Chelsea: Maresca reveals what’s to blame for Gallagher sale as head coach demands ‘rule change’

data-mm-id=”_sod42kusz”>All things considered, if you had told the Colts they'd be in playoff contention until Week 15 after Andrew Luck's shocking retirement, they probably would have been pretty happy. Far less significant developments have sunk seasons for franchises before. Indianapolis was ultimately unable to succeed in their push for the playoffs after starting 5-2, but they still exceeded expectations for their 2019 season. A good chunk of that early success was due to the steady, if unspectacular, play of Jacoby Brissett, who was thrown into the spotlight like he never had been before following Luck's announcement. General manager Chris Ballard is apparently less bullish on Brissett's performance, and told media today that "the jury's still out&#0…

data-mm-id=”_sg4bq222h”>The NBA was the first US sports league to shutdown operations as coronavirus spread around the country. It was a stunning decision at the time, but looking back, the NBA looks progressive for taking that proactive measure. The only question now is how and when will it return? There's still no timetable for sports to resume in America as we all rightfully focus on slowing the spread of COVID-19. However, the NBA is obviously planning how it can get games going again and one place it can look to for inspiration is the Chinese Basketball Association, which is isolating its players for 14 days with plans to play in April or May. That's what ESPN's Brian Windhorst sees as an option for the NBA and it makes total sense. .@WindhorstESPN says the NBA may …

data-mm-id=”_bo0ybn2wa”>Clayton Kershaw will open the season on the injured list as his balky back is already acting up. Despite a loaded offense and a newly locked-up Mookie Betts, we should probably hold off on crowning the Los Angeles Dodgers as 2020 World Series champs. The Los Angeles Dodgers have placed left-handed pitcher Clayton Kershaw on the injured list with back stiffness and have recalled right-handed pitcher Dustin May.— Ken Gurnick (@kengurnick) July 23, 2020Let's be real, Kershaw isn't the Dodgers' ace anymore, that designation goes to 25-year-old Walker Buehler who has clearly surpassed him. But LA is thin beyond Buehler and Kershaw, especially after Hyun Jin-Ryu departed for the Toronto Blue Jays this offseason. Ryu went 14-5 with a 2.32 ERA in 2019. …

data-mm-id=”_gzvf48sxk”>You may remember at the start of quarantine when we spent a month straight debating Michael Jordan or LeBron James as the best player of all time? Well, that was a million things ago. The Last Dance ended and went the way of the Tiger King, but the world kept moving. Things kept changing. Including LeBron James' place in basketball history while he stayed home, plotting Taco Tuesdays, one week at a time.Earlier this week Kenny Smith appeared on the Load Management podcast and proclaimed LeBron the 10th-best player ever. Behind Nate "Tiny" Archibald and Shaquille O'Neal and ahead of Kobe Bryant. Unsurprisingly, this opinion made its way to the hot-take circuit and today two of the biggest names in Takedom used Smith's comment for content.…

data-mm-id=”_7n4em90ml”>Doc Rivers and the Los Angeles Clippers parted ways on Monday after seven seasons. Rivers' exit came just two weeks after the Clippers collapsed in the second round of the NBA playoffs, blowing a 3-1 lead over the Denver Nuggets. While he probably had to go, the 58-year-old coach may not be out of work long. Mark J. Spears of The Undefeated is reporting the New Orleans Pelicans and Philadelphia 76ers have already reached out to Rivers about their head coaching vacancies.New Orleans Pelicans and Philadelphia 76ers have already reached out to former Clippers head coach Doc Rivers in regards to their head coach openings, sources told @TheUndefeated.— Marc J. Spears (@MarcJSpears) September 28, 2020Rivers and Mike D'Antoni are currently the highest-profi…

data-mm-id=”_qrkhsuw9k”>The Detroit Lions are nothing if not a pointless franchise, providing only predictable disappointment to the increasingly shrinking sliver of the franchise still capable of feeling anything. For approximately the 61st time in the last 63 years, they are putting together a season that accomplishes nothing and produces frighteningly little. Matt Patricia's circus of underwhelming delights rolled into Minneapolis yesterday and was steamrolled with ruthless efficiency. Dalvin Cook gashed a disinterested and particularly arm-tackly defense for 206 of the Vikings' 275 rushing yards. He sealed the deal with a 70-yard scamper on the first play of a drive that saw the Lions earnestly send 10 men out onto the field. Guys, you're not going to believe this, b…

data-mm-id=”_yedliualz”>If Tim Tebow finds his way onto the Jacksonville Jaguars' 53-man roster it will be because Urban Meyer wants a lieutenant in the locker room who can preach the values of this specific culture. And people who think there's no chance such a thing could happen should brace themselves for a surprise. Because no matter how poorly the 34-year-old tight end performs on the field, it will be the unseen intangibles that Meyer weighs while making a decision. The early returns on Tebow's ability at his new position are not great. He played 16 snaps in the Jaguars preseason opener and did not factor into the passing game. In the running game, well, stuff like this happened. Tim Tebow: TE1pic.twitter.com/1mih6jFhUk— PFF (@PFF) August 15, 2021Honestly, the Te…

data-mm-id=”_fjx46oq0g”>Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Wander Franco, one of the most exciting young players in Major League Baseball, put some panache and flair on an otherwise routine 6-3 last night by flipping the ball in the air like a basketball player lining up a free throw line. It was pretty cool and thankfully didn't end in disaster because that would have been embarrassing. Wander Franco would like to introduce you to the defensive bat flip, the "ball flip". pic.twitter.com/ekcM92cDuR— Daily Baseball (@VideosBaseball) May 4, 2023Predictably, it was met with overwhelming, almost universal praise on social media. Not necessarily because the people chiming in enjoyed it but, more importantly, because it would trigger some people who prefer the old-school way of playin…

data-mm-id=”_x8gxk02o8″>Olimpi defeated Marathon, 1-0, in a match in Honduras' Liga Nacional on Sunday. In the closing minutes of the match a player attempted one of the most dangerous and outrageous tackles you'll ever see on a professional soccer field. Marathon's André Orellana took a sprinting start and jumped through the air, spikes out, towards the ball and two opponents. Por esta acción el referee expulsó (roja directa) a André Orellana. 🎥 Deportes TVC pic.twitter.com/U0pdZ28AYC— Rodolfo (@fitomoca30) September 17, 2023Olimpi's Carlos Pineda and German Mejia were on the receiving end of the tackle. Both went down like human bowling pins. None of the articles about the incident mention either player suffering a serious injury, so for…

data-mm-id=”_m8ck85iwc”>The Dallas Cowboys suffered an incredibly embarrassing loss to the Arizona Cardinals in Week 3. The Cardinals won, 28-16, in Glendale a week after they collapsed at home in the second half against the lowly New York Giants. Cowboys fans were understandably distraught by the result and it spilled over into the concourse as some of them teed off on a lone Cardinals fan. Cowboy fans upset rn 😅😂🤣 pic.twitter.com/ZYSr0ZRWbC— itsallphoenix (@itsallphoenix2) September 24, 2023Who knows what started this, but it certainly says something about the crowd in Arizona that there are so many different NFL jerseys here. You've got a Jerry Rice jersey and a Brian Dawkins jersey and there were clearly a number of Cowboys jerseys in attendance. …