Free Republic

A new supplier combined with the Packers popularity might make favored jerseys like Aaron Rodgers and Clay Matthews scarce over the next three months and then more expensive. In April, Nike and several other new vendors will take over from Reebok. Retailers say Reebok ordered conservatively going into the season. Their plans also were also affected by the NFL lockout, which still was in effect when buying decisions were made. Brian Swallow, with online retailer Fanatics, says sales of their Packers items are up 170 percent. He says retailers have to predict sometimes a year in advance. Mike Walters, manager...

I guess this is one of the things that "gets me" about ex-Penn State coach Joe Paterno's apologists is that they seem to think Paterno... ...knows about the no-huddle urgency involved on the part of his offense when his team his down late in the game; but when it comes to offenses (as in criminal offenses) late in the night where children are at risk, they suddenly defend a Paterno who takes the time to do all these weekend huddles and who shows no urgency to either report the crime to his superiors (24 hours) or to authorities (never...til subpoenaed)....

Regardless of your political persuasion, most of us have a sense of pride knowing that President Barack Obama hails from Hyde Park on the South Side of Chicago, just a stone’s throw from Northwest Indiana. Yet, there are times when we would prefer that the president watch what he says when talking about Chicago — specifically the city’s professional sports teams. (Snip) Then, Obama did the unthinkable by saying, “Well, if I’m a part owner, I think ... we should initiate a trade to send (Packers quarterback Aaron) Rodgers down to the Bears.”

After what happened at the Home Run Derby on Monday night, we as a baseball-loving nation need to run a check on our priorities. Wherever "catching a baseball" ranks — and it's high, apparently — it ought to be made less important. Keith Carmickle — the man pictured above hanging on by his right arm, with his baseball glove dangling from his left hand — almost fell about 20 feet to a pool deck below at Chase Field after he chased a home run hit to center by Prince Fielder(notes).

It was like a scene from "Weekend at Bernie's" when a Colombian soccer team recently got an unexpected fan. Friends brought a coffin with the body of a 17-year-old boy into a soccer match Sunday between Cucuta Deportivo and Envigado, according to Colombia Reports. Christopher Jacome, a big fan of Cucuta, was gunned down Saturday in a local park while playing soccer, according to the paper. Friends of Jacome took his body from the funeral home after the wake and brought it into General Santander Stadium for the game. "They don't let in the fanatics, but yes, a cadaver. This...

*snip* Yes, was, mainly because his efforts to stay true to his school cut both ways: Where some national fans see a Buckeye homer trying to cover his tracks on the air, some fraction of Ohio State fans see Herbstreit's efforts at objectivity toward OSU as a betrayal. After 15 years of being pulled in both directions, the disconnect between his national job and his local persona has finally forced Herbstreit to move his family from Columbus to Nashville. Per an interview with the Columbus Dispatch: "Nobody loves Ohio State more than me," said Herbstreit, a former Buckeyes quarterback. "I...

Pop star Macy Gray wrote on her official Facebook page on Wednesday that she was deliberating whether or not she should perform in February in Israel, as she had received dozens of letters urging her to boycott the country. "I'm getting a lot of letters from activists urging/begging me to boycott by NOT performing in protest of Apartheid against the Palestinians," Macy Gray wrote on her Wall. "What the Israeli government is doing to the Palestinians is disgusting, but I wana go. I gotta lotta fans there I dont want to cancel on and I ...don't know how my NOT...

I can remember the first time I saw the Snake Pit, Hush Hush Sweet Charolette and Light in the Piazza. I was stunned at first, then I was riveted to her performance. The attention to mental illness that she brought by the Snake Pit benefited everyone. And I loved the struggle that took place in the Light in the Piazza. Parental love and worry versus giving her daughter a happy life. I wondered how many families watched that movie and got a different perspective about their grown mentally challenged kids.

But browse forums where fans are allowed to comment and you find some fans not wanting to give support to the Hawk football program and many that are giving it grudgingly. Missouri has outsold Iowa in tickets to the Insight Bowl. This is unheard of!

Haven’t had your fill of Sarah Palin and her brood hunting, shooting, fishing and rafting on TLC? Well don’t fret, it looks like “Sarah Palin’s Alaska” could be sticking around for a second season. On Tuesday, PopEater reported that “'Sarah Palin's Alaska' is such a huge hit for TLC that the network is busy trying to get the former governor to sign up for season two.” The show has indeed been a success for the network, with about 3 million people tuning in on average week after week. PopEater points out that those numbers are better than the numbers for...

