data-mm-id=”_i5k6s7rkk”>Heading into the NBA restart in Orlando, it felt like any one of a million things could go wrong. But three weeks into the grand experiment with the playoffs around the corner, it has been shockingly smooth sailing. Sure, the Lou Williams debacle wasn't great, but other than that players have stuck to the rules and it's resulted in consecutive weeks of no positive coronavirus tests from the bubble. While it's of course important to remember that there's still three months to go until the season is complete, it's encouraging to see everything go as well as it has. Adam Silver said as much in an SI interview with Chris Mannix published this morning, calling the current situation "better than we envisioned." He did note, however, …

data-mm-id=”_utq3gwn1x”>The College Football Playoff selection committee released its latest batch of rankings Tuesday night and let me tell you, they don't make a lick of sense. Several teams in the top 10 moved, but not how most would have predicted. The logic for the rankings doesn't appear to apply equally to all the teams, with some getting punished for the same things others are rewarded for. It's a big damn mess. The top five teams remained the same this week, as Alabama (10-0), Notre Dame (10-0), Clemson (9-1) and Ohio State (5-0) remained in the coveted top four spots, while Texas A&M (7-1) lurks at No. 5. But here's where things get weird. Iowa State (8-2) jumped to No. 6 after a week off and Florida only dropped from sixth to seventh after losing to a…

data-mm-id=”_lvqiusfqp”>A few times a year, Skip Bayless will break out of his false outrage persona and act like a true and irrational fan. This only happens when he is tweeting about Vanderbilt sports. Bayless graduated from the university nearly 50 years ago and their sports teams remain his only true rooting interest; everything else is viewed through the veneer of content. So it seemed shockingly genuine yesterday when Bayless busted out the all-caps tweets blaming a "phantom" hit-by-pitch call that led to Vanderbilt's upset loss in the College World Series regional round. The Commodores lost to Xavier, 2-1. Bayless was mad because the winning run was granted to Xavier after a very close and questionable HBP with the bases loaded and two outs. Rain delay means I hav…

data-mm-id=”_vjwlw6zmo”>Angel Hernandez is the worst umpire Major League Baseball has to offer, and he continues to prove it over and over again. On Thursday night, that happened again, this time with an impossibly bad call. Hernandez rung Bryce Harper up on a check swing call, then ejected the Philadelphia Phillies superstar when he rightly expressed his displeasure. The call came in the bottom of the third inning, as Harper was up with one out in a 1-1 game. On a 3-2 pitch, the lefty appeared to hold up his swing on a low slider from Pittsburgh Pirates righty Luis Ortiz. Hernandez, who was the third base umpire, thought otherwise. Check this out:Bryce was just ejected for being correct pic.twitter.com/NUDPF9OOOB— NBC Sports Philadelphia (@NBCSPhilly) September 28, 2023You will not …

data-mm-id=”_8uetix97m”>One of the things we like to think about is how early in the morning Skip Bayless awakes to do his best thinking and cardiovascular exercise. One has to get up at Today Show host hours to fight like hell to take a small market share away from First Take and there can't be any days off. Time zones create a hilarious reality where the 71-year-old contrarian has to get worked up to a fever pitch before most people in Los Angeles are eating breakfast, ranting and raving about whatever topic in sports might yield a short-lived social bump. Today it was the Philadelphia Eagles on the heels of their thrilling overtime victory over the Buffalo Bills, which ran their season record to 10-1. Once again Nick Sirianni's team pulled a rabbit out of their hat and bea…

data-mm-id=”_7fsumbeoz”>The San Francisco 49ers had a tremendous season and it finally came to a close as they lost the Super Bowl LVIII against the Kansas City Chiefs. The 25-22 overtime defeat was an incredibly painful loss that will linger for a long time in the Bay Area. But now it is time to turn their attention to the offseason, where change awaits as the money gets tight and they embark upon defending their NFC title. As of now, the Niners are set to have about $1.4 million in cap space available. That number will obviously change as a few players are likely to restructure their deals. Deebo Samuel, Dre Greenlaw, Charvarius Ward and Arik Armstead could all rework their teams to open up more space to add improvements. But the 49ers will have to let some guys walk this offseason. …

data-mm-id=”_t57stfb9a”>The WNBA returns from its Paris Olympics break on Thursday, and of course that means the resumption of the country's greatest debate.Who's the WNBA Rookie of the Year? Caitlin Clark or Angel Reese.To refresh your memory, Clark has been the front-runner all season, but Reese built a legitimate case for the award with a record streak of double-doubles. Clark remains an overwhelming betting favorite and would have to suffer a major collapse for Reese to win. The 2024 Rookie of the Year award is Clark's to lose.On Thursday, both Clark and Reese were recognized as the WNBA's top rookies.The Indiana Fever guard and Chicago Sky forward each received the highest rating — 90 — in the upcoming NBA 2K25 video game. They reside in the…

data-mm-id=”_ezcgc1f2g”>The WNBA Playoff push is on and tonight we have a matchup between the New York Liberty and the Washington Mystics at the St. Elizabeth East Entertainment and Sports Arena. The Liberty are looking to lock up the No. 1 overall seed, while the Mystics are fighting to keep their playoff hopes alive.WATCH: Liberty vs Mystics Live | Stream WNBA free on FuboThe Liberty has been on fire all season, boasting an impressive 31-7 record, they lead the season series with the Mystics, 3-0 as they look for the season sweep while looking for the No. 1 spot in the playoffs.Meanwhile, the Mystics are looking to stay alive in the playoff push. They are coming off a 76-73 overtime loss, which dropped them into a three-way tie with the Dream and Sky for the final playoff spot. They …

Troy Deeney isn’t convinced that David Raya is the long-term goalkeeping solution for Arsenal as the pundit thinks Mikel Arteta s side can do better.

Arteta made the bold decision to sign a new goalkeeper in the summer in order to compete with Aaron Ramsdale.

While the decision was met with a lot of scrutiny at the time,

Having only conceded 26 goals in the Premier League this season, the Gunners boast the best defensive record in the league.

However, despite the stats suggesting that Arsenal have improved with Raya between the sticks, Deeney isn’t convinced that Raya is that much of an upgrade on Ramsdale.

I am still not sold on the goalie, Deeney told talkSPORT when discussing Raya.

I am not. I don’t see… I know they wanted t…

It s been claimed that Liverpool are set to receive a £100m bid from a Saudi Pro League club for Mohamed Salah after his bust-up with Jurgen Klopp.

Salah attracted interest from the Saudi Pro League last summer. Al-Ittihad reportedly failed with a £150m bid for the Liverpool star towards the end of the transfer window.

The Egypt international is due to be out of contract in 2025 and he is still being linked with a move elsewhere ahead of the summer.

The 31-year-old made a stunning start to this season but his form has declined in recent months as he has struggled since returning from a hamstring injury.

Salah s dip in form has coincided with Liverpool s Premier League title hopes ending and he has dropped to the bench in recent games.

UNIQUE TO…