Tulowitzki has rocked the mullet on the diamond before, but thanks to the Colorado Rockies Instagram account, a snapshot of the shortstop’s childhood was released. That same, awful haircut somehow looks downright adorable on a smiling, tie-wearing, posing little kid. The only thing that is hard to look past is the two-toned hair color, which thankfully didn’t make it to the big leagues.

Check out the shortstop’s business-in-the-front, party-in-the-back flow below.

Photo via Twitter/@Deadspin

The Penguins’ star hasn’t played since March 30, when he took a puck to the mouth and underwent major surgery, but according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Crosby is expected to seek medical clearance Thursday or Friday to get back on the ice.

If he gets the green light, he will most likely resume practicing and be ready for the opening round of the playoffs. The Penguins have already clinched the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference and will open at home next week.

Crosby is expected to wear a plastic shield when he returns to action to protect his jaw, which was fractured in several places.

Crosby had all but locked down the NHL scoring title before the injury, and it took until Wednesday night for Martin St. Louis to overtake the lead with 58 points. Crosby, even after missing a significant amount of games, is tied for second with 56.

Barry Sanders beat Adrian Peterson of the Minnesota Vikings to win the Madden 25 NFL cover honors. The Hall of Fame running back garnered 58 percent of the 700,000 votes cast to beat out the 2012 NFL Most Valuable Player.

“I am shocked, excited, humbled, elated,” Sanders tweeted. “I am also proud to be the Madden 25 cover athlete. The voter turnout in this program has been remarkable. And the fact that I won is pretty sweet, but very surprising and amazing.”

With 32 retired players and 32 current players making up a 64-player bracket, EA Sports had fans vote on who they wanted to see on the cover of their beloved game. Sanders’ path to victory wasn’t easy, as he had to beat out Joe Montana and Jerry Rice to reach the finals with Peterson.

With Sanders representing this year’s winner and wide receiver Calvin Johnson getting the nod in 2012, the Detroit Lions are the first team ever to boast back-to-back covers.

Sanders’ partnership with EA Sports is nothing new, however. The 44-year-old has attended and participated in many events for the company. Earlier this year, he took part in the Madden Bowl in New Orleans to talk football, which you can see in the video below.

Thumbnail photo via Twitter/@EAMaddenNFL

“I follow the Dalai Lama, I follow a couple of other people,” World Peace said Tuesday. “I haven’t gotten a direct message from the Dalai. I sent him a few direct messages, but he didn’t respond. I guess he’s too good for Metta World Peace.”

World Peace wasn’t being modest — probably because that word isn’t in his vocabulary — when he said he only follows a “couple” people. He follows four accounts on the social media site, and Bryant doesn’t even make the cut. But that didn’t stop World Peace from raving about Bryant’s controversial live-tweeting of Game 1.

“I love when Kobe tweets,” World Peace said. “Kobe should tweet Game 2 the whole time, every possession, critique us, criticize us, chew us out. … I love Kobe. Kobe’s great.”

Just not so great that he’s worthy of a follow.

Bryant’s outspoken comments on Twitter about his team’s first game of the playoffs garnered a hefty amount of attention, but don’t think for one second that Kobe is stepping into World Peace’s role of troublemaker and instigator.

“I’m a distraction,” World Peace said. “I’m much more of a distraction than Kobe.”

After falling to the Spurs 102-91 on Wednesday night, the Lakers find themselves down two games to San Antonio, and, at this point, it may take a Dalai Lama follow on Twitter to turn things around for Los Angeles.

Stackhouse, who has showcased his vocal abilities before, sang an impressive rendition of the national anthem. The 6-foot-6 Nets forward pumped up Brooklyn with his pregame festivities and proved once again that his skills extend far past what the 38-year-old can do on the court.

Watch Stackhouse belt out “The Star-Spangled Banner” below.

Stackhouse’s attempt at the “The Star-Spangled Banner” was much more successful than the most infamous athlete to try the national anthem before a Nets game.

After writing “Pray for Boston” on his skates before Phoenix took on the Sharks on Monday night, Yandle is continuing to honor the place he calls home. Prior to tonight’s matchup with the Blackhawks, Yandle wore a sweater during warmups to honor 8-year-old Martin Richard, who was killed in the bombings.

