NBA training camps have begun; the season is rapidly approaching. Can you dig it? I knew that you could. And so we continue our previews: 30 of them in 30 days. Up next is a team that is composed primarily of water and carbon: The Cleveland Cavaliers. When last we saw them: Finished 45-37, second in the Central Division and fourth overall in the East. They pushed the eventual NBA champion Boston Celtics to seven ...

After 13 hours of deliberation on Friday, a Clark County, Nev. jury found O.J. Simpson guilty on all 12 counts in his robbery and kidnapping trial. Simpson's co-defendant, Clarence "C.J." Stewart, was also found guilty on all 12 counts. Simpson, who faces a five-years-to-life sentence for the gunpoint robbery of two sports memorabilia dealers in a casino hotel room last year, was remanded into custody without bail immediately following the verdicts. He bowed his head ...

They've begun tearing down Shea Stadium, so hopefully that men's room sign you bid on at the auction will be arriving any day now. But some concerned citizens are worried that the stadium's notorious feral cat population may be left behind; they actually want the kitties relocated to the new park. "They're part of Mets lore," said Bryan Kortis of Neighborhood Cats, a Manhattan rescue group. "So why not keep them around?" Kortis estimated the ...

Below is the arrest affidavit on the Travis Henry drug bust from Wednesday, and it's fascinating reading, or at least as good as a typical episode of The Wire. All the requisite elements for a compelling cop drama are there, including a snitch, a sting operation, a drug ripoff, and Henry himself threatening to kill every member of the informant's family if some stolen drug money is not returned. The kicker: When authorities arrive at ...

Don't tell Mr. Iracane I said this, but there are times when someone is interested in your fantasy team. Case in point: This somewhat hilarious case from Florida, where murder nearly resulted from a spat over a handful of fantasy football points. "Only one point for a 50-yard field goal? I cut you!" Out of habit, Ed Hochuli has issued apology emails to both parties. According to a report from the Charlotte County Sheriff's Office, ...

It's safe to say that Travis Henry's last year or so has been a little rough. Signed by the Denver Broncos before the 2007 season, the former Bills and Titans running back immediately failed a drug test (which he challenged and won), then put up an mediocre 691 yards rushing in 12 games, before being unceremoniously dumped over the summer after Mike Shanahan said he was "too inconsistent as a person." (Ouch. That's a new ...

Florida suffered its first loss of the season on Saturday, and Christ — who apparently had a few sheckles on the outcome — is not amused. So he distpatched Eric Brown, the 31-year-old minister at Gainesville's Campus Church of Christ, to keep Tim Tebow out of trouble for the next few weeks. Brown, a graduate student at Florida, came up with this sign, which happens to be less than a mile from the Gators' practice ...

In other first pitch news...Mitch Williams to throw out the first pitch at tomorrow's Phillies game. Hopefully, pitch will not be launched over the left field fence. [Phillies.com]

Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band will play the halftime show at the Super Bowl. Take the AFC winning the coin toss and parlay that with the over on "Glory Days." [ESPN]

Dustin Pedroia's stat lines this season have no doubt caught the eyes of fantasy baseball geeks, but his road to approach teammates like Big Papi in superstar status has been a bit tougher. Of course, everything's tougher when you're only five foot nothing. A profile in today's Boston Globe tells tales of diminutive Dustin's cocksure attitude, the obstacles he overcame, and the importance of animal cruelty to early career progression. But it was his dismantling ...

Unlike many of the coddled stars in Hollywood today, Paul Newman was a badass long before making it big on the silver screen. He was a regular old military guy who joined the Navy and served in WWII after getting kicked out of Ohio University for "unruly behavior." Having been in the movie business for decades, Newman's resume is full of classic performances from The Sting to Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. In one ...

I've been thinking about this and I think it's a good rule of thumb: One should always take relationship advice from people who record themselves from their parents' basement. A Deadspin reader actually dug out this report from the intrepid Kige Ramsey, in which he takes a break from relentless sports reporting to dispense some valuable tips for the lovelorn. It's hard to determine which nuggets are more valuable here: What to do on a ...

There's tough, there's boxer tough, and then there's Keyser Soze "shoot your family in the face to prove you value nothing" tough. Then there's cruiserweight fighter Juan Carlos Robles. After putting his motorcycle in a ditch, Robles recovered from a broken right kneecap, a dislocated right elbow, and a broken right forearm. But the one thing he couldn't recover from was gnarly road rash on his pinkie finger that wouldn't heal and threatened to stall ...

Okay: This catch from the Morgan State-Winston-Salem game is pretty much as insane as people say it is. [Sporting Blog]

"A dozen athletes, including six N.F.L. players and a former United States women’s soccer player, have agreed to donate their brains after their deaths to the Center for the Study of Traumatic Encephalopathy. " [NY Times]

The premier game of this Saturday's college football schedule is the evening tilt between No. 3 Georgia and No. 8 Alabama, two SEC schools that have very little animosity toward each other. The host Bulldogs are instructing their fans to dress all in black as part of an innovate strategy designed to trick their opponents into believing that a vengeful Zeus has snuffed out the sun. Alabama defensive coordinator Kirby SmartAlabama Strength and Conditioning Coach ...

Roger Clemens lets out a heavy sigh and struggles to keep the tears from glistening on his face . He sits in his spacious home in a hurricane-ravaged area of Texas, watching the final game at Yankee Stadium, hoping his years of pin-striped service are recognized. But what of the other sinners? Knoblauch? Pettitte? Giambi? All mentioned. All cheered. Not Roger, though. He's a true pariah, he thought. The wife and mother-in-law squeeze the sad ...

They all gathered at Raiders headquarters on Monday to watch Lane Kiffin get fired, but no such thing occurred. Kiffin is, apparently, still the head coach, at least for the next few hours. So instead of an execution, the scheduled entertainment involved Raiders senior executive John Herrera interrupting the proceedings by yelling at San Jose Mercury reporter Tim Kawakami. Finger jabbing and threats of lawsuits ensued. Al Davis, nowhere to be seen. Ladies and gentlemen, ...

If you're a Saints fan searching for answers following Martin Gramatica's late field goal miss in the loss to the Broncos on Sunday, well, there's this. New Orleans punter Steven Weatherford did the holding while wearing his watch and ring. Not shown: He's also wearing a monocle. When Missing Game Winning Kicks, Its Important To Accessorize [Friends Of The Program]

As Gary Sheffield held a large steak to his aching melon over the weekend, Bob Watson, the Major League Baseball official in charge of on-field discipline, confirmed that he will review video of Friday's brawl between the Tigers and Cleveland Indians to levy possible fines and/or suspensions. Meanwhile, Sheffield talked of dispensing his own brand of justice, with the Indians' Fuasto Carmona and Asdrubal Cabrera at the top of the list. Said Sheffield on Saturday ...