Adrian Beltre, Joe Mauer, and Todd Helton elected to Cooperstown.: Beltre and Mauer are first-balloters; Helton makes it in on his sixth try. They will be inducted along with former manager Jim Leyland.

posted by Ufez Jones to baseball at 07:29 PM - 4 comments

Shohei Ohtani signs record deal with the Los Angeles...Dodgers: In the biggest MLB contract so far, the Dodgers and Ohtani have agreed to a 10-year, $700 million deal.

posted by Ufez Jones to baseball at 09:17 PM - 6 comments

Sports Illustrated accused of publishing articles written by non-existent, AI-generated authors.: Noting that several "authors" headshots and bios were available for sale from a third-party AI website under descriptions like "neutral white young-adult male with short brown hair and blue eyes" or "joyful asian young-adult female with long brown hair and brown eyes", Maggie Harrison at Futurism investigates suspicious pieces that have been published under the banner of the once-heralded magazine. The Arena Group, who runs SI's current publishing line, says the pieces were published by a third-party contractor named AdVon, who has assured SI that "all of the articles in question were written and edited by humans" and therefore this is all big misunderstanding. SI has admitted no wrongdoing, but has terminated their contract with AdVon.

posted by Ufez Jones to media at 09:41 AM - 4 comments

The NBA Board of Governors approves new Player Participation Policy to combat excessive load management.: The policy, which only pertains to "Star Players" (defined as any player that has made an All NBA Team or All-Star Team in the previous three seasons*) includes measures to ensure that healthy Star Players will play in all nationally televised games and the In-Season Tournament, and will balance rest nights between home and road games in favor of away.

posted by Ufez Jones to basketball at 04:43 PM - 3 comments

Stephen Strasburg Retires from Baseball: Stephen Strasburg is calling it quits on a career that saw him debut as the most highly touted fireballer in years, become World Series MVP in 2019 and finally be undone by frequent arm injuries -- all while in the uniform of the Washington Nationals. His 10.5 strikeouts per nine innings is seventh all-time but his 113 wins are 31 lower than anyone in the Hall of Fame. "It's a miracle what he was able to accomplish despite the glitchy pitching mechanics that scouts warned would be his demise," writes D.J. Dunston of Deadspin.

posted by Ufez Jones to baseball at 07:53 PM - 3 comments

Shohei Ohtani is very, very good at baseball.: In the first game of today's doubleheader at Detroit, Ohtani threw his first complete game, an 11K, 1-hit shutout. And then followed that up with a 2-HR performance in Game 2.

posted by Ufez Jones to baseball at 09:52 PM - 7 comments

The NFL’s Running Back Market Has Bottomed Out: After two of the NFL's best young running backs - Saquon Barkley and Josh Jackson - failed to reach new deals with their respective teams and are going to be playing the season under the franchise tag, Danny Heifetz writes: "The running back market has been crashing for years. When it bottomed out on Monday, you could sense players finally beginning to grieve. While it’s noble for (Derrick) Henry to say he will fight for what running backs “deserve,” it’s also sad to think about how unwinnable that fight will be. Whether these individual players are deserving has nothing to do with it."

posted by Ufez Jones to football at 05:51 PM - 3 comments

Current round of ESPN layoffs includes Jeff Van Gundy.: The NY Post is reporting that ESPN is expected to purge around 20 on-air personalities during this round of layoffs to save "tens of millions of dollars".

posted by Ufez Jones to media at 10:44 AM - 6 comments

The San Antonio Spurs win the 2023 NBA Draft Lottery: The Spurs have landed the #1 slot and will presumably draft potentially generational big man Victor Wembanyama. They will be followed by Charlotte (2), Portland (3), and Houston (4). In a lottery that saw little movement, the Detroit Pistons are the lone losers, dropping from a three-way tie for the top odds to fifth.

posted by Ufez Jones to basketball at 08:39 PM - 3 comments

Leafs-trolling father-daughter duo has been at it for years.: Twitterer rufus_mcdaniel noticed the same pair of fans sitting in the lower bowl of ScotiaBank Arena during both rounds of the Playoffs (so far) first wearing Lightning jerseys and then Panthers. Turns out they're Toronto-area father-daughter season-ticket holders and diehard Canadiens fans who bond over cheering for their biggest rival's opponents.

posted by Ufez Jones to hockey at 08:14 PM - 2 comments

Timberwolves Center Rudy Gobert suspended for play-in game versus Lakers.: The Minnesota Timberwolves have suspended Center Rudy Gobert after he threw a punch at teammate Kyle Anderson in Sunday's game vs. the Pelicans and was sent home during the game. The Wolves traded five first round picks to Utah this Summer for Gobert, including 2022 breakout rookie Center Walker Kessler.

posted by Ufez Jones to basketball at 02:07 PM - 6 comments

Grambling State set to hire Art Briles as offensive coordinator: Briles was fired as head coach of Baylor University in 2016 after an external investigation found that he and other University officials had suppressed information and failed to take action regarding a years-long string of alleged sexual assaults committed by football players. In the time since he was fired from Baylor, Briles has coached at the High School level and served stints in the CFL and an Italian Football league, but up to this point he had been considered untouchable by NCAA programs.

