ap Page 1228 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

Six Months After Rudy Gobert, 2020 is an Ever-Worsening Hellscape
The six-month mark came and went with hardly any notice, but it did come and go. It’s now been more than half a year since Rudy Gobert, days after jokingly touching all the microphones at a press conference, tested positive for COVID-19 and effectively shut down the sports world....

With Bay Area Air Even Worse Than Last Week’s ‘Orange Sky,’ Niners’ Kickoff Leaves Players in Danger
Last Wednesday, the Oakland A’s played a night game hours after as the Bay Area turned into an orange hellscape. The stunning visuals, and the underlying poor air quality, made national headlines. Now, the air quality is even worse — and while it probably won’t stop the San Francisco 49ers from kick...

Orange Skies in Bay Area Just the Latest Sign That End Times Are Here
The skies in northern California right now can best be described as burnt sienna, or something that you’d expect to find swirled in the whipped cream of your pumpkin spice latte....

The Deadspin 2020 NFL Previews, NFC South: All Eyes on Tompa Bay & Brees’ Last Stand
Outside of Tom Brady stunning the sports world by joining the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the NFC South will be a key watch for plenty of other reasons....

The Deadspin 2020 NFL Previews, AFC South: Who Will Emerge as This Year’s January Darlings?
The AFC South likely will not be a division at the top of most people’s radars to start the year....

Against the Heat, are the Bucks Really Better Off Without Giannis?
When Giannis Antetokounmpo, the reigning NBA MVP, caught a pass driving into the lane from Eric Bledsoe at the start of the second quarter of Game 4 in the Eastern Conference semifinals, many thought that was a guaranteed layup....

Here’s One Way to Get Revenge Without Throwing a Baseball at Someone’s Skull
Miguel Sanó destroyed a baseball on Saturday, launching a Joe Jiménez pitch off the facing of the second deck in Minneapolis to pull the Twins within a run of the Tigers in the eighth inning. Sanó then had the game-tying hit in the ninth before Byron Buxton beat out a walkoff infield single....

Contrasting Aroldis Chapman with Tom Seaver, Who Never Threw at Anyone’s Head
A hundred years ago, on Aug. 16, 1920, Ray Chapman was killed by a pitch....

My Son Is Also Named Dort: The Game 7 That Wouldn't End Because Refs Ref It Up
It was another primetime night for the NBA in Orlando, and generally their worst nightmare is when the refs hijack such an occasion. NBA refs can never decide if they want to be the show or not, and the indecision tends to just make it worse (credit the other sports arbiters for knowing exactly what...

Rays Manager Reminds Yankees He has Guys Who Throw Hard, Too
A shortened baseball season isn’t weird enough to keep some traditions from continuing. The Pirates suck, the Dodgers are Skynet, and Aroldis Chapman is a cowardly asshat. Tonight he thought it’d be fun to fire a 101 MPH fastball directly at Michael Brosseau’s head, which came a millimeter or two fr...

Russell Westbrook Finally Gives Thunder Fans A Moment To Remember
The Bubble Domes continued at pace last night, and perhaps the story was OKC forcing a Game 7 against the Rockets in their first-round series. Or rather, the story within the story. ...

What’s Next? Athletes Are Faced With That Critical Question After Unprecedented Day in Sports
After a critical mass of protests across the professional sports world in response to the shooting of Jacob Blake, a black man, by a white police officer in Kenosha, Wisconsin, the most pressing and powerful question that remains is represented in only two words....

We Rank the NBA's Coaching Carousel Openings
We have arrived at “that” point in the NBA season. ...

This Year's Indy 500 Could Have Been Great
The Indianapolis 500 was Sunday, something that would have gone completely without notice if not for the fact that digital channel guides exist, such is the state of IndyCar in general these days, and such is the state of the world because the pandemic knocked the race out of its traditional spot on...

The Toronto Raptors Embody the Intersection of Sports and Racial Justice
A few months ago, NBA players didn’t know what to do. And after some back and forth, it was decided that the season would restart....

Catching Up With the NBA Bubble Playoffs
Just in case you r haven’t been paying attention to what’s been going on in the NBA playoffs, we decided to update you on everything you need to know about every series thus far in the NBA bubble. Let’s face it — everyone can be forgiven for being a little late to the dance this year....

We Rank the Worst No. 1 Picks in NBA Lottery History
Since the NBA’s first draft lottery in 1985, there have been 11 first-overall picks who did not make an All-NBA team or appear in an All-Star Game. That number is a little inflated because Zion Williamson and DeAndre Ayton are just getting started, so when you’re trying to figure out which is the wo...

Another Cop Caught Lying - This Time About the Raptors' Masai Ujiri
Toronto Raptors President Masai Ujiri filed a countersuit on Tuesday against a Bay Area police officer in response to an altercation between the two men....
![School is Not Safe for Students - But of Course, It’s Safe for Athletes [UPDATED]](https://images.deadspin.com/tr:w-900/ujguyz6qc2paswokgyoy.jpg)
School is Not Safe for Students - But of Course, It’s Safe for Athletes [UPDATED]
The pandemic continues to expose the glaring dysfunction in our society. This time in college sports....

Luka Dončić Learns About the Playoffs the Hard Way
The NBA finally got past the opening act, and now that everybody got a beer, went to the bathroom one last time, and the house-lights have gone down, the real show has begun. The actual playoffs started yesterday, and they were a small lesson in glorious defeat. That’s kind of what the playoffs are,...