Your morning roundup for Jan. 19, the day we learned Tilapia and garbage have a close relationship. Video via Outside The Boxscore. Got any stories or photos for us? Tip your editors.
What we watched: Mavs at Clippers. Chauncey Billups hit the go-ahead 3-pointer with 1.0 seconds remaining to secure the Clippers' 91-89 victory. "Mr. Big Shot" had missed a jumper and turned the ball over in the game's final minute, and he sometimes has a tendency to take quick, ill-advised shots, but none of that seems to matter right now.
What we're watching (all times EST, unless noted): Wake Forest at Duke (ESPN) and Vanderbilt at Alabama (ESPN2) in men's college basketball at 7. Pittsbugh at New York Rangers in NHL hockey at 7 (NHL Network). William & Mary at Virginia Commonwealth in men's college basketball at 8 (ESPNU). Los Angeles Lakers at Miami in NBA basketball at 8 (TNT). North Carolina at Virginia Tech (ESPN) and Illinois at Penn State (ESPN2) in men's college basketball at 9. San Francisco at Gonzaga in men's college basketball at 10 (ESPNU). Dallas at Utah in NBA basketball at 10:30 (TNT). UCLA at Oregon State in men's college basketball at 10:30 (Fox Sports Net). Australian Open, 3rd Round in tennis at 11 (ESPN2).
Read Me
"The fastest man on no legs": "The nicknames accentuate his otherness, as if it is important to set him apart from the rest of the field. An article published by the Berman Institute of Bioethics, at Johns Hopkins University, speculated that Pistorius may be a 'pioneer on the posthuman frontier,' whatever that might mean. For what it's worth, a South African magazine recently anointed Pistorius the country's sexiest celebrity. The artificial legs Pistorius runs on, called Flex-Foot Cheetahs and manufactured by an Icelandic company, have been a point of contention, and he has had to fight efforts to exclude him. But amputees have been running on the Cheetahs since the late 1990s. None have approached his best time, 45.07 seconds, in the 400 meters." [New York Times Magazine]
This Date In Deadspin History
Jan 19, 2011: Last Night's Winner: Al Davis, For Still Being Alive
Elsewhere
The future popularity of the MLS is secure: "David Beckham has signed a two-year contract to remain with the Los Angeles Galaxy, the team announced Wednesday afternoon.
The team has scheduled a 2 p.m. PT news conference for Thursday at Staples Center to make the formal announcement. Beckham, 36, has already played five seasons with the Galaxy and recently rejected a move to Paris Saint-Germain of the French league. Beckham, whose five-year, $32.5 million contract with the Galaxy expired on New Year's Eve, was also approached by clubs in England, Italy, Brazil and the Middle East. ‘This was an important decision for me,' Beckham said in a news release from the team. ‘I had many offers from clubs from around the world, however, I'm still passionate about playing in America and winning trophies with the Galaxy. I've seen first hand how popular soccer is now in the States and I'm as committed as ever to growing the game here. My family and I are incredibly happy and settled in America and we look forward to spending many more years here.'" [ESPN]
Vegas always wins: "An assistant coach with the Dallas Mavericks basketball team was arrested in Marina del Rey on an outstanding warrant for non-sufficient funds in Las Vegas, authorities said Wednesday night. Darrell Eugene Armstrong is wanted by the Clark County district attorney's office in connection with the case, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said in a statement. Armstrong was stopped Tuesday morning by a deputy for a traffic violation near Washington Boulevard and Via Marina Way, the department said. He was arrested and booked into the sheriff's Marina del Rey station. Armstrong was released Wednesday afternoon after posting $40,000 bail, an amount that had been set by authorities in Nevada." [LA Times]
Your German Beer Commercial Interlude:
Politicians barely do anything anyway: "At 23 years old and coming off a major elbow injury, Stephen Strasburg has yet to surpass 100 career innings in Major League Baseball. And the Washington Nationals aren't - and might not ever become - the most popular sports team in their own city. Despite those little details, GQ Magazine decided to name Strasburg among the 50 Most Powerful People in Washington, D.C. (not named Obama or Biden). The only sports figure on a list consisting mostly of politicians and their pals, Strasburg sits at No. 47, right between former senator Chris Dodd (now chairman of the Motion Picture Association of America) and Jack Quinn, a ‘megalobbyist' for the Democrats." [Big League Stew, via GQ]
The greatest random streak you probably knew nothing about is over: "The longest winning streak in college sports is over. Trinity College lost a squash match to Yale 5-4 on Wednesday, snapping a 252-match winning streak that dated back to the 1997-98 season. The Bantams are the 13-time defending national champions and were 8-0 heading into the match. Trinity officials had called this year's team the school's most inexperienced in years. The Bantams lost six starters and five All-Americans from last year's championship squad. Yale, which lost to Trinity in the last two national championship matches, features three of the nation's top 25 players." [AP]
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