DALLAS STADIUM — Long after the final whistle — as the lawnmowers came out to maintain the grass and broadcast crews were in the middle of their stand-ups — Spain fans remained. They were dancing and singing and chanting. “Ole! Ole! Ole!” rang throughout the stadium where their team had just delivered a commanding performance,…
In what was billed as a blockbuster between arguably the two best teams in the world, Spain defeated France 2-0 in surprisingly convincing fashion. Spain took advantage of French mistakes, used slick passing to maintain possession, and pressed relentlessly to down the French at Atlanta Stadium. Spain was in control from the opening whistle and…
ATLANTA STADIUM — Perhaps Marc Guéhi simply refuses to think past Wednesday’s monster FIFA World Cup semifinal between his England and Lionel Messi’s Argentina. Maybe Guéhi, as a devout Christian, just doesn’t want to tempt fate. Or maybe the Three Lions center back genuinely has no idea if this star-studded England squad can do in the…
CITIZENS BANK BALLPARK (Philadelphia) – There was no “aha” moment for Justin Verlander. In announcing his retirement from a spectacular baseball career, Verlander slowly came to the conclusion earlier this season that his physical health was preventing him from accomplishing everything he wanted from the game. Verlander, the oldest active player in MLB at age…
The American League only has five teams with a winning record compared to the National League’s nine at the break, but the AL’s shoddy first half didn’t matter Tuesday night in Philadelphia. The NL lineup didn’t stand a chance against an overpowering AL pitching staff in the All-Star Game, as the American League won the…
A spot in the World Cup final is on the line when Argentina and England meet on Wednesday at Atlanta Stadium. The mindset and the motivation between the two nations and their fans are different as Argentina desperately wants to defend its title while England is looking to join the world’s elite and win its…
In each of the two epic quarterfinals we witnessed on Saturday — England’s extra-time win over Norway, Argentina’s extra-time victory against Switzerland — there were long stretches where the underdog seemed destined to pull off the upsets and advance to this week’s semis. Norway led the Three Lions. The Swiss equalized and had the momentum…
CITIZENS BANK BALLPARK (Philadelphia) – Talk about a star-studded cast of sluggers. This year’s Home Run Derby was set against the backdrop of a sea of red-jerseyed Phillies fans that overtook Citizens Bank Park to watch their hometown sluggers represent their city. The lineup consisted of the Red Sox’ Willson Contreras, the Cardinals’ Jordan Walker,…
CITIZENS BANK BALLPARK (Philadelphia) — Mike Trout circled this date months ago. Tuesday’s MLB All-Star Game sits 45 minutes from Millville, New Jersey, where Trout grew up rooting for the Phillies and bleeding Eagles green. Getting back here was personal. Staying healthy was the hard part. Trout hadn’t started an All-Star Game since 2019. He…
It’s the MLB All-Star break, meaning we have a clear sense of what every team is. With that in mind, here’s one number that defines the first half of the season for all 30 MLB teams (teams are mentioned in alphabetical order by city/state name): Athletics: 20 Athletics’ catcher Shea Langeliers (21) and first baseman…
