“Obviously you’re going to bleed every precious second off the clock,” the announcer notes, as the L.A. Galaxy are nursing a 2-1 lead with only 10 men against La Maquina, obviously a fearsome opponent, given the Galaxy’s desire to nurse the clock. Wait, who are La Maquina? They’re an amateur side competing in the U.S. Open Cup, and they advanced past a developmental team, a fifth-division team, and a fourth-division side to earn the chance to take a shot at the Galaxy (they were banned from the Spring League for brawling last December). The MLS team opened the scoring, as everyone expected they would, in the 15th minute, but two minutes later, Rafael Garcia lost his mind and earned himself a red card. The Galaxy had to play the rest of the match with ten men, and La Maquina sc…
data-mm-id=”_j1qmywy68″>On Thursday afternoon, the Washington Redskins placed Trent Williams on the non-football injury list, effectively ending his season. It's been a long road to get here, so if you've been out of the loop, here's a timeline of how it all went down over the last six months. Summer Holdouts The first sign something was amiss came back in June, when the Redskins held their first team minicamp and Williams was nowhere to be seen. The assumption held at the time was that Williams was seeking a new contract, a fair one to make, considering he's 31 and the Redskins were not expected to be good before the season began. When Jay Gruden was asked about the holdout, he said it was "something personal between him and his agent and the organization.…
data-mm-id=”_643fi158k”>The average NBA player will earn $7.7 million this season, but the players on this list are far from average. Of course, not all of the contracts below were winners. Some proved to be downright catastrophic due to injuries, bad timing, or simply underperformance.1. Stephen Curry, Warriors – $40,231,758In 2017, the Warriors made Steph Curry the NBA's first $200 million man, giving him a five-year contract worth $201 million. The timing justified it – Curry had just won MVP by a unanimous vote and led the Warriors to their second NBA title in three seasons. Even as he recovers from an injury will have him out until at least March, the Warriors could rely on his veteran leadership in the future as they rebuild from what has been a catastrophic season.2. Chris …
data-mm-id=”_f9a8mxqel”>Mark Fischer of the New York Post put together a thoughtful piece on Thom Brennaman's quest for forgiveness and if it's something that should be afforded to him. It's worth reading as these situations are far more human and nuanced than online forums are able to facilitate. But if you will forgive me for honing in on some of the smaller details here, I cannot get over the rather unbelievable series of bad breaks that befell Brennaman on his way to this pickle. First, can you believe that the very first time Brennaman used this anti-gay slur in his 56 years of life was during the broadcast? Imagine going your whole life without saying it and then the one time you do, a hot microphone picks it up and it becomes fodder that eventually tanks your broa…
data-mm-id=”_qa3h95gle”>Enes Kanter is good at a lot of things on the court. He's the best offensive rebounder in the league. He can still shimmy his way through the post when the situation calls for it or if he's up against a smaller defender. Kanter isn't a world beater on the low block, but his rebounding can prove to be demoralizing and he has a great feel around the basket. What he most definitely is not known for is his defense. That's the reason Kanter has never been able to secure a starting spot in the NBA for extended stretches. He's good at what teams need him to be– an offensive plus who provides immense value on the glass. But put him in a pick-and-roll situation, and it's bad news. He's slow, flat-footed, and doesn't possess any na…
data-mm-id=”_47ssxfm2y”>The Los Angeles Clippers are currently being investigated by the NBA over questions concerning their pursuit of Kawhi Leonard during free agency in 2019. Recent revelations about that pursuit have made team executive Jerry West look really bad. Johnny Wilkes, who claims to be close to Leonard and best friends with his uncle Dennis Robertson, has filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles County Superior Court alleging West and the Clippers owe him $2.5 million for assisting the team in their pursuit of the All-Star. According to the lawsuit, Wilkes reached out to West in April of 2019 and informed him of his proximity to Leonard and his family and offered to help if the team agreed to pay him $2.5 million. The lawsuit alleges West agreed to the terms. The Clippers have deni…
data-mm-id=”_q3ip1jpmn”>Monica McNutt is a rising star at ESPN. Just tune into any ESPN show that has anything to do with basketball and you're likely to see her stealing the show for one reason or another. From Get Up to First Take to live coverage of the NBA or women's college basketball, McNutt knows hoops and ESPN is clearly comfortable letting her cook. This is not the first profile of McNutt and it certainly won't be the last. She comes off as the consummate teammate, genuine, funny and grateful. "I'm in a really dope position where ESPN has given me a chance to kind of try some different things," McNutt told The Big Lead in an interview last week. "Basketball is definitely my first love and I think that there's tons of runway there for get…
data-mm-id=”_zfjyfmdpx”>Taylor Swift posted up next to Donna Kelce at last weekend's Chicago Bears-Kansas City Chiefs game and it caused a big ripple in the internet waters with some truly regrettable comments from thirsty middle-aged sportswriters pandering to the most clickable chum in the water. But that made sense because the singer is hanging out with Kelce's pass-catching son, getting paparazzied by 2004 Orange Bowl MVP Jarrett Payton and leaving in a convertible like some sort of carefully curated piece of Americana. Her neighbor today to watch Jason Kelce and the Philadelphia Eagles play the Washington Commanders was decidedly more corporate. Jake, from State Farm. Joining Donna Kelce at her sons’ NFL games:Last Sunday: Taylor SwiftToday: ‘Jake’ from State Farm …
data-mm-id=”_djfbl8tig”>Sportico just released a graphic showing the top 10 highest-paid coaches in U.S. sports and there's no real surprises. Bill Belichick is being compensated after building a legacy as arguably the greatest football mind ever so who cares that his current team is 2-9? Sean Payton had to be lured out of a cushy television job and he's put a quick end to all those jokes as the Denver Broncos suddenly look like a playoff team. Gregg Popovich is a serial winner and has been entrusted with Victor Wembanyama. Pete Carroll has reached the pinnacle in both the college and pro game. Sean McVay was once considered the greatest wonderkind before Mike McDaniel and his capri swearpants showed up on scene. Kyle Shanahan could make the Super Bowl with Uncle Rico under c…
data-mm-id=”_z4cmkzw5n”>The Arizona Wildcats hosted the Colorado Buffaloes at the McKale Center on Thursday night. Before they took the floor, another star was on the court. Adam Sandler played 3-on-3, and showed off some slick passing. Here's video:@AdamSandler playing 3 on 3 before the Arizona-Colorado game: pic.twitter.com/x3hBQ8vija— Aidan Wohl (@aidan_wohl) January 5, 2024How can you miss that layup after the no-look pass?!? For shame, gray shirt. For shame. For the record, those are Arizona's managers Sandler is playing with. It's always a delight to watch him on the court. The last time we saw him hooping was in New York with Timothee Chalamet. This was a less star-studded affair. It's a good thing Sandler provided some entertainment, because what fol…