Check out Yandle’s amazing gesture below.

Keith Yandle is wearing this sweater for warmups tonight to honor 8-year-old Boston Marathon victim Martin Richard http://t.co/c3syzs11F8

—
Phoenix Coyotes (@phoenixcoyotes) April 21, 2013

#Coyotes D Keith Yandle wearing Martin Richard jersey in warm up at United Center. #BostonStrong http://t.co/hm0eoRTgje

—
Rich Nairn (@RichNairn9) April 21, 2013

The support doesn’t end there, however, as the Coyotes and Blackhawks will sign Yandle’s warmup jersey and auction it off for charity.

FYI- The @phoenixcoyotes and @NHLBlackhawks will autograph Keith Yandle's special warm-up sweater and it will be auctioned for charity.

—
Phoenix Coyotes (@phoenixcoyotes) April 21, 2013

Before Saturday’s matchup between New Jersey and Florida, the Devils honored Boston during the national anthem. Four singers were on the ice with each one representing the four teams of the city. With an electronic banner reading “Jersey Stands With Boston” behind the Bruins, Celtics, Patriots and Red Sox singers, the emotional anthem was underway.

@NHLDevils Anthem tribute to #BostonStrong and @NHLBruins @patriots @redsox @celtics http://t.co/8iaASXHkOv

—
Rich Krezwick (@RichKrezwick) April 20, 2013

The tribute didn’t end there, however. After defeating the Panthers 6-2, New Jersey celebrated the win–and Boston–by playing the iconic Boston anthem “Dirty Water.”

"Dirty Water" the victory celebrating music for Devils today -- another nod to Boston.

—
Tom Gulitti (@TGfireandice) April 20, 2013

During Saturday’s spring game, five UMass football players wore jerseys to honor the victims of the Boston Marathon tragedy. In place of their own last names on the back of their jerseys, Stanley Andre, Klyssman Alfonso, Brandon Howard, Randall Jette and Rob Branchflower donned the names of the four victims, with the fifth jersey bearing the symbolic “Boston Strong.”

Check out the jerseys commemorating Martin Richard, Krystle Campbell, Lu Lingzi and Sean Collier below.

Photo via Twitter/@UMassAthletics

In Ortiz’s first game back, he thanked the city and law enforcement, and also dropped the f-bomb stating, “This is our [expletive] city.” Red Sox nation didn’t seem to have a problem with the sentiment, and neither did the Federal Communications Commission.

Julius Genachowski, the chairman of the FCC, tweeted from the certified FCC Twitter account that they, “stand with Big Papi and the people of Boston.”

Score another point for the good guys. Check out the full tweet below.

David Ortiz spoke from the heart at today's Red Sox game. I stand with Big Papi and the people of Boston - Julius

—
The FCC (@FCC) April 20, 2013

LeBron James, Lindsey Vonn, Mario Balotelli and Li Na are all featured in this year’s list. Vonn, listed in the icon section, has recently made headlines more for dating Tiger Woods than for any of her own personal accomplishments, but the Olympic gold medalist remains one of the more predominant faces of women in sports — even as she recovers from a knee injury.

Derek Jeter wrote James’ section and attributed the All-Star’s work ethic and intensity to the success he has achieved so far in his career.

“Whether his team is up 20 or down 20, LeBron is playing like it’s Game 7 of the NBA Finals,” Jeter writes.

Li, a Chinese tennis star, and Balotelli, an Italian soccer star, represent the international athletes on the list. Li took on the Chinese Tennis Association in 2008 and urged it to give players more independence, allowing them to keep more of their earnings. In 2011, Li became the first Asian-born player to win a Grand Slam singles tournament.

Balotelli has made waves in the soccer world, as the 22-year-old continues to prove he has what it takes to be one of the best.

“Mario has all the qualities to be a top player: power and athleticism, alongside a good understanding of the game — all positive,” said former Italy star Gianfranco Zola in the magazine.

The issue hits newsstands on Friday.

