jonmhoefling Page 27 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

Thursday Night Football, Week 8: Injuries and COVID — it’s beginning to feel like 2020 again
Thursday Night Football has a reputation for being underwhelming. Just look at the seven Thursday games we’ve had thus far this season. Only two were really enticing matchups: Week 1's Cowboys-Bucs and Week 5's Rams-Seahawks. Luckily, in Week 8, we get another thrilling matchup between the 7-0 Arizo...

The Cleveland Guardians name situation keeps getting uglier
The team formerly known as the Cleveland Indians is being sued over their non-rights to the name “Cleveland Guardians.” The Cleveland Guardians moniker is already trademarked by a roller derby team located in Parma, one of the suburbs of Cleveland. However, that hasn’t stopped Cleveland’s MLB franch...

Imagine if Terry McLaurin had someone better than Taylor Heinecke
Washington Football Team wide receiver Terry McLaurin is having a very good season, probably the best of his three-year career. Scary Terry is on pace to surpass his career-best marks in yards per game (78.6) and touchdowns (on pace for 9.7), and he’s doing all of this while having Taylor Heinicke t...

MLB Rebuilding in 2021: Totally luck out, and just find a great international player
Where would the Braves be without Ozzie Albies and Ronald Acuña Jr.? Where would the Padres be without Fernando Tatís Jr.? What about the Astros with Carlos Correa, José Altuve, Yuli Gurriel, and Yordan Álvarez?...

Someone please explain San Jose’s hot start for me
I know it’s early, but how in the world are the San Jose Sharks 4-0? There is nothing about this team that jumps off the page when you look at their roster. In fact, their roster looks filled to the brim with huge, unfulfilling contracts attached to players way past their prime, unproven youngsters,...

SEE IT: Caleb Williams converts on 4th down on unprecedented 'strip' of own player
With Oklahoma up just five in the fourth quarter, coach Lincoln Riley decided to play aggressively, keeping the offense on the field for a 4th-and-1 on OU’s 46-yard line. The Sooners’ defense had been pecked apart (buh-dum-tss) in the second half, and the Jayhawks’ last drive prior to this play saw ...

We get it, Martellus Bennett: <em>Oooooh, </em>you’re really tough!
You know that kid in high school who could eat any spicy food, no matter how hot? They would go around gobbling ghost peppers, Carolina Reapers, or packets of “Fire” hot sauce from Taco Bell, one right after the other, just to prove they were tougher than everybody else. Then, when they asked other ...

Hear me out: Relax… Melvin Gordon should <em>still</em> be a thing in Denver’s offense
The Denver Broncos got embarrassed last night. The Broncos — who started the season 3-0, might I remind you — lost to the Browns’ practice squad offense. Yeah, I know Cleveland’s defense is solid, but come on. Case Keenum? D’Ernest Johnson? Those guys beat you?...

NFL Week 7: Chiefs take on Titans aaaand…
If you’re not a fantasy football player, you might want to avert your eyes on Sunday, because there isn’t a single matchup that really jumps off the page at you. In fact, there is only one game set to take place between two teams with winning records: Cincinnati (4-2) at Baltimore (5-1), but Cincinn...

Joey Gallo is this generation’s Adam Dunn
Nothing against him, but New York Yankees outfielder Joey Gallo is irrelevant in Major League Baseball right this second. His team isn’t in the playoffs. He’s never played for any of the teams involved in either Championship Series. He’s at home watching the games from his couch, the same as you and...

The Vikings are, in fact, <em>NOT</em> 'chokers'
What is choking? Choking is the belief that a certain team or player cannot hold a lead. They cannot win close games, and almost anytime a win is being handed to them on a silver platter, they cannot finish their opponents off. ...

Turns out Jamal Adams wasn’t saying HE was the best in the nation
The most recent Sunday Night Football matchup featured the Russell Wilson-less Seahawks taking on the Pittsburgh Steelers at Heinz Field. The game itself was nothing special as the Steelers managed to squeak by the injury-riddled Seahawks 23-20 in overtime. Aside from the weird fumble play that happ...

KAT’s new icky pre-game ritual has Harambe rolling in his grave
Well, that’s one way to get your head in the game. Earlier today, Minnesota Timberwolves’ center Karl-Anthony Towns said his new pregame ritual to get him pumped up before games is to watch videos of gorillas… fighting to the death?! ...

Bret Bielema offers us a crash course in 'How to Lose your Locker Room' 101
Most people will tell you that one of the keys to any good relationship is honesty. Honesty builds trust. Trust builds connection. Connection builds loyalty. When it comes to being a football coach though, maybe honesty isn’t the route you should always take. ...

If anybody in the Pacific is going to disappoint, it’s Golden State
We here at Deadspin sometimes have differing opinions. That might be hard to believe, but it’s true, and as we get closer to the start of the NBA season, many of us have conflicting ideas on how the season will play out. For example, my co-worker Criss Partee believes that with a healthy Klay Thomps...

Kliff, Cards contract COVID ahead of contest with Cleveland
COVID has claimed another name in the NFL, but this time it’s not a player, it’s a frontrunner for Coach of the Year: Arizona’s Kliff Kingsbury....

Eagles ship Zach Ertz to the Cards… but how much can he help?
Earlier today, the Cardinals continued to build their 2017 Pro Bowl squad by adding three-time Pro Bowler Zach Ertz to their roster. A.J. Green, J.J. Watt, and now Ertz? My goodness! Imagine if Larry Fitzgerald wanted to keep playing, 20-year-old me would be going absolutely nuts right now. ...

Just like that, Bellinger earns redemption for his .165 average
During the recent Major League Baseball regular season, many fans praised the Dodgers for putting together a lineup with zero holes. In reality, 2019's National League MVP Cody Bellinger was a giant, dinosaur-killing crater in the middle of the Dodgers’ lineup....

NFL Week 6: Chargers and Cardinals each try to prove they’re the best team in the league
There is a void at the top of the NFL right now. With Kansas City sputtering at 2-3 and failing to keep opponents from scoring more than 25 every single week, the power has shifted. Nobody knows who the top dog is anymore, and every team that had become so used to playing second or third fiddle to t...

The Dodgers are pulling a page out of Tampa Bay’s playbook — opting for an opener in Game 5
With both the Giants and Dodgers facing elimination tonight, both teams need to put their best foot forward. The Giants are throwing Logan Webb, who also started Game 1 of this series, going 7.2 innings allowing just five hits, walking none, and striking out 10 (tied for his season high). Webb is 7-...