Writers

I Have a Few Gripes with this “Most Famous Athlete” List

June 1, 2016
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ESPN come out with something called the “World Fame 100” today. Here’s an explanation of what it is: “It started off with a simple question: Who’s the most famous athlete in the world? Ben Alamar, ESPN’s director of sports analytics, devised a formula that combines salary and endorsements with social media following and Google search popularity to create the ESPN World Fame 100 rankings. The names might be familiar, but…

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NBA Finals: Complete Preview and Predictions for Cavaliers vs Warriors

June 1, 2016
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I’ve heard a lot of people knock the NBA, saying that its postseason is inferior to both the NFL and NHL playoffs. There is some validity to that sentiment, particularly given how anticlimactic the first and second rounds usually are in basketball. But admit this: at its best, when two heavyweights like the Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers meet in the Finals, the NBA is absolutely epic. Just look…

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An Exclusive Interview with Stuart Sternberg- Principal Owner of the Tampa Bay Rays

May 31, 2016
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We here at Check Down were honored to be able to interview Stuart Sternberg, principal owner of the Tampa Bay Rays. After taking over the Rays in 2005, Stuart’s presence helped usher in an new era of success for the previously downtrodden franchise. Most notably, the Rays won the American League pennant in 2008 in one of the more stunning single-season turnarounds in MLB history. But another impressive feat that…

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Keys to Game 7 of Warriors-Thunder

May 30, 2016
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The biggest game of the NBA season is tonight, as the Golden State Warriors and Oklahoma City Thunder will square off in Game 7 of their Western Conference Final series. The winner tonight will move on to face the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA Finals. Golden State is looking for its second consecutive appearance in the finals, while OKC is shooting for its first finals birth since 2012, and just…

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Your Ultimate Stanley Cup Finals Preview

May 30, 2016
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  The battle for Lord Stanley’s Cup begins Monday night in Pittsburgh. After upsetting the President’s trophy recipients-the Washington Capitals-and dethroning the reigning Eastern Conference champions-the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Pittsburgh Penguins are back in their first Cup Finals since 2009, when they defeated the Detroit Red Wings in seven games. Many thought that Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and the Pens would have many more opportunities to hoist another Cup….

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Introducing My Weekly MLB Power Rankings, Featuring Comparisons to TV Shows

May 30, 2016
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  Alright….so how do I explain how this is going to work……Well does anyone read weekly power rankings? I’m sure you have. They mostly look like this. They’re all pretty boring. The only one that’s any good is Jonah Keri’s “The 30” for SI.com (I’m sure some of you will remember Keri from the ol’days of Grantland; now I’ll be back in a bit while I quietly sob alone for…

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Are the Thunder Dead on Arrival?

May 30, 2016
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  That’s it. Call off the dogs. After squandering a chance to close out the Golden State Warriors on their home court Saturday night, the Oklahoma City Thunder must travel back to Oakland in a do-or-die Game Seven. I’m sure many are saying the Thunder are done. They may be right. Having picked Oklahoma City to win this series in seven games, I don’t want to write them off. But…

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Just When Everyone Counted Curry and the Warriors Out…

May 30, 2016
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After being down three games to one with poor performances from their star players, the Warriors seemed to hit rock bottom last week. Or, at least that’s how the media made it seem. Talk about how overrated and un-clutch Steph Curry and the Warriors are was ubiquitous on just about every sports media outlet. Everyone was counting them out. This is the unanimous MVP? This is the team with the best…

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MLB’s Qualifying Offer: A King’s Ransom

May 29, 2016
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With the MLB draft less than two weeks away, I thought it would be appropriate to examine one of the most controversial topics surrounding the draft: the qualifying offer. Essentially, the qualifying offer intends to reward teams — presumably the small-market, low budget ones — that lose players in free agency. This reward comes in the form of an additional first-round draft pick for every player that signs with another team. Only…

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Carrasco Shows Us Why He’s The Man

May 29, 2016
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Atletico Madrid may have come up short in the Champions League Final, but amidst all the drama Yannick Carrasco exemplified how awesome he really is. In the 79th minute, Carrasco scored the equalizer on a cross from Juanfran. Carrasco’s skill and precision were flaunted as he was able to get his cleat ahead of a sliding Lucas Vazquez and guide the ball into the back of the net. But that’s not…

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