The picks are in: Breaking down Week 1
Football is back, and what a way to get it started with the Saints and the Packers coming down to the very last play of an absolute barnburner Thursday night. Picking Week 1 is already…
Seff Speak
Giving credit to an ump: Timmons makes the save
It’s been a horrible year for umpires, especially in Atlanta. But at Turner Field Friday night, Tim Timmons made reprimands for many of his colleagues with a saving effort. Carlos Zambrano threw way too far…
TV’s orgasm reaches climax with Yankees-Red Sox extra innings
First it was MLB Network. Then Fox got in on the action. And finally, ESPN polished off “The Weekend Part 2” by showcasing its two local favorites and, quite frankly, the only two teams that…
100-loss Astros provide joy to city of Brotherly Love
20 years ago, the Houston Astros ripped off the Baltimore Orioles for one of the greatest (or worst, depending on your perspective) trades in Major League history when they dealt aging first baseman Glenn Davis…
Why the parity in the NFC only?
If there is to be a 2011 NFL season, one trend people will keep an eye on is the disparity of parity between the AFC and NFC. In an unprecedented run of unpredictability, the NFC…
Brandon Phillips: What never to do in baseball
It is a generally accepted principle that baseball players tend to do some foolish things. Take San Francisco Giants’ closer Brian Wilson, who took out the frustrations of a second straight blown save on the…
Pirates, Indians head list of first-half surprises
Though much of the first half of the 2011 Major League Baseball campaign has been predictable (see Yankees, Red Sox, Phillies), as usual there have been a few enjoyable stories that have kept fans’ interest…
Tigers thriving despite roster of ex-stars
Passion runs deep in the roots of Detroit fans, and the Tigers are a blue-collar, hard-working team reflective of their city. So it goes without saying that there is excitement surrounding the baseball team in…
A first-hand account of Gerrit Cole, albeit a brief one
If you really wanted to watch Gerrit Cole, the potential No. 1 overall pick in this year’s 2011 MLB Draft, you might do something as drastic as hike two miles through the backwoods to get…
Rays’ 2011 resurgence shows Draft smarts prevail
The Tampa Bay Rays are proving that, in spite of the notion that they are “baseball’s farm team”, their recent run of success in the rugged AL East is no fluke. GM Andrew Friedman has…