smith Page 19 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights
Darvin Ham says Lakers' goal is playoffs — but the team faces a post-All-Star break gaunlet
The Los Angeles Lakers are entering a critical time in their schedule after the All-Star break. With just 23 games remaining in the regular season, the Lakers are five games under .500 (27-32) and have a seven-game stretch where they’ll play all Western Conference foes, starting with the Golden Stat...
JJ Redick is taking the path less interesting
I never thought I’d say, “You know what, maybe J.J. Redick doesn’t suck,” but he’s surprisingly insightful in his post-playing career gig at ESPN. The former Blue Devil understands how the current iteration of the game is played as well as any analyst for the network and takes a refreshing approach ...
Mallory Swanson can win the World Cup on her own, and she may have to
It is certainly a wonderful place to be, and a comment on what the USWNT has built over generations, that they can win three straight games over three decent-to-good teams in the SheBelieves Cup, conceding only one goal, and the overriding emotion is still more apprehensive than swagger. That is the...
These are the most obnoxious fan bases in sports (and pop culture)
The easiest way to protect yourself from outside criticism is to critique others. Negativity begets negativity, and I don’t even know where this is going because I’m here to tell you about insufferable fan bases....
Jakobi Meyers is primed to be the next Christian Kirk
March 2022: The Los Angeles Rams were less than a month removed from their Super Bowl parade and NFL free agency was just underway. Fans were a naive group prior to that 2022 offseason, having no idea about the storm of game-changing moves that lay immediately in front of us. Before Russell Wilson t...
If Chris Paul, Suns can’t win a championship with Kevin Durant, it’s time to drop the 'Point God' moniker
Once the Phoenix Suns pulled off the blockbuster trade of the year for Kevin Durant, many pundits began to pencil them in as the Western Conference representative in the NBA Finals. Looking at their core of Devin Booker, Chris Paul, DeAndre Ayton, plus Durant, it’s easy to see why they’d be catapult...
‘Ambassador’ Karl Malone, bumbling Knicks, and more forgettable moments from All-Star Saturday Night
All-Star Saturday has always had cookout vibes, and McClung earned another invite for next year. But someone had to bring the unseasoned cole slaw. Karl Malone’s presence as an ambassador and a judge who got entirely too many nods from the NBA and the broadcast made things way too awkward. Malone — ...
2023 NBA Anti-All-Stars: The dregs of the East
The NBA All-Star Game is an honor bestowed upon the most distinguished hoopers every season. Unfortunately, that’s not what we’re doing here. Their time will come. However, the NBA’s worst rotation players deserve to receive their dead flowers too. Stare into this dark void with me and commemorate t...
Jim Caldwell having to work under Frank Reich is a slap in the face
The Carolina Panthers — who are owned by a man who claims to be trying to end the “old boys network” within the NFL despite hiring a white head coach over a qualified Black one — have a new coaching staff that’s led by the trio of Frank Reich, Dom Capers, and Jim Caldwell. The hierarchy in Carolina ...
Chad Henne’s retirement should be bigger news — the Chiefs now need a reliable backup
He’s a Michigan legend and was clutch whenever the Chiefs needed him. On Sunday night, after the conclusion of Super Bowl LVII, Kansas City backup quarterback Chad Henne called it a career, announcing that he was hanging up his cleats after collecting his second ring. It’s understandable why retirem...
Travis Kelce was Chiefs' top pass catcher, but without JuJu Smith-Schuster they don’t win the Super Bowl
Juju Smith-Schuster did not enter the NFL with the goal of being a role player. His sophomore season at Southern California, he hauled in 89 passes for 1,454 yards and 10 touchdowns on a disappointing 8-6 team. The next season, the Trojans went 10-3 and won the Rose Bowl. His yards and receptions to...
Super Bowl LVII refs put on a show nobody asked for
Don’t ask me how many yards or touchdowns Jalen Hurts ran for or how many yards Patrick Mahomes threw for. The officiating crew for Super Bowl LVII put on one of the all-time great “I’m Him” collective performances in league history on Sunday night. Their profound impact on the game was felt for all...
The NFL will not leave Pat Tillman alone
The NFL being an official advertising wing of the US military is nothing new. From the war terms applied to the game itself by analysts and commentators, to the official camo swag, to Gronk advertising insurance only for military members and their families, the two have been arm in arm for decades. ...
Kansas City Chiefs need Patrick Mahomes to be legacy-defining great to upset Philadelphia Eagles
Super Bowl LVII is almost here, and if you’re like any objective observer, you’ve been staring at this matchup on paper for so long that you’re second-, triple- and quadruple-guessing yourself. The line hasn’t budged at all since settling in at Eagles -1.5, and that should tell you one thing: Stick ...
Who's going to win Super Bowl 57 MVP?
As the lights are brightest, some step up and have truly unforgettable efforts. And some don’t, because they suck and that’s life. And one person from Super Bowl LVII will become the game’s MVP. The chances are high it’ll end up being one of the two starting quarterbacks in Patrick Mahomes and Jalen...
The New York Jets made history — and not the wrong kind for once
The NFL announced its end-of-the-season awards Thursday night, and the list of recipients was largely predictable. While every winner should be proud of the season they had, why stop the competition there? Each standout player and coach accomplished a lot, but who was the most impactful? When we loo...
Let's put an end to the NFL combine
This Super Bowl week has been a busy one. Jalen Hurts and Patrick Mahomes have dominated storylines as they’ll be the game’s first two Black quarterbacks. The Kelce brothers — Jason of the Philadelphia Eagles and Travis of the Kansas City Chiefs — are playing on opposite teams. Rihanna is performing...
Keep an eye on these 12 non-QB playmakers in Super Bowl LVII
Plenty of the attention during Super Bowl week will deservedly go to Patrick Mahomes and Jalen Hurts. The pair of quarterbacks who led two of the best offenses in the NFL colliding in the biggest game of their lives. Due to how important the quarterback is to any team, the chances of Hurts and Mahom...
Of course the NHL makes teams wear St. Patrick’s Day jerseys
In the NHL’s current procession into the gutter, the New York Islanders were the latest to announce that they wouldn’t be using rainbow jerseys or stick tape for their Pride Night. While odious on the surface, digging a little deeper it gets…slightly less odious. The Islanders have never done so, th...
Passing pioneers: A list of the Black quarterbacks in Super Bowl history
Sixteen years after Lovie Smith and the Chicago Bears faced off against Tony Dungy and his Indianapolis Colts in Super Bowl XLI, making history as the first two Black head coaches to reach that game, Jalen Hurts and his Philadelphia Eagles and Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs are making hi...