MLB players should celebrate more flamboyantly

October 19, 2020


Sunday night, Cody Bellinger hit a no-doubt home run that put his team ahead late in Game 7 of the NLCS. He strutted out of the batter’s box and, before touching first base, yelled a bunch of stuff at his teammates who had spilled out of the dugout in celebration.

All of this is good and should be normal, because exuberance is both fun for the people expressing the emotion and because it’s fun to watch from the stands or on television.

I should follow my own advice and stop defending LeBron's greatness

October 12, 2020


Zach Lowe is one of the best NBA writers out there, and after the Lakers won this season’s championship on Sunday night he published an interesting assessment of the “LeBron vs. Jordan” debate, insofar as there’s a debate to be had. Lowe knows better than to come out and say whether MJ or The King is the greatest of all time on ESPN.com, but does an admirable job establishing a framework for how one might compare the two.

I’ve already written a lot about Michael Jordan and how his stans influence discussion of NBA players today, but I want to add a little bit about the wider NBA context, which Lowe briefly referenced, and proffer another explanation for why so many people still dismiss James’s greatness despite what appears to be an unimpeachable résumé.

What will MLB, the NBA, and NFL do if something more serious happens to Trump?

October 5, 2020

Members of the Trump Administration and cabinet gather in close proximity to each other in the Rose Garden at the announcement of Amy Coney Barrett's nomination to the Supreme Court


It’s hard to tell just how sick President Trump is right now. On the one hand, he’s out and about in a car waving at supporters outside Walter Reed, and on the other he’s receiving experimental COVID-19 treatments that generally are used only on those severely affected by the virus. Furthermore, this administration — from the top down — lies so often and so brazenly that it’s hard to accept the veracity of any official statement, let alone one that purports to address the president’s health while he’s infected with a virus that has ravaged the country on his watch.

All that’s to say we don’t know what’s happening with him. He could be resting comfortably, and he could be deathly ill. So, naturally, I’ve been thinking about what MLB, the NBA, and NFL would do if Trump takes a turn for the worse.