Who cares?!!?

It's time for the weekly Who Cares?!!? segment to rear its ugly head - this week, with a bit of a technology theme.  So here we go.  As always, please tell me which story you care least about this week.

1) Jersey sponsorship besieges Seattle's WNBA team, further blurring the line between the city and the world's biggest software company.  Worth $1 million annually, a new partnership between the WNBA's Seattle Storm and Microsoft will replace the team's nickname on the front of their home and away jerseys (and warm-ups) with the Bing logo.  The new jerseys were unveiled yesterday.

The Storm join the WNBA's Phoenix Mercury (LifeLock) and Los Angeles Sparks (Farmers Insurance) as teams with corporate logos on the front of their jerseys.  All three sponsorships have fetched the $1 million per year price tag.

And in case you were thinking, like Storm CEO Karen Bryant thinks you might be, that this is just "a company writing a check to put their name on a jersey," you would be sorely mistaken.  "Rest assured," Bryant continued, "behind the scenes, there's a lot of strategic conversation on how we build our businesses.  To me, this is a significant step forward in achieving our ultimate objective, which is sustainability for the Storm."  Isn't the $1 million a major contributor to team sustainability?

But, I can't pick on the WNBA because most soccer teams around the various leagues throughout the world are heavily reliant upon corporations for jersey sponsorships.  Which brings me to Seattle's other non-big four team (NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL), the MLS' Seattle Sounders.  The Sounders, who are also partnered with Microsoft, play their home games at Xbox Pitch at Qwest Field.

Stadium signage at Qwest Field in Seattle.

And, of course, "Xbox 360" graces the team's jerseys - including these new alternate jerseys released just this week.  

On the bright side, literally, the Sounders jerseys can glow in the dark.

They've been called "electric" or "rave" jerseys, but I see it more as the Sounders attempting to one-up those horrific Seattle Seahawks alternates.  If talking about NFC West uniform changes excites you, you'll be happy to know that the Arizona Cardinals released a black jersey yesterday, FYI.

2) Back to speaking about technology corporations, Sony announced this week that subscribers to MLB.tv will now be able to stream baseball games via Playstation 3 game consoles.  Credit to Major League Baseball, whose online service is now available via Roku and Boxee devices, cellphones, and the iPad.

The logo is quite clever.

So, it's quite interesting to see how the various leagues embrace technology and new delivery methods for content, but Robert Bowman, the chief executive for MLB Advanced Media, (from the NYT article linked above) believes that these technological services (like the Playstation-MLB agreement) are complementing cable and satellite TV viewing instead of replacing them.  Bowman believes "There's no empirical evidence I see that our fans are substituting one for the other." 

Interesting.  Perhaps it's because only the most devoted fans are paying for the MLB.tv package, so they're more likely to invest in all types of media instead of substitute.  But, could there be a day when a a cable or satellite TV subscription is as useless as home phone service?  It seems reasonable to believe that, as technology is diffused, users could swap TV subscriptions for Internet viewing, as many already do.  Apparently for Bowman, a true switchover is still a comfortable distance away.

3) Drew Brees is the latest NFLer to take on the devastating Madden cover curse, as the New Orleans Saints QB and Super Bowl XLIV MVP was voted by fans to grace the cover of the popular NFL video game franchise.  Previous curse victims include Daunte Culpepper, Marshall Faulk, Michael Vick, Ray Lewis, Donovan McNabb, Shaun Alexander, Vince Young, and Troy Polamalu.

Brees seems unfazed, however.  When asked last week about winning the voting contest that matched him against Colts receiver Reggie Wayne and Vikings lineman Jared Allen, he said "I'm not rooting against it.  If it does happen, just like records are made to be broken, curses are made to be broken too.  If the fans have spoken, if I am indeed their vote, then I'll do my best to break the trend."  

So, which is the story you care least about this week?

Who Cares?!!?

After a several week hiatus for traveling and accommodating visitors, the Who Cares?!!? segment is back and as irrelevant as ever.  So here we go.  As always, please tell me which story you care least about this week.

