brandon Page 7 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

The United States men’s national team’s Gold Cup squad lacks stars, serves better long-term purpose
It’s clear by interim United States men’s national team head coach B.J. Callaghan’s 23-man roster for this summer’s CONCACAF Gold Cup that winning the tournament isn’t the only priority. How else do you explain giving players like Christian Pulisic a pass? It’s not a break as he barely played at Che...

The Florida Panthers get their sharp ends back
Most want to attribute some kind of special potion or Cornwallis-like strategy cooked up by coach Paul Maurice and GM Bill Zito to explain the Florida Panthers’ success. After all, there has to be something mystical that got the lowest-seeded team to the Stanley Cup Final. But it isn’t that hard. Ma...
![Alek Manoah has been so awful the Blue Jays sent him to the rookie circuit [Update]](https://images.deadspin.com/tr:w-900/24a6964601a11ab80c478c4a478a38c6.jpg)
Alek Manoah has been so awful the Blue Jays sent him to the rookie circuit [Update]
A 30,000-foot view of the Toronto Blue Jays so far this season wouldn’t detect any huge problems. The offense, while maybe not tearing a hole in the Earth or indeed time as might have been predicted, is still 11th in MLB in runs. Bo Bichette is second in batting average, Vladito is bashing the shit ...

We are finally getting the Netflix Florida Gators doc we deserve
It’s finally here. Well, it’s at least on the way — reportedly....

Florida Panthers faceplanted in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final
It’s not that the Florida Panthers haven’t faced adversity in this playoff run. They were down 3-1 to the Bruins. But then, nothing was expected of them, so it’s not like they had much to lose. They certainly do now, so close to the parade, and they certainly appeared intent on losing it all in Game...

If Adam Silver thinks Ja Morant’s punishment will distract from the Finals, you know it’s harsh
As far as bad omens go, NBA commissioner Adam Silver saying he’s going to save sharing the results of the Ja Morant investigation until after the Finals because it would be unfair to the Denver Nuggets and Miami Heat is pretty bad. Silver’s comments about the pending discipline for one the league’s ...

Alabama walk-on Kai Spears suing New York Times for linking him to Jamea Jonae Harris shooting
More than two months after the New York Times published a story stating Alabama basketball walk-on Kai Spears was in Brandon Miller’s car during the fatal shooting of Jamea Jonae Harris in January, Spears is suing the Gray Lady....

Lakers' former core excelling outside of Los Angeles
It’s not always the case that you can trace the current crop of key NBA players to a single team during a single season. But that’s exactly what the 2017-2018 season was for the Los Angeles Lakers. That season was two years removed from the retirement of Kobe Bryant, who won five championships with ...

What are the Florida Panthers, really?
The NHL will be more than happy to hook their star to an NBA narrative, so while all the fans north of the border bitch about a Stanley Cup Final between the Florida Panthers and Vegas Golden Knights, the offices probably aren’t upset about getting linked through dual South Florida 8-seeds playing f...

The Florida Panthers changing their narrative is the story of the NHL playoffs
The Florida Panthers were written off. Down three games to a lowly one to the Boston Bruins, the most dominant regular-season team of all time, needing two wins in their barn to even get out of the first round. Since that 6-2 loss at home to the B’s, the Panthers are 11-1. Three straight over the Br...

Believe in fun, believe in the Diamondbacks
There was always hope that a young, funky team would finally not just get the best of the Dodgers, but signal the end of the now decade long run of the Dodgers running roughshod over the NL West. Yes, the Giants got them once, in a season where the Dodgers still won 106 games. And we know what happe...

Is Victor Wembanyama’s size a gift or a curse? Let's debate
The following conversation is based on real-life arguments and was conducted by two professionals. Please, don’t attempt to replicate any discussion as takes of these temperatures should be handled with gloves and safety glasses and under the care and supervision of adults. Today’s social experiment...

The final Brick for Vic stock report: NBA Draft Lottery edition
Stand on your head for one night because this is when everything gets flipped upside down so the NBA bottom feeders can plant the flag on a summit. Tuesday’s NBA Draft lottery is an especially important inflection point in NBA history. There won’t be any wavering over who will be the top pick in nex...

The Toronto Maple Leafs are about to do something stupid
The rest of the employees of the Springfield Power Plant gathering around the control center of Sector 7-G, with Lenny narrating for everyone the normal practice, “Get ready everyone, he’s about to do something stupid…” is what the NHL is now, gathering around The Six and wondering just what the Tor...

Brandon Lowe may be the best of Tampa Bay's nameless bunch
The Tampa Bay Rays are off to one of the best starts to an MLB season in recent memory. A 30th win through 40 games gives the club the best record through that mark since the 1984 Detroit Tigers, who went 35-5 en route to a 104-win season and a World Series title....
![Has Antonio Brown already turned the Albany Empire into a burning landfill? [Updated]](https://images.deadspin.com/tr:w-900/60aa3832f0ca5fc41962a9ae8c4b54fb.jpg)
Has Antonio Brown already turned the Albany Empire into a burning landfill? [Updated]
Every week, Antonio Brown provides the football world with a smoke signal update that reminds us that he’s an agent of chaos. That smoke signal is usually indicative of a fire. Since March, Brown has been running a semi-professional football team in Albany New York like it was George Bluth Sr.’s Ori...

Playoff hockey is stupid anyway
The NHL Playoffs gets its jollies from defying logic or explanation, and reveling in its unpredictability. That doesn’t mean it’s always a free-for-all, as hockey and its fans would have you believe. But it delves into the chaos and silliness more often than its brethren, that’s for sure....

Hendon Hooker might be the gem of the 2023 NFL Draft Class, despite his age
Any team lacking a true QB1 that is picking No. 15 or lower in the 2023 NFL Draft needs to take a long look at former Tennessee Volunteers signal-caller Hendon Hooker. He has his flaws, but on the field, they are no worse than any of the top quarterback prospects. His are just different. Hooker has ...
![That Lamar Jackson-49ers rumor was just that — a rumor [Updated]](https://images.deadspin.com/tr:w-900/f8894c31fbf70285c9b6b63704ff2ff1.png)
That Lamar Jackson-49ers rumor was just that — a rumor [Updated]
The NFL Draft has arrived, and because of that, the rumor mill around the league is working overtime. Now that Aaron Rodgers is officially a New York Jet, the biggest storyline to pay attention to is the contract situation with Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens. Jackson is sticking to his guns ...

What's in the water in Tuscaloosa?
In the months leading up to the NCAA Tournament, the conversation around Alabama’s men’s basketball team was less about how good they were, and more about the drama they were involved in off the court. And while some have forgotten about the tragic death of Jamea Jonae Harris and what her friends an...