L.A. Douses Adenhart Jersey In Celebratory Booze

It was a foregone conclusion for most of the month, but the Angels finally wrapped up their third straight AL West title last night, wiping out division contender Texas with a 11-0 shutout. It was a bittersweet moment for a team who have quietly established a near-stranglehold on the division, but who still misses a fellow player taken from them just six months ago.

After their win but before the media showed up, manager Mike Scioscia addressed his team and reminded them - though they Source: SPORTSbyBROOKS RSS Feed

‘One pitch’ lands Mo on the cover of SI

As part of a Tom Verducci package on Mariano Rivera and his Cutter of Doom, Number 42 finds himself atop Sports Illustrated this week. Here’s what the press release from the sports weekly had to say:

This week’s October 5, 2009, issue of Sports Illustrated, on newsstands Wednesday, features Yankees’ closer Mariano Rivera with the billing One Man, One Pitch: The One and Only Mariano Rivera. As the gates swing open upon another MLB postseason, baseball will once again attempt toSource: River Avenue Blues RSS Feed

Shocker: BCS Teams Face Lighter NCAA Sanctions

If one were to craft a hierarchy of perceived importance to college sports, in terms of its divisions, one would think that the order would go like this: 1) BCS schools, 2) non-BCS I-A schools, 3) I-AA schools, 4) HBCUs. That’s to say absolutely nothing about the quality of said institutions, just how much they matter to big-money athletics.

(”And it appears to me that the littlest children have been the naughtiest…”)

Based on a report just released by MichaelSource: SPORTSbyBROOKS RSS Feed

Tom Brady Sued Over Shooty Costa Rica Wedding

You may recall the Tom Brady-Gisele Bundchen wedding, v 2.0, this past April which featured an open bar, monkeys and intermittent gunplay. Two members of the paparazzi who hid in the jungle taking photos on the sly said that security guards hired by Brady tried to muscle them for their cameras, and then shot at them when they ran for it.

The photographers, Yuri Cortez and Carlos Avi, have filed a $1 million lawsuit against Brady and his bride over the incident. The claim that BradySource: SPORTSbyBROOKS RSS Feed

Herschel Walker To MMA: NOT PUBLICITY STUNT

Remember that it was just a month ago or so that Strikeforce stunned the world of MMA by landing the services of Fedor Emelianenko, whose name I almost spelled correctly on my first try. Fedor is generally considered the last, best contender to Brock Lesnar, who’s currently chewing up UFC and spitting it out. That Emelianenko opted for Strikeforce and the EA MMA game instead was, to say the least, a shock.

(He’d rather have been beating these people’s faces in. Not Source: SPORTSbyBROOKS RSS Feed

Justine Henin to Reportedly Announce Tennis Return on Tuesday

Former world number one Justine Henin will reportedly end her retirement and announce a comeback to professional tennis on Tuesday, says two prominent Belgian media publications.

Henin retired from the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour on May 14, 2008, ending a distinguished career that included seven major titles.

According to the Associated Press, Belgium’s La Derniere Heure and Le Soir have reported the news of Henin’s imminent return.

Source: On the Baseline Tennis News RSS Feed

MMA Fans: Cowlishaw Thinks Your Sport Is “Gay”

Few professions allow, nay - encourage, their practitioners to be so constantly and egregiously wrong as that of Mainstream Sports Columnist. Their entire careers are predicated on comforting their fellow old white men’s opinions that all change is bad, the NBA is full of “thugs,” and baseball statistics are the worst thing to happen in sports, ever.

(Would you call either of these men gay to their face?) 

Such professional contrarianism has Source: SPORTSbyBROOKS RSS Feed

Ichiro stuns Mo as Yanks fall 3-2

Only Ichiro Suzuki would swing at a pitch four inches inside and hit a home run.

The Yankees entered the 7th inning of their Friday evening affair with the Mariners clinging to a 2-1 lead. Nick Swisher led off the inning with a bloop double down the left field line. While Robinson Cano struck out, Melky Cabrera took a wild pitch for ball four. The Yanks had runners on the corners and one out. They were set to pick up a big insurance run. There was but oneSource: River Avenue Blues RSS Feed

Open Forum Friday: Will Kim Clijsters Be One of the Top Players to Beat in 2010?

Kim Clijsters signaled her return to the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour with a spectacular run to the women’s title at the first Grand Slam of her comeback.

Does Clijsters have what it takes to be one of the players to beat in 2010? Tell us your opinion in this week’s edition of Open Forum Friday!

Kim’s title run in Flushing Meadows included two big wins over Venus and Serena Williams, but can she keep up the momentum and return to her formerSource: On the Baseline Tennis News RSS Feed

The Shocking, True Rise And Fall Of ‘Tim Treebow’

Save Tim Treebow! Can we do any less? The Ballyhoo Grill in Gainesville has what I consider one of the great landmarks in all of America, or had, until the NCAA and its band of merry attorneys stepped in.

Above is the chainsaw sculpture of a dead oak tree in front of the Ballyhoo — painted and dubbed “Tim Treebow” by the owner — which has drawn wide acclaim, including a mention in GQ MAGAZINE. But the Ballyhoo recently received a “Cease and desist”Source: SPORTSbyBROOKS RSS Feed

Brian Urlacher’s Text Message: “Season is Over”

Brian Urlacher: He gloomily texted a Chicago Tribune sportswriter “season is over.” That’s a real bummer for the Bears middle linebacker, who, according to Peter King, was poised for a return to greatness this season. What a horrible morning to be a Chicago sports fan. Jay Cutler’s first game was a major bust, and now your defensive leader is done for the year. The defending Super Bowl champs visit the Windy City next week. How does 0-2 sound? And then Chicago has to travel toSource: The Big Lead RSS Feed

If the price is right..

Last week there was a shareholder meeting at the offices of Aris BC and it was decided that if the price is right, then Kostas Papanikolaou(2.01-SF) will be sold to the highest bidder. It so happens that this bidder is Olympiakos, that are trying to win the bad impression they made on their fans by letting Giorgos Printezis(2.05-PF) leave the team.
On the other hand Aris are selling Papanikolaou with the pretense that they cannot afford the contracts that they have signed already.Source: The Hoop RSS Feed

Riggins To Clinton Portis: ‘Quit Being A Crybaby’

It’s only a handful of hours until the big Redskins-Giants opener, and the war of words IS ON. There’s, um, no Giants involved in this one, though. It’s between a Redskin and a former Redskin. Odd.

The feud between Clinton Portis and John Riggins continues, and all we can do is sit back and enjoy the show. Personally I think that this would be better if Portis dressed up in one of his signature wacky costumes, and Riggins went back to his mohawk. But

Match Notes: Stoke 1:2 Chelsea

Delap: Stoke City's Wild Card

Stoke City vs Chelsea FC at the Britannia Stadium, Stoke-on-Trent, 3pm local time. Conditions: pitch good, weather fine.

Line-ups

Chelsea: Cech, A Cole, Terry, Ivanovic, Bosingwa, Ballack, Malouda, Kalou, Mikel, Lampard, Drogba

Stoke City: Sorenson (Simonsen), Faye, Collins, Huth, Higginbotham, Delap, Shawcross, Etherington, Whelan, Kitson (Tuncay), Beattie (Fuller)

1st Half