March 30, 2012
2012 MLB Season Preview: Oakland A’s
They might not win much, might not score many runs, might not get much national attention. But the Oakland A’s are going to be interesting this year. For that, they can thank Yoenis Cespedes. Stick your small sample sizes in your ear: In the seven plate appearances of his major league career, Cespedes whacked a […]
Read moreThis Is Where We Get You Addicted to MLB Prop Bets
The regular season’s already started, which means the betting windows are likely closed for most preseason wagers. But in the same way that the sharps’ views on teams’ win totals can establish expectations for the coming year, so too can player prop bets. Bovada released an extensive list of player over/unders, covering all 30 teams. […]
Read moreAndrei Arshavin, Critic of Women’s Driving, Gets In (Minor) Car Accident
Andrei Arshavin might have taken his brilliant-passing/non-hustling talents back to Mother Russia, but that didn’t make him any less amusing. Back in 2009, the magic-passing/non-hustling playmaker gave a misguided if hilarious interview in which he said the following: “If I had it in my power to introduce a ban on women driving cars and to […]
Read more28 Days Later: Be Afraid of the Thunder
With the Lakers, Clippers, and Kings hosting a whopping 28 home games in 28 days from March 11 through April 7 — all happening at Staples Center, which is only a wind-aided Andy Lee punt from Grantland’s headquarters — we couldn’t resist attending these 28 games and writing about as many of them as possible. […]
Read moreSergio Aguero Hurt His Foot Trying to Imitate Tony Jaa
That is not true. But since Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini would “prefer not to say” why his star striker injured his foot, forcing the Argentine to miss last weekend’s match with Stoke, this weekend’s clash with Sunderland, and possibly even the following game with the hottest team in the Premier Leauge, Arsenal, I am […]
Read moreGrantland Network Podcast: The Basketball Jones
On today’s show, The Basketball Jones discuss the tight race in the Atlantic Division, whether the Spurs are better or worse with Boris Diaw and Captain Jackson, whether the NBA should adopt the Euro goaltending rule, and the “Kevin Love for MVP” movement. All that, plus an interview with Steve Nash, a food-related “Tweet of […]
Read more2012 MLB Season Preview: Seattle Mariners
Writing up the Mariners now might seem a little unfair, given they’ve already played two regular-season games. But check out these two box scores — do they tell us anything we couldn’t have guessed about this team beforehand? Dustin Ackley has a chance to be the team’s next big star; Ichiro has a chance to […]
Read moreFearless Final Four Predictions
We asked Mark Titus for five predictions before NCAA tournament games during March Madness this year. Here’s what he had to say about the Final Four … Kansas and Ohio State will be decided by a role player I’m defining “role player” as someone who isn’t one of the four best guys for his team. […]
Read moreMarch in Sports: By the Numbers
Here’s a look at the numbers behind some of the biggest sports stories this past month. Send us suggestions for next month’s edition by tweeting at @michaelkruse with the hashtag #GrantlandStats. Estimated number of workers in America who filled out March Madness NCAA tournament brackets in an office pool: 30 million. Number of people who participated in […]
Read moreYankees E-mail Swap!
Science still hasn’t developed a way to stab someone over e-mail, so last Sunday, Bill Simmons did the next best thing: “I’d like to get the band back together,” he wrote, and I felt an immediate, sharp pain in my gut. “The band” was me and his friend JackO. We’re both Yankees fans, and Simmons […]
Read moreJennifer Lawrence Was in the Front Row for Blake Griffin’s Perk Postering
Remember back when Blake Griffin wrote a mid-air obituary for Kendrick Perkins with the above dunk? Go to around the :10 mark, hit pause. See that girl in the lower left-hand corner of the frame, with the “OMGWTFROTFLBLAKEGRIFFINKSURFACETOAIRRIPPERK” look on her face? Yo! That’s Katniss!
Read moreAbout Last Night: The Parking Lot Confederacy
In case you were out living a life of leisure, here’s what you missed in sports on Thursday. Steve Nash said that he wouldn’t be coming back to the Suns next season if there wasn’t some improvement in the roster, and that he’d be willing to talk to the Miami Heat about a free agent […]
Read moreMarch 29, 2012
Don’t Be the Washington Wizards
Thoughts while recovering from the latest choking-dog hockey disappointment here in the nation’s capital …
Read moreThe Versatility of Andrea Bargnani in Pick-and-Rolls
With about six minutes left in the fourth quarter of their game Wednesday against the Denver Nuggets, the Toronto Raptors found themselves trailing by 1 point. Coming off a possession that started with an offensive rebound, the Raptors pulled the basketball out and ran a pick-and-roll between Jose Calderon and Andrea Bargnani. It worked so […]
Read moreB.S. Report: Steve Nash
Steve Nash swings by to discuss Phoenix’s improbable playoff run, being in so many trade rumors, the current point guard boon, how the lockout-shortened schedule has affected him, Mike D’Antoni’s legacy (and whether it worked), his favorite Suns team, Dirk’s first title, the time he played pickup hoops in a Scottsdale health club and got […]
Read more2012 MLB Season Preview: Colorado Rockies
One of the top 15 players in the game in Troy Tulowitzki. A young star entering his age-27 season in Carlos Gonzalez. A potential future ace in Jhoulys Chacin. Plus … Jamie Freaking Moyer! The offseason relocation of Grantland’s baseball headquarters to Denver was a phenomenal move all around. A stealth contender might be looming, […]
Read moreHow’s That $1 Billion Resort Coming, Real Madrid?
You see that hotel right there? That’s the Burj Al Arab Hotel in Dubai. It’s got seven stars. I didn’t even know you could get seven stars. It’s located on an artificial island, and has a restaurant that sits 660 feet in the air and rooms that cost $27,000 per night. And it’s going to […]
Read moreHow Louisville Can (Maybe) Beat Kentucky
Here’s how the conversation with my editors went when we discussed today’s post. Editors: You should write about what Louisville has to do to compete with Kentucky. Me: Tragic team bus crash. Explosion. Easy. Next. Editors: No, seriously. How can they beat Kentucky against the odds? Me: Was I stuttering when I said “bus crash”? […]
Read moreMark Titus’s Final Four Mailbag!
Do you think Anthony Davis doesn’t shave his unibrow because he is hoping it becomes his signature look, similar to Michael Strahan’s trademark gap? —Michael (New Jersey) At this point, I don’t think there’s any doubt that that’s his plan. It’s just not clear whether that was his plan all along. Maybe when the unibrow […]
Read moreChampions League Retro Diary II: Barcelona-AC Milan
Brian Phillips and Chris Ryan return for the second day of the Champions League quarterfinals first legs. On Wednesday, the guys pulled up their thrones to watch a game between two of the most storied sporting institutions in Europe, Barcelona and A.C. Milan. Here’s what transpired. Brian: So, key question for tonight’s matchup: How much […]
Read more2012 MLB Season Preview: Los Angeles Dodgers
So that happened. Frank McCourt’s $2 billion sale of the Dodgers to a consortium led by Mark Walter, Stan Kasten, and Magic Johnson should eventually prompt a big spending spike for a team that fell to middle-of-the-pack status in major league payroll and dead last in international spending over the past two years. It’s that […]
Read moreAbout Last Night: The Tuna Goes Marching In
In case you were out living a life of leisure, here’s what you missed in sports on Wednesday. Bill Parcells said he would be a “hypocrite” if he didn’t consider the Saints’ offer to coach for a year in Sean Payton’s absence. He never really explained what he meant by “hypocrite,” but most experts agree […]
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