Posts by Shane Ryan

August 30, 2013
The MLB Weekend Top 10: Last Chance in Believeland

The main message I want to convey up top is that if you’re a real baseball fan, you won’t watch any college football this weekend. Anyone who watches even a minute of college football on Saturday is a traitor to baseball and shouldn’t be allowed to watch the World Series ever again. And now that […]
August 29, 2013
Base-Beards: The 2013 MLB Beard Awards

Welcome to the first Major League Baseball Beard Awards, where we honor the most unique and terrifying beards worn by professional baseball players in the 2013 season. No sport exemplifies the multifarious qualities of the beard better than baseball — not even playoff hockey — and we’ve gone too long without recognizing the hirsute men […]
August 26, 2013
Exclusive: A-Rod's E-mails to Yankees President Randy Levine

As the Yankees make a late playoff push and Alex Rodriguez plays under the black cloud of a potential 211-game suspension, Grantland has unearthed a selection of e-mails sent by Rodriguez to Yankees president Randy Levine that shed light on the star’s tumultuous season. The two have been bickering publicly of late, but the e-mails […]
August 23, 2013
The MLB Weekend Top 10: The Best Pitching Matchup You'll Never See

The weekend is here, and I don’t know about you, but I’m ready to sit back, watch some baseball, cry, watch more baseball, think about exercising, back to baseball, cry, baseball, eat, cry, baseball, baseball, cryball, eat, cryercise, baseball, eat. WHO’S WITH ME?! To approach this with sober objectivity: We might be dealing with the […]
August 23, 2013
More Than a Trophy: What the AL Cy Young Race Means for Advanced Stats

In 2010, Felix Hernandez won the American League Cy Young award with a 13-12 record. It was the right choice for a number of reasons. He had the league’s best ERA, the highest pitcher WAR, the most innings pitched, and the lowest WHIP, and he lasted deeper into his starts than any other AL starter. […]
August 22, 2013
Guilty Pleasures: The Little League World Series

A fact about me: There are two levels of baseball I enjoy watching on television. 1. The major leagues — No-brainer. The best players in the world, the most intense competition, the highest stakes. 2. The Little League World Series — Hmmmm. Hmmmmmmmmmm. Every year, in late August, there’s a moment when I have to […]
August 19, 2013
Career Arc: Alex Rodriguez

December 2007: “For the record, have you ever used steroids, human growth hormone, or any other performance-enhancing substance?” —Katie Couric, CBS “No … I’ve never felt overmatched on the baseball field. I’ve always been in a very strong, dominant position. And I felt that if I did my work as I’ve done since I was, […]
August 16, 2013
MLB Weekend Top 10: Motor City Bias

More good news for Detroit — it’s in three separate entries this week! Let the good times roll! 10. Hey, Everyone, the Orioles Still Exist (COL-BAL) Has any team gone from “national darling” to “completely ignored” in one year while still being a really good baseball team? Granted, the Orioles spent last season winning what […]
August 14, 2013
The College Basketball Offseason: Everything You Missed, and More

You can’t go very far these days without hearing a sports fan say, “I can’t wait until college basketball starts.” I’m not sure why they keep mispronouncing it as “football” — it must be a joke I missed, or a meme, or something — but the anticipation in the air is palpable. We’re still a […]
August 12, 2013
The Secret Life of Jason Dufner, PGA Champion

Seventh Hole “I see you. How could I miss you with that shirt? At least tell me you got it for free.” — Jason Dufner, in the media room, to a reporter in the back trying to get his attention By now, it was starting to feel like a two-horse race. Henrik Stenson had just […]

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