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December 17, 2012 Shaun Powell

Turning the Page

His transformation from an Ivy League longshot into a global overnight sensation was only slightly more amazing than the Knicks’ ability to live and thrive without him. Jeremy Lin is gone from New York and, amazingly enough, largely forgotten. More»
December 17, 2012 Mike Tanier

Mandatory Monday: Great Escape

The 49ers didn't make a statement, but they did beat an outstanding Patriors team, in thrilling fashion. Again, they proved they're one of the best teams in the NFL, and Sunday's game would make for a great Super Bowl. Let Mandatory Monday explain. More»
December 17, 2012 Joe Posnanski

Interruptions

This weekend, like Americans from one end of the country to the other, I sat in front of the television and watched the unimaginable scene in Newtown, Conn. I spent the weekend looking for that same thing I needed to find in Tucson, Ariz. almost two years ago. More»
December 17, 2012 Gwen Knapp

All Jazzed Up

The rhythm of an offense defies measurement. For Denver under Peyton Manning, suffice to say it has progressed from garage band to concert jazz trio since the start of the season, leading to a nine-game winning streak and a big win in Baltimore. More»
December 17, 2012 Shaun Powell

Something To Prove

After a 34-0 blowout win against the Giants, the Falcons are tied for the best record in football. But while they're accepted as one of the NFL's best teams, the idea of the Falcons being the team to beat in the playoffs is met with arms folded, not open. More»
December 16, 2012 Emma Span

Raising The Stakes

R.A. Dickey appears headed to Toronto in exchange for multiple top prospects. While the Mets are folding to wait for a better hand, the Blue Jays are betting everything on 2013. Who better to challenge the odds than a 38-year-old Cy Young winner? More»
December 16, 2012 Shaun Powell

The Black Book

RG3 may be brilliant, an amazing quarterback, and a phenomenal football player. But that's not enough for those who have accused the Redskins' QB of not following the little 'Black Book' more than the team's playbook. More»
December 14, 2012 Shaun Powell

Out of the Running?

Are the sub-.500 Lakers, who fell to the Knicks on Thursday, headed for a lost season? Much depends on when their injured stars return to the lineup, and how quickly they can learn new coach Mike D'Antoni's system, even without those stars. More»
December 14, 2012 Jonathan Bernhardt

Avenging Angels

What, you thought they would just go away? That’s not how the Angels work. Owner Arte Moreno decided it was time to make a big splash, and with the addition of Josh Hamilton, the Angels have the AL's most frightening top of the order. More»
December 14, 2012 Mike Tanier

NFL Lowdown: Your Guide To Week 15

There are spooky signals that some NFL playoff shakeups are still in store, and this week’s Lowdown reveals a powerful secret: Three may not be a magic number, but 0-for-3 is, and the Falcons must overcome some seriously bad juju to avoid 0-for-4. More»
December 14, 2012 Gwen Knapp

The Need For Greed

Half the class could become valedictorians. We're at the precipice of an everyone-gets-a-ribbon era in pro sports. And the NFL's playoff expansion idea emphasizes a craven quest for more revenue, with the attendant unhealthiness of all gluttony. More»
December 13, 2012 Joe Posnanski

Captain Watson

I've been lucky enough to be around the next American Ryder Cup captain, Tom Watson, a whole lot in my life. But I can't say that I really know Watson. All I really know for sure is he wants to win more than anyone I've ever been around. More»
December 13, 2012 Joe Posnanski

Youk Can't Be Serious

A friend of mine is a Yankees fan, and he told me Wednesday morning that he's finished. Done. Through. Why? Because the Yankees signed Kevin Youkilis, the most hated of all Red Sox players in Boston's recent run of success. More»
December 13, 2012 David Roth

Under The Microscope

The employable commodity known as Josh Hamilton, the best free agent remaining on the hot stove market, is up for analysis, with his veritable personhood being debated realistically and coldly by everyone from sports commentators to fans on Twitter. More»
December 13, 2012 Tommy Tomlinson

Time for a bowl draft

Let's face it, the way bowl games pick teams needs to be revamped. It's time for a draft, NBA-style -- the bowls will pick their teams on live TV, complete with Bloomin' Onion tossing and frozen envelope-draws, to get matchups like Florida vs. Stanford. More»
December 13, 2012 Chuck Culpepper

The Power Of One Punch

Manny Pacquiao's fourth bout with Juan Manuel Marquez has reminded us that boxing is fascinating, and that one punch can relight the past, overwhelm the present and change the future. We'll soon find out what all that means for Pacquiao. More»
December 13, 2012 Will Leitch

