Star, and if you can, send it to as many people as you can, so that his excellent journalism can be seen. A true dialog needs to happen: the Navies, Steubenvilles, and Lizzy Seebergs need to stop. Now.
Top image courtesy MaxPreps.

Get Ready To Cheer For Your Las Vegas Mobsters!

Looks like Bob Costas is about to shit himself with the announcement of America's latest semi-pro soccer franchise, the Las Vegas Mobsters of the PDL (4th tier). Obviously they're far away from becoming an MLS franchise, but expect false outrage over the name to begin shortly.
Read more at SI's Planet FĂștbol.

Even Unemployed, Tim Tebow Finds Ways To Be Noticed

You gotta hand it to him, who else would be found on a beach in Hawai'i in the middle of football season? And in neon-yellow shorts, nonetheless. And before you ask, the chick lathering him down is his sister.
Read more at The Big Lead.

Michael Waltrip's Dropping The 56

Over a month after attempting to fix the finish of a race to clinch one of his car's Chase spot, then sponsor NAPA leaving over the controversy, and following weeks of blaming Twitter, Michael Waltrip has announced his team will be dropping the 56 car driven by Martin Truex, Jr. Despite being the only car not directly involved in the subterfuge, the 56 has suffered most of the punishment.
MWR was hit with double bad news on Monday, as Brian Vickers announced he will be sidelined once again with blood clots.
Read more at MRN Radio.

Jimmy Johnson Gives 1,647th Fake Coach's Speech



Please stop this meme. No one is impressed when the former coach pretends he's coaching the losing-est team.

Cricket Meets The Three Stooges



That's Australia's Brad Haddin getting the accidental Moe treatment from teammate James Faulkner during an ODI with India.
Nyuk. Nyuk. Nyuk.

Boston Fan Goes Boston Fan

By now, everyone's seen the video of a female spectator mugged by a Red Sox fan so he could throw Alex Avila's home run ball back on the field. Well, he got ejected for that, but he probably should've gotten a boot earlier in the night, according to nearby fans. Apparently, he was yelling at black fans in the stands, calling someone wearing a Fielder jersey "Prince Fielder's crackhead brother," telling another "Go back to the ghetto," and when he was escored out, yelled "Bye, Trayvon."
Read more at Yahoo Sports.

Tweets To Think About

Sunday, October 13, 2013

Saturday, October 12, 2013

Well, Now Nobody Gets To Play Ping Pong

Unhappy with the team's progress, Steelers coach Mike Tomlin has extended a ban on "entertainment" for players with less than four years experience. The original ban on table tennis, pool, and shuffleboard (yes, shuffleboard) now includes everyone. No word on if any players had plans to book a flight to Hong Kong with a rather large ape.
Read more at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

CBS Sports Radio Host Plagiarizes 3-Month Old Tony Romo Article

Chris Arnold is the house "emcee" of Dallas Mavericks games and co-hosts "G-Bag Nation" on 105.3 The Fan. He also was the center of a failed 2011 Super Bowl concert that was supposed to feature three scholarship winners performing with Erykah Badu and Prince (there are conflicting reports about whether Prince ever flew into Dallas or not, or even signed the contract). Now he's written an article defending Tony Romo, which he promoted on Twitter.
The problem? That article was written by Scott Kacsmar. In July. The first clue being some of the stats weren't even adjusted to include this season. More after the jump.

High School Refs Arrested By Cops



Two high school referees were arrested during the third quarter of a St. Paul/Mandeville football game after a verbal disagreement with police. According to reports, the chain gang, made up of St. Paul fans, were arguing with Mandeville fans. When the argument got heated, the St. Paul chain gang told the referees to kick the fans out, which they attempted. When that argument got heated, a police officer tried to intervene, which made a second referee come over. When a second officer arrived and told the referees they would handle the crowd, the second ref threw him out of the game. Then both referees were arrested for Public Intimidation, complete with perp walks, and have been released on $5,000 bail.
This story has been brought to you by High School Football: Bringing Out The Worst In American Adults For Almost A Century!

Read more at WWL 4.

Boy, They Love Their Horned Frogs Around Here

And that's against Kansas. With a 24-17 lead in the 4th.


Is Steve Spurrier Softening Or Scared For His Job?

After his 180 on Jadeveon Clowney, this makes you wonder...


Man With History Of Violence Beats Adrian Peterson's 2-Year-Old Son

A 2-year-old child whom Adrian Peterson had with a woman has died from injuries suffered from abuse by the mother's boyfriend. Joseph Patterson, 27, has been charged with aggravated felony assault and battery of an infant, and will face a hearing later this month concerning terms of his suspended sentence. Patterson was given a one-year jail sentence last year for assaulting a 3-year-old and threatening the mother after she complained. In the same hearing, he was given another one-year sentence for violating a no-contact order given after the woman claimed he threatened to kill her "multiple times." Patterson received a suspended sentence on the condition he attend domestic violence classes.
Peterson, who just recently learned of the child, still plans on playing Sunday.
Read more in the New York Daily News.

