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The New York Times A decade ago, then-Pirates general manager Neal Huntington presented ownership with plans for $8 million in upgrades to the club’s spring training facilities in Bradenton, Fla. The project would include constructing a 12,240 square-foot performance center to replace a weight room a tenth that size, and expanding a home clubhouse that was the oldest remaining building at a ballpark built in…
The New York Times For the first time in his 11-year career, Giannis Antetokounmpo is going through a season defined by change.In his time with the Milwaukee Bucks, Antetokounmpo has seen it all. He’s been through two ownership changes, five coaching changes and innumerable roster changes. He’s seen in-season trades, offseason moves and everything in between.But never has one season featured so much…
The New York Times Shirley Simson, an 84-year-old mother of four, grandmother of 14 and great-grandmother of 10, stood inside the lobby of Las Vegas’ Bellagio Hotel & Casino on an early January afternoon waiting for her ride. She wore bright pink athletic shorts with the phrase “SPORT DRIP” printed all over, a white single-leg sleeve running down her left side, a white shooting sleeve on her right arm and a white…
The New York Times Caitlin Clark’s transcendent play, from her logo 3-point shooting to her unique skills as a “get ahead” passer, has captivated basketball fans from Maine to California. A question that often arises is how will her game translate to the next level. In a wide-ranging 60-minute interview that will air in full Thursday on the “Sports Media Podcast,” WNBA legend Sue Bird said Clark can be a WNBA…
The New York Times A year ago at the NFL Scouting Combine, Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles announced that his team was open for business — the first pick in the 2023 draft was available.“We need a lot, and that (first pick) gives us more opportunity to bring in more players,” Poles said then. “It’s a good situation to be in for where our club is.”The combine then became an information-gathering mission…
The New York Times MINNEAPOLIS — A few times each month, Alan Page visits Justice Page Middle School, one of two schools named in his honor.As the first African American to become a Minnesota Supreme Court justice and the first African American elected to a statewide office, Page goes to inspire students. In their upturned faces and wide eyes, he sees opportunity. He is there to show them possibilities that might…
The New York Times On Tuesday evening, Sir Jim Ratcliffe and INEOS completed their purchase of a minority stake in Manchester United, as the British billionaire acquired a 27.7 per cent stake in the Premier League club in a deal worth over $1.3bn.On Wednesday, Ratcliffe spoke to the written media for the first time about his decision to take a minority investment, for which he has received control of the club’s…
The New York Times “Everything Robert won at Bayern Munich, the goals he scored, it was all with the aim of ending up where he is now: playing for Barcelona.”Robert Lewandowski’s career has been full of targets, but two summers ago he fulfilled what is fair to describe as his ultimate ambition. The quote above comes from a source very close to the 35-year-old striker — who, like all those cited in this article,…
The New York Times SAN FRANCISCO — Nearly a year ago on the dot, Mike Dunleavy, the Golden State Warriors’ future general manager, and Kent Lacob, an ascending front office personnel voice, hopped in a car and made the quick 50 mile trip south to Santa Clara’s campus.They were primarily there to see Maxwell Lewis, the possible lottery pick out of Pepperdine. Lewis played fine. He’d eventually get selected 40th in…
The New York Times Another NBA All-Star Game has come and gone, and it was once again an uninspiring Sunday night. The game, once the crown jewel of All-Star Weekend, was a dud despite expectations that the league was going to fix it.NBA commissioner Adam Silver said as much on the eve of the game itself. He discussed the changes the league made to make the game more competitive — welcome back, East vs. West! –…
The New York Times Readers can now follow NASCAR, Formula One and other motorsports content separately. Customize your feed here.DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Can’t-miss prospect. Prodigy. Future superstar. These are all labels that were placed on William Byron as he ascended NASCAR’s development ladder. Some drivers who have this heavy praise lavished on them don’t meet the expectations. Somewhere along the way, the…
The New York Times — Reporting by Andrew Marchand, Nicole Auerbach, Stewart Mandel and Chris VanniniCollege football’s future could receive some needed clarity this week. At least, that is the hope of many involved in planning the sport’s much-anticipated expanded postseason.ESPN has agreed to terms with representatives for the College Football Playoff on a six-year, $7.8 billion extension to televise the event…