Ray Allen

When he was with the Celtics, Allen went to the marathon several times as his mother has run it three times and his wife has completed it twice. On Wednesday, the NBA star told reporters there was no doubt in his mind where he would have been had he not signed with Miami in the offseason.

“We would have been sitting at the finish line, me and my whole family, waiting on my mom and my wife. … They would have been running if we were in Boston,” Allen said. “So that presented some anxiety when I thought about it.”

His anxiety wasn’t limited to what could have been, however, as Allen has personal ties with many victims of the attack.

“We have a family friend that was there, that ran the marathon, and she’s in intensive care now because she lost her leg,” Allen said Wednesday night before the Heat game. “A good friend of mine, one of the managers of his restaurant, the 29-year-old [Krystle Campbell] that was killed, was his manager. And his assistant chef, I don’t know if he said he lost both his legs or one, but he got hit pretty hard and he’s dealing with that now.”

Allen spoke to his friend Patrick Lyons, the owner of the restaurant Campbell managed, and suggested that he run the race in her honor next year.

“I told him next year, it’s going to be a great thing for you to run for her,” Allen said. “I believe when he thought about it, that’s a pretty good idea. I’d imagine next year, the number of people running the marathon will double.”

Prior to their game Wednesday night, the Heat paid their respects to Boston by presenting the marathon logo on their scoreboards and displaying the American flag over midcourt for a moment of silence.

With two outs, Dustin Ackley smacked a double into right field, and Justin Smoak didn’t hesitate to attempt to score the potential tying run from first. But Prince Fielder’s relay throw to Pena was on the money, and the 5-foot-9 catcher braced for the nasty collision with the 6-foot-4 first basemen to come away with the final out and the victory.

Lying face down and looking stunned, Pena held up the ball as proof that the Tigers hung on — literally — to beat Seattle 2-1. Check out the painful final play that ended the lengthy contest below.

During the first inning of the Los Angeles-Arizona game, Diamondbacks owner Ken Kendrick asked–well, forced–fans in the suite to change out of their Dodgers gear or else change seats. Ushers soon came along with D-backs shirts and caps, which the fans changed into in order to keep their coveted spot behind the catcher.

Deadspin contacted the team for an explanation of what happened and the Diamondbacks responded:

Dodgers’ fans may have lost the battle, and the game, but they did at least go home with some new maroon and gold attire.

The two schools, which are located less than 10 miles apart, faced each other three times this season with Quinnipiac coming out on top each meeting, and outscoring the Bulldogs 13-3. On Saturday night in Pittsburgh, Pa., however, Yale was finally able to best their conference foe.

After a scoreless first period full of physical play and plenty of scoring chances, Yale got on the board with 3.5 seconds remaining in the second when Clinton Bourbonais deflected the puck five-hole to put Yale ahead. The Bulldogs extended their lead early in the third period when freshman forward Charles Orzetti found the back of the net and senior captain Andrew Miller continued the offensive explosion as he scored on a breakaway.

Junior Jesse Root added an empty netter with 6:58 remaining to secure the victory over the tournament’s top seed. Jeff Malcom recorded 36 saves on the night to capture the shutout.

The victory marks the first NCAA hockey title in school history for Yale.

Photo via Twitter/@TK2997

Major League Baseball announced Friday night that Padres outfielder Carlos Quentin will be suspended for eight games for his role in the fight that broke Zack Greinke’s collarbone and could sideline the pitcher for up to eight weeks.

The league also announced that Dodgers infielder Jerry Hairston Jr. will be suspended for one game. Matt Kemp will not have to miss any games for his altercation with Quentin after the game.

Both players plan on appealing their punishments however, and are playing Friday night.

BREAKING: @Padres OF Carlos Quentin suspended 8 games, @Dodgers INF Jerry Hairston Jr. suspended 1 game for Thursday's fracas.

—
  (@MLB) April 13, 2013

A CT scan on the right-hander’s left collarbone revealed he will need surgery, according to ESPN. Greinke suffered the injury in Thursday night’s bench-clearing brawl with San Diego. Padres outfielder Carlos Quentin took exception to getting hit by a pitch and tackled Greinke to the ground, with the dugouts emptying shortly after.

