Graphic from NYPost.com A video showing Mets star pitcher Pedro Martinez at a cockfight in the Dominican Republican briefly surfaced online, outraging some people. Cockfighting is a popular - and legal - sport in the Dominican Republic, but it's illegal in almost all of the United States. The Post explained that Martinez and Hall of Fame pitcher Juan Marichal were "honorary 'soltadores' - the word used to describe the person who throws the animal......

More trouble for the Knicks: Captain Stephon Marbury was missing from the morning shootaround in Phoenix, where the Knicks are set to play the Suns tonight. Marbury's apparent absence comes after coach Isiah Thomas may have told him he wouldn't be starting tonight and a Daily News article suggesting that the Knicks were thinking about a Starbury-less team in the future. Coming off a bad loss in Miami where Marbury threw the ball away in......

The Giants are heading south to play Atlanta this evening and the Falcons won't have their star quarterback, after Michael Vick was caught running a dogfighting ring out of his Virginia home. It turns out that New York City might be the nation's dogfighting capital though. The New York Post reported yesterday that Bronx resident Ralph Reyes runs an unlicensed kennel out of the basement of a residential walk-up building on Valentine Ave. That's where......

Tonight we will get a good measure of exactly what the Giants are. Heading to Atlanta and facing a bad team on the road is a dangerous spot, the potential is there to underestimate your opponent and ruin your chances at an easy win. And, that is exactly what this game should be. Atlanta still hasn’t recovered from losing Michael Vick to prison in the preseason and with Joey Harrington at quarterback, they are averaging......

With unseasonable weather descending upon much of North America, schools getting ready to reconvene, and sports seasons getting exciting, it's a busy time of year for us here in the Ist-A-Verse. Luckily, even with all the things we have to do, we still managed to get together to let you know what we've all been up to. After cooling down from a hot weekend of many badass Sunset Junction Street Fair photo dispatches, LAist asked......

New York Knick Stephon Marbury spoke to Albany's Capital 9 News and expressed his support for his fellow embattled athlete, Michael Vick, who agreed to plead guilty to dogfighting charges earlier this week. Marbury said:"I think it's tough. I think, you know, we don't say anything about people who shoot deer or shoot other animals. You know, from what I hear, dog fighting is a sport. It's just behind closed doors. I think it's tough......

The AP has this great photograph of a dog named Rocky at the Atlanta Humane Society. The Humane Society explained that Rocky had a #7 Michael Vick t-shirt because the society has been taking donated Vick clothing and using them as rags and bedding. Vick, the star quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons, pleaded guilty to federal conspiracy charges related to running a dogfighting ring at his Virginia home. Vick will appear in court on......

Yankees 6, Indians 1: The Yankees played well against the soft part of their schedule and last night, against an actual playoff contender, they continued their recent winning ways (they've won 20 of the last 27 games). In his second start since returning from a May leg injury, Hughes, a key player in the future of the Yankees rotation, pitched brilliantly. He allowed only one run over 6 innings to the AL Central-leading Indians. Equally......

What is wrong with people? The director of the Mount Vernon Animal Shelter found three boxes full of kittens (63 of them!!!) on her doorstep. Paula Young believes that the kittens were used as bait during dogfighting in Westchester and possibly the Bronx. She told the Journal News, "It is impossible for one person to have all these kittens, calicos, tabbies, males and females." A few days earlier, animal shelter workers found an older......

Today on the Gothamist Newsmap: Falling debris at Court and Schermerhorn in Brooklyn, a pedestrian struck at 19th and 3rd Avenue in Manhattan and a homicide on Beach 69th Street in Queens Two men trapped in a gated Bronx grocery store during a fire yesterday actually ran into a freezer to avoid the fire; they remain in critical condition. Nike is freezing the sale of Michael Vick-related merchandise and suspending his contract without pay,......

Animal rights protesters held a rally outside the National Football League's Park Avenue headquarters yesterday to ask for quarterback Michael Vick's suspension from the league. Earlier, the Atlanta Falcons star was indicted on federal felony charges for dogfighting. Here's what the Department of Justice's press release (PDF) said:According to the indictment, the defendants were involved in an ongoing animal fighting venture based out of a property located in Smithfield, Virginia, from early 2001 through......

The Giants showed again yesterday that they are capable of a big comeback. Down 14-3, after surrendering a 90-yard run to Warrick Dunn, the defense tightened and the offense went to work and New York emerged with a 27-14 victory. As usual, the key to the comeback was Tiki Barber. Barber, who only gets better with age, had 185 yards on the ground and another 42 receiving. Eli Manning recovered from two first quarter interceptions......

The Giant defense woke up last week, holding Washington to only three points. They will need a similar performance this week against Michael Vick and the Atlanta Falcons. While many knock Vick for his lack of passing ability, he is incredibly dangerous when pressured, escaping the rush and creating big gains with his legs. The Giants defensive ends will need to “stay home” to make sure he doesn't leave the pocket. Defensively, Atlanta is very......

The NFL announced the rosters for the Pro Bowl on Wednesday and six local players made it. Michael Strahan, Osi Umenyiora, Tiki Barber, Jeremy Shockey and David Tyree will represent the Giants while Ty Law will represent the Jets. Tiki will be joined on the NFC team by his brother, Ronde. While Peyton Manning has made the AFC team, Eli Manning was chosen as the infamous “third alternate” for the NFC team. However, considering the......

No, they didn't get a new stadium deal. No, they didn't win. But...next week, the Jets don't have a game. That means they won't have a chance to lose a game or have a chance to get injured. With their luck though, Brooks Bollinger will drop a can of Chunky Soup on his foot. Last night's ugly 27-14 loss to the Falcons, dropping the Jets to 2-6, featured four (!!) turnovers by Vinny Testaverde before......