John Feinstein of The Washington Post said during a panel discussion on CSN Washington that soccer is not a real sport because of the lame way it can end on penalty kicks. So, if you were looking for the guy who would rain on the U.S. women’s World Cup victory, look no farther than Feinstein, who said he spent the end of the thrilling U.S. match versus Brazil watching the Yankees game instead. Yeah, because CC Sabathia is such an athlete. Look at him! He’s fat, and fat people are not…

You can agree that soccer matches should not be decided on penalty kicks, but that alone shouldn’t disqualify a game from being a sport. It is entertaining to watch Feinstein criticize Ivan Carter for wearing a pocket square, though. Because men criticizing the wardrobes of other men is definitely a sport…

(H/T to Dan Steinberg at WaPo)

Hey there! If you like money, success, and/or kung fu, you’ll absolutely love this week’s episode of “5 Things You Need to Know This Week,” in which we talk about President Obama’s credit limit, Fox News’ new show, and how damn sexy Rupert Murdoch is…

Boston mayor Thomas M. Menino has called upon a Niketown store in his city to remove a window display that includes T-shirts emblazoned with the words “dope” and “get high” and a picture of a spilled pill bottle. Nike says the shirts are part of an action sports campaign (take pills, get in the action?) and not a crass way to romanticize the use of drugs. Menino’s BS detector is not buying it, and he sent a strongly worded letter to Nike asking them to remove the display; but the swoosh pusher has remained firm.

“We maintain our position that they’re not appropriate for the city of Boston. They’re not appropriate for anywhere as far as we’re concerned,” said Menino spokeswoman Dot Joyce.

“Nike should be compelled as an athletic apparel manufacturer to promote health and fitness – rather than drug use,” Joyce said yesterday.

(Photo: Boston Herald)

Yesterday, your SportsNewser editor took a trip down to New York’s Greenwich Village to tour Major League Baseball’s “MLB Fan Cave.”

Back in March we covered the announcement of MLB’s “Dream Job” winner, Mike O’Hara, who would watch every minute of every game from the cave, and would also star in a web series produced by Endemol USA. We spoke to O’Hara, who had a rare afternoon off, with all of the day’s games slated for the evening.

The Fan Cave is built in the old Tower Records space in the Village, a sprawling, three-story space filled to the bring with baseball art and memorabilia.

O’Hara and his “wing man,” Ryan Wagner, typically watch all the games in a comfortable sitting area, with 15 Sony HDTV’s that can tune into every game being played. When they aren’t watching games, there is is also a bar stocked with Pepsi and Budweiser (who sponsor the cave, Natch) a videogame setup, and a gaming area. Below is the MLB-branded pool table with Red Sox balls, as a Yankees cap wearing Jay-Z smiles in the background.

Read more

ESPN college basketball analyst Jay Bilas is normally a sourpuss the night of the NCAA Basketball Championship Selection Show, but he reached a whole new level of pessimism on Sunday night.

“I wonder if some people on the committee know whether the ball is round,” Bilas said on ESPN regarding the selections for the 68-team tournament. “That sounds harsh. But I’m wondering. These were bad decisions. They’re indefensible.”

Until the NCAA expands to a 346-team tournament, you’re going to have schools that were snubbed by the selection committee. This year’s list included Virginia Tech (shocker), Colorado, Boston College, Alabama and St. Mary’s. Read more

“You know what, I ain’t watching ESPN anymore. I ain’t watching ESPN unless there’s a game. When the Miami Heat had this losing streak, people started talking less about them, and that was the right time to start talking about the different teams who are really good like the Boston Celtics, San Antonio. Now you’ve just got to hope that this losing streak’s going to start today.” – Marcin Gortat on ESPN’s coverage of the Miami Heat

Hey, he has a point.

[H/T The Big Lead]

Maverick Carter, LeBron James‘ BFF and LRMR Marketing CEO, told CNN’s Soledad O’Brien that he could have handled The Decision better.

“The execution could have been a little better and I take some of the blame for that,” Carter said in a story that aired Wednesday on CNN’s Rick’s List.

The Decision did great ratings for ESPN, but sparked a backlash that has damaged James’ reputation heading into the upcoming NBA season.

Carter thinks race played a factor in the negative reaction generated towards James when he decided to take his talents to South Beach to play with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh.

“It definitely played a role in some of the stuff coming out of the media, things that were written for sure,” Carter said.

James chimed in as well with a similar stance as Carter.

“I think so at times,” James said. “It’s always, you know, a race factor.”

Whether race was a factor or not, his comments will only fuel the media as we approach the start of the NBA season on Oct. 26.