Five NFL teams that need to get off to a fast start in 2016

The Red Sox made a bold move on Thursday, acquiring left-handed Drew Pomeranz from the San Diego Padres for top pitching prospect Anderson Espinoza. Pomeranz, 8-7 with a 2.47 ERA, held opposing batters to a league-low .184 average with 115 strikeouts in 102 innings pitched. “We think (Pomeranz) makes us better now,” Dave Dombrowski, Boston’s president of baseball […]

Blake Griffin is a much better trade fit for Celtics than Russell Westbrook

The Boston Celtics know they have to do something to challenge the reigning NBA champion Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference. Winners of 48 games in 2015-16, the Celtics improved this offseason by signing star big man Al Horford to a four-year, $113 million max deal. But they need one more superstar to elevate the team to […]

O’s might be odd-team out in AL East playoff race

As baseball enters the second half, five of the six divisions see their first-place team with at least a 5.5-game lead on their nearest rival. The lone outlier? The American League East, where the Baltimore Orioles have a slim two-game lead on the Boston Red Sox and Toronto Blue Jays. And it is a race that likely won’t be decided […]

Daniel Murphy and two other batters who will fade in MLB’s second half

Baseball’s all-star break reminds us of the great performances of the first half, but not all will continue through the rest of the season. Here are three players who got off to a fast start but could fail to maintain their lofty perch. Daniel Murphy, Washington Nationals Murphy is on fire. The MVP candidate sits atop the league in batting average (.348), hits (117) and total […]

Analyzing one O’s player’s theory behind MLB’s Steroid Era-like home run surge

By the end of last season, Major League Baseball saw a huge increase in home runs, and this season it has jumped again. Batters are hitting 1.16 home runs per game, the highest rate since 2000, widely considered the peak of its so-called Steroid Era. If this trend continues we will see close to 5,600 home runs hit, a huge spike […]

David Price and other struggling players who could surge in MLB’s second half

In April, everyone is filled with hope as baseball’s best and brightest stars return to the diamond, but not all players live up to expectations. Here are three players who had underwhelming first halves but could be on the upswing as baseball gets back underway after the all-star break. David Price, Boston Red Sox Price’s first season with the Red Sox has not gone according […]

Stephen Strasburg has one of the most improved pitches of the year

There have been many pitchers taking strides in their craft this season, turning a weak pitch into a major asset in the new year. As we head into the All-Star Game, here are the pitchers who made the most significant improvements from each of the four main pitches – fastball, curveball, slider, and change-up. Stephen […]

Kris Bryant and Daniel Murphy aren’t the only players who could win NL MVP award

The case for who should win the National League’s most valuable player could come down to how you define the parameters of the award. The Baseball Writers’ Association of America, who has voted for the award since 1931, doesn’t give its voters any strict definition of what it means to be “most valuable,” only that it is “up to […]

Mike Trout takes clear lead in AL MVP race

The American League MVP race is heating up with Mike Trout, Josh Donaldson, Ian Desmond, Manny Machado, Jose Altuve, and Fransisco Lindor all making legitimate cases to be crowned at season’s end. So far, Trout and Donaldson have the inside track. Trout is batting .322 with 18 home runs, 58 RBI and 15 stolen bases in 16 […]

Tim Duncan retires as one of the NBA’s best players of all time

San Antonio Spurs forward Tim Duncan officially announced his retirement Monday, ending a career that spanned 19 years, 1,072 regular season victories, and five championships — making him the only player in NBA history to be a starter and win a title in three different decades. And while Duncan will never leapfrog Michael Jordan or LeBron James into contention for the […]

Mets need a miracle to get into the playoff race

The New York Mets are limping into the all-star break, having lost the final three games of a four-game series at Citi Field to the Washington Nationals. The Mets are now six games behind the Nats in the division, same as the Miami Marlins. “We’re still in the race,” Manager Terry Collins told reporters after the […]

UFC 200: Brock Lesnar’s wrestling ability could mean big trouble for Mark Hunt

Through a double-whammy surprise for UFC fans, not only was Brock Lesnar brought out of retirement on short notice to fight at the blockbuster UFC 200 event, but an even more last minute drug test failure by Jon Jones has led to Lesnar headlining the main card. Coincidentally, the last time the UFC had a […]

