Big Shots

Big Shots for January 26, 2012

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 21:34:31 GMT

This week in Big Shots Zdeno Chara squishes hockey players like bugs, Luke Donald wanders really far off the fairway, and Steven Tyler wins a Joan Rivers lookalike contest. Meanwhile, upcoming posts here will include the Australian Open tennis championships and the African Cup of Nations soccer tournament. ( 32 photos total)

Luke Donald, the world's number one golfer, misses the green by a mile as he plays from amongst the 250ft high sand dunes in Abu Dhabi's Liwa Desert at the entrance to Rub Al Khali (The Empty Quarter) at the Abu Dhabi Golf Club on January 24, 2012 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (David Cannon/Getty Images)

Big Shots for January 20, 2012

Fri, 20 Jan 2012 17:15:53 GMT

Do surfers know what shape a circle is? Best not to ask as Big Shots travels the globe to find the best sports photographs of the week. Elsewhere, cricketers abandon ship, Yao Ming asks the Shanghai legislature for a painted area, and we learn that English soccer referees don't care that it's impolite to point. ( 39 photos total)

Masaki Ito of Japan has decided to hold his breath until you let him have a cookie before dinner during the gymnastics trampoline Olympic qualification round at North Greenwich Arena on January 13, 2012 in London. (Ian Walton/Getty Images)

Big Shots for January 4, 2012

Wed, 04 Jan 2012 22:40:02 GMT

This week Big Shots dons our lederhosen in the Alps for the Four Hills ski jumping tournament, gets our beers spilled courtside as the NBA returns to action, and wonders if a winter swimmer in Harbin, China ever came up for air. Check out The Big Picture next week for an in-depth look at the Dakar Rally in progress now in South America. ( 32 photos total)

New York Knicks fan Freddy Klein, who has had Knicks seats for 52 years, waits for the Knicks' NBA basketball game against the Boston Celtics to start at Madison Square Garden on Dec. 25, 2011. (Kathy Willens/AP)

Big Shots for December 23, 2011

Fri, 23 Dec 2011 22:10:36 GMT

This week in Big Shots we watch the Three Stooges in action in a Europa League soccer match, we notice that even royal monarchs have hairy bellies, and we keep our distance from Belgian cyclocrossers until they've bathed. We also notice that bobsleigh driver Paula Walker has patriotic lips, that distance runner Alia Saeed's hands are minty fresh, and that footballer Kyriakos Papadopoulos's tongue is several feet long. We're thankful for these holiday gifts. ( 34 photos total)

Roman Koudelka of the Czech Republic soars through the air during large hill ski jumping World Cup in Engelberg, Switzerland on December 17, 2011. (Michael Buholzer/Reuters)

Big Shots for December 14, 2011

Wed, 14 Dec 2011 20:59:19 GMT

This week Big Shots travels to Doha for the Arab Games, Oahu for the Billabong Pipe Masters surfing competition, and Fremantle for the World Sailing Championships. Shanghai hosts the World Short Track Speed Skating Championships, Whistler hosts a luge World Cup event, and Las Vegas hosts the National Finals Rodeo. And after a long lockout, basketball players are back in camp preparing for the upcoming NBA season. ( 34 photos total)

Kalani Chapman walks her surf board on its leash at the Billabong Pipe Masters on December 9, 2011 in Oahu. (Kirstin Scholtz/The Association of Surfing Professionals/AP)

Big Shots for December 7, 2011

Wed, 07 Dec 2011 18:01:59 GMT

This week Big Shots learns Tiger Woods has powers of levitation, Boise State football players should cut back on the pre-game beans, and basketball coach Bob Huggins likes Dirty Dancing. While these are things we didn't really want to know, the sports world continues to share a wealth of knowledge. We also visit Hawaii for the Eddie Aikau Big Wave Invitational, Switzerland for some rock skiing, and Shanghai for a traffic-stopping marathon.

