November 18, 2014
Alien Space Tours, Vladimir Putin, and World-Exploding Double Blunders: Welcome to the 2014 World Chess Championship
Magnus Carlsen walked the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth in Game 7 of the World Series and Vishy Anand hit into a triple play.
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Heisman Watch: Melvin’s Moment
The “Heisman moment” can be an abstract construct, but its impact is undeniably real. And that might be enough to elevate Melvin Gordon into the 2014 lead.
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B.S. Report: Guessing the Week 12 Lines With Cousin Sal
Bill Simmons and Cousin Sal, who are excited about the New England Patriots, guess the NFL lines for Week 12.
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QB Curve: Cody Kessler and the Weird Reality of an Underrated USC Passer
Quarterbacks: There are a lot of them! Each week, QB Curve will keep you up to speed on the game’s most important position by putting a different college signal-caller in the spotlight and putting the rest of the field in perspective. This week: USC’s hidden gem, Cody Kessler.
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Applying Some Baseball Rules to the Hockey Hall of Fame
What if hockey players had to be inducted with a single team?
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#HotSportsTakes: Why Can’t a Coach Win the Heisman?
When the going gets tough, Jimbo only gets tougher. He digs in his heels and stays loyal. He protects his family. He keeps his players on the field. He keeps the whole family winning.
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When a Miss Becomes a Rebound Becomes a Make: Introducing the Boogie Board
The act of missing a shot, grabbing your own rebound, and putting it back for two points — we have a name for it now.
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Sorting Through the Disaster That Is the NFC South
Somebody has to win this wretched division. Who will it be? Will they have a winning record? And should we legislate against a playoff team this bad ever showing up again?
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Jason Heyward’s a Cardinal? Russell Martin’s a Jay? Giancarlo Stanton’s Rich As Hell? Hello, Hot Stove!
The hot stove caught fire on Monday, with two blockbuster signings and one shocking trade kick-starting baseball’s offseason. Ben Lindbergh already took an in-depth look at Giancarlo Stanton’s mammoth 13-year, $325 million deal, so let’s dig into the two other needle movers: the Cardinals-Braves mega-trade and the Blue Jays’ Russell Martin signing.
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2014-15 NCAA Basketball Preview: The Pac-12
Is Arizona’s starting five the best in the nation? Are they so good that they’re better than Kentucky’s 10-deep lineup?
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Wenger’s Fun-House Mirror: Why Arsenal Are Better Than a Year Ago
Despite sitting in sixth place in the Premier League, Arsenal appear ready to cruise into the Champions League yet again.
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Death to Ringz: Chris Paul and the NBA’s Broken Narrative of Success
Why does history have a way of judging only the rings (or lack thereof) on your fingers? Plus, 10 things to like (or not).
Read moreNovember 17, 2014
Great Moments in Rob Gronkowski History: ‘I Threw Him Out of the Club’
Why did Gronk have to Gronk so hard on this particular play?
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Why the Marlins Finally Opened the Vault to Sign Giancarlo Stanton to Baseball’s Longest, Largest Contract
Thirteen years. $325 million. The terms of Giancarlo Stanton’s reported new contract with the Miami Marlins are plenty eye-catching, but it’s the involvement of the sport’s most penurious, transparently profit-seeking team that truly turns heads.
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Coach Boom Finally Goes Bust at UF
To no one’s surprise, Saturday’s 23-20 loss to South Carolina marked the official end of the Will Muschamp era at Florida, a four-year odyssey that will soon be remembered for nothing in particular. Blessed with enviable talent and resources even by the rapidly escalating standards of the SEC, Muschamp’s teams achieved a record of almost perfect mediocrity, going 27-20 overall and 17-15 in conference play. Say what you will about Muschamp as an entertainingly volatile presence on the sideline: On the field, win or lose, the product was never interesting.
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The Grantland NFL Podcast: Week 11 Recap
From the darkness of Eli Manning’s five interceptions to the light of Aaron Rodgers’s otherworldly game in Green Bay, there’s a lot to say about Week 11.
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NFL Week 11 Winners and Losers: Packers Set the Pace, Watt Does a Woodson, and Poor, Poor Eli
The Packers put up a half-century for the second week in a row, J.J. Watt scores his fourth touchdown of the season, and one Giants quarterback throws nearly too many interceptions to count on one hand.
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The Mutually Beneficial Pairing of Rudy Gay and the Kings
This is the best-case scenario for the Kings’ notion of buying low on overpaid players: Gay has played well, and the Kings will bring him back for about $6 million less per season as the salary cap is primed for a mega-leap.
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NHL Weekend: Let’s Get Mediocre!
A look back at the biggest games and emerging story lines of the NHL weekend.
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How Local NBA Broadcasts Are Coping With Record-Breaking Blowout Losses
Blowout losses weigh on fans, sure, but fans can walk away from an awful game at any point. Team broadcasters, on the other hand, are obligated to narrate every ensuing transgression of the sport until the final buzzer sounds. That’s enough to drive anyone crazy. Here’s how an unlucky group of team announcers coped over the week.
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Melvin Gordon Rushes Into Lore: Your Weekly College Football Wrap
Before Saturday, Mississippi State was no. 1, Will Muschamp had a job, Todd Gurley was poised for redemption, and Melvin Gordon was just another talented back. And then Week 12 happened.
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The 2014 Pigskin Pantheon: Week 12 College Football Awards
College football serves and is served by many gods, old and new. Here, week after week, we’ll build a temple to them, installing saints and erecting graven idols as we go. The temple is made of words and pictures from the Internet. Just go with it. It’s time for the Week 12 Awards!
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Week 11 NFL Wrap-up: Heavyweight Takedowns
The Patriots left Andrew Luck shaking his head, while the Rams left Peyton Manning on the sideline.
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Roll Brand! Alabama’s Win and the Problem With the New College Football Playoff
When Alabama threw itself over the finish line Saturday against Mississippi State, 25-20, the importance of the game faded like the dying smoke of the grills and tiny fire pits along University Boulevard in Tuscaloosa.
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