Blog

As the players and owners continue to negotiate the collective-bargaining agreement, the inequities created by the qualifying offer remain infuriating. Kenley Jansen received a qualifying offer. Fellow free-agent closers Aroldis Chapman and Mark Melancon did not, only because they were traded in the middle of the season. Mark Trumbo received a qualifying offer. Fellow sluggers Mike Napoli and Kendrys Morales did not, only because they played for lower-revenue clubs that…

Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans sat during the playing of the national anthem before the Buccaneers’ win over the Bears on Sunday to protest Donald Trump’s victory in Tuesday’s presidential election. “If this happens, then America’s not right right now,” Evans told reporters postgame. “I said this a long time ago. When he ran, I thought it was a joke, and the joke continues. I’m not a political person that much,…

Most of us were not around to watch Babe Ruth in his prime, when he was not only baseball’s premier power hitter, but also a true pitching ace who won 78 games between 1915-1918. We do have Japanese superstar Shohei Otani though. The 22-year-old pitcher and outfielder is making his case to be baseball’s best two-way player since ‘The Babe,” and his legend only continued to grow early Sunday when…

Team USA’s pitching staff for the 2017 World Baseball Classic is beginning to take shape. Just a few days after Nationals ace Max Scherzer accepted an invitation to pitch in the WBC, Rays ace Chris Archer has done the same. Archer confirmed to Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times he will indeed pitch for Team USA in the tournament next spring. “It’s an honor. I know not everybody gets…

In a newsroom full of baseball fanatics, who gets to review a book about fantasy baseball teams? Me. Who barely knows a baseball from a bat. I’m not sure what the thinking behind this was. A fresh perspective? An experiment in getting away from tried and tired sports writer cliches? No worries there.  I had already taken a shot at reviewing one sports-related book, and let…

Brandon McIlwain will spend parts of December and all of January and February with the South Carolina baseball team before his spring schedule is determined, head football coach Will Muschamp said Sunday evening. “At the end of the day, if we’re in spring ball and he has an opportunity to go and help our baseball team win games, that’s what he’s going to do,” Muschamp said. “That’s what we talked…

Kenseth, who topped the leaderboard for 55 circuits, landed 21st after the checkered flag fell, and was one of the four drivers eliminated. Denny Hamlin, Kevin Harvick and Kurt Busch join him on that list. “Essentially, I guess I wrecked a teammate,” Busch said after the race. “I feel horrible about it … Right now, it feels really (expletive), but tomorrow it might feel a lot better. … The 20…

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

According to a report by Motorsport.com’s Jim Utter, Monster Energy is one of the finalists to replace Sprint as NASCAR’s Premier Series title sponsor next year and beyond. Yesterday morning, I asked a NASCAR official about Monster and got a polite “no comment,” which is normal when negotiations are ongoing and a number of companies could potentially be in the mix. There have been plenty of companies rumored to be…

As the youngest of the kids who sneaked water from the well to create a hockey rink on the Vachon family’s dairy farm in tiny Palmarolle, Canada, Rogatien Vachon was destined to become a goaltender. Using homemade sticks, with a couple of lights illuminating the ice and cows as their audience, they’d play from morning until night. It was glorious: just them and the elements, no coaches to criticize them….

Justin Simmons produced a 126-inch broad jump and 40-inch vertical at the 2016 NFL draft. The analysis of such numbers tends to be overblown, but teams will tell you that they matter. And lest you doubt it, look no further than Simmons’s incredible play to help Denver swipe a win in New Orleans on Sunday. Seconds after Drew Brees threw a brilliant touchdown pass in traffic to Brandin…

Gregg Popovich began with an apology. “I don’t think my voice is that important,” replied the San Antonio Spurs coach when asked his views on the US election. But then, over the course of six impassioned minutes, one of the greatest coaches in the NBA history sank the verbal equivalent of multiple three-pointers from mid-court. “I’m sick to my stomach,” he sighed, his voice now quivering with anger and a…

“Fondue, you’re a half-orc too,” says Jeff Davis to Dan Harmon on the animated, live improvisational Dungeons & Dragons show “Harmonquest.” “We’re like buddies from Brooklyn,” says Harmon, whose character name is Fondue Zoobag, a half-orc ranger. “It’s like ‘Entourage,” says guest star Paul F. Tompkins. His character name is Teflonto. And so on. Yes, the experience of playing D&D invites silly, non-stop banter. Thankfully, shows like “Harmonquest,” which debuted this summer,…

Joey Logano won the drama-filled Can-Am 500 Chase elimination race at Phoenix International Raceway on Sunday, keeping his 2016 Sprint Cup title hopes alive. Logano held off a bevy of challengers on second green-white-checkered overtime finish to win the race at PIR in his No. 22 Team Penske Ford. Kyle Busch finished second to secure the only other available berth in the Championship 4 group that will race for the…

There was no shortage of star power on display Sunday in Pittsburgh. And the fans came out in record numbers to see the 7-1 Dallas Cowboys take on the Steelers at Heinz Field. The crowd of 67,737 was the largest in Pittsburgh history to watch an NFL game. With Cowboys rookies Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott on one side and Ben Roethlisberger and Antonio Brown on the other, the draw…

NEW YORK — A five-round battle that was later awarded ‘Fight of the Night’ at UFC 205 still had a slightly disappointing ending after Tyron Woodley and Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson was declared a majority draw. One judge gave Woodley the fight 48-47, but the other two judges scored it 47-47, which means the fight was a draw. Woodley retains his welterweight title, but obviously he doesn’t get any real resolution with…

NEW YORK — Conor McGregor made history on Saturday night when he became the first simultaneous two-division champion in UFC history by knocking out Eddie Alvarez in the second round of their fight at UFC 205. All week long, leading up to the historic event at Madison Square Garden, McGregor had been asked numerous times about a huge announcement that he had teased, but he failed to address in his…