van Page 53 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights
Evan McPherson explains his stone-cold demeanor that has helped take the Bengals to the Super Bowl
LOS ANGELES — There is no lack of confidence with the Cincinnati Bengals. Quarterback Joe Burrow returned from an ACL injury and mostly picked up where he left off in 2020, being the steadying force behind center that the Bengals have spent years trying to find. There’s JaMarr Chase, who is basicall...
The biggest NBA bandwagon fan base at the midseason mark
As someone who is loyal to a fault, people who hop team allegiances never cease to make my brain hemorrhage. I don’t know how the LeBron James cult does it. “He’s my favorite player” is what a child says when they first discover what sports are. Yeah, I loved Penny Hardaway, too, but when I moved to...
MLB has tried nothing and it's all out of ideas
I guess that’s not completely fair. They have one idea. It’s a Hail Mary to try to reclaim the PR battle for themselves which the players union has had in their pocket ever since Rob Manfred started throwing all of his toys out of the crib about the reduced schedule of 2020. It’s half of an idea, ma...
Where does the USMNT stand in World Cup Qualifying?
Call this the Idiot’s Guide to World Cup Qualifying. The diehard American Outlaws probably know this information by heart. Casual fans may know some. Most general sports fans in America will only tune in to soccer should the United States men’s national team make it to the World Cup, meaning it’ll b...
Everton completely change gears, hires Frank Lampard
When you become a club that’s as much of an underground circus that Everton Football Club have become, your list of possible managers shrinks. You can really only get the desperate or those with nothing better to do, or possibly those who would work nowhere else. Everton have let Duncan Ferguson, wh...
The road to the next title keeps getting tougher for Pat Mahomes and Co.
I’ll admit it. I jumped the gun. The overwhelming reaction to the Chiefs victory over Buffalo in the AFC Divisional Round had me thinking of a much bigger picture than I should have. It’s a fact that at their best, Kansas City can beat anyone because when it’s clicking, no one slows down Patrick Mah...
If you thought that Mike White bet paid out big, conference championship weekend paid out more than quadruple that on a free wager
Remember when Mike White was the darling of the NFL? I know, Halloween feels like it was three years ago instead of three months, but that is when White threw for the most passing yards in the NFL that week in leading the New York Jets to a 34-31 victory against the current AFC Champion Cincinnati B...
For a moment, it actually felt like L.A. was all in on the Rams
LOS ANGELES — It took a few hours, but a roar finally bellowed out in the sports bar following Aaron Donald’s forced interception of Jimmy Garappolo. A noise level that for most of the game didn’t exceed the level of a drunk birthday party group in the back of a restaurant. The moment Donald envelop...
So where are we with Christian Pulisic?
It may feel like the USMNT’s qualification process has been going on for about 32 years. Which is what happens when you cock-up the last one and everyone has to wait eight years between World Cup appearances (hopefully). Still, it’s important to stress that the U.S., if it can manage two wins in the...
Difficult Super Bowl Trivia: Part 3
Last year’s Super Bowl, a 31-9 win for the Buccaneers over Kansas City, was the first time in five years that the Big Game was decided by two or more touchdowns. It was easy to forget a lot of what happened as soon as the game ended, but if you’re a trivia buff, you know that every moment in a Super...
Does Tom Thibodeau have any idea what to do with Cam Reddish? So far, it doesn’t look like it
Do me a favor, search “Cam Reddish” on Twitter and see what you find. Yes, I know Twitter is a place where a lot of idiotic and terrible takes call home – especially when it comes to sports, particularly the NBA. But, now and then, people come together in unity to form one tribe – like we all did on...
For one evening, Mohammed Salisu was Gandalf
Usually, when one player dominates a game, bending it to his will, you think of hat tricks and thunder-bastard goals and everything offensive. After all, soccer is judged on who scores and who doesn’t. And that goes for pretty much every sport....
It almost happened again, Brady almost pulled off a second Super Bowl LI
There was no way this could happen again....
Packers and Titans just latest teams to have fatal flaw exposed in playoffs
There’s a common thread between playoffs across sports, whether it’s best-of-seven series, single-elimination, or even NASCAR’s weeks-long gauntlet to the Cup. If your team has a weakness, it’s going to get exposed....
Curry’s first buzzer beater, Irving’s ‘breakthrough’ game, and more from a busy NBA Friday
Friday night was a “drink and you missed it” kind of night in the NBA, so if you didn’t catch (or forgot) the many highlights because you went out to dinner, the bar, a buddy’s place, or somewhere else other than in front of your TV watching games, allow me to fill you in while you scroll through yo...
Hamilton vs. Hutchinson/Thibodeaux is this year’s Chase vs. Sewell
When a team has as many holes as the Jacksonville Jaguars and is in rebuild mode, it can be difficult to determine who to take, not because of talent level, but because certain positions are more vital to a rebuild than others. Obviously, the most important position for a successful rebuild is quart...
Let’s try to understand the NBA’s defensive player rating and all its absurdity
Analytics can be misleading. Over the last decade, we’ve seen an influx of statistics take over the sports world, and basketball hasn’t been exempt from this revolution — just look at all the three-point attempts we see now across the NBA. But one stat in particular can be even dangerously misleadin...
Here are the Penguins again, hanging around, hanging around, can’t get rid of them…
In a world where the Patriots didn’t exist (and what a world that would be), perhaps the gold (and black) standard for bucking against the tides, refusing to be victims of a salary cap and system specifically designed to prevent sustained success, and just general obstinance would be the Pittsburgh ...
The NBA All-Star voting process seems to up the ante on ridiculousness every year and 2022 is no exception
Let’s be honest, the NBA All-Star balloting process is one of the most absurd in professional sports. Growing up, I was never a fan of the fan vote, basically determining who plays in the game. But I don’t blame the fans entirely because fan is short for fanatic, after all. I blame the NBA for keepi...
Which team could use Calvin Ridley most?
Atlanta Falcons’ wide receiver Calvin Ridley has been the subject of much criticism this year. His decision to step away from his team in the middle of the season was admirable, but not exempt from the criticism of NFL “fans.” Even when he was playing, Ridley underwhelmed. After finishing tied for f...