No Such Thing As A Free Sport

Many of us couldn’t live without ESPN and other sports channels. In many ways, they’re the only reasons we subscribe to cable. The cable companies – and, more to the point, the leagues – know this. And they’re charging everyone for it. More»
December 13, 2012 Patrick Hruby

Maintaining Appearances

Largely lost in the instant analysis of the Saints bounty scandal is the actual heart of the matter. Bountygate is and will always be about the NFL’s ongoing, increasingly strained efforts to make football’s inherent violence palatable. More»
December 12, 2012 Gwen Knapp

Blame the NHL Owners

Fault for the current NHL lockout rests with the owners and the league, and fans are recognizing that, taking their wrath straight to Gary Bettman's door. This lockout should also ice thinking that salary caps are necessary in professional sports. More»
December 12, 2012 Joe Posnanski

Keeping The Faith

Royals GM Dayton Moore didn't trade top prospects for James Shields to try to save his job. With an endlessly positive attitude, Moore simply wants to adhere to a game plan he laid out for his organization: It's time to try to win now. More»
December 12, 2012 Patrick Hruby

Let's Eliminate Sports Welfare

Want to stop the fiscal cliff from advancing? Cut welfare to sports teams and leagues. From the Marlins to the NFL, owners and "non-profit" CEOs are creating tax burdens, both at the federal and local level. Let's make them pay up. More»
December 12, 2012 Jonathan Bernhardt

Best of All Time

Not best of his era... not best at his position... Barry Bonds is baseball's best player of all time. Whether you prefer WAR or more traditional stats, and regardless of performance enhancing drugs, Bonds is head and shoulders above all the rest. More»
December 11, 2012 Mike Tanier

Power Failure

Former NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue vacated the player suspensions in the New Orleans Saints bounty scandal. While it was a passive-aggressive ruling, it still contained a clear and surprising admission: Roger Goodell did something wrong. More»
December 11, 2012 Jack Gallagher

Ties That Bind

'The nail that stands out gets pounded down': an old Japanese proverb that describes what happened to much-heralded high school pitcher Shohei Otani, who caved to pressure and reversed his stated decision to play in the United States. More»
December 11, 2012 Leigh Montville

Season's Greetings

Nobody in the NFL feels, acts or plays better than New England at this time of the year. Never has that been truer than Monday night, when Tom Brady and the Patriots continued their December dominance by blowing out the Texans at home. More»
December 11, 2012 Shaun Powell

Pain and Gain

You could create an All-Star or even a championship team with the half-dozen or so major players sitting out with injuries. The question is, how many will seriously upgrade their own team when they return? What can we realistically expect? More»
December 11, 2012 Joe Posnanski

Past Perfect

With the unusual Zack Greinke, the Los Angeles Dodgers are in proud possession of six of the best players in baseball... in 2009. If these players could perform like they did then, the Dodgers would be a great team. But can they? More»
December 11, 2012 Mike Tanier

Fresh Ideas

The Ravens cuts ties with offensive coordinator Cam Cameron, the NFL considers Greg Schiano's kickoff replacement proposal and Chris Kluwe supports Ray Guy's Hall of Fame candidacy. We open up our NFL notebook and break it all down. More»
December 10, 2012 Tommy Tomlinson

An Arranged Marriage

Bobby Petrino has left nothing but trouble in the wake of his coaching stops, but Western Kentucky decided to take its chances in the name of winning anyway. Make no mistake: This isn't about redemption. It's about winning football games. More»
December 10, 2012 Will Leitch

Breaking Up Is Hard To Do

While fans may constantly push for the firing of a coach, it's never easy. We always relate most to the coach, because he’s the one person whose job we like to imagine ourselves able to do. For people most fans have never met, coaches are a big part of our lives. More»
December 10, 2012 Chuck Culpepper

Supernatural

Lionel Messi, who has scored 86 goals this year, breaking Gerd Müller's 40-year-old record, has to be seen to be believed. He's the best, most momentous athletic show on Earth, and possibly the most artistic show as well. And he's still only 25. More»
December 10, 2012 Mike Tanier

Mandatory Monday: Photo Finish

The Redskins won four straight, the Cowboys won four of five and the Giants took a stroll before showering touchdowns on the Saints on Sunday. Mandatory Monday explains how the East suddenly looks like a down-to-the-wire race in the tough NFC. More»
December 9, 2012 Chuck Culpepper

An About-Face

Whether squinting to punch someone or taking a punch, that face had always stayed five-plus feet above the ground, atop Manny Pacquiao’s small frame. But after one right hand by Juan Manuel Marquez, the famous visage just ... vanished. More»

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