van Page 67 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

Fore, father! Rory McIlroy whacks his dad with errant shot at Masters
It was a shot unlike any other....

Jazz and Suns give us a sensational late-night cookie in a season lacking real drama
I’ve used this space to try and quiet any meaning to NBA regular-season games. It’s been especially acute this season, when teams have rarely been at full-strength, and they seem more intent on just being intact for the playoffs, which they know are what counts and are more likely to have at least s...

With 25 COVID-19 cases, just cancel the Canucks' season already
The news out of Vancouver isn’t getting any better....

Vancouver Canucks in full-blown COVID crisis with more than 20 players, coaches on protocol list (Updated)
UPDATE (4/4/21, 12:24 E.T.): Initial reports of 14 positive tests within the Canucks organization have swelled to more than 20 confirmed infections among the team’s roster and coaching staff, according to TSN’s Darren Dredger:...

Grant Hill named director of USA Men’s National Basketball Team
You could go so far as to say Grant Hill was always meant for this. ...

McDonald lifts Arizona over UConn, will face Stanford in all-PAC-12 Final
Stanford vs. Arizona will be the matchup for the women’s national title, and the Pac-12 will have its first national champion since 1992, when the Cardinal — then, as now, coached by Tara VanDerveer — won its second title....

Which team played the villain role best?
With the Houston Astros now wearing the crown as the most hated team in professional sports — as indicated by the chorus of boos and piercing screams of “CHEATER!” that rang through the Oakland Coliseum (whatever ridiculous name it has today) last night on Opening Day (ahh… welcome back baseball, an...

Supreme Court justices dunk on NCAA in athlete-pay hearing
It’s the final day of March and madness continues — not in Indiana or Texas, but in Washington, D.C. Today, the Supreme Court heard an argument on college athlete compensation and... it didn’t seem to go all that well for the NCAA....

‘Oh-fer’ Evan Fournier is already making history as a Boston Celtic
We’ve heard about that damn trade exception for months....

With Francisco Lindor and Anthony Rizzo seeking extensions, it's a tale of two owners
Lindor-palooza has apparently begun. News broke last night that the Mets have offered Francisco Lindor a 10-year, $325 million extension to his deal that ends after the season. Lindor is apparently after a 12-year, $385 million deal. As always, both sides are making noise about negotiations being cu...

The Flyers have eaten another one
As every sport relies more heavily on analytics to tell us what’s really going on, there are fewer and fewer occurrences that seemingly spring from a different plane of existence. Something beyond explanation. Things that are only familiar to Wiccans. We can just about always point to some number or...

A modest proposal for the NFL’s 17th game
It was the worst-kept secret, and the NFL owners have been pushing for this for years. But this week the NFL will make the 17th game official. The players hate it (see Alvin Kamara), but some are kind of shocked that they agreed to this in the latest CBA. Communication is not the NFLPA’s strong suit...

NBA trade deadline winners and losers (Can you guess which ones go where?)
There were 16 trades involving 23 organizations and 46 players yesterday, making it the most active trade deadline ever. ...

The Miami Heat adding Victor Oladipo is a continued stick-up of other NBA Teams
Even at 76 years old, Pat Riley still does things the ski-mask way. ...

Celtics try to fix gaping wounds with a Band-Aid in Evan Fournier deal
The Celtics have been arguably the most disappointing team in the NBA this season. And now they are trying to fix their troubles by putting a Band-Aid on a serious wound....

Vanessa Kade quiets haters fast with $1.5 million tournament win
Everyone knows who she is now....

Who do we actually think is going to be moved in by the NBA trade deadline?
There are more NBA trade deadline rumors than there are R.A. The Rugged Man syllables on Uncommon Valor. ...

Deadspin reseeds this senseless men’s Sweet 16
A week into the NCAA Tournament, and madness is the perfect word to describe what has taken place so far in March. The only logical explanation for how things have gone is based on just how nuts this season has been from the jump — given all the pauses and disruptions that have occurred due to COVID...

Duke? UNC? UConn? Ranking the best NCAA national champs over the past 20 years
Selection Sunday will be the first time we’ve been able to fill out a bracket in two years. A lot has changed since then, especially in college basketball, as it’s been as upside down as the rest of the world is. Juniors and seniors are the biggest draws this season, as only a few freshmen like Okla...

The content you need: Jeff Van Gundy’s cat joins the ESPN broadcast booth
In this era of video conferencing, our personal lives can blend with our professions. You’ve been on Zoom calls where a child interrupts their parent. You’ve been on others where the dog won’t quit yapping, or a cat just… appears. Well, meet Neatsy (is that how you spell it, Jeff?), one of Jeff Van ...