We’re mad as hell and we’re not gonna take it anymore!

Just because there's no Winter Classic doesn't mean the players can't take it outside. (Getty)That’s the sentiment of most hockey fans these days, especially after the NHL scrapped the crown jewel of the regular season: the Winter Classic. The Jan. 1 game in Ann Arbor, Mich., between the Detroit Red Wings and Toronto Maple Leafs has been canceled due to greed. Er, the lockout. Sadly, there’s not much the fans can do besides grouse about it.

But there is something the players can do.

Barnstorm.

NHL players don’t need the league to hold a series of exhibition games, and maybe their own outdoor game. By doing so, they can thrill fans, satisfy their own hockey joneses, give back to communities, and deliver a nice slapshot to the NHL’s breezers.

Sidney Crosby’s agent, Pat Brisson, has already told SportingNews.com he would “explore” the idea of a tour if the lockout continues much longer. Brisson led a European circuit for more than two dozen NHL players during the last lockout in 2004-05. “We had a plane (for the

Read More »from With no Winter Classic, players should hold their own all-star barnstorming tour

We've seen Robert Griffin III start to turn around a wayward franchise. We've seen Andrew Luck spark a dormant team. And we've even seen Ryan Tannehill and Russell Wilson ignite forlorn fan bases.

But what if the most impactful rookie in the NFL isn't a quarterback?

What if it's Doug Martin?

Doug Martin stiff arms Raiders DB Tyvon Branch as he runs for a 45-yard TD in the third quarter. (AP)"Hogwash" says everyone who's used to seeing RGIII and Luck on commercials but couldn't pick Martin out of a lineup. "Blasphemy" says everyone who debated whether Baylor and Stanford were college football powers last season but didn't watch a single Boise State game on television.

Well, those smart enough to draft the Bucs' running back on their fantasy teams realize turning around an NFL franchise doesn't necessarily require a highly-touted first-round quarterback. Sometimes it can be done with a late first-round running back. Specifically, one who just became the second player in NFL history to run for 250 yards and four touchdowns in one game. Martin's 51 fantasy points in

Read More »from Bucs' Doug Martin starting to do big things like fellow rookies Luck and RG3

Under enormous pressure from a city in distress, New York City Marathon officials decided late Friday afternoon to cancel the race less than two days before it was scheduled to begin.

The announcement came only a few hours after Mayor Michael Bloomberg defended his decision to keep the marathon scheduled for Sunday. Bloomberg called the annual event a way to show "solidarity" with the millions affected by Hurricane Sandy, many of whom still remain without power and plumbing several days after the storm devastated the region.

"The Marathon has been an integral part of New York City's life for 40 years and is an event tens of thousands of New Yorkers participate in and millions more watch," Bloomberg and marathon director Mary Wittenberg said in a joint statement. "While holding the race would not require diverting resources from the recovery effort, it is clear that it has become the source of controversy and division. The marathon has always brought our city together and inspired

Read More »from New York City Marathon canceled after severe backlash from public

In the wake of Superstorm Sandy, ultramarathoner Dean Karnazes' first instinct was not to run the New York City Marathon. So he canceled. Then he heard from the organizers who said Mayor Michael Bloomberg was urging runners to compete.

"That's when I changed my plan," Karnazes told Yahoo! Sports.

So he hopped on a redeye from San Francisco, landed in New York early Friday morning ready to run on Sunday.

But now his emotions are at odds.

"I have to be honest, I'm really conflicted," Karnazes said. "I just can't imagine the grief that people are feeling right now. It just seems like it's too close."

He's not alone.

[Photos: NYC Marathon scheduled for Sunday]

Now that he's in the city, Karnazes is talking to fellow runners who are just as concerned if not more so about the race being run. Karnazes said, "Half the people would be relieved if it was canceled."

