newspapers Page 3 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

Jimmy Breslin, Jerry Izenberg And The Old Days
Back in 2008, my pal Todd Drew wrote about going to see Jimmy Breslin speak at the now-closed Barnes and Noble on 66th street, across the street from Lincoln Center, and just a few blocks north from where bar-restaurants like The Ginger Man and Saloon and O’Neal’s Ballon used to stand:...

The Great Chase
Wladimir Balentien is the new single-season home run king in Japan. Fifty-two years ago, Roger Maris chased Babe Ruth’s home run record here in the States. Of course, he eventually broke it. When he did, this is what the great Leonard Shecter wrote in the New York Post:...

Maloof Family Thanks Sacramento In Newspaper Ad
Years of prayers were finally and officially answered: as of Friday, the Maloofs are no longer NBA owners. Sure, they drove the team into the ground, and sure, they did everything possible to sell the franchise to an owner who would move it from Sacramento, and sure, just two weeks ago George Maloof...

The Goon Show
It'll come as no surprise that my favorite series at Grantland is the "Director's Cut" feature curated by Michael MacCambridge. He does a beautiful job and I'm always eager to see what gift he gives us next. Here's an especially good one—"The Making of a Goon," by Johnette Howard, which originally ...

Pete Dexter: A Writer Who Makes Writers Want To Give Up
Pete Dexter was a columnist at the Philadelphia Daily News for close to ten years, from the late Seventies through the mid-Eighties. He wasn't just any old columnist but one of the most original we've ever had. His columns often read like short stories so it's no surprise that he went on to write no...

100 Years Ago, Ty Cobb Had A Very Modern Holdout
It's not about money, it's about the principle. Or, No one player is bigger than the game. Sound familiar? Ty Cobb's holdout, over a matter of a few thousand dollars, was reported exactly 100 years ago to the day, in nearly the exact same language you'd hear in a modern contract dispute. Baseball tr...

This Is What Happens When Newspaper Design Tries To Get Creative
Via Reddit and Bryan Armen Graham, the front of the C section of today's Mankato (Minn.) Free Press. That doesn't even look like a "G."...

Finally, Someone Has Written The Perfect Metta World Peace Sentence
Here it is, from today's Los Angeles Times:...

Media Somehow Find Way To Sell Boring Story Of World-Famous Olympian Charged With Murder
You had to feel bad for the editors of America when they heard that Oscar Pistorius was suspected of the murder of his girlfriend. I mean, sure, Pistorius is one of the most well-known athletes in the world, long held up as an inspiring tale of overcoming adversity. And sure, his involvement in a vi...

Confused Sports Columnist Doesn't Realize A-Rod And Ray Lewis Were In Two Separate PED Scandals
There were two big stories in the world of performance-enhancing drugs, both released on Tuesday. One involved Alex Rodriguez, Nelson Cruz, Melky Cabrera, and other baseball players being listed in the records of a shady clinic in Miami, Fla. The other involved Ray Lewis receiving a deer antler spra...

Northern Illinois Set Multiple Records For Offensive Futility, But You Wouldn't Know It From The Student Recap
Northern Illinois had a rough go of things yesterday. After a lay-up one minute into the game, the Huskies failed to record another field goal for 24 minutes and 33 seconds. They scored only four points in the first half (a record), shot 13.1% from the field for the game (a record), and went 1-33 f...

Asante Samuel's Mother Died, And The <em>Atlanta Journal-Constitution</em> Used An Inappropriate Photo
Asante Samuel joined the Falcons, in part, so he could be nearer to his ailing mother. (Here's a good piece on the bond between the two.) Christine Samuel died on Tuesday, and with the Falcons on a bye, Asante has been away from the team all week....

Derek Jeter: Fatty Fatty Boombalatty (Or Something)
That right there is Yankee shortstop Derek Jeter, fresh off the pancake buffet at a Miami hotel as he rehabs his surgically repaired ankle. Notice anything different? I mean, besides the layer after layer of disgusting subcutaneous fat, just bulging and drooping and oh god I'm going to be ill. Anywa...

T.J. Simers Believes UCLA Threw The Stanford Game, And Hijacked Jim Mora Jr.'s Press Conference To Prove It
UCLA already has the Pac-12 South clinched. Their opponent in the championship game would be either Stanford or Oregon, depending on whether the Bruins won or lost against the Cardinal on Saturday. Well, UCLA lost, 35-17, and they'll have their rematch in just four days. Where the rest of us see o...

Cleveland Newspaper Headline Inadvertently Says Browns Have No Balls
There's already Sunday's planned giveaway of white flags, and now there's this headline in today's Plain Dealer. Steelers week really brings out the city's subtlety, doesn't it?...

Kansas Newspaper Headline Aims For Optimism, Inadvertently Hits Comedy
We get it, Lawrence Journal-World. KU power forward Perry Ellis is just a freshman, and he's new to this. He's eventually going to figure out exactly what he's doing as the Jayhawks' starting power forward, but it wasn't like he was just pawing around in the dark during last night's loss to Michigan...

The <em>Philadelphia Inquirer</em>'s Story About Garrett Reid's Cause Of Death Includes Some Weird Speculation About A Stupid Conspiracy
So Garrett Reid, the oldest son of Eagles coach Andy Reid, officially died of a heroin overdose, according to a coroner's report that was released today. This is not surprising, considering Garrett's history of drug abuse and Andy's own statement days after Garrett's death, which strongly implied th...

Cranky Columnist Writes Anti-Stats Column That Reads Like Parody Of Anti-Stats Columns
Chaz Scoggins has been around. The longtime Lowell Sun writer has served as the Red Sox's official scorer for 34 years. He's been a SABR member for nearly as long. He even served as president of the BBWAA. But his hidden talent appears to be master satirist. How else to explain his weekend column, w...

The Homers At The <em>South Bend Tribune</em> Launch An Embarrassing Heisman Campaign For Notre Dame's Manti Te'o
It happens every season in college football. Player A is primed to have a breakout season, and before long an earnest push for his Heisman candidacy has begun. Websites are started. Facebook pages pop up. Highlight reels get uploaded to YouTube. Members of the Football Writers Association of America...