Glenn Beck tells his fans and followers not to use hatred when defending him. On yesterday’s Glenn Beck Show on Fox News Channel, Beck returned after taking a short absence to try to get to the bottom of his medical problem. He looked straight into the camera and then assured his loyal viewers that all of the worst possibilities—like lupus, MS, or even cancer—were completely ruled out. However, Beck then abruptly switched his monologue to his sense of shock and horror at his discovery that liberal bloggers were writing post after post that wished him to die in the most...

BERLIN - Some Germans are calling for a public roasting of the oracle octopus who correctly picked the winner of all six of their national soccer team's World Cup matches -- including a bitter defeat to Spain on Wednesday. Paul, a two-year-old octopus in a German aquarium, turned into a global celebrity for his uncanny ability to predict the winner of all Germany's matches -- even a group stage defeat to Serbia and an ousting by Spain in the semi-finals.... Not an ordinarily superstitious people, Germans became believers in Paul's possible psychic powers. The country was shocked and distraught when...

Anti-Semitic Web sites are nothing new, however, the social network Facebook, which is known for its strict regulations against blatantly racist groups, has a page called F*** Israel, which has over 10,480 fans The page is dedicated to anti-Semitic posts and images, published by the fans on a daily basis, including graphic images, profanity against Jews, Israel and the United States.

Here is what President Obama said about Springsteen: Finally, we honor the quiet kid from Jersey ... who grew up to become the rock 'n' roll laureate of a generation. For in the life of our country only a handful of people have tapped the full power of music to tell the real American story -- with honesty; from the heart; and one of those people is Bruce Springsteen... It's no wonder that his tours are not so much concerts, but communions. There's a place for everybody -- the sense that no matter who you are or what you do,...

Having been shunned by the daytime talk queen before last year's elections, former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin has decided to finally go on "Oprah" in November. As announced moments ago at Oprah.com: In a world exclusive, Oprah Winfrey will interview former Alaska governor Sarah Palin for an episode of The Oprah Winfrey Show to air Monday, November 16, 2009. Winfrey and Palin will meet for the very first time on the episode, which will mark Palin’s first interview to discuss her upcoming book, Going Rogue: An American Life and her first-ever appearance on the Oprah show. Unfortunately, judging by some...

Awesome list of the best home field advantages by the NFL Network.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- The police commissioner has called for a city law requiring bars to report fights to 911 following a fatal melee sparked by a spilled beer at a pub next to the Philadelphia Phillies' stadium

The man behind the world's biggest online Michael Jackson fan club has said heartbroken followers of the star have committed suicide because of his death. Gary Taylor, president and owner of MJJcommunity.com, said he understood the tragedies had mostly taken place outside of the UK but he believed one may have been British.

June 27, 2009 The fans killed their idol. They always do Those who professed to love Michael Jackson were vampires, feeders and jackals – their adulation hastened his end Janice Turner Outside UCLA hospital they gather with their candles and their teddies, spooky lookalikes in full Thriller garb, wan teenagers wearing a single lace glove. They sway and sing I’ll Be There with sad faces to disguise the serotonin buzz from their frenzied collective mourn-in. Fans cry now for Michael Jackson, but they killed him. They always do. I met Pete Doherty’s mother a few years back when he was...

First in NHL: Foreward-thinking Washington Capitals discover that women love hockey, and hockey players - a fan base that is fierce, loyal and adoring.

Some 250 teenage boys will pile onto the carpet of the Islamic Center of Passaic County on Sunday to catch the Super Bowl on a big screen. But when the much-buzzed-about commercials come on, they won't be watching. A youth leader manning the projector slaps a piece of paper over the lens, blocking out images the center considers inappropriate, such as beers and bikinis. "The purpose is to keep them away from bad influences," said Emad Hamdeh, the youth committee director. "The beer commercials show people happy while drinking; that's not reality." During the self-imposed blackouts, the boy fans don't...

We all knew Barack Obama is a Sox fan, but he took it a bit further in an ESPN interview. Obama joked about the stereotype of Cubs fans, who probably are tired of being described as partying people-watchers instead of serious fans. "You go to Wrigley Field, you have a beer, beautiful people up there,'' Obama said, according to ESPN transcripts. "People aren't watching the game. It's not serious. White Sox, that's baseball." The interview took place Wednesday in Greensboro, N.C., and aired on SportsCenter Monday night. Here are excerpts of Obama's comments to ESPN's Stuart Scott. The interview will...

