seanebeckwith Page 37 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

Decoldest Crawford is here to help beat to summer heat
As much as I want to yell at colleges, “This is your responsibility!” every time a student-athlete gets a NIL deal, I occasionally get distracted by how perfect the partnership is. Whether it’s an unheralded Kansas fullback turning a game-winning two-point conversion into an Applebee’s eating spree,...

Vaxxed, unvaxxed, going to be vaxxed — it doesn’t matter anymore to the Yankees (or any team really)
Whatever wink, wink, nod, nod, jab, jab agreement Andrew Benintendi has with the Yankees, his vaccination status wasn’t discussed in the trade talks that ended with him in pinstripes, if the verified tweeters are to be believed. Other verifieds are alleging that the left fielder is willing to get th...

NFL training camps are open and the leadership porn is sizzling
One of the more annoying things in life is when a person thinks a job title denotes leadership. Whether it’s newly-promoted assistant manager Greg trying to rally the staff during the lunch rush at Jimmy John’s, a CEO expecting underlings to laugh at all his jokes, or quarterbacks buying their offen...

BIG Conference needs to ask itself some BIG questions before proceeding
College football is changing faster than it can handle. There are no playbooks or 100-level courses for what’s next in the sport. It feels like when I took a journalism business class after the Recession, and the professor was asking the students for suggestions. ...

Bronny James might be in for a gap year if the NBA age limit isn’t lowered
The biggest hurdle Bronny James will have to clear to make the NBA might be one that his dad can’t boost him over. Partially lost in NBA commissioner Adam Silver’s many comments during the summer league a couple of weeks ago was his support for lowering the age limit from 19 to 18, something that ne...

Our Conference Mock Draft: Big 12 Edition
Nostalgia doesn’t fix everything. Looking at a photo of your ex won’t bring them back. They’re likely off with Claude, galavanting around the South of France....

Karl-Anthony Towns saying ‘championship or bust’ was more for his teammates than the media
It’s always a good idea to consider all answers when an athlete opts to give a boneheaded response to a reporter. In some instances, the player goes off the rails on their own volition. In other cases, it’s a lose-lose situation, and Karl-Anthony Towns is forced to pick between getting scorched by t...

The CFBPA is not a union, but it’s making demands like one
It appears the jig is up — as if it hasn’t been for some time — and it’s clear there’s actually enough money to pay student-athletes. The thing about alleged educational institutions unapologetically trampling tradition en route to exorbitant TV deals is people notice....

Red Sox gave up how many to Toronto, and Raimel Tapia did what?
There was a lot to be ashamed of from a Red Sox point of view Friday night. Allowing a single-game franchise record 28 runs to the Blue Jays, who set the Toronto single-game scoring output mark, is going to make the first five minutes of SportsCenter, if not lead the show. Obviously, there are a ton...

A note on what constitutes an alternate uniform
Black helmets, no matter what dumbass twist you put on them, aren’t alternates. It makes sense for the Carolina Panthers because their mascot is a black panther. The Jets and Eagles, however, have no reason other than merch sales to don the black....

You’re never going to guess who’s pushing the Yankees for AL supremacy
Hopefully, you’ve been watching enough baseball to know the answer to that headline isn’t the Red Sox. At 61-32, and now only 2.5 games behind New York for the best record in baseball — courtesy of a doubleheader sweep — the Houston Astros are in a position to make the second half interesting....

Darwin Núñez’s courting of Liverpool holdouts is underway
It must be a slow period for sports in the U.K. as well. There’s not a dart league or a cricket game (match?) going on either? It could be the record-breaking heat that’s made fans more irritable than normal. Whatever it is, overreacting to a player’s preseason debut during a couple of friendlies is...

The U should pause — but not retire — the Turnover Chain
There are only a few programs left in college football still capable of blowing opponents off the field with sheer talent. If a recruiting savant takes over a school like LSU, USC, or Texas, the talent soon follows like high schoolers flocking to check out the hot new student....

Sixers, James Harden conclude that whatever this is, it’s better than being alone
It took a few years for James Harden to become amenable to a smaller contract, and at $33 million this upcoming year and $36 million with a player option the following season, he’s still way overpaid. The 76er guard opted out only to re-sign with Philly in the hopes that, I don’t know, he’s able to ...

Andrew Wiggins complains about getting vaccinated, incites internet outrage
There’s not a ton to add to the story beyond the headline. Andrew Wiggins, coming off the best year of his career, is still kind of sore that he had to get vaccinated....

Now pitchers are just showing off
Pitching has become so easy in MLB that relievers can carry a conversation with the booth while getting the last out of the eighth inning in a one-run All-Star Game. No longer content to interview guys in the dugout/not actively in the field, players talked with announcers during the showcase that e...

The Home Run Derby was on some Mountain-vs.-Viper stuff
Juan Soto is going to win the All-Star Break in many ways, but the most significant might be by virtue of being the most thirst-inducing thoroughbred at the auction. It makes sense that he took the Home Run Derby a few days after the Nationals announced they’re listening to offers. There are a half ...

LeBron went big act-small venue and the crowd left him stranded
I’ve seen LeBron James play in-person three times, all with the Heat in 2014. One was a loss to the Nuggets, and the other two were W’s, including a 38-point performance versus the Knicks and his career-high 61 points, dropped on the then-Bobcats. He hit a deep, no-business-attempting-let-alone-goin...

The rich getting richer: Why Soto to the Dodgers seems inevitable
On Tuesday, Juan Soto will be manning the Dodger Stadium outfield as a member of the National League All-Star team....

Stubbornness and health — that’s all Russell Westbrook has left
Short guards are notorious for aging poorly in the NBA. When quickness is your best asset, losing a step can be fatal. Only the craftiest players — think Jason Kidd, or Chris Paul — can remain effective. Whether it’s changing their playing style, using so many defensive tricks it borders on dirty pl...