I know this is a predominantly a sports website, but we’re all humans and most of us aren’t millionaires.

So, given that the Mega Millions jackpot was a whopping $640 million (a world record), chances are you probably bought a ticket.

Here’s the winning numbers for Friday night’s drawing: 2-4-23-38-46…with a Mega Ball of 23.

Did you win?

The New Orleans Saints are in some serious hot water today after the NFL announced on Friday that the team’s players and coaches have been offering monetary rewards for knockouts and bounties for injuries.

The league announced that the team was in violation of the “bounty rule” over the course of the 2009, 2010, and 2011 campaigns. The NFL’s headquarters also stated that between 22 and 27 players participated in the program, and that the pool was primarily player-funded. The knockout fund reached nearly $50,000 during the 2009 postseason in which the Saints eventually captured Super Bowl XLIV. One assistant coach, former defensive coordinator Gregg Williams, has also been implicated in the investigation as the architect of the plan. Continue reading Practice What You Preach: Saints Investigated for Bounty Pool »

On Sunday evening, Penn State Head Coach Joe Paterno died of terminal lung cancer. Media speculation the next day has been centered around whether depression from being fired by Penn State for not disclosing to police authorities information he learned about allegations of child abuse on campus exacerbated the cancer.  These ruminations come, of course, after weeks of a mostly one sided argument that Penn State should have fired Paterno for not taking the more moral route, which was to share these sordid allegations with the police.

At the heart of the matter, however, should not be a debate about whether Paterno should have been fired for not adhering to a particularly moral obligation. Nor should it be about whether Paterno’s death was caused by subsequent guilt and melancholy after his shortcomings were exposed. Continue reading Let Paterno Rest in Peace, but let’s not Forget the Real Issues in Question »

Rob Lowe, the number once source for all your sporting news.

Who knew?

Around 3:15 Wednesday afternoon, actor Rob Lowe dropped a bomb on the sports world.

He was the first to report that Colts quarterback Peyton Manning will be announcing his retirement from professional football today.

He took to Twitter to break the shocking news! Continue reading Peyton Manning To Retire… Well, According to Rob Lowe »

The Divisional Round is now complete, and there was finally a road win. And were down to just the final four. Next Sunday, it’ll be Patriots/Ravens and 49ers/Giants for the right to play for the Lombardi Trophy. After the previous round, we’re sure to see plenty of action.

The Saints threw plenty of people for a loop, but other than that, it was easy enough to pick the games. Some of the yardage and touchdown totals were a bit surprising, but generally easy enough.

The standings are starting to open up a little, but there’s still three rounds to go. So check below for the results from the previous round, and check back Sunday for the Conference Championship picks. Continue reading 2012 NFL Playoff Expert Picks: Divisional Round Results »

Similar to many American workers over the past 15 years, MLS players might be the only American athletes feeling the pinch of globalization. The Wall Street Journal’s headline this week basically sums up the problem with an article previewing the upcoming SuperDraft as “The Most Meaningless Draft in Sports.”

The SuperDraft is limping along like a dog on three legs. It used to be the premiere event in the American soccer world. With piggy-backing the event with the National Soccer Coaches Association of America conference, it was an opportunity for the industry to get together and advance the entire operation. The draft used to be 6 rounds with similar traditions to other, more well known, American college drafts. MLS draft picks would get their team scarf, shake the commissioner’s hand, and have a day to remember. Continue reading With MLS SuperDraft Fading Into Obscurity, What’s Next? »