nl Page 70 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

If only this could be Stephen A. Smith’s last take
When Stephen A. Smith opens his mouth, it’s typically bullshit. Generally speaking, when it comes to an opinion of his having anything to do with sports or adjacent to sports, I completely ignore him and accept him for what he is — someone who delivers hot takes and yells loudly because it gets view...

Why did it take the Secretary of Defense, a Republican senator, and President Biden to get Navy CB Cameron Kinley to the NFL?
An American story that was on its way to becoming an American dream got derailed last month by American’s greatest sin — racism. But, a month later, that American dream is back on track after some American politicians came together in the name of bipartisanship to let a Black Naval officer and Annap...

Under-the-radar sports you should check out during the Tokyo Games
There are certain sports that are staples of the Olympics, the ones that get on in prime time and take hold of the sports world when they’re going for the gold. It used to be that those sports, like gymnastics, swimming, and track, would only really show up on your TV every so often. Maybe you’d cat...

What a coincidence! No Astros will play in the All-Star Game
The Houston Astros will be the only team in Major League Baseball with zero representation at the 2021 All-Star Game after all four of their All-Stars: Carlos Correa, Jose Altuve, Michael Brantley, and Ryan Pressly opted out of the Midsummer Classic for various reasons....

Habs’ Brendan Gallagher is probably having a worse week than you
A Montreal Canadien was robbed last night. I’m not talking about being robbed in a hockey sense. The Lightning definitely won the Cup convincingly. I’m talking about actual robbery — Ocean’s Eleven style....

Don’t be surprised if Kevin Love is really good in the Olympics
Experience matters and Kevin Love has it....

We've got some midseason baseball awards
Let’s hand out some fake awards, because why not. The baseball season is nearing the halfway point, with the sport shutting down for the All-Star Break after this coming Sunday. Some familiar names have dominated headlines, but a few surprises have worked their way into the conversation as well....

Aaron Rodgers' ‘mental health’ work this offseason has been admirable
Aaron Rodgers is perfectly content doing Aaron Rodgers things, whether you like it or not. The NFL MVP from the 2020 season, who has been embroiled in a tense standoff with the Green Bay Packers front office this offseason, seems to have thoroughly enjoyed how he has put his offseason to use. Accord...

Mookie Betts is great, but he shouldn’t be an All-Star
Personally, I was shocked when Tampa Bay Rays’ outfielder Austin Meadows earned a spot as an All-Star reserve on the American League squad. While I do believe Meadows is a fantastic player, he’s hitting just .242 with 16 homers and an .821 OPS. Those are good numbers, but All-Star worthy? Now that’...

The Greatest Game 1 NBA Finals performances of the 21st century
And now for our second NBA Finals in about nine months....

Nick Castellanos has mastered the untimely home run
Cincinnati’s Nick Castellanos has arguably been the Reds’ best hitter this season. He leads the team in batting average, OPS, RBI, and WAR. He’s hit some timely home runs. He’s 22 for 73 (.301) with runners in scoring position. He’s been a phenomenal ballplayer for the Reds ever since he first set f...

No, the Lightning didn’t cheat
At some point in the next couple days, the Tampa Bay Lightning will win their second consecutive Cup. Could be tonight, or maybe the Canadiens have one last death rattle in them and send this series back to Tampa on Wednesday. It’s hockey, weird things happen, we’ve seen 0-3 comebacks, but here it’s...

What <i>should</i> the MLB All-Star Game be?
The 2021 Major League Baseball All-Star Game has been through a lot. There’s been a change of venue and an atrocious jersey reveal. I mean, seriously, who thought those were a good idea? At least the game doesn’t determine home-field advantage for the World Series anymore — amirite?...

Coupe de “ill”
The Stanley Cup Final is a huge letdown after the rip-roaring semifinals, which isn’t really a surprise, because when the Lightning beat the Islanders to set up their title defense against the Canadiens, it was something of a fait accompli....

Mike … Trout? Now there’s a name I haven’t heard in a long time…
Friday afternoon, Shohei Ohtani was named the American League Player of the Month for June....

If Durant, Dirk, and Kareem <em>NBA 2K22 </em>cover leak is legit, then 2K nailed it this year<em> </em>
It’s NBA 2k cover season, when the storied video game franchise typically announces its cover athletes for the forthcoming September game....

The Baltimore Orioles are a beautiful mess that makes absolutely zero sense
The Orioles are not a good team. They haven’t been a consistently great team since the late ’90s. Sure they had that one season in 2014 where they got swept in the ALCS after winning their first division title in 17 years, but were only good for that one season. The Orioles have finished either 4th ...

Not sure if you’ve noticed, but it’s July and the Giants are still In first place
After their hot start, you could be forgiven for thinking that the San Francisco Giants were just a flash in the pan that would fizzle out before long, considering they’re in the same division as the defending World Series Champ Los Angeles Dodgers and the San Diego Fernando Tatis Jr.s (or Padres if...
![A team and league full of cowards [Update]](https://images.deadspin.com/tr:w-900/4984da50efefe77ea7fad7dd67ff5953.jpg)
A team and league full of cowards [Update]
Since the publication of this column, MLB has placed Dodgers pitcher Trevor Bauer on administrative leave due to the allegations of sexual assault....

The pandemic era has ended for AEW and WWE. Now what?
You wouldn’t think a video package simply about a wrestling company being stuck in one location for 15 months can bring a tear to the eye, but I suppose that’s a testament to the production team at AEW:...