1) Los Angeles Dodger Andre Ethier is some kind of seamstress.  What do I mean?  Well, you may not be aware that Nike is now the official undershirt provider of Major League Baseball.  If you haven't noticed, here's a primer (click to enlarge):

So, with all those swooshes, is there no lower-neck area left untagged by the mark of the world's largest sports company?  Enter the aforementioned Ethier, who entered this piece of apparel into the annals of intentional wardrobe malfunction history:

Well done, Andre, well done.  I'd like to be able to congratulate Ethier for an anti-commercialism stance, but I'm pretty certain he has an endorsement deal with baseball supplier Easton.

2) Former, or, current Creed front man Scott Stapp attempts to destroy your ears with a Marlins anthem called "Marlins Will Soar."  Besides making no sense whatsoever (how about Marlins will swim?), the lyrics to this gem include the following generic stanza:

Let's play ball, it's game day

We watch strikeouts, base hits, double plays

Take the field, hear the roar of the crowd

Come on Marlins, make us proud

Come on Marlins make us proud

Actually, I'm not sure words can even do this monstrosity justice, so, for as long as you can stand it, here's the video.

If you're interested in further punishment, feel free to check out Stapp's rendition of the Star Spangled Banner, sung at a Marlins game last Saturday.  Makes me sad to know that Creed got its start right here in Tallahassee, FL.

3) This past Monday, recently-crowned Masters champion Phil Mickelson blew up the Internets by getting photographed in his green jacket at an Augusta-area Krispy Kreme drive through.  The picture, snapped by the store manager, quickly spread via an AOL Fanhouse blogger's Twitter account.  Well done, social media.

Phil Mickelson buys his donuts just like many Americans do: three dozen at a time.

So, there you have it.  Which story do you care least about this week?

Who Cares?!!?

The weekly "Who Cares?!!?"segment is back again to chronicle the least-cared about stories in sports.  So here we go.  As always, please vote at the bottom to tell me which story you care least about this week.

1) Teemu Selanne scored his 600th goal last Sunday, becoming just the 18th player in NHL history to do so.  Notably, he is just the 3rd player born outside of North America to reach this tremendous milestone, behind fellow European-born players Jari Kurri (601) and Jaromir Jagr (646).  The Anaheim Ducks will honor Selanne at their next home game on Monday, with Kurri flying all the way from Finland to see his fellow countryman recognized.

Selanne deserves some recognition amongst the game's greats.  Not many people realize that in his rookie season in 1992-1993, he scored a whopping 76 goals for the Winnipeg Jets.  As a result, Selanne holds the record for most goals and points scored as a rookie (76G, 56A).

2) Just announced this week, for good luck the Mexican national soccer team will bring a statue with them to South Africa.  Not just any statue, mind you, but a replica of the 21-foot tall Independence Monument, a 100-year old statue that is one Mexico's most enduring symbols.

Dedicated in 1910, the statue is the symbol of Mexican independence.

Simply referred to as "The Angel," the plaza that surrounds the statue is often the locus for soccer fans to gather after important victories for the men's national team.  State officials have said that the team will actually display the statue in a public space in South Africa so that other teams' fans can get a glimpse.

3) Stephon Marbury: "he's heating up," in China.  Thanks in part to this en fuego shooting spree, Starbury was named MVP of the Chinese Basketball All-Star game.  He scored 30 points in the game, which his side won, and enlivened fans with a series of shots and plays that revitalized what had become "quite a dull game," according to the Xinhua news agency.

As an FYI, despite his 23 points per game scoring average, Marbury's regular club, the Shanxi Zhongyu Brave Dragons, finished 10-22 and missed the CBA playoffs.

So, which sports story do you care least about this week?

Who Cares?!!?

The weekly "Who Cares?!!?"segment is back again to chronicle the least-cared about stories in sports.  So here we go.  As always, please vote at the bottom to tell me which story you care least about this week.

1) Apparently, ESPN's Tony Kornheiser thinks it would be a good idea to run cyclists in DC off the road.  Responding on his radio show to news that the District may implement some new bicycle lanes, Kornheiser said the following:

"I think this is a terrible, terrible idea...and I swear to you it's all you can do to not run them down, like Wile E. Coyotes, run them over...I don't take my car and ride on the sidewalk because I understand that's not for my car.  Why do these people think that these roads were built for bicycles...They dare you to run them down...I'm not saying you kill them.  I'm saying you tap them.  Tap them once.  If you're not rubbing you're not racing, right?  So you pop them a little bit and see what happens."

