November 29, 2012
Warriors, Come Out and Play … Defense
The dividing lines are already starting to blur. Across the league teams are threatening to jump or fall from one tier to the other. But as we’ve yet to approach the one-quarter mark of the season, I’m still conceiving of the Western Conference in four tiers: Tier No. 1: The five teams that should be […]
Read moreFive Takeaways From the B.J. Upton Deal
Five things to know about the five-year, $75.25 million free agent contract B.J. Upton signed with the Braves: 1. Upton’s got age and skills on his side. Several of the biggest-name free agents on this year’s market are on the wrong side of 30. Not Upton, who celebrated his 28th birthday three months ago. He’s […]
Read moreAbout Last Night: Sorry, Haters, But Duke Won Again
In case you were out living a life of leisure, here’s what you missed in sports on Wednesday. Mason Plumlee scored 21 points and grabbed 17 rebounds, and Rasheed Sulaimon scored all 17 of his points in the second half, as no. 2 Duke staged a 73-68 comeback win over no. 4 Ohio State. “In […]
Read moreNovember 28, 2012
Men in Blazers Podcast: Chelsea’s New Boss, Clint Dempsey’s Return to Form, and More
Winter has arrived in England. Everywhere there was football it seemed to be lashing down rain, and perhaps nowhere was the gloom more apparent than in the stands. Chelsea supporters at Stamford Bridge were stirred from silence to proclaim their disapproval of new interim manager Rafa Benitez, while over at White Hart Lane the visiting […]
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Q&A: Al Horford on Reading Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Doing Yoga With Ivan Johnson, and James Harden’s Beard
Al Horford walks into the Hawks clubhouse, rounding the Ping-Pong table and the flat screen television, minutes after wrapping up a segment for The Jim Rome Show. He doesn’t look big enough to guard Dwight Howard, or brave enough to share the shower with Ivan Johnson. But he was just named Eastern Conference Player of […]
Read moreThe Struggles of the Milwaukee Bucks’ Undersized Backcourt
Coming into the season, the biggest question facing the Milwaukee Bucks was one of fit. Their ceiling was going to be defined by how well their diminutive, shot-happy backcourt of Brandon Jennings and Monta Ellis could co-exist. Armed with a full training camp, it was left to head coach Scott Skiles — known for his […]
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The Key to Rafa Benitez’s Reign at Chelsea? Make Roman Abramovich Look Good
Last Wednesday, Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich sacked his manager, Roberto Di Matteo, in what many are now calling the Night of the Long, Increasingly Blunt Knives, Caked in the Congealed Gore of Numerous Highly Successful Chelsea Managers. Di Matteo was the 12th man to manage Chelsea in the last 14 years, and the ninth to […]
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Legacy of a Buzzer-Beater: How George Hill Beat the Lakers
George Hill dropped his second game-winner of the season Tuesday in Los Angeles, sparing the viewing audience five additional minutes of ugly basketball and dropping the Lakers to 7-8. The sub-.500 record has predictably inspired panic around the Lakers, even though they are one of just four teams ranked in the top 10 in both […]
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Four Celebrity Cocktail Concoctions to Rival the Arnold Palmer
In honor of ESPN Films’ Arnold Palmer documentary, we’ve done some deep digging and discovered several, perhaps less-popular (or even real) drinks that were discovered by athletes, by happenstance. No, these beverages never took off the way the Arnold Palmer did. Perhaps that’s for the best. The Tiger Woods Ingredients: Tropicana Pure Premium Orange Juice […]
Read moreWho Is the Offensive Rookie of the Year?
The arrival of Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III into the National Football League could not have gone much more swimmingly. In fact, while expectations were high for the top two picks in the 2012 draft, it’s arguable that they’ve both exceeded whatever lofty expectations they rode in on over the summer. Luck is leading a […]
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In Memoriam: Marvin Miller
“Management has been very clear that they don’t want the union here and they are taking it personally that we would even try.” The man saying this to me is a new father in his early thirties. He’s a very skilled creative professional with a decent job in the entertainment industry. I just finished lunch […]
Read moreAbout Last Night: This Is a Place of Facts
In case you were out living a life of leisure, here’s what you missed in sports on Tuesday. Today’s jokes will be written and performed by Dr. Magnus Facts, the winner of the recent “About Last Night for a Day” contest. He has dedicated his life to facts. Cody Zeller scored 20 points and grabbed […]
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