ac Page 571 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

Let's Move The 49ers, Again

I am not among those of my era who are amazed that the Rolling Stones are still touring energetically at carbon-dateable age, but I know I am in the minority here, and I recognize power when I see it. So when the Stones condemned their recent experience playing the 49ers’ stadium, the implication wa...

American Gladiators Is Iconic Because It Took Itself Just Seriously Enough

Virtually from the moment that it launched 30 years ago this week, people both loved and misunderstood American Gladiators. For a show that was successful with viewers and which inspired a constellation of spinoffs and reboots and knockoffs, it’s a strange legacy. Bill Hicks’ “Go back to bed, Americ...

Ronald Acuña's 40/40 Season Now Feels Inevitable

With his 39th home run and 35th and 36th stolen bases on Thursday night against the Phillies, Ronald Acuña put a historic bow on his season by becoming the youngest player to accomplish a 35-35 season in baseball history. While Acuña bashing dingers and swiping bases has come to feel routine this ye...

Luc Longley Mad That Spain Keeps Getting "Kissed On The Dick By The Basketball Gods"

Australia just lost a tough game to Spain in the semifinals of the FIBA World Cup. The Boomers led most of the way, but lost their lead at the end of regulation, thanks in part to a few dodgy calls that went against them. They eventually lost in double-overtime, 95-88....

Report: Spencer Dinwiddie Gives Me A Migraine With Complex-Sounding Contract Conversion Plans

Spencer Dinwiddie, a cool basketball man, is planning to sell bonds secured by his contract with the Brooklyn Nets in order to raise up-front investment capital, or anyway that is how I have chosen to make sense of this gobbledygook-ass report from Shams Charania of The Athletic....

Should A Home Run Automatically End An Inning?

I will not keep you waiting for an answer on this one. No, absolutely not and under no circumstances would it be a good idea for a homer to automatically end an inning in a big league baseball game. It seems important not to equivocate on this question. And yet this Funbag question, from a listener ...

The Story Behind The Biggest Brawl In WNBA History

Last month, Brittney Griner of the Phoenix Mercury and Kristine Anigwe of the Dallas Wings got into a fight, which resulted in six ejections and five suspensions. It was the largest WNBA fight since 2008, when the Detroit Shock (now the Dallas Wings) and the Los Angeles Sparks were part of brawl tha...

LeBron James’s foolish and annoying effort to trademark the phrase “Taco Tuesday” was rejected by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on Wednesday, on the grounds that those words in that combination are a “commonplace message” and therefore do not function as a trademark. ...

Ronald Acuña Jr. Robs Home Run, Immediately Turns It Into Inside-The-Park Home Run

You would think that robbing a home run at the wall comes down to getting a good jump, timing your leap, and having the insane hand-eye coordination to rip the ball out of the sky with your off hand, while crashing into a padded wall. Turns out that’s only most of it. As Ronald Acuña Jr. learned in ...

Just So You're Up To Speed, This Is Gardner Minshew

Quarterback Nick Foles fractured his clavicle in the Jacksonville Jaguars’ first game of the season, and his injury meant the door was wide open for rookie Gardner Minshew to strut right through it, because Gardner Minshew looks like a guy who struts, or at least saunters....

Kevin Durant Wishes To Separate Himself From "The Machine," But Plugs Into It Daily

J.R. Moehringer has a rich profile of Kevin Durant, in the middle of his Achilles rehab, up at the Wall Street Journal today. The new Brooklyn Net drains deep threes in a swimming pool, explains the decay of his relationship with Oklahoma City, details the purported offensive limitations of the Gold...

Maybe You Just Like Watching Baseball Games

FiveThirtyEight, Nate Silver’s math blog, published an article by Travis Sawchik yesterday under the headline “Do We Even Need Minor League Baseball?” In the piece, Sawchik argues that advancements in technology and data analysis have made both the discernment of genuine major-league baseball talent...

Teen Disqualified From Swim Meet Victory After Referee Deemed Her "Suit Wedgie" Inappropriate [Update]

A talented 17-year-old swimmer at Anchorage’s Dimond High School in Alaska was disqualified after winning the 100m freestyle event on Friday night because the referee overseeing the swim meet said she had violated “uniform regulations.” The teen’s one-piece swimsuit had reportedly bunched up and was...

Kosovo's Manager Doesn't Appear To Have An Inside Voice

Kosovo is taking on England in a qualifying match for the 2020 Euros tomorrow, and the game will as something of a coming out party for Kosovo, which has only had a national soccer team certified by UEFA and FIFA since 2016. If this is Kosovo’s chance to get some international attention, their manag...

Kent State Determines Football Team's Pregame Fireworks More Important Than Overtime Field Hockey Game

Saturday’s college field hockey game between Maine and Temple was called off in the middle of play after host school Kent State needed the field to set up pre-game fireworks for the football game next door, per the Bangor Daily News. While the teams were told of a potential scheduling conflict befor...

FIBA Officials Missed A Call So Bad They Got Kicked Out Of The World Cup And Inspired A Ferocious Coach Meltdown

Lithuania’s run at the FIBA World Cup ended this morning against the Dominican Republic, though their chances of advancing through the second group stage were killed on Saturday when they lost to France by three points. The nature of that loss was highly controversial....

The Dolphins Were The Perfect Confidence Builder For The Ravens

It was very clear at the end of preseason that the Dolphins had no desire to seriously compete this year, even if head coach Brian Flores planned on it. Judging from the roster as well as the trade of Laremy Tunsil and Kenny Stills, the Fins seemed destined to suck mondo ass. Today’s game did not di...

Browns Lineman Ejected For Treating Opponent's Head Like A Soccer Ball

Cleveland Browns left tackle Greg Robinson had his day end in the second quarter when unwisely decided to boot Titans safety Kenny Vaccaro in the head. Way to be a dick, Greg....

Nick Foles Out For Game After Getting Hurt On Touchdown Pass [Update: Fractured Clavicle]

Nick Foles lasted just two drives in his first game as quarterback of the Jacksonville Jaguars. He left the game after taking a big hit on a first-quarter touchdown pass to D.J. Chark....

Albania Get The Wrong Anthem Before Match Against France; Apology Made To "Armenia"

Saturday’s Euro 2020 qualifier in Paris between Albania and France was delayed for 10 minutes after the stadium crew used the wrong national anthem for the visiting team, who were disrespected by the mistake and refused to take the field until the right song was played. Can’t be mixing up those “A” ...