Deadspin > Sports News Without Fear, Favor or Compromise

It’s a funny thing. Year after year you’re told “this is your year,” and it never is, and then, finally, when no one thinks you matter anymore ... it might be your year.

Once you go Yaak, you’ll never go back. Yaak’s M-series belts feature a magnetic clasp that’s so satisfying, you’ll wish every belt you owned had one. We’ve posted their old carbon fiber-buckled ABL belts before, and they’ve been a hit with our readers.

If you’ve had your current phone case for awhile, today’s a great chance to treat yourself to a new one, as a bunch of options from Caseology are marked down to around $10-$11, today only on Amazon.

LeBron James looked exhausted. Jordan Clarkson was tasked with running the offense on far too many possessions. The Celtics’ rotation of hyped-up young dudes absolutely hounded the Cavs to death on defense. Watching the best player in the world trying to keep his team from going down 3-2 in the Eastern Conference…Read more...

It was a dream start for the Washington Capitals tonight—or for any team on the road in a Game 7. Just a minute into the deciding match-up of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Lightning, the Caps’ all-time best player dramatically announced his importance. On a cross-ice pass from Tom Wilson, Alex Ovechkin…Read more...

A small scrap in the first period of the Capitals-Lightning Game 7 sent Tampa’s Braydon Coburn and Washington’s Tom Wilson to the box for two minutes each. When that time was up, Wilson wanted to escalate the violence, and Coburn foolishly decided to try and stand his ground in an old-fashioned hockey fight.Read more...

After the ex-girlfriend of San Francisco 49ers linebacker Reuben Foster recanted her allegations of domestic violence in court last week, Superior Court Judge Nona Klippen ruled today that there is insufficient evidence to proceed with his domestic violence case, and ordered the charges dismissed.Read more...

Today the Milwaukee Police Department released the Sterling Brown arrest video, which confirms that Brown was not “combative” as was initially reported. You can find the 30-minute piece of body-cam footage below. One of the cops uses a taser on the Milwaukee Bucks player just after the 8:00 mark.

Twins second baseman Brian Dozier was a few inches short of a dinger in his first at-bat against the Tigers Wednesday afternoon, but pulled off a much more unique feat instead. Dozier’s long drive to center field wedged itself perfectly between two of the outfield wall panels, suspending the ball in the park and…Read more...

The heads of the U.S. Olympic Committee, USA Gymnastics, USA Swimming, USA Taekwondo, USA Volleyball, and the U.S. Center for SafeSport were grilled today by members of a House Energy and Commerce subcommittee about their roles in protecting member athletes from sexual abuse.

The NFL made no effort to disguise the bait and switch at the root of its national anthem policy, which was approved Wednesday by a near-unanimous vote of owners (49ers owner Jed York abstained). Just read commissioner Roger Goodell’s statement:Read more...

Lifehacker Here’s What’s Coming and Going From Netflix in June 2018 | Gizmodo A Recent Hurricane Shot a Bolt of Antimatter Toward Earth | Kotaku Here’s Our First Look At Battlefield V, Which Goes Back To WWII | Jalopnik How To Restore Headlights Without Having A Nervous Breakdown |Read more...

Lenny Dykstra has long since ceased to be a former baseball player with the Mets and Phillies. Now he’s just a semi-famous man who is occasionally in the news for something. Usually it’s not great. Whether it’s pleading guilty to bankruptcy fraud, admitting a sexual harassment claim or allegedly trashing a hotel room,…Read more...

It’s not official yet, as everyone involved is declining to comment, but the news broke on Monday that WWE’s SmackDown Live is moving to Friday nights on Fox—as in the broadcast network that’s currently the home of Empire—in October 2019. The move marks the first time that WWE has had a weekly presence on broadcast…Read more...

There are any number of reasons why it’s easy to goof on Bill Simmons, and all of them are honestly pretty solid. Many of these have to do with the way he acts—grandiose and aggrieved and prickly-petty and, now that he’s ascended to demi-mogul status, prone to dilatory rich-guy extemporizing on The Future Of Apps.…Read more...

