samfels Page 2 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights
Blue Jays need some reality; Gooden, Strawberry numbers retired; Wainwright switches careers
In a lot of ways, feverishly watching the flight route of a plane that wasn’t everything it was cracked up to be is a pretty nice metaphor for the Toronto Blue Jays’ offseason and outlook. The Jays knew Shohei Ohtani wasn’t on that flight, but their fans certainly didn’t. That doesn’t mean that the ...
Blame Michael Jordan for Krause widow disgrace; Rudy Gobert trade finally paying off; Lakers need Zach LaVine
Michael Jordan won a widow getting booed. My colleague Stephen Knox covered this yesterday, the booing of Jerry Krause’s widow Thelma during the Chicago Bulls’ Ring of Honor ceremony on Friday, and he isn’t wrong. It’s another “feather” in the “cap” of Jerry Reinsdorf, though he wouldn’t have been i...
Kelce retires; Pete Carroll isn't having it; Dan Quinn gets dunked; Jerry Jones keeps on Jerry Jonesing
When it was announced last week that the Seattle Seahawks were moving in a different direction at head coach, the news caught many by surprise. It was framed as though Pete Carroll and the organization had mutually agreed that Carroll would step out of the way and into an advisor’s role. But now wit...
Maple Leafs have unexpected problem; Winnipeg surprises everyone; Hockey players & psychologists?
It’s hard to be an afterthought for an NHL team in Canada, and yet it kind of feels like the Winnipeg Jets are one. They’re not grouped with either of the other blocks. They aren’t near Toronto or Montreal in the Atlantic Division, and even the Ottawa Senators get more shine from being caught betwee...
Trevor Bauer is confused; More Wander Franco controversy; Marcus Stroman's 'hate' signing
Mere days after I wrote about the penchant of accused athletes to find a friendly face in the sportswriting community to help them rehab their image among the mouth-breathers in the fandom, Trevor Bauer offered himself up as Exhibit A, launching his own redemption tour in a nakedly desperate attempt...
NFL teams ripe for an upset; Aaron Rodgers is still a dolt; So is Jameis Winston; All the coaches & GMs who got axed
After 18 weeks of grueling NFL action, we’ve made it to Wild-Card Weekend and the first round of the postseason. We often hear the term “must-win” during the regular season, but once a team makes it this deep into January, every game is truly a must-win scenario. Like any other week, there’s always ...
Cutter Gauthier drama comes to head in Philly; Tennis world has 'gross' moment; NFL gimmicks finally fall short
The NFL season zips by, which might be one of the hundreds of reasons it remains our national religion. There isn’t really time to get bored with it and everything that happens in it feels truly important. Which means any team that can string a few good weeks together has turned some mythical corner...
John Fisher's move of A's may have a snag; Jim Harbaugh avoids a choke job; the strange case of Luke Littler
There’s generally little hope for fans when it’s already been announced that their team will move to another city. That hope evaporates more when a league approves it, as MLB has done with the A’s move to Vegas. And yet, there’s always a sliver of light that can’t be extinguished when an owner is so...
Jennifer Botterill exposes hockey-culture stupidity; Kraken mascot beef comes to a head; goalie trouble for top teams
There is a segment of hockey fans that have always wanted to watch the bubble of hockey men discussing hockey things get totally pierced by even just the smallest bit of logic. For that is the true enemy of most things that have been hockey ethos. So a hearty thank you to Jennifer Botterill, who dur...
Aubrey Huff still a sexist dolt; free agency grinds to halt; Do Omar Vizquel Omar Vizquel, Trevor Bauer deserve a second chance?
Updated Jan. 5: Aubrey Huff’s X/Twitter hiatus was short-lived, as the ex-MLB player and problematic poster reactivated his account and proceeded to be predictably sexist, and offensive. - Cale Clinton Read More...
This week in the NHL: Looking back at the oldest to play; Handing out awards for 2023; Kris Letang's historic night
Hockey players are a different breed. While most sports see their stars fizzle out by the time they reach their late thirties, the NHL routinely has their stars shine well into their forties. Hockey players play the game with grit and resilience, unlike any other athlete. Maybe that’s why they boast...
It’s only a matter of time until an employed head coach opts out of a bowl game
College football programs are as volatile as ever during the transfer portal era. This time last year, the USC Trojans were one of the hottest programs in the country. Fast forward to the end of 2023, and the Trojans’ 42-28 win over No. 15 Louisville, without Caleb Williams, felt oddly necessary. ...
This week in the NHL: Sidney Crosby is having a moment; Devon Toews is not happy; the Flyers, well, they're the Flyers
It hasn’t worked in Pittsburgh. While the Penguins made perhaps the offseason’s splashiest move by trading for Erik Karlsson, pairing another surefire Hall of Famer with the three they already had, they’re still only being propped up in the Metro Division by the pointless Blue Jackets. They’re only ...
This week in sports: Patrick Mahomes' WR is a moron; Rick DeSantis does Rick DeSantis; Man United do themselves in
While it’s hard to resist the temptation to point out noticing when a team that has Matt Nagy anywhere near it is melting down, because I know it oh, so well, the Kansas City Chiefs have bigger problems than that. When everyone is blaming the refs over a totally correct call, it’s pretty obvious the...
This week in the NHL: Edmonton's red hot under their new coach; Avs like to make things difficult for themselves;
That dull roar you hear in the distance would be the momentum of the Edmonton Oilers. They’re kind of out there, admittedly, which is why your house isn’t shaking. Only so much a team can do from the hinterlands of Alberta. - Sam Fels Read More...
This week in MLB: Does Shohei Ohtani really improve LA?; Julio Urias facing charges; Tyler Glasnow has a week to remember
Much like Susie Izzard (Drink!) says chiropractors “LIVE FOR THE NOISE!” I too live for the noise of the offseason. We can’t get much more than Shohei Ohtani and his reps donated to us, or at least their methods of sending the baseball press into orbit did. There should be much more to come, but the...
This week in the sports world: NFL refereeing under fire again; Biden goes to bat for indigenous Olympic team
You do have to appreciate that the officiating crew on the league’s Sunday Night game, supposedly the marquee matchup of the week where the entire NFL world tunes in, was able to pack in so much moron-acy into one final drive. The density of clueless officiating in the last minute of Kansas City Chi...
This week in the NHL: Gary Bettman hints at changes; Patrick Kane opens up about his choice; Leafs are falling
NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman addressed the media at the conclusion of the NHL’s Board of Governors’ annual meetings. Bettman teased some big changes to the league in the near future, the biggest of which would be an in-season international tournament. - Cale Clinton Read More...
This week in MLB: Shohei Ohtani stirs controversy; Mariners' tough spot is bad for game; Juan Soto takes NY
Maybe GM Jerry Dipoto is trying to make that 54 percent a real challenge. ...
So this is what it feels like to be a howling soccer fan at the World Cup?
There’s a unique frustration to watching Team USA men’s basketball in the Olympics after the world caught up. Yes, America has a better collection of raw talent, and when motivated, and conducted like an actual team, they can come away with gold. However, it’s always a slog at some point, with savvy...