data-mm-id=”_p9n3iygow”>The Los Angeles Chargers got embarrassed Sunday night in primetime. Not only did the Bolts lose to the Pittsburgh Steelers and a third-string quarterback, their stadium was taken over by a mass of opposing fans. Chargers players are not happy about the crowd or the fact that the in-stadium PA system played the Steelers' adopted anthem to open the fourth quarter. As part of a joke to "Rick Roll" fans of the Steelers, the PA system at Dignity Health Sports Park played the opening bars of "Renegade" by Styx. That song is the Steelers' unofficial anthem. After a few lines, it morphed into "Never Gonna Give You Up" by Rick Astley, but by the time that happened, the boisterous crowd packed with Steelers fans was going nuts and d…
data-mm-id=”_w5cpzm66x”>In what must be a sign that the end of days are coming, the San Antonio Spurs are not a good basketball team and don't have a clear path to get better. Right now they sit at 10-15, good for 11th in the Western Conference. They have some exciting young talent like Dejonte Murray and Derrick White, but nothing franchise-changing. They're on the hook to pay LaMarcus Aldridge and DeMar DeRozan over $100 million combined over the next two seasons. Stuck in no-man's land with money tied up in veterans who don't fit the current NBA landscape, things look dire for the Spurs. On ESPN's Woj and Lowe Show, Adrian Wojnarowski said the rebuild is coming for San Antonio (1:40 mark): It's a hard reality to comprehend, given the Spurs have been, at…
data-mm-id=”_o5tpjbd3p”>The NCAA considered trying to salvage March Madness with a 16-team tournament staged over a long weekend in Atlanta, the Associated Press reports. Dan Gavitt, the NCAA's vice president of men's basketball, said the idea would have seen the committee picking the participants and staging games Thursday-Saturday with the championship game taking place on Monday night. “Far from ideal. Far from perfect,” Gavitt said. “Imperfect as it may be, that was one of the only reasonable options we thought we could at least maintain some level of our tournaments.”
Gavitt said there was some hope early Thursday that a full tournament could still be played. As that faded, the idea of holding a smaller event got “mixed interest” from committee.
“There was …
data-mm-id=”_er5qd9rw5″>Damian Lillard's playoff heroics are legendary in the NBA universe, but they have yet to lead to a ring. The Portland Trail Blazers have ran into an unfortunate combination of untimely injuries and super teams over the last few seasons, despite Lillard cementing himself as a top-15 player in the league with a quality running mate in C.J. McCollum. Lillard is firmly dedicated to staying in Portland. He's made that clear in numerous public statements and when he signed a four-year supermax extension with the Blazers last summer. That deal will keep him in the Pacific Northwest through 2025. Despite Dame's love for Portland, Stephen A. Smith believes he must leave the Trail Blazers if he ever wants a chance at a ring, as discussed on First Take today…
data-mm-id=”_ia9xm98r3″>The NFL has a lot to figure out between now and the start of the season if it wants the regular season to start and end on the standard schedule. This much we know. Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio went on the Rich Eisen Show today to discuss some of those pitfalls. During his appearance, Florio brought up the comparisons some are making between 2020 and the strike-shortened 1987 season that saw teams use "replacement players" while their other employees were on strike. It will be similar in some ways, but unlike with the strike, players do not have a choice in the matter. Florio points out that because coronavirus can affect anybody, teams may find themselves in compromising positions when it comes to finding players to fill in. He suggested the N…
data-mm-id=”_kjm9ab153″>The Venn diagram of dads who love to serve as diligent, borderline obsessive caretakers for their lawns and enjoy snoozing in front of weekend major golf tournaments is just one big circle. So it may be the biggest week for these people since all those cookie-cutter baseball/football stadiums switched from artificial turf to natural grass. This edition of the U.S. Open at Winged Foot will be particularly challenging thanks large in part to rough thicker than Elliott Gould's chest hair. This is super sexy because the Tour's players have gotten too good and these -25 or -30 winning scores are boring. The public demands to see these seemingly immortal golfers humbled by their own mortality and the elements, no matter how extreme. So spoiler alert for any…
data-mm-id=”_lakd4v7w1″>Richard Jefferson has been working a lot since he retired. You've probably seen him on, well, any channel that shows basketball. He works NBA and college games and hosts a podcast with Channing Frye that was turned into a television show. I spoke with Jefferson last week about his jobs, being in a bubble, LeBron James' future, and which media gig he covets the most.But first, an ad for Rockin' Protein. Jefferson was polite enough to chuckle when I asked, "If the protein was a rockin' should you go a knockin'?" The answer was yes, but I'll let him do the rest of the pitch.Richard Jefferson: Well, you know what’s so funny is that if you as an athlete, you take everything seriously, especially if you’re a professional ath…
data-mm-id=”_shnf0gk57″>The New England Patriots have an unsolved quarterback problem as the NFL offseason nears its official starting point on March 17. They were unable to compete in trade talks for Matthew Stafford or Carson Wentz despite reportedly being interested in both quarterbacks and don't have a prayer at putting together a big package for Deshaun Watson or Russell Wilson should the Seahawks make him available. Cam Newton, the team's starter for most of the 2020 season, is a free agent. Backup Jarrett Stidham has shown nothing to indicate he has what it takes to compete for a starting job, much less succeed in the role. The Pats have their highest draft pick in a decade at No. 15 overall, but it's still too low to have a realistic shot at any of the top four Q…
data-mm-id=”_2fyd2ncii”>With Super Bowl LVII now behind us, every NFL team is fully focused on the offseason. Free agency decisions will come soon, as will the 2023 draft. With five new head coaches in place and a ton of good quarterbacks available, this year's draft could be transformative for the league. What follows is our first 2023 NFL Mock Draft. For this first run-through we're doing a no-trades mock, so keep that in mind as we dive in. Texas Christian Horned Frogs v Georgia Bulldogs / Steve Limentani/ISI Photos/GettyImages1. Chicago Bears: Jalen Carter, DT, GeorgiaThere is about a 95 percent chance this pick is traded before April 27, but we're doing a no-trades mock so the Bears make their pick at No.1. Carter is the best player in the draft and he comes at a po…
data-mm-id=”_v2lbxfjh9″>The 2023-24 NBA season is approaching and while most teams have their rosters set for the new campaign, there are still some big potential moves on the horizon. What follows is a look at the five players most likely to be traded before the season begins. James HardenThere are two obvious names at the top of this list. We'll start with James Harden. The former MVP wants out of Philadelphia and the 76ers would probably love to trade him. Finding equal value is the only issue here. As the season approaches and Harden threatens to hold out, the urgency to move him will grow. He's actually really affordable for a 34-year-old guard who can get buckets. He's owed $35.6 million for the 2023-24 season before hitting free agency. A team that feels it's…