ick Page 313 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

We should have had an Eastern conference battle last night with Nets-Sixers, but got ripped off instead
If ESPN were smart, it would demand a refund....

Have to see this Luka Dončić game-winner to believe it
Luka Dončić won a game looking like I do at 2 a.m. trying to get back into bed (or sometimes at 4 p.m. trying to get a burrito):...

Bernie Madoff, whose Ponzi scheme screwed the Mets for years, dies in prison
Bernie Madoff tried to get clemency from Donald Trump in 2019, and last year asked to be released from prison because of kidney disease. He didn’t get the presidential get-out-of-jail-free card, and didn’t get the compassionate release, but Madoff is now off the hook for the remaining 138 years of h...

Why isn’t Marquette King still punting in the NFL? I asked him
Generally speaking, when an All-Pro player is healthy, they’re employed in today’s NFL. For whatever reason, that isn’t the case for Marquette King, who is healthy, available, and ready to contribute for an NFL franchise. The former second team All-Pro punter, oozing with personality and ability, la...

Joe West wins suit vs. Paul Lo Duca in a story with no heroes
They say justice is blind, which means that’s one thing justice has in common with Joe West....

Taking a look at QB-heavy draft classes, and why the best isn't always the guy who goes highest
In a quarterback league, this year’s NFL Draft looks like one of the most quarterback-rich talent pools in history. We know that Trevor Lawrence will be the No. 1 pick for the Jaguars, and after him, it’s likely that the Jets and 49ers will select signal callers, making this the first draft with qua...

Cleveland fans react to Yu Chang’s game-ending error with racist messages
There was only one error in last night’s Cleveland-White Sox tilt. But it happened to be the defining play of the ball game. The final throw also inspired trolls on the internet to hurl racist slurs at Cleveland infielder Yu Chang....

With anti-Asian violence on the rise in America, Hideki Matsuyama displayed class and dignity while making golf history
Looking through the list of Masters winners, there are a lot of American Flags. It wasn’t until 1961, 27 years after the inaugural Masters (then referred to as the Augusta National Invitation Tournament) that a non-American won the tournament for the first time — Gary Player, of South Africa. Player...

The NHL trade deadline, and the Maple Leafs in particular, continue to be really weird
There’s nothing like the NHL trade deadline to warp what you thought you knew about teams’ priorities and how players are valued. GMs alternate between desperation to chase the Cup and desperation to get anything for players who can’t wait to high-tail it out of town at the season’s end. The process...

The Dallas Mavericks are officially ‘in the mix,’ which is good enough in this crazy season
Part of your initiation as a young NBA nucleus is getting your ass whooped in the playoffs. But last season, the Dallas Mavericks were robbed of what could’ve been....

Filthy rich NFL owners aren’t <i>quite</i> as rich as other sports' fat cats, according to new list
In American sports, everybody is always trying to catch up to the NFL. They have the biggest ratings, the largest fan base, and new stadiums constantly trying to out-gargantuan the others. It’s also a league full of shrewd business people who don’t have to pay guaranteed contracts....

Ted Cruz’s performative outrage over MLB is laughably disingenuous and toothless
Major League Baseball’s decision to move the All-Star Game out of (suburban) Atlanta as a response to Georgia’s racist voting law generated a response of its own from two of the Senate’s leading shitposting insurrectionists, Ted Cruz and Mike Lee: a threat to draft legislation to revoke baseball’s a...


Paul Pierce getting fired on his day off is hilarious, but should he have?
When I saw the news that Paul Pierce got fired from ESPN, I and many others had this initial reaction:...

Your guide to the most interesting MLB walk-up music, then and now
You can tell a lot about a person by what music they listen to....

Francisco (not Frankie) Lindor, Roberto (not Bobby) Clemente, and the unintentional disrespect of Americanizing Latin names
Nicknames are endearing, but they’re not always respectful. ...

Which team played the villain role best?
With the Houston Astros now wearing the crown as the most hated team in professional sports — as indicated by the chorus of boos and piercing screams of “CHEATER!” that rang through the Oakland Coliseum (whatever ridiculous name it has today) last night on Opening Day (ahh… welcome back baseball, an...

On Opening Day, the signs of how much we’ve lost were everywhere
After getting the coronavirus vaccine on Wednesday, I was pretty out of it on Thursday, which meant that Opening Day was a different experience than usual. I woke up in the morning, had breakfast and walked the dog, then went right back to sleep, setting an alarm to be able to watch the first inning...

April Fools, these fake sports tweets probably got you too
We all want to be first. First in line for whatever you’re buying, first to discover new talent, first to see that blockbuster hit. In the media, we also want to be first to a story. You probably do too. That might be why you’re on Twitter — to follow the “Woj Bombs” or Schefter’s BREAKING news. But...

Negro League researcher Cam Perron talks about his new book, the Negro Leagues, and the times to come
In a profile over the summer, I asked Cam Perron what he’s up to next. At the time, the young Negro Leagues researcher, whose work of documenting players’ service time led to their receiving MLB pensions, was operating his memorabilia business and working on a book set to hit shelves in 2021....