OK...new rules for fans at the game: Don't be rude, don't get drunk, don't go on the field, don't throw stuff, follow directions and don't talk nasty talk. More details and blah, blah at the linky. Maybe they should worry more about the players and their criminal records, alcohol use, steriods, shooting people and themselves?

NEW ORLEANS - Even though he's only 37 and in good health, Nathan Davis has already made out his will. In it, he bequeaths money to the University of Alabama athletic department and his ashes to Bryant-Denny Stadium. Davis, whose heavily tattooed body is a living tribute to his beloved school, wants his remains to become an actual part of it. "I spell it out in my will," Davis said. "My first choice is to spread my ashes at the stadium, second is on the Walk of Champions, and third is on Bear Bryant's statue." Davis is one of an...

NEW YORK - Fans of the Fox drama "24" will have to wait until next January to see Jack Bauer again, this television season's most prominent casualty of the Hollywood writers strike. The network has committed to air a full season on consecutive weeks, and had been planning to start last month. But if it had started airing new episodes soon, the season finale would not have taken place until the summer, when TV networks rarely show their high-profile programs. Even though eight episodes for this season had already been filmed before the beginning of the writers strike, producers would...

The play came late in the game, when Rutgers expanded its lead over Navy to a comfortable level after a tight three quarters. Navy's Reggie Campbell took the kickoff and ran full speed ahead up the middle with all the force his 168-pound body could generate. Campbell, almost always the smallest and fastest man on the field, hit a wall of XXXL-sized scarlet jerseys and was slammed to the ground at the bottom of the pile. He got up slowly, limping off. This gutsy kid, a slotback who already spent three quarters being chased and tackled by gangs of defensive...

Ohio Student Gets Suspended For Stadium Prank A meticulously organized high school prank is more than the subject of hallway gossip. It's also a hit on the Internet. An Ohio student tricked football fans from a crosstown rival school into holding up squares of construction paper at a stadium to spell out a message. The fans were told it would read "Go Darby." Instead, it spelled out "We Suck." And the 20 hours spent snapping pictures, mapping out the bleachers, and strategically placing the construction paper ultimately earned the organizers thousands of viewers on YouTube -- not to mention a...

DO FANS HAVE RIGHTS? Brian Ward, a member of the Daily News consumer panel, said he wouldn't call it rights exactly. "But I think ownership has to give a city a reason to root for the team," wrote Ward, of Blue Bell. "That doesn't mean they have to be good every year, but at least know that they want to win as much as the fans do." That helps segue nicely into what happened in Baltimore last Thursday, when a group of fans paid their way into Camden Yards and then loudly left the afternoon game at 5:08, a tribute...

FONTANA, Calif., Sep. 5, 2006 -- For the sixth time since a California teenager began her quest two and a half years ago to collect and distribute a million thank you letters to U.S. servicemembers, the “A Million Thanks” organization set up its booth at a Nextel Cup NASCAR race. Rick Lalor, manager of motorsports and events for the Automobile Club, and Shauna Fleming, founder of A Million Thanks.org, stand by Mark Martin's No. 6 Nextel Cup car at California Speedway, Sept. 4. Fleming's A Million Thanks booth at the race collected hundreds of thank you letters for U.S. troops...

By Lance Cpl. Ray Lewis Regimental Combat Team 5Lance Cpl. Timothy M. Walsh, a 21-year-old assaultman from Winchester, N.H., gathers with an Iraqi family after he gave an Iraqi boy a soccer ball during a patrol in Sadiquiyah. Department of Defense photo by Marine Lance Cpl. Ray Lewis, Regimental Combat Team-5, 1st Marine Division Public Affairs. SADIQUIYAH  -- A lot has changed in a month for Marines here. When patrols began several weeks ago, Marines of I Company, 3rd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, were met only with stares from a skeptical local population. These days, they’re greeted with smiles.Marines and...

INDIANAPOLIS, Aug. 7, 2006 – NASCAR fans at the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard here yesterday said “thank you” to the nation’s servicemembers 400 times in the first 10 minutes after learning how they could use their cell phones to send words of support. Text messaging the word “Thanks” by dialing TXASY, or 89279, is another way for Americans to show support for the troops, said Allison Barber, deputy assistant secretary of defense for internal communications and public liaison. “It’s just a way to keep reminding our military members and their families that the American people really do support them....

