The Dodgers’ ace lived up to his reputation as the game’s greatest pitcher with an improbable save on Thursday to close out the Nationals in the NLDSClayton Kershaw is the greatest pitcher of his time so why wouldn’t he want to finish one of the greatest playoff games in recent memory?He stood in the Los Angeles Dodgers dugout in the eighth inning of Thursday’s already draining Game 5 of a draining National League Division Series against Washington and wondered how possibly the team’s closer Kenley Jansen could pitch three innings when he was accustomed to only throwing one. He had made 211 pitches in the previous seven days, just weeks after returning from a back injury that once threatened to...
The Cubs had the best record in MLB this year, and enter the NL Championship Series as favorites – but history shows such a record is usually a kiss of deathSurely this is the season the Cubs’ curse ends. This year, the futility of rooting for lovable losers will become a piece of Chicago nostalgia, alongside Ferris Bueller singing Twist and Shout, Siskel and Ebert bickering over movie reviews, and Soldier Field looking like a 20th century building rather than a 22nd century spaceship. Right? Related: José Fernández: a smiling star whose death leaves baseball bereft Continue reading...
This week’s roundup also features crazy commentators, quickfire goals, a canine goalkeeper in Chile, deceptive pitches and a rugby league backflip1) This week’s best World Cup qualifier moment was doubtless the punditry meltdown in Norway when San Marino scored; it can join the ranks of these recent classics from the box: Chris Kamara misses a sending off; Denise Lewis and Colin Jackson don’t miss Mo Farah, and again; from the radio: Gareth Bale puts Wales close to qualifying for Euro 2016; Portugal then win the tournament to entertaining effect; and of course that man from Iceland calmly reporting from France; Italy again as Carlo Zampa’s voice finds a new pitch and is then reduced to tears by Francesco Totti, with...
A $5,000 legal challenge over exploitation of workers building for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar pales next to the value of private flights accepted by Fifa’s presidentIn the grim scheme of things, it is the modesty of the sum that gets you. With the formal backing of the Netherlands Trade Union Confederation, a Bangladeshi man named Nadim Sharaful Alam is to sue Fifa for its alleged complicity in the mistreatment of those migrant workers in Qatar who are charged with building its World Cup venues and infrastructure. (Suggested tournament slogan: “Believe The Mirage™”.) Related: Fifa faces legal challenge over Qatar migrant workers Related: Athletes on Trump's 'locker room banter': that's not how we talk at work Continue reading...
While the Cavaliers have the NBA title and the Indians are on to the AL championship series, the Browns can’t stop losing, and now everyone is injured. Is there no end to their misery?If there’s anything we have learned this year, it’s that somehow, some way, the race for the presidency and the Cleveland Browns can always get worse. Related: NFL threatened to eject Antonio Brown for wearing Muhammad Ali shoes "Taunting" #CLEvsBAL pic.twitter.com/v0I3ON0ll6 Continue reading...