September 27, 2013
Grantland NFL Podcast: The Struggling Rams, the Resurgent Niners, and the Week 4 Preview
Robert Mays and Bill Barnwell break down what went wrong for the Rams last night before getting to the Week 4 preview. You can listen to this podcast on the ESPN Podcenter here, or subscribe to the Grantland Sports podcast network on iTunes here.
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Who Are the Best Long-Shot Bets for NHL Awards?
One fun part of any sport’s preseason is getting a first look at the bookmaker odds for various player props. It’s always an interesting insight into what the oddsmakers think about who’ll be the season’s statistical leaders and award winners, not to mention what they expect the betting public to think. And while it can […]
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NFL FAQ: The Schiano Show Rolls On, and Tom Brady Gets Tested
It’s Friday and football is dominating all our lives, so let’s just keep things nice and disorganized and run through some news from around the NFL this week. You know, other than Eric Berry telling his story of childhood pony betrayal and then finally facing his fear of horses. We’ll do this with some frequently […]
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Text Messages to LeBron James: It's a Metaphor
LeBron James is a human with a cell phone so I sent him some text messages. Me: Bron-Bron! LeBron: Nope Me: sry Me: hey, so I guess you saw that thing about Dwyane and Kevin Durant? LeBron: what’s that now? Me: Durant saying he’d replace Wade with Harden in a current NBA top 10. LeBron: […]
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Pass Atlas: Is Philip Rivers Back?
Is Philip Rivers a good quarterback? About five years ago the answer was obviously “yes.” But more recently the answer was clearly “no.” Through three games this year, the answer seems to be “yes” again. This is confusing.
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Ranking Mariano Rivera's Parting Gifts
Yesterday was the saddest of days. Mariano pitched at Yankee Stadium for the last time in his career, and the last man to wear no. 42 is now just three games from retirement. But endings are also a time for celebration, so let’s accentuate the positive and honor the parting gifts given during the season […]
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We Went There: Mariano Rivera's Last Home Game
The emotion built up, in stages. This was Mariano Rivera’s last home game at Yankee Stadium, and for most of it, the crowd was dead silent. At the start, the Bleacher Creatures performed their roll call ritual, chanting “MA-RI-A-NO!” to close it out. Then, silence. That can happen when Alex Cobb is throwing a one-hitter […]
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About Last Night: A Gore-Fest in St. Louis
In case you were busy spending your EA settlement money as quickly as possible, here’s what you missed in sports on Thursday: Led by running back Frank Gore, the San Francisco 49ers rebounded from two consecutive heavy defeats in style, beating the St. Louis Rams, 35-11. “We couldn’t run the ball,” said Rams coach Jeff […]
Read moreSeptember 26, 2013
33-Day NBA Warning: In One Press Conference, the Riggin' for Wiggins Race Is a Wrap
What does it say about an NBA team if one of the stated goals, from the mouth of the new head coach, is to be in shape? You’re not trying to install a Thibodeau defense, or teach the Triangle. You just want the NBA players you pay to play basketball to be in decent physical […]
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Week 4 Fantasy Football Preview: Nothing Was the Same
Folks, I searched far and wide for the perfect quote to introduce this week’s preview, in hopes you would find it insightful, inspirational, and phenomenal. There was room for improvement in my quote-selection game after three weeks, certainly, and I feel as if this week marks the beginning of a new chapter, my comeback season, […]
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Opening the NFL Trade Market
I found out about the Trent Richardson trade as I was driving home last week, and I responded the same way I think a lot of people did: “Holy shit.” That’s exactly what I said, loudly, happy to be in the privacy of my own car. The news triggered a series of texts and tweets […]
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The Sports Guy's Thursday NFL Pick
RAMS (+3.5) over 49ers The Niners have been outscored 56-10 in the past two weeks. They stuck their best defensive player (Aldon Smith) in rehab after an ugly DUI incident over the weekend, which somehow didn’t stop them from letting him play last Sunday (and taking a deserved media flogging). Two more of their best […]
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Why the NCAA Reduced Penn State’s Sanctions
Here’s how to understand the NCAA’s decision to give back some scholarships it took away from Penn State: The NCAA is trying to survive in a moral universe in which everything it does, and everything it doesn’t do, sucks.
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We Went There: The America's Cup Finale
All around the America’s Cup Pavilion the message was written loud and clear: It was time to wrap things up. The Ben & Jerry’s vendors had been made scarce; the merchandise tent was locked and empty. “GOAT MILK ONLY” was scrawled on a big white discarded plastic barrel, and it was hard not to imagine […]
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Derek Jeter's Diary: The Core Three Run Out of Time
The baseball season is a long and lonely road. To preserve his sanity, Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter keeps a diary. These are excerpts from The Captain’s private journal. Thursday, September 19: at Toronto Blue Jays Sometimes you find yourself watching a game in slow motion. It’s not the same thing as the game slowing down […]
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See You in My Nightmares, Wil Myers: Waving Good-bye to a Fun Royals Season
Last night, I met a friend at Professor Thom’s in New York City to grab a beer. As you might imagine, it didn’t take long for a Professor Thom’s employee to bring up the Red Sox. “We can put the Sox on whatever TV you want,” he said as I sat down at the bar, […]
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The Inevitable Benching of Josh Freeman
Well, that certainly didn’t take long. The Buccaneers officially benched Josh Freeman for rookie Mike Glennon on Wednesday, ending his five-year reign as the team’s starting quarterback just four weeks into the 2013 season. Of course, it’s a move that many have seen coming for a while: The Buccaneers refused to commit to Freeman over […]
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About Last Night: Feel the Roar
In case you were busy getting taken aback by the presence of hockey news in your Twitter feed, here’s what you missed in sports on Wednesday: Max Scherzer got his 21st win and the Detroit Tigers clinched the AL Central with a 1-0 win over the Minnesota Twins. “Fine, fine,” said every sabermetrician in the […]
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