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Five Words Worth $400 Million

You might not know Michael Buffer by name, but trust me, you know his work: Buffer came up with the catchphrase "Let's Get Ready to Rumble" thanks to a little inspiration from Muhammad Ali, who used to say, “Rumble, young man, rumble.” Buffer also credits Sal Marchiano, another announcer with similar catchphrase: “Well, we’re ready to rumble.” In the early days, Buffer just worked the phrase in subtly as a part of the sentence he was saying. “I was almost afraid that I shouldn’t be... READ ON

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The Quick 10: 10 Things Yogi Berra Actually Said

Lawrence Peter Berra - you likely know him better as Yogi - is 86 today. He's one of the greatest catchers ever, but what many people know him for are his awesome malapropisms and slips of the tongue. Many quirky quotes were attributed to him over the years that weren't actually his, but these 10 were. 1. "90% of the game is half mental." 2. "It's never happened in World Series history, and it hasn't happened since." He was talking about the perfect game Don Larsen pitched in 1956. Yogi was catching... READ ON

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When a Nine-Month-Old Picks a Bracket

Taking a cue from Jason's daughter and her impressive knowledge of presidential facts, I thought perhaps I had a child prodigy of a different sort on my hands: master bracketologist. Based on her picks, I'm going to go out on a limb and say that maybe this isn't her area of expertise. I couldn't have picked a worse bracket if I tried. For example, no 16-seed in history has ever defeated a 1-seed in the first round. Lydia has it happening in all four regions this... READ ON

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Explaining the Magic Yellow First-Down Line

If you attend a Super Bowl party on Sunday, you’ll probably hear at least one casual football viewer ask, “How do they get that yellow first-down line on the field?” While “magic” is a fine answer in its own right, the real explanation is a bit more technologically intense. Let’s have a look at the background and mechanics behind every football fan’s shining beacon, the yellow first-down... READ ON

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The Quick 10: The Original Names of 10 Sports

If history hadn't changed, we would be watching Gabrielle Reece dominate Mintonette, Tony Hawk would be a leader in the world of sidewalk surfing, and Forrest Gump would have been an amazing wiff waff player. Check out these and the names of seven other sports before they became what we know them as today. 1. Kitten ball. The sport we know as softball today was named kitten ball when it came onto the scene in 1895. Between that time and 1926, it was also referred to as “diamond ball,” “mush... READ ON

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Foooood iiiiin Spaaaaace: The Curious Case of the Contraband Corned Beef

In 1965, Command Pilot Gus Grissom and Pilot John Young successfully piloted the Gemini 3 spacecraft on a four-hour and forty-three-minute mission into Earth’s orbit, completed a handful of tests of the craft’s capabilities and returned safely to solid ground. Afterwards, their actions during the mission were the subject of a Congressional House Subcommittee hearing and both Congress and the NASA brass gave Young strongly worded reprimands. What went wrong? It all starts with snacks. Tubes and... READ ON

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Video: Metrodome Roof Collapse

The Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome opened in 1982. Its signature feature is its Teflon-coated fiberglass fabric roof that is literally inflated by the air inside the stadium. The stadium is pumped full of air to keep the roof up. This requires people to enter and exit the dome via airlocks, to maintain positive pressure within the playing field area. Over the weekend, the roof collapsed under a heavy load of snow -- and the dramatic collapse was caught on video (see below). But this is the fifth time... READ ON

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Woody's Winners, Week 12

NFL WEEK TWELVE Woody posted a pleasant 12-4 record in NFL games last week, and wishes to apologize to all the Tennessee fans out there for jinxing your Titans a few weeks ago by raving about their wonderful play and Super Bowl chances. Sorry about that. A (non-holiday-related) family emergency caused me to miss the Thursday games and also prevents me from giving my picks the full treatment this week, so apologies for this rather mundane list of Woody's Winners for Week 12. I’ll return next week in... READ ON

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Woody's Winners, NFL Week 11

NFL WEEK ELEVEN We say goodbye to bye weeks in Week 11, returning to a full schedule of 16 games per week for the remainder of the 2010 NFL season. I returned to Earth with a 7-7 record last week, but a win in Thursday night’s Bears-Dolphins game brings my overall record this year to a respectable 82-63. Will the wackiness continue this week? Thursday's game was already picked (and played), so here are Woody's Winners for the Sunday and Monday games in Week 11. Enjoy! +++ Green Bay (6-3) @... READ ON

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Woody's Winner, Week 11's Thu. game

NFL WEEK ELEVEN (Thursday) As predicted, the Falcons knocked off the Ravens in the premiere 2010 episode of Thursday Night Football. Another interesting matchup occurs tonight, so read below as Woody works the levers on Leonard Post-Toastie's old Smart Pill Machine and names the winner. Chicago (6-3) @ Miami (5-4) Both the Bears and Dolphins won at home last week, and Thursday Night Football is where one of them will take another step forward (pink cleats notwithstanding). Miami will be starting its... READ ON