The New York Times Sheryl Swoopes said that she has spoken to Iowa guard Caitlin Clark to address her controversial comments on Clark’s record-breaking season.“A couple of weeks ago, I reached out to (LSU’s Angel Reese) and had a really good conversation with Angel over the phone and sent a message to Caitlin. She responded. She and I went back and forth,” Swoopes said on Sunday’s Baylor-Texas Tech broadcast. “I…
The New York Times Maybe this was a glimpse of the future.On Saturday night, Paris Saint-Germain took on Nantes without Kylian Mbappe in their starting XI. After playing 90 minutes against visitors Real Sociedad in the Champions League in midweek, and then privately revealing his intention to leave PSG at the end of the season, Mbappe was dropped by coach Luis Enrique.The striker had sat on the bench against…
The New York Times WACO, Texas — At halftime of Baylor’s game against Texas Tech on Sunday, fans took part in a dunk contest. In the final round, one contestant asked Brittney Griner to pass him the ball off the backboard, which she immediately agreed to without any practice reps. Her first attempt missed the contestant altogether. Her second pass was a little too soft, and the fan was already on his way down…
The New York Times Once upon a time, there was a screenplay for a hockey movie that was so absurd, so over the top, that even the studio executives who wanted to make it wondered if it was too unrealistic.Almost every page of the script featured profanity. There were wild brawls on the ice, fights with fans in the stands and a trio of bespectacled brothers who raced toy cars at home and pummeled opponents at…
The New York Times NFL free agency is fast approaching, offering the first window for teams to improve this offseason, provided they sign the right players.These are my rankings and scouting reports of the top 150 free agents available, shaped by a ton of film work and perspective from many years leading NFL personnel departments. This might not be exactly how you see it, but that’s why Baskin-Robbins has 31…
The New York Times Last season, it was a Brazilian midfielder at Liverpool. This season, it’s been his international team-mate at Manchester United.“I think Casemiro’s legs have gone,” Jamie Carragher told the Covering Liverpool podcast in October. “I noticed it last season at Anfield and I didn’t like what I saw. It took me back to watching Fabinho last year for Liverpool. I want to be the first to say it (about…
The New York Times Readers can now follow NASCAR, Formula One and other motorsports content separately. Customize your feed here.DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — NASCAR Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon won the Daytona 500 twice in his first seven seasons, later adding another victory six years later, in 2005. Surely, he figured, there would be more to come.Then Gordon never won NASCAR’s biggest race again.“You get into this…
The New York Times The simple problem with Kenny Smith’s comments on TNT during the best moment of All-Star Saturday was they didn’t make any sense.What Smith said as the Golden State Warriors’ Stephen Curry edged out the New York Liberty’s Sabrina Ionescu in a made-for-great-TV 3-point contest was distracting because of its lack of logic and timing. We watched a fun sports Picasso, and Smith could strangely only…
The New York Times Editor’s Note: This story is included in The Athletic’s Best of 2023. View the full list.For one afternoon, America’s anointed theme song had a suede soul, velvety enough to be simultaneously sexy and spiritual.For one afternoon, patriotism masqueraded as a Motown kind of cool. The Forum in Inglewood, Calif., was graced by a superstar’s serenade, stirring together hope and love, resilience and…
The New York Times The next World Cup will be jointly hosted by the U.S., Canada and Mexico and will take place from June 11 to July 19, 2026.It will be the first tournament to include 48 teams, expanded from the previous number of 32, meaning there will be more games than ever — 104 in total.The tournament is a long way off, so details on tickets are thin on the ground, but this is what we know so far.Where are…
The New York Times The Pittsburgh Penguins of the early 1990s were larger than life, a great team that should have won more than two championships. Eight of the 20 players who dressed on the night the Penguins won the Stanley Cup for the first time, May 25, 1991, in Minnesota, are already in the Hockey Hall of Fame. The coach and general manager of those teams are in the Hockey Hall of Fame, too.It’s fitting,…
The New York Times INDIANAPOLIS — The names on the trophies didn’t change from year to year in either of the NBA’s main contests on All-Star Saturday Night.Mac McClung, the G League journeyman who shocked the world with his dunk contest win in Salt Lake City last February, did it again in Indianapolis, beating Jaylen Brown by jumping over 7-foot-1 Shaquille O’Neal in the final round for a perfect 50 from the…