posted by Ufez Jones to football at 01:29 PM - 6 comments

Chicago White Sox Hire Tony La Russa as Manager: Tony La Russa has been hired at age 76 to manage the Chicago White Sox, his first time as skipper since leaving the St. Louis Cardinals in 2011, ESPN's Jeff Passon tweeted Thursday afternoon. This makes him the third oldest manager ever behind Jack McKeon at age 80 in 2011 and Connie Mack at age 87 in 1950. Only three others managed teams in their 70s.

posted by Ufez Jones to baseball at 02:14 PM - 18 comments

The Miami Marlins cancel their home opener after 12 players, 2 coaches test positive for COVID-19.: The Marlins have not left Philadelphia, where they played a series over the weekend. It's unclear right now if the game will be considered a forfeit or will attempt to be made-up during the shortened 60-game season. As of now, tonight's Phillies/Yankees game is still scheduled to be played.

posted by Ufez Jones to baseball at 10:07 AM - 9 comments

Angels Pitcher Tyler Skaggs' death ruled accidental overdose. : The Tarrant County Medical Examiner's Office stated that Skaggs died of terminal aspiration as a result of use of Fentanyl, Oxycodone, and alcohol. Skaggs' family stated that they "were shocked to learn that it may involve an employee of the Los Angeles Angels".

posted by Ufez Jones to baseball at 05:42 PM - 1 comment

How former ref Tim Donaghy conspired to fix NBA games: ESPN's Scott Eden takes a deep dive into the Donaghy saga. Well worth the long read.

posted by Ufez Jones to basketball at 07:10 PM - 10 comments

MLB and MLBPA announce a deal with the Cuban Baseball Federation that allows Cuban baseball players a safe and legal way to sign with a MLB club.: The objective of the agreement, which is the product of years of negotiations with the FCB, is to end the dangerous trafficking of Cuban players who desire to play professional baseball in the United States, a practice that has been documented in legal proceedings and media reports, and which has caused significant hardship to Cuban players and their families.

posted by Ufez Jones to baseball at 09:13 PM - 2 comments

What the Hell Happened to Darius Miles? : Written by Darius Miles, edited by Quentin Richardson -- Dudes like me ain’t supposed to talk about this type of stuff. I’m about to tell you some real shit. Things I haven’t told anybody. But first, we gotta go back in time. We gotta go back to when the NBA was still the NBA. Way back when I had the pager with the two-way alert. I’m about to tell you the most Y2K story ever. I’m about to tell you how I almost died at Alonzo Mourning’s crib in the year 2000 on some dumb shit.

posted by Ufez Jones to basketball at 11:48 AM - 3 comments

Gilbert Arenas vs. Javaris Crittenton: Inside the Gambling Showdown That Rocked the NBA. Jon Gold gets a lesson in Boo-Ray from several NBA Players and the story from Agent Zero himself on the infamous 2009 locker room showdown between Arenas and Crittenton that left both players with season-ending suspensions.

posted by Ufez Jones to basketball at 01:51 PM - 5 comments

The Disgrace of Minor League Baseball: (W)hy do minor league basketball and hockey players get a better deal than minor league baseball players, despite those leagues’ parent clubs bringing in less money overall? It’s not because basketball and hockey owners are less interested in maximizing profits at all costs—many baseball owners have a stake in another pro team, and even if the people running the NBA, NHL, and MLB aren’t literally the same people, they all went to the same business schools and hang out at the same golf courses. No, it’s about power and leverage.

posted by Ufez Jones to baseball at 11:30 AM - 3 comments

Death, Taxes, And Pop: It’s Time Gregg Popovich Finally Has His Moment: A long-read on Pop's life from Jeff Weiss.

posted by Ufez Jones to basketball at 12:57 AM - 3 comments

The LA Clippers trade PG Chris Paul to the Houston Rockets: after Paul told the Clippers he would opt-out of his contract and sign with Houston as a free agent. In exchange for the sign-and-trade, the Clippers receive Gs Patrick Beverley and Lou Williams, F Sam Dekker, and Houston's 2018 1st Round Draft Pick. Elsewhere in the NBA...

posted by Ufez Jones to basketball at 01:12 PM - 5 comments

SportsFilter's 15th Anniversary: Fifteen years ago today, SportsFilter began with this Oliver Willis post on The Rookie.

posted by Ufez Jones to general at 05:47 PM - 31 comments

The Cleveland Cavaliers trade for sharpshooter Kyle Korver: In exchange for Korver, the Atlanta Hawks, who are officially entering rebuilding mode, receive Mike Dunleavy Jr. (who is likely headed to a third team) and a 2019 first round draft pick. Bonus links: Kevin O' Conner on why this puts the Cavs closer to a back-to-back title. What does this mean for Paul Millsap? (Toronto and Sacramento are both currently expressing interest).

posted by Ufez Jones to basketball at 12:01 PM - 1 comment

Saint Will and the Man Who Shot Him: This spring, a former Saint and Super Bowl champion, Will Smith, was shot and killed by another player, named Cardell Hayes. Their fatal collision highlights the fine line between triumph and tragedy in football and life in the Crescent City.

posted by Ufez Jones to football at 01:54 PM - 2 comments