ball Page 453 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

$1.5B in debt, Barcelona are broke-ass broke — and royally FC'd
We’ve spent the past year casting doubt upon American sports franchises’ claims of just how much an effect the pandemic had on their finances. They claim “biblical” losses left and right, while never bothering to provide any information to confirm that. Well, thankfully, unless you’re a Barcelona su...

Repeated COVID outbreaks won't stop Michigan from lusting after NCAA Tournament cash
Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: the University of Michigan can’t play games due to the coronavirus....

Eric Bieniemy should be an NFL head coach yesterday, but he deserves better than the Texans
Eric Bieniemy is a coordinator for a defending Super Bowl champion, on its way back to the big game on the strength of the side of the ball he oversees. Bieniemy is 51 years old, has had experience as an assistant head coach with the Vikings, and has a couple of college assistant jobs on his resume,...

Matt LaFleur's garbage decision stinks to high heaven
It’s a Trash Talking Tuesday, and today I’m trashing Packers head coach Matt LaFleur....

Which Clipper will step up fantasy production without Leonard, George, or Beverley?
Three games tonight, and the best one features the New York Knicks. God bless if tonight’s a big gambling night for you because this is one of the season’s worst evenings on paper so far. No, it’s not because of the Knicks: Their match-up with the Utah Jazz saves this from being downright abysmal. T...

The NBA, for some dumb reason, still thinks having an All-Star Game makes sense
The NBA is still trying to conjure the All-Star game for March, and likely in Atlanta, according to ESPN, which seems patently ridiculous. We don’t know how things will look with the coronavirus next week, so we definitely have no clue what they’ll look like in March. But we can guess that it probab...

Women and Black assistant coaches will be on display in the Super (Minority) Bowl in Tampa
As “Black Monday’’ sits in the NFL’s rear-view mirror, the ongoing conversation around the lack of African-American head coaches continues. The Rooney Rule isn’t working. The Fritz Pollard Alliance is frustrated. And as Roger Goodell and Troy Vincent, the NFL’s head of football operations, sit insid...

Madden Pro Bowl might be the NFL’s smartest move in years
ESPN reports that the NFL Pro Bowl will not only forego their annual Orlando festivities due to COVID-19, but that the event itself will be held virtually and air on television in place of the in-person game....

‘Undersized’ or not, Jaret Patterson’s talent has him ready for the next step
Not every NFL prospect takes the same journey. Not every prospect goes off to play college ball for the Alabamas and Clemsons of the world. To the casual football fan, you might not even know what the Mid-American Conference (MAC) is — they’re the NCAA D1 conference that you’ll find playing in the m...

Frank Lampard could do the first job, but he couldn’t do the second at Chelsea
The thing about getting a dream job is that most likely it’ll turn into just another job, i.e. it won’t feel like a dream after some time, and you’ll probably get fired. The latter is even more likely in sports, even more so in soccer, and yet even more so at Chelsea. They cycle through managers lik...

Aaron Rodgers is in the middle of a midlife crisis
The end of any season sends every player into a reflective period. Well, except for maybe Gronk. So let’s say it sends every player who can spell “reflective” into a reflective period. Months of work, hours of anticipation, to what ends up being the last game, and the assuredness that it all led to ...

Tom Brady has been to more Super Bowls than every franchise in the NFL except…the Patriots
Ten has always been a number of completion....

We get Super Showdown of GOAT vs. GRN (Greatest Right Now)
In unsurprising yet still shockingly dominant fashion, the Kansas City Chiefs are going back to the Super Bowl. They mollywhopped the Buffalo Bills 38-24, but it was not nearly as close as the score suggests....

Why the hell did Matt LaFleur elect to kick a field goal?
With a Super Bowl berth hanging in the balance, down eight points to the greatest quarterback of all time, this year’s presumptive MVP under center, Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur opted to kick a field goal with 2:09 left in the game. It was fourth-and-goal from the eight yard line. ...

Just contract the Pirates already
I know how that sounds. Just another big market resident showing up just long enough, take a brief look around, turn my nose up, and declare Pittsburgh not worth the time. ...

Deadspin NFL Over/Under Bet of the Week: Trusting the defending champs
Over/Under: 54 │ Kickoff: 6:40 p.m. ET │TV: CBS...

Jim Caldwell is laughing at the Lions
Regret can be a heavy burden to carry, especially when the weight on your back is due to your incompetence....

Deadspin’s Championship Sunday ATS picks you can bank on
The NFL insisted on playing football for a season and now we get more chalk. So if it’s “normalcy” you seek in 2021, rejoice, you’ll see a lot of familiar faces today....

Colts offer Matthew Stafford best, fresh start as he & Lions part ways (& a peek at where else could work)
The Matthew Stafford era in Detroit is apparently coming to a close, as the two sides have mutually agreed to part ways after Stafford reportedly asked to be traded. As it stands, the Lions will start the 2021 season with a new General Manager, Head Coach, Offensive Coordinator, and quarterback. ...

NBA Waiver Wire pickups to save your weekend, butt
Our injured lists are all piling up, and some of us are scrapping for those last-minute pick-ups to help secure a victory or avoid an embarrassing loss. Quick! Here are a few guys possibly lingering on your waiver wire to consider as you search for anyone who can help gain you those coveted 30 or so...