dor Page 26 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights
NL East Preview: Are the Mets good enough to topple the Braves?
You could make a definitive argument that the National League East is the strongest 1-through-5 division in Major League Baseball, so long as no one fucks this up....
With Francisco Lindor and Anthony Rizzo seeking extensions, it's a tale of two owners
Lindor-palooza has apparently begun. News broke last night that the Mets have offered Francisco Lindor a 10-year, $325 million extension to his deal that ends after the season. Lindor is apparently after a 12-year, $385 million deal. As always, both sides are making noise about negotiations being cu...
Empty protests of Qatar World Cup show players see evil, but can't close FIFA's Pandora's Box
It’s been a week for performative protests in soccer. Last Sunday, Glasgow Celtic and Rangers followed Wilfried Zaha’s lead and tore the facade of the kneeling before the opening whistle protest. It was just three days after one of Rangers’ players was racially abused by an opponent, and it was clea...
Tanks a lot! Rockets going from 44-28 to 11-28 is putrid, but not most historic NBA drop-off ever
On Feb. 4, the Rockets went to Memphis and beat the Grizzlies by 12 points for their seventh win in eight games, moving to 11-10 for the season. Certainly, Houston was outperforming expectations after trading away James Harden, but nobody knew how bad things were about to get....
Carlos Carrasco suffers hamstring strain, confirming the Mets are still the Mets
There’s this dude; we’ll call him Felix. Felix was ecstatic when the New York Mets acquired his favorite player, Franciso Lindor, along with Carlos Carrasco, in early January. Felix told his co-workers about how he and his father Julio were exchanging celebratory texts regarding the news. Felix is n...
Let's see if we can make baseball better by exploiting loopholes in MLB’s rulebook
Major League Baseball’s takeover of the minor leagues has paved the way for the 2021 season to be one of experimentation on the farm, with different rules being tested at different levels in the developmental circuits....
On the anniversary of sports shutting down due to COVID-19, what have we learned about sports, the virus, and ourselves?
It’s been a year since NBA player Rudy Gobert smeared his hands on reporters’ microphones at a press conference and then tested positive for the coronavirus. A year of lockdowns and masking and handwashing and flouting mask-wearing protocols....
If Johnny Damon looked like David Ortiz, he very well might be dead
I know you’ll have to get over the shock that someone who spent their whole career trading on the label of “idiot” got arrested for a DUI. It’s a cold world. That’s what Johnny Damon did last month in Florida, as well as resisting arrest without violence. Damon’s blood-alcohol level was .30, some fo...
Les Miles’ creepy ass got fired on International Women’s Day, which is poetic
Late Monday night, the University of Kansas announced it had “mutually agreed to part ways” with head football coach Les Miles. The fact that Miles is out as head coach on International Women’s Day is truly a delightful display of life imitating art....
Let’s take a moment to appreciate American women in sports of the 21st century
I will say it loudly and frequently – celebrate women in sports. They belong in sports. They belong wherever the hell they want to belong. Gender has zero bearing on knowledge about a topic. It has always been a battle for equality, and it should not have to be. And it’s not just athletes. Before an...
Hold on to your Grapefruits, it’s time for pitchers and catchers
Spring training starts this week, with pitchers and catchers day arriving on Wednesday for eight teams, and the rest of the majors getting going on Thursday or Friday. Hopefully, this year’s ramp-up to the season will go more smoothly than 2020, when the Grapefruit and Cactus Leagues had to shut dow...
Story, Lindor and Tatis are the best crop of shortstops since A-Rod, Jeter and Nomar
People really like to post rankings, because they generate a lot of conversations and tend to rile people up with strong feelings about players or teams. “You have WHO ranked at No. 1? You have to be kidding. No way.” It’s a good time. In fact, I love posting rankings. I love sharing my opinions and...
Big Ben can help the Steelers by packing up his withered arm and going away
The NFL offseason promises to be almost NBA-like in its drama. There are multiple QBs on the market that could actually make a difference, with Matthew Stafford and Deshaun Watson at the top of the trade market. The Dolphins are willing to dangle Tua Tagovoiloa in order to get Watson, or maybe a hig...
With A-Rod and Big Papi on ballot next year, gatekeepers of Cooperstown will face a reckoning
Just as most writers want, to get the affirmation they apparently crave by denying millionaires access to a club, no one will enter the Baseball Hall of Fame this summer. Once again, they have kept the sanctuary safe from the heathen of Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens, as they see it. They won’t get t...
Lindor trade means Cleveland moves closer to owner's dream of a free roster
Here’s a little something for you: Cleveland’s MLB team’s payroll for 2021 is currently set at $35 million. Only three teams had a lower one...in 2001. One of them was the Expos, who no longer exist. One was the Twins, whom the league tried to contract because they wouldn’t spend anything, while cla...
In acquiring ‘Mr. Smile’ Francisco Lindor, the Mets land the Latino superstar Steve Cohen needs… as I told you they should
Last month I wrote about why the New York Mets needed to trade for Francisco Lindor in order to achieve Steve Cohen’s immediate promises....
Vanderbilt Athletics should be a prototype for college sports departments everywhere
Vanderbilt is no stranger to making history in sports. Over the past 12 months alone, the school’s athletics program has continued to help women break barriers by providing talented women opportunities to shine in some of the program’s biggest roles. Today is no different....
2020 Idiot of the Year: Our descent continues with Jon Gruden, Dana White, and a cold look in the mirror
UPDATE: We have compiled all 50 items into one handy list, for your reading convenience. It is available here....
Talking about Sarah Fuller as a ‘first’ avoids the uncomfortable conversation of Katie Hnida
Just after Sarah Fuller calmly kicked her first extra point for Vanderbilt yesterday in a game against Tennessee, ESPN sent out the alert. “With her successful PAT, Sarah Fuller becomes the 1st woman to score in a Power 5 game.”...
Sarah Fuller kicks her way into history with extra point for Vandy
Sarah Fuller became the first woman to score in a Power 5 football game on Saturday, kicking an extra point as Vanderbilt took a first quarter lead against Tennessee....