Jockey's-Eye View Of The Horse Race



Ever wonder how a jockey's workday goes? Well now you pretty much know John Velazquez's day at the office is a lot like yours: if you're not leading, you're having to stare at a pack of horses' asses.

Leon Sandcastle Gets Fired, Rehired By Own School

Remember the Prime Academy players in attendance at Deion Sanders' Hall-Of-Fame induction? That's his private charter school in the Dallas Metroplex. Well, after what Deion called a "confrontation" with one of the school's administrators, he got fired from his own prep school. The administrator claims he was thrown and grabbed by the throat by Sanders in an argument over the school's academic performance. By Friday evening, Sanders was reinstated, but said he would leave after the 2013-14 season.
The school is in its second year, following a season where eligibility issues within Texas' University Interscholastic League rules caused the football team to play a short, independent schedule last year. This year, the school's academic performance has fallen below state standards.
The incident also comes out after his recently-divorced wife Pilar testified he assaulted her in April 2012. His (and Pilar's) assault cases should be coming up soon, so everything's coming up roses for Leon right now.
Read more at the Dallas Morning News. Photo courtesy.

Service Academies Will Be Able To Play Through October

Are you a federal employee currently furloughed because of the shutdown? Screw you. Want to visit a national park, monument, or like this kid, a zoo? Go pound sand. But service academy college football? Well, rubber stamp that shit right through, Chuck Hagel. After all, those 18-22 year-old "kids" need to play football more than this toddler needs to see his first panda.
Read more at ESPN.com. Photo courtesy @AlexJamesFitz.

Your College Football-Free Viewing Guide for 12 October 2013

Are you no longer as impressed by Steve Spurrier? Think Tennessee's a dick for slashing the band's budget? Have the constant parade of bad uniforms made you less annoyed at the NFL Pink? Then here's your College Football-Free Viewing Guide for October 12th.
BEST BETS: Obviously, the three playoff events today, starting with the Dodgers trying to make up for last night's Game 1 loss in the NLCS.
- The opener for the ALCS features Anibal Sanchez vs Jon Lester, as the Tigers take on the Sox.
- The only true night race in the Chase drops the green flag around 7:48 ET tonight at NASCAR's "home" track, Charlotte Motor Speedway.
All times Eastern. For local stations, check your local listings.

Baseball
NLCS Game 2: Los Angeles Dodgers at St. Louis Cardinals - 4:00pm, TBS
ALCS Game 1: Detroit Tigers at Boston Red Sox - 7:30pm, Fox

Motorsports
Lucas Oil Modifieds: Rocky Mountain Raceway - 12:00pm, MavTV
British Superbikes: Oulton Park - 1:00pm, Velocity
FIA European Rally: Canary Islands - 2:00pm, Velocity
Lucas Oil Drag Boats: Wheatland, MO - 1:30pm, CBS
NASCAR Sprint Cup at Charlotte Motor Speedway - 7:30pm, ABC
Formula 1: Grand Prix of Japan - 1:30am Sunday, NBCSN; 2:00am, Univision Deportes

Hockey
College: Clarkson/New Hampshire at Minnesota - 7:30pm, Fox Sports North
NHL: Buffalo Sabres at Chicago Blackhawks - 8:00pm, NHLN

Basketball
NBA Preseason: Chicago Bulls at Washington Wizards - 5:00pm, NBATV
NBA Preseason: New York Knicks vs Boston Celtics in Manchester, NH - 7:30pm, NBATV

Golf
PGA Champions Tour: SAS Championship - 2:00pm, Golf
PGA Tour: Frys.com Open - 5:00pm, Golf

Soccer
Friendly: South Korea vs Brazil - 11:00am, BeIn
World Cup Qualifyer: Ivory Coast vs Senegal - 12:55pm, BeIn
World Cup Qualifyer: Burkina Faso vs Algeria - 3:00pm, BeIn

Rugby
Heineken Cup: Edinburgh vs Munster - 8:30am, Fox Soccer Plus
Heineken Cup: Harlequins vs Scarlets - 10:30am, Fox Soccer Plus
Heineken Cup: Ospreys vs Leinster - 12:30pm, Fox Soccer Plus

Action Sports
Dew Tour City Championships - 4:00pm, NBC; 11:00pm, NBCSN

Cycling
UCI World Championships: Florence, Italy - 8:30am, Universal Sports
Tour of Beijing: Stage 2 - 12:00pm, Universal Sports

Swimming
FINA World Cup: Moscow - 3:00pm, Universal Sports

Other Programming
It Came From Outer Space: Ray Bradbury's story of an astronomer's close encounter with aliens in Arizona - 4:30pm, Turner Classic Movies

Monday, October 7, 2013

That Guy Who Said He's From USC Is Probably Lying

Remember those reports of USC reaching out to Tony Dungy about their football vacancy? Well, USC has released a statement saying imposters have been calling coaches pretending to represent the Trojans' hiring process. USC has said they know the identity of the person(s) who called Dungy and the Bronco's coaches office making offers.
Read more at NBC's College Sports Talk.

