sports Page 345 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

Familia latest Phillies’ free agent folly
The Phillies had a 4.60 bullpen ERA last season, sixth-worst in the major leagues. Philadelphia relievers’ 2.36 strikeout-to-walk ratio ranked 19th in the majors in 2021. And the Phillies’ bullpen corps served up 89 homers last year, tied for seventh-most in baseball....

Kyrie brings loser energy to Brooklyn
Thanks to a change in arena policy last week removing the vaccine requirement for entry, Kyrie Irving was allowed in the building in Brooklyn on Saturday night for the first time all season – as a spectator, for Duke-Virginia Tech in the ACC championship game....

If OBJ didn’t work out in Cleveland, don’t expect Amari Cooper to either
Amari Cooper is a good receiver. He’s not as good as Odell Beckham Jr. was when he left New York for Cleveland though. Sure, there are some arguments you could make against the latter statement. For example, perhaps Cooper hasn’t been a true No. 1 in Dallas since CeeDee Lamb got there. Doubtful, but...

Portland’s six-game losing streak is worse than you think
The Portland Trailblazers are not the worst team in the NBA. They’re far from it actually. However, their past six games would indicate otherwise. They’re tanking like there’s no tomorrow. Since their Feb. 24 matchup at home against the Golden State Warriors, the Trail Blazers have lost every game t...

Ranking all 8 SEC quarterfinal teams by how annoying their fan bases are
“A cultural event” is how my aunt and uncle describe the SEC tournament, and it’s one that I had not previously experienced. They’re Kentucky fans as are my parents and basically my Dad’s entire side of the family. I knew I was a Kentucky fan before I even understood what college sports were. So whe...

NFL teams chomping at the bit to sign Deshaun Watson
So, does the rest of the NFL know now that not being charged criminally doesn’t equal innocence in civil lawsuits, or do we need another agenda-serving Adam Schefter tweet-gone-wrong to illustrate that lining up to court Deshaun Watson is still a risky endeavor?...

Stream shows consciousness
When I told my mom about the reports of NBC’s impending $30 million deal to stream a dozen and a half Major League Baseball games on Peacock, she groaned. More streaming, more annoyance when all you want to do is just turn on the TV and see the ballgame....

Pop goes the winner
When this season began, Ray Allen was the NBA’s all-time leader in three-pointers, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar had the record for combined regular season and playoff points, and Don Nelson was the winningest coach in league history....

He’s Joe Bucks now
Joe Buck, the longtime voice of Fox Sports, is bolting for the greener pastures of ESPN, signing a lucrative five-year deal in the $60-$75 million range, according to the New York Post’s Andrew Marchand....

MLB free agency predictions - who will go where?
With over 200 names still facing free agency and less than one month to go before the start of the MLB season, we are in for an absolute flurry of moves. There are still dozens of big names on the table for any team looking to make a game-changing acquisition. Those teams that were right on the bord...

Auburn getting upset in the SEC tourney could be a bad omen
Auburn men’s basketball has the odds-on favorite to go No. 1 overall in the NBA Draft on its roster. It has two possible lottery picks in its front court. All it had to do was win a couple games in the conference tournament, and its No. 4 AP Poll ranking most likely would’ve translated into one of t...

What of Jimmy Garoppolo?
It’s been a crazy week in the NFL, and the league’s new year doesn’t officially start until March 16. Earlier this week, Russell Wilson was traded to Denver, Carson Wentz was shipped out — for the second consecutive offseason — to Washington, and Aaron Rodgers, who always keeps us guessing, decided ...

What Duke fan wants to watch this again?
Damn, does someone at ACC Network have something personal against Coach K?...

Baseball is back, but the DH is everywhere, and that’s awful
There’s only one bad thing about the MLB lockout being over: The game is changing forever....

This is why we watch
Is there any greater thrill than a good old fashioned March buzzer beater? Single-elimination, do-or-die moment, clock racing to zero — living in that infinite moment, watching the ball arc its path through the endless stretch of air, the swish of the net, the eruption of cheers, the impossible sudd...

Philadelphia fans were ready to boo Ben Simmons – they wound up booing their team
Irony was at play inside the Wells Fargo Center in Philly on Thursday night....

Maybe Jack Eichel should shut up
Jack Eichel returned to Buffalo last night, his first game in America’s basement refrigerator since his trade to Vegas. It did not go well, much like pretty much anything in Eichel’s career hasn’t. The Knights lost 3-1 to the Sabres, and losing is something they’ve been doing a fair bit of since Eic...

Return of the Mack
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Los Angeles Chargers and Chicago Bears are on the verge of finalizing a deal that would send Khalil Mack, to the Chargers in exchange for a 2022 second-round pick and 2023 sixth-rounder....

Jerry Jones making a run at NFL’s Most Despicable Owner
Jerry Jones has had a sordid history as an NFL magnate. But as he’s embarked on his twilight years, Jones has saved his worst for last....

Now that baseball is back, which free agents are still out there?
Yes, yes, yes, we’re all excited that baseball is back, but this is only the beginning. The main job is done, but now attention turns back to everything we missed over the last three months — i.e., free agency....