France needs to frustrate Portugal’s attack to win European title

Both semifinals at the European championships were decisive. Underdog Wales failed to penetrate Portugal’s solid defense, and a perfectly placed set piece header by Cristiano Ronaldo sent it home after a fantastic tournament. The other semifinal, matching up tournament co-favorites France and Germany, saw Germany dominate possession but fail to find a way through the French […]

Johnny Cueto is fooling more batters than ever

Johnny Cueto held the Colorado Rockies to one run and five hits Wednesday night, making him the NL’s first 13-game winner. Per Elias, Cueto is the first pitcher in Giants history to start his tenure with the team by winning at least 13 of his first 14 decisions. The Giants improved to 16-2 in his starts and passed the Chicago […]

How the Indians should properly spend all that money they saved on pitching

Entering Wednesday, Cleveland had won 13 straight home games, allowing four or fewer runs in each. Even after the club’s loss 12-2 loss on Wednesday, Cleveland’s first to Detroit all season, the Indians still hold a 6.5-game lead on the Tigers in the American League Central division. The loss certainly didn’t dampen expectations: Baseball Prospectus […]

Costly mistake: Dwyane Wade and the Bulls will prove to be a bad match

After 13 seasons and three NBA championships, Dwyane Wade has decided to leave the Miami Heat and join the Chicago Bulls. The 12-time all star will sign a two-year deal — which includes a player option next summer — worth $47.5 million with the Bulls when the free-agent moratorium ends on Thursday. Wade leaves the Heat as the franchise’s all-time […]

Giancarlo Stanton just crushed a monster home run against the Mets

You won’t believe this but the Marlins’ Giancarlo Stanton hit another towering home run on Wednesday. This time against the New York Mets. Giancarlo Stanton hit a line drive, second deck home run. Good lord. #Marlins pic.twitter.com/bO6clzXPCS — Joon Lee (@iamjoonlee) July 6, 2016 According to Daren Willman, MLB’s director of baseball research and development, the exit velocity was […]

Jake Lamb is the clear choice for the NL’s last all-star spot

The 2016 All-Star Game rosters were officially announced Tuesday night, but one roster spot — to be decided by fan voting — for each team remains open. Voting closes on Friday. In the National League, candidates for the Final Vote include San Francisco first baseman Brandon Belt, Milwaukee outfielder Ryan Braun, Arizona third baseman Jake Lamb, Pittsburgh outfielder […]

Dwyane Wade offers a huge risk with little reward

Dwyane Wade’s 13-year career with the Miami Heat could be coming to an end. According to reports, the 34-year-old guard is seeking a contract worth approximately $50 million over two years, with the Heat recently raising its offer to two years, $40 million. According to Adrian Wojnarowski of the Vertical, the Denver Nuggets, were expected to make […]

Sorry Dustin Pedroia, George Springer deserves the final AL all-star vote

The 2016 All-Star Game rosters were officially announced Tuesday night, but one roster spot — to be decided by fan voting — for each team remains open. Voting closes on Friday. In the American League, candidates for the final vote include Detroit second baseman Ian Kinsler, Tampa Bay third baseman Evan Longoria, Boston second baseman Dustin Pedroia, Toronto outfielder […]

Kevin Durant upgrades the Warriors in almost every way possible

Kevin Durant, by joining the most efficient offense in the NBA, gets to play alongside Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green, giving the Golden State Warriors an immediate upgrade over Harrison Barnes. And while the team that set the NBA record for most regular season wins didn’t need another superstar on the roster, adding one […]

Two pitchers will help Dodgers stay afloat without Clayton Kershaw

With the news of Clayton Kershaw hitting the disabled list for at least a month, the Los Angeles Dodgers would seem to be in a bind. The undisputed best pitcher in baseball carried L.A.’s rotation with a 1.79 ERA in 121 innings across sixteen starts as he held an elite 11-2 record for the club. It would […]

With Kevin Durant gone, Russell Westbrook may never pass the ball again

Now that Kevin Durant has taken his talents to Golden State, Oklahoma City turns its attention to his co-star Russell Westbrook, thought by many to be one of the most electrifying players in the NBA. He’s also the last player tied to the what-could-have-been Thunder dynasty, a collection of players that at one time included Durant, James […]

The AL Cy Young is a two-person race

The 2016 MLB season is almost at the all-star break and it is shaping up to be a two-person race between Chicago’s Chris Sale and Cleveland’s Danny Salazar for the American League Cy Young award. Sale, who is 14-2 with a 2.93 ERA in 17 starts, is the front-runner, yet his peripheral stats are more in line with a pitcher on […]