ball Page 430 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

Once you can return safely, here are One Lucky Fan’s picks for the best at MLB parks
It’s Opening Day… and the vast majority of Americans are at least 550 days removed from their last trip out to the old ballgame. We all know about the 2020 shortened season and the cardboard cutouts and we are trying hard to forget it. As such, I know that I am looking heartily forward to my second ...
![Pesky pandemic won’t let baseball pretend it’s over just yet [UPDATE]](https://images.deadspin.com/tr:w-900/mnaazwogehaxvxbdhb4l.jpg)
Pesky pandemic won’t let baseball pretend it’s over just yet [UPDATE]
It’s Opening Day, America. It’s time to get back to our national pastime, and to leave all our worries aside. It’s our day to just focus on what we all need, a game of baseball. And isn’t that what we deserve? Nothing can interfere with the sound of a line drive or the smell of — I’m sorry. Buster O...

Francisco Lindor extension shows Steve Cohen can’t go back on his promise to build a contender
In June 2019, right after drafting Tyler Herro and K.Z. Okpala, and before trading for Jimmy Butler, Pat Riley said the following:...

NBA Legend Bill Russell eyeing a return to the court (😐)
NBA legend Bill Russell could be making a comeback....

Negro League researcher Cam Perron talks about his new book, the Negro Leagues, and the times to come
In a profile over the summer, I asked Cam Perron what he’s up to next. At the time, the young Negro Leagues researcher, whose work of documenting players’ service time led to their receiving MLB pensions, was operating his memorabilia business and working on a book set to hit shelves in 2021....

Vlad, Fernando, Francisco and more: The players who’ll make this baseball season interesting
Every year we discuss how baseball’s become boring, how it could grow more enjoyable for younger fans, and how we long for legitimate progress of our national pastime. ...

Athletes who turned their careers into an April Fools joke on all of us
Happy April Fools Day to all. I hope everyone reading this hasn’t already gotten duped by one of their friends or loved ones. If you have, it’s okay at least you didn’t get fooled like these organizations did when they picked the “star” of their franchise. There’s been so many examples of these play...

What to expect in the AL West
Can anyone rise over .500 and challenge the A’s? How will the Astros do without George Springer? Can the Mariners surprise a few people? Will we hear anything from Mike Trout and the Angels? And how bad will the Rangers be?...

What to expect in the AL Central
Can anyone dethrone the Twins? What will the White Sox look like with septuagenarian Tony La Russa returning to manage? Will Cleveland hit enough after trading away Francisco Lindor to help their talented rotation, and ultimately bother Cleveland or Chicago? Will K.C.’s moves move the needle? And wh...

What to expect in the AL East
Can the Rays repeat as division champs without starters Charlie Morton and Blake Snell? Can the Yankees stay healthy enough and is their starting pitching good enough to return to the top? Are the Blue Jays and all their young talent ready to break through? Where are the Red Sox? And will we see any...

What to expect in the NL West
Can the Dodgers break the single-season wins record? Can the upstart Padres with Manny Machado and Fernando Tatis, Jr. run down L.A.?...

What to expect in the NL Central
Nolan Arenado is in St. Louis. Defense will be on display. What to make of the Cubs and Brew Crew. And what about Cincy and Pittsburgh?...

No one seems to care that Kevin Durant is a homophobe
I made jokes about it yesterday, and that’s really all the effort I was prepared to give it. And yet, another day rolled by after Michael Rapaport (who I assume just walked off the set of another charity MTV softball game as that’s still what he does, right?) revealed the heinous and disgusting mess...

What to expect in the NL East
Francisco Lindor is in Queens. Mets Owner Steve Cohen’s Twitter feed. The Braves are still young and loaded. And is Bryce Harper still a superstar? ...

Kyle Pitts might be this draft’s best wide receiver, and he’s a tight end
Travis Kelce, George Kittle, and Darren Waller have ushered in a new age of receiving-threat TEs, following in the footsteps of Rob Gronkowski (who’s still around) and Jimmy Graham (who mostly isn’t). Next in line could very well be a prospect out of Florida that will go very high in this year’s NFL...

Supreme Court justices dunk on NCAA in athlete-pay hearing
It’s the final day of March and madness continues — not in Indiana or Texas, but in Washington, D.C. Today, the Supreme Court heard an argument on college athlete compensation and... it didn’t seem to go all that well for the NCAA....

Sergio Aguero, Manchester City’s last through-line
There’s little point in talking about Sergio Aguero without talking about this goal, so let’s get to it at the top:...

Let Russell Westbrook’s comments be a lesson: Athletes don’t have to meet your expectations
Russell Westbrook had 35 points, 21 assists, and 14 rebounds in a 132-124 victory over the Indiana Pacers on Monday night....

AL West Preview: Now without the noise, what are the Astros?
There are many who thought the Astros got off light before even hitting spring training last year. While the response was always “immunity,” only a couple managers and a GM suffered with the loss of their jobs. ...

Deadspin’s MLB Gambling Guide/Futures Bets to make for the 2021 season
One year ago, as the coronavirus pandemic resided through its infant stages, the baseball world was looking on helplessly and having to wrestle with the thought that there might not be a season....