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What is the favourite year of your life? I imagine the answer comes quicker for athletes than for us mere mortals. Steffi Graf may well say 1988, the year she pulled off her Golden Slam; Dennis Taylor would surely pick 1985; Andrew Flintoff would have to go for 2005; and Kelly Holmes would choose 2004. If you asked Irish cyclist Stephen Roche, surely he would say 1987. Roche changed my…

[BUCKLE UP: Alex Bowman to replace Earnhardt Jr. in No. 88] [JUNIOR-FRIENDLY: Where Dale Earnhardt Jr. has his best shot a win] But Bowman showed enough promise once he got a chance in Hendrick’s top-notch cars that he reportedly turned down several offers to drive full-time in the Cup Series this season. While Earnhardt recovered from a concussion and related symptoms, Bowman won a pole and finished in the top…

x Embed x Share CLOSE 2017 BRICKYARD 400: GET READY FOR THE IMS RACEBoles: ‘I’d love to see Dale Jr. win here in Indianapolis’ | 5:03 IndyStar Motorsports Insider Jim Ayello talks with IMS President Doug Boles about the 2017 Brickyard 400, heat and the move to September for next year. Stephen J. Beard/IndyStar x Embed x Share CLOSE 2017 BRICKYARD 400: GET READY FOR THE IMS RACEStay cool at…

Fairly often – usually during races – NASCAR drivers bluntly express their frustration with each other or their critics, which only lands them in even hotter water. It doesn’t matter who said something they might want to take back – Kyle Busch, Brad Keselowski or Danica Patrick – they quickly become the center of attention. In a heartfelt, essay-style blog post titled The Fault in Our Stars, Keselowski recognized some…

His father used to tell him that sitting in front of the computer, playing video games for hour after hour, was a waste of time. So Cody Altman didn’t quite know what to think when a college from halfway across the country called to offer him a scholarship — for playing video games. “Honestly,” he said, “I was skeptical.” The young man from Anaheim changed his mind when he learned…

x Embed x Share CLOSE USA TODAY Sports Dan Wolken reveals how he broke the Hugh Freeze scandal and explains what the college football world can learn from it. USA TODAY Sports Ole Miss Rebels head coach Hugh Freeze.(Photo: Adam Hagy, USA TODAY Sports) A one-minute call made from the University-issued phone of Ole Miss football coach Hugh Freeze to a number associated with a female escort service was raised…

The Seattle Reign’s win against their archrival early this month was the product of conditioning. And the singular talent of Megan Rapinoe. The U.S. women’s national soccer team star struck first with a 30-yard sprint that caught a Portland Thorns center back off guard, intercepting a lazy pass for a tap in goal. In the second half, Rapinoe, who just turned 32, outran a younger defender to get on the…

The recent interest from giant broadcasters comes as the world of eSports continues to reach new heights. Pro gaming tournaments are selling out arenas worldwide and, every time a competition is streamed on Twitch, there are millions of viewers tuning in. With business this good, why wouldn’t anyone want a piece of the pie? NBCUniversal, which owns NBC and NBC Sports, is the perfect example. The company announced it would…

Who is ‘mad’? Who hit an historic hat-trick? And who wants $20,000? • Football quiz: the Premier League’s French connection

[BUCKLE UP: Alex Bowman to replace Earnhardt Jr. in No. 88] [JUNIOR-FRIENDLY: Where Dale Earnhardt Jr. has his best shot a win] But Bowman showed enough promise once he got a chance in Hendrick’s top-notch cars that he reportedly turned down several offers to drive full-time in the Cup Series this season. While Earnhardt recovered from a concussion and related symptoms, Bowman won a pole and finished in the top…

x Embed x Share CLOSE Ole Miss football coach Hugh Freeze found himself in hot water after it was revealed he made a one-minute call to an escort service. Freeze has since resigned. USA TODAY Sports Ole Miss Rebels head coach Hugh Freeze.(Photo: Adam Hagy, USA TODAY Sports) A one-minute call made from the University-issued phone of Ole Miss football coach Hugh Freeze to a number associated with a female…

[BUCKLE UP: Alex Bowman to replace Earnhardt Jr. in No. 88] [JUNIOR-FRIENDLY: Where Dale Earnhardt Jr. has his best shot a win] But Bowman showed enough promise once he got a chance in Hendrick’s top-notch cars that he reportedly turned down several offers to drive full-time in the Cup Series this season. While Earnhardt recovered from a concussion and related symptoms, Bowman won a pole and finished in the top…

When the idea of the NHL coming was still a punchline to jokes about ice existing here only in drinks, an exploratory ticket drive for a possible team rang up 9,000 season-ticket deposits in a month. Last September, three months after the NHL granted its 31st franchise to a group led by businessman Bill Foley, the new Las Vegas team decided to cap season tickets at 16,000 to leave some…

[BUCKLE UP: Alex Bowman to replace Earnhardt Jr. in No. 88] [JUNIOR-FRIENDLY: Where Dale Earnhardt Jr. has his best shot a win] But Bowman showed enough promise once he got a chance in Hendrick’s top-notch cars that he reportedly turned down several offers to drive full-time in the Cup Series this season. While Earnhardt recovered from a concussion and related symptoms, Bowman won a pole and finished in the top…

What is great and, at times, grating about golf is Spieth had no one to blame but himself for the miss at 18 – or, for that matter, the five missed fairways on the first seven holes. Since Spieth turned professional at the end of 2012, he has largely controlled his fate. Much is made of how cruel golf can be on days when one’s biorhythms, swing or both are…

Facebook Twitter Facebook Messenger Pinterest Email print comment Our experts weigh in on four of the biggest questions in motorsports as the NASCAR Monster Energy Cup Series heads to Indianapolis Motor Speedway: Turn 1: Is it panic time for Joey Logano? Does he make the playoffs? Ricky Craven, ESPN NASCAR analyst: It’s not panic time, but it could be real soon if an unexpected driver wins or Logano and his…

The first time Anthony Louis stepped on the ice for a Blackhawks prospect camp, four summers ago, he was 5-foot-7 and weighed just 145 pounds. It looked like some kid had snagged a jersey and darted on to the ice to play with the real prospects — until Louis started flying up ice and making nifty moves around all the big guys. At that size, Louis stuck out. At least,…

Head of the Eddie Geadel Society, Tom Keefe, had his cowbell at the ready. (via Jesse Saucedo) Last Sunday, a standing-room-only crowd of over 200 gathered in the auditorium at the Pasadena Central Library. The occasion was the Baseball Reliquary’s 19th annual Shrine of the Eternals Induction Day. It’s an event that attracts all kinds of baseball fans, as well as “baseball royalty.” Audience members included Ty Cobb’s granddaughter, Cindy…

For those of us who fear both large men and the concentrated power the judicial system gives to one person wielding a gavel, the All-Star break was a nightmare. Aaron Judge took every baseball story line, gathered them up like a bunch of twigs, and used them to launch baseball after baseball at the sound barrier. He was the consensus AL front-runner for Rookie of the Year because he was…

It was hardly the smoothest of transitions, but former South Carolina head coach Chad Holbrook ended up as College of Charleston’s baseball coach after all. After a couple of tumultuous days, College of Charleston and Holbrook came to an agreement Thursday morning to bring the former Gamecocks skipper to the Lowcountry. Holbrook, 46, will officially be introduced during a press conference Friday morning at Randolph Hall…