That's what Bloomberg should do – cancel the marathon – only he's not, saying in a press conference Friday

Read More »from Note to Bloomberg: The New York City Marathon should not go on

Mark Fackler (47) celebrates a touchdown in Kent State's win over Rutgers. (Getty Images)Roosevelt Nix says it hit him on the ride home. He was on a JetBlue flight out of Newark with his Kent State teammates and a bunch of guys started yelling, "Turn the channel!" He quickly jabbed at his armrest console and there was his team, Kent State, beating Rutgers, on the highlights.

"That was something new," he says, laughing.

Very new.

The Golden Flashes beat a ranked team last weekend for the first time ever – the program played its first game in 1920 – shocking unbeaten and 18th-ranked Rutgers 35-23. Kent State has won five straight for the first time since 1940, and its seven wins are fifth-most in school history.

The crazy thing is, Kent State is only one of several surprises in its conference. The unheralded MAC, once a collection of whipping boys for Big Ten powers, has six bowl eligible teams and four one-loss teams (Ohio, Toledo, Northern Illinois and Kent State). A conference virtually ignored by realignment is now the most improved in the nation. By the end

Read More »from Beware of the mighty MAC – the best little conference in the country

MIAMI – Like LeBron James before him, Ray Allen made the right decision.

The former Celtics star was welcomed to his new home arena Tuesday, welcomed with thunderous cheers rivaling those bestowed upon the reigning MVP, welcomed into the Heat offense with set plays that showed his strengths, and welcomed by former teammate Kevin Garnett with one of the colder snubs you’ll see all season. By the time he scored his first points with his new Miami team, it was pretty clear where Allen belonged at the end of his great career.

Late in the first quarter, Allen walked over to the Celtics bench on his way into the game to greet his old mates, but Garnett, who claimed over the summer he had lost Allen’s phone number, didn’t respond. When Allen patted him on the shoulder, Garnett shrugged like a fly had buzzed in his left ear.

After the game, Garnett explained that he’s “an intense person” and he was “just trying to play the game, man.”

Paul Pierce fouls Ray Allen in the first half on Tuesday. (Reuters)

The new Heat guard was hardly rattled by the

Read More »from Ray Allen shines in Heat debut as Miami accepts NBA veteran with open arms

MIAMI – After years of doubt, debate, derision and Decision, LeBron James has a ring.

He received it in a loud, sparkling ceremony before the 2013 NBA season opener against the Boston Celtics, in front of a packed crowd of early-arriving Heat fans. He watched the entire Heat coaching staff and all his teammates receive their rings from commissioner David Stern, his hands on his hips all the while, and then finally it was his turn.

LeBron James won his first NBA title in his ninth season. (US Presswire)When his name was announced, James raised two hands, then pointed at the fans inside American Airlines Arena before striding to meet Stern at center court with a broad smile on his face. The commissioner gave him a lengthy word of congratulations, and the 2012 MVP was left for a split-second to look at a championship ring many – including his former owner in Cleveland – hoped he'd never win in Miami.

[Photos: LeBron and Co. get their rings]

James' teammates surrounded him and looked at the jewelry, both theirs and his. The ring, which took five

Read More »from LeBron James finally gets his championship ring

College football should cap its playoff at four teams. The reason: Marcus Lattimore.

The South Carolina running back spent his 21st birthday Monday checking out of a hospital, wondering if the gruesome knee injury he suffered Saturday will ruin his NFL dreams.

Forbes estimates the injury to Lattimore's right knee could cost him $9 million in professional earnings in his first four years alone, much more if he never plays a down in the NFL. That should sound an alarm across the entire college football landscape.

Marcus Lattimore covers his face in a towel after suffering a career-threatening knee injury. (AP)Injuries happen in sports, and especially in football, but adding games only increases the chances of something happening, which is why the idea of an eight-team playoff should end right here and now. A four-team playoff is plenty in college football. Anything more is dangerous and unfair to those like Lattimore who don't get a dime of pay.

As of this writing, South Carolina officials aren't sure if Lattimore even has the disability insurance offered by the NCAA. But

Read More »from Marcus Lattimore's injury shows why a four-team college football playoff is enough