Sports Archives

Wilbon: “Bloggers? What are their credentials?” Jesus fucking Christ. This is really simple, you dense, out-of-touch, holier than thou dinosaur: You DO NOT need credentials to a) be a fan, b) have an opinion on sports. Blogs combine those two elements to create something just as valid — if not, more so — than anything Wilbon’s done in, oh, I don’t know, my lifetime. The journalism degree hanging on your wall does not mean your thoughts on sport are more important or worthy or whatever.

**Update** The discussion portion of the show was even worse. That's the last time I ever watch Friday Night Lights.

I haven't talked basketball lately, but I could not be more excited about the NBA playoffs.

Wake up, folks -- this is one of the best teams of all time, and you might be surprised how easily they roll through the playoffs. I realize this is raining on the parade a bit since everybody is so jacked up about the competition in store this postseason, but I have to warn you there's a chance the Celtics are just going to flat-out destroy everybody.

Fuck yeah.

It was a beautiful night last at RFK. The stadium smelled like freshly cut grass and i got to give my new 40D a run for its money as United took on the Columbus Crew. D.C. gave up two first half goals and never really challenged in the second half, losing 2-1.

I forgot to tape the match and see if I made it onto ESPN2.

I was very anxious to try out the 40D in a sports setting, as that is mostly why I upgraded from my 30D. It was definitely worth it. Focus is much more accurate and the better frames per second really came in handy. I got many more keepers than usual, hence the 35 photos above. Enjoy them while I go back outside on the balcony and enjoy the beautiful weather today.

More United:
DCist recap by Matt.
Behind the Badge recap.
DCenters recap.
Soccer Insider recap.

Ms. Smith and I made our first trip to Nationals Stadium yesterday. We had hoped the weather would warm up a bit but no such luck. After shivering through seven slightly soggy innings, we decided to call it a day. Here are my impressions of the newest MLB ballpark.

The Good:
1) The food and beer options are much, much better than they were at RFK. I drank Pilsner Urquell and Blue Moon, but they had Peroni, Red Stripe and a bunch of other good beers as well.
2) Lots of room to wander around a see the game from different vantage points. You can basically walk all around the ground level and watch the game as you stand behind the seats. Pretty nice. The outfield has a plenty of space to walk around and there are some picnic tables along the first base side.
3) The standing room only spots in the outfield (where this photo was taken). A nice place to drink your beer and eat your food.
4) The Nat Express. I decided we would try the "park at RFK and take the bus over" route to the stadium and it couldn't have been easier. Took us under 20 minutes each way. As long as you're not in a hurry, this is the way to go.
5) Merch prices are apparently negotiable. Ms. Smith was freezing her ass off, so I bought her a hoodie for just $30, almost half of the $55 price tag. Thanks talkative merch-seller dude!

The Bad:
1) Lines for food were still pretty bad. Hopefully this will improve as the concessions people get used to everything.
2) There are still some bad sight lines in the outfield. You can't see what's happening below you if you sit up high on the first base side.
3) Ticket prices. Jeebus. If I am reading this right, there are no cheap seats in the outfield! Apparently the Nats don't believe in bleacher seats. Shame.
4) The team still sucks.

Overall, I liked the stadium, although it has too much concrete to have any sort of vibe or personality. It's kind of like a junior version of Comerica Park in Detroit. I'll definitely go back to see a few games this year, but I can't see me buying a ticket plan any time soon.

Check out some more photos on Flickr.

Kobe jumps over a moving Aston Martin.

I link to this (obviously fake video) only because 1) it's a great piece of viral marketing and 2) it's one of the few times where it seems like Kobe has any sort of personality.

Usually I think he's just some incredible basketball playing robot that used to be a really, really bad rapper. Like, worse than Shaq. Coolfer, cue up that MP3!

Or peep the video:

"Coaches, organizations and those handing out the honors love to talk about sacrificing personal statistics for the sake of success yet rarely reward it," he said. "Dennis Johnson epitomizes that. He did so many things that effected winning. Many were intangibles. Much of what he did gave his team's superstars the freedom to focus on what they did best.

"No, Dennis Johnson's stats aren't Hall of Fame. But his game was Hall of Fame. You actually have to understand the game to understand that."

[via CSTB]

GO TO HELL CAROLINA! GO TO HELL!

It's been a long time since I've felt so good about a UNC loss. MDT put it best when he said "The first half was like watching a snuff film."

Fuck you UNC, fuck you Roy Williams, and fuck you Psycho T.

The best part is we'll probably get to watch Tyler Hansbrough do this again next year! How great would it be if UNC's savior never makes it to Championship Monday, much less wins the whole damn thing?

That's a rhetorical question. It would be pretty damn great. Obvs.

Also:

And:

What's more, the new starting times for the Saturday region finals, 6:40 and 9:05, are a joke. Forget the fact that they blow up Saturday night newspaper deadlines for two-thirds of the country (although the NCAA should care about people being unable to read about a game that decides a Final Four slot on Sunday morning). More importantly, it means the players have to sit and wait for a late start that helps no one except, apparently, CBS. Fans have to kill time all day, too. The old times, 4:40 and 7, were too late. This is ridiculous. The only reason the Sunday games are more reasonable (2:30 and 5) is so CBS doesn't lose "60 Minutes." Thank God for "60 Minutes."

I remember going outside and playing basketball all afternoon in 1988, after Duke beat top ranked Temple and super-frosh Mark Macon to reach the Final Four. Mike Harris and I took turns being Quinn Snyder and Kevin Strickland.

Gerald Henderson, take a bow. From goat to hero in one trip down the court. You ruined tonight and tomorrow for Deadspin Nation, and for that, I thank you.

Last night D.C. United played their first home game of the 2008 season at RFK Stadium as part of the CONCACAF Champions Cup.
Their opponent: Jamaica's Harbor View Football Club.
The result: a 5-nil win for United, who advance to the Champions Cup semis in April.
Peep the recap at DCist.
I love shooting MLS. There's nothing better. It's only been four months since I shot MLS Cup at RFK, but it seemed like an eternity.

Highlights from last night:
Fred's weird pacifier/cradle rocking goal celebration (apparently his wife is expecting)...

...and Santino Quaranta's act of contrition towards the Barra Brava and Screaming Eagles, the D.C. United supporters clubs. Tino is a former United player and local product that had lost form due to a series of injuries. He was subsequently traded away and made some not so friendly gestures to the Barra and Eagles while playing with the Los Angeles Galaxy. This was not taken kindly. He's fallen on hard times and signed a contract with United during the off season to get his career back on track. He played great last night and it looks like he is on the road to forgiveness.