ac Page 329 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

The curious case of Cody Bellinger’s free agency
On the surface, Cody Bellinger’s life is about to get better no matter what. He was a down-ballot MVP candidate last season who’s heading into free agency, as well as a former MVP and Rookie of the Year. He would have been labeled a unicorn back in the day, given his ability to play Gold Glove-level...

Bobby Petrino's return to Arkansas is further proof cancel culture doesn’t exist
Staying in coaching was never going to be a problem for Bobby Petrino. Once coaches reach a certain status, most can work for as long as they are willing to pack up suitcases and change homes every few years. But to be welcomed back onto the Arkansas campus, and likely paid a salary to again be a pa...

Patrick Willis should already be a Hall of Famer
Patrick Willis should already be in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. For eight seasons he was an enforcer for the San Francisco 49ers. He was drafted by a proud franchise that had fallen into disarray, and was intricate part in bringing it back to prominence. Willis did this all while playing a positi...

What the hell is going on with Corey Perry?
(UPDATE): According to reports, the Blackhawks have said Corey Perry was released because of an incident involving a team employee. No further details were provided by the team....

Proximity to Aaron Rodgers once again working in Nathaniel Hackett’s favor
The great thing about fall guys in the NFL is they’re interchangeable. It could be a quarterback, a coordinator, a distraction, the head coach, the owner, or Roger Goodell, and usually there’s enough vitriol to spread around. Take the New York Jets for example. They’re one of the most scrutinized fr...

Red Wings sign old, decrepit man
There have been some green shoots for the Detroit Red Wings (how Christmas-y. Timely!) so far this season. Their trade for Alex DeBrincat has paid off so far, as Top Cat has 12 goals in 20 games so far (a 49-goal pace). Dylan Larkin is doing that thing again where he teases being a genuine No. 1 cen...

Deion Sanders’ first year at Colorado proved how gullible people can be
Before the 2023 season started, ESPN’s Tom Luginbill said that Colorado might have the worst roster in college football. By the end of the 2023 regular season, Deion Sanders was strictly focused on the future, given that he had failed at the present....

Sick, Sad World of Sports: The grim side of athletics
Hello, and welcome back to the Sick, Sad World of Sports, a reminder that sports figures are human, and as such, are no more or less prone to fallibility than the rest of us. Everyone makes mistakes, but often fans overlook a misdemeanor or even a felony, because sports are supposed to be an escape....

Justin Fields and Josh Dobbs capped a week littered with awful QB play
There are far more important things to be thankful for in this world than being a fan of an NFL team with consistent quarterback play. Beginning with that caveat, many Americans do spend a lot of hours watching football. The product is exponentially better when the quarterbacks are above average....

Firing Frank Reich isn't going to fix the Carolina Panthers
In 1995, the Carolina Panthers had the best season of any expansion franchise in the history of the NFL. They went 7-9 during a year in which they did not have a home stadium, and played those eight games at Clemson. The next season they went 12-4 and played in the NFC Championship Game, and the 200...

You're reading this correctly: The Kings might actually be the best team in hockey
You’d be forgiven if you’ve lost track of the Los Angeles Kings for a while. We’re coming up on 10 years since their last Stanley Cup. They haven’t won a round in the playoffs since, with four pretty inglorious dirt naps in the first round in the interim. They threw up (maybe literally) some pretty ...

The Broncos are the NFL’s biggest walking plot twist
An 18-week NFL schedule creates a plethora of nexus points where the season diverts from its expected path. Aaron Rodgers tearing his Achilles four plays into the season, the New England Patriots crashing, CJ Stroud flying out the rookie gates, Frank Reich being fired after 11 games and two rookies ...

If nothing else, Bernardo Silva showed again why he's Bernardo Silva
It is my duty as a Liverpool supporter to bitch about the early kickoff on Saturdays for TV. We all signed a call to action on it and it’s ironclad. In truth, there’s not much the Premier League could have done about Saturday’s clash between the biggest rivals in the league the past few seasons. Wit...

The NFL Must Ban Native Headdress And Culturally Insensitive Face Paint in the Stands (UPDATED)
Editor’s Note: On Nov. 27, Deadspin published an opinion piece criticizing the NFL for allowing a young fan to attend the Kansas City Chiefs game against the Las Vegas Raiders on Nov. 26 wearing a traditional Native American headdress and, based upon the available photo, what appeared to be black ...

The NHL seems to want it both ways when it comes to supporting minorities
I feel I write these too often, so in the spirit of fairness it should go mentioned that there was a lot of great action on the ice this holiday weekend, such as the New York Rangers solidifying their spot in the NHL’s aristocracy with a 7-4 win over the Boston Bruins, or the Buffalo Sabres managing...

The Patriots have hit rock bottom
Mac Jones and Bailey Zappe. Maybe the New England Patriots should have called Drew Bledsoe to see if any juice is left in that big arm. It’s not like he was able to move when he was young, anyway....

Mac Jones’ confidence lives in the gutters of New England
Mac Jones might be the lowest quarterback currently getting live reps in the NFL. Not from a statistical standpoint, although he isn’t exactly wowing anyone. But watching Jones on the field, it’s painfully evident his confidence is shot. He threw two interceptions in the first half of Sunday’s game ...

Texas A&M stoops to new low by unhiring Mark Stoops amid fan revolt
If you thought Texas A&M couldn’t stoop any lower after paying Jimbo Fisher a record amount to scram, you thought wrong because they did just that on Saturday night, as all signs pointed to the Aggies hiring Kentucky’s Mark Stoops. Reports by The Athletic’s Bruce Feldman and Nicole Auerbach kicked o...

From Christian Pulisic to Gio Reyna, we rank the US men's soccer team
Chaos is a ladder, said Lord Baelish. Especially when it comes to international soccer, where injuries, manager changes — both with country and club — a bad transfer or run of form can shift a player’s standing with his national team within a week or two. Getting together only every month or longer ...

The Washington Commanders are still cooking up the Dan Synder-era mess
Josh Harris’ first season of Washington Commanders ownership must feel like Calvin working the WacArnold’s night shift. It seems like a distinguished opportunity at first to own a legacy franchise. Until you start contrasting them against the league’s most respected franchises. Being congratulated o...