pe Page 645 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

Barcelona Combine Two Leaping Volleys To Produce A Beautiful Goal
I don’t know which is more impressive: the leaping, spinning kick that Phillipe Coutinho pulled off to salvage what looked like a squandered goal-scoring chance, or the leaping pile driver of a shot Ivan Rakitić put on the other end of Coutinho’s pass to give Barcelona a 2-0 lead on Tottenham:...

Kei Nishikori Shows That Sometimes It Pays To Play Dead<em></em>
Like all games when played at the highest level, tennis often requires managing and toying with an opponent’s expectations. Do you think they’ll hit the ball cross-court? Ready yourself for that ball. But maybe they think you think they’ll hit it cross-court? Stay vigilant for the down-the-line. Wha...

Are The NHL's Mini-Dynasties Dead?
Until the Capitals broke through to win their first Cup, the Penguins, Blackhawks, and Kings dominated the NHL as the most effective triumvirate since Roman times. Instead of ending with stabbings and civil war, the modern NHL version collapsed for more mundane reasons involving salary caps and agin...

The A's Are Full-On Bullpenning, So Let's Get Weird
The Athletics’ full plan for tonight’s AL wild card game was revealed not when Bob Melvin named reliever Liam Hendriks the starter—though Hendriks prefers the term “opener”—but when Mike Fiers, one of two true starters, was left off the roster for this game. That leaves only Edwin Jackson, and he’s ...

Roger Goodell Thanks Toilet President For Tacking Canadian Super Bowl Ad Ruling Onto Trade Agreement
You may have to squint hard to follow along on this one: The commissioner of an American sports league thanked the American president for helping to overturn a Canadian regulatory rule that forced a Canadian broadcaster to show American advertisements during the Super Bowl, which is the signature Am...

<i>WWE Raw</i> Segment Goes Off The Rails When Seattle Crowd Won’t Stop Booing SuperSonics Joke
Denigrating the city in which an event is being held is one of the oldest and most reliable ways for a pro wrestler to get heat. It’s probably pretty cheap, honestly, but who cares. It’s easy to rip on a city’s sports teams, but there’s a reason wrestlers still do it: It generally works....

Las Vegas Police Reopen Investigation Into Alleged Rape By Cristiano Ronaldo
In a statement to USA Today, Las Vegas police confirmed yesterday that the department has officially reopened its investigation into Kathryn Mayorga’s claim that Cristiano Ronaldo raped her in a Las Vegas hotel in 2009....

Kyrie Irving Is Sorry For Ironically(?) Perpetuating The Flat Earth Theory
Boston Celtics guard Kyrie Irving has something of a confession: He was not totally serious about being a big-time flat Earth guy, even though he spent a lot of time playing the part of a fake-deep intellectual. At a panel today, Kyrie blamed an algorithm-fueled YouTube binge for his incorrect belie...

Naomi Osaka Has Various Tea-Related Feelings About Her Bizarre U.S. Open Final
Naomi Osaka dominated a whole major for two weeks, including the final match, but collective memory has been dominated by the argument between Serena Williams and umpire Carlos Ramos. Everyone with any feelings about that has, by now, aired them out in public: Williams, Ramos to an extent, former pl...

Last week, it looked like Giuseppe Rossi was going to be banned for a year for failing a PED test. Today Rossi had his hearing with the anti-doping authorities, and he got off without any ban. Rossi is pumped. Thus the #FreeRossi campaign comes to its happy conclusion, and the #AnnounceRossi one beg...

Sloane Stephens Feuds With Opponent: "Fucking Bitch Tried To Hit Me"
In the very first round of the China Open on Sunday, a new baby beef was slapped on the grill. Down 2-5 on return in the second set against Sloane Stephens, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova called for the physio to treat her right shoulder. The timing of that request—down two breaks, with the set on the opp...

Cristiano Ronaldo Calls Rape Accusation Against Him "Fake News"
Last Friday, German magazine Der Spiegel published an article in which Kathryn Mayorga provided a detailed account of the night she says Cristiano Ronaldo raped her in 2009. Later that day, Ronaldo responded to Mayorga’s claims in an Instagram Live video, calling her account “fake news” aimed at mak...

What If The Eagles Just Stink?
PHILADELPHIA — It is a sad Monday morning here. Workers head to the office looking dejected. The birds aren’t chirping like they usually do. The Liberty Bell is cracked. The Eagles are 2-2....

Ohio State Beat Penn State Thanks To The Season's Worst Play Call
Penn State running back Miles Sanders had just 45 rushing yards on 15 carries heading into the final play of Saturday’s Ohio State-Penn State thriller. But with the Nittany Lions facing a fourth-and-five just outside of field goal range, down 27-26 with a little over a minute to play, PSU coach Jame...

<i>Peppa Pig</i> Bumps Bellator 206 Main Event In The U.K., Enraging British Fight Fans
It was already going to be difficult enough for MMA fans living in the U.K. to catch the main card of Bellator 206. The event was taking place in a time zone with an eight-hour time difference, which forced them to choose between a good night’s rest, or a late night of fight sports. But it was ultim...

Person In Chicken Mask Celebrates Engagement Between Penn State Fans
The cool crisp air that signals the beginning of fall also signals the beginning of another important time of the year: cuffing season. On ESPN’s College Gameday broadcast from Happy Valley, one Penn State fan decided to take advantage of the reason for the season and proposed to his significant oth...

Woman Who Accused Cristiano Ronaldo Of Rape Tells Her Full Story, Seeks To Void Settlement<em></em>
Last year, German magazine Der Spiegel unearthed documents that revealed an out-of-court settlement from 2010 between international soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo and an anonymous American woman who had accused Ronaldo of raping her in a Las Vegas hotel room. Today, that woman has cast aside that ano...

The NFL Re-Emphasizes Its Emphasis On A Rule No One Understands
During Sunday’s Raiders-Dolphins game, as a replay sequence that included the above clip was shown to viewers, the CBS broadcast crew had the following conversation:...

Kevin Durant Bemoans Basketball Media's "Pure Hate For Me Obviously"<em></em>
Here’s a recent quote from the 2008 Rookie of the Year, 2014 MVP, and eight-time All-NBA selection, who has won the Finals MVP two years running, and who elected, on two separate instances, to sign with the Golden State Warriors: “You know they’re not going to give me anything.” When asked why he’s ...

Manitoba Admits It Got Conned, Gives Up On Winnipeg's CFL Stadium Ever Actually Paying For Itself
Build a stadium!, they say. It’ll pay for itself! It’ll spur economic development in the surrounding neighborhood! It never does. For every single city/county/state/province that falls for it, eventually there comes the moment when they have to admit they got bamboozled. It’s Manitoba’s turn now....