Ready For MORE Bowl Games?



Yes, ESPN reports there will be four new bowl games, and some will include C-USA and Sun Belt teams! Besides a new Detroit bowl for the Big Ten and ACC, three new bowls will involve teams from C-USA, Sun Belt, the new American Athletic, MAC, and Mountain West. The Bahamas Bowl will actually be in the Bahamas, the Boca Raton Bowl will be at FAU's new stadium, the Miami Bowl at the Marlins new stadium, and the previously-announced Camellia Bowl in Montgomery, Alabama.
That makes 39 bowls, or a bowl opportunity for 78 of the 120 Division 1A (FBS) teams. That's 65% of college teams making the postseason, as opposed to only 53% who make it in the NBA and NHL.
Read more at ESPN.com.

Watch Oakland's Coliseum Go From Green and Gold To Black Hole



Sunday's Raiders game had to be moved to 8:35 PT to accommodate the transformation from baseball park to football stadium. As the above time-lapse shows, it's more than just pulling out bleachers like your local high school gym. For a more detailed explanation, see the BBC report below.



Sunday, October 6, 2013

Oh, F*ck! There's More Rutgers Sh*t?

There's now more allegations that current Rutgers AD Julie Hermann covered up abuse by one of her coaches. While at Louisville, women's lacrosse coach Kellie Young was accused of making a player with a torn ACL do push-ups at an airport terminal, kicked a player off the team bus to make her find her own way back to the hotel, and even made two teammates sign a contract barring them from speaking to each other.
Of course, the cover-up of player abuse was the whole reason that Rutgers AD job was open to begin with. And allegations of abuse, which included firing a pregnant employee, surfaced from her time as Tennessee's volleyball coach. Then allegations of firing an employee for making a sexual harassment claim surfaced from her time as Louisville's Assistant AD.
At this point, one can only hope the Earth cracks open and swallows Piscataway so that we never hear the name "Rutgers" again.
Read more at Deadspin.

Sochi's Olympic Flame Just Blew Out



You could take it as a sign that even the gods think Russia's anti-gay legislation is stupid, which is a strange concept considering the whole torch relay-concept came from the Nazi Olympics. But as Piligrim7fly said in the comments, "Đ Đ”ĐșĐ»Đ°ĐŒĐ° Đ·Đ°Đ¶ĐžĐłĐ°Đ»ĐŸĐș?"

This Man Just Called Everyone In The Media Nerds

Rays P David Price had a bad ALDS Game 2. He gave up seven runs in 7+ innings, and claimed Big Papi watched his second home run too long. So how did Price handle the rough night?
To be fair, Hayhurst was wearing a bowtie yesterday, and demonstrated the "Vulcan changeup" last week. But Price didn't keep his criticisims to the Turner guys:
Afterwards, TBS' Keith Olbermann tweeted this picture.

Saturday, October 5, 2013

Tar Heels Tutor Quits Over P.J. Hairston

After the troubles of the football program a few years ago, and the revelation that learning specialist Mary Willingham was being punished for speaking out about the academic side of sports at Chapel Hill, you'd think North Carolina would try to avoid controversy.
But this is college sports. So guess what?
Basketball star P.J. Hairston was allowed back on the team this season, after a reckless driving charge (oh, and separate charges for possession of marijuana and driving without a license in a 2013 Yukon owned by a convicted felon with a gun found inside). Well, tutor Jack Halperin had enough, and handed in his resignation to The Daily Tar Heel:
Roy, after 23 years as an academic tutor, and after going through the devastating football scandal, I am resigning in protest of your disgraceful decision to allow P.J. Hairston to remain on the team.
If I were arrested driving with no license, illegal drugs and a gun in a felon’s car, my employment at this University would end immediately.
Hairston’s DTH headline quote was, “I will play this season.” Since when does the criminal decide his fate?
Jack Halperin Athletic academic tutor
So maybe that's the reason we don't pay student athletes?
Read more at College Football Talk and the Daily Tar Heel.

