10 Behind-the-Plate Secrets of MLB Umpires
Mental Floss · 10 minMLB umpires know they’re your favorite scapegoats—but they might not actually see what you’re saying about them.
Sports
Curated by our editorsStories to fuel your mind
A Search For Family, a Love For Horses, and How It All Led to Horse Racing Immortality
Sports Illustrated · 18 minHerbie Reed landed on a horse farm to escape a chaotic childhood. Eric Reed knew he wanted to follow his father’s lead. Together, after many trials and hardships, they made history.
'It's a pretty big fall': How everything changed for Phil Mickelson in just one year
ESPN · 11 minA year ago, Phil Mickelson was on top of the world, golf's oldest major champion at age 50. This week, he won't be at the PGA Championship. How did it all fall apart so fast?
How the Texans and a Spa Enabled Deshaun Watson’s Troubling Behavior
The New York Times · 16 minWatson met at least 66 women for massages over a 17-month period, far more than previously known. He had help from the Houston Texans, including nondisclosure agreements, in making appointments.
How Submarines Regularly ‘Fight To The Death’ Off The Bahamas
The War Zone · 8 minJust like how Navy planes have vast instrumented ranges for aerial wargames, submarines have one too, and it is arguably even more impressive.
Popular with Pocket readersStories from across the web
Jaylen Brown’s Got Juice in These NBA Finals
The Ringer · 5 minThough he’s still prone to a costly mistake or two, Brown’s athleticism and physicality has made all the difference for the Celtics If you forget that the Warriors aren’t the fastest, most explosive team on the court anymore, let Jaylen Brown remind you.
FMIA: Why The NFL’s First $10 Billion Franchise Isn’t Really That Far Away
NBC Sports · 49 minTom Brady coming out of retirement and the Russell Wilson trade and the explosion of wide receiver salaries and Kansas City trading Tyreek Hill and one quarterback picked in the top 70 draft picks and the insane coverage of the release of the schedule.
Warriors’ trio of stars leaves no doubt: They belong with the best in NBA history
The Athletic · 11 minBOSTON — Game 6 was in the bag. The Celtics emptied their bench, resigned to the dominance of Golden State. In any other situation, Warriors coach Steve Kerr would’ve emptied his, too. But not on this night.
From rejection to elation, Jimmy Butler and Al Horford ride the wave of Game 7
ESPN · 4 minMIAMI -- Erik Spolestra's eyes traced the shot as it left Jimmy Butler's hands. The arc looked good. It was rotating perfectly.
The Warriors Adapt With—and Without—Draymond
The Ringer · 6 minIt wasn’t exactly a vintage performance from Green in Game 4, but it was a winning one. Golden State got just enough out of its defensive anchor to square the Finals, and maybe learned something along the way when it briefly benched him in the fourth.
The Guardiola effect – how Pep has changed English football beyond the Premier League
The Athletic · 17 min“I still hear the occasional shout of ‘Get it forward’. I heard it at one game recently and I had a bit of a bite at one supporter. He was shouting at me because our goalkeeper had played it short to the centre-back instead of playing it long.
The 10 questions that will dominate the NBA offseason
ESPN · 8 minThe NBA Finals wrapped up only a few days ago, but The Association's calendar stops for no one. This week, the next generation of players will be welcomed into the league when the Orlando Magic begin the 2022 NBA draft Thursday night at Brooklyn's Barclays Center.
The Winners and Losers of the 2022 NBA Draft
The Ringer · 14 minThe draft started off with a major surprise, but most of the fireworks came from the picks themselves, as the trade market went cold. Here’s who came out on top, and who bottomed out, on draft night. So much for all those mock drafts.
Is Chet Holmgren the Future of Basketball?
Sports Illustrated · 15 minIt all depends on whether his 7' 1", 195-pound frame can hold up in the NBA.Down an unmarked side road, inside a nondescript gym with adjoining basketball courts, the most remarkable draft prospect in NBA history is raining threes in an unremarkable setting.
Stephen Curry and the Spirit of History
nplusonemag.com · 17 minMy first NBA memories begin in 1993, when John Paxson’s wing three-pointer gave the Chicago Bulls their third championship, out of six total. The top two players in my lifetime have been—unquestionably—Michael Jordan and LeBron James.
'Damn, that should be a hit': MLB players sound off on the infield shift -- before it could disappear forever
ESPN · 7 minAnthony Rizzo shook his head, a slight smile on his face, as he stood next to his locker in the New York Yankees' clubhouse. He'd been asked for his opinion on ... the infield shift. Rizzo, a left-hander who is pulling the ball 52.
Steph Curry’s Adventures in the On-Ball Screen Trade
The Ringer · 6 minThe Warriors built their dynasty around Curry’s off-ball movement, but against the Celtics’ switching, swarming defense, Golden State has gone for a more direct approach The collective game-planning and best practices of Warriors opponents over Golden State’s dynastic run can be boiled down to
Inside the Warriors’ Long-Awaited Return to Glory
Sports Illustrated · 10 minThey’d danced this celebratory dance before, the steps familiar, the rhythm ever-changing: first, with an innocent joyfulness, later with a chest-thumping exuberance. And this time, with tears and defiance and a renewed appreciation for the journey.
How a legendary performance from Stephen Curry changed the NBA Finals
ESPN · 3 minThe Golden State Warriors built a dynasty playing a beautiful brand of basketball predicated on movement, passing and creativity.
Jayson Tatum and the Celtics Are Running Out of Answers
The Ringer · 8 minGolden State has pushed Boston to the brink while grinding its offense to a halt. If the Celtics can’t find some daylight in Game 6, their feel-good season will come to a frustrating end.
Premier League 2021-22 review: flops of the season
The Guardian · 4 minIt is difficult writing lists that point out individual failings, so it is quite pleasing how bad Manchester United have been across the board. On the player front Fred, Cristiano Ronaldo and David de Gea escape with their reputations relatively intact.
‘Baseball Players Don’t Dance’? The Savannah Bananas Beg to Differ.
The New York Times · 9 minTikTok choreography, dancing umpires, a ballet-trained first-base coach: This collegiate summer league team has amassed a following by leaning into entertainment. How does a dance writer from the Northeast end up fixated on a collegiate summer league baseball team from Savannah, Ga.?
A tricked-out ambulance? A doctorate in deception? Johnny Cueto is still the most interesting man in baseball
ESPN · 6 minA few years ago, Johnny Cueto bought an ambulance, though to call this particular vehicle an ambulance is something of a misnomer. It is more like a real-life Transformer. Open the back and 22 speakers -- nine in each door and a stack of four in the middle -- greet you.