Unsurprisingly, the audio has been removed from his ESPN radio website.  Thanks to the magic of the interwebs, however, you can catch it on YouTube.

Those comments, which aired on March 11th, eventually caught the ire of the world's most popular cyclist: none other than Lance Armstrong himself.  The Texan responded on Twitter yesterday to Kornheiser's comments: "Run 'em down, really?  Big mistake, Tony."

From Armstrong's Twitter account yesterday

Yet, as the Tweets suggest, the story does not end there.  As a means of discussing their oppositional viewpoints, Kornheiser will have the 7-time Tour de France champion on his show tomorrow morning to discuss the issue.

What team does he race for, again?

And just so Kornheiser knows, Armstrong knows how to deal with reporters and contentious issues with zeal.  As he did during a press conference last year when he coolly reprimanded a British reporter who referred to his 2009 comeback as a return of the "cancer."  

2) Should it be noteworthy when, just this week, the man who stole the show in a European soccer competition by scoring a game-winner - and one of his club's biggest goals ever - is an American?  Eh.  Maybe.  If you're concerned about the US men's soccer team's chances in Africa this summer, however, you should be interested to know that the supremely talented Clint Dempsey scored the winning goal for his London-based club, Fulham, last evening in a Europa League match against Juventus FC.  As a result, the Cottagers are now into the quarterfinals of the tournament.

Dempsey, with teammate Paul Konchesky, has a knack for rising to 

the occasion.  He is also supremely talented.

Dempsey, one of the US' team's most talented players and a true standout at last summer's Confederations Cup (when the US ended European champion Spain's 35-match unbeaten streak and nearly topped Brazil for the title), suffered a knee injury this past January that many feared would jeopardize his chances to play for the US this summer.  Luckily, he was able to avoid surgery and, after several months of rehabilitation, is back playing for Fulham.  

Dempsey came into the game during the second half and helped to complete a 3-goal comeback for the home side when he hit an ambitious - but perfectly weighted - shot over the helpless Juve goalkeeper with just 8 minutes left in the game.  The effort capped what London-based newspaper The Guardian called the greatest day in the history of Fulham, as the team knocked off the Italian super-club by a score of 5-4 on aggregate.

Dempsey talked about the goal and his team's effort on the field immediately afterwards.  All I know is that this is exactly the kind of talent that the US will need if they want to make noise in Africa in June.

3) Finally, this week the Vancouver Olympic Committee opened an auction site on eBay in order to sell off a bonanza of Olympic souvenirs and game-used memorabilia.  As a result of the sale, VANOC hopes to recuperate $10 million.  After just a few days of live auctions, they're well on the way.  A game-used puck from the overtime period of the men's gold medal hockey game between the US and Canada is currently listed at $8100.

Sadly, these characters are not auctioneers.

Other high-priced items include a game-worn Sidney Crosby jersey, replica tickets, and various pieces of Olympic art.  If you are more interested in a slice of team USA, there are plenty of game-used hockey jerseys being sold online through NHL Auctions.

So which sports story do you care least about this week?

Who Cares?!!?

The weekly "Who Cares?!!?"segment is back again to chronicle the least-cared about stories in sports.  So here we go.  As always, please vote at the bottom to tell me which story you care least about this week.

1) Golfer JB Holmes gets a KFC grip.  Last week, Holmes - along with NFL receiver Jason Avant and budding tennis pro Devin Britton - announced a deal that puts the Colonel on his golf grips.  Some pictures from the KFC photo shoot below.  There's also video of the shoot here.

What space is left ad-free for these walking advertisements, I mean, golfers?

No idea how far Holmes can hit a KFC boneless filet.

If you're ready to vomit in your mouth, here's what Holmes said in the press release announcing the deal:  "I'm always looking for game-changing ways to improve my performance on the course.  That's why I'm thrilled to partner with KFC to launch the new Boneless Filet - a game-changer in its own right when it comes to eating chicken."  Really?  Really.

2) One of hockey's longest careers resumed last night as 48-year old Chris Chelios returned to the NHL to play in a game for the Atlanta Thrashers.  Chelios, who started his career with the Montreal Canadiens in 1984, has also logged time for the Chicago Blackhawks and Detroit Red Wings.  He is also the second-oldest NHL player ever and the oldest to ever win a Stanley Cup (in 2008 with Detroit, at age 46).