Another Real Life NMSU Mystery!

STUTTGART (Reuters) - Riot police detained a group of around 100 rowdy England soccer fans in a square in the center of Stuttgart on Saturday after they had clashed with German fans, throwing bottles and chairs and trading punches. Tens of thousands of English and German fans had gathered in the area, many drinking throughout the day, to watch Germany's 2-0 second-round World Cup win over Sweden on big screen TVs. Trouble broke out shortly after the end of the game. England fans were in the city for their country's second-round match against Ecuador on Sunday. Some 150 fans on...

A little late on this and not sure if anything was posted but in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final on Monday Night the fans of the Edmonton Oilers were just tremendous during the national anthems. Fans in Edmonton actual sang the U.S. Anthem and you could hear it quite well on TV. (The fans also sing the Canadian anthem so loud that that once the anthem singer starts on the first verse he stops and lets the crowd "sing" the song for the rest of the way) Anyway I thought the fans in Edmonton showed great class singing...

World Cup fans warned of race attacks By Bojan Pancevski in Berlin (Filed: 30/04/2006) Black visitors to the World Cup in Germany are being warned to stay clear of parts of the country where they could be at risk of racist attacks. A "no-go" map, with a focus on the capital Berlin, will be posted on a website and printed in brochures for distribution to thousands of visitors of African and Asian origin. The document was drawn up by the Africa Council, an umbrella organisation of African community groups and activists in Germany, following concern over an incident on Easter...

ATLANTA Jan 26, 2006 — LeBron James didn't appreciate a fan's attempt to disrupt his concentration with a laser pointer. So he took out his frustration on the bumbling Atlanta Hawks. "Those things can damage your eyes something bad," James said. "I was standing at the foul line in the fourth quarter when the ref noticed a red dot near my forehead. That's pretty serious."

The would-be president is messing with ire January 13, 2006 Fans-turned-critics say Hillary Clinton is sacrificing principle in the hunt for votes, writes Anne Summers. It is still more than two years before the major parties in the United States decide upon their candidates for the 2008 presidential elections, and it is widely assumed that the Democratic Party candidate will be the junior senator from New York, Hillary Rodham Clinton. You might expect the political conversation among Democrats to be along the lines of "Is Hillary electable?" (given the preponderance of red states on the American political map) but many...

Arnold Fege's office at the Public Education Network is adorned with a picture of old Comiskey Park. He drives a car into work from Virginia every day adorned with a Sox sticker and license plate. "I do whatever I can to try to identify myself as one of those South Side renegades," he says. "But it's tough. This is the first time I've received any recognition since 1959." Teams like the Cubs, Yankees and Red Sox are known to have far-reaching fan bases. Finding like-minded White Sox fans in Washington has been difficult. But with the team reaching its first...

BOGOTA (AP) - Rival fans clashed at a domestic soccer match in the Colombian capital late Wednesday, killing one person and wounding 23. Edison Andres Garzon died of injuries sustained during the riots that erupted after America de Cali defeated Santa Fe 5-2 in a Colombian first division game, firefighters said. Garzon, 20, was struck in the head and his body thrown over a balcony in Bogota's El Campin stadium, Garzon's cousin, Andrea Hernandez, told local radio. Most of the wounded were treated on the spot. The violence started when up to 100 Santa Fe fans angry over the referee's...

...but wearing a pro-Bush T-shirt can be a risky thing to doNot all Canadians hate George W. Bush, contrary to the received wisdom. There is a secret underground society of Bush fans (three and a half of us, at last count) in Canada. How do I know this? It started with a T-shirt an American friend of mine gave me earlier this year. It has a big "W" on it, next to a wee American flag and an "04." To clarify, I am a Bush fan, in the way Woody Allen's character, Mickey, in Hannah and her Sisters, wanted to...

Pistons fan suspected of throwing coin at opposing player 4/27/2005, 6:09 a.m. ET The Associated Press AUBURN HILLS, Mich. (AP) — A Detroit Pistons fan was arrested Tuesday night after the Philadelphia 76ers' Allen Iverson was struck with a coin at The Palace of Auburn Hills, police said. The incident did not escalate into a confrontation on the scale of the Nov. 19 Palace brawl involving Pistons fans and Indiana Pacers players. Iverson was hit while sitting on the bench with about two minutes left in the 76ers' first-round playoff game against the Pistons, Auburn Hills police Sgt. Rick Leonard...

