Tailgate Crashers

Tailgate Crashers Official Baseball Rankings: 08/20/2008

Disclaimer
Here are the new and updated Baseball Rankings. Instead of just taking the record, pythagorean record, and farm system, I’ve given each part a weighed score:
- The Record accounts for half of the score. Since the standings are based of record, I thought it deserved more weight than the other parts.
- The Pythagorean Record is based off of Bill James theory that you can somewhat predict a team by runs scored and runs allowed. The Pythagorean Records accounts for a third of the score.
- The Farm System is worth a sixth of the scoring, since it will impact the team, but maybe not now.
- The Standard Deviation is 3 wins.

All stats and records are prior to games on Wednesday. I’m going to start putting each teams score up; max score is 90 points.
…read full article…

Sylvia Fowles Leads U.S. Women To 31st Straight Victory

By Danny Cox

Sylvia Fowles and the U.S. women’s basketball team were too big for South Korea to handle.

Fowles scored 26 points and grabbed 14 rebounds to lead the U.S. to a 104-60 rout of South Korea on Tuesday night and advance to the semifinals of women’s basketball. …read full article…

Shawn Johnson Finally Gets Her Gold

By Danny Cox

Clear some more space in that pile of pretty Olympic medal boxes. Shawn Johnson and Nastia Liukin are bringing home more loot, including a gorgeous gold of Johnson’s very own.

Johnson beat her friend and teammate on the balance beam, the last women’s gymnastics event at the Beijing Games. …read full article…

WR Joe Horn Granted Release From Falcons

By Danny Cox

Joe Horn, released by the Atlanta Falcons on Tuesday after the team couldn’t trade the veteran receiver, said he is relieved he can pursue a job with another team.

The Falcons will receive no return on the guaranteed $2.5 million salary in 2008 for the 36-year-old Horn, who said he wished he could have produced better numbers for team owner Arthur Blank. …read full article…

Bengals Bring Back WR Henry After All

By Danny Cox

Receiver Chris Henry is back with the Cincinnati Bengals because their owner has a soft spot for troubled players.

Henry signed a two-year deal Tuesday with the team that let him go after he was arrested for the fifth time, a decision that seemed to mark a change in philosophy for owner Mike Brown. Instead, it was an aberration. The Bengals took him back at Brown’s behest. …read full article…

TBG’s Sounds of Summer: St. Louis Cardinals

By Aaron Cameron

Game: St. Louis Cardinals at Atlanta Braves
Date: July 31
Network: Fox Sports Net-Midwest

Play-by-Play: Dan McLaughlin
Color Commentator: Al Hrabosky
…read full article…

TBG’s Sounds of Summer: Seattle Mariners

By Aaron Cameron

Game: Detroit Tigers at Seattle Mariners
Date: July 4
Network: FSN-Northwest

Play-by-Play: Dave Niehaus (Innings 1-3); Dave Sims (Innings 4-9)
Color Commentator: Mike Blowers
Rally Fry Girl: Cara Capuano (mildly attractive in-game correspondent who hands out french fries to parasites who bring signs begging for free food)
…read full article…

TBG’s Sounds of Summer: Minnesota Twins

By Aaron Cameron

Game: New York Yankees at Minnesota Twins
Date: June 2
Network: FSN-North (MN)

Play-by-Play: Dick Bremer
Color Commentator: Bert Blyleven
Ummm…”Telly”?: Telly Hughes
Uncomfortable Looking Ex-Player in an Ill-Fitting Suit: Ron Coomer
…read full article…

TBG’s Sounds of Summer: Chicago White Sox

By Aaron Cameron

Game: Oakland A’s at Chicago White Sox
Date: July 4
Network: Comcast SportsNet

Play-by-Play: Ken “Hawk” Harrelson
Color Commentator: Darrin Jackson
…read full article…

Help Tailgate Crashers

By Eugene Tierney

Tailgate Crashers is kind of in a state of limbo right now and we want your help.

