and Page 441 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

Ian Desmond opts out of MLB season for second straight year
Today, Ian Desmond announced that he will opt out of the 2021 season “for now.” The veteran outfielder will miss his second straight year of baseball to be with his family. He announced his decision Sunday morning via Instagram, writing:...

FAU freshman hits back-to-back grand slams in one inning… in his first two at-bats
Sports fans, meet Caleb Pendleton. We already mentioned him in The Mourning After, but I think he deserves his own story....

Given that it's Philly, we can assume racism led fans to wanting Wentz over Hurts
A month before the disgruntled Carson Wentz was traded by the Philadelphia Eagles to the Indianapolis Colts, there was a poll conducted by Philly sports radio outlet, 97.5 The Fanatic. ...

COVID puts Flyers' B Team in a bad spot for Lake Tahoe showcase
Because the NHL insists on trying to play a regular season during a pandemic and ecological disasters, there are going to be some ugly games....

Red Sox 'Idiot' Johnny Damon busted for DUI in Florida, wife charged with battery on an officer
Johnny Damon looks like he had a rough night....

31 of the top 100 MLB players are Latino, which needs to be embraced, not just celebrated
The American baseball fan’s median age as of last season was 57-years-old, or, as Dan Le Batard occasionally jokes, death. And it doesn’t require a Pulitzer-worthy investigative search to discern Major League Baseball’s whiteness. ...

Auston Matthews can’t miss this year
The Maple Leafs were able to clear some, if not all, the clouds of stink out of ScotiaBank Arena after their collapse against the Senators on Monday by beating those same Sens 2-1 last night. You can be sure the Steve Simmons ilk will still be referencing that pissing away of a four-goal lead to the...

The Miami Heat aren’t out of it yet, but they badly need to start winning
The Miami Heat can’t keep losing like this....

He Wentz to the Colts
The Carson Wentz waiting game is finally over. Wentz has been traded to the Indianapolis Colts, where he will be reunited with his former offensive coordinator Frank Reich. And just like that, “Wentzylvania” is no more....

With millennials headed for the nursing home, let’s revisit the Osaka-Williams rivalry and other great generational clashes
Naomi Osaka has faced Serena Williams five times now, and the 23-year-old’s straight-sets victory in Thursday’s semifinal at the Australian Open marked the third win for the three-time (so far) major champion over the 23-time (so far) major champion, including both of their meetings at Grand Slam ev...

Draymond Green is totally right, but sitting Andre Drummond is still what’s best for Cleveland
A pissed-off Draymond Green is one of the most insightful NBA minds we’re blessed to have....

Fernando Tatis Jr. signs 14-year, $340 million deal with Padres and that’s awesome
Pitchers and catchers reported to training camps on Wednesday, and the San Diego Padres marked the traditional passage of spring by turning the baseball world on its head by announcing they had signed Fernando Tatis, Jr. to a staggering 14-year, $340 million contract, according to reports....

NBA should make 'The Logo Lillard' All-Star competition to see who 'bout that action by from deep
The NBA has no business having any form of an All-Star Weekend in the middle of a pandemic, but since it is going to go forward with it anyway, we might as well tweak it to have a little fun....

Daniil Medvedev broke Andrey Rublev on a point he lost
The big story out of Melbourne today is that Rafael Nadal actually looked like he’s in his mid-30s last night, as he blew a two-set lead to Stefanos Tsitsipas, with the latter looking much the fresher in the fifth set. That sets up a semifinal match with Daniil Medvedev, who when he hasn’t been yell...

Rush Limbaugh, dead at 70, spewed racist filth from every pulpit including ESPN’s
Rush Limbaugh, who died on Wednesday at the age of 70, was a terrible human being whose hate the world is better off not having in it. That includes the sports world, which at least did its best to expel Limbaugh years before the physical world finally did....

The NBA All-Star Game is a fan event, and playing one without them is idiotic and dangerous
For the most part, the NBA has done a good job navigating through the pandemic....
![For the 47th time, just let the Coyotes die [UPDATED]](https://images.deadspin.com/tr:w-900/a1hzlzsvdoe4bqqo186j.jpg)
For the 47th time, just let the Coyotes die [UPDATED]
There is a Sliding Doors scenario, where the NHL simply let Jim Balsillie buy the Arizona Coyotes and move them to Hamilton, Ontario, more than a decade ago. Would it have worked? Hard to know. Balsillie’s BlackBerry tanked not too long after the proposed buy-date, and could have led to a host of pr...

Dolphins dual-threat Jason Sanders becomes league’s highest-paid kicker with $22 million deal
In the never-ending battle of “kickers are people too,” Miami Dolphins kicker Jason Sanders would like to have a word. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Dolphins have given Sanders a five-year, $22 million extension that includes $10 million in guarantees, making him the highest-paid kicker in ...

The Lightning’s talent-development assembly line is humming along again
As we’ve commented in the past, even with most seasons across sports being thrown into upheaval, be it shortened preseasons or odd schedules and lineups that change on a daily basis thanks to COVID protocols, the chalk has remained at the top of the standings....

J.J. Watt's time with Texans is over as franchise star and Houston hero is released, free to go to... Steelers?
As Houston continues to revamp their team and try to resurrect their franchise from the lifeless pit of despair that former head coach and general manager Bill O’Brien left it in, the Texans and J.J. Watt have mutually agreed to part ways. Watt was released today, allowing him to search for a new te...