chrisballard Page ; - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights
Twitter Action Jackson won’t back down anytime soon
Lamar Jackson is the NFL’s Shohei Ohtani. If this were Major League Baseball, he’d be demanding starting quarterback and starting veteran running back money, and some owner would oblige and airdrop whatever he demanded. Not only is the Baltimore Ravens’ one-man show on offense, but he’s also his own...
Bronny James will have to speak for himself — eventually
You’ve known about him for years. You’ve read about how he’s worth millions via NIL. And you’ve seen his highlights. But, have you actually heard him speak? Probably not. And more than likely that trend will continue on Tuesday night when Bronny James takes part in the 2023 McDonald’s All-American G...
Ex-Gators QB Anthony Richardson deserves all the pre-draft hype he's getting
It seems like with every mock draft, pundits’ opinions of certain prospects change. For practically the entirety of the 2022 NFL and college football seasons, the consensus top-three quarterbacks in the 2023 class were Alabama’s Bryce Young, Kentucky’s Will Levis, and Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud. Flori...
The Indianapolis Colts community rallies to be rid of Jeff Saturday
I like to say that we over here at Deadspin started the unofficial petition to prevent Jeff Saturday from becoming the next full-time head coach of the Indianapolis Colts. The backlash to Saturday getting the nod over many qualified candidates who have —get this — coached football before, was so lar...
Chris Ballard, Paul Riley blame cancel culture for self-manufactured problems
There’s an increasing trend of people in power, mostly white men, using cancel culture as a rallying cry to garner support for whatever their cause may be. Indianapolis Colts GM Chris Ballard said he didn’t want to be “canceled” because he “failed” the organization, and banned NWSL coach Paul Riley ...
Chris Ballard ruined the Colts, not Alec Pierce
During the Colts’ Monday press conference announcing former All-Pro center Jeff Saturday as their interim head coach, GM Chris Ballard expressed dissatisfaction with several parts of the team, particularly the offensive line....
Jim Irsay is some kinda vibes
I guess if you were sentenced to hang out with one NFL owner, Jim Irsay might be atop the list. He at least has an identifiable love of music, which gives him something in common with most other people. We have no idea what most owners do for fun, aside from probably making their gardeners fight to ...
AFC South Preview: It’s all about Indy
Logical outcome: The last few years have been a song of Matty Ice and Fire. He’s either an MVP-caliber passer or he’s a borderline starter watching defenders react faster while he gets slower. For the first time in Ryan’s career, he’ll share the backfield with an All-Pro-caliber running back, which ...
LeBron is manipulating the media for his sons' sake
LeBron is promoting the hell out of his newest passion project. It’s not a Spring Hill-Warner Bros. production, but it is the most personal aspect of his investment portfolio. For Sports Illustrated’s Daily Cover story on Tuesday, LeBron, flanked by his sons Bronny and Bryce, spoke to Chris Ballard,...
The Colts were a trendy Super Bowl pick last season, this season they want to be a favorite
The Indianapolis Colts were certainly not thrilled with the way that their 2021 season ended. It started in disappointing fashion by losing their first three games. They improved, but still lost twice to division rival Tennessee Titans, including a heartbreaker at home — 34-31 in overtime. Then the ...
Colts GM Chris Ballard Is Mad
Indianapolis Colts general manager Chris Ballard had to face the media today and talk about the fact that Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels decided to back out of his agreement to be the Colts’ next coach. Ballard’s press conference was delivered in the tone of a person talking themselve...
The Birth Of The Magical 1971 Macon High Ironmen, Baseball's Version Of <em>Hoosiers</em>
Despite—or perhaps because of—their ragtag roster and hippie manager, the 1971 Macon High Ironmen found themselves in the Illinois state baseball championship. Chris Ballard first chronicled the team in a long piece for SI in 2010, and he's explored them in even more depth in One Shot at Forever. In...
Live Chat With Chris Ballard
Chris is in the comments below. Suggested topics for discussion: what Steve Kerr wrote on his shoes; LeBron's actual weight; Reggie Miller's portable massage tool; where to get a run in South Dakota; mushroom prospecting; that other basketball book....
Book Excerpts That Don't Suck: <em>The Art Of A Beautiful Game</em>
Today's comes from Sports Illustrated's ever-excellent Chris Ballard, author of The Art of a Beautiful Game: The Thinking Fan's Tour of the NBA. Here's Chris on Kobe Bryant, basketball nerd. Chat with him at 1 p.m. in a followup post....