Month: October 2024

For sure, a legacy hangs in the balance of this World Series. This isn’t so much about the legendary Los Angeles Dodgers trying to end a championship drought the size of California, or even the lesser-known Tampa Bay Rays trying to capture their first title ever. And while both are compelling storylines, make no mistake about it. Neither is the story. This Fall Classic is about Clayton Kershaw. The shoo-in Hall of Fame lefty pitcher has the most riding on this best-of-seven series. Hence, it’s only fitting that Kershaw is on the mound tonight for the Dodgers in Game 1 at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas. More than any other player in recent MLB history, Kershaw has to win a World Series ring. This World Series is about his reputation, about how we view this man and his care…

England expects. But what exactly? As Gareth Southgate’s England team prepare for the biggest game of their lives, on Sunday night, kick-off 8pm, there is something a little different about the tides of energy and noise, the sense of all-or-nothing tournament jeopardy.

The usual pageantry is present, the bunting and big screens, the pub garden flags, the feeling of some shared village fete in train. Look down the match-ups, study the tactical breakdowns, re-jig with a Gareth-esque frown your own pencilled front three, and that old stab of excitement is there.

On pitch and off, Jordan Henderson typifies Southgate’s selfless EnglandRead more

This is, in the first instance, a delicious-looking game of football. Engl…

“Thinking about Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko, which footballers – aside from Eric Cantona – have won successive top-tier league titles with two different clubs from the same country?” tweets @AFC_Gooner10.

Arsenal face Manchester City at the Emirates, with the chance to open up a six-point lead – with a game in hand – at the top. If they do win the Premier League title, it will be partly down to the decision to sell Oleksandr Zinchenko and Gabriel Jesus to Arsenal in the summer. And what’s interesting about this question is not so much how often it has happened, but how often great or very good players were able to join a rival without anyone throwing a pig’s head.

Not that such transfers ar…

The Women’s Championship club Bristol City have appointed Leicester’s first-team coach Stephen Kirby as their head coach.

It is understood Kirby greatly impressed senior staff at Bristol City across three rounds of interviews during the process to find a replacement for Lauren Smith, who stepped down in August to become the England Under-19 head coach.

This is Kirby’s first managerial role in a career which has included spells coaching at MK Dons in youth development. “It is super-exciting and I am ready to kick on and try and get us back to the WSL,” he said.

Kirby’s first game will be Sunday’s league trip to big-spending London City Lionesses. Bristol City have had success i…

America, glad to see the NBA playoffs were able to hold your attention again. With an average of 5.47 million viewers per game, the 2023 postseason was the most watched in five years. And more importantly, per Darren Rovell, since April of the 20 most watched programs by Americans under 50, the NBA games accounted for 15 of those. Still think you don’t need the NBA, David Zaslav? Go try and get that level of ad money from some other source. Even with all of the injuries, and the New York Knicks putrid shooting, the 2023 postseason was a thrilling ride. Relive a little bit of it with the 2023 All-Postseason team and MVP. Nikola Jokić source: AP He might be the best player in the NBA. Last postseason, Giannis Antetokounmpo was widely considered the best after his performance against th…

The Joel Embiid-Nikola Jokic rivalry is not even close to the Magic-Bird battles of the 1980s, but it has generated some must-see action. Last season, like most of the last few years, talk centered around who was the more deserving MVP candidate, and Embiid earned the honor after finishing second to Jokic the previous two seasons. They are both in the conversation again this year, and Saturday afternoon they will go head-to-head when the Philadelphia 76ers visit the Denver Nuggets. It is the second meeting between the teams, with Philadelphia winning at home 126-121 on Jan. 16. Embiid had 41 points and 10 rebounds in that win while Jokic had 25 points and 19 rebounds. Embiid said the rivalry with Jokic is more casual than how some observers take it. "It's funny, because T…