The Los Angeles Dodgers have won the bidding for superstar SS/3B Manny Machado and added him to a star-studded lineup. An organization that has won five straight NL West titles and reached Game 7 of the World Series a year ago was already being measured by one standard—winning it all. Now the pressure has been […]
The St. Louis Cardinals saw their season slipping away and fired manager Mike Matheny just before the All-Star break. The Cards are 48-46 and have fallen 7 ½ games off the pace in a NL Central that now has the focus exclusively on the Cubs and Brewers. But St. Louis is still within four games […]
In the last three weeks leading up to the All-Star break, the American League playoff landscape finally got a sixth contender. A race that looked to have the five teams (Astros, Mariners, Indians, Red Sox, Yankees) locked into October saw the Oakland A’s get hot and move up close into Seattle’s rearview mirror. The A’s […]
Whenever I suggest banning the shift to fellow baseball fans, I can expect one of two responses—in fact, usually both. The first is sort of a hesitancy, an unwillingness to go along with a perceived gimmick in a sport that prides itself on resistance to such. That’s followed by the person saying that as soon […]
Kirk Ferentz starts his 20th year as the head football coach at Iowa and he’s seen more than his share of ups and downs. He shared pieces of the Big Ten title in 2002 and 2004 and was the hot young coach that was rumored for more marquee openings. He fell to as low as […]
The Cincinnati Reds were roadkill after losing 18 of their first 21 games to start the season. But very quietly, the Reds have been making a move back toward respectability. After the long-overdue firing of Bryan Price, Cincinnati has played .500 ball in 76 games under baseball lifer Jim Riggleman. They aren’t going to make […]
A mostly new cast of characters takes center stage in Columbus this season. J.T. Barrett, a four-year starter at quarterback, is gone. So is corner Denzel Ward, a top-five NFL draft pick. Another first-round pick in center Billy Price must be replaced as the anchor of the offensive line. But there’s no thought of rebuilding […]
The San Francisco Giants came into this season off a failed year in 2017 where they lost 98 games and the following problems have hit Bruce Bochy’s team since the beginning of this season… GREAT 1980s SPORTS MOMENTS Start reading today. *Madison Bumgarner was injured in spring training and has made just seven starts since his return. […]
A year ago at this time, I took the lead in saying USC football was overrated, with the expectations of Playoff-or-bust surrounding head coach Clay Helton and sophomore quarterback Sam Darnold. I was proven correct, as the Trojans were manhandled by Notre Dame, and then by Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl. This year, I […]
Chip Kelly makes his return to the college game at UCLA this season, inheriting a program that cratered under Jim Mora. A few years ago, Mora seemed to have the Bruins ready to turn a corner, with consecutive 10-win seasons in 2013-14. He landed quarterback Josh Rosen in the recruiting sweepstakes. But UCLA never won […]
The last eight years have been hard ones for the proud football program at the University of Texas. Consider the following numbers put up since Colt McCoy left campus following the 2009 season… GREAT 1980s SPORTS MOMENTS Start reading today. *Texas is evenly split between winning seasons and losing seasons, at four apiece. *Texas is a […]
Lincoln Riley took over the coaching reins at Oklahoma from Bob Stoops prior to last season and the Sooners didn’t miss a beat. They churned out another Big 12 title. They got great production at quarterback, with Baker Mayfield winning the program’s third Heisman of the 21st century (Jason White, 2003 & Sam Bradford, 2008). […]
