Posts by Shane Ryan
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How Louisville Can (Maybe) Beat Kentucky
Here’s how the conversation with my editors went when we discussed today’s post. Editors: You should write about what Louisville has to do to compete with Kentucky. Me: Tragic team bus crash. Explosion. Easy. Next. Editors: No, seriously. How can they beat Kentucky against the odds? Me: Was I stuttering when I said “bus crash”? […]
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About Last Night: The Tuna Goes Marching In
In case you were out living a life of leisure, here’s what you missed in sports on Wednesday. Bill Parcells said he would be a “hypocrite” if he didn’t consider the Saints’ offer to coach for a year in Sean Payton’s absence. He never really explained what he meant by “hypocrite,” but most experts agree […]
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Please Don’t Lose, Kentucky
I’m not what you would call a “Kentucky fan.” I’m not from Kentucky, I’ve never been to Kentucky, and it might be a long time, possibly as long as forever, before I set foot in Kentucky. I really enjoy Justified, Ashley Judd doesn’t offend my sensibilities, and “Kentucky Rain” is the best Elvis song nobody […]
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About Last Night: Dodgers’ Magic Act
In case you were out living a life of leisure, here’s what you missed in sports on Tuesday. The Los Angeles Dodgers have been sold for a record $2 billion to a group that includes NBA legend Magic Johnson. “The clock just struck midnight for Frank McCourt,” Johnson said. “And now it’s time for The […]
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About Last Night: Tebow’s Second Coming
In case you were out living a life of leisure, here’s what you missed in sports on Monday. Tim Tebow was introduced to the New York media on Monday and told them that there is no quarterback controversy between Mark Sanchez and him. “Just like there’s no Jesus controversy between Jesus and Mark Sanchez,” he […]
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The Snakebit Season: North Carolina’s Cursed Greatness
Last August, I sat down to interview UNC Sports Information Director Steve Kirschner in his office near the Dean Dome. We spoke about his job as the head PR rep for North Carolina basketball, his experience with the coaches and the players, and the prospects for the 2011-12 team. He was very generous with his […]
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Readers’ Revenge: Worst Animal Encounters
It’s time for the next installment of Readers’ Revenge, the weekly feature in which we turn Grantland over to you, the unpredictable reader. This week’s topic was Your Worst Encounter with an Animal. As usual, the response was terrific and I wish the list could have been twice as long. A lot of tough decisions […]
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About Last Weekend: Rick’s Latest Advance
In case you were out living a life of leisure, here’s what you missed in sports over the weekend. The Final Four is set. Louisville mounted a late comeback against Florida, Kansas pounded North Carolina in the closing minutes, Kentucky creamed Baylor, and Ohio State outlasted Syracuse. In related news, Rick Pitino’s romantic life regularly […]
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The Eight Factors: Indiana-Kentucky
The Eight Factors measures four basketball criteria along with four non-basketball criteria to take the measure of who will win each Sweet 16 game. In this installment: 4-seed Indiana (27-8) vs. 1-seed Kentucky (34-2). Factor 1: Better College Town I have to tell you guys straight up that I have never been to either Lexington […]
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The Eight Factors: NC State-Kansas
The Eight Factors measures four basketball criteria along with four non-basketball criteria to take the measure of who will win each Sweet 16 game. In this installment: 11-seed NC State (24-12) vs. 2-seed Kansas (29-6). Factor 1: Better College Town Fair warning: Big-time North Carolina bias coming up here. Raleigh has it tough, as far […]