il Page 699 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

We can applaud Naomi Osaka without disparaging the media
Naomi Osaka’s decision to withdraw from the French Open has sparked necessary conversation about athletes and mental health. It was so important to her that she was willing to sacrifice a potential $1.8 million in prize money to put her own peace first. That’s not the act of a so-called diva, or of ...

The Chicago Cubs are the real-life team from 'Major League'
Now you have to imagine Tom Ricketts in her dress. Have a nice day....

Players should be allowed to knock sense into idiot fans
In episode eight of the sixth season of Game of Thrones, Cersei Lannister gave pop culture one of its most popular phrases. Turned into a prisoner in her own home, the most powerful woman in Westeros was done playing politics as she felt diplomacy was no longer an option. She went with the nuclear o...

Twins’ Josh Donaldson says pitchers are cheating – and he's got proof
Three-time All-Star and 2015 AL MVP Josh Donaldson is in year two of a four-year deal worth $92 million with the Minnesota Twins. In just over a year with the club, Donaldson is slashing just .225/.343/.422, for an OPS of .765 with Minnesota — a far cry from the numbers the star third baseman was pu...

Hey, Knicks fans: At least you’re not the Maple Leafs
How bad was the Toronto Maple Leafs’ collapse? It’s better to be a Knicks fan right now....

Naomi Osaka was bullied out of the French Open
In 2006, Zach Greinke almost quit baseball. Racked with social anxiety, Greinke told the media he thought, “Why am I putting myself through torture when I didn’t really want to do it? I mean, I enjoyed playing, but everything else that went with it I didn’t.”...

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....

If it’s not the Leafs this season, which teams have the best (worst?) shot at passing the Rangers 54-year Cup futility?
The New York Rangers are the historic gold standard for futility in the NHL, having gone 54 years without winning the Stanley Cup until finally getting the job done in 1994 (see Mark Messier with the Cup above) — after decades of being taunted with “1940” chants in enemy arenas....

This Memorial Day, let’s honor the real Pat Tillman
It’s Memorial Day, which means it’s time for the NFL and the right to start co-opting the life and death of Pat Tillman, a former safety for the Arizona Cardinals who passed on a $3.6 million deal to enlist in the Army after 9/11. Rarely mentioned is Tillman’s brother, Kevin, who left the Cleveland ...

Top 5 NHL playoff saves of all time
We always remember the goals: Bobby Orr flying through the air, Ray Bourque scoring in the Stanley Cup Finals at 40 years old, and Matteau! Matteau! Matteau! Legendary moments. But what about the goals that didn’t happen? What about the goals that were snagged away with a flash of the leather or a f...

Man City's Pep just can’t help himself
Perhaps the true sign of a great manager is how long he can leave his team on autopilot once his system and tactics are installed. While each game requires minor adjustments here or there, they shouldn’t amount to much more than the grade on the tires. The engine remains the same. And no team should...

Pat Riley needs to re-evaluate his Heat
The Miami Heat season is over, and now we all have questions....

Nature is healing; fans to return to that Fourth of July Hot Dog stuffing mess
What are your summer plans? Going to get back on a plane? Maybe catch a live game or concert? How about those restaurants you’ve been meaning to try? Or maybe you’re one of the thousands of folks who want to return to Coney Island for the Fourth of July hot dog eating contest?...

Seems like old times, eh Leafs?
By now you know the key points. The Toronto Maple Leafs haven’t won the Stanley Cup since 1967, haven’t been to the Final since then either, haven’t beaten the Canadiens in a series since their ’67 title clash, won their first division title since 2000 this season (thanks to being in the all-Canadia...

The Bucks are first to round two, and are looking like the team to beat (sorry, Nets)
For whatever reason, the Milwaukee Bucks completed Game 4 of Round 1 before the Philadelphia 76ers even began Game 3 of their series....

Does MLB even have a marketing department?
Last weekend, when writing about José Godoy becoming the 20,000th player in Major League Baseball history, I brought up the story of Bob Watson being the man who scored MLB’s one-millionth run, and all the hoopla around that in 1975....

Baseball brains are broken — can’t anyone here play this game?!
Maybe there’s something in the water in Pittsburgh. It could be anywhere. The Ohio… the Allegheny… the Monongahela… But it’s something, somewhere, because baseball players’ brain cells are dying at an alarming rate....

Hats off to a great deal in Vegas
The Golden Knights traded a couple of draft choices to get Mattias Janmark from Chicago in April, and whatever those picks turn out to be, Vegas can rest easy that it was worth it....

Why is 6-foot-3 Mac Jones suddenly being criticized for his lack of size?
We judge a lot of things based on size: Texas BBQ, television monitors, people’s homes, yadda yadda yadda. NFL quarterbacks are no exception. Everything about them gets judged based on their size. Not even Joe Burrow’s hands were exempt from the harsh eye of NFL media. As OTA’s have kicked off acros...

Eagles hire ridiculously qualified Muslim woman as a scout — Eagles fans predictably react horribly
The Philadelphia Eagles announced several hires yesterday on Twitter, including the addition of one Ameena Soliman as a scout....