In a battle for the Eastern Conference's final playoff spot, the Thrashers recalled Chelios from their AHL affiliate on Wednesday.

Why isn't Chelios' helmet strap buttoned?  Could it have been a senior moment?

Unfortunately, the Thrashers dropped last night's game at the woeful Columbus Blue Jackets, by a 2-1 score, their fourth-straight loss, to fall six points behind the Boston Bruins for the final playoff spot.  So, how did Chelios fare in his first NHL game since the conclusion of the 2008-2009 season?

In his 10 minutes of ice time, Chelios was partially responsible for the Blue Jackets' first goal (above).  While attempting to kill a penalty, Chelios was tried to block a pass across the goal, but the puck ricocheted off his pads and past Thrashers goalie Johan Hedberg.  Not to worry, though, Chelios will have a chance to redeem himself when the Thrashers host the New York Rangers tonight.  But, with just 16 games left in the NHL regular season, Atlanta needs to make a pretty dramatic run to make the playoffs.

3) On Friday morning, Coolidge High in Washington, D.C., will make history by naming Natalie Randolph as its head football coach.  Randolph, the first female head coach in the country according to the National Federation of State High School Associations, is a former University of Virginia track athlete, a former National Women's Football Association WR, and a former assistant football coach at H.D. Woodson High in D.C.

Randolph, coaching at Woodson, is being called a pioneer.

At Woodson, head football coach Greg Fuller said that Randolph earned respect across the board.  He added, "Honestly, I don't think she'll have problems with (the players or the parents), because she knows the game and I think she proved that point."

Interestingly, this topic was discussed on ESPN's First Take this morning with NFL player Keith Bullock taking the lead on dismissing the effectiveness of a female football coach.  Rather than substantively criticize her qualifications, however, Bullock's approach was unwaveringly sexist.  Doug Stewart, a sports radio host and regular on the show, added that one thing a female coach could bring to a team would be that after a tough loss, a female coach could "bake cupcakes" to comfort her players.  I doubt this story is done, just yet.

So, which sports story do you care least about this week?

Who Cares?!!?

The weekly "Who Cares?!!?"segment is back again to chronicle the least-cared about stories in sports.  So here we go.  As always, please vote at the bottom to tell me which story you care least about this week.

1) The National Football League is making some design changes.  Overall, the league is aiming for a more unified brand, so they have tweaked the AFC and NFC conference logos as well as some other wordmarks.

The four stars in each logo represent the four divisions in each conference.

Was anyone confused by the earlier logos?

This might be the best, or is it worst, "Who Cares?!!?" news item yet.

The most significant change is - believe it or not - actually (sort of) noteworthy.  The AFC and NFC Conference Championship trophies, known as the Lamar Hunt and George Halas Trophies, respectively, are being redesigned to more closely resemble the Vince Lombardi Super Bowl Champions trophy.

To be honest the idea seems logical, but in practice, I don't think it works.  Trophies, in general, fall into one of three categories: classic, whatever (not bad, but not great), or lame/ridiculous.  Please note the following list is not exhaustive, but a general classification.

Headlining the classic, meaningful trophies are objects like the Stanley Cup, the America's Cup, the World Cup, the MacNaughton Cup, Paul Bunyan's Axe, the Apple Cup, the Claret Jug, any boxing championship belt, the Beanpot, the Heisman Trophy, the Borg-Warner Trophy, the Wimbledon Trophy, the Grey Cup, the Champions League Trophy, the Hobey Baker Award, any Gold Medal (even the halfway-melted ones that Vancouver passed out this year), and of course, the Lombardi Trophy.

Bonus points for knowing that the MacNaughton Cup is 

the trophy awarded to the regular season champions of 

the Western Collegiate Hockey Association.

The "whatever" crop includes the current AFC and NFC Championship Trophies, any NCAA championship trophy - including the crystal football, the Larry O'Brien trophy, any All-Star Game MVP trophy, MLB Commissioner's Trophy, the Lady Byng Trophy, the Ryder Cup, the Anschutz MLS Cup, and the Kentucky Derby trophy.  Take them or leave them, at least they don't fall under the final category.