Massive Flip In American Le Mans Race In Virginia



With an hour to go in the Oak Tree Grand Prix at Virginia International Raceway, GTC Porsche driver Eduardo Cisneros was slammed into by a GT Porsche and sent into a tire barrier. His car was damaged not from hitting a concrete wall, but flipping on top of it, before comming to rest on top of a set of tires.
Cisneros is reportedly unhurt. The race can be seen Sunday evening on ESPN2.
Read more at Motorsports Talk.

GEICO Banner Plane Crashes Outside Arkansas-Florida Game

A banner plane carrying a GEICO banner crashed into a pickup outside Florida's Flavet Field on Saturday afternoon, hours before the Gators were to host the Razorbacks Saturday night. Both pilots were reported "safe", although the Ford pickup appears to be totaled.
Reports are no one on the ground was injured, and no reports of Arkansas boasting they wouldn't let a plane land on their field.
Read more at WUFT.

It's Happening: The First EPL/MLS Doubleheader on NBC

October 19th's Seattle Sounders/FC Dallas tilt was originally scheduled for 4:00pm ET on NBCSN. It will now start after 2:30pm ET on NBC, following the West Ham/Man City match at 12:30. One may ask why they didn't schedule it this way originally, but that was before Clint Dempsey became a Sounder.
Read more at Awful Announcing.

ESPN and Turner Will Not Be Allowed To Go Home Early

After initial talks of ESPN and Turner handing over their final 2014 NASCAR season rights to NBC and Fox in August, the two tried again last week to dump off their unwanted coverage early. Which NASCAR again said no to.
“While we were humbled by the desire of NBC and FOX to start 12 months early, we now consider this matter closed and look forward to finishing our current agreement in 2014 with our great partners at FOX, Turner and ESPN.”
So, no, you will have to stay till the end of business like everyone else in the office.
Read more at Sports Business Daily.

Jerry Kill Has Fifth Seizure, Does Not Coach Saturday

Golden Gophers coach Jerry Kill suffered a seizure Saturday morning at his home. Kill did not feel well Friday night, and stayed home with the intention of traveling to Ann Arbor Saturday to coach Minnesota against Michigan. Minnesota wound up losing to the Wolverines 42-13 under defensive coordinator Tracy Claeys. It was Kill's fifth game-day seizure, although the first that resulted in missing an entire game. The last was against New Mexico State a month ago, where Kill had to miss the second half after a seizure at halftime.
Read more at CBS Sports.

Your College Football-Free Viewing Guide for 5 October 2013

Tired of watching cupcakes get boat-raced by 50 points? Don't see how a bunch of football players can't be furloughed? Can't see the logic in Notre Dame playing in Dallas? Well, here's your College Football-Free Viewing guide for October 5th.
Best Bets: American League playoff action on TBS, as Tampa Bay's David Price tries to replicate his dominant play-off performance in Boston.
- A rugby championship is on the line as Warrington takes on Wigan for the Super League title on Fox Soccer Plus.
- This Old House takes on the Jersey Shore rebuild. When the show visited New Orleans for a post-Katrina Victorian shotgun project, stories of the local area and the efforts to rebuild were featured.

All times Eastern. Check local listings for local channels.

Baseball
ALDS Game 2: Rays at Red Sox - 5:30pm, TBS
ALDS Game 2: Tigers at A's - 9:00pm, TBS

Golf
President's Cup - 8:30am, NBC

Motorsports
IndyCar Grand Prix of Houston: Race 1 - 3:00pm, NBCSN
NASCAR Nationwide Series at Kansas Speedway - 3:30pm, ESPN
FIA European Rally: Latvia - 2:00, MavTV

Hockey
NHL: Red Wings at Bruins - 7:00pm, NHLN

Basketball 
NBA Preseason: OKC Thunder vs Fenerbahce Ulker in Turkey - 4:00pm (Tape delay), NBATV

Soccer
EPL: Sunderland vs Manchester United - 12:30pm, NBCSN
Spanish Primera: Levante UD vs Real Madrid - 1:55pm, BeIn
College: UCLA vs San Diego State - 3:00, Pac12 Network
Spanish Primera: FC Barcelona vs Real Valladolid - 3:55, BeIn
Serie A: Inter Milan vs AS Roma - 6:00pm, BeIn
MLS: Colorado Rapids vs Seattle Sounders FC - 10:00pm, NBCSN

Rugby
Super League Grand Final: Warrington Wolves vs Wigan Warriors - 12:30pm, Fox Soccer Plus
Premiership Rugby: Leicester vs Northampton - 3:00pm, Fox Soccer Plus

Water Polo
Pacific at Cal - 1:30pm, Pac12 Network

Other Programing
This Old House: Three Jersey Shore homes are rebuilt after Hurricane Sandy - Check local listings, PBS

Images courtesy Weeghman to Wrigley, GolfWeek, and This Old House.