closer Page 1 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights
Yankees remove Devin Williams from closer role 'for right now'
Devin Williams, the Yankees' struggling reliever, temporarily has been removed from the team's closer role, manager Aaron Boone said Sunday in advance of his New York's doubleheader with the Toronto Blue Jays.,"For right now, I'm going to take him out of that role," Boone said of Williams, who has a...
Edwin Diaz remains Mets' closer despite fourth blown save
In his first save appearance in a week, Mets right-hander Edwin Diaz squandered another ninth-inning lead on Saturday but will remain New York's closer. ,"He's our closer," Mets manager Carlos Mendoza told reporters after a 7-2, 10-inning loss to the visiting San Francisco Giants. "In order for us t...
Tony La Russa was every bit the human gallstone you thought he was
It could end up being the pacemaker that saved Chicago, going down in history along with other objects we revere like a lamp next to a cow, disco records, and all the dirt we moved to reverse the flow of the Chicago River to send our shit to St. Louis (where it belongs and they deserve) to name a fe...
Craig Kimbrel pitching his way off of Dodgers’ postseason roster
Craig Kimbrel needs to be left off the Dodgers’ postseason roster....
Dodgers need a closer, so they get a closer
The Los Angeles Dodgers don’t know when enough is enough, huh? No matter how much fire power they have, they can always have more. Earlier today, the Boys in Blue traded for Chicago White Sox All-Star reliever Craig Kimbrel, giving up outfielder A.J. Pollock in the process....
Kyrie Irving and Dave Chappelle are being used as Black ‘pawns’ on a white chessboard
Kyrie Irving and Dave Chappelle are getting played....
ESPN’s ‘Cy Young Predictor’ is laughably on the fritz
Predicting who is going to win major awards across the Big 4 American sports is one of the nation’s most popular pastimes. Oftentimes, arguments can be made for several different players. That’s why several years ago, ESPN put out its Cy Young Predictor, an AI system that would take a pitcher’s stat...
Why does one inning make such a difference?
Unless you actually talk to a White Sox fan here in town, things are pretty serene for the Pale Hose. They still have a dominating lead in the AL Central with no one actually trying to catch them, and seem pretty certain to have a date with the Astros come the division series, with every chance of s...
Hear me out: Tony La Russa… Manager of the Year?
Tony La Russa could shockingly be A.L. Manager of the Year for playoff-bound White Sox...
The Top 5 Idiots of May
Welcome to Deadspin’s IDIOT OF THE MONTH, in which we make fun of famous (and non-famous!) people who have done stupid things. And May did not disappoint....
Tony La Russa doesn’t know the rules and there’s no one to save him from himself, either
Is it bad when your manager doesn’t know the rules? If we try to be fair to Tony La Russa, this is the first season this ridiculous extra-innings rule was put in place with the NL not having a DH, and La Russa doesn’t manage an NL club....
Edwin Dí<em></em>az Will Save Every Damn Game If He Has To
After closing three games in three days, Edwin Díaz was supposed to have Sunday off. It didn’t look like the Mariners would need him anyway, as they trailed the Astros heading to the ninth. But Ryon Healy homered to tie the game, and then Mitch Haniger doubled in the go-ahead run in the 10th, and Dí...
<i>Purity </i>Went To Communist East Germany And Found Itself
We’ll move further along in Purity in just a moment. First, I want to relay the story of what happened the first time I opened the book up after the last dispatch, in which I discussed how much truer and more knowledgeably written Jonathan Franzen’s one-paragraph description of Santa Cruz’s weather ...
I Found <i>Purity</i>'s First Honest Paragraph, On Page 66
When last we met, Jonathan Franzen had mucked up the early pages of his novel Purity with repeated appraisals of the sex appeal of his main character, Pip. I was creeped out, but leaving room for the possibility that Franzen might be up to something that would redeem—or at least make some sense of—a...
Pujols, Trout Mock Fernando Rodney's "Arrow" Celebration
There's nothing more frustrating than an opposing closer being demonstrative about doing his job. Say, Fernando Rodney getting the third out, then miming pulling an arrow out of his quiver, nocking it, and firing. Infuriating, if it's against you. Yesterday, the Angels got the very best possible r...
Here's What It Looks Like When You Jump On A Frozen Trampoline
This Vine is a couple weeks old, but Bob's Blitz brought it to our attention today, and it's freaking cold outside....
MLB Takes Out Full-Page Newspaper Ads To Honor Mariano Rivera
Tonight will be Mariano Rivera's final home game, a meaningless one since the Yankees were officially eliminated from postseason play last night. It'll be just the second time in his 19-year career that Rivera won't pitch into October. So today's the day for tributes....
Reds Closer Aroldis Chapman Celebrates A Save By Doing A Double-Somersault
Reds hurler Aroldis Chapman is in a weird spot. The triple-digit flamethrower is hearing calls to yank him from the closer role, and possibly put him in the Cincinnati rotation. That's not to mention his stripper issues and other stretches of bizarre behavior....
The Dropkick Murphys Won't Let Jonathan Papelbon Use His Old Entrance Music (Update)
For the longest time (or at least since The Departed made it famous), Jonathan Papelbon has been entering to the bagpipes-and-guitars opening riff of the Dropkick Murphys' "I'm Shipping Up To Boston." It made sense. The song is instantly recognizable, catchy, and it's about Boston....
Close Reading: Did Grantland Rice Misquote Grantland Rice's Most Famous Quote?
Not long ago, the staff of ESPN's Grantland objected to a letter published by our Grantland Comments and Corrections Desk, which argued that the site's slogan misquoted Grantland Rice. After extensive research, Deadspin has concluded that Grantland's version of the slogan is valid. The irregularity ...