In the last year or 2, we’ve lost a lot of writers and have become directionless. Management knows this and is ready to do something.

I want to know what you like about the site and what we need improvements on. Which sports need more coverage? What do you look for in sports blogs? Would you use TGC as a source of sports news?

I’ll take every opinion into consideration. E-mail all questions, concerns, and opinions to me, or post them below.

Also, we are looking for reliable writers. All sports are open at this moment. Please e-mail me for details.

U.S. Softball Team Continues To Roll With Shutout Over The Netherlands

By Danny Cox

Monica Abbott pitched five perfect innings, Crystl Bustos, Jessica Mendoza and Tairia Flowers homered and the U.S. Olympic softball team extended its winning streak to 20 with an 8-0 win over the Netherlands. …read full article…

Phelps Wins Eighth Gold

By Danny Cox

In Michael Phelps’ mind, the unimaginable was imagined. But was it possible? Only he knew the answer. And now the world knows. Phelps had the Olympics of a lifetime, winning eight gold medals in Beijing thus breaking Mark Spitz’s record. The deal is done. Phelps is the absolute best. …read full article…

U.S. Men Destroy Spain By 37

By Danny Cox

The U.S. men’s Olympic basketball team has clinched first place in its group and remained unbeaten in the Beijing Games with a 119-82 victory against Spain. …read full article…

NCAA College Football AP Poll 08/16/08

By Danny Cox

First it was the coaches who had their say and now the Associated Press gives their thoughts on the new college football season before it even arrives. …read full article…

Usain Bolt Easily Breaks World Record And Wins 100-M Gold

By Danny Cox

Usain Bolt of Jamaica easily broke his own world record in the 100 meters to win the Olympic gold medal Saturday night, slowing up to celebrate and still finishing in 9.69 seconds.

Bolt stretched his arms out wide and put his palms out, then slapped his chest just before crossing the line. He came in well below his old mark of 9.72 seconds, set May 31 in New York — less than a year after Bolt took up the dash. …read full article…

Tyson Gay Fails To Make 100-M Finals

By Danny Cox

For Usain Bolt and Asafa Powell, it will still be a dream matchup. For Tyson Gay, a bitter disappointment.

The American record-holder and defending world champion failed to make the finals of the Olympic 100-meter dash Saturday, finishing .02 second out of fourth place in his semifinal heat and making an early exit from one of the most highly anticipated events of the Beijing Olympics. …read full article…

Swedish Wrestler Stripped Of Bronze Medal

By Danny Cox

A Swedish wrestler was disqualified and stripped of his bronze medal Saturday for dropping the prize in protest after a disputed loss at the Beijing Olympics.

Ara Abrahamian was punished by the International Olympic Committee for violating the spirit of fair play during the medal ceremony, becoming the fourth athlete kicked out of the games and bringing the number of medals removed to three. …read full article…

Phelps’ Wins Seventh Gold In Amazing Finish

By Danny Cox

Michael Phelps swam into history with a magnificent finish Saturday, tying Mark Spitz with his seventh gold medal by the narrowest of margins in the 100-meter butterfly.

His arms soaring across the water one last time, Phelps got his hand on the wall a hundredth of a second ahead of Serbia’s Milorad Cavic. Phelps’ time was 50.58 seconds, the only time in these Olympics that Phelps won an event without breaking the world record. …read full article…

Liukin And Johnson Finish 1-2 In Women’s Gymnastics All-Around

By Danny Cox

After arriving at the athlete’s village in Beijing, Nastia Liukin realized she needed some cash. So after settling into the room she would share with teammate Shawn Johnson for the next 10 days, Liukin walked to the village ATM. But before she had a chance to fill her wallet with yuan, she was halted by her own image.

“The machine had a Visa ad with my picture on it,” Liukin said, her words flying excitedly from her mouth faster than her spins on floor. “And next to it, in Chinese symbols, was the word, ‘Destiny.’ I stopped and thought hard when I saw that.” …read full article…