Tom Barrabi

At this time last year, NBA fans were facing the very real possibility of a canceled NBA season. This year, the league is gearing up for one of its most anticipated campaigns in recent memory. The 2012-13 NBA season starts tonight, with three games on tap: Wizards-Cavaliers at 7 p.m. (ET), Heat-Celtics at 8, and Mavericks-Lakers at 10:30.

We're approaching Week 6 of the 2012 fantasy football season, and unless your team is protected by some sort of magical force field, you're probably dealing with a few key injuries. No fantasy owner would think less of you for shedding some tears over the state of Cedric Benson's foot or Aaron Hernandez's ankle. Still, don't spend too much time in the fetal position—even the most competitive leagu

On Sunday at Talladega, defending NASCAR Sprint Cup champ Tony Stewart set off a 25-car wreck, which somehow Matt Kenseth avoided, allowing him to come away with the win under caution. Fortunately this huge pile-up didn't lead to any infield confrontations, but quite often they do. The NASCAR circuit has produced its fair share of high-profile feuds over the years (many involving Stewart). Most of

From 1959 to 1992, NASCAR legend Richard Petty won 200 races, setting a career record that is pretty much unmatchable for active drivers. Still, today’s Sprint Cup racers compose arguably the strongest field of competition that the sport has ever known. While stars such as Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson may never reach Petty’s incredible peak, they have managed to accomplish feats that eluded even

This weekend, finally, the real refs will be back on the sidelines, saving us from any further on-field debacles like the ending to last Monday Night's Packers-Seahawks game. For all the phantom pass-interference calls and overlong instant-replay reviews, certain moments are sure to stick out when, in future years, we look back on the first three weeks of the 2012 season and wonder just what the w

The beauty of fantasy football is that owners can ignore such petty issues as referee-union disputes and terrible replacement-official calls.

As you may have heard, hobos and miscreants are in charge of refereeing NFL games now! Or, rather, the NFL has decided to use high school referees as replacements while it negotiates with the actual referees' union, which has led to the occasional minor controversy. And while Monday's night's disastrous ending to the Packers-Seahawks game is probably the pinnacle (or nadir) of this sad saga, there

By now, even non-football fans have heard about the officiating debacle in last night's showdown between the Green Bay Packers and Seattle Seahawks (just check your Facebook feed). Facing a 12-7 deficit with just seconds left to play, Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson rolled out of the pocket and threw a desperation heave into the end zone, resulting in a game-clinching interception for the Pack

Don't let Nick Saban fool you: building a championship college football program is not an easy task. Between recruiting, budget restrictions and the yearly loss of star players to the pros, head coaches face a constant series of challenges. Surprising stat: Out of the 124 active FBS football head coaches, only eight have managed to win a national championship. That isn't to say that the other 116

Okay, so you've weathered the first two weeks of the 2012 fantasy football season and dropped that rookie running back that you knew you shouldn't have drafted. Now that early hiccups are out of the way, take your team to the next level by checking out some story lines and players to watch in Week 3.