ben Page 79 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

The Pleasures Of Watching The Most Versatile Big Man In The Country
He doesn't look like anyone's idea of a superstar, which is perhaps one reason Jerrelle Benimon is among the most underrated college basketball players in America. He's 6-foot-8, 245 pounds, built big and a little on the soft side, more along the lines of a tight end than a power forward. When he br...

Dem Bums In Da Spring
These are some damn good pictures. There is energy here — a genuine playfulness and terrific personalities. But the real appeal of these George Silk photos from the Dodgers' spring training camp in 1948 is the singular glimpse they afford of baseball in post-WWII America. ...

Scott Hall On Pic With Benoit And Undertaker: "Me, Dead Man And Taker"
Scott Hall tweeted this "1986-ish" picture of himself, his enormous mustache, Chris Benoit, and the Undertaker with the caption "Me, Dead Man and Taker." Although "Dead Man," or "Deadman," is the name for Mark Calaway's original Undertaker/mortician gimmick, he's already referenced as "Taker," so we...

For Some Stupid Reason, Everyone Was Shocked When Clay Beat Liston
Fifty years ago tomorrow, in Miami Beach, 22-year-old Cassius Clay beat the hell out of Sonny Liston and took the world heavyweight crown from the Big Bear. According to the great New York Times sportswriter Robert Lipsyte, "only three of 46 sportswriters covering the fight had picked Clay to win." ...

Canada Blows Out USA, 1-0
This was the game's only goal, a near-90-degree deflection from Jamie Benn early in the second period, a completely unsaveable puck for Jonathan Quick. Don't make the mistake of believing this was a fluke win, though; This was perhaps the most dominant 1-0 victory in recent memory....

Down With The NCAA's No-Agent Rule
Originally published on Bloomberg View....

Report: The Phillies Ratted Out Two Draft Picks To The NCAA
Oregon State pitcher Ben Wetzler has been suspended since the start of college baseball season. The NCAA is investigating whether he retained the services of an agent to negotiate with the Phillies, who drafted him in the fifth round in 2013 but were unable to sign him. Now it seems the Phillies hav...

Former Soccer Player Sues College Over "Domination" Wrestling Drill
Former Benedictine College soccer player Zach Robertson is suing his former school for a "mandatory" wrestling drill in 2012 that cut his season short....

Richard Ben Cramer Takes On Ted Williams
I wrote about Richard Ben Cramer's Esquire story on Ted Williams for the latest e-magazine from The Classical:...

Tony Kubek Once Brought A Camera To Spring Training, Then Mantle Farted
In the 1960s, the likelihood of taking at least one photograph of Mickey Mantle ripping — or pretending to rip — a fart during spring training was, evidently, quite high. Perhaps LIFE magazine's editors weren't aware of this, because in February 1961 they handed 25-year-old shortstop Tony Kubek a pr...

The Slam Dunk Contest Was Hot Garbage
Well, that was a huge fucking disappointment....

Rules For Ben-Gals Cheerleaders: "No Panties," "No Slouching Breasts"
Looks like that Raiderettes lawsuit was just the beginning. Cincinnati Bengals cheerleader Alexa Brenneman has filed her own class-action lawsuit against the team for allegedly violating federal employment laws. As with the Raiders and Ravens, the juiciest reading here is the list of rules handed do...

Swimsuit Issue: The Butterfinger Edition
The 50th anniversary edition of Sports Illustrated's swimsuit issue hit newsstands this week, which (inevitably, perhaps) evokes memories of a Golden Age when a bikini-clad blonde eating a Butterfinger was the veritable emblem of hotness....

The Dunk Contest Field Has Been Announced, And It's Not Terrible
ESPN's Marc Stein has the scoop on which six players will be competing in this year's dunk contest, and it's actually a pretty strong field. Paul George, John Wall, Damian Lillard, Harrison Barnes, Terrence Ross, and Ben McLemore will be this year's competitors. ...

Here Is An Important Photo Of Pacman Jones And Rod Stewart
This chance encounter earned an "OMG" from Pacman, which is delightful. Rod looks a little out of it, though....

Ben Scrivens Stops History
Hockey fans, if there's anything resembling sympathy to be found in that cold, unpliable puck you call a heart, you may want to send a little Ben Scrivens's way. Edmonton isn't always going to give up 100 shot attempts, and the newest Oiler isn't always going to post an NHL-record 59-save shutout, b...

Anthony Bennett Finally Scored Double Digits In An NBA Game
We haven't heard from sad, miserable, oh-god-how-was-this-guy-the-first-pick-in-the-draft Anthony Bennett in a while, but today brings good news! In his 33rd career game, Anthony Bennett dropped 15 points and eight rebounds in 31 minutes. It was the first time Bennett has scored 10 or more points i...

A Photog Remembers When, And Why, "Uncle Tom" Frazier Kicked Ali's Ass
Today is Muhammad Ali's 72nd birthday. Four decades ago, after three-and-a-half years away from the ring, he was half-assedly gearing up for a title fight with the reigning champ, Joe Frazier. LIFE photographer John Shearer remembers that winter well....

Faces Of The Young America League: Guts And Glory In The Rockies
Way back when, at a time when organized football for school kids was something of a rarity, LIFE's Alfred Eisenstaedt made some portraits of tough little guys playing in Colorado's Young America League in 1939. (See more Young America League photos here.)...

The Night Sinatra And DiMaggio Heard Marilyn Was Humping Some Guy
Sixty years ago today, Joe DiMaggio married his girlfriend of two years, Marilyn Monroe. Here, the happy couple are seen leaving San Francisco's City Hall, site of their nuptials. It was a short-lived union: The two divorced in October of the same year....