Posts by Shane Ryan
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About Last Night: Pujols Isn’t ‘The Man’
In case you were out living a life of leisure, here’s what you missed in sports on Wednesday. Albert Pujols objected to billboards in the Los Angeles area calling him “El Hombre.” The words mean “the man,” and Pujols would rather not use that nickname in deference to Cardinals legend Stan “The Man” Musial. The […]
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The Terrible Truth About Kentucky
There are lies we tell ourselves about the Kentucky Wildcats and John Calipari — comfortable fibs, supported by deceptive history, that help us sleep at night. They certainly make it easier to imagine a national champion from outside Lexington raising the trophy in early April, and they preserve a Manichean black-and-white simplicity that stifles the […]
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About Last Night: Last of the Losers
In case you were out living a life of leisure, here’s what you missed in sports on Tuesday. There are no more winless teams in Division 1 college basketball. Binghamton University became the last team to win a game this season, beating Vermont 57-53 and moving to 1-26 on the year. Interestingly enough, the win […]
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Mid-Major Primer: The New Mexico Lobos
In mid-January, New Mexico dropped back-to-back games against San Diego State and UNLV, the two best teams in the Mountain West Conference. The losses snapped a 13-game winning streak, and relegated New Mexico to the back burner of mid-major discussions. SDSU and UNLV were ranked 16th and 20th at the time, and when New Mexico […]
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About Last Night: Manny Returns
In case you were out living a life of leisure, here’s what you missed in sports on Monday. Manny Ramirez is back! The former Red Sox slugger has signed a deal with the Oakland Athletics, and will be eligible to play on May 30, his 40th birthday, after serving a 50-game suspension for violating MLB’s […]
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About Last Weekend: Novak-olades!
In case you were out living a life of leisure, here’s what you missed in sports over the weekend. Jeremy Lin had 28 points and 14 assists, and his teammate Steve Novak scored 14 fourth-quarter points as the Knicks beat the defending champion Dallas Mavericks 104-97. Hey-oh, looks like we need to hand out some […]
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The ACC, College Basketball’s Drama Queen, Delivers Again
When the games ended Thursday night and I considered the results, my stomach sank. The world craves variety, but the unavoidable, incorrigible ACC had reeled me in again. If you’ve read Grantland’s college basketball coverage over the past two weeks, you probably think my official title is “junior ACC correspondent.” Today, I had actually planned […]
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About Last Night: The Comeback Kids
In case you were out living a life of leisure, here’s what you missed in sports on Thursday. The Comeback Kids have done it again. Trailing by 20 with less than 12 minutes remaining, no. 4 Duke rallied to beat NC State 78-73 at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Once again, it’s a tale of pluck and […]
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Miami’s Missed Opportunity
Given: Miami is a football school. To the extremes, usually. But so are 200 other Division I colleges. What distinguishes Miami is not the passion for football, but the utter absence of love for basketball. Earlier this season, the Hurricanes earned a huge victory when they beat Duke at Cameron Indoor Stadium in overtime. Going […]
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About Last Night: Lin, Again
In case you were out living a life of leisure, here’s what you missed in sports on Wednesday. Jeremy Lin continued to amaze and electrify, dishing out a career-high 13 assists to go along with 10 points in a 100-85 Knicks win over the Sacramento Kings. After the game, in an attempt to reclaim his […]