Outsports Archives

The most predictable thing about the world of sports is that it’s not really that predictable. Sure, there are times when teams and athletes live up to expectations. Other times, though, the unexplainable occurs. Like not having a legitimate punt returner on the roster for the first regular season game (but that’s a different story). […]

If the Olympics are exciting because they feature the world’s best athletes competing on the world’s biggest stage, Beijing organizers took a few hits this week. Haile Gebrselassie, the fastest man ever to run a marathon (2 hrs, 4 min, 26 sec), said on Monday he will skip the Olympics, afraid that exposing his distance-running […]

For the New York Yankees, the signs are plain to see. Derek Jeter will be 34 in June and as he gets older his play will surely start to decline, unless he tries the Roger Clemens/Barry Bonds "training" regimen. Alex Rodriguez is still going to be paid upwards of $25 million per year to fail […]

With Women’s History Month in full swing, I regret to report that some in NASCAR still haven’t decided if it’s Women’s History Century yet. But today their website did feature a story about Chrissy Wallace, talented driver daughter of NASCAR National Series driver Mike Wallace. NASCAR kinda had to recognize Chrissy, because she just signed […]

So late last night I tuned into ESPN2 in time for the second half of a West Coast Conference men's basketball semifinal between San Diego and St. Mary's. San Diego pulled off a 75-69 win in double overtime despite trailing the Gaels by 15 midway through the second half; the Toreros finished the second half […]

I don’t have much to add to this CNN.com “news” item about a urology clinic in Oregon that is using March Madness to entice men to book vasectomy appointments. But I just couldn’t resist. It’s not every day you see groin-swelling journalism that combines NCAA basketball and the male reproductive organ (both of which, incidentally, […]

The #6 ranked Andy Roddick sent more than just Rafael Nadal packing, 7-6 (5), 6-2, in the quarterfinals of the Dubai Tennis Championships Thursday. Roddick revealed in his post-match press conference that he’d parted ways with coach Jimmy Connors, who reportedly broke-up with Andy a week ago to “spend time with his family.” The AP […]

The question has become an annual ritual: how long will Brett Favre keep playing? He's been nothing less than a diva about making the decision each year — I remember the year when, after weeks of speculation, the Packers quarterback held a press conference to say that he still hadn't made up his mind. However, […]

Two items that caught my eye today struck me as examples, in their own way, of how money, the "root of all evil," has truly taken a toll on baseball. First up: a cretin named Sam Zell, the current CEO of the Tribune Co., the conglomerate that owns the Chicago Cubs. Zell told CNBC in […]

The Florida Marlins, whose attendance has floundered for much (if not most) of the team's existence, have come up with a new strategy to lure people to Dolphins Stadium. Tryouts were being held Sunday for a new all-male cheerleading squad. The new cheerleaders will perform at Friday and Saturday home games during the season. I'm […]

A prediction: 36 to 48 months from now, at least one moronic pundit will go on and on about how those horrible Philly fans ran Ryan Howard out of town. Yes, just like with Curt Schilling, Scott Rolen, Charles Barkley, etc., the so-called expert will make that proclamation when Howard becomes a free agent and […]

I had fun watching the Daytona 500 on Sunday. Lots of horse races prepares you a little for auto-racing. The strategies are fairly similar. After the horses leave the gate, the drivers — er, jockeys — save their mounts for the final craziness as they’re peeling out of the final turn. So the last 10 […]

By a vote of 412-1 the U.S. House of Representatives this week approved a resolution congratulating the New York Giants for their Super Bowl victory over New England. The single vote against this resolution came from Rep. Patrick Murphy (D-PA), whose suburban district also includes a small portion of Philadelphia. Murphy is a veteran of […]

The folks on ESPNEWS (and other places as well, I'm sure, but that's what I was watching at the time) were breathless a little earlier this evening. Just one day after the steroids showdown between Roger Clemens and Brian McNamee in a congressional hearing, it was reported that federal prosecutors, in papers filed in court […]

One thing that distinguishes the National Hockey League from the NFL, NBA and Major League Baseball is the fact that they play the game on ice. This means that the players' skates are going to come into play occasionally in such a physical sport, and not just in the case of New York Islander imbecile […]

Saturday is Hockey Day in Canada, the CBC’s annual daylong celebration of the sport, with special features and live broadcasts from towns across Canada, as well as a tripleheader of NHL games featuring the six Canadian teams. Unfortunately, the NHL returned from the 2005 lockout with an unbalanced schedule that resulted in some teams not […]

Ron Hextall is being inducted into the Philadelphia Flyers Hall of Fame before tonight's game. Besides his aggressive style of play — he was once suspended for 12 games after attacking Chris Chelios in retaliation for a dirty hit — Hextall was a trailblazer in the way he handled the puck. I was lucky enough […]

It’s good to see this subject finally talked about. And we needn’t look as far away as Spain to find this ugliness. Right here in the good old U.S. of A., the motorsports fans can watch NASCAR racing till the cows come home, and they will see nary a black driver in top competition. At […]

Lawyers for personal trainer Brian McNamee say they turned over physical evidence to federal prosecutors which would prove that Roger Clemens used performance-enhancing drugs. Reportedly this evidence includes syringes used to inject Clemens with steroids and human growth hormone in 2000 and 2001. Clemens gave a sworn deposition Tuesday to the House Committee on Oversight […]

I've been conflicted ever since Lawrence Tynes kicked the New York Giants into the Super Bowl (after nearly kicking them out of it) against the undefeated New England Patriots. As much as I'd like to respect the Patriots' quest for perfection, I despise how they've gone about their business — the arrogance, the cheating, the […]