Month: October 2024

Today's the day! (Maybe not. Probably not. […But maybe?]) I've spent all week looking forward to the announcement of punishment for Alex Rodriguez—and, I suppose, all the other Biogenesis clients too—and the possibility that A-Rod will not accept a deal, instead fighting MLB tooth and nail and dragging out this horror show of a scandal to its ugliest and most litigious conclusion. First reports said it would be "Monday or Tuesday." Then Friday. Well, it's Friday. Let's get to the shitstorm already. Sadly, multiple reports have backed off the hard Friday deadline, making it seem more and more unlikely that we'll all get to lose our minds on the internet today. ESPN says "within the next few days." USA Today: "In the next 72 hour…

So Gregory Campbell blocked a shot, broke his leg, and finished a shift. It was courageous, in the way these things are, and—to state the obvious—unworthy of this hallowed analogy, which Edwards presented (naturally) on WEEI. There will forever be a great gulf between the sacrifices of soldiers and hockey players, even fourth-liners. But all that said: God bless Jack Edwards. Too many of the play-by-play men who hold big gigs today are so serious and bland, distinguishable only by the pitches of their voices. They treat fun games as solemn stuff, in hopes that one day they will have the chance to treat Buccaneers-Panthers solemnly on Fox's fifth-string NFL team. Jack Edwards has no such careerist compunction. He's an old-school salesman of the highest order, a homer an…

data-mm-id=”_a8ed964fp”>Are professional sports leagues eligible for a bailout? I'm only, like, 37 percent joking when I ask that. The COVID-19 crisis is affecting every single business in America and professional sports are no exception. Since players cannot work from home, seasons are in jeopardy and a whole lot of money is in danger of being lost. Is there any chance that the NBA, MLB, NHL and NFL can get some of that sweet stimulus money? Seriously.According to the Wall Street Journal, the NBA's broadcast partners, ESPN/ABC and TNT, could lose close to $700 million combined if the league doesn't complete the playoffs. Baseball broadcasters, which also include ESPN, are facing a similar situation if Major League Baseball can't get the 2020 season off the ground.…

data-mm-id=”_8xi2v6ja5″>The 2019 NFL regular season was full of surprises. These were the biggest.Ryan TannehillTannehill was a revelation this season for the Titans. A castoff after six years with the Dolphins, he signed a one-year deal with Tennessee to back up Marcus Mariota. He replaced Mariota as the full-time starter on October 13 and never looked back.In 12 games, Tannehill completed 201 of 286 passes (70.3 percent), for 2,741 yards, with 22 touchdowns and six interceptions. He led the NFL in yards per attempt (9.6) and passer rating (117.5). In the 10 games he started, the Titans went 7-3, and he led them to a playoff berth. The 2019 season represented quite a renaissance for Tannehill, who could never take his game to the next level in Miami. Now the 31-year-old is in line for…

data-mm-id=”_4ciphuaf6″>The NBA season has been postponed. The timeline for its return remains undetermined, but the possibility of playing games with no fans has already been floated as everyone tries to figure out the best and safest way for basketball to re-enter our lives. LeBron James expressed his reservations about playing with no crowd earlier this week, saying there's no excitement or joy without fans; the idea of sports is not complete without fans, and LeBron doesn't see much of a difference between a playoff game and a scrimmage if there's no one in the arena. Jay Williams went on Get Up on Friday afternoon to argue that sports are important enough to enough people that, if the NBA decides it's the best course of action, LeBron and his peers should play …

data-mm-id=”_gc2q9h3s9″>There are a lot of really fast players in the NFL. But there's speed, and then there's speed. Julio Jones is fast, but he isn't DeSean Jackson fast. It seems a small difference, but when we're talking about fast versus really fast, the gap is larger than one might think. Tyreek Hill has made a very good case over the last few seasons to be considered the fastest receiver in the league. It usually only takes watching a quarter or so of Chiefs football before you'll see Hill streaking behind the defense with a Patrick Mahomes pass arriving right on time. Marquise Goodwin is probably one of the few receivers who could make an equally strong case to be the swiftest wideout in the land. Hill decided he didn't want to leave this to hypoth…

data-mm-id=”_s4i66xaa6″>The Ivy League is set to cancel all fall sports in a move that could reverberate nationwide. Sources: Ivy League programs have been informed that fall sports have been cancelled.The conference will not entertain any sports being played until after January 1st.Winter sports will have an update in mid-July on their respective practice schedules.— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) July 8, 2020The conference won't entertain any sports competitions until after January 1. That obviously means several winter sports that begin during the fall will have shortened seasons on top of the fall sports disappearing for the year. That's an enormous move, and the Patriot League could be following closely behind. Ivy League schools don't rely on the money generated f…

data-mm-id=”_iv2is8awu”>On Monday we learned that Indiana Pacers star Victor Oladipo is looking to move on this offseason via The Athletic. Oladipo became an All-Star during the 2017-18 season as the former No. 2 overall pick realized his potential in Indiana. But back-to-back injury riddled seasons have lessened the 28-year-old's value as he's been trying to lock down a contract extension with the Pacers. The two sides are far apart and it feels like they are headed for a breakup. During his last fully healthy season (2017-18), Oladipo was a lockdown perimeter defender who averaged 23.1 points, 5.2 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game while shooting 47.7 percent from the field and 37.1 percent from 3-point range. He also showed a penchant for hitting clutch shots. Oladipo still…