Sports

Brawl Buster: Pens-Flyers vs. Lane Pryce-Pete CampbellA comparative analysis of the weekend's two biggest scraps
By Tom Barrabi |

Pens-Flyers or Lane-Pete?

HERE IN AMERICA, a few things are certain. We are going to eat fast food until we feel sick, we’re going to elevate talentless losers into reality stardom, and we’re going to stare if a fight breaks out. Something about two or more people abandoning logical discourse and settling a debate with their bare hands is just infinitely entertaining. Even better, the rise of this thing we call the interweb has given us the chance to engage in nonsensical comparisons of these brouhahas. This past weekend, sports and pop culture fans alike were treated to two of the best scuffles in recent memory. Here’s my take on which of these fights was more worth your time.

Continue Reading…

The Quest for the Cup: Conference QuarterfinalsThe battle for Lord Stanley's Mug begins
By Justin Tasch |

WHAT IS THE greatest athletic competition on Earth? It’s a nearly impossible question to answer. Compelling arguments can be made for any number of events, from the Olympics to the World Cup, from Wimbledon to the Masters. But the discussion about the greatest physical reward in the world of sports begins and ends with Lord Stanley’s Cup, awarded to the winners of the National Hockey League’s Stanley Cup Playoffs.

The Cup is indisputably the most majestic trophy any sportsman can capture, steeped in a tradition unmatched across the globe. The Cup is just that, The Cup. It is not a trophy remade every year like in other sports. The winning organization gets the names of its players, coaches, front office members and other club staff members engraved on The Cup each season. To be able to sip champagne from The Cup evokes feelings of accomplishment that are truly incomparable—hypothetically speaking, of course, as I’ve obviously never done it and never will.

It is mid-April, which means a new quest for The Cup begins for 16 hopeful franchises. There are no guarantees and no true favorites, as the postseason is a totally different beast from the regular season. The Stanley Cup Playoffs is a tournament flooded with drama and thrills, and it begins tonight.

Without further ado, we present Handlebar’s NHL Conference Quarterfinals preview.

Continue Reading…

The Depths of Madness: Sweet 16After a crazy opening weekend, Justin Tasch looks ahead to the next action-packed round
By Justin Tasch |

Who's Elite?

WHO ELSE IS staring a hole through their bracket and seeing red?

The first weekend of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship was electrifying and unpredictable. Basically par for the course as far as the competition is concerned. This particular tournament featured a pair of history-making upsets that undoubtedly had people lighting fire to their brackets as if they were No. 23 Cavaliers jerseys.

Continue Reading…

The Depths of Madness: Bracket BreakdownWe kick off our NCAA Tournament coverage with Justin Tasch's picks and predictions
By Justin Tasch |

EXCITEMENT, DRAMA, ANXIOUSNESS, euphoria and misery. The NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship is the most gripping competition in America, invoking all sorts of emotions, and it is upon us once again. Parity is at an all-time high, which should make for even more action-packed, exhilarating affairs. The only thing keeping this tournament from being flawless is the absence of Gus Johnson, who is no longer employed by CBS. March Madness and Gus go hand-in-hand, and so it’s a travesty he will no longer be calling tournament games, depriving us of his greatness.

The time from Selection Sunday to tip-off Thursday is hectic across the country. The ritual of filling out a bracket has become ingrained in American culture. It’s ubiquitous in the workplace, with employees competing for “points” or “units” for obvious reasons. Picking games this week has been as frenetic and frustrating as any year I can remember.

Continue Reading…

New Coach, Old TricksHe promised a high-octane offense, but Jurgen Klinsmann's side has found success by sticking to what they know
By Justin Tasch |

CHANGE IS AN INEVITABLE part of life. In sports, especially, it’s often healthy to switch things up and avoid stagnation. But forcing the issue—imposing change for change’s sake—is where things can start to get messy.

Last summer, when U.S. Soccer Federation president Sunil Gulati finally nabbed Jurgen Klinsmann, the manager of his dreams, the German coach talked a big game. Following the rather bland, defensive-minded Bob Bradley era, Klinsmann pledged to change the culture of American soccer by instilling a more aggressive, attacking style. It was a proclamation that certainly pleased U.S. supporters, but the immediate results haven’t been as thrilling as fans might have hoped. Despite his desire for more pizazz, the U.S. has struggled to score for much of the young Klinsmann era, the exception being a 3-2 victory at Slovenia in November.

On Wednesday, however, the Americans not only earned their biggest win under Klinsmann’s reign, but one of the U.S.’s biggest wins ever—and they did it by dancing with what brung ‘em.

Continue Reading…