Briefly retired offensive lineman Richie Incognito has been placed on “involuntary psychiatric hold” after being involved in a gym altercation today in which he allegedly threw a dumbbell at another person, TMZ reports.

There’s a new Star Wars movie out this week! The Last Jedi might still feel fresh in your mind, but Solo: A Star Wars Story hits theaters in just two days. Not been following all the news and reveals from the young Han Solo biopic? We’ve compiled all of the officially released info (no spoilers!) so you’re fully…Read more...

Hayley Moore, a TV reporter for At The Races, provided a bit of action on the British horse-race channel Tuesday when she wrangled a loose horse with one hand. That’s some impressive extension.

Okay, yes, goddammit yes, I was wrong, the Houston Rockets, who tied the Western Conference Finals at two games apiece last night in Oakland, have a chance to win the series. A frighteningly strong one, if like me you break out in hives at the prospect of a Larry O’Brien trophy consecrating into canonical Championship…Read more...

Sous-vide and the Instant Pot get a lot of attention, but I submit that the greatest kitchen innovation of recent years is actually Uncle Ben’s Ready Rice. Just 90 seconds in the microwave, and you’ve got a surprisingly delicious, perfectly cooked side dish.

The NFL this week approved a rule that prohibits players from lowering their helmets to initiate contact. Because this seems like something that might be difficult for officials to enforce, I reached out to former referee Ed Hochuli to request an interview. Hochuli, who retired in March, emailed back a few minutes…Read more...

Nordstrom has two large sales each year: The Anniversary Sale and The Half-Yearly Sale. Well, today is about halfway through the year, so Nordstrom is taking up to 40% off a boatload of styles.Read more...

Shohei Ohtani doesn’t think he’s ready for the home run derby. “I don’t think I’m at that level yet,” he told reporters yesterday.

Bob Whidden got the bad news first. On June 14, 1978, Whidden was in Montreal representing the Cleveland Barons at the NHL owners’ meetings.

Jason Gay of the Wall Street Journal wrote a profile of Roger Federer that covers everything from Federer tearing his meniscus while trying to give his kids a bath (the recuperation preceded two Grand Slam titles last year) to what Anna Wintour thinks of Federer’s potential move into the fashion world after he…Read more...

You’re going to be seeing a lot more UFC on ESPN starting soon.Read more...

A $15 bonus at Lowe’s, discounted OLED TVs, a Dremel 3000, and more lead today’s best deals.Read more...

Gizmodo Mark Zuckerberg Played Parliament for Fools and They’re Pissed | Jalopnik Here’s The Difference Between Synthetic And Normal Motor Oil, And What The Numbers On The Bottle Mean | Kotaku The Banned-In-Japan Film George Lucas And Francis Ford Coppola Produced | Lifehacker Password Formulas Don’t Fool Hackers |Read more...

Fourteen years ago, when Diana Taurasi began her WNBA career with the Phoenix Mercury, she was fresh off a legendary career at UConn, where she helped lead the Huskies to three straight NCAA championships on top of her individual awards. She was also in the midst of training with the U.S. Olympic team, playing…Read more...

ESPN reports that NFL owners met yesterday to brainstorm ways to prevent their players from protesting against inequality and police brutality by kneeling during the national anthem. Did this crew of mushy billionaires stuffed into ill-fitting suits come up with some horrendously bad ideas? Of course they did!

Before you head out to the beach, you can get ready to throw some shade with Amazon’s E-Z UP shelter sale.

You might not need to use a Dremel all that often, but it’s one of those things everyone should keep in their tool box, if only for sanding wood and carving jack-o-lanterns. Today only as part of a Gold Box deal, Amazon’s discounting the Dremel 3000 to an all-time low $45 (from about $65-$70).

Despite some early hiccups and, um, premature pronouncements of doom, the Rockets held a 53-46 lead going into halftime in Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals against the Warriors. For the most optimistic of Rockets fans, that advantage might’ve been enough to nervously hope for an even series. Everyone else was…Read more...

