ESPN.com presents Fandom - ESPN Playbook http://espn.go.com/blog/playbook/fandom 60 en-us Sun, 19 May 2013 12:07:30 webmaster@espn.go.com http://assets.espn.go.com/i/espn/teamlogos/lrg/trans/espn_dotcom_black.gif 110 110 What does an alcoholic, pill-popping alligator who returns to military service have in common with Jose Canseco? Well, nothing. That is until Dan Ryckert, author of "Air Force Gator" and its newly released sequel, "Air Force Gator 2: Scales of Justice," stumbled upon the author, reality star, celebrity boxer and retired baseball player volunteering to write the novel's foreword. It gets weirder. In November 2012, Ryckert released "Gator" a book that even he claims to have "the dumbest f---ing plot.]]> http://espn.go.com/blog/playbook/fandom/post/_/id/21948/jose-canseco-writes-fan-foreword-for-free Sun, 19 May 2013 12:00:52 EDT 21948 Editor's note: To view the entire gallery of Alyssa Roenigk's experience with Red Bull & Ryan Dungey, click here. This was originally published on Journey to the Edge of Sports. Last week, I had the pleasure of spending two days at Glen Helen Raceway in San Bernardino, Calif., riding dirt bikes with the Red Bull crew and a few members of the media. Because there’s no better way to learn and understand a sport than to try it yourself, many companies and magazines in action sports hold ride days throughout the year, be it in snowboarding, motocross, skateboarding or surfing.]]> http://espn.go.com/blog/playbook/fandom/post/_/id/21937/motocross-101-with-ryan-dungey Fri, 17 May 2013 14:00:41 EDT 21937 Sydney. Athens. Beijing. London. Rio. Tulsa. Wait. What? One city doesn’t belong, right? If you’re a member of the Tulsa 2024 Olympic Exploratory Committee, though, your answer is that all six cities are equals. Yes, Tulsa, Okla. -- the second-largest city in the state, home of the WNBA’s Tulsa Shock and host of the 2013 Bassmaster Classic -- is considering making a bid for the 2024 Summer Games. "I see this as a great opportunity, I really do,” said Tulsa’s mayor, who probably has a name like Dewey Bartlett.]]> http://espn.go.com/blog/playbook/fandom/post/_/id/21912/tulsa-inspires-small-town-olympic-dreams Fri, 17 May 2013 10:54:18 EDT 21912 It was challenging rooting for the Mariners in their early years. Well, actually, with seven last-place seasons in the past nine years, no postseasons in the past 12 years and no World Series EVER, it’s still challenging to root for the Mariners. But at least the Mariners wear uniforms and caps that aren’t a total embarrassment. That’s what made those early years particularly challenging. The blue-and-yellow double-knits weren’t any worse than the other late '70s and early '80s uniforms throughout baseball, but the upside-down yellow trident on the cap should be considered a Class A fashion felony.]]> http://espn.go.com/blog/playbook/fandom/post/_/id/21903/in-uniforms-ugly-usually-becomes-cool Fri, 17 May 2013 08:15:14 EDT 21903 On May, 23, 1980, Oakland A’s pitcher Rick Langford threw a complete game against the Texas Rangers. The A’s lost that day, 3-1, as Langford gave up three unearned runs in a 1-hour, 56-minute duel with Hall of Famer Ferguson Jenkins. Five days later, Langford went the distance again, beating the Royals. Six days after that, on June 3 he pitched a third straight complete game, this time going 10 innings vs. the Indians. He then pitched another complete game.]]> http://espn.go.com/blog/playbook/fandom/post/_/id/21805/discover-one-of-baseballs-forgotten-streaks Fri, 17 May 2013 06:00:21 EDT 21805 On Monday night, the Toronto Maple Leafs were eliminated from the Stanley Cup playoffs following a crushing Game 7 loss to the Boston Bruins. Despite carrying a 4-1 lead late into the third, the Leafs collapsed under the weight of a last-minute Boston surge and ultimately succumbed to their divisional foes in overtime. It was unfathomable. One analyst’s estimate pegs it as the kind of thing a fan might experience once every 4,757 years. To watch the game was to be in a state of disbelief.]]> http://espn.go.com/blog/playbook/fandom/post/_/id/21887/playbook-uncovers-maple-leafs-conspiracy Thu, 16 May 2013 11:12:47 EDT 21887 Over the weekend at The Players Championship, Tiger Woods and Sergio Garcia publicly traded barbs, with fighting words such as, "He’s not the nicest guy on tour," and, "It’s not really surprising he was complaining about something." Shots fired! OK, so the rivalry isn’t exactly 2Pac-Biggie. Or even Kobe Bryant-Shaquille O’Neal. In fact, it makes the Lindsay Lohan-Amanda Bynes feud seem like an intense rivalry. But sadly, it’s not even the lamest exchange of words between athletes.]]> http://espn.go.com/blog/playbook/fandom/post/_/id/21870/the-lamest-sports-twitter-feuds-ever Thu, 16 May 2013 10:00:08 EDT 21870 The protocol for home and road uniforms on the baseball diamond is simple: The home team wears white and the road team wears gray. Or at least that's how it was until 1963 -- 50 years ago this season. That's when Kansas City Athletics owner Charles Finley decided to try something new: He dressed the A's in green and gold. Finley was quickly labeled as a nut (and not for the last time), but he turned out to be a chromatic visionary. Baseball uniforms exploded with color in the 1970s.]]> http://espn.go.com/blog/playbook/fandom/post/_/id/21653/polyester-sent-baseball-colors-to-new-hues Thu, 16 May 2013 08:30:37 EDT 21653 Nick Saban is “the devil himself.” Those are the words of Tim Davis, Florida’s offensive line coach, at a Gators booster club meeting Tuesday night. Davis is not alone in believing the Alabama head coach is the Prince of Darkness. Vanderbilt head coach James Franklin called Saban “Nicky Satan” just four months ago. It might be easy to ignore these statements as the rantings of the insane, but Davis and Franklin are well-known, highly-respected men in their states.]]> http://espn.go.com/blog/playbook/fandom/post/_/id/21833/why-do-coaches-call-nick-saban-the-devil Wed, 15 May 2013 16:24:51 EDT 21833 It was the “shush” heard 'round the world. Yankees closer Mariano Rivera shushed fellow reliever Joba Chamberlain before Saturday’s game. Minutes later, Chamberlain told Rivera: “Don’t ever shush me.” Yes, it was that bad. Things got crazy. One minute we had a regular pregame between the Yankees and Royals. The next we had the biggest shushing-related scandal between pitchers who aren’t good enough to be starters in baseball history.]]> http://espn.go.com/blog/playbook/fandom/post/_/id/21812/jobas-shush-scandal-is-not-yankee-like Wed, 15 May 2013 11:30:42 EDT 21812