nl Page 143 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights
Zinsser Remembers The New York Herald Tribune
Dig this most excellent essay on the old New York Herald Tribune by William Zinsser (who wrote a helpful book about writing):...
Glum Pittsburgh Pirates Fans Still Grateful For Not-Awful Season
The Pittsburgh Pirates got bounced Wednesday from their first postseason trip in approximately forever, losing to the St. Louis Cardinals by a score of who gives a flying crap to you knew they'd find a way to piss this one away. Not like the Cardinals have won two World Series in the past seven year...
Contained Space: <em>Captain Phillips,</em> Reviewed.
1. There's a moment in Paul Greengrass' United 93, one of the best films of the last decade, in which we are invited not to sympathize with the hijackers of Flight 93, exactly, but at least take a look at them as humans, if just for a moment. They're monsters, but they're people, on that plane, too,...
Here's Vin Scully Calling Don Larsen's Perfect Game 57 Years Ago Today
On Oct. 8, 1956, in Game 5 of the World Series, Don Larsen took the mound at Yankee Stadium against the Brooklyn Dodgers and threw what remains the only perfect game in MLB postseason history. Behind the microphone in the broadcast booth that day was 28-year-old Vin Scully, already in his seventh se...
Sir Bam Bam
There are 23 large iron lamps affixed to the ceiling. The tints of neon light they throw down into the indoor batting cage, a concrete room tucked deep into the guts of Yankee Stadium, vary according to when they were last smashed out by errant balls and replaced. Under these lights, largely out of ...
Report: Braves Players Boycotted Chipper Jones's First Pitch
Christ, could the Atlanta Braves get any more annoying? Baseball's fun police reportedly added another name to their "People Who Don't Respect The Game And/Or The Atlanta Braves And All That They Stand For" list, and that name happens to belong to Braves legend Chipper Jones....
Here's Kevin Love Making A No-Look Behind-The-Back Bounce Pass
The NBA isn't quiiiite back, but preseason is well enough underway to watch Kevin Love make this nice little no-look, halfway-behind-the-back bounce pass to Kevin Martin for an assist against CSKA Moscow last night. CSKA won in overtime, but man, Timberwolves look like so much fun. ...
There's No Crying At The Pee Wee Super Bowl
A new magazine story from Jeanne Marie Laskas is good reason to be excited. Her latest for GQ, "There's No Crying at the Pee Wee Super Bowl" looks like another sure shot:...
<em>SNL's</em> Jay Pharoah Does A Tremendous Shannon Sharpe Impression
Jay Pharoah is SNL's master impressionist, and although his Barack Obama may be a bit uninspiring, his Shannon Sharpe leaves nothing to be desired. Our only complaint has to do with his tie knot. That sucker needs to be much, much bigger....
The Pirates Are Five Wins Away From The World Series
This single from Pedro Alvarez in the bottom of the eighth gave the Pirates a 4-3 lead in Game 3 of the NLDS and proved to be the game-winning run. Pittsburgh is now one win away from the NLCS. Four wins there would get them to the World Series for the first time since 1979. ...
ESPN Cancels International X-Games; More Job Cuts Coming
ESPN is canceling the international edition of the X-Games, Reuters reports. ESPN announced the expansion in May 2012 but apparently hasn't found a way to make any money off the games this year. This also means more job cuts are coming to Bristol....
Furry's Blues
“By now there must be in the world a million guitar virtuosos; but there are very few real blues players. The reason for this is that the blues–not the form but the blues–demands such dedication. This dedication lies beyond technique; it makes being a blues player something like being a priest. Virt...
The Braves Are Leaving Their Highest-Paid Player Off The Playoff Roster
Braves second baseman Dan Uggla made $13 million this season, more money than any of his teammates did. That seems like a pretty OK deal for a second baseman that can hit 22 home runs in 448 at-bats. Except that Dan Uggla also sucks, and now he sucks bad enough to be left off the Braves' roster for ...
Andrew McCutchen Is Tougher Than A Screaming Line Drive
It's the day before the Pirates' first playoff game in 21 years. What could possibly go wrong? How about National League MVP candidate Andrew McCutchen getting hurt during today's batting practice? Yeah, that would pretty much be the worst. And, yeah, that almost happened:...
John Lardner Evaluates Ted Williams
From a John Lardner column for Newsweek, “The World’s Richest Problem Child”:...
Zigging And Zagging And Then Ending: <em>Don Jon</em>, Reviewed
1. Joseph Gordon-Levitt is one of those actors for whom I find it nearly impossible not to root. He has an inherent, innate likability about him that doesn't seem forced, calculated or manufactured; he's a labrador puppy you have beers with. Now, I don't know anything about Joseph Gordon-Levitt in r...
What Happened To Jai Alai?
Earlier this year at SB Nation’s Longform, the talented Michael Mooney asked: What Happened to Jai Alai:...