BOSTON (AP) - The spectator who interfered with New York Yankees right fielder Gary Sheffield had his season tickets for 2005 revoked Monday by the Boston Red Sox. A fan who spilled beer on Sheffield was prohibited from buying tickets for the rest of the season. "We applaud the Red Sox for decisively dealing with this matter," Yankees owner George Steinbrenner said in a statement through spokesman Howard Rubenstein. Boston acted after a four-day investigation following the play last Thursday night at Fenway Park in which Sheffield was chasing a ball along the low right-field wall that Jason Varitek hit...

Musharraf cheered by Indian cricket fans By Peter Foster in New Delhi (Filed: 18/04/2005) Indians gave Gen Pervez Musharraf, Pakistan's president, a rousing reception at a New Delhi cricket match yesterday in a show of support for detente between the two nations. Gen Musharraf, an ardent cricket fan, watched two hours of a one-day international with his Indian counterpart, Dr Manmohan Singh, before talks aimed at improving relations between the old enemies.Gen Musharraf and Dr Singh: ‘It needs two hands to clap’ The two sides yesterday announced a joint council to improve trade links and plans to open a rail...

UEFA to rule on Milan derby after fans force abandonment By Simon Evans MILAN, April 12 (Reuters) - The fate of the Champions League quarter-final second leg between Inter Milan and AC Milan will be decided by UEFA after the game was abandoned after 73 minutes when Milan keeper Dida was struck by a flare from the crowd. An Andriy Shevchenko goal after 30 minutes had given Milan a 1-0 (3-0 aggregate) lead over their city rivals but UEFA's Control and Disciplinary Committee will now decide whether to replay the game, the last 17 minutes or award the win to...

GLASGOW, Scotland (AP) — Fans at a Scottish Cup soccer game jeered during a minute's silence for Pope John Paul II on Sunday, forcing the tribute to be cut short. The booing by Hearts fans came before the semifinal against Celtic, which has mostly Catholic fans. Referee Stuart Dougal ended the memorial less than halfway through because of the noise. The game was televised in Britain and overseas.Hearts chief executive Phil Anderton criticized the fans' conduct and apologized to Celtic and the Scottish Football Association."It is disturbing that some Hearts fans failed to see the significance of this occasion," he...

Bellevue, WA – An internal e-mail adds to the evidence that the King County elections department knew about No Signature On File (NSOF) ballots well before it claimed to have discovered its “mistake.” King County rejected more than 700 ballots because it didn’t have signatures on file to match the signatures on the ballots. On Nov. 3, 2004, an e-mail sent to King County Elections Superintendent Bill Huennekens included a list of NSOF voters. A copy of the e-mail is attached. But in December, when news of the NSOF ballots became public, King County Elections Director Dean Logan, Huennekens’ boss,...

Former candidate for governor Dino Rossi is expected to hold a press conference at 4 p.m. today. Tune in to NorthWest Cable News for live coverage or come back here for live video streaming.

BAD NAUHEIM, Germany - German Elvis Presley fans clad in jean jackets, hats and T-shirts bearing the name of The King flocked to this spa town to celebrate his 70th birthday with a series of shows and events. Organized by local authorities and the local Elvis Presley Association, the events marking his birthday on Saturday include a Las Vegas show, gospel concert and walking tours of places the singer lived from October 1958 through February 1960 while stationed here as a soldier — his only residence outside the United States. "His voice was magic: there was so much soul,...

Did you know that before the basketball season, Indiana Pacer Ron Artest changed his jersey number to 91, the same number Dennis Rodman wore for the Chicago Bulls? Last season Artest wore 23, the number Michael Jordan wore for the Bulls. The change was telling. Early Sunday evening, National Basketball Association commissioner David Stern, to whom image is indeed everything, announced the penalties for the players involved in the Friday night brawl between the Indiana Pacers, the Detroit Pistons, and fans in the stands at the Palace of Auburn Hills that once again tarnished the quickly-eroding image of his league.

New York Daily News - http://www.nydailynews.com Firm stand on fans gone wild Tuesday, November 23rd, 2004 Ron Artest got his, and good. Now he loses a season out of his basketball prime, and his earning prime, because he couldn't control himself. He crossed the line and went into the stands and paid the highest price anyone in his sport has ever paid. Artest was helpless in that moment against his own temper and impulses and perhaps even his own demons. "They said everything to Jackie Robinson in 1947," Doc Rivers was saying yesterday. "If he didn't go into the stands,...