NBA on ESPN analyst and Grantland editor in chief Bill Simmons maintains many titles: writer, fan, Los Angeles Clippers season ticket holder, husband, dad, among a few others. Among the many hats that he wears, he is an avid Boston Celtics fan. If you’ve followed his blogs or read his book, you know that he has been a big Celtics fan since he was a child—when his father would take him to the old Boston Garden. While still maintaining his Boston NBA
Memo to Brad Stevens: You are the new Michael Dukakis in Massachusetts. For those too young to remember, a short history lesson: Before he got trampled in the 1988 U.S. presidential election, the former governor of Massachusetts tried to toughen up his softie image by doing a photo op with Army troops, riding on an Abrams M1 tank. The whole thing was so ludicrous, so obviously staged, that Dukakis riding a tank became a euphemism for anything that seemed so completely out
Major League Baseball announced the newest members of its Hall of Fame—Atlanta Braves pitchers, Greg Maddox and Tom Glavine, and Chicago White Sox slugger Frank Thomas—on Wednesday. And, with that announcement, came the revelation from popular website Deadspin that ESPN2’s Highly Questionable star Dan Le Batard had turned his HoF vote over to their followers. The idea of a journalist giving his vote to the people is striking enough as it is, yet Deadspin used the term “buy,” as in they bought
As 2014 begins, more sad news has hit Hollywood and fans of a hit 90s TV show. For those who may not have heard already, actor James Avery, famous for his portrayal of Uncle Phil from the popular show, The Fresh Prince of Bel Air—died Wednesday morning. According to reports, he passed away after undergoing complications from open heart surgery. The first to publicly confirm the news this morning was Alfonso Ribeiro, who played Avery’s onscreen son Carlton Banks. [Read more…]
We have quite the interesting post up today from Evan Abrams, known on Twitter as @Betropolitan, who lists the odds — and they are very long odds — on anybody other than the Indiana Pacers or Miami Heat emerging from the Eastern Conference. You can even get 40-1 odds on the Detroit Pistons, who have defeated both of those conference powerhouses. Those are the same odds listed for the Brooklyn Nets and New York Knicks, who both have major problems on their
Brain-twister for you today, folks. Go back to the start of the 2005-06 regular season, and try to name a superstar player who has represented the Eastern Conference in the NBA Finals. Your answer cannot include LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, Rajon Rondo or Ray Allen. It’s OK. Keep thinking … [Read more…]
Despite the Houston Rockets retracting their self-imposed December 19th deadline to trade disgruntled center Omer Asik — a trade he was reportedly being dangled in — Thaddeus Young has sent in a formal request to Philadelphia 76ers GM Sam Hinkie to be traded. [Read more…]
Years ago, Tony Wroten was one of the top high school players attending a basketball camp hosted by star point guard Deron Williams. This week, Wroten was guarding Deron Williams. “It’s crazy because, I remember when I was younger, I went to his camp and he told me pointers, and now I’m in the league going against him,” Wroten told Sheridan Hoops. As crazy as it may have sounded years ago, it seemed just as crazy months ago, when Wroten couldn’t get off