sports Page 434 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

Life Without Lauri: The other side of the Markkanen deal
As part of yesterday’s Lauri Markkanen deal, there were other players routed to different organizations who are also worth discussing....

It would be fun if baseball still had waiver deals
Quietly, one of the more intriguing times of the baseball season had typically been waiver trades around this time of year. ...

The Louisville jerk store called — it got its men
Louisville coach Chris Mack is suspended for six games after being found to have violated university guidelines while being extorted by former assistant Dino Gaudio, who was sentenced Friday to a year of probation and a $10,000 fine for doing said extorting....

Why are so many people betting on Bryce Harper to win MVP?
Fernando Tatís is going to win the National League MVP Award this year. That might sound obvious, but it’s something I feel needs to be stressed, because for some reason, half of all bets on the award’s winner are going to… Philadelphia’s Bryce Harper. ...

Lauri Markkanen trade means Cavs fans can legit dream of a Play-In spot this season (really)
Lauri Markkanen is finally on the move, but not to a team really anyone expected....

Robin Lehner has big shoes to fill with the Golden Knights, but his feet look about the right size
Almost a month ago now, the Vegas Golden Knights shipped their Vezina-winning netminder, Marc-Andre Fleury off to Chicago to dump some salary. Fleury had been arguably Vegas’ best player since the franchise’s inception in 2016. He’s been without a doubt, the most beloved player as the face of the fr...

If you don’t call Scott Zolak’s dog-whistle ‘Cam is distracted by rap music’ utter rot, what are you even doing?
On the one hand, a former Patriots quarterback and current in-game radio analyst weighing in on the current Patriots quarterback situation is a newsworthy and interesting sports item....

Julius Randle’s extension is perfect for both sides
The perfect contract: You rarely get that in sports. Of course, we may revisit this down the line and think otherwise, but for now, for this moment in time, Julius Randle’s extension with the New York Knicks is perfect for business....

Brittney Griner dunked again and it was NBD
Nineteen years ago, Lisa Leslie made history at the Staples Center in Los Angeles when she became the first woman to dunk in a WNBA game. It was a moment. Back then, we weren’t used to seeing stuff like that....

So what’s to be done with Alexander Zverev?
The U.S. Open has a problem. The ATP has a problem. And neither is likely to do much about it. And no, it’s not the ranks of players pulling out of the tournament. ...

After all the Aaron Rodgers drama, where <i>are</i> the Packers, really?
The Green Bay Packers had one hell of an offseason. To say it was drama-filled doesn’t even begin to scratch the surface. Even with all the tension during the offseason, the Packers are still a favorite in the NFC. Back-to-back NFC Championship Game appearances say they have a shot....

Down the stretch they come: Here’s what to watch out for as the MLB season hits final run
We have less than a month and a half before the MLB postseason starts on October 5. We know most of the teams that will be involved. The White Sox are pretty much locked in as either the two- or three-seed in the American League. The Brewers could potentially make a run at the top seed in the Nation...

Emoni Bates makes Memphis must-see TV
It’s arguable that Emoni Bates is the best forthcoming NBA Draft prospect even though won’t be allowed to enter the pros next year. And, yes, that would mean we’re talking about a 17-year-old prodigy who just committed to Memphis. Bates had cut his final list down to Memphis, Oregon, Michigan State,...

Rookie QB watch: Preseason freak-out, geek-out edition
The 2021 quarterback draft class will be on the minds of many football fans this upcoming season....

Maybe it’s the un-superteam thing Barkley likes in Bulls
Anyone who’s followed the NBA for any amount of time is used to hearing Hall of Fame player-turned-TNT basketball analyst Charles Barkley speak his mind whenever a microphone is shoved in his face. ...

With World Cup qualifying imminent, let's check in on how many rakes Berhalter is stepping on
Good God, would someone take the air out Tim Ream’s tires or barricade his apartment door for a couple days so Gregg Berhalter will stop picking him for the national team?...

Hey, Pep — you old scallywag, you old so-and-so — come manage the USMNT
So you need a new challenge in a couple years, Pep? Seven years at Man City will be enough? I agree. Want to try yourself at the international stage? Really all that’s left for you at age 50. Not much left to prove at club level, other than maybe not shitting yourself in the latter stages of the Cha...

Time to take the 2026 World Cup out of Mexico
It’s probably high time to strip the 2026 World Cup from Mexico. ...

Big Ten… ACC… Pac-12… wyd
You remember that episode of The Office where Jim and Dwight create an “alliance” to combat other alliances around the office? That’s what this feels like. Less than a month after Texas and Oklahoma announced they’d be moving to the SEC, three of the four remaining Power 5 conferences announced they...

What to make of these L.A. Chargers
The Los Angeles Chargers enter the 2021-22 season with high expectations. Or at least they should, given that they seem to have found their next franchise quarterback in Justin Herbert. ...