Locker Page 14 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

Immaculate Grid was designed for the unsalvageable like me, and the LA Kings try to convince themselves
There almost certainly is a sordid side to Immaculate Grid, just as there is to Wordle, or Numble, or Framed. In just the week I’ve been playing the Grid, I’ve probably given away my birth certificate, passport, and most of my DNA. And yet I’m not going to stop, and neither are you. ...

The off-putting history of Spencer Strider, and the incredible weirdness of the NHL Awards
I won’t pretend what follows makes any sense. It is simply a matter of taste, and my tastes have warped and mutated often into a territory I can no longer explain. If you’re an Atlanta baseball fan, Spencer Strider is a titan walking among men. Cobb County probably has dubbed it “Strider Day,” a gam...

Notorious cheater Lance Armstrong has some thoughts on fairness in sports
Lance Armstong, a cisgender man and notorious cheater with, as far as I can tell, no training in anything related to endocrinology, biology, or gender-affirming care, has some thoughts on the fairness of transgender women competing in women’s sports. On a related note, irony died today....

The Yankees need to smash the panic button for doldrum of storylines reasons
We’re entering Brian Cashman territory with Aaron Boone. The Bronx at one point was the most hostile work environment in MLB. The standards were ridiculously high, and someone would’ve lashed out by now considering how long it’s been since the New York Yankees ran the American League. The head of th...

There’s less shame in porn than on the set of <i>First Take</i>
The easiest way to get clicks for the past week or so hasn’t been Victor Wembanyama content, or Damian Lillard trade destinations. No, if you really wanted to gin up page views and subscribers, put Zion Williamson and Moriah Mills in a headline. It’s the reason why Stephen A. Smith has repeatedly go...

Qatari ownership has come to sports on this continent, and is it just the beginning?
We’d wondered when Middle Eastern regimes would come for U.S. sports. They’ve got their mitts all over soccer now, warping how that sport works in Europe. They’ve completely altered golf. Boxing too. And yet it seemed that North America was the last frontier. ...

It’s getting a little late a little early for the San Diego Padres
One of the many things about the expanded playoffs in MLB is that a team doesn’t have to be good for six months. Or really even three. Put two good months together and a team can probably Forrest Gump their way into the dance. It’s what the Phillies did last year, after all. That’s what the San Dieg...

Dust off the trampolines, Slamball is back
Shout out to the old Spike TV network. Classic programs such as The Joe Schmo Show, Pros vs. Joes, and Slamball called that network home. Spike TV may no longer exist, but Slamball is making a triumphant return to the small screen. Starting July 21 it will be aired on ESPN....

Stephen F. Austin bowling coach’s gutterball affair led to a 7-10 split from his wife and job
Former Stephen F. Austin’s assistant bowling coach Steve Lemke’s life is falling apart quicker than 10 pins at The Dude’s bowling alley. Stephen F. Austin is apparently renowned for its bowling program. The Ladyjacks won national titles in 2016 and 2021 under the administration of head coach Amber L...

The Texas Rangers lost a game last night when New York went in search of a problem
I don’t know what your rule is for food falling on the floor. Most common are a five-second rule or 10-second rule, depending on the cleanliness of your floors, your level of depravity, and how springy your dog might be. Whatever MLB replay officials have, they should also apply it to how long they ...

It was hard not to get a little giddy about the USMNT
Being a USMNT fan usually involves seeing things that aren’t there, or at least things that could be there but aren’t yet. It’s usually what the team could develop into, or dreaming about flashes being carried over into a full 90 minutes one day, or when an injured player or two returns or makes his...

Another Juneteenth, and America still doesn't get it
For the third time on Monday, the United States of America will acknowledge Juneteenth as a federal holiday. President Joe Biden signed the declaration into law two days before the holiday in 2021. Now as America enters its third nationwide Juneteenth celebration — three years after George Floyd’s d...

Michael Malone is living your best life
Denver Nuggets coach Michael Malone was obsessively on topic throughout the entire postseason. No win was too big, and none of their four losses set off panic meters. Even with a 3-1 lead in the Finals, the coach preached urgency and wanted his team to play like they were the ones facing elimination...