br Page 707 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

Kobe Bryant Says He's "Shattering" His Rehab Timetable
Kobe Bryant spoke to reporters during an appearance in China this past weekend, assuring them that his surgically repaired Achilles tendon is healing much faster than it was expected to. He did this in a very Kobe Bryant kind of way....

The David Brooks Problem
I started a new job at Deadspin about three weeks ago, and I endured a tough first stretch. That was, in part, because, like anybody starting a new job, I wasn’t sure I could pull it off....

The NFL Will Crack Down On Celebrations. Again.
I know we were all thinking it: football is just a little too fun. But worry not, the NFL is sensitive to your concerns, and plans to squeeze what little joy was left out of touchdown celebrations....

The Swimmer
A classic—John Cheever's short story, "The Swimmer":...

The Whore of Akron
Last year I interviewed Scott Raab about his entertaining book The Whore of Akron. Dig:...

Pirates Bros Are Really Excited About The Pirates
This comes to us from Getting Blanked GIFmeister Scott Lewis. The Pirates held on to their one-and-a-half game lead at the top of the NL Central after taking two out of three from the Rockies this weekend. These bros can't help but let the good times roll....

Lindsay Lohan Is the Only Part of <em>The Canyons</em> That Isn't Horrible
The Canyons opens (and ends, over the closing credits) with photographs of abandoned, dilapidated movie theaters, which would be the world's most obvious metaphor if the film were actually competent enough to be about what it wants to be about. Director Paul Schrader (who should know better) and wri...

Perfection
Slide on over to The Unbearable Lightness of Betting and read where you'll find a reprint of Brendan Boyd's essay, "Perfection":...

Helmet Warning Label Tells Users Not To Play Football
The New York Times has a look at the various warning labels that exist on football helmets. You know, the little stickers you've never read? If you had, you'd have noticed one manufacturer's blunt instructions on how to safely use a football helmet: don't....

Patterson and Talese: A Good Combination
Kip Stratton edited a collection of Grover Lewis' journalism and wrote a book of poetry about Sam Peckinpah. He also wrote a good biography of Floyd Patterson, who we covered here recently. I interviewed Kip last summer and he talked about Patterson and Gay Talese:...

Here Is A Crow Moving A Ball At The Women's British Open
A crow interrupted the final round of the Women's British Open on Sunday to move a ball, apparently so minor a thing that it did not even rate a mention from the announcers....

Cleveland Browns Let Little Kid Score Touchdown
Don't worry, though, they did it on purpose. During Saturday's Family Night practice at Cleveland training camp, the Browns arranged for a cool little moment for one five-year-old boy and his family. ...

MLB Rookie's Rap Video Has Bedazzled Jockstrap, Pro-Abstinence Message
The Atlanta Braves called up outfielder prospect Todd Cunningham earlier this week, and Cunningham pinch-hit and recorded his first career hit—a single—on Tuesday. This isn't the interesting part, though; Cunningham's rap video from 2011 advocating abstinence is a much more important subject....

Melky Cabrera Tries To Throw A Baseball. It Does Not Go Well
Here's the GIF that pretty much sums up your season, Blue Jays fans....

You Don't See A Fella Sliding Into Second Base And Breaking His Cigar
Before he became famous a broadcaster, Myron Cope was a terrific writer. Do yourself a favor and track down his compilation Broken Cigars. The title was taken from a conversation Cope once had over beers with Alex Hawkins, a journeyman football player who complained that baseball was losing its popu...

Jason Kidd Will Use The Matrix And/Or Elysium As Motivation
At a screening of Matt Damon's new sci-fi flick Elysium, Nets head coach Jason Kidd told The Source that he loves The Matrix and thinks he can use it (or Elysium) as a motivational tool. The Jason Kidd coaching experiment is gonna be great, you guys....

Woodpeckers Can't Get Concussions, Will Muschamp Says (And He's Right)
Florida coach Will Muschamp is not known for his learnedness, but he dropped a little science during a press conference today, telling the assembled reporters a strange-but-true fact: Woodpeckers can't get concussions....

Hoops Heaven
This here book is a must for basketball junkies. Snag it if you run across a copy in a used bookstore. ...

Fan At Braves Game Drops Foul Ball, Lunges, Goes Splat
The ball had initially bounced a few rows back before caroming softly right toward him. Damn. He almost [THUMP!] had it....

Always Do The Right Thing
From the July-August 1991 issue of Film Comment, here's a portion of Gavin Smith's interview with Danny Aiello. They talk Spike, Woody and Fort Apache, the Bronx....