Thomas Alter

The NHL may have reached its breaking point on Tuesday night in Chicago. The catalyst was hulking Phoenix Coyotes goon Raffi Torres's ruthless hit on unsuspecting Chicago Blackhawks forward Marian Hossa, a cheapshot so ugly that you had to see it twice to believe it. Perhaps more stunning...

Washington Wizards fans, your savior is out there. Yes, there is a solution for the only thing in Washington more convoluted and depressing than the United States Congress. This coach has won has won at every level. He's close with the Wizards best player and is perhaps the most charismatic...

Nets fans should have known it was too good to be true. A franchise littered with lowlights and saddled with one of the league's most apathetic fan bases suddenly becoming a prime destination for the best players in the world? Crazy, right?

We've heard whispers for months...

9:04- We're live at American Airlines Arena in Orlando for the "Rising Stars" Challenge, or the "these guys shouldn't be out legally in Orlando tonight but still will be" game. Yes, I know nobody cares about this. We'll get that out of the way early.

9:06- Shaq and Barkley...

Civil disobedience is as American as baseball and apple pie. From Susan B. Anthony and Martin Luther King to the thousands of Anti-War protestors who've lined our nation's streets throughout its history, the freedom to rally peacefully around a common cause is what makes America great. So thousands of Penn...

"We have notified Mr. Mendenhall that we are ending our business relationship."

That's the statement that Champion Sports released, firing Rashard Mendenhall after the Pittsburgh Steelers running back questioned the American celebration of Osama Bin Laden's death and the events of 9/11 last May. Once Mendenhall was dropped there was...

If a tree falls in a forest... you know the rest. Well if ten NBA players play in a charity benefit game and nobody comes did it really happen? While there were a few fans and some desperate reporters at Saturday's benefit game at Coolidge High School in Washington D.C.,...

Most people who follow baseball are loath to agree with Carlos Zambrano on anything. The burly, talented right-hander combines the self-restraint of a five-year old, with a raging temper rivaled by Tony Montana, creating one of the most toxic personalities in professional sports.

He's punched teammates multiple...

More than any other league, the NBA values its superstars. These players are coddled by referees, beloved by the fans, and made millionaires many times over by endorsement companies. This treatment is, in many ways, justifiable. The NBA wasn't profitable on an international scale until Michael Jordan introduced the idea...

The first thing you notice when you walk into the Miami Heat locker room is the people. Approximately 10 minutes after every game an army of reporters, bloggers, cameramen and other descend on the Heat, changing quarters like a hurricane. The flood of people doesn't stop. The stampede doesn't lessen...

Maybe I'm bitter because I had Pitt winning it all. All year we've heard about how brutally tough the Big East is. All year we've heard about how a middling record in this conference means nothing because the competition is so much better. Big East squads were awarded a...

The Detroit Pistons are one of the NBA's proudest franchises. From Isiah Thomas and Bill Laimbeer, to Chauncey Billups and Ben Wallace, the Pistons have long been an example of a team where gritty play and teamwork trumps the talent of a singular superstar. The 2010-11 Pistons have besmirched that...

Dan Snyder, the Napoleon of NFL executives, may have reached his Waterloo. The buffoonish owner of the Washington Redskins has done some stupid things in the past, but nothing compares to this latest stunt.

The tale begins last November when Dave McKenna, a veteran writer of the little...

Jay Cutler is an easy target. He's sarcastic toward the media, aloof from his fans, and constantly smirking. In the movie Step Brothers, Rob Riggle's character says a rival "just has one of those faces you want to hit." That's Cutler. Still, the avalanche of abuse engulfing the pouty QB...

It's impossible to exaggerate the significance of what's happening at 1400 South Campus Drive in Chicago on Sunday. Arguably the biggest rivals in sports will meet in a playoff game for the first time since 1941. The Bears and Packers will play for the NFC Championship in a dream match-up...

There's a surprising team at the bottom of the Eastern conference standings. With a record of 8-22, this talented group is finding new ways to define underachievement. The Washington Wizards combination of terrible effort and lackluster execution has negated the substantial skill on their roster. As of December 30th they...

For the rest of the country the New York Knicks have been an on-going source of glee.

Since Patrick Ewing's retirement in 2002, the Knicks have gone from bad, to worse, to at times comically absurd. Led for much of the decade by the Titanic of bad general...

The whispers started on July 10. Sure, MJ was the greatest. But this team has the two best players in the league! Forget Dennis Rodman, Chris Bosh is a beast on the glass and will give you 20 a game. Toni Kukoc? Pshh, Mike Miller can play three positions and...

It's all about Brett. Always has been.

The best running back in the league, Adrian Peterson, may disagree. Members of the best defensive line in the NFC may say different. Arguably the greatest vertical threat in football history, Randy Moss, certainly would not concur. And they're all wrong. The...