Sex and the gridiron

There was big news out of Boulder Wednesday night, as the president of Colorado University and the chancellor of the university system got together to announce that CU football coach Gary Barnett has been placed on “administrative leave,” pending the results of an investigation into the football team’s sexual transgressions.

What does “administrative leave” mean? We’ll answer that in due time. But for now, back to the sex.

In the past few weeks, two young women have come forward with claims that they were raped by as many as four men at a party thrown by the team in order to impress visiting recruits, Read More »

Batty over boobies

Technically, this is a sports column, and I know that Janet Jackson’s breast isn’t a sporting event or some sort of sport unto itself, but it did make its public debut during halftime of the Super Bowl, so I will take that flimsy segue and run with it.

I’ve noticed that for some reason the media overlooked the incident, but I think it requires some further discussion. When a cherished member of one of America’s least controversial families bares her breast on national TV, you’d think people might notice. Read More »

Takes one to know one

You may not have noticed, but this past week marked the 10th anniversary of the infamous Tonya Harding incident, in which Nancy Kerrigan got clubbed in the knee but nevertheless went on to an Olympic silver medal, and Harding got arrested but nevertheless went on to Celebrity Boxing stardom.

Even people like me who couldn’t care less about figure skating know what Tonya Harding looks like. She has transcended sports and even her own association with Kerrigan to become one of those things that American pop culture loves the most: She’s someone who is famous for being a loser, like Saddam Hussein or Bill Buckner or Screech from “Saved by the Bell.” Read More »

The Methuselah of the N.Y. Mets

There was sad news in the world of sports this week with the announcement of Jesse Orosco’s retirement. That’s right, Jesse Orosco, the Methuselah of the major leagues.

That name may not mean much to you, but to me and the thousands of people my age who grew up as New York Mets fans, Orosco is a remnant of a better time, when the Mets’ future brimmed with promise.

If Orosco’s name rings a bell at all, the image you likely have in your head is of him throwing his glove in the air and collapsing on the mound as the Mets won the World Series. That was in 1986. Read More »

The Friday morning QB

There are only a few positions in all of the major sports wherein one can truly dominate a game. Hockey and soccer goalies and baseball pitchers are good examples. If you do your job perfectly, given enough overtimes or extra innings, your team will eventually win the game.

That’s the reason why people play goalie in the first place. It’s not like people just enjoy having pucks and balls rifled at them. As a goalie, you have a chance to be a hero every night, and when you suck, you can just say your defense played poorly. Read More »

Say you want a resolution

If you’re anything like me — and I hope you’re not, because I like to think of myself as special and unique in the good way too — then you are the kind of person who makes lots of New Year’s resolutions.

And if, indeed, you are like me, you’ve probably broken about three or four of them already.

Fret not, dear reader, for to err is human, and we here at Cheap Shots forgive you just as long as you forgive yourself. Read More »

Hey, Mom, guess what I just did!

One of the few highlights from my lackluster and abbreviated high school football career came in a JV game when my brother, a junior tailback, and I, a sophomore wideout, both scored touchdowns.

My brother scored on a nifty run around the right side, and after crossing the goal line, he simply handed the ball to the referee. A few minutes later, I pulled in an 18-yard touchdown pass from our quarterback and, being unfamiliar with proper football etiquette, also handed the ball right to an official.

Little did I know then that I was missing out on a grand opportunity for artistic expression. Read More »

Keepin’ the white man down

I’m a little concerned about Rush Limbaugh resigning from ESPN, which is something I never in my wildest dreams thought I’d say.

Mind you, I’m not particularly bothered that he’s off the air. I’m no more interested in his football opinions than I am any of his other opinions. It’s just the way that the whole incident played out that has me troubled. Read More »

Tigers, Tigers burning bright – sort of

So what was the most inspiring story from the final week of baseball’s regular season?

Was it the Cubs’ inspired play as they held off the Astros to take the NL Central?

Or was it Barry Bonds and his pursuit of 660 home runs and a place alongside his godfather, Willie Mays, at No. 3 on the all-time home run list? Read More »

Does the Buckeye stop here?

A year ago at this time, Ohio State tailback Maurice Clarett was the second coming of Archie Griffin, the only man ever to win two Heisman Trophies and, like Clarett, a god around Columbus.

Clarett was on his way to 1,237 rushing yards and freshman-of-the-year awards, and the Buckeyes were on their way to an undefeated season and the school’s first national championship since 1968.

What a difference a year makes. Read More »