Author: Anthony Stalter (Page 1134 of 1503)

      O.J. Simpson convicted of robbing memorabilia dealer

      October 4, 2008 /

      Remember back in September of last year when O.J. Simpson was busted for breaking into a hotel room with a couple of buddies he met at a wedding and robbing two memorabilia dealers? Well, he was finally convicted.

      O.J. SimpsonThirteen years to the day after being acquitted of killing his wife and her friend in Los Angeles, O.J. Simpson was found guilty of robbing two sports-memorabilia dealers at gunpoint in a Las Vegas hotel room.

      The 61-year-old former football star was convicted of all 12 counts late Friday after jurors deliberated for more than 13 hours. He released a heavy sigh as the charges were read and was immediately taken into custody.

      Simpson, who went from American sports idol to celebrity-in-exile after his murder acquittal, could spend the rest of his life in prison.

      His attorney said he would appeal.

      What I wrote last year about this story still applies: He skates on double murder, but could get life in prison for robbing a sports memorabilia dealer. Sounds about right.

      General Sports, NFL

      Red Sox own Angels in postseason Vol. II

      October 4, 2008 /

      As Dan Shaughnessy of the Boston Globe writes, if it’s Red Sox-Angels in the postseason, the BoSox are going to win.

      The Angels lost to their Boston Daddies at home again last night. This time it was Red Sox 7, Halos 5, in what was easily the best game of the postseason anywhere yet this year. J.D. Drew won it for the Sox with a ninth-inning, two-run homer off Francisco Rodriguez while most of New England slept (the game ended at 1:28 a.m. EDT).

      The best-of-five series moves to Fenway tomorrow, and the Sox should be drenched in champagne well before midnight. There might even be a closer with a cardboard box on his head step-dancing on the Fenway lawn. Make sure the bases are bolted down.

      Regarding Red Sox vs. Angels, we have moved well past the arena of standard athletic competition. We have wandered into Rod Serling’s space “between the pit of a man’s fear and the summit of his knowledge.”

      Hmm. Boston columnist used to write about how the Red Sox would blow games, even if things were going the team’s way. Now they’re writing about how wins are already a given. How the times have changed.

      MLB

      College Football Week 6 Primer

      October 4, 2008 /

      Time to check out the big games, top matchups and potential upsets as college football heads into Week 6.

      Top 25 vs. Top 25:
      Terrelle PryorNo. 14 Ohio State at No. 18 Wisconsin, 8:00 PM ET
      This was supposed to be a matchup of the best two teams in the Big Ten, but after the Badgers were embarrassed last week in Ann Arbor, this game has lost a lot of it’s luster. Despite Michigan turning the ball over five times and spotting them a 19-0 lead, Wisconsin fell apart in the second half as the Wolverines pulled off a 27-25 upset. For the Buckeyes, they seem to be playing with a chip on their shoulder after losing to USC a few weeks back, especially freshman QB Terrelle Pryor, who is out to use this game as proof that he can play on a big stage. It’ll be interesting to see how the dazzlingly Pryor does in his first road start of his young collegiate career; OSU has not won back-to-back games vs. Wisconsin since 1995/1996. Oddsmakers have established the Buckeyes as 1.5-point favorites.

      No. 13 Auburn at No. 19 Vanderbilt, 6:00 PM ET
      Vandy is off to a surprising 4-0 start this season, but their record is a bit deceiving. The Commodores rank last in the SEC in total offense and defense, and have been out gained in 3 of their 4 games this season. But they sit undefeated largely due to their plus-nine turnover margin, which leads the nation. They’ll get their first real test of the season against Auburn, who crushed the Commodores 45-7 in their last trip to Vanderbilt Stadium in 2003. The Tigers also handed Vandy a 35-7 beat-down last year and are trying to build some momentum off of last week’s 14-12 win against Tennessee. Still, this is the first time Vanderbilt has been ranked since 1984, so the home crowd will noty doubt be psyched. And it’s not like Tommy Tummerville’s team has been that dominant this season. (See the Tigers’ 3-2 victory over Mississippi State as proof.) Vandy is a 4.5-point home underdog.

      No. 23 Oregon at No. 9 USC, 8:00 PM ET
      The Trojans try to bounce back from their humiliating 27-21 loss to Oregon State last week – a defeat that dropped them from the top spot in the rankings. When these two teams met last year in Eugene, the Ducks used an electrifying home crowd to knock off the Trojans 24-17 in USC QB Mark Sanchez’s first start. It would be wise for Oregon to borrow the blueprint left by the Beavers and attack the middle of the Trojans’ beat up defense on the ground. Head coach Pete Carroll is dying to use this game to show USC can still compete for a national title this season and will try to flatten the Ducks, but Oregon’s defense is good enough to keep them in the game. The Trojans are currently 17-point favorites.