Falling under the category of lame or ridiculous includes any ESPY, the World Series of Poker bracelet, the Sprint Cup, the NIT trophy, the NBA Finals MVP trophy, Australia's National Rugby League trophy, the Hermann Trophy, the Land Grant Trophy, the Formula One trophy, a host of different professional bowling and golf trophies, and finally, the 2008 Memorial Cup...seen here:

In the end, the new NFL Conference championship trophies, for me, fall into the third category.  While there may have not been anything particularly special about the old trophies (residents of the second category) - not that they should be particularly valued by NFL teams anyway - at least they were distinct.  Not spectacular, but at least distinct.  The NFL is now going for two Lombardi Trophy-lites: all of the Lombardi sterling silver, half the size (makes sense, considering it's half the accomplishment).

In sum, does the trophy produce the desired effect?  Do the NFL's new designs, part of the "unified identity system," make these trophies more "Intense, Meaningful, and Unifying"?  Um, no.

2) LeBron James filed paperwork this week to change his jersey number next year from 23 to 6, out of his respect for Michael Jordan.  James wants to see Jordan's number 23 permanently retired by the NBA, so he's willing to switch to the number he currently wears when playing for the USA Olympic Team.  He told the Cleveland Plain Dealer this week that, "I just think what Michael Jordan has done for the game has to be recognized some way soon.  I feel like no NBA player should wear 23...Now, if I'm not going to wear number 23, then nobody else should be able to wear it."  Nothing like grace followed by petulance.

LeBron James will take six next season.

Of course, this would require getting every other player in the league to agree with him, especially those who currently wear the number 23.  About a dozen NBA players currently wear number 23, and of those, only the Suns' Jason Richardson is (kind of) noteworthy (sorry Martell Webster).  Even if that were to happen, it is unlikely that the league will acquiesce to James' wishes.

Frankly, buying jerseys of current athletes is becoming more and more treacherous - no matter the sport.  With the constant trades, free agent moves, and jersey changes (see Brett Favre, Kobe Bryant, Jacoby Ellsbury, Chad Ochocinco, etc.), there's no saying whether the jersey you buy today will be relevant tomorrow.

Nice, um, Aaron Rodgers jersey.

3) The University of Connecticut women's basketball team is on the precipice of history.  With a victory in their quarterfinal game of the Big East tournament on Sunday, the team can match its NCAA-record of 70 straight wins, set from 2000-2003.

What do you think UConn's Geno Auriemma told ND's Muffet McGraw 

before Monday's game?  How about: "Hey, what's up? You get to lose now."  

The team reached 30 wins for the fifth season in a row when they beat Notre Dame earlier this week.  If the Huskies can continue their winning ways through the Big East and NCAA Tournaments, they would end the season with 78 consecutive wins.  That accomplishment could establish this team as the most dominant college basketball team of all-time: a 33-point average margin of victory, with a 26-point average margin of victory against the 21 ranked opponents they've played during the streak, and zero wins by single-digits.  Wow.  Their last loss came almost two years ago, in the 2008 NCAA Tournament National Semi-Finals.  That loss to Stanford put the 2007-2008 team's record at 36-2.  That's 2 total losses in the past three seasons.  Crazy.

The team celebrated their Big East Regular Season Championship

after defeating Georgetown on February 27th.

Who cares, though?  It seems that the only time the media pays attention to women's college basketball is when someone throws a punch.  To be fair, ESPN's College Gameday paid a visit to Storrs in January, the first ever instance of ESPN's traveling roadshow centered on a women's college basketball game.

ESPN didn't have to travel far to make it to Gampel Pavilion.

The Storrs campus is just 45 miles from Bristol.

So, which is the sports story that you care least about this week?

Who Cares?!!?

The weekly "Who Cares?!!?" segment is back again to chronicle the least-cared about stories in sports.  So here we go.  As always, please vote at the bottom to tell me which story you care least about this week.

1) Last night, the Canadian women's hockey team defeated the U.S. in the gold medal game by a score of 2-0.  The win gave the Canadians their third gold medal in the event's history, their lone blemish a silver medal in the inaugural women's Olympic hockey tournament in Nagano in 1998 (that year, the US won the gold).

