ew Page 1872 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

World Cup Final: What if the managers switched brains?
There’s some lesson to be learned that Spain won the World Cup with a manager they reviled, while the USWNT faceplanted in the round of 16 with a manager who got hired mostly because all the players loved him. I’m not exactly sure what it is, but it probably has to do with what really matters is the...

10 NFL players, team units everyone thinks will be bad this season, but won't be
Assumptions can be a dangerous thing. Take the preseason conversation surrounding Tua Tagovailoa last season. There were signs that the Miami Dolphins’ third-year quarterback was about to make a quantum leap, but he was mostly ignored in lieu of cheapshots at his arm strength. The same is true for 2...

OK, but what if Spain winning the World Cup is actually a good thing?
If you bounce around the non-Spain or England-based internet, you may find that this World Cup Final is a Final no one wanted. Australia would have been more exciting given the noise that would have accompanied them. One of the real upstarts like Colombia would have been a real story. USWNT fans don...

If ever there was a year for unbridled Jets enthusiasm, this is it
If you are or have ever been a New York Jets fan, this is the year to double, triple, and quadruple down on the team. If you quit the franchise like Fireman Ed, this is the year for a reunion. This year, more than any since Broadway Joe, is the year to root for gangrene. ...

Stephen A. Smith has all the juice at ESPN
Sports media members are no more forthcoming with their career deals than the players whom we cover, and many times even less so. We are far more replaceable than people who are 6-foot-8 with 35-inch vertical leaps. Therefore most of us wait until the press release comes out before making any public...

James Harden's wine is a vintner’s nightmare
The first sip of James Harden’s cabernet sauvignon caused a visceral stepback, and the sudden urge to chuck my glass at any wastebasket within 30 feet. Completely bereft of any tannins, the bouquet was as generic as seemingly any bottle picked off the shelves of a 7-Eleven, and went down with equal ...

Who will New York Yankees GM Brian Cashman scapegoat next?
Atlanta has been a menace to New Yorkers of late. First, they dribbled the New York Mets all over Citi Field. Off the diamond, their District Attorney pinched Rudy Guiliani and Donald Trump in a RICO case, then the Braves continued their streak by lopping off the Bronx Bombers heads in three consecu...

Bill Belichick is up to his same old tricks, and they may not be good enough anymore
The Ezekiel Elliott signing was a solid move by Bill Belichick. Elliott may no longer be the athlete who cleared opposing defenders the way that he cleared high hurdles as a high school track and field star, but he is still a football player who can contribute to a winning team. Any extra depth is w...

Embarrassing moron thinks space lasers started Maui wildfires
There’s anxiety, and then there’s paranoia. If you’re afraid of flying, crowds, or clowns, that’s understandable. Everybody has their own quirks, but when it comes to the hardcore baseless conspiracy theorists — say, shadowy government forces using cutting-edge military weaponry to start a deadly fi...

A non-USWNT World Cup Final is still good for the game
As tough as it is not to have the U.S. Women’s National Team in the FIFA Women’s World Cup final after winning the last two tournaments, the Spain-England final on Sunday is arguably better for the overall health of the game worldwide....

Women’s World Cup Day 23: It’s (probably) coming home to England
Sam Kerr got her first start of the World Cup. Possibly the best striker on Earth still wasn’t fully fit, but the Chelsea starlet at 80 percent is better than most in prime form. The Australian juggernaut scored one of the best goals of the tournament in the 63rd minute with her club teammate, Milli...

<i>Hard Knocks</i>: These magic tricks were more interesting than Aaron Rodgers or the Jets
A break from the Aaron Rodgers Variety Hour was needed at the start of the second episode of Hard Knocks. There is plenty of footage of him being chummy, playful, and even the passive-aggressive side of him that surely gets old with his coworkers after a while. The New York Jets and HBO viewing audi...

Is this finally the year for the New York Jets?
As Aaron Rodgers steps into the Showtime spotlight of the Big Apple, he will have to do his best Magic Johnson impersonation to get the most out of his many talented options. Rodgers has two of his trusted pass catchers from Green Bay by his side in Allen Lazard and Randall Cobb, as well as a rising...

Do you know just how bad the Colorado Rockies have been?
It’s a baseball axiom that the Colorado Rockies are clueless, helpless, directionless. They don’t have any stars, they don’t have any prospects, and they don’t have any idea how to get or produce either. Their ballpark presents a unique set of problems, but the Rockies are certainly not the organiza...

Does it matter that 3 of the AP top 5 teams haven’t named a starting QB?
AP’s college football top 25 poll debuted Monday, and there aren’t too many surprises. Texas (11) is overrated as usual, but everything else appears to be above board. The typical formula for misguided hype includes some combination of a new coach, unproven quarterback, prestigious program, schedule...

World Cup Day 22: Spain overcome Sweden to reach their first Final
This is truly the business end of the World Cup, as we decide who will get to play for the whole Chimichanga. The first semifinal is in the books, and it was a true styles-makes-fights clash (as opposed to the staring contest England-Australia quite likely will be). Spain’s technical ability vs. Swe...

After the ESPN shakeup, we still have Hubie Brown to keep teaching us basketball
Following its highest-rated NBA Playoff in two decades, ESPN decided to take a hatchet to its game coverage of the league. Gone from the network entirely are Mark Jackson and Jeff Van Gundy. Replacing them on the No. 1 commentator team alongside Mike Breen are Doris Burke and Doc Rivers. Ryan Ruocco...

Unfortunately for Colts' Jonathan Taylor, his trade request leverage is not that of an NBA player
Jonathan Taylor is back at Indianapolis Colts training camp. He is still on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list and also his stance on remaining with the team has not changed. According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Taylor still wants out of Indianapolis....

Aaron Donald rules over the institution that is John Madden Football
The release of Madden NFL ‘24 is just days away, a massive event in the gaming world. This year five NFL players will enter the season with 99 overall ratings; Aaron Donald is once again at the head of the class for a record seventh time in his career. With that, he passed Hall of Fame quarterback P...

The Yankees are getting awfully close to toast after Sunday’s collapse in Miami
It’s been a while since New York had a lost summer, baseball-wise. Every New York summer is hot and smells like anarchy, but usually one of the Mets or Yankees can make all that sweating and noise worth it for their supporters. The Mets gave up their responsibility long ago, while the Yankees have b...