“He should not play a game until Greinke can pitch,” Don Mattingly said about Quentin after the game. “If he plays before Greinke pitches, something is wrong. Their guy charges the mound being an idiot and our guy is going to be out for however long and their guy is probably going to be playing in three days. It’s a joke.”

As Quentin charged the mound, Greinke lowered his non-throwing shoulder into the outfielder and absorbed most of the hit. Early reports have pegged Quentin’s suspension at eight games.

The 14-year-old was given a one-stroke penalty for slow play at the 17th hole — a penalty that hasn’t been handed out on a PGA Tour since 1995 — and is now dangerously close to the cut line.

Tianlang’s impressive play has been a major storyline during the first two days of the Masters, and some of his newest fans — including some notable athletes — took to Twitter to express their views on the controversial ruling. Check out some of their reactions below.

Many of the golfers participate in the short course at Augusta with friends and family members donning the white boiler suit for a day, but Rory McIlroy opted to use girlfriend and tennis star, Caroline Wozniacki as his caddie.

The power couple probably broke some club rules as they were photographed kissing and snuggling throughout the event, but the former No.1 ranked women’s tennis player got her chance to shine on the green as McIlroy let her hit his tee shot on the ninth hole. Her swing, which she proved is better suited for tennis, unfortunately saw her shot find the water instead of the green.

Ted Potter Jr. went on to to claim the victory, but the winner of the contest has never gone on to win The Masters the same year. As part of the penultimate group, McIlroy is paired with Keegan Bradley and Fredrik Jacobson in the opening two rounds of play, slated to tee off at 1:41 p.m. ET.  J.P. Fitzgerald will resume his normal caddie duties for McIlroy while Wozniacki will cheer from the sidelines.

Click here for pictures of McIlroy and Wozniacki at the Par 3 contest>>

Jeremy Lin

Lin was named first-team All-State and Northern California Division II Player of the Year during his senior year when he led his team to a state title, yet no schools were pursuing the 6-foot-3 point guard. In an interview with 60 Minutes that will air on Sunday, the man responsible for “Linsanity” discussed his honest theories as to why he wasn’t recruited by major colleges.

“I think the obvious thing in my mind is that I was an Asian-American,” Lin told Charlie Rose. “Which is a whole different issue, but I think that was a barrier.”

Lin has made comments to this effect before, but for the first time NBA commissioner David Stern expressed similar sentiments. Stern, also interviewed by Rose, said race may have been a factor in why Lin went undrafted in 2010 after a standout career at Harvard.

“I think in the true sense, the answer to that is yes,” Stern said. “In terms of looking at somebody … I don’t know whether he was discriminated against because he was at Harvard, or because he was Asian.”

If it was a barrier, it’s one that Lin has certainly overcome in his career. Lin proved himself in the NBA Summer League and signed with the Golden State Warriors in 2010. Although he was waived by the Warriors and later the Rockets, Lin signed with the Knicks in December 2011 and went on to an historic two-month run with the Knicks later that season.

After signing a three-year, $25 million deal with Houston in the offseason, Lin is averaging 13.1 points, 6.1 assists and 3.0 rebounds for the Rockets, who are on track to clinch a spot in the playoffs for the first time since 2009.

For most of Friday night’s matchup, the No. 9 seed Shockers were in control and looked poised to come away with yet another upset. Leading by double digits with 13 minutes to play, it seemed unlikely that the No. 1 seed was going to be able to pull this one off.

Cue the Lousiville bench.

Luke Hancock, a junior forward, came off the bench and sparked his team with 20 points.  Walk-on Tim Henderson, who saw increased playing time because of the injury to Kevin Ware, nailed a couple of clutch threes down the stretch to bring the Cardinals back into the game. Ware watched from the bench.

The Shockers began to unravel late in the second when they committed five turnovers in seven possessions — after going more than 26 minutes without turning the ball over. With 4:47 remaining, the Shockers saw their last lead of the night slip away as Russ Smith, who led the Cardinals with 21 points, took it in for an easy layup after a steal. Wichita State pulled within two with 22 seconds left, but the Shockers were forced to foul and Smith and Hancock both sank their free throws for the Cardinals.

Louisville will face the winner of the Syracuse-Michigan game for the national title on Monday night.