Tiger Woods is one of the ten worst things about sports? Give me an effin' break! It's hard to imagine that this column was written after a GAMBLING RING featuring DOG FIGHTS (ANIMAL CRUELTY) at the mansion of a player known to use DRUGS inspired another player on a team named THE REDSKINS to defend him?

There's four things on the list right there that are worse than DHs, Tiger Woods, and, yes, even the Yankees combined.

1) A gambling culture so pervasive that it's often conceivable that whatever you are currently watching is rigged.

2) Animal Cruelty (see: all the assholes who said that St. Barbaro of the Preakness died to save horseracing, America, and little children, instead of being put down after a painful year of attempted rehab done ONLY because his sperm was worth money because of an injury after being forced to run a race too soon after the Derby)

3) Drugs (Not just steroids, but greenies, coke, and the alcohol that results in fan brawls and recently killed a St. Louis ballplayer)

4) Offensive and racist mascots. 'Nuff said.

Ten Things in Sports

1. A 1-0 baseball game in which both SPs throw complete games

2. A kick-off return to start a football game

3. College football atmosphere during the pre-game in the parking lot

4. Baseball games announced by Vin Scully

5. Running any race in your home town

6. Landing that big fish

7. Watching failure by your favorite player and recognizing how difficult success at the highest level really is

8. Then seeing Scott Podsednik's game winning HR in the WS

9. Watching Reggie Jackson strike out

10. Calling your own fouls during a pick-up game

I'm a vegan and I believe in animal rights, but is dogfighting really the NFL's business? It should be illegal if it's not, and it should be the police's business... but I don't really understand why the NFL is obligated to address it at all. Reminds me of old-time Hollywood when they had such power over the actors' lives. Your boss really doesn't need to know about your whole personal life, and shouldn't be enforcing things that don't affect your job performance.

I agree with an earlier commenter who said one of the best things in sports is calling your own fouls in pickup games. Whether it's soccer, basketball, or ultimate frisbee, or whatever else, it really is great that it works and it makes all the players feel good, like part of a community.

The NFL is idiotic for trying to trademark "the big game" and your column does an excellent job of explaining why. In addition to what you said, intellectual property rights have gotten way too large in this country, to the point that they're unfairly impinging on freedom of speech. The NFL's idiotic trademark attempt is unfortunately unsuprising in today's IP climate.

You have said before that sports matter because they matter. That is, because people care about them, that is why they are important, even though the activities themselves are trivial. I'd like to make the same argument about soccer. Thanks for the soccer coverage today, by the way. People deride soccer, but you're right in your description of the Milan fans: nothing can make these people happier than that. Soccer matters.

michigan's helmets.

overtime nhl playoff hockey.

a 16-play, 80-yard drive that takes eight minutes off the clock.

a backdoor cut.

the olympic 400 meters (fewer steroided-up morons, but still a dead sprint, and it takes time to build up).

a triple up the gap.

me. sticking an 8-iron on the center of the green (it's a rare thing, for one, but sooooo satisfying).

okay, that's seven. back to work.

Soccer Niche:

Zig-Zag did a number on Liverpool. Once he scored, against the flow of a game that had been ALL Liverpool, it was finito. 'Pool never regained their composure after that accidental first goal. Pity. They looked vastly superior in the first half. (But, really, neither side is "Championship" material).

Niche # 2: Dancing.

How come there's not more of this "upstart" new sport on ESPN?

Not a Niche: NFL.

When you say "big game," do you mean:

Big Game (as in, say, Elephants?)

or

'Big' Game (as in My Local Team vs Them Bozos Down the Line)

or

Big 'Game' (as in, say, most superBowls and 99.99% of NBA games)

Or THE Big Game … (any RedSox/Yankees showdown)

Or …

Actually: Ya know, this is a game only a lawyer could love. :)

Actually, in the Italian press there are some photos taken from behind the goal which show clearly that not only Reina, but a couple of the Liverpool defenders had their hands raised. But they weren't signaling handball. Rather it was the universal "I just got beat, but I'll see if I can get the linesman to raise his flag for offsides and wave off the goal" gesture. In other photos you can see that his hand and forearm are tucked in against his stomach when he touches the ball with his shoulder. He may have gotten a little upper arm on the ball, but when it is tight to the body like that, the ref will usually let it ride. As for intent, it is only relevant insofar as the referee has the discretion to book a player for an intentional handball, while an unintentional handball just results in a normal foul/change of possession with no card for the player who touched it (Kaka was whistled but not booked for an unintentional handball late in the second half). Anyway, I loathe Milan, but it just wasn't a clear handball. It was a set play designed for Inzaghi to head the ball in, but Pirlo just put the ball a foot too low and Inzaghi had to do the best he could to deflect it. I've seen far more obvious handballs get the no-call treatment... mano de dios anyone?

And Kris hit it on the head as far as Inzaghi goes. An annoying guy, but he has impeccable timing against the offsides trap, true killer instinct when he gets the ball in the box, and a knack for scoring crucial goals in big games. Interestingly though, he has a mental block about penalty shots--he just can't make them anymore. If he had ever played for a team I root for, I would have been glad to have him. As it is, he's a guy I love to hate.