November 21 - November 27, 2011
College Football Rivalry Week: Alabama vs. Auburn
We invited the sports editors of several college newspapers to write about their schools' big games. First up, the Crimson White and the Auburn Plainsman.
Welcome to the National Mailbag League
The Sports Guy dips into his inbox to find inspiration for making the rest of his Week 10 picks
Lost Moments in Basketball History
David Thompson, dynamite, and a summer night in Carolina where only the spring didn't boil
The Brutal Truth About Penn State
The problem can't be solved by prayer or piety — and it's far more widespread than we think
This Game of Inches
Despite all the Monday-morning quarterbacking of Falcons coach Mike Smith, you'd be surprised to learn he made the right call
The Month in Fake Grantland
A look at the best (totally made up) Grantland stories from the past month
(Almost) Winning in Milwaukee
The author of The Art of Fielding on the Brewers, falling short, and baseball in the upper Midwest
November 14 - November 20, 2011
The Week That Was
A look at some of our best pieces from the past week
Ultimate Fighting Is Ready For Its Close-Up
The UFC is at a crossroad this weekend with a new TV contract and a potentially epic championship matchup
Quarterbacking Made Simple
How Jim Harbaugh has made Alex Smith's job easier, and made the 49ers 7-1
The Best Team in the NHL
It's just too bad the Dallas Stars play to empty houses — plus the rest of the week in hockey
The Culture of Unrest at Penn State
Trying to understand what happened in Beaver Canyon on Wednesday night
Maurice Clarett: A Life in Two Parts
Part 2 of our series focuses on Maurice's first days at Ohio State, his relationship with Coach Tressel, and the infamous strip in the Fiesta Bowl
The Pac-12 Matters! Well This Week.
Plus, Miami-Florida State, Nick Saban's futbol foray, and the hitting (oh, the hitting) in Tuscaloosa
Sports Book Hall of Fame: Ghosts of Manila
The passing of Joe Frazier got the Sports Guy thinking about that epic battle in the Philippines and the book it inspired
Wedded Blitz! The October Marriage Season
A very serious statistical analysis of the New York Times wedding section
Cleveland Indians, Worms’ No. 1 Enemy
The arrival of Derek Lowe to the Tribe completes a collection of ground-ball pitchers baseball has never seen
November 7 - November 13, 2011
The Week That Was
A look at some of our best pieces from the past week
Fight of the Year?
Two takes on Saturday's bout in Cancun, and suggestions for how to improve boxing coverage
The All-Bettis Team
It's time to celebrate the players whose fantasy production grossly outstrips their actual contributions to winning football games
How to Take Your 4-Year-Old Daughter to a Football Game
It's not easy — and it involves a lot of Dora the Explorer
The Beginning of the End for the NCAA
Compensating players was just the start — the entire system is about to collapse
The Career Arc: Eddie Murphy
With talk of a career renaissance being thrown around, the Sports Guy pays his respects to the funniest super-duper star he's ever experienced
How Mario Balotelli Became MARIO BALOTELLI!!!
The construction and deconstruction of an outsize soccer personality
Hoop Dreams, From Senegal to Prep School to the NCAA
An interview with Anne Buford, director of Elevate
Grantland’s College Basketball All-America Preview: Part Two
Rounding out the selections with some more help from DraftExpress
Benching Ovechkin
The Caps get tough, the Rangers get ragged on, and the rest of the week in the NHL
NFL Midseason Report: The AFC
Part one of a two-part series previewing the second half of the NFL season
The Reducer: Week 10, Happiness Is a Warm Gun
Arsenal shocks Chelsea in a contest that had every subplot imaginable to make it the runaway pick as the match of the season
Injustice For All: The Lou Reed/Metallica Album
Lulu is bold, uncompromising, and totally unlistenable
Bill and Jay’s YouTube Adventure
In yet another ultimate time-wasting exercise, Bill Simmons and Jay Kang debate the greatest moment in Mariah Carey's career
