rod Page 37 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

No matter the regime, the Bears remain unfathomably weird
It’s easy, as a Bears fan, to use any piece of news to lament your lot in life. The slightest misfortune or misstep, and we can’t wait to find the nearest fiery pit to throw ourselves into, as long as there’s a cross we can land on briefly before watching our skin peel off (yes, I know a cross almos...

Here’s Aaron Rodgers’ path to a third straight MVP award
Aaron Rodgers can win his third straight NFL MVP this coming season....

Good news from Bears camp: Justin Fields is in a happy place
The Chicago Bears offense. Those words could be presented to children to teach them the meaning of the word oxymoron....

Do video games affect Kyler Murray’s play?
Sports fans, especially NBA fans, I’m sure are familiar with the family of viruses the “Miami Flu,” the “LA Flu,” etc. It can be caught in places with a pleasant year-round climate and a plethora of places for young, rich people with lots of energy to party when their teams visit. The result, especi...

Well great, now I have to give up psychedelics
It’s a hard world. These days it’s hard to get through even an hour without something hammering down on you and covering you in an iron weighted coat you have to carry through the rest of the day, week, or month. It’s a real slog, and almost no one can avoid it. Certainly no one with even a sliver o...

Romeo Doubs is doing his best Davante Adams impersonation at Packers camp
The initial star of the Green Bay Packers training camp was, of course, the NFL’s highest-paid player, Aaron Rodgers, arriving at training camp doing a cosplay of Nicolas Cage in “Con Air” — because of course Rodgers would do that. However, almost a week in camp, the star of the show for the Packers...

Well, it wasn’t the massive haul we were expecting…
Juan Soto’s time with the Nationals will be talked about like Alex Rodriguez’s stay with the Rangers. A generational talent who’s MVP-worthy no matter what team’s jersey they put on 100-plus times a year. It was incredibly relevant in real time, but as those moments get further into the past, it bec...

The Giants will be sellers at the trade deadline — here’s how they can improve
The Giants are in the middle of a skid, but according to reports, the team hadn’t planned to sell off their assets before the Aug. 2 trade deadline. That has since changed, according to John Heyman. ...

Draymond Green’s chasing that farewell contract, but do the Warriors love him like that?
In the aftermath of Golden State’s 2022 NBA title, the expectation was that the Warriors and billionaire owner Joe Lacob’s Midas Touch would continue forever. While reporting on Golden State’s $171 million luxury tax bill, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst referred to its championship as a checkbook win. That ...

The best sports calls of the 21st century
Is there anything that defines a moment in sports history quite like the announcers’ call over the sounds of a raucous crowd and a celebrating team (and your own sobs)? Do you believe in miracles, the band is on the field, the Giants win the pennant, pretty much anything Jack Buck ever said — they’r...

Let’s talk about this horrendous 2023 MLB Hall of Fame class
The 2022 Hall of Fame class was loaded. When Jimmy Rollins, Tim Hudson, and Prince Fielder are some of the low-end first-years, and two of them don’t even receive five percent of the vote, you know it’s an insane class. Between Álex Rodríguez, David Ortiz, Barry Bonds, and Roger Clemens, 2022 was on...

Mike Sando’s QB tier list saved all its heat for Black QBs
Top 10 NFL lists are typically there to incite a reaction. But Mike Sando’s 2022 QB Tiers List thwacks you upside the head over and over. The exclusion of Lamar Jackson from quarterback top 10 lists this offseason is standard operating protocol, but the disdain for the league’s top black quarterback...

How much will Davante Adams’ absence affect Aaron Rodgers?
In 2021, with the help of Davante Adams, Aaron Rodgers threw for 37 touchdowns and just four interceptions. Those 37 touchdowns were tied for fourth-most in the NFL. Rodgers didn’t have much help outside of Adams. While Adams did catch 11 of those touchdowns (29.73 percent of Rodgers’ total), that’s...

Now pitchers are just showing off
Pitching has become so easy in MLB that relievers can carry a conversation with the booth while getting the last out of the eighth inning in a one-run All-Star Game. No longer content to interview guys in the dugout/not actively in the field, players talked with announcers during the showcase that e...

The Home Run Derby was on some Mountain-vs.-Viper stuff
Juan Soto is going to win the All-Star Break in many ways, but the most significant might be by virtue of being the most thirst-inducing thoroughbred at the auction. It makes sense that he took the Home Run Derby a few days after the Nationals announced they’re listening to offers. There are a half ...

Juan Soto is on the trade block — and GMs better be prepared to break the bank
Washington Nationals outfielder Juan Soto is a 23-year-old superstar. In just four and a half years in the bigs, he has established himself as one of the best pure hitters in the game. He’s a perennial MVP candidate, a master of plate discipline — and now he’s on the trade block....

Stubbornness and health — that’s all Russell Westbrook has left
Short guards are notorious for aging poorly in the NBA. When quickness is your best asset, losing a step can be fatal. Only the craftiest players — think Jason Kidd, or Chris Paul — can remain effective. Whether it’s changing their playing style, using so many defensive tricks it borders on dirty pl...

We have some issues with ESPN’s Top 10 QB list for 2022
It’s mid-July, and we’re getting ever so close to NFL training camps opening, and you can feel the anticipation. Along with that comes a whole host of pundits writing lists ranking players at various positions — most notably, quarterback. ESPN caused an uproar over the weekend when it released its T...

USWNT qualifies for World Cup, but we still don’t have all our answers
It’s hardly a surprise, but the USWNT walloped Jamaica 5-0 in the CONCACAF Women’s Championship to qualify for the 2023 World Cup, where they carry the heavy but illustrious burden of being two-time defending champs....

What would Shohei Ohtani be worth on the market?
You couldn’t miss it, but Shohei Ohtani was off on another one last night. It’s been his thing the past month. He drove in two, stole a base, and also struck out 10. He threw seven scoreless innings as well, and hasn’t given up an earned run in a month. In his past four starts he’s struck out 40 in ...