Big Shots for November 29, 2011

Tue, 29 Nov 2011 22:52:30 GMT

This week in Big Shots we learn of new uses for rock skis in Austria, try not to think about all that gold body paint on Mr. Hyderabad in India, and giggle when pronouncing "snooker" at the World Snooker Championship in Bangalore. ( 35 photos total)

A course official hops in front of a caddy on the fairway of the 13th hole during the first round of the Australian PGA golf championship in Coolum, Australia on November 24, 2011. (Tertius Pickard/AP)

Big Shots for November 23, 2011

Wed, 23 Nov 2011 22:38:08 GMT

This week Big Shots joins the mushers at the European sled dog championships in Slovenia, pulls trucks around India whilst wearing roller blades for some reason, and gets a whiff of something funky at a mixed martial arts tournament in California. There are also sports pictures. No turkeys were harmed during the production of this blog.

Big Shots for November 2, 2011

Wed, 02 Nov 2011 18:16:54 GMT

This week Big Shots brings you a photograph of David Beckham actually wearing a shirt. No, really. Other rarities include Lance Armstrong without a bike, snowboarders in London, and Texas fans watching TV and eating chicken wings. Wait, that last bit isn't rare at all, but there needs to some constants in this ever-changing sports world. Check out The Big Picture tomorrow for a wrap-up of the PanAm games in Guadalajara, Mexico.

Rugby World Cup 2011

Wed, 26 Oct 2011 15:33:41 GMT

New Zealand was a selfish host as the All Blacks won the Rugby World Cup in their own land, beating France in a low-scoring but tense final. Passionate fans animated the proceedings throughout the tournament, which saw 20 teams vie for the Web Ellis Cup. New Zealand won its second World Cup, triumphing again after winning the first World Cup in 1987.

Big Shots for September 22, 2011

Thu, 22 Sep 2011 16:50:12 GMT

This week we learn that Sir Alex Ferguson talks to a cartoon figurehead (no, not the Queen), men aren't allowed to watch soccer in Turkey, and chickens can enter camel races. Victor Ortiz learns that leading with his face is a marginal boxing strategy. We also learn, too late, that watching the Nude Blacks rugby club burns painful images into our retinas. There's also mountain biking in Pakistan, triathlon in Japan, and the UCI World Championships in cycling in Copenhagen. Big Shots will not publish next week, but will return October 6.

Big Shots for September 13, 2011

Tue, 13 Sep 2011 22:48:53 GMT

After too long a layoff, Big Shots is back for the Rugby World Cup in Auckland, the America's Cup in Plymouth, England, and the elephant polo King's Cup in Hua Hin, Thailand. That's more than enough to raise your cups to, but we also paint flags on sheep in Denedin, New Zealand, and fight over their carcasses in Guiyang, China. We take in the annual Palio horse race in Sienna, Italy, the USA Pro Cycling Challenge in Colorado, and traditional boat racing on the River Brahmaputra in Suwalkuchi, India. As usual, there's much more.

The NHL Final

Thu, 16 Jun 2011 22:42:14 GMT

The Boston Bruins captured their first Stanley Cup in 39 years after beating the Vancouver Canucks 4-0 in Game 7 of the NHL Finals in Vancouver. Over the seven-game series, the Bruins outscored their opponents 23-8, losing close games in Vancouver, and blowing out the Canucks in Boston. The Bruins finally won in Vancouver, setting off celebrations back in Boston, and riots in Vancouver.

Big Shots for April 13, 2011

Wed, 13 Apr 2011 20:03:35 GMT

Pillow fights, black eyes, and champagne baths highlight this week's Big Shots. If you're searching for the Cricket World Cup, I've got one picture in here for you, but handled the event over at The Big Picture on April 4. Click the link below to have a look.

March Madness 2011

Wed, 06 Apr 2011 17:33:51 GMT

There were so many surprises in the men's bracket of the NCAA basketball tournament that almost nobody can claim they picked every Final Four team. Not a single top seed survived, and Virginia Commonwealth University survived a four-team play-in tournament just to make the field of 64 teams, and then battled all the way to Houston. For such an intriguing tournament, the championship game was a dud, with Butler back to lose again for the second straight year, this time setting a record for bad shooting. The women's bracket produced a breath of fresh air, with powerhouses like Stanford, Connecticut, and Tennessee all kept out of the championship game.