sports Page 517 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

Once you can return safely, here are One Lucky Fan’s picks for the best at MLB parks
It’s Opening Day… and the vast majority of Americans are at least 550 days removed from their last trip out to the old ballgame. We all know about the 2020 shortened season and the cardboard cutouts and we are trying hard to forget it. As such, I know that I am looking heartily forward to my second ...
![Pesky pandemic won’t let baseball pretend it’s over just yet [UPDATE]](https://images.deadspin.com/tr:w-900/mnaazwogehaxvxbdhb4l.jpg)
Pesky pandemic won’t let baseball pretend it’s over just yet [UPDATE]
It’s Opening Day, America. It’s time to get back to our national pastime, and to leave all our worries aside. It’s our day to just focus on what we all need, a game of baseball. And isn’t that what we deserve? Nothing can interfere with the sound of a line drive or the smell of — I’m sorry. Buster O...

Nathan MacKinnon’s helmet toss sums up the Arizona Coyotes
I’ve had my share of fun at the expense of the Coyotes and will continue to do so as they continue to be the dopey buzzard of NHL, and really all sports teams. It must be a rotten existence to play for them, other than the warm weather and athlete’s paycheck and lack of any pressure whatsoever. Last...

NBA Legend Bill Russell eyeing a return to the court (😐)
NBA legend Bill Russell could be making a comeback....

Negro League researcher Cam Perron talks about his new book, the Negro Leagues, and the times to come
In a profile over the summer, I asked Cam Perron what he’s up to next. At the time, the young Negro Leagues researcher, whose work of documenting players’ service time led to their receiving MLB pensions, was operating his memorabilia business and working on a book set to hit shelves in 2021....

Vlad, Fernando, Francisco and more: The players who’ll make this baseball season interesting
Every year we discuss how baseball’s become boring, how it could grow more enjoyable for younger fans, and how we long for legitimate progress of our national pastime. ...

Athletes who turned their careers into an April Fools joke on all of us
Happy April Fools Day to all. I hope everyone reading this hasn’t already gotten duped by one of their friends or loved ones. If you have, it’s okay at least you didn’t get fooled like these organizations did when they picked the “star” of their franchise. There’s been so many examples of these play...

What to expect in the AL Central
Can anyone dethrone the Twins? What will the White Sox look like with septuagenarian Tony La Russa returning to manage? Will Cleveland hit enough after trading away Francisco Lindor to help their talented rotation, and ultimately bother Cleveland or Chicago? Will K.C.’s moves move the needle? And wh...

What to expect in the AL East
Can the Rays repeat as division champs without starters Charlie Morton and Blake Snell? Can the Yankees stay healthy enough and is their starting pitching good enough to return to the top? Are the Blue Jays and all their young talent ready to break through? Where are the Red Sox? And will we see any...

Conor McDavid should have been suspended for this garbage, but of course the NHL didn’t
The NHL only threw a fine at Connor McDavid for this attempted decapitation of Montreal’s Jesperi Kotkaniemi on Tuesday night:...

Kyle Pitts might be this draft’s best wide receiver, and he’s a tight end
Travis Kelce, George Kittle, and Darren Waller have ushered in a new age of receiving-threat TEs, following in the footsteps of Rob Gronkowski (who’s still around) and Jimmy Graham (who mostly isn’t). Next in line could very well be a prospect out of Florida that will go very high in this year’s NFL...

Sergio Aguero, Manchester City’s last through-line
There’s little point in talking about Sergio Aguero without talking about this goal, so let’s get to it at the top:...

Let Russell Westbrook’s comments be a lesson: Athletes don’t have to meet your expectations
Russell Westbrook had 35 points, 21 assists, and 14 rebounds in a 132-124 victory over the Indiana Pacers on Monday night....

AL West Preview: Now without the noise, what are the Astros?
There are many who thought the Astros got off light before even hitting spring training last year. While the response was always “immunity,” only a couple managers and a GM suffered with the loss of their jobs. ...

Deadspin’s MLB Gambling Guide/Futures Bets to make for the 2021 season
One year ago, as the coronavirus pandemic resided through its infant stages, the baseball world was looking on helplessly and having to wrestle with the thought that there might not be a season....

The ABL is alive and well: Anybody But LeBron
The NBA is officially now the ABL....

AL Central Preview: Which is it, Luis Robert?
The White Sox are probably the second-most fascinating team heading into the 2021 season. They haven’t quite cannonballed into the pool and ruined the buffet the way the San Diego Padres have — a team they will always be linked to thanks to Fernando Tatis Jr. and the rampant screen-punching amongst ...

Mick Cronin was UCLA’s third option, and he just ended the Bruins’ 13-year Final Four drought
The beginning of this movie got off to a rough start. And while the final scene hasn’t been written yet, it’s already a triumphant tale....

The NFL is poised to be the victory cigar
It was a triumphant day for the NFL, at least the business of the NFL and for its owners. Somehow it always is, even when they’re not playing games. The league announced adding a 17th game officially, even though it doesn’t make sense on any logical level other than owners looking at a pile of money...

AL East Preview: Baseball Royalty? Let's discuss
The American League East is full of baseball history and royalty, with the likes of the Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees often reigning from on high. Last year, the Tampa Bay Rays stole that crown, winning the division in a shortened season by a commanding seven games. The Red Sox, contrastin...