January 5, 2012
B.S. Report: Kevin Wildes
According to the ESPN.com archives, my friend Kevin Wildes appeared on the BS Report nine times over the years to pass along his signature “half-baked ideas.” For whatever reason, a year has passed since his last appearance. Inexcusable. We rectified that Wednesday by dragging Wildes to the BS Report studio and unleashing him on a […]
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The Toughest Guys on the Court: Georgetown’s True Grit
When Marquette’s Todd Mayo hit a 3-pointer with 13 minutes left at the Verizon Center on Wednesday night, his team took a 17-point lead on no. 9 Georgetown. It had been a dominant 27-minute display from the no. 20 Golden Eagles, all the more impressive because it came on the road. The home team looked, […]
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The Celtics Have A Steamrollah On Their Side
Behold: The Rise of the Legend of the Cult of Greg Stiemsma! The 26-year-old rookie center has played five games for the Celtics, accumulating career totals of 22 points, 22 rebounds, and 13 blocks — and, in the process, winning the hearts and minds of every man, woman, and child in the greater Boston area. […]
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From the Grantland Archives: Chris Brown on West Virginia’s Offense
Did you watch West Virginia and Clemson in the Orange Bowl on Wednesday night? Then we also recommend taking a look at Chris Brown’s breakdown of West Virginia’s offense, which ran on Grantland earlier this year. It’s much more interesting than that game was! Football Strategy 101: Louisiana State vs. West Virginia (Chris Brown) Read […]
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How Demba Ba and Newcastle Rocked Manchester United
Wayne Rooney was back from Siberia (AKA: the doghouse), Rio Ferdinand was back from the couch (AKA: watching darts), David De Gea was banished to the bench and Newcastle was primed for a winter-long slump. What could possibly go wrong for Sir Alex Ferguson and Manchester United on Wednesday? Oh, pretty much everything. Or, to […]
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About Last Night: Mountaineers Juice Clemson
In case you were out living a life of leisure, here’s what you missed in sports on Wednesday. West Virginia broke the record for most points scored in a bowl game with a 70-33 win over Clemson in the Orange Bowl. It was an ignominious end to the season for ACC football, but at least […]
Read moreJanuary 4, 2012
Grantland Network Podcast: Men in Blazers
The Men in Blazers haven’t spoken in weeks. And now they return from holiday to find their dear Premier League in shambles, victim to a relentless onslaught of matches. In their absence, the Manchester clubs experienced defeat, Chelsea attempted a group hug, and a Thierry Henry statue is set to come back to life at […]
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Breaking Down the Bulls’ Final Possession
After struggling with the Atlanta Hawks’ defense for the first three quarters Tuesday night, the Chicago Bulls fought back from a 19-point deficit to tie the game at 74 with 7.7 seconds to play. Chicago had possession, and instead of going to Derrick Rose, Bulls’ coach Tom Thibodeau used last year’s MVP as a decoy […]
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Sugar Bowl Revisited: Basking in the Big Ten’s Faux Success
At the end of the Best-Worst Sugar Bowl since Fordham’s 2-0 drubbing of Missouri in 1942, those of us who made it that far witnessed one last inexplicable act: Michigan trotted out a kicker who resembled Nick Nolte in North Dallas Forty, and said kicker stutter-stepped like a bad dancer before the ball was snapped. […]
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Rankonia: The Triangle Power Rankings
1. Gregg Popovich, American Exceptionalist Simply for this searing, classically Popovichian statement about whether Ricky Rubio needs to adapt to American culture: “They’re more cultured than we are … Like we’re the cultured ones? Are you serious? Have you watched TV lately? Have you seen what Americans do? How many languages do you speak? And you […]
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Fantasy Fantasy Football: THE SUPER BOWL
It’s time again for the most important weekly feature on the Internet: Fantasy Fantasy Football. Throughout the NFL season, we’ll be evaluating five fantasy football gurus as they tell us who to start and sit each week. Using a highly flawed method based loosely on mathematical principles, we’ll attempt to reveal the one true football […]
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Michigan State-Wisconsin: The Tale of Two Clocks
There are times when sports give me the urge to stand on my rickety wooden desk (Target, $80 in 2005), brave the first wobbles, and shout some English-based gibberish while gesticulating like an insane maestro. Tuesday night’s Michigan State-Wisconsin finish prompted one of these episodes, and today I can’t restrain myself from thinking this cliché: […]
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Cashing Out Some Preseason NFL Bets
On Tuesday, I got to partake in one of the most satisfying experiences anyone can enjoy in Vegas: Cashing out your futures bets. After waiting five months for the bets I placed in August to play themselves out to a conclusion, I got to drive around town on Tuesday and pick up my hard-earned money.
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Is Virginia the Long-Awaited ‘Third Team’ in ACC Basketball?
There are two kings, but where are the princes? Duke and North Carolina are the high royalty of ACC basketball, the dominant forces that have won two titles each in the last decade and reside comfortably in this year’s Top 10. At the moment, their control of the conference is unchallenged. The bona fides:
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About Last Night: Pour Some Sugar On Michigan
In case you were out living a life of leisure, here’s what you missed in sports last night. Despite being outplayed for most of the game, Michigan took advantage of several Virginia Tech errors to win the Sugar Bowl 23-20 in overtime. Michigan administrators were disappointed to learn that they wouldn’t receive an actual bowl […]
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