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Antrel Rolle: Prince Amukamara Is Good Now Because He's Gettin' Laid
Giants cornerback Prince Amukamara was a first-round pick in the 2011 draft, and hasn't exactly lived up to the high expectations that were set for him in the three years since. But so far this season, Amukamara has been playing well—he's got two picks and seven passes defended through the first fou...

Pain And Violence As A Way Of Life: Muhammad Ali-George Chuvalo II
Leonard Gardner is the author of one of the finest sports novels ever written, Fat City, a masterpiece of the terse style that is, in the words of Denis Johnson, “so precisely written and giving such value to its words that I felt I could almost read it with my fingers, like Braille.” Gardner also ...

How Hulk Became The World's Most Underappreciated Superstar
If there's one good thing about the handful of great players plying their trade in Russia—and it would be the only good thing, mind you—it's that their home Champions League ties often start a few hours before the rest. That timeslot gives their abilities at least a modicum of the attention they des...

Looks Like The Manchester United Traveling Circus Might Really Happen
During the latter stages of last season, there were rumors that United might partake in a tour of the Middle East and Asia during the missing midweek Champions League fixtures that otherwise would've filled the schedule and coffers. It was funny enough to mention in passing, but too outlandish to be...

Chiefs Safety Husain Abdullah Flagged For Muslim-Prayer TD Celebration
Kansas City Chiefs safety Husain Abdullah was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct Monday night when he went to his knees in prayer to celebrate a Tom Brady pick-six. Abdullah—a devout Muslim who sat out the 2012-13 season to make Hajj, the Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca—shouldn't have been penalized....

Palmer Vs. Palmer
Over at the Daily Beast, I reprinted Tom Boswell's fine 1983 portrait of Jim Palmer:...

E.J. Manuel Was The Most Catastrophic Quarterback Of Week 4
E.J. Manuel played poorly Sunday, completing only 47.7 percent of his passes and throwing two interceptions. While box score summaries can sometimes hide clutch play in critical situations that wasn't the case here. According to data from Brian Burke of Advanced Football Analytics, Manuel accounte...

Counterprogramming Football: What To Watch Today Instead Of The NFL
So, here we are at Week 4, roughly the quarter mark of the NFL season and the first round of bye weeks. Bye weeks were introduced to the NFL schedule in 1990 as a way of extending the regular season, and teams use the time to make roster changes, occasionally fire a coach or two, and, most importa...

Wayne Rooney Gets Dumbest Red Card Ever
Manchester United are taking on West Ham today, and after captain Rooney and striker Robin van Persie goals put United up two after just 22 minutes, West Ham pulled one back eight minutes before half. In the second half, the visitors settled in and began to dominate play. We've seen this movie befor...

Everton Saves Point At Liverpool with Phil Jagielka Half-Volley Stunner
A stoppage-time equalizer from Phil Jagielka silenced the crowd at Anfield and seized a point from Liverpool at today's rendition of the Merseyside Derby. ...

How To Be A Soccer Fan
Towards the tail end of this past World Cup, more than a few readers emailed us looking for guidance on how to become a soccer fan. Never ones to disappoint our adoring readership, we've now obliged. Here's how we imagine that conversation would go....

Watch Manchester United Fans Brawl With Guys Dressed Like Waldo
In one corner, a bunch of drunken oafs fresh off leaving a United match. In the other corner, a bunch of drunken oafs celebrating a bachelor party and wearing matching Where's Waldo? shirts and hats. It's the most England video there is. ...

Manchester United's Defenders Don't Actually Know How To Defend
Manchester United were supposed to play yesterday in England's League Cup. Instead, they were home chilling, because on August 26, they got curb stomped by third-division midtable side MK Dons. ...

Vancouver Papers Apologize For Describing Jordan Subban As "Dark Guy"
How would you caption this photo of Vancouver Canuck Jordan Subban celebrating a goal with his teammates? Maybe you'd reference his uniform number, since it's the only one not clearly visible. Whatever the solution, "dark guy in the middle" was not it....

Vince Wilfork's Ping-Pong INT Was The Most Disruptive Play In Week 3
Deep in New England territory with less than a minute to go, the Raiders had a chance to send the game into overtime with a touchdown. But Derek Carr's pass bounced out of the hands of his receiver Denarius Moore and wound up in the arms of Patriots defensive tackle Vince Wilfork. The interception...

The Political-Messaging Huckster Behind Roger Goodell's Awful Presser
Roger Goodell was talking, but the words weren't his alone. "That speech was all Frank," says an associate of pollster Frank Luntz, lord of the dark arts of political messaging, who frequently works with Goodell and the NFL. "As soon as I heard Goodell's intro, I was laughing." ...

Seahawks CB DeShawn Shead Proposes To Girlfriend After Game
After the Seahawks came away with an overtime win over the Broncos, Seattle cornerback DeShawn Shead took advantage of the good feelings in the air and proposed to his girlfriend at midfield after the game. (She said yes.) Alex Flanagan caught a photo of the moment, featuring teammate Richard Sherma...

Frank Lampard Scored A Fittingly Huge Goal Against Old Team Chelsea
The pillars of the old crew were all there. John Terry still in the captain's armband. A ponytailed Didier Drogba in his famous number 11. The boss José Mourinho, looking upon his charges sternly from the sideline, no doubt fighting back an inner smile. And Frank Lampard, a goal down, hungry to do...

Manchester United Dominate Leicester, End Up Getting Blown Out
You see that little guy up there? That's Filbert the Fox, Leicester City's mascot. Don't worry, he's feeling great. Though his club hosted the rich and famous Manchester United today, his boys managed to take down the giants. Those aren't tears of sadness, they're tears of mockery, directed at the...

Counterprogramming Football: What To Watch Today Instead Of The NFL
Lost, perhaps, in all the discussion of the NFL's handling of domestic-violence cases is the question of just why in the hell the NFL is punishing its labor force under something called a "personal conduct policy" in the first place. Just what the hell's going on there?...