picks Page 55 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights
Uh, Guys? I Think The Wizards Forgot To Fire Randy Wittman?
Coming into Sunday's game in Detroit, the Washington Wizards had lost two straight and 9 of 13, a month-long stretch of almost uniformly horrendous basketball in which they've fallen from second to fifth in the East. After the 38-point beating they took from the Cavs at home this past Friday, even t...
ESPN Suspends Keith Olbermann For Penn State Tweets
Last night, Keith Olbermann got into it on Twitter with Penn State fans and students—originally over, of all things, the school's annual pediatric cancer fundraiser. (His tweets are embedded below.) It was weird and unnecessary, and now ESPN has taken Olbermann off TV for the rest of the week....
Almost Famous: The B+ Adventures Of Robert Christgau
Bob Christgau, the semi-mockingly self-styled Dean of American Rock Critics, diets on Mondays and Tuesdays, so on this particular Monday in December, lunch is just a small to-go bowl of chicken noodle soup from the Polish Deli across the street from his East Village apartment. He eats at his clutt...
The Floyd Mayweather-Manny Pacquiao Fight Is Officially On
Floyd Mayweather Jr. will face Manny Pacquiao on May 2nd in Las Vegas, bringing to reality a fight for which boxing fans have clamored for years (and one which is likely to be terrible for numerous reasons.)...
Travis Scott Is Worse Than Iggy Azalea
Jesus Christ, the music industry won't stop trying to make this dude happen. Not only do they let him leech off actually successful and talented acts, they even deny the obvious order of things (Young Thug >>>>>>> Travis Scott, under any criteria imaginable) in promoting a new co-headlining tour a...
At Long Last The 76ers Accept That, Yes, It's Finally Time To Rebuild
You can imagine the bittersweet mixture of sadness, gratitude, and relief 76ers fans must be feeling this evening. Today, in a flurry of moves executed just before the NBA's annual trading deadline, general manager and president of basketball operations Sam Hinkie finally pulled the plug on a belove...
Even God Cheats: How Anderson Silva Shocked Us By Doing The Expected
The Nevada State Athletic Commission is a bumbling, soulless government agency, and so a strange agent for the delivery of the message that our gods have forsaken us. They never have been particularly diligent messengers in any event, but for whatever reason—bureaucracy, incompetence, something more...
Whatever Happened To The NFL Combine's Fastest Man?
Rondel Menendez wants to play. It's Sept. 3, 1999, and the Atlanta Falcons are playing their final preseason game, against the Cincinnati Bengals. It's the last opportunity for players on the bubble to earn a place on the roster. Menendez has already done enough to show he's one of Atlanta's 53 best...
Seth Davis Promotes His Mom's Hoax Cancer Cures
There have never been more options for those convinced that the medical establishment is hiding secrets from them. Look at the Google ads running down the sidebar of just about any website you visit, and you're almost certain to see ads about "natural" cures—gluten-free diets and alkaline water, s...
Norm Macdonald: Eddie Murphy Was To Be Cosby In <i>Celebrity Jeopardy!</i>
Norm Macdonald turned storyteller on Twitter tonight, sharing his experience of being involved with Sunday's Saturday Night Live 40th-anniversary episode and revealing that "Celebrity Jeopardy!" sketch writers originally called for Eddie Murphy to play Bill Cosby—but that the Norbit star begged ...
Kevin Durant Is Turning Into Drake Right Before Our Eyes
In case you haven’t noticed, Kevin Durant is making a transition. Tired of the unselfish, humble, respectful, One Of The Good Ones role he was involuntarily cast in when the sports press needed someone to hold up in opposition to the post-Decision LeBron, Durant is apparently in the midst of a publi...
The 76ers Are Run By A Ridiculous TED-Humping Moron
One startling scene serves as the crux of ESPN writer Pablo Torre's very good magazine feature about the braintrust of the Philadelphia 76ers. In it, the general manager of a rival Eastern Conference team calls together a motley assembly of coaches, scouts, media relations experts, retired spies,...
Are "Maximalist" Running Shoes The Next Big Con? No One Knows!
Today, The New York Times has a piece out on the maximalist running shoe, a trend now old enough to warrant an article written with characteristically Times-ian remove from rigorous examination of its subject. The thing about these shoes, though, is that even if the Times had wanted to conduct a mor...
Goodbye To Old-Ass Jason Giambi, Who Refused To Go Down A Villain
Jason Giambi is retiring. At age 44, the slugger announced yesterday that his gradual disappearance from the game—one that began all the way back in 2009, when Giambi remade himself into a grizzled pinch-hitter and nominal player-coach—has reached its terminus. His career probably should have ende...
The Yankees Will Sell Their Past Until There's Nothing Left Of It
The Yankees announced yesterday that they will retire the numbers of Andy Pettitte, Jorge Posada, and Bernie Williams, and that all three—along with Willie Randolph—will receive plaques in Monument Park in four different ceremonies spread across the season. No American sports team has made such an...
No Hitter Has Ever Been More Terrifying Than Albert Belle In This Game
July 25, 1999. Orioles versus Angels in Turn Ahead the Clock Day at Oriole Park at Camden Yards, hence the hideous monochrome sleeveless trashbag novelty jerseys. Albert Belle batting cleanup. ...
What Exactly Did Yahoo Publish That Got Dan Gilbert So Angry?
On Thursday, we reported that Quicken Loans and Cleveland Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert, and his lawyer, called Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer last year to complain about a line in a blog post authored by Kelly Dwyer. This happened the day after Yahoo and Quicken Loans signed a major brand agreement. May...
No, The Jackie Robinson West Story Is Not About Gentrification
This post originally ran in slightly different form at danielkayhertz.com....
Watch Justin Timberlake & Jimmy Fallon Rap 40 Years Of <i>SNL</i> Memories
Tonight's 40th anniversary celebration of Saturday Night Live on NBC opened with a musical tribute to the variety show's most memorable moments, starring former cast member Jimmy Fallon and oft-host Justin Timberlake—who briefly brought back "Dick In A Box." (Uncensored, even, in prime time!) This s...
The NBA Players Union Made Two Big Decisions Yesterday
The NBA’s All-Star Weekend is mostly just a 72 hour party with some “basketball” thrown in there to give everybody a break from partying, but some important business is conducted too. Perhaps the most important is the National Basketball Player’s Association (NBPA) meeting, which happens every All-S...