st Page 735 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

MLB gets something right for a change with Clemente’s No. 21 jersey policy
Every year when Roberto Clemente Day rolls around, the refrain comes back around that the legend’s No. 21 should be retired by Major League Baseball, the same honor given to Jackie Robinson and No. 42....

U.S. Soccer offers equal pay to USMNT and USWNT... <i>kinda?</i>
It’s been one of the longer lasting sagas in American sports, as the U.S. Women’s National team seeks either a new contract or a resolution to their lawsuit against U.S. Soccer that sees them make huge gains in pay for representing their country. U.S. Soccer would have you believe that it’s recently...

ESPN’s ‘Cy Young Predictor’ is laughably on the fritz
Predicting who is going to win major awards across the Big 4 American sports is one of the nation’s most popular pastimes. Oftentimes, arguments can be made for several different players. That’s why several years ago, ESPN put out its Cy Young Predictor, an AI system that would take a pitcher’s stat...

TNT’s hiring of Paul Bissonnette for its NHL coverage proves hockey has no interest in rising above trash
The NHL returns to training camps in a couple weeks, with the season just about a month away. The league wants to make a big deal of its new TV contracts, putting a new shine and look to the league, with both ESPN and TNT picking the national coverage. The hope, as forlorn as it always is, was that ...

Peyton’s new role: Nostradumbass
ESPN’s Monday Night Football MegaCast debuted last night during the Baltimore Ravens and Las Vegas Raiders season opener — but Peyton Manning had thoughts about the Silver and Black’s entire season off just their first play. Turns out the rest of the game didn’t quite bear them out....

The Manning brothers broadcast was great, <em>and</em> it can be even better
Ever since Peyton Manning retired following the 2015 season, we’d been hoping for Manning to jump into the broadcast booth. His remarkable mix of analytical takes and hysterical mannerisms would make for a fantastic listening experience over NFL games. For five years, we were left empty-handed. Just...

Your 2021-2022 Champions League Guide
Despite the attempt to kill it from Europe’s leading clubs last spring (and UEFA’s eventual success in doing so in the coming years), the Champions League returns today in its usual form. While it has become the nexus point in all that’s wrong with soccer and has certainly widened the gap between th...

NFL rookie QB's 'boom or bust' watch: Week 1
The 2021 NFL Draft class will be a focal point of the NFL for years to come. The class included five quarterbacks who have a chance to make a significant impact on their franchises this season and beyond....

It’s still just Matthew Stafford
Pump the brakes on Matthew Stafford....

Congrats to the Giants! (Now you might get to face the Dodgers)
The San Francisco Giants are the first team to clinch a playoff spot this year, and congratulations to them for that, especially given that it’s a rare case in sports when a team can do something like this and really play the “nobody believed in us” card....

RG3 wants his old job back… is he joking or insane?
Robert Griffin III is apparently lobbying for a comeback tour in Washington as the Football Team’s new quarterback. Washington lost more than just the game in Week 1 against the Los Angeles Chargers. Starting QB Ryan Fitzpatrick went down with a hip injury in the first half and did not return. Taylo...

Rumor mill says either Jeff Bezos or Jay-Z could buy the Denver Broncos — but only one of them can afford it
When you get to the top of the capitalism totem pole, the only thing that matters is money. And when it comes to acquiring an NFL franchise, it’s about how quickly you can deliver those funds to the league....

You think Jameis Winston is washed up?
It’s Trash Talking Tuesday, and today I’m trashing all those who thought quarterback Jameis Winston was washed....

Carl Nassib’s history-making moment deserved better
Last night, Carl Nassib became the first openly gay player to take the field in the four major sports for the Las Vegas Raiders. He capped off that night by forcing the fumble from Lamar Jackson that would eventually win the game for Vegas, 33-27, though the Raiders tried their best to give it away....

Becky Lynch’s heel turn proves that WWE doesn’t know what makes its characters successful
It’s clear, no matter what they say, that AEW has WWE scrambling, if only a bit. While they would never admit it, and WWE is in no danger of losing its massive TV deals or its place in wider culture, you can tell by their need to shake things up that they feel something is pressuring them. Even toda...

Bears fans should be freaking out about Week 1
The old adage is that fans shouldn’t read too much into Week 1 of NFL play....

Week 1 NFL Powerless Rankings: Aaron Rodgers’ face says it all
The 2021 NFL season is finally underway. This means we can finally see which team is about that action and which team is not....

The AL Cy Young race is kinda trash
Now that we have a full baseball season again, after 2020’s season-in-a-can, we can get to choosing our award winners on normal calibrations. Thankfully, Shohei Ohtani made the AL MVP choice academic by having the most unique and unmatched individual season in baseball history. Pretty easy to hand h...

This week in metaphors: ‘Sewage’ water rains down on Washington football fans
Once in a while we are blessed with a visual representation so perfectly accurate that it can’t be ignored. And, indeed, that is what we have here, captured on video: a burst sewage pipe at FedEx Field, leaking filthy shit-water on paying fans....

Steelers make Buffalo wings, Titans look like Nashville-Hot trash, and Bama QBs play good enough
The 2021 NFL season is officially here. This season will likely give us a lot of good moments. Many teams have a chance to make some things shake. ...