5:03 am | September 19, 2019 | Go to Source | Author:
SAY WHAT?
Mandatory shout-outs and a ban on snitching … Pro sports teams will on occasion convene “kangaroo courts,” in which players bring disputes to a panel of judges and fines are levied for transgressions both serious and spurious. The Houston Texans have taken this to a whole new level, with so many fines and commissioners that they’re going to be able to fund far more than a team dinner with the end-of-season proceeds. Read More
THINGS TO CARE ABOUT
What it means to lead the haka … The sight of the All Blacks rugby team performing a traditional haka before their matches has become iconic, both for the passion of the players and the reaction of opponents and fans. For TJ Perenara, who has led the All Blacks haka for three years, the responsibility is twofold: to ensure the players remember why they do the haka and to always perform it to the best of their ability. Read More
The superstars who defined a decade … The NBA is almost unrecognizable from how it was 10 years ago, in everything from three-point percentages to the very positions on the court. More than any other players, three transcendent talents were the faces of this game-changing period of time. Our NBA experts explain why these players merited inclusion, and how their legacies will define the league for years to come. Read More
How to build a winner without tanking … Remember “Moneyball”? Both the book AND the movie? As it turns out, the guy the book is about still runs the Athletics and is still finding value in baseball market inefficiencies almost two decades later. For many small-market teams, the path to success might be preceded by a bout of, uh, let’s say “strategic losing,” but for Billy Beane and the Oakland A’s, success is something you can achieve without bringing the house down around you. Read More
THINGS TO WATCH
0:16
Tacko Fall gets a different kind of assist as he picks up a young child for the dunk.
0:53
Steph Curry tells Rachel Nichols he has no ill will toward Kevin Durant for choosing to play for the Nets.
OVERHEARD
“I’ve never been on the Olympic team. I’ve been on two World Cup championship gold-medal teams. But the Olympics is the experience that I want. And next year will hopefully be it.”
— Stephen Curry on playing for Team USA next year Read more
REMEMBER WHEN?
On this date in 1988, American diver Greg Louganis suffered a scary concussion when he hit his head on the board in the preliminary diving rounds in the Seoul Olympics. Despite the injury, he went on to win two gold medals.
WHAT’S ON TONIGHT?
Los Angeles Sparks vs. Connecticut Sun (6:30 p.m. ET, ESPN2); Las Vegas Aces vs. Washington Mystics (8:30 p.m. ET, ESPN2): The Sun took care of business in Game 1 of the WNBA playoff semifinals against the Sparks, recording their first playoff win since 2012. Meanwhile, the Mystics barely eked out a victory against the Aces, with Kelsey Plum just barely missing a game-tying runner at the buzzer.
College Football 150: The Greatest (7 p.m. ET, ESPN): Our celebration of college football’s 150th anniversary continues with “The Greatest,” a series ranking the best of the best in CFB history. This week, our experts rank the most influential innovations the game has seen.
Titans at Jaguars (8:20 p.m. ET, NFL Network): The Jaguars try to stop an 0-2 skid that has seen star corner Jalen Ramsey openly want off the team. They’ll have to do so against a Titans squad that demolished the Browns and lost a close matchup with the Colts. Marcus Mariota in particular has been on fire, with four TDs, no INTs and a 112.8 passer rating so far this season.
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