Canada goalie Shannon Szabados posted the shutout.

But the real story is how the Canadian team celebrated their victory.  About a half hour after the fans had exited Canada Hockey Place, the women's team returned to the ice, still in their uniforms and with gold medals draped over their heads, to cavort about with beers, champagne, and cigars in hand.

Later, Szabados helped to break out the Molson, a special edition

super-sized champagne-like bottle of beer from the Canadian brewery.

Poulin, on the left, scored both goals in the gold medal game

but is not of legal Canadian drinking age.

After getting word of this on-ice party, the IOC announced they will now "look into this matter but it is not an investigation....I don't think it's a good promotion of sport values."  Despite the IOC's disappointment, this means there shouldn't be any repercussions, especially after Hockey Canada issued a statement that did not condone the behavior:

"The members of Team Canada apologize if their on-ice celebrations, after fans had left the building, have offended anyone.  In the excitement of the moment, the celebration left the confines of our dressing room and shouldn't have.  The team regrets that its gold medal celebration may have caused the IOC or Canadian Olympic Committee any embarrassment."

The only issue of concern seems to be that at least one player on the team, Marie-Phillip Poulin, who scored both goals in the gold medal game, is under British Columbia's legal drinking age.  She'll be legally allowed to drink next month, when she turns 19.  The Canadian Press seems to be laughing all the way to the medal stand with this one, the National Post has the headline "Canada...celebrate with beer, cigars; IOC gets huffy."  The article continued:

"Members of the team...held a tasteful celebration with a bit of beer and some champagne.  This being an Olympics on home soil, you think the IOC would cut us a little bit of slack.  After all, the City of Vancouver and Canada have rolled out the red carpet for these overpaid Swiss bureaucrats."

Let the kerfuffle begin.

A couple of players attempted to drive the Zamboni.  No one

noticed the keys weren't in it.

2) Announced this week, the Cleveland Cavaliers will attempt a Guinness World Record during a game on March 5th. The team will pass out just over 20,000 Snuggies in an an attempt to set the world record for "the largest gathering of people wearing fleece blankets."  Seriously.

A Guinness World Records adjudicator will be at 

Quicken Loans Arena for verification.  What a job.

The promotion, presented by KeyBank, has the Cavaliers asking their fans to show up early to the game against the Detroit Pistons on Friday, March 5th to wear the Cavs-themed Snuggies for the first few minutes of the game.

3) In another Olympic-hockey related story, NBC commentator Mike Milbury, expressing his dissatisfaction with the effort of team Russia in their 7-3 defeat to Canada, said that he was "shocked...and disappointed that these guys came with their Eurotrash game."  That line comes about one minute into the following clip.  Check out Jeremy Roenick's reaction:

While Milbury, who also works for Boston sports network NESN, and other commentators were right to criticize the Russian team, some have said the word Eurotrash "borders on an ethnic insult and it stokes a negative flame of jingoism."  Several others (here, here, and here) have suggested that Milbury is attempting to channel some of the popularity of hockey commentator and Canadian national firebrand Don Cherry, who often denigrates European-based players in contrast to Canadian players.  He is also famous for wearing ugly suits.

Cherry's suits are almost as loud as his mouth.

Milbury's lame attempt at being controversial has backfired on the Internets, but has not earned him any reprimands from NBC.  He will take part in the NBC broadcast of the men's Olympic hockey semifinal games today.  The US plays Finland at 3pm, a game that, in a change of course by NBC, will be broadcast live in all time zones.  Hosts Canada take on Slovakia at 6.30pm.  No word yet on whether Sunday's final will be broadcast live across all time zones, but it seems all-but-guaranteed if the US and Canada advance, right?





Updates from Who Cares?!!? segments in previous weeks:

• Portsmouth FC, the soccer club in England's Premier League, becomes the first top-flight team to file for bankruptcy.  Interestingly, what got the team in trouble was overspending on players, a trend that Bill Simmons talks about today on ESPN.com in reference to the NBA.
• Dutch speed skater Sven Kramer, the man who asked an NBC reporter if she was stupid, was disqualified in the 10,000 meter race this week for failing to finish in the proper lane.

Who Cares?!!?