      Chase DanielUpset Watch: No. 4 Missouri at Nebraska, 9:00 PM ET
      It’s hard to fathom that the Tigers would stumble this week in Lincoln coming off a bye week and with so much on the line. But Heisman Trophy candidate Chase Daniel has yet to see a decent defense outside of Illinois in the opener. And even though MIZZOU hammered the Huskers last year, Nebraska’s defense is a lot better than the unit that surrendered 41 points to Daniel and the Tigers last year. Missouri has better talent and the better overall team, but one thing to keep in mind is that the home team in this series has won the last six in a row. MIZZOU is an 11-point favorite.

      Other notable games:
      No. 1 Oklahoma at Baylor, 12:30 PM ET Saturday
      The Sooners play their first game since being anointed the top ranked team in the nation. They get a decent opponent in the Bears, who have been a dramatically improved team with scrappy freshman Robert Griffin under center this year.

      Kentucky at No. 2 Alabama, 3:30 PM ET Saturday
      After crushing the Bulldogs in Athens last week, Nick Saban’s Tide can’t fall victims to the upset themselves this week against the unranked Wildcats.

      No. 5 Texas at Colorado, 7:00 PM ET Saturday
      Longhorns’ QB Colt McCoy will look to continue his bid to become this year’s Heisman Trophy winner, but he’ll face a decent Colorado team who is 3-0 at home this year.

      College Football

      Rays proving experience doesn’t mean everything in postseason

      October 3, 2008 /

      Tampa Bay RaysSome will be quick to point out that perhaps the most dangerous team in the American League this postseason is the Boston Red Sox – and with good reason given their playoff experience throughout the years. They’ve not only been here before, but they’ve also won.

      But as the Tampa Bay Rays have proved so far, experience isn’t everything.

      The Rays are the seventh youngest team in MLB, with an average age of 27.5. Before this season, they had never won their division, never reached the postseason and had never won a playoff game. Yet after their 6-2 win over the Chicago White Sox on Friday night, Tampa sits just one win away from reaching the ALCS.

      It’s hard to downplay experience in the postseason and if the Red Sox go on to beat the Angels (arguably the most talented team in the AL this year) in their best of five series, they’ll once again provide an example of how important it is to have a veteran roster.

      But the Rays have built a 2-0 lead in the ALDS despite most of their roster never appearing in a postseason game. And it’s because they not only believe that they can compete with anyone, but they’re also playing complete baseball. They can hit (see Evan Longoria’s 2 HRs in Game 1), they can pitch (see Grant Balfour’s excellent relief appearances in the series), they can run (see their three total stolen bases) and they can play defense (see zero errors). The veteran Sox, on the other hand, have shown to be one-dimensional and now are on the brink of elimination.

      So it’ll be interesting to see if the Rays’ youth eventually catches up with them this postseason. Because of right now, experience isn’t holding this club back one bit.

      MLB

      Stanford player: ‘Notre Dame’s Field sucks – I hate that school’

      October 3, 2008 /

      The Notre Dame-Stanford game on Saturday just got a whole hell of a lot more interesting. SPORTSbyBROOKS.com has the story of Stanford offensive lineman Chris Marinelli and his general disdain for all things Notre Dame.

      Notre Dame StadiumMarinelli doesn’t waste any time cutting to the chase:

      “I hate it, playing up there,” Chris Marinelli told cardinalreport.com after practice Wednesday. ”The field, excuse my language, the field sucks. The stadium sucks. I think the area sucks.

      ”I grew up with a bunch of Irish and Italian Catholic people back home,” said the 6-7, 297-pound senior from Braintree, Mass. ”And all the Irish Catholic people, all they talk about is Notre Dame this, Notre Dame that. And they’ve never even been there, you know. So I hate those guys, I hate that school.

      ”We are going out there to mash them up, and that’s all there is to it.”

      Well, at least he’s eloquent. Those Stanford guys have a way with words. All this is coming from a guy who plays his home games in brand new albatross of a stadium that is always half full and features an anthropomorphic tree wobbling around for the crowd’s enjoyment. A stadium where Notre Dame won last year. Yes, last year, when the Irish couldn’t even hang with the service academies.

      Damage control came swiftly, in the form of the ever-popular statement “written” by the offending party. It’s amazing how much Marinelli’s opinion has changed in just a day!

      ”I would like to apologize to the University of Notre Dame and anybody else who I may have offended from the remarks I made in an interview earlier this week. I was caught up in the emotions of the game and should have been more thoughtful in my comments. The remarks were out of character for me and certainly aren’t reflective of my teammates or anybody else affiliated with the Stanford program. I look forward to a competitive game on Saturday in one of the great environments in college football.”

      Whew! Glad that situation was diffused. I almost was considering watching a Notre Dame football game for a second there.

      Allow me to translate Marinelli’s apology:

      “I in no way feel that an apology to the University of Notre Dame is in order but some pile in the AD’s office is making me do this, so F-me right? If you really want to know how I feel about Notre Dame, please see my previous comments. Thank you.”

      College Football

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