ball Page 50 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

And the highest payroll in the AL Central goes to . . . the Kansas City Royals?
If there’s a surer sign that baseball has had a winter of discontent, at least for everyone outside the LA metro area, it’s that the highest payroll in the American League Central belongs to the Kansas City Royals. That’s after they inked star shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. to an 11-year extension that’s ...

Chris Russo was out of line when he called Dan Orlovsky 'a scrub'
Chris “Mad Dog” Russo is largely a loveable relic from the sports radio past. He’s strident, over the top, and plays into this character that he created 40 years ago. While doing his “What are you Mad about,” segment on ESPN’s First Take, Russo has admitted that it’s stupid and his antics are ridicu...

The 49ers have a lot of history riding on this Super Bowl
The San Francisco 49ers will play in the franchise’s eighth Super Bowl on Sunday in hopes of joining the Pittsburgh Steelers and New England Patriots as the only franchises with six Lombardi trophies. It’s such a historical game for many reasons on both sides, but for the Niners, there’s so much on ...

Kawhi Leonard has entered the chat in the NBA MVP conversation
For fans who tend to skip over much of the NBA regular season, you’ve probably missed the recent uprising in talk about Kawhi Leonard having a claim in the MVP conversation. Most years, Leonard’s numbers are great. But since he blossomed into a star toward the end of his run in San Antonio, “The Cla...

Eric Bieniemy should be preparing for the Super Bowl. Instead, he’s out of a job (Updated)
Updated 3:15 p.m EST: ESPN’s Adam Schefter is reporting that new Commanders head coach Dan Quinn has said Bieniemy will not return to Washington’s staff....

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s MVP heist is nearly complete
Joel Embiid’s departure from the MVP race while he undergoes minor surgery to repair a displaced flap in his meniscus has created a vacancy. His coronation has now become a vastly different two-man heat. With due respect to Luka Doncic’s gaudy numbers, he’ll be a long shot as long as the Dallas Mave...

These are the current and former NBA players who need their own podcast
A decade ago, who would have thought that current and former players would be the best analysts and commentators in the NBA? A novel idea, eh? Former players Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson’s “All The Smoke” and Gilbert Arenas were early purveyors of player-run podcasts. It’s since evolved to includ...

Jalen Brunson is the best point guard in the NBA
At his introductory press conference on Sept. 22, 2022, Jalen Brunson sat at a podium, decked out in a crisp number 11 New York Knick jersey, and said the following, “I’m not a savior in any way, shape, or form. I just want to be able to contribute to the team.”...

Your guide to hate-watching Super Bowl 58’s Chiefs-49ers rerun
The best 2024 could give us for Super Bowl LVIII is a rerun. The Kansas City Chiefs marching into a showdown against a defensive juggernaut helmed by a lowly-regarded quarterback is another reminder that time is a flat circle. We even got a Shanahan-McCaffrey revival 25 years after Ed McCaffrey and ...

It’s time to face reality — Bill Belichick is likely done coaching in the NFL
We’ve heard the phrase, “end of an era” quite a bit in the football world lately. Nick Saban retired in Alabama, Bill Belichick was “ushered” out of New England, and Pete Carroll was moved into an advisor’s role in Seattle. All championship coaches who many feel the game has passed by. Initially, it...

How many points does Steph Curry have to score in a loss before we write off the Warriors?
Among the signs of the apocalypse, Steph Curry scoring 60 points in a Golden State Warriors loss is right up there. That the 141-134 defeat came against the Atlanta Hawks is even more frightening. The Hawks are five games under .500, and appear to be well on their way to resetting the roster around ...

The last year each MLB team reached the World Series
Baseball’s World Series has seen everything, from the breaking of curses to cheating scandals, to huge wins and dynasties, it has also seen almost every team. Here is the last time every team has been in the championship game. ...

Carl Weathers and the professional athletes who became actors
Acting and sports have a lot in common. It takes a ton of body control to do either, both are consumed by millions, and the biggest stars usually have a ton of charisma. These are the athletes who broke out of their sports and became big stars in Hollywood. ...

Coach gave insider info to bettor; Orioles have new owner; Theo Epstein returns to Red Sox
New findings in NCAA sanctions against Alabama and former head baseball coach Brad Bohannon revealed that Bohannon knowingly provided insider information to a gambler who bet against the Crimson Tide last spring, according to ESPN. - Cale Clinton Read More...

Kim Mulkey needs to do right by Brittney Griner; Ben Simmons a hero?; Klay Thompson being traded?
Anyone who dresses the way Kim Mulkey does loves attention. And since the ultra-competitive and always controversial head coach has never shied away from the camera, she might as well show up in Waco next month for a photo-op on Brittney Griner’s big night — even if the two can’t stand each other. -...

Former Raider, <i>Rocky</i> star Carl Weathers dead at 76
Carl Weathers, the actor who starred in the Rocky franchise, Predator, and The Mandalorian, died on Feb. 1, according to Variety. He was 76. ...

Admitted steroid user Gary Sheffield claims MLB tried to blackball him for speaking out
Former slugger Gary Sheffield claims MLB tried to force him out of the sport in the 1990s after he spoke out about the growing steroid scandal. ...

Red Sox Theo Epstein re-hire shows team is punting 2024 season
The first major acquisition of the Boston Red Sox offseason is…Theo Epstein? ...
![Big Ten, SEC partnership won't circumvent NCAA, Sankey says [Updated]](https://images.deadspin.com/tr:w-900/69c6cd8cc13f4f1ea2feaef11133225c.jpg)
Big Ten, SEC partnership won't circumvent NCAA, Sankey says [Updated]
Updated Feb. 8: SEC commissioner Greg Sankey took some time Wednesday to shed light on the new strategic partnership, insisting that there is no plan to circumvent the NCAA. Sankey appeared for an interview on The Paul Finebaum Show and stated that the purpose of the partnership was to create a more...
![92 percent of players prefer grass over turf: NFLPA [Updated]](https://images.deadspin.com/tr:w-900/e57da684ba20d8cb65d03d6156acee40.jpg)
92 percent of players prefer grass over turf: NFLPA [Updated]
NFLPA executive director Lloyd Howell continued the turf field debate Wednesday at the NFLPA news conference, pointing out that a vast majority of the player’s union wants to play on natural grass fields. ...