July 22, 2013
Mickelson’s Weekend Defies the Numbers
Phil Mickelson’s stunning come-from-behind victory on Sunday in the Open Championship was as unlikely as it was impressive. Picking between crowning moments in Mickelson’s lofty career was already difficult enough, but that final-round 66 — highlighted by that incredible run of four birdies over the final six holes — might qualify as the pinnacle of […]
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Drew League Video Extravaganza: James Harden, The Game, and Kwame Alexander!
You know what Grantland’s been doing with its summer vacation? Hanging out at the Drew League! Yep, we can’t stay away from L.A.’s best basketball summer league. You can read about the whole experience in Andrew Sharp’s piece. And you can get caught up with some of our older videos from the league here. But […]
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Phil Wins the British Open Redemption Game
For reasons that are hard to pin down, the golfing establishment — that stoic, humorless group of talking heads, beat writers, retired pros, and country club big shots — seems obsessed with projecting an image of nobility and tradition. Maybe it’s the sport’s slow pace, or the way players assume a burden of honor by […]
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Say Good-bye to Your Driver, Phil. Forever.
It never seemed to make sense, why Phil Mickelson would travel to the United Kingdom each summer to lose two tournaments on courses he didn’t especially like and admittedly didn’t know how to play. Perhaps it was to see the sights of the realm? He’s probably seen them by now. So … golf? Why? In […]
Read moreBoxing Round of the Year: John Molina vs. Mickey Bey
Was it a lucky punch or the inevitable outcome of 28 minutes of pressure? With 1:22 left in the final round of a 10-round bout on Friday night, John Molina Jr. swung blindly with a left hook and caught Mickey Bey on the chin. Bey slumped over, his arms dangling at his sides, his […]
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About Last Weekend: Phil ’Er Up
In case you were busy mournfully firing off one last bottle rocket, here’s what you missed in sports last weekend: Phil Mickelson fired a final-round 66 to surge up a star-studded leaderboard and secure his first British Open championship, winning his fifth career major with a total score of 3-under at Muirfield. “I finally did […]
Read moreJuly 19, 2013
Rembert Explains America: Cheering for the D-League Select Team at the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas
My initial intentions were not kind. But people change. After two hours of watching the NBA summer league in Las Vegas, I didn’t have one real idea of what to write about, mainly because 95 percent of the NBA players I knew of were not in attendance. I’d watched a portion of one game, and […]
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The MLB Weekend Top 10: Lee-Harvey, But No Oswald
10. The 2013 “Oh Wait, They’re Good?” Team (ARI-SFG) Every year, it feels like there’s one division-leading team that slips under the radar. This is often because the division itself is terrible, the team hasn’t had much playoff success in the past decade or so, and they may or may not be out west in […]
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An E-mail From the Head Coach of FIU’s Football Team, Presented Without Context
Keep calm, carry on, folks: Statement from FIU Head Football Coach Ron Turner Early this morning, our football team had a workout and barbecue on Crandon Park Beach to conclude our summer conditioning program under the supervision of our strength and conditioning staff. Following the workout, some of our athletes went to rinse off at […]
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Hell Is Empty and All the Devils Are Here: 2013 SEC Media Days Superlatives
An appreciation of the word and fashion choices that make the unofficial kickoff of football season great. Press conference MVP, coaches division: Steve Spurrier, South Carolina If every SEC Media Days kicked off with the Ol’ Ball Coach listing everything about college football that was bothering him that particular season, it wouldn’t be the worst […]
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48-Day NFL Warning: Von Miller’s Top 10 of 2012
What’s that? You were wondering exactly how many days until the start of the NFL season? Well, you’re in luck! We here at the Triangle are set to spend the next two months providing a daily reason to get excited about pro football’s return. In almost any other season, what Von Miller did in 2012 […]
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The Faker’s Guide to Advanced Stats in the NHL
So apparently it’s time for the hockey world to fight about advanced stats again. The most recent outbreak of hostilities was focused (as these things have a disturbing tendency to be) on the Toronto Maple Leafs. First it was forward Joffrey Lupul tweeting about Corsi. Next up was assistant coach Greg Cronin sharing his views […]
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Paying to Play in Memphis? The Strange Case of Tennessee’s Jock Tax
When I first asked Chris Johnson, the lefty shooter from Dayton who signed two 10-day contracts with the Grizzlies last season, about his tax issues in Tennessee, he went into a stock answer about the luxury tax — how he understood Memphis had been facing cost concerns when they finally waived him in February. But […]
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There Is a Band Called Puig Destroyer!!!
You know what grindcore need more of? BASEBALL. You may be familiar with the stomach-churning work of a band called Pig Destroyer. Perhaps you play Terrifyer during Easter dinner, or wake up on Sundays to Phantom Limb. I sometimes like to listen to their song “The American’s Head” on a loop while doing Bikram. Anyway, […]
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The Boxing Business Gets It Right, for a Change
Traditionally, there has been no place for long-term thinking in boxing. If fighters permitted themselves much contemplation of the lasting effects of what they do for a living, few would become fighters in the first place. The same goes for fans, who either block out images of their punch-drunk former heroes or rationalize them by […]
Read moreVideo: Watch Eagles Announcer Merrill Reese Read the Lyrics to DeSean Jackson’s Rap Song
Your browser does not support iframes. God bless America. I, personally, need to do some real self-reflection because I didn’t even know Jackson had a song, much less one with Snoop Dogg and Yung Chris. If Chip Kelly starts holding up pictures of Philadelphia rapper faces to call plays, then I am just going to […]
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Matt Janning and the Practical Realities of Life on the NBA Fringes
Most fans view summer league as something of a basketball barometer. If a guy can play — whether he was a top pick, a second-round wild card, or an unsigned outcast — he’ll show it in summer league and find his way onto an NBA roster. If he can’t, well, Europe, China, or the D-League […]
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Q&A: Tom Thibodeau on the Bulls’ Offseason, Derrick Rose’s Return, and Where in the World Joakim Noah Is
It was not surprising to walk in the gym here in Las Vegas, nearly 90 minutes before tipoff of Thursday’s first Summer League game, and find Tom Thibodeau already sitting courtside, the first NBA higher-up in the building. Thibodeau is a legendary basketball junkie, fresh off one of the most successful three-season spans of any […]
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James Shields, the Silent Ace
In 2012, the Kansas City Royals stunk. This was not at all surprising. They had stunk for eight years in a row before that, with 2012’s lousy showing making it 18 out of 19 years of baseball that emitted a foul odor. Understandably, this did not sit well with the people who run the Royals. […]
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About Last Night: Tales From the Fescue
In case you were out getting those last rays of sunshine before sports finally come back and you never have to go outside again, here’s what you missed in “sports” on Thursday: In a sporting event that, unlike everything else that has happened in the past 48 hours, can easily be described as “something a […]
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