Sports

Sports

Bright Beginnings, Sad Endings In Sports News

7:46am March 16, 2013

Spring's around the corner, and baseball's back in full swing with spring training and the World Baseball Classic entering the elimination stage. While the Miami Heat have been on a tear, Grambling State just completed the opposite: a winless season at 0-28. Host Scott Simon is joined by Howard Bryant of ESPN.

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A marching band performs at halftime on the field during a high school football game.

Sports

School Bands Should Not Be Entertainment Adjunct For Sports

5:36pm March 13, 2013

by Frank Deford

For commentator Frank Deford, it seems unfair that students who pursue other extracurricular talents — like music — should be placed in a subsidiary position to their classmates who happen to play sports.

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Chicago Blackhawks Continue Remarkable NHL Winning Streak

6:03pm March 08, 2013

It's not quite a winning streak, but what the Chicago Blackhawks have done in one half of a lockout-shortened NHL season has been remarkable. Twenty one wins and just three shoot out losses in 24 games. And, as sportswriter Stefan Fatsis tells Audie Cornish, the most amazing thing about Chicago's torrid start? It's got people paying attention to hockey again after yet another lockout almost killed then entire year.

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Retired Major League Baseball player Mike Piazza's new autobiography, Long Shot, addresses the steroid controversy and recalls the first game after the Sept. 11 attacks.

Making It In The Big Leagues Was A 'Long Shot' For Catcher Mike Piazza

3:30pm March 07, 2013

In a new memoir, the Major League Baseball catcher opens up about getting drafted in the 62nd round, his feud with Roger Clemens and what it's like to go into retirement. Leaving the game, he says, was "like a small death."

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DePaul, Georgetown, Marquette, Providence, St. John's, Seton Hall and Villanova universities have decided to leave the Big East Conference and pursue a new basketball framework.

Sports

Catholic Universities See True Path To Salvation: Basketball

11:18am March 06, 2013

by Frank Deford

A powerful leadership group — the Catholic Seven — is stepping forward and heading in a bold new direction: basketball. These schools want out of the Big (football) East Conference.

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Tilghman Logan and his instructor, Craig Stagg, do some practice turns using sit skis. Some ski resorts have created opportunities for people with disabilities to participate in snow sports.

With Adaptive Skiing, Disabled People No Longer Left Out In The Cold

11:18am March 06, 2013

by Carrie Jung

As the fresh snow falls in New Mexico's ski resorts and mild temperatures welcome visitors into the region, new ski enthusiasts are making their way to the mountain tops. Some ski resorts now offer lessons to people with disabilities, and owners say not only is it a great equalizer, it's also increasing business.

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Sports

A Shifting Tide For Gay Athletes In Professional Sports?

8:45am March 06, 2013

Two professional football players asked the Supreme Court to support same-sex marriage in February. This was an unusual moment for the NFL. No professional athlete in the four major leagues has come out of the closet during their career. Many say that's likely to change soon.

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Posthumous Pardon For Heavyweight Boxer Jack Johnson A Bipartisan Effort

6:20pm March 05, 2013

Democratic Senators Harry Reid and Mo Cowan have joined Republicans John McCain and Representative Peter King to call for the pardon of former heavyweight boxing champ Jack Johnson. He was the first black fighter to win that title, in 1908. Another win in 1910 sparked race riots nationwide, and his relationships with white women only added to the controversy. He was convicted of taking women across state lines for "immoral purpose." Audie Cornish has more.

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No Obvious Favorites As NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament Starts

6:20pm March 05, 2013

Go on, pick a favorite in this year's NCAA tournament. We dare you. There's more than a dozen legitimate contenders to pick from. And then there's all those potential Cinderella teams. Mike Pesca talks to Audie Cornish about the upcoming NCAA Men's College Basketball tournament, which is as wide open as it has even been.

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Dear College Presidents: Break The NCAA's Vise Grip On Athletes

7:37am February 27, 2013

by Frank Deford

Student-athletes are really sucker-athletes under the organization's structure, says sports commentator Frank Deford. Will no college president speak the words that will break the organization's spell?

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