Chicago Sun-Times

McGRATH: Fantasy football vs. reality of head trauma

Sun, 15 Sep 2013 02:44:10 -0500

Football — more specifically, fantasy football — has come to rival Christmas as an advertising extravaganza. Over the last few weeks, we’ve been inundated. Hold your fantasy draft at this pub. Down these snacks and quaff this brew while you’re picking players. Buy this software to keep track of stats, standings and payouts . . . and embarrass any deadbeats. Get a fresh start with a new team each week in this league. You can even buy insurance to cover yourself in the event a star player is injured. Fascinating, I guess. My one experience with fantasy football was akin to being …

Brees leads Saints to 38-17 win over Dolphins on Monday Night Football

Mon, 30 Sep 2013 22:53:26 -0500

NEW ORLEANS — Drew Brees passed for 413 yards and four touchdowns, and the Saints turned a clash of unbeaten teams into a lopsided affair, beating the Miami Dolphins 38-17 on Monday night. Two of Brees’ touchdowns went to Jimmy Graham for 27 and 43 yards as the tight end had at least 100 yards receiving for the third straight game. Brees’ other scoring strikes went to Benjamin Watson and Darren Sproles, who also rushed for a touchdown. Sproles’ 5-yard scoring run on the game’s opening series gave the Saints a lead they would not relinquish en route to their …

NFL makes Twitter part of the broadcast team

Thu, 26 Sep 2013 10:38:00 -0500

The National Football league struck a deal to show game highlights and other video content on Twitter ahead of the short messaging service’s initial public offering of stock.

Weekend Watch: Red Sox, Braves clinch, Henrik Stenson, Mariano Rivera and cheerleaders

Mon, 23 Sep 2013 10:50:00 -0500

The MLB playoffs take shape as teams clinch; Henrik Stenson wins the Tour Championship and the FedEx Cup; Yankees pitcher Mariano Rivera is honored; and, as always, cheerleaders.

NFL Fantasy Football: Who to start, bench in Week 3

Fri, 20 Sep 2013 13:22:18 -0500

LADD BIRO: Here are my picks to roll, and get rolled, in Week 3 of the NFL fantasy football season.

49ers’ Aldon Smith arrested for DUI, hit with gun lawsuit

Fri, 20 Sep 2013 12:52:00 -0500

SAN JOSE, Calif. — San Francisco 49ers linebacker Aldon Smith was arrested Friday morning on suspicion of driving under the influence in San Jose, police said. Smith was arrested by officers who received a call about a solo vehicle crash around 7 a.m., San Jose police Sgt. Heather Randol said. Officers proceeded to take a breath sample and to conduct other tests. “They conducted an investigation and determined he was under the influence,” Randol said. Calls to representatives for the 49ers seeking comment were not immediately returned. Smith has also been named in a lawsuit by a Northern California man …

Super Bowl ticket could cost $2,600

Wed, 18 Sep 2013 11:36:33 -0500

The NFL is considering a plan that would raise the top price of a Super Bowl ticket to $2,600, part of a rethinking of the game’s price structure that also would lower the price of the least expensive ticket to $500.

Teens trash former NFL player’s home

Wed, 18 Sep 2013 13:42:23 -0500

Former NFL offensive lineman Brian Holloway initially thought the Twitter photos showing young people partying at his family’s second home in upstate New York were a hoax.

Weekend Watch: Johnny Football, Jim Furyk, NFL Week 2 and cheerleaders

Thu, 19 Sep 2013 17:20:28 -0500

Despite herculean efforts, Johnny “Football” Manziel and Texas A&M couldn’t knock off Alabama; Jim Furyk shot a PGA record-tying 59, but it wasn’t good enough to win the BMW Championship; the Bears were one of eight teams to stay unbeaten after two weeks; and, as always, cheerleaders.

Super Bowl premium tickets double to $2,600

Tue, 17 Sep 2013 23:12:00 -0500

NEW YORK — Super Bowl fans can prepare to pay double for the best seats. The NFL says the highest-priced tickets will be about $2,600 each for 9,000 premium seats for the Super Bowl on Feb. 2 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. That’s more than twice the $1,250 cost for similar tickets at last year’s Super Bowl in New Orleans. NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy says ticket prices haven’t been finalized, but the league is considering ways to “close the gap between the face value of the ticket and its true value as reflected on the secondary market.” The …

NFL fines Ndamukong Suh record $100K fine for illegal low block

Tue, 10 Sep 2013 16:19:36 -0500

DETROIT — Ndamukong Suh’s latest controversial play drew a hefty fine. The Detroit defensive tackle was docked $100,000 by the NFL for his illegal low block on Minnesota center John Sullivan in the Lions’ season-opening victory Sunday. Suh hit Sullivan during an interception return by Detroit linebacker DeAndre Levy, and the penalty negated what would have been a touchdown. NFL spokesman Randall Liu said Tuesday that vice president of football operations Merton Hanks notified Suh of the fine. Suh was not in the locker room at Detroit’s practice facility when it was open to reporters Tuesday. A text message was …

Rookies getting their chance

Sat, 24 Aug 2013 16:19:41 -0500

Gone are the days when NFL rookies were seen but not heard — and not playing. Not after the likes of the brilliant quarterbacks class of 2012: Offensive Rookie of the Year Robert Griffin III, Andrew Luck and Russell Wilson. Not with running backs such as Alfred Morris, Doug Martin and Trent Richardson. Or defensive gems Luke Kuechly, the top rookie on that side of the ball in 2012, Bobby Wagner and Casey Hayward. Rookies no longer are relegated to the sideline or carrying clipboards if they are good enough to play. They’re on the field, often leading their teams …

NFL picks Bruno Mars for Super Bowl halftime show

Mon, 09 Sep 2013 15:36:01 -0500

Grammy-winner Bruno Mars will perform at halftime of the Super Bowl.

NFL stadium falls leave 1 fan dead, 2 injured

Mon, 09 Sep 2013 13:00:01 -0500

Medical examiners have identified a football fan who fell from an elevated walkway at Candlestick Park as 32-year-old Kevin Hayes of Hayward, Calif.

Online gambling ramps up with football season — let the bettor beware

Sun, 08 Sep 2013 02:45:58 -0500

A few years ago, online gambling all but put bookies out of business. But today, in Chicago, bookies are embracing the technology that almost made them extinct. For example: BetChicago312.com is similar to mainstream gambling sites like Sportsbook or Bovada (formerly BoDog), except that placing a bet requires a password and having an existing member vouch for you. ‘‘It’s a tightly knit network with some professionals,’’ says John, an online gambler who asked to have his name withheld in fear of retaliation. John estimates that 600 to 1,000 members gamble through BetChicago312. And with the NFL season just around the …

Jim Thorpe, Pa., fights to keep body of Jim Thorpe

Thu, 05 Sep 2013 13:22:00 -0500

The hand-lettered donation jar on Anne Marie Fitzpatrick’s store counter says what many residents of this well-preserved Victorian-era town are thinking and feeling lately: “Keep Jim Thorpe in Jim Thorpe.” The surviving sons of the famous American Indian athlete have long fought to get the remains of their father moved from Jim Thorpe, Pa., to tribal lands in Oklahoma, where he was born, and they recently won a crucial legal victory that put them close to their goal.