For exclusive videos, pictures, and more, like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter and Instagram. Send us your confidential tips at tips@deadspin.com, call our confidential tips hotline at (347) 746-8471, contact our writers directly, or use our anonymous SecureDrop system.Read more...

Trevor Bauer, the Indians pitcher who loves both funny numbers and casually suggesting conspiracy theories, wrote “BD 911” on the back of the pitching mound before the first pitch of his start against the Cubs. Here’s video of him carving with his cleats in the dirt, then appearing to admire his work.

One of the coldest, most ruthlessly efficient scorers in the NBA froze up on a wide-open three that Draymond Green was cool to let him have. P.J. Tucker eventually missed his own three to end the possession, but if you’re wondering how badly the Warriors own James Harden and the Rockets right now, here’s your answer:Read more...

Opening day for Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Disney theme parks in the US is getting closer and closer. First we heard it would be in 2019. Now, we know the seasons—and soon, we’ll have the specific dates.Read more...

Reigning Super Bowl MVP Nick Foles will still be stuck as the Eagles’ back-up QB heading into next season, as long as Carson Wentz is healthy. But according to an NFL.com report, Foles could’ve potentially landed a job as a starter elsewhere in the league if he wanted it. The problem was, that job was in Cleveland,…Read more...

Just a few days after the Atlanta Braves told José Bautista that he was too washed up to play third base for them and cut him loose, the once-great slugger has moved across the division to sign a one-year deal with the New York Mets. He’s not only on the active major league roster for their game tonight against the…Read more...

An anonymous former cheerleader for the Houston Texans has filed a wrongful termination lawsuit against the Texans and cheerleading coach Altovise Gary under the Fair Labor Standards Act. The cheerleader, identified only as P.G.G., worked for the team for the 2017-18 season and left in April. The lawsuit additionally…Read more...

Christian Hackenberg, who really is capable of breaking a huddle, was traded this afternoon from the Jets to the Raiders, somehow.Read more...

Columbus Blue Jackets prospect and former Miami (Ohio) hockey player Carson Meyer might look really tired in the above image from a June 2017 interview, but any visible gauntness might be from the fact that he had a goddamn tapeworm in his body for, according to doctors, a full year.Read more...

To scroll through photos of Rich Hill pitching is to see a man who appears to be in extreme pain while performing normal functions of his job. This could just be a Pitchface scenario—every pitcher’s got one, and while Hill looks anguished in the act of pitching, he’s not quite in R.A. Dickey territory. But while Rich…Read more...

A passenger on a Frontier Airlines flight from Denver to Charleston, S.C. Thursday was arrested and charged after he touched his female seatmate, was moved to a different part of the cabin, and then peed all over himself while still seated.Read more...

Here are the L.A. Galaxy, historically MLS’s premier outfit, the team that currently employs the league’s most high-profile player in Zlatan Ibrahimović, boasts the second-highest total salary expenditure this season, and is currently spending more money on defenders than anyone else in MLS, in Monday’s match trying…Read more...

One tennis player’s violent racket-smashing meltdown at Sunday’s ATP Challenger final in Busan, Korea had devastating consequences for a banana.Read more...

A single dirty hit in a college football game three weeks ago has become a such a scandal in Japan that the perpetrator held a nationally televised press conference today to explain himself.Read more...

Every so often, some publication or other—often a fancy one—will run a fawning profile of PFT Commenter, the sports satirist who works for Barstool Sports and co-created the wildly popular comedy podcast Pardon My Take. These profiles are all more or less the same.Read more...

Time for your weekly edition of the Deadspin Funbag. Drew’s gone! We have guest hosts. Got something on your mind? Email the Funbag. Today, we’re talking about unathletic quarterbacks, urinal strategy, NBA tanking, and more.

Daigo Umehara has built a legacy on fearless calls, and he added one more to his story at Stunfest in Rennes, France last weekend. Down on life and with his back against the wall, the fighting game legend shot off a clutch Flash Kick to catch his opponent off guard and steal a victory with one choice.