The weekly "Who Cares?!!?"segment is back again to chronicle the least-cared about stories in sports.  So here we go.  As always, please vote at the bottom to tell me which story you care least about this week.

1) On tap first, apparently there is more to curling than simply ice, rocks, brooms, and ferocious screaming.  The Norwegian mens team has created a stir in Vancouver this week at one of the most popular local events, by wearing matching plaid pants from Sonoma, CA outfitter Loudmouth Golf.

During NBC coverage (below), Meredith Viera called them "the pants heard 'round the world." Hyperbole aside, people have been taken by surprise because curling pants are traditionally black, by rule of the World Curling Federation.  As a result, the pants have garnered such a ridiculous amount of buzz that they have been featured on NBC, USA Today, and NPR, as well as several social networking sites.  Is this the sign of a very slow week at the Winter Games?

Nothing like staring at Al Roker's pants.

The extra attention for such a staid sport has served the team well.  The pants are 2-1 through three games in the opening round-robin of the men's tournament.  Norway's curling team won the gold in Salt Lake City in 2002 and placed fourth in the Turin Games in 2006.

2) No stranger to plaid pants himself, PGA Tour golfer Henrik Stenson earned $45,000 yesterday for playing one hole at the WGC Accenture Match Play Championship.  The Swede, who is currently ranked 10th in the world, was beset by flulike symptoms before the start of his opening round match against American Ben Crane.

Stenson was feeling chipper in plaid in Dubai a couple weeks ago,

on his way to an 8th place finish.

According to the rules, if Stenson had withdrawn from the tournament, he would have not received any prize money.  By competing for one hole and then conceding, however, he was able to walk away with a nice check for 33rd place and a cool 45k.

Although one of Stenson's most famous shots was played

sans pants, at a tournament in 2009.

Interesting side note to this story: the PGA Tour's press release regarding the incident makes no mention of Stenson's claim to the prize money.  Instead, the release states, "There was no way [Stenson] was going to be able to play...but Stenson didn't want to withdraw since [playing in] the tournament would count toward fulfilling his [PGA Tour] membership requirement of 15 starts on the PGA Tour and 11 on the European Tour."  The release also notes (the strange coincidence?) that his wife is about to give birth to their second child in Orlando, FL.  For all intents and purposes, Stenson is legitimately sick and I think it is utterly important for him to be there to support his wife, but I do find it curious that the PGA Tour narrative - "Ailing Stenson concedes, heads home to Orlando for baby's birth" - stands in stark contrast to the Golf Channel's "Stenson walks because money talks."  Because no one can fault an ailing man for returning home to his pregnant wife, but walking away with $45,000 for roughly ten minutes of work doesn't quite sit as well.

3) Finally, when Olympic speed skater Sven Kramer won his first gold medal this week in the men's 5000 meters the 23 year-old Dutchman, and world record holder in the event, was ecstatic.  The gold medal had been elusive for Kramer, with a number of miscues - a fall and a skate malfunction - costing him a place atop the medal stand in Turin in 2006.

The Flying Dutchman, a national hero, delivered in the 5000 meters.

Considering the rock star status for speed skaters in the Netherlands, where speed skating is life and Kramer is a god, the post-race interview with NBC left him a bit incredulous when the interviewer made the following bizarre request: "I need you to say your name and your country and the medal you just won here."

Kramer, who had to wait for results, was emotional after his victory and 

raced into the stands to celebrate with his family and friends.

Kramer's response: "Are you stupid?  Hell no."  The incident is discussed in this video from Dutch television:

Turns out Kramer is not the only Olympic athlete upset with the job NBC is doing covering the Olympics.  US skier Jake Zamansky posted the following Tweet, "Can't wait to see how bad NBC covers ski racing today," which was then reverberated on the NBC Olympics home page.

Guess how long it took for NBC to ban Jake Zamansky Tweets.

The backlash over NBC's Olympic coverage - which is tape delaying events from 3 and up to 12 hours after they've occurred - has enraged viewers and media personnel alike.  From the Seattle Times and the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, to The Atlantic, the Boston Globe, the Huffington Post, Sports Illustrated, and Deadspin, media sites are weighing in on the issue - especially those on the Northwest Coast, whose feeds are tape delayed longer than the rest of the country.  And it's tough not to side with Zamansky, when events like downhill skiing - one of the Olympics more thrilling events - is tape delayed up to eight hours after it occurs.

