sports Page 475 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

Run the NBA play-in tournament as a series of high-stakes gauntlet matches
The NBA wants to have an in-season tournament, and a lot of the reaction to this idea is that it’s terrible, that it’s basketball trying to be soccer, that it’s a huge waste of time....

‘Smacked in the mouth,’ LeBron and AD now need to find second gear — if bodies let them
LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers looked sluggish and shell-shocked on Sunday. In their first-round matchup against the Phoenix Suns, after squeaking past the Golden State Warriors in the Play-In Tournament, the defending champs looked anything but title-contending....

Was Jayson Tatum right? Was Tyler Herro merely a 'bubble fraud'?
Less than eight months ago, Tyler Herro was being labeled the “next great shooting guard” in a league filled to the brim with high-end backcourt talent. Herro was set to help lead the Miami Heat on multiple deep playoff runs as part of the team’s new Big 3 — along with Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo. ...

John Cena has to apologize for being right about Taiwan — OK, sure
There’s an old George Carlin bit — I guess they’re all old now (sigh) — about The Big Club. Still rings true today, even though it’s some 25 years old now or more. And while that “Big Club” may not be owned by China, it’s certainly still a slave to the money that China can provide them. Which is jus...

Connecticut high school phenom tosses fourth no-hitter in a row
If you think the no-hitters are getting out of control in Major League Baseball, you ought to check out the high school scene in northern Connecticut. ...

The NFL’s statement on George Floyd proves the league will never care about Black people
In America, there are two types of racism. Type-A is often “tolerated.” It leads to microaggressions, redlining, gerrymandering, and voter suppression. These are the people that will donate money to just causes, but also get uncomfortable when their daughter brings a Black man home. Type-B, on the o...

Maybe it’s about Connor Hellebuyck, not Connor McDavid
The reflex is to point and laugh at the Edmonton Oilers once again. It’s combined with frustration that the game’s best player is leashed to such a clown car of an organization, one of the most brilliant individual seasons going completely to waste. And if you’re a long-term hockey writer or analyst...

The Brooks Koepka-Bryson DeChambeau pissing contest continues
“Fucking Christ.”...

Message to USA Baseball: Olympics shouldn't be Old-Timers' Fortnight
It’s a Trash Talking Tuesday, and today I’m trashing USA Baseball....

Hey Adam Silver, stop tinkering with the NBA. You’re welcome
The NBA is lost....

Judge cracks open NSWL door to 15-year-old phenom Olivia Moultrie
Interesting decision out of Portland. We talked about Olivia Moultrie’s case against the NWSL as she seeks to play professionally at 15 years old for Portland Thorns FC. The NWSL has an age minimum of 18, but that wasn’t collectively bargained, just something the league installed. Considering MLS al...

Let’s try to translate from whatever language Aaron Rodgers is speaking to Kenny Mayne
Aaron Rodgers emerged from the soundstage he built in his home to practice for his Jeopardy! audition last night. He was part of Kenny Mayne’s last Sportscenter on the WWL, which also commemorated the end of ESPN having anyone with an identifiable personality on their flagship show....

Former TE Greg Olsen tweets son’s heart ‘is reaching its end’
Former NFL tight end Greg Olsen, who had his best seasons with the Carolina Panthers, is going through every parent’s worst nightmare. In a distressing thread on Twitter, Olsen detailed the serious and difficult situation he, his wife Kara, and his son T.J. are facing....

DeShaun Watson skipping OTAs is good news for Houston
For the first time this offseason, Deshaun Watson is doing the Houston Texans a favor, even if he doesn’t mean to. His motives on this, I’m sure, have nothing to do with what’s in the best interest of the team and are purely selfish, but still — in demanding a trade, Watson reportedly won’t show up ...

We need to have a legitimate conversation about Cardiac Kemba
What is Kemba Walker now?...

Leicester found a new way to blow it, and their fans probably won’t care
The warping of European soccer and its priorities make judging Leicester City’s last week of the season decidedly foggy. Twenty years ago or so it would be easy. Win the FA Cup, finish fifth, that’s an unqualified success. But that’s not the world we live in anymore, and that’s what makes it so uncl...

Who are the oldest champions in sports?
Sports aren’t always a young person’s game....

Julio Jones sure looks like he got ambushed on national television
Julio Jones may have just been ambushed with questions about his possible trade without knowing he was live on television. Shannon Sharpe called Julio Jones from his cell phone live on FS1’s “Undisputed” this morning. Without telling Jones they were live, he asked “do you want to go to the Cowboys, ...

Obligatory 'Is This It For The Capitals?' post
In a sport as random and silly, and at times downright stupid, as hockey, it’s oxymoronic to try and weave some overarching narrative from a playoff exit. Games and series are decided on a few bounces and deflections most of the time. Change any one variable, and you can get a completely different r...

The NBA’s young players don’t GAF and it’s beautiful
The opening weekend of the playoffs confirmed that the future of the NBA is in good hands. Young, playmaking guards highlighted the weekend and not only brought their game, but brought their attitude, disrespect, and pettiness as well....