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Read 'em and weep: Here are the worst droughts in modern sports, non-title edition
The White Sox have won their first division title since 2008, which doesn’t really feel right, because they’ve only had two truly awful seasons in the last decade and a half, and power in the Central is rarely concentrated anywhere for too long, but it’s true. It would be a weird thing to lie about....
We, for one, welcome our new Cardinal leaders (again)
The St. Louis Cardinals, three games out of the second wild-card spot two weeks ago, now stand five games clear of the Philadelphia Phillies, and dropped their magic number to four with a doubleheader sweep at Wrigley Field on Friday. The Redbirds have matched their team record with a 14-game winnin...
Another Oakland A’s window is closing without much to show for it
Considering the constraints (some of them self-imposed, admittedly), it’s kind of amazing how often the A’s can reinvent themselves and put together a window of contention. The problem is those windows don’t tend to lead anywhere....
We are witnessing a multi-team choke for the ages
When August began, the Mets were in first place in the National League East, which was the fifth-best record in the Senior Circuit. The Padres were right ahead of them, holding the second wild-card position as the Giants and Dodgers battled at the top of the West. And the Reds, though seven and a ha...
Cardinals do what they do… unfortunately
You can always be sure that when a division or league comes up mediocre, the St. Louis Cardinals will be there to just barely rise above the muck. It’s their oeuvre. ...
The Bucs can’t help themselves
Perhaps it’s the feeling of invincibility an organization gets when it’s won a Super Bowl. The afterglow, as fresh as it is, probably doesn’t lead to a lot of scrutiny from within. Fuck, the Astros did it, even before they won a World Series, and then a couple years later didn’t see a problem pickin...
I’ll take ‘Rodgers Bounces Back Big Time Tonight’ for $1000, Alex
For sure, all eyes will be on Aaron Rodgers tonight....
Hang this interception up in the Smithsonian!
College football always seems to bring the biggest, most jaw-dropping moments. The NFL is fantastic, but we expect those professionals to make extraordinary plays. That’s why they got drafted in the first place, right? That’s why college football draws so many fans every week. It’s why people get so...
Consolation prize for Marcus Semien's non-MVP season: Rare iron man feat
There’s two weeks left in the major league season, and we all know the big dramatic storylines unfolding. The American League wild card race changes daily, Atlanta and San Francisco are trying to hang on to win division titles, and the home run race between Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Salvador Perez, and...
‘No you are NOT putting that tarp on the field’
“Those pesky grounds crews are ruining hitters’ concentration and what not! AHHH! They make me sick!”...
ESPN’s ‘Cy Young Predictor’ is laughably on the fritz
Predicting who is going to win major awards across the Big 4 American sports is one of the nation’s most popular pastimes. Oftentimes, arguments can be made for several different players. That’s why several years ago, ESPN put out its Cy Young Predictor, an AI system that would take a pitcher’s stat...
"That thing I remember doesn’t exist anymore, in a giant way that I didn’t believe was possible, that you never even would have imagined was possible"
On the morning of September 11, 2001, I was fast asleep in a dorm room in Philadelphia. I’d been up late the night before, watching the Giants play the Broncos on Monday Night Football, and baking chocolate chip cookies that I planned to bring up to New York the next day, to share in the press box a...
Chris Bosh brought evolution to the game, but was robbed of seeing it through
There’s a chance Chris Bosh could still be an active NBA player right now....
Screw Al Michaels and screw the Bucs
It took less than one full quarter for NBC’s Opening Night broadcasting team, helmed by Al Michaels and Cris Collinsworth, to demonstrate exactly how little they care for the women watching the game....
The call that wasn’t last night, and the impact sports gambling and fantasy are having
Ever since sports gambling has become widely legal, and more teams and leagues sign their own deals with online sports betting companies, there’s been a fear from some corners of the sporting press about the effect it will have....
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times
At halftime last night, you could forgive any USMNT fan for thinking they had never left 1997. I know I did. Here we all were, too late on a school night, watching a US team getting paddled in Central America with the crowd going nuts and the American manager looking utterly clueless and his players...
Maybe it’s time to buy Blue Jays shares
It was thought that this season would be one too early for the Blue Jays. All of their legacy entrants were in MLB full-time, but there would be growing pains, and the pitching wasn’t quite there. And both of those things are still true. But sometimes you can’t predict the league coming back to you ...
It’s a Canadian invasion
The main story of the U.S. Open, other than the plethora of five-set matches, or three-set matches for the women, has been the surprising runs of a few teenagers in both the women’s and men’s side of the draw. The longest run so far is by a young Canadian named Leylah Fernandez, who has kneecapped a...
We totally forgot that this USMNT hasn’t played very well
Perhaps I doomed them last Wednesday when I told my editor the US Men’s National Team would qualify for the World Cup easily. The power of the motherfuck grows every day. That won’t comfort anyone, especially me, as the US has certainly stubbed its toe in its first two qualifiers, even if it hasn’t ...
NFL RedZone Previews, Part 4: The Prime Time Players
The NFL’s television partners don’t necessarily take the best teams in the league for the most primetime games. They take the teams that are going to get the biggest audiences and make the networks the most money....