The 2010 Olympic Games.  Brought to you by the same man 

responsible for the Conan/Leno fiasco.

Unfortunately for devotees of live sport, the strategy is working well for NBC, with improved ratings over the Turin games thus far, including a Wednesday night telecast that beat out ratings behemoth American Idol by over 12 million viewers (30 million to 18 million).  On that day, what NBC called "the greatest single day in Winter Olympics history," the United States captured six medals - including golds from media darlings Shaun White, Lindsey Vonn, and Shani Davis.  It was the first time in six years that American Idol had lost out in TV ratings.

So, which is the sports story that you care least about this week?

Who Cares?!!?

The weekly "Who Cares?!!?" segment is back again, to chronicle the least-cared-about stories in sports.  So here we go.  As always, please vote at the bottom to tell me which story you could care least about this week.

1) The Portsmouth Football Club, located on the southern coast of England, is on the verge of folding after more than 112 years of existence.  Financial problems now plague the club, who are currently mired in bankruptcy court as the future of the team hangs in the balance.

The team's most famous chant mimicks the Westminster bells.

In 2003, Portsmouth was promoted to the English Premier League, as per their championship in England's second league.  For its first few seasons, Portsmouth just managed to avoid relegation, finishing 13th, 16th, and 17th (out of 20 teams) in the 2004, 2005, and 2006 seasons.  In 2006, the club was bought by French businessman Alexandre Gaydamak, and the increase in funds allowed the team to buy an entirely new roster for the 2007 season.  Just one season later, and thanks to the influx of new players, the team won the FA Cup - England's oldest football trophy.

Portsmouth won the 2008 FA Cup -- the "March Madness" of 

English soccer.

Unfortunately, however, the team's ambitious owner could not keep up financially, and a host of new economic problems have enveloped the club.  In the past twelve months, ownership has shifted three times and players and staff of Portsmouth have gotten paid late numerous times.  Not unsurprisingly, the team is currently in last place in the Premier League.  But, more importantly, with mounting debts, the team may be forced to close, bringing its 112 year history to an untimely end.  A hearing has been set for March 1st to decide their fate.

2) Simply put, the least-publicized sporting competition in the world began today, and no, I'm not talking about the Winter Olympics.  It's the America's Cup, a sailing competition that is home to the oldest active trophy in the world.

The trophy was first contested in 1851.

The competition consists of a best-of-three match race between two yachts and, importantly, is not an annual event.  Since 1992, the trophy has only entered into competition six times.  The current holder of the America's Cup is the Swiss Alinghi team, spearheaded by Swiss-Italian entrepreneur Ernesto Bertarelli, the 52nd richest person in the world.  They are being challenged by the San Francisco-based BMW Oracle boat, owned by Larry Ellison, the co-founder and CEO of Oracle Corporation and the 4th richest person in the world.  Needless to say, these boats they're racing are pretty impressive.

Not your grandpa's boat, this is BMW Oracle's "USA." 

This is perfectly normal, apparently.

In the first race today in Valencia, Spain, the BMW Oracle boat literally cruised to victory, with a 2-mile margin of victory.  If BMW Oracle can win on Sunday, the America's Cup would return to the States for the first time since 1995.

3) The Washington Capitals' 14-game winning streak ended on Wednesday, with the team just 3 wins shy of the NHL-record 17 straight wins by the 1992-1993 Pittsburgh Penguins.  The streak ended in a 6-5 OT loss to the Montreal Candiens.

The loss was not without a bit of controversy, however, as the Capitals scored a disallowed goal near the end of the second period.  Down 4-2 at the time, the Capitals forward Alexander Ovechkin scored what may be the best disallowed goal of all time...all without even touching the puck.

Why was it disallowed, you ask?  It's a subjective call that points to a goalie interference rule - even though Ovechkin never actually touched goalie Carey Price.

Head coach Bruce Boudreau was upset,

and so was Ovechkin (pointing).

In the past few days, confusion has reigned over the non-goal, as bloggers and other media note similar instances where the rule had been interpreted differently.  Either way, the Capitals' loss means that the epic streak has come to an end.

As always, let me know which sports story you care about least this week.