smith Page 13 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights
Sage Steele paved the way for her own demise at ESPN
Typically when a longtime SportsCenter anchor decamps, it’s a solemn affair. Just two months ago, ESPN’s Neil Everett’s departure left his colleagues saddened. ESPN vets like Marty Smith, Scott Van Pelt and Stan Verrett were among the talent who publicly sang Everett’s praises....
Be naivete or something else, Blazers' Scoot Henderson guarantees Rookie of the Year
Scoot Henderson set the bar for his first NBA season, and career, in a recent interview, telling Playmaker HQ that he will win rookie of the year, and hopes to be the “best point guard to ever play in the game.” So with that said, there’s not much else to talk about, right? I think hoops fans collec...
Zay Flowers might already be the best wide receiver in Ravens history
The Baltimore Ravens have been one of the NFL’s most consistent franchises since their relocation to the mid-Atlantic in 1996. They have made the playoffs 14 times, secured six division championships, and won two Super Bowls. A superb 27-season run by any metric, and they have been able to maintain ...
If Penguins GM Kyle Dubas is going to go down, it’s going to be with the most flames possible
Whatever Pittsburgh Penguins GM Kyle Dubas’s analytic-rep is, he’s going to be remembered for always opting for the big swing. While he may have been championed as a hockey sabermetric darling who rose to the biggest chair in the sport in Toronto, those that deride him would happily point out that a...
The USWNT is extraordinary — don't pretend otherwise
Neither the US Women’s National soccer team’s past glory in Megan Rapinoe, nor its future in young phenom Sophia Smith, could defeat Sweden in the present. Both players skipped penalty kicks high over the goal after a 0-0 tie in regulation, clear misses of the target altogether, in a 1-0 loss that w...
The USWNT exits the World Cup on the cruelest margin
The symbolism of the final moment can’t be shoved off. The USWNT’s Alyssa Naeher can’t do much more to keep the final penalty out. But sometimes…the bear eats you....
Has the rest of the world finally caught up to the U.S. Women's soccer team?
For those used to the United States women’s national team dominating the globe, this edition of the Women’s World Cup has come as a shock. Those who don’t tune in every four years expected turbulence, but the level of bumps and lumps the Americans have taken in Australia and New Zealand has already ...
Stephen A. Smith reaches new low with Joe Rogan-level conspiracy theories
Just because you’re rich and famous, doesn’t mean you’re smart. That’s never been clearer in society (hi Elon, never been a fan). Pretty sure that’s what Good Charlotte was singing about. In today’s edition of showing your celebrity ass, mostly figurative, sometimes literal, welcome to the party Ste...
Former USWNT star Carli Lloyd is never hesitant to remind everyone she was the star
The bane of sports analysis, especially when it comes to soccer in a nation that has become too mature in its fandom of the sport to accept this kind of drivel, is to default to claiming something unquantifiable as the reason a team won and a team lost. “Wanted it more” is a phrase you hear all too ...
Women's World Cup 2023: The USWNT isn't a championship squad
Portugal’s headed home looking happy. The flight back to Lisbon should be filled with post-elimination joy and realizations of long-term progress knowing how they held the former undisputed world champions in check. And that’s all you need to know about how the United States women’s national team pe...
World Cup Day 12: Speed kills, and so does a lack of it
We had our clash of teams that have looked most dominant so far, and we can pare that list down to “one team that’s looked dominant so far.” And in something of a surprise, Canada got their leaden asses booted back to the Great White North. Let’s get in. ...
The Rangers better know what they’re getting with Max Scherzer; and ESPN cleared out their staff for this putz?
The Rangers haven’t spent all this time operating like tomorrow is coming, so there’s no reason to stop now. Two winters ago it was Corey Seager and Marcus Semien, which went well. Last winter it was Jacob deGrom, which…well, not so much. You keep letting it ride, sometimes you lose. But that doesn’...
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...
The USWNT gets out of medium security jail
The pregame chatter mostly centered around Netherlands manager Andries Jonker’s quotes in the Matchday -1 press conference. It certainly had USWNT followers getting a little tight in the seat. In full:...
Arthur Smith’s Falcons are riding the Bijan Robinson train in an age of aviator offenses
Arthur Smith migrated to the Falcons after laying down the railroad tracks for the Tennessee Titans’ 2020 AFC Championship berth. One would hope he isn’t trying to put his spin on the Derrick Henry cloud of dust offense he conducted for two years, but with Bijan Robinson. An essential part of buildi...
It’s fair to ask Nick Saban about Alabama’s racist politics
Kay Ivey — the Republican Governor of Alabama — doesn’t have more juice than Nick Saban. That’s how things work in the South, especially when you’ve won seven national championships as a head coach in the SEC. And since people are more familiar with Saban than Ivey, it’s fair to ask him about a ruli...
World Cup Day 3: A demolition to start the United States’ three-peat campaign didn’t happen
The last time the United States women’s national team opened a World Cup, it scored 13 goals against Thailand. That pile-on isn’t typical and wasn’t a drubbing for the sake of sticking it to Yul Brynner. There was no downside to putting up the unanswered baker’s dozen for the sake of goal difference...
The Seahawks are taking a trip back to 90s this season with a brief uniform change
Unlike the orange popsicle colored uniforms in Tampa Bay, the Seattle Seahawks have a throwback jersey worthy of throwing back to. The Kingdome may be long gone, but the royal blue home jerseys have returned. Rookie Jaxon Smith-Njigba was featured in 90s inspired promo for the old jerseys, and there...
Russell Wilson attends Tyler Lockett’s wedding, proves charisma not totally gone
Russell Wilson is back in the good graces of his teammates — at least a couple of them. The longtime Seattle Seahawks quarterback attended the wedding of past No. 1 receiver Tyler Lockett. There’s even photographic evidence of the party so Wilson now has proof of affability when he gets back to Denv...
'Vacating' wins is the dumbest punishment of all time — do better, NCAA
The kids might not realize it, but in 1997 the movie of the summer was Men In Black. In the ‘90s, Will Smith was the king of summer blockbusters, especially if they opened July 4th weekend — or included aliens. One of the best parts of the MiB franchise was the Neuralyzers, a device that was used to...