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Everywhere Jeff Jackson went in Chicago after his unfulfilling baseball career ended, he felt eyes following him. So did the questions. Why did the Gatorade National Player of the Year out of Simeon, drafted fourth overall in 1989, never play higher than Double A during a nine-year career spanning 10 teams? What went wrong in the Phillies organization? What happened to his $180,000 signing bonus? “It got to the point…

RIO DE JANEIRO—Most hockey fans are fixated on the ongoing Stanley Cup finals between the San Jose Sharks and Pittsburgh Penguins. But at another competition a bit farther south, the members of Team Brazil—a group of misfits and weekend warriors mostly plucked from the country’s in-line roller-skating leagues—are focused on some of the simpler aspects of ice hockey. Like, for instance, skating. “They all really struggle,” said Jens Hinderlie, Brazil’s…

Only 5-feet-7-inches tall, Lionel Andrés “Leo” Messi towers above all rivals on the world’s soccer fields. Just as Michael Jordan soared higher and farther than anybody on a basketball court in his Chicago Bulls career, Messi draws comparison to the greatest competitors in team sports history. “I think he’s the best player that’s ever played,” says retired U.S. World Cup star and northwest suburban native Brian McBride. “He’s changed the…

Another week brings another crew chief being suspended by NASCAR after violating the revised policy stating all lug nuts must be securely fastened to a car. The latest penalty issued by NASCAR came Wednesday, when Kyle Larson’s crew chief Chad Johnston was suspended one race and fined $20,000 after Larson’s No. 42 car was found to have missing lug nuts following Monday’s race at Pocono Raceway. Chip Ganassi…

Everywhere Jeff Jackson went in Chicago after his unfulfilling baseball career ended, he felt eyes following him. So did the questions. Why did the Gatorade National Player of the Year out of Simeon, drafted fourth overall in 1989, never play higher than Double A during a nine-year career spanning 10 teams? What went wrong in the Phillies organization? What happened to his $180,000 signing bonus? “It got to the point…

Some of the most memorable moments in baseball history have come from bench clearing brawls. Whether it was Nolan Ryan putting Robin Ventura in a head lock, or Pedro Martinez throwing poor old Don Zimmer to the ground, brawls are exciting. It has absolutely nothing to do with the game of baseball, unless talking about the unwritten rules, but for some reason, fights draw major attention to the game. Kansas…

ASU signee Bo Bichette is expected to be a high pick in the major league draft, which starts Thursday.(Photo: David Banks/USA TODAY Sports) Arizona State’s baseball class is loaded, enough to be ranked No. 1 nationally by Perfect Game. But will it stand up after being raided by the major leagues in its annual draft starting Thursday? Three ASU signees — infielders Gavin Lux (No. 53) and Bo Bichette (No. 54) and…

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Bleacher Report said it’s about identifying and building trust with its young audience. “It’s very easy for people to say everyone at Bleacher Report must hate ESPN. Well. I’m 33 years old, so I grew up on ESPN and that’s how I identified myself as a sports fan,” said Rory Brown, president of Bleacher Report. “That’s not going to go away. … What is different is young people today are…

RIO DE JANEIRO—Most hockey fans are fixated on the ongoing Stanley Cup finals between the San Jose Sharks and Pittsburgh Penguins. But at another competition a bit farther south, the members of Team Brazil—a group of misfits and weekend warriors mostly plucked from the country’s in-line roller-skating leagues—are focused on some of the simpler aspects of ice hockey. Like, for instance, skating. “They all really struggle,” said Jens Hinderlie, Brazil’s…

Another week brings another crew chief being suspended by NASCAR after violating the revised policy stating all lug nuts must be securely fastened to a car. The latest penalty issued by NASCAR came Wednesday, when Kyle Larson’s crew chief Chad Johnston was suspended one race and fined $20,000 after Larson’s No. 42 car was found to have missing lug nuts following Monday’s race at Pocono Raceway. Chip Ganassi…

The crowd was tiny at first, just a handful of soccer fans and a TV cameraman perched outside a Magnificent Mile hotel, waiting for the arrival of the Argentina national soccer team. But again and again, passers-by asked who the people had gathered to see, only to stop abruptly. “Argentina’s coming? Messi’s going to be here?” Lionel Messi is a household name across most of the globe, a diminutive forward…

No, Dan O’Reilly was not wearing a cup. No, he will not wear one when Henry Sibley begins the Class 3A state baseball tournament June 16. “I don’t think it’s a requirement,” O’Reilly said Wednesday afternoon. “That’s how I’ve been rolling all season and it’s seemed to work, so I’ll stick with it.” It certainly has made him a bit famous. O’Reilly has become something of an internet meme since fouling…

RIO DE JANEIRO—Most hockey fans are fixated on the ongoing Stanley Cup finals between the San Jose Sharks and Pittsburgh Penguins. But at another competition a bit farther south, the members of Team Brazil—a group of misfits and weekend warriors mostly plucked from the country’s in-line roller-skating leagues—are focused on some of the simpler aspects of ice hockey. Like, for instance, skating. “They all really struggle.” said Jens Hinderlie, Brazil’s…

What if you had the perfect excuse to watch the UEFA Champions League Final at an epic Heineken party … without your girlfriend? That’s the setup in Heineken’s latest stunt for soccer fans. One week before the UEFA Champions League Final in Milan, Heineken targeted a handful of guys out at dinner in São Paulo with their girlfriends. When the guys opened the menus, they were met with…

NASCAR has dropped the hammer once again when it comes to lug nuts. Kyle Larson’s crew chief Chad Johnston has been suspended by NASCAR through June 15 after lug nuts were not properly installed after Monday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Pocono Raceway. According to the NASCAR rule book, Johnston and the No. 42 Chip Ganassi Racing team violated sections 12-1; 10.11.3.4 a; 12.5.3.4.1 p for lug nuts not…

A Red Wings fan cheers on his team against Tampa Bay during the third period of Game 3 of the NHL playoffs between the Detroit Red Wings and the Tampa Bay Lightning at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit on Sunday, April 17, 2016.(Photo: Kimberly P. Mitchell DFP) Pittsburgh may be one win away from winning the Stanley Cup this season, but it’s not the best hockey city in America. That’s…

I love the Olympics. I live for the Olympics. I’ve been excited about Rio since an hour before the London Closing Ceremony began. I love the big events (swimming, track, gymnastics) as much as the minor-leaguers (shooting, archery, racewalking). Shoot, I’ll even willingly watch diving – only in bits and pieces and, to be honest, on the few nights when NBC leads off primetime coverage with the sport, I might…