Sports

Sports

Op-Ed: Rutgers Waited Too Long To Fire Abusive Coach

5:56pm April 04, 2013

Rutgers University fired basketball coach Mike Rice Wednesday after a video showing Rice physically and verbally abusing players became public. Lionel Tiger, professor emeritus at Rutgers University, argues that Rice should have been fired when the school first learned of the tapes months ago.

Queue Listen Now

Sports

ASU Joins ‘Big Time’ College Athletics

5:40pm April 03, 2013

Last Wednesday, Appalachian State announced it is finally making the move to college athletics' ‘big-time'.

Queue Listen Now

Some say baseball is too slow and doesn't appeal to young people. Not Frank Deford.

Sports

Baseball Isn't Dead; It Just Takes More Work To Appreciate

8:19am April 03, 2013

by Frank Deford

For years, non-baseball experts have been ringing the death knell for this game. But sports commentator Frank Deford says popular team games are so deeply ingrained in our culture that they're here to stay.

Queue Listen Now

Sports

Baseball Begins In The Shadow Of March Madness

6:28am April 02, 2013

Fans are returning to Major League Baseball parks for a new season. Let's take a break from the intensity of college basketball's March Madness, and talk about the beginning of the long and winding Major League Baseball season.

Queue Listen Now

Sports

Coaching Through Crisis: How Teams Get Through Rough Spots

3:02pm April 01, 2013

In Sunday night's NCAA men's basketball tournament, Louisville guard Kevin Ware suffered a gruesome injury. Coach Rick Pitino rallied the team and led them to a victory over Duke. When accidents like this happen, coaches are tasked with rallying team members and keeping them focused.

Queue Listen Now

Elite 8 Take To The NCAA Courts

10:34am March 30, 2013

Host Scott Simon catches up on the week in sports with Howard Bryant of ESPN.

Queue Listen Now

Head coach Rick Pitino of the Louisville Cardinals is adamant about recording his team's deflections. It seems to be paying off: The Cardinals have been doing well during the NCAA tournament.

Deflections: The Unofficial Stat That Measures Success

12:08pm March 28, 2013

by Mike Pesca

The basketball tactic isn't officially tracked. There isn't even a universal definition (it can occur when a defensive player in any way redirects the intended flight of the ball). But University of Louisville coach Rick Pitino knows deflections are key to winning.

Queue Listen Now

The only known photograph of the 1935 Bismarck town team.

Integrated Baseball, A Decade Before Jackie Robinson

5:05pm March 27, 2013

by NPR Staff

Over ten years before Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in the major leagues, a little-known baseball team went to bat with players both black and white. Journalist Tom Dunkel writes about the team from Bismarck, N.D., in his new book Color Blind.

Queue Listen Now

Sports

What's The Score On Spirited Sports Banter At Bars?

9:30am March 27, 2013

by Frank Deford

Sports commentator Frank Deford wants to know: When did we stop arguing about sports in the time-honored bar-stool fashion?

Queue Listen Now

Good Luck With That 'Perfect' March Madness Bracket. You'll Need It

9:30am March 27, 2013

by Adam Cole

Millions of basketball fans will fill out NCAA tournament brackets this week and try to correctly predict the outcomes of every game. The chances of succeeding are about 1 in 150 quintillion. A group of computer scientists are trying to beat those odds by writing programs that learn to pick winners.

Queue Listen Now