fl Page 30 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights
Where Did The Kings' Offense Come From?
Through the Olympic break, the Los Angeles Kings were struggling for offense. Or, more accurately, they were struggling to get the puck into the back of the net—which isn't the same thing at all....
A Tolerable Adam Sandler Movie! <em>Blended</em>, Reviewed.
In the late '90s, when Adam Sandler decided to transition from imbecile par excellence to romantic lead, he teamed up with Drew Barrymore to make The Wedding Singer, a very silly and very lovable '80s comedy that brought a softer, more human side to his Happy Gilmore/Billy Madison persona. That fi...
Peak Jackie Chan: The Intoxicating Joys Of <em>The Legend Of Drunken Master</em>
Netflix Instant doesn't have to feel like a depleted Blockbuster in 1990, where you spend half an hour browsing hopeless straight-to-video thrillers before saying "fuck it" and loading up another Archer. Streaming services can be an absolute treasure trove, particularly if you like action movies, an...
HIV, Hepatitis C, And More: New York's Amateur MMA Scene Is A Disaster
Things get bloody not long after the fight goes from technical battle to all-out brawl, and the former Hofstra wrestler and the kickboxer from Brooklyn up the tempo, mixing thudding kicks to the thigh with straight shots to the face. The venue—an event space in Chinatown called the Capitale—echoes w...
Goaltending Is Not The Canadiens' Problem
The difference between an elite goaltender and an outright bad one really isn't that huge. The best goalie in the league is probably going to give you .925, maybe .930 over the course of a season. The worst regular starter is probably going to sit around .900 or .905. That's two or three extra saves...
Chained Wimbledon: The Joys And Perils Of Prison Tennis
The next time I commit a felony, I think I'll do it in California. It turns out that San Quentin has a fabulous tennis program. The court I played on during my time in the New York State prison system was a total wreck. Two summers at Groveland Correctional Facility (starting in 2009) did improve my...
<em>The Maya Rudolph Show</em> Is Half-Man, Half-Muppet, And All Woman
"Men invented nepotism and practically live by it. It's okay for women to do it, too." All week long, I've been thinking about that quote from Roxane Gay's forthcoming essay collection, Bad Feminist—a prayer-hands-emoji-inducing aphorism that echoed again during last night's premiere of The Maya Rud...
Are These The Best Home-Brewed Beers In America?
After spending the last few millennia in aggressive pursuit of leisure and convenience, mankind—by which I mean a vocal minority of reasonably well-off people who are bloggers or my friends—has started voluntarily emulating a dirtier, more troublesome era when we had to make things for ourselves....
Kill All Humans, Or At Least Mute Them: <em>Godzilla,</em> Reviewed.
1. The go-to example for critics complaining about big-budget summer blockbusters today—and how they've devolved from some past, theoretical peak—is Steven Spielberg's Jaws. One of that 1975 film's many genius innovations was to hold off, as long as possible, on ever letting us see the shark. The mo...
In Praise Of <em>Sugar</em>, The Anti-<em>Million Dollar Arm</em>
Hoop Dreams has haunted me ever since I saw it 20 years ago. The story of two black Chicago high school basketball players hoping to make the NBA and escape their inner-city lives, the film ends with their pro dreams very much in doubt. Decades later, I still remember the last thing William Gat...
The Competitive-Balance Argument Against Paying Athletes Is Bullshit
High on the list of myths thrown out as excuses to delay or prevent the advent of pay-for-play is that the price-fixing engaged in by the 351 schools in Division 1, and especially the now 128 schools in FBS who play football, is necessary to ensure competitive balance across the sport. ...
Fried Chicken Sandwich Smackdown: Wendy's Vs. KFC
Fried chicken is the best. The main reason I had to stop reading about death row inmates' last meals is that every single thing about this sentence so far is ghastly; I was also secondarily appalled by how many of them forgot to request fried chicken. I understand that if they were good decision-mak...
The Empty-Seat Game: Japanese Soccer's Non-Solution To A Racism Scandal
First it was a tall woman in bright clothing with a microphone. Then her cameraman. Then a short man in a coat and tie with a notepad. Then another man with a smaller camera that was already rolling....
Dan Bylsma Was Doomed By His Roster, Not His Coaching
Changes are coming in Pittsburgh but they're not going to be the right ones. After the Penguins punted a 3-1 series lead and home Game 7 to the Rangers, you can bet any amount of money you like that coach Dan Bylsma will be fired. Only because it's easier to fire a coach than it is to find six decen...
What <em>Louie</em>'s Fat-Girls Tirade Got Wrong About The Dudes Who Love Them
As you are probably aware by now, "BBW" means "big beautiful woman." I know: patronizing, annoying to say out loud (bee-bee-dubbleyew), sometimes confused with Bath and Body Works. But nonetheless, this is the three-letter PIN that you would Google (or Craigslist, or OKCupid) in order to find a fat ...
God Help Martin Freeman, The Pathetic Soul Of <em>Fargo</em>
Forgo Fargo at your own peril. Is the 10-part miniseries, which reaches its halfway point tonight on FX, worthy of the masterful 1996 Coen brothers film from whence it was adapted? You betcha. Oh yah, real good. ...
Player-Tracking Technology Is Coming To Hockey. It'll Change Everything.
Nothing happens quickly in the NHL. Fighting still exists. Visors were only mandated for incoming players last year. But the league is reportedly preparing to test player-tracking technology, and if it takes, we're not far away from a complete and sudden revolution in how we understand the sport....
Matt Brown Got Violent This Weekend, And It Was Awesome
On Saturday night in Cincinnati, Ohio, Matt Brown and Erick Silva beat the hell out of each other for a while, and then things turned. In the end, it was Brown delivering and Silva absorbing a frightening thrashing, to the delight of nearly all, both his local fans in the arena and all those watchin...
You'll Never Flop Alone: Sad Scenes From The Last Of Liverpool's Season
On Sunday, I watched the deflating end of Liverpool's season from various points along Anfield Road, not far from the team's stadium and headquarters. The result was the culmination of a slow-motion regression to an unhappy mean. Having entered the stretch run looking like a lock to win the Premiers...
The Minnesota Wild Are Learning The Hard Way: You Can't Buy A Cup
When the Minnesota Wild made the only real splash in team history by signing the top two free agents of the Class of 2012, people thought it would usher in a change for the troubled franchise. They were right. Instead of just missing the postseason, the Wild are primed to bow out early in the playof...