NL East Division

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Let’s recap

Balls, Pucks, and Monster Trucks
With the decade drawing to a close, it's fitting to reconsider the moments and developments of the last 10 years that forever changed sports in Portland and New England.
By RICK WORMWOOD | December 30, 2009

Personal fouls

ESPN's odd double standard on sex
The biggest story in sports media last week was the discovery of surreptitiously shot nude-video footage of ESPN reporter Erin Andrews, whose comeliness has made her a favorite — and sometimes a fetish — of the online sports commentariat.
By ADAM REILLY | July 29, 2009

Hit streak

Jim Leyritz does it again. Plus, double-barreled stick-ups in Texas.
Another day, another Yankee-dynasty hero hits the sports-crime blotter.
By MATT TAIBBI | July 08, 2009

The Iquitarod

Sarah says 'no mas.' Plus, the United States of Goldman Sachs.
Phillipe and Jorge wish they could claim to have coined that headline about professional loony Sarah Palin's resignation as governor of Alaska prior to her first term being completed, but full points go to Geoffrey Dunn of The Huffington Post .
By PHILLIPE & JORGE | July 08, 2009

Flashback: Sox Populi

A short story for opening week
The October wind plays tricks on a man when the last breeze of summer meets the first chill of winter in the stands at Fenway Park. When other teams in other parks are playing out the World Series, the air in the Fens hangs heavy.
By JAMES MCLINDON AND SCOTT BURRIS | April 27, 2009

Post-steroid baseball

Nine questions that will shape the new season
The bunting is hung. The chalk lines are laid out with Euclidian precision.
By MIKE MILIARD | April 02, 2009

Interview: Mitch Fatel

Fatel hates the Yankees, loves stand-up
Given that he was once an intern for Howard Stern, it's not too surprising that comedian Mitch Fatel is all about clits and tits, and assorted lady bits – not the stuff that feminists would gleefully shave their legs over.
By SARA FAITH ALTERMAN | March 19, 2009

Batter up

January 30, 2009
When I saw your cover about shaking up sports, I thought, "Cool idea." Then, I opened up the paper and saw that your first idea was a salary cap for baseball.
By BOSTON PHOENIX LETTERS | January 28, 2009

Busting Balls: 20 ways to improve sports

We blow the whistle on the ridiculous rules and quirks that make the games lame
College football is stupid. Everybody knows it.
By LANCE GOULD | January 12, 2009

Skell of the year 2008

Four out of five dentists recommend Plaxico as 2008’s worst sports criminal
Man, this was a tough one.
By MATT TAIBBI | December 23, 2008

Shattered Plax

Sports blotter: Burress edition
Sports blotter: Burress edition
By MATT TAIBBI | December 10, 2008

Last of the Redskins

What can sports mascots teach us about Native American relations today?
The Scarborough School Board changed from “Redskins” to the “Red Storm” eight years ago, at a time when high school and college teams around the country were trending away from using Native American mascots.
By RICK WORMWOOD | December 02, 2008

Magnum farce

Sports blotter: "CSI: Binghamton" edition
Sports blotter: "CSI: Binghamton" edition
By MATT TAIBBI | November 19, 2008

Carter’s cajones

Jimmy makes Dubya look like a wimp
The Republican Party is rife with classic wimps and bullies.
By PHILLIPE AND JORGE | October 27, 2008

More bad news for the Mets

Sports blotter: "Very bad times" edition
Look, it just isn’t seemly for us non–New Yorkers to laugh too much about the continued suckdom of the New York Mets, specifically their bullpen.
By MATT TAIBBI | October 09, 2008

Mound wisdom

Cartoons of pitchers and catchers talking are a New Yorker staple. What is so funny about rubbers?
The first pitcher/catcher cartoon in the New Yorker was also the simplest.
By MIKE MILIARD | August 19, 2008

Bad sports

While old and new media are mending many fences, they’re still squaring off in jockland
When historians trace the rise of the blog as the dominant journalistic form of the 21st century, they’ll pay close attention to two recent developments.
By ADAM REILLY | June 18, 2008

Bought and paid for

Balls and pucks
Boston haters will say that the Celtics purchased their 17th championship.
By RICK WORMWOOD | June 18, 2008

Man of the Century

The late, great Bo Diddley helped put Lupo’s on the map
Bo Diddley, a particular favorite of Lupo, was the first “name” performer to play the club.
By PHILLIPE + JORGE | June 04, 2008

The O'Reilly factor

Letters to the Boston editor: June 6, 2008
Letters to the Boston editor: June 6, 2008
By BOSTON PHOENIX LETTERS | June 04, 2008

‘Great’ is definitely the wrong word

Richard Bradley’s fact-challenged book on the Sox-Yanks’ ’78 season finale is filled with Buckner-esque errors.
When I come across an obvious factual error in a book, my initial inclination is to wince in sympathy for the soon-to-be-embarrassed author. Unless, that is, the mistake is infuriatingly egregious, in which case I’m more apt to throw the book up against the wall in disgust.
By GEORGE KIMBALL | January 28, 2010

Can’t anybody here play this game?

Rhode Island remains trapped between economic distress and missed opportunities
The need to reinvent Rhode Island’s economic infrastructure — which remains anemic compared with most of its neighbors in New England — is more urgent than ever.
By IAN DONNIS | May 21, 2008

The void recedes

Balls and pucks
So I say, to hell with the opener. Catching up with the Sox when they finally get to Oakland is fine.
By RICK WORMWOOD | March 26, 2008

Bases very loaded

Spurred by fans’ ’roid rage, new books focus on our national pastime’s dark side. Meet baseball’s seven deadly sins.
Even as the sun rises on the new Major League Baseball season, skies are cloudy for the game we love.
By MIKE MILIARD | March 19, 2008

Ticket shock

Fans are paying the price for the Sox success: inside the Fenway fiasco
When NESN periodically broadcasts a historic Red Sox game during the off-season, the vast swaths of empty seats are enough to cause a sharp sense of wistfulness for many fans.
By IAN DONNIS | March 10, 2008

Skell of the year

Sports crime: 2007 in review
Much less funny than usual, was 2007.
By MATT TAIBBI | December 18, 2007

Can't drive 55

Sports blotter: "Sammy Hagar" edition
This past week, we snared an early candidate for the next Justin Miller Award, given to the athlete who most bollockses up his professional-draft status with an avoidable pre-draft arrest.
By MATT TAIBBI | December 12, 2007