Recent Sports Commentaries

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We Need the Strength of Heroes
The Date: September 28, 1955 The Place: Yankee Stadium The Event: Dodgers/Yankees, Game 1 of the 1955 World Series Every baseball fan has seen the video. Every baseball fan knows the outcome . . . or do they? I’ll come back to this. For my book, What Do You Stand For?, documentary filmmaker Ken Burns spoke to me about the...
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April 19, 2024
We Need Moments Like This
Embed from Getty Images Let’s face it, we’re a mess. We’re living moment to moment, crisis to crisis at home and abroad. Every time you watch the news it feels like another brick to the head. I want a respite from the endless bombardment of anger, hate, and violence. I want a moment of triumph where everyone stands up and...
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April 2, 2024
The Knight of Knaves
“I’m trying to help them be the best they can be. I have enough of an ego to think I know better than anyone what’s best for them.”—Bobby Knight Embed from Getty Images For legendary Indiana University basketball coach Bobby Knight, what was “best” for his students was to be a legendary jerk. Knight died on November 1st.  » Read more...
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November 17, 2023
Say It Ain’t So, Mickey!
Embed from Getty Images With the end of the 2023 World Series, I became a little nostalgic for the baseball heroes I grew up with.  Most of them were Dodgers: Sandy Koufax, Don Drysdale, Duke Snyder. All great but didn’t come close to the charismatic hitting power of Mickey Mantle. So, when I read a story by former Detroit Tigers...
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November 7, 2023
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Let’s Talk About Football
Let me say at the outset that I’m not going to win friