Blog

CHICAGO – In one month, Terry Francona has reminded the baseball world that modern managers can be brains more than button pushers. This isn’t simply a matter of Francona following the axiom of using his best players at the biggest times, which, yes, he does quite well, as his Cleveland Indians are one victory from their first World Series title in 68 years. No, this is more than that, bigger…

Log In Don’t have an account? Sign up here »

CHICAGO – In one month, Terry Francona has reminded the baseball world that modern managers can be brains more than button pushers. This isn’t simply a matter of Francona following the axiom of using his best players at the biggest times, which, yes, he does quite well, as his Cleveland Indians are one victory from their first World Series title in 68 years. No, this is more than that, bigger…

Key matchup: Josh Norman vs. A.J. Green While he flies somewhat under the radar, Green has quietly been one of the best receivers in the NFL this season. Norman, on the other hand, has been equally great for the Redskins. This is a marquee matchup that London fans will be treated to, assuming Norman is a full-go after suffering a concussion. Fun fact: Since 2011, the Bengals are…

Log In Don’t have an account? Sign up here »

One of the watch world’s current obsessions is the period in the early and mid-Seventies which gave us the idea of the sports luxe watch. In retrospect, it’s such an obvious idea that it’s a wonder there was a need to define it in the first place, particularly now that you would be pushed to find a non-luxe sports watch. Nevertheless, there was a gap, both real and perceived, between…

Post Contributor Badge This commenter is a Washington Post contributor. Post contributors aren’t staff, but may write articles or columns. In some cases, contributors are sources or experts quoted in a story. More about badges | Request a badge

RELATED: Complete race results | Standings | Truck Chase Grid MARTINSVILLE, Va. — With a finish that was the diametric opposite of his last run at Martinsville Speedway, Johnny Sauter punched his ticket to the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series championship race with a victory in Saturday’s Texas Roadhouse 200 at the .526-mile short track. After a restart with 18 laps left, Sauter, who finished last at Martinsville in April, held…

Last week, I wrote a story about the challenges facing NASCAR and racetrack owners as attendance declines. Ticket sales have been falling for years for a host of reasons, including anemic wage growth among its core fan base, changes in the rules of the sport and fans’ penchant for digital engagement on their smart phones. But judging by the number of emails, comments, tweets and other messages I received from…

Log In Don’t have an account? Sign up here »

Log In Don’t have an account? Sign up here »

CHICAGO – They lose hard here. They do it with a tilted head, a hand propping it up, a melancholy groan and a long, sad tuck of beer. Excitement, emotion – all of that is well and good, but when it comes to the Chicago Cubs, or any team for that matter, it is not enough. Paying thousands of dollars for a seat does not allow fans to cause; they react,…

The current trio of list-toppers have prevailed here in cars that span multiple body styles, with and without rear wings and splitters and before “reduced-downforce aero package” ever became a part of NASCAR’s technical lexicon. Change in the sport often comes in waves, but Martinsville’s old-school characteristics remain constants. “There is just a certain rhythm to this place, and it’s still Martinsville even though we have different generations of cars…

Post Contributor Badge This commenter is a Washington Post contributor. Post contributors aren’t staff, but may write articles or columns. In some cases, contributors are sources or experts quoted in a story. More about badges | Request a badge

Miami Marlins star Jose Fernandez, a dominant pro baseball pitcher and hero in Miami’s Cuban community, was legally drunk and had cocaine in his system when he was killed in a boat crash in late September, an autopsy and toxicology report released on Saturday found. The toxicology report showed Fernandez had a blood-alcohol content level of 0.147, nearly twice the legal limit of 0.08 for driving in Florida, and also…

Toxicology reports reveal late Marlins pitcher Jose Fernandez was intoxicated and had cocaine in his system the night of his death. Fernandez, who died at age 24 after a late-night boat crash in Miami, had a blood alcohol concentration of .147 (nearly double the legal limit) and traces of cocaine in his blood at the time of his death according to the report released by police on Saturday. Reports earlier…

Log In Don’t have an account? Sign up here »

Jabra’s Sports Coach Special Edition ($120) counts your reps through the company’s TrackFit motion sensor embedded in the left ear piece. (You’ll find the micro-USB charging port on the right side.) Your movements are then sent to the companion iOS/Android app. Unlike Jabra’s most recent headphones, these Bluetooth-connected earbuds are still wired together, with an inline remote and a button on the left earpiece to launch the sports app and…

Darts and speedway commentator Dave Lanning, who called the first televised nine-dart finish, has died aged 78. Lanning worked for channels including Sky Sports and ITV, and covered 50 successive speedway world finals. He described the moment in 1984 when John Lowe made television’s first nine-dart finish at the World Matchplay. “Dave was one of the pioneers of televised darts and his dulcet tones entertained us for over 30 years,”…

Sunday’s game between the Washington Redskins (4-3) and Cincinnati Bengals (3-4) at Wembley Stadium is the third and final regular-season game to be staged in London this fall as part of the NFL’s International Series, which was launched a decade ago. Earlier this week, I spoke with Mark Waller, executive vice president of NFL International, about the NFL’s interest in overseas markets and London, specifically, where league has targeted most…