The sheer quantity of brain power that hurled itself voluntarily and quixotically into the search for new baseball knowledge was either exhilarating or depressing, depending on how you felt about baseball. The same intellectual resources might have cured the common cold, or put a man on Pluto. | | | | Ben Lewis gets high at the Greene King IPA Championship Final.
(Matthew Lewis/Getty Images) | | | | | | “The sheer quantity of brain power that hurled itself voluntarily and quixotically into the search for new baseball knowledge was either exhilarating or depressing, depending on how you felt about baseball. The same intellectual resources might have cured the common cold, or put a man on Pluto.”
| - | Michael Lewis, in "Moneyball" |
|
| |
| | rantnrave:// I remember my first trip to WRIGLEY. My first time walking into FENWAY and seeing the GREEN MONSTER. Awed. The most cherished sports stadiums are cathedrals. You can sense the history and the sense of place. Is that mushy? Yeah, probably. But that's why we care so much about stadiums and arenas. They are theaters and temporary homes. It's why I love going to AT&T PARK and drinking in the cool scenery and feel of SAN FRANCISCO. It's why the new YANKEE STADIUM is so disappointing -- it's a museum for capitalism, not baseball. Why watching a game in sterile METLIFE STADIUM is deflating. Fans get attached to the places they watch games as much as to the players. That's where memories are banked. Arenas like MSG can feel aspirational for some, sentimental for others. The players come and go, the uniforms change, but home is where your seat is. Dive into an anthology about home courts and parks, where the stadiums are the stars. Our REDEF SportsSET: "Home Sweet Home"... Are we going to see a MAYWEATHER-MCGREGOR fight? Can it be? We're halfway to the latest fight of the century. KEVIN IOLE lays out the financials for the fight. Would viewers be wary of spending big money again after the bore that was Mayweather-PACQUIAO -- a fight after which many also learned that you can find ways to watch for free. It might not be PERISCOPE this time but there are other apps that could cut into the PPV numbers... THE ATHLETIC has been doing good work. It's heartening to see a new journalism entity pop up and thrive... Stay out of the pool... CHRIS CORNELL was as indignant as everyone else that the SONICS were stolen from SEATTLE. This rant proved it. Take a moment to remember him. | | | - Mike Vorkunov, curator |
|
|
| There's no better place in sports than your own arena. The players come and go, the uniforms change, but home is where your seat is. | | |
|
| The Snow Leopard Fighting Championship is Afghanistan’s first private MMA tournament. Its owner hopes that, by winning and losing with dignity, its warriors can shed the centuries-old tribal hate that has torn his country apart and almost claimed the lives of his family. Sean Williams visits Kabul to meet the man aiming to give Afghan tribalism a submission blow. | | |
|
| Jon Lester's bout with the yips was famously exposed during the 2014 AL Wild Card game. Once he learned to tune it out, he got even better. | | |
|
| What does it mean to have a body that's ready for a music festival? Nate Dern heads to the gym-and to Coachella-to find out. | | |
|
| For nearly half a century, a UCL injury has meant complete elbow reconstruction for pitchers-and over a year of rehab. Thanks to an enterprising doctor and some very high-quality tape, that is finally changing. | | |
|
| The Daily Leaf is innovating the game. | | |
|
| Facebook has signed a contract to livestream ESL esports competitions, which adds to its recent deals with various esports teams as Facebook seeks to compete against Twitch in the space. | | |
|
| His career revival at age 30 is so unlikely, players have accused him of using performance-enhancing drugs. Reality, he says, is simpler: He had to adapt to save his career. | | |
|
| An afternoon with the retired slugger, who still gives fans exactly what they want. | | |
|
| As one of the most noteworthy images of Michael Jordan ever produced, photographer Gary Nolton breaks down what went into crafting the photo. | | |
|
| Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has scored the most points of any NBA player in history, and basketball isn't the only arena where he's found success. At 70, he's a best-selling author, an award-winning cancer research advocate, and a prolific cultural commentator who isn't afraid to speak out on controversial political and social issues. | | |
|
| McCaffrey and Samuel are multidimensional playmakers who completely change the complexion of the Carolina offense. Instead of pounding the ball between the tackles (sometimes with Newton) to set up deep shots, the Panthers are now built to get the ball to playmakers in space, both on the perimeter and short in the middle of the field. | | |
|
| English soccer’s obsession with the individual over the team is projected onto the world’s most expensive player. | | |
|
| ESPN opened its annual upfront presentation to advertisers in New York earlier this week with a full brass band performing a New Orleans funeral march. It was tempting to read too much into it, but it revealed itself as a bit about how bad ad metrics are these days, a theme returned to a number of times during the presentation. Riveting stuff. | | |
|
| Thomas Tull made his fortune in movies, and now he's ready to own a Major League Baseball franchise. He'd still like to partner with good friend Derek Jeter. | | |
|
| NFL Hall of Fame Quarterback Brett Favre is this week's guest on The Forward Podcast. Lance and The Gunslinger sat down after they completed their ride at the annual Bo Bikes Bama event in Auburn, Alabama. They talked about Brett’s new found passion for endurance events, his hall of fame career and the issues of brain injuries in the NFL. | | |
|
| Cousin Sal brings on Cousin Jimmy from 'Jimmy Kimmel Live!' to discuss hosting the Oscars next year, betting on 'Dancing With the Stars,' flipping cards in Brooklyn and the gambling bug. | | |
|
| As Ultimate Frisbee makes a bid for the Olympics, can it maintain its trust-based system? | | |
|
| A play-by-play of that afternoon when a basketball game was more important than the drug game. | | |
|
| From the Otto Graham-led Browns to the World Series-bound Indians to Sam Sheppard’s sensational murder trial that captivated the nation, all eyes were on Cleveland in 1954. | | |
|
| © Copyright 2017, The REDEF Group |
|
|
