as Page 614 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights
The allure of near-perfection
I spend a lot of time, admittedly too much time, writing about everything that’s wrong with baseball. I get crankier and more cynical the more my knees hurt. But yesterday was a reminder of one of the things that make baseball special. No other sport can stop for a day to focus on one spot like on ...
The George Pickens show continued Saturday, this time he was in game uniform
Surely the Pittsburgh Steelers would’ve hoped that the star of their 2022 training camp would be Kenny Pickett or maybe even an improved Mitchell Trubisky. Going into their first season with a new starting quarterback since Ben Roethlisberger became the unquestioned starter in 2005, the Steelers sig...
I don’t know what Man United is supposed to be
As one of my oldest, closest friends likes to point out whenever ribbing me about something (those closest to you cut the deepest), the saying, “Don’t kick someone while they’re down” makes no sense. After all, they’re that much closer to your foot. ...
Will Fernando Tatis’ power (and career) go the way of Ryan Braun?
When I think of post-peak steroid era users in baseball, Manny Ramirez, Alex Rodriguez, or Robinson Cano aren’t the first names that come to mind. That dishonor goes to former Brewer Ryan Braun. The 2011 NL MVP began his career by regularly tallying 100-plus RBI, and 30-plus home run seasons. He acc...
What are the odds an offensive lineman wins Rookie of the Year?
An offensive lineman has never won the NFL’s Offensive Rookie of the Year Award. Is that a tragedy? Or does it make sense? Offensive linemen rarely ever score touchdowns, pick up yards, or do the Griddy (although a few have tried). ...
Hope your Friday night was better than Zach Wilson’s
Zach Wilson may have avoided serious disaster after leaving Friday’s preseason game with a pronounced limp from a non-contact injury. Head coach Robert Saleh said the franchise’s young quarterback will undergo an MRI today, but sources are saying he reinjured his PCL and could miss only a few weeks....
Fernando Tatís Jr. suspended 80 games for PEDs
After an unfortunate motorcycle accident took the first half of Fernando Tatís Jr.‘s season from us, many baseball fans were getting hyped to see him return to action. He was pimping home run balls in the minors and hitting heckling fans with that signature “can’t touch me” attitude that many Padres...
Hey Coach Cal, Kentucky isn’t just a basketball school anymore
Standing up for your program and athletes is commonplace for a college head coach, especially one with the pedigree of John Calipari. Coaching one of the royal bluebloods of college athletics in Lexington, with a lifetime contract no less, certainly skews his view of things from the mountaintop. A l...
Predicting college football’s New Year’s Six teams
College football starts in a little more than two weeks. And for 135 days, the jostling to become a national champion will be ongoing. Obviously, only four teams will compete in the College Football Playoff but a dozen teams will be selected to the most lucrative bowls, otherwise known as the New Ye...
Devil's advocate: Dylan Cease's 14-game stretch is being overhyped
00000111000111. In binary, that means “LJ” according to the free translator I just Googled, so take that translation with a grain of salt. In baseball, that string of numbers means “OMG”, because that’s exactly how many earned runs White Sox ace Dylan Cease has given up in each of his last fourteen ...
Losing is preferable to this, Cleveland
The Cleveland Browns have relentlessly embarrassed its fanbase for going on nearly a quarter century. Most of the reason the Dawg Pound has been shrouded in masks made of paper bags and jerseys listing dozens of failed starting QBs as if they were KIA is the putrid on-field product. While the franch...
Retiring Russell’s jersey number should have happened a long time ago
Shame on the NBA....
The Ravens’ WR room has practically zero experience
The Baltimore Ravens released their first official depth chart for 2022 five days ago. It lists 12 wide receivers. Together, those dozen receivers have combined for 1,227 career receiving yards. Congratulations! That total would make the full careers of the entire Ravens’ 2022 wide receiver room the...
NBA players way too excited over fellow pros balling out in ProAm leagues
It’s become a tradition more irrelevant than any other....
They could have at least made 'Hologram Harry' drunk off his ass
Overall, the Field of Dreams game is fine. Perhaps teams should be “flexed” into it during the season, so you don’t end up with two Quad-A rosters in the one regular season game MLB gives the network primetime treatment. Though if you’re trying to showcase baseball in 2022, having two teams that hav...
The NBA retires Bill Russell’s number
The NBA retired its first number ever Thursday, and Bill Russell’s No. 6 couldn’t be a better choice — if it’s not the only choice. A transcendent figure as a player, as a coach, and as a civil rights leader, Russell’s legacy takes dictionaries’ to define. Of the four major professional sports in Am...
How bloated are the preseason win totals for the NBA teams fans love to hate?
When oddsmakers release NBA win-total futures, most casual fans scan right to their teams’ over/under and say, “My team’s better than that.” After a prolonged and misguided rant about sharps who do this for a living doing their job, the next move is to find the franchises they hate and bitch about t...
How rare is the HR cycle?
Since 1900, a player has hit three home runs in an MLB game 624 times. Only 16 times has a player hit four. Nobody has ever hit five....
Let’s not crown the Dodgers just yet — but let’s sure as hell enjoy the excellence
The 2022 Dodgers may be the most dominant regular-season team we’ve ever seen. And they have a chance to solidify it....