boston Page 27 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

Please, please, send John Smoltz to a farm upstate
It was a slow, lazy Saturday afternoon. It would have to be for me to turn on the Mets when Jacob deGrom isn’t pitching (though Marcus Stroman can be a very entertaining watch, too). I grew up at a time here in Chicago when we hated the Mets as much as the Cardinals, and those instincts still flicke...

Former Kentucky guard and NBA prospect Terrence Clarke dies following car crash
Kentucky guard Terrence Clarke, who recently declared for the NBA draft, died Thursday night after a car accident in the San Fernando Valley area of Los Angeles. He was just 19 years old....

Don’t be surprised when Devin Booker goes for 50+ tonight in the Garden
Everyone knows that Devin Booker is a bucket....

LaMelo Ball could return by May, and Hornets could sting from playoff play-in position
We weren’t sure if LaMelo Ball would play again this season, but it looks like he will....

Indiana believes Brad Stevens is worth $52 million more than Mike Woodson — that’s disrespectful
If Adrian Wojnarowski’s report is true — which is so often the case — then new Indiana head basketball coach Mike Woodson needs to fire his agent. Because he just got played....

Who would you take right now, Jayson Tatum or Donovan Mitchell?
The past four seasons have made it clear who the best two players in the 2017 NBA Draft are....

Joey Votto almost pulled off the incredibly rare unassisted triple play
Carlos Rodón came oh-so-close to a perfect game on Wednesday night, settling instead for a no-hitter after he hit Cleveland catcher Roberto Perez with a pitch in the ninth inning, two outs away from what would have been the first perfecto in the majors since Félix Hernández’s in on August 15, 2012....

For now, Julius Randle and the damn New York Knicks are still here
Conventional thinking in the form of many NBA media members suggested that the New York Knicks would, to some degree, fall off by now, and rightfully so. They’ve had one of the league’s most challenging schedules since March’s All-Star break and that will remain as such through the end of the season...

How well did<em> MLB: The Show</em> choose cover athletes? We rank all 15 player performances that season
One month later than usual, MLB: The Show is finally releasing their 2021 installment. Although the game itself doesn’t fully come out until Tuesday, April 20, today begins the early access release period, meaning if you pre-ordered the game, you’re probably playing it right now....

Jayson Tatum looks like his pre-COVID self again, but he’s not “cured” — he now has to use an inhaler
In case you’ve forgotten, Jayson Tatum is here to remind you that we’re still in a pandemic....

After lying with racists and sexists, the NWHL thought it would try transphobes, too
The NWHL was able to finish its Isobel Cup belatedly two weeks ago, as the Boston Pride beat the Minnesota Whitecaps. The league had something of a false start in the winter with their attempted bubble in Lake Placid that didn’t really bubble, the league was able to complete the playoffs in Boston....

The NHL trade deadline, and the Maple Leafs in particular, continue to be really weird
There’s nothing like the NHL trade deadline to warp what you thought you knew about teams’ priorities and how players are valued. GMs alternate between desperation to chase the Cup and desperation to get anything for players who can’t wait to high-tail it out of town at the season’s end. The process...

Marcus Smart passing Larry Bird on all-time Celts’ 3-pointer list is a wake-up call
It’s not a revelation that the NBA today is heavier on three-pointers than it’s ever been. Teams are taking more threes per game than ever before — 34.7 per game, per team, and with good reason: at 36.7 percent, this season’s success rate is the highest of all time....

David Wells shows his ass, water is wet and other knowns
When I was in high school I wore 33 on my baseball jersey because of the numbers available in my size, that was the one I could pick to emulate a favorite player, David Wells....

It's great to see Isaiah Thomas again, and hopefully other NBA veterans can follow
Being labeled an NBA journeyman has to be awkward....

WTF are these hideous pee-yellow Red Sox/Nike cash-grab alternate jerseys?
It was bad enough when the Red Sox rolled out green alternate jerseys, but at least those had some meaning to them. The Sox have worn green to honor Red Auerbach after his death, again to celebrate the Celtics beating the Lakers in the NBA Finals, and then once more for Earth Day in 2009. They looke...

The players we’d most like to see in the Big 3’s new season
According to a report from Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports, the Big3 is returning after their 2020 cancelation due to COVID....

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

AL Central Preview: Which is it, Luis Robert?
The White Sox are probably the second-most fascinating team heading into the 2021 season. They haven’t quite cannonballed into the pool and ruined the buffet the way the San Diego Padres have — a team they will always be linked to thanks to Fernando Tatis Jr. and the rampant screen-punching amongst ...

AL East Preview: Baseball Royalty? Let's discuss
The American League East is full of baseball history and royalty, with the likes of the Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees often reigning from on high. Last year, the Tampa Bay Rays stole that crown, winning the division in a shortened season by a commanding seven games. The Red Sox, contrastin...