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The 10 best men’s college basketball national champions from 1990-1999
If you lived through the ‘90s then you understand just how important and historic that decade was. And if you didn’t, someone who did has probably tried to explain it to you over, and over, and over again....

Yoenis Cespedes Opts Out but Doesn’t Tell the Mets
Yoenis Cespedes went missing in action this afternoon, sparking a brief panic and outpouring of concern for the Mets slugger’s safety — but now, it appears he chose to opt out of the season without first letting team management know....

Philly's Once Ambitious General Manager Search Finally Lands On, Of All People, Elton Brand
Not too long ago the 76ers were courting Daryl Morey to replace disgraced former general manager Bryan Colangelo, in a sign of the organization’s lofty ambitions for the next chapter of Sixers basketball. By that same token, not too long ago the Sixers were hoping to court LeBron James and Paul Geor...

Tomorrow We Say Goodbye To An NBA Legend
He’s been in the NBA since the 90's, has made multiple All-Star games, had his best years in Los Angeles in the mid-2000's, and after tomorrow, he’s most likely hanging up his shoes for good....

How Rocky Graziano Became Boxing's Greatest Muse
In the late 1940s, a young Nebraskan actor named Marlon Brando had been starring for several months in A Streetcar Named Desire on Broadway when he was contracted to play a fighter in a TV pilot, Come Out Fighting! For the role, Brando decided to secretly study the famous New York tough guy with the...

Remember When A Duke Alum Wrote This Very Bad Letter To Elton Brand?
Today is a nice day for Duke fans. The Deadspin staff is not unmoved by this, so we thought we might share one of our favorite memories involving a Duke player. ...

Why Pop Culture Gets Under Our Skin
There are pieces of pop culture—songs, plays, movies—that touch us in ways that get inside of us and don't let go. Taxi Driver, The Graduate, or even Lost in Translation, are movies that stir something deep inside people. I liked Lost in Translation well enough but it is one of my wife's favorite mo...

American Beauty
Here is Pauline Kael’s 1966 essay on Brando for The Atlantic:...

Body and Soul
Speaking of Palookaville, here's one of the most famous scenes in movie history. Just so happens that it involves boxing. By the way, Rod Steiger, who was an incorrigible ham, is incredible in this scene. Understated. His performance in the whole movie is beautiful. ...

The 76ers Will Release Elton Brand, Claim First Place In The "Saddest Offseason Maneuver" Rankings
Yesterday, we asked you to join us in a discussion on what NBA offseason move has been the saddest. At the time, Rashard Lewis being traded for Emeka Okafor and Trevor Ariza held the top spot in the Sadness Rankings, but that was quickly surpassed by the Knicks signing Jason Kidd....

Elton Brand: Not So Great At Soccer
Wednesday was Steve Nash's charity soccer game in Manhttan, and it provided a chance for both Salomon Kalou and Elton Brand to show off their skills. Kalou, most recently with Chelsea, took advantage of the opportunity. Brand just whiffed completely. [via The700Level]...

What Roger Federer Actually Said In That ESPN Interview
Earlier, we drew your attention to a minor hubbub over Roger Federer's interview with Pam Shriver, during which his audio cut out for several highly suspicious seconds. What could he have said, we wondered? Well, now we have an answer....