Nasty Fracture



Manchester United teammates of Alan Smith walk away from the gruesome sight of his horrifically twisted and fractured lower limb.

Unfortunately, we're unable to provide exceptionally disgusting up-close photos just yet so this one will have to suffice for now: (you have to look close to see just how twisted the ankle is from the rest of the leg...)



Not only that, but Man U lost to Liverpool 1-0, to boot, knocking them out of the FA Cup and any chance of gaining any silverware this season. Pity, pity, hahaha. 85 years, Liverpool supporters waited to see this.

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Meanwhile, at St James' Park, the Magpies were able to escape with a 1-0 victory over Southampton to advance to the next round of the FA Cup, thanks in part to Kieren Dyer's return to the starting 11, in place of the injured Shearer, who had a chance to play half manager for the day:



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I suppose it qualifys as sports news when a 5'9 guy wins the NBA dunking contest. For lack of anything better to say about the NBA in any event:



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Of course, the Winter Olympics appear to be ongoing but we at Sports Amnesia are proud not to have seen a single event, save for the ultra-exciting curling event wherein a bunch of people were sweeping ice in front of some sort of iron on ice - zzzz. I mean, jaysus, Spring Training just opened up, who cares about skiing and curling and ice hockey? Figure skating, maybe, just maybe for the fit birds but there simply aren't enough of them to merit watching, not unless you're into prepubescent contortionist acts, that is:



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And as previously mentioned, yes, baseball is neigh upon us!

Pedro's Big Toe is one of the weightier matters as pitchers and catchers and a few early birds report.

Meanwhile, in Chicago and Boston, Greg Maddux and Curt Schilling are prepping on the comeback trail.

In Tucson, Ariz., the World Series champion Chicago White Sox picked Mark Buehrle to pitch opening day for the fifth straight season.

"It's nice to start opening day and then I can get my ring and enjoy it," Buehrle said. The White Sox's ring ceremony comes two days after the opener.

Buehrle has pitched more than 220 innings and made more than 30 starts for five straight seasons. The White Sox start defense of their championship against the Cleveland Indians on April 2.

How do you name your starting pitcher before seeing what's going on? What if Buehrle throws out his shoulder in his first spring training game of the season? What if they find some superstar who throws 300 mph and strikes out everyone he faces?

The first casualty of the spring was Cincinnati righty Josh Hancock, who was released by the Reds (how bad is it when the Reds release you??!) for being too fat.

Hancock, 27, missed most of last season with a groin injury suffered in spring training. Hancock and the rest of the Reds pitchers and catchers took physicals on Friday.

Manager Jerry Narron said Hancock, whose weight is listed at 207 pounds, reported 17 pounds too heavy.

"I have no clue what Josh Hancock was doing," Narron said. "As far as I know, he might have been running a marathon all winter long. He may have been throwing off the mound. But he was 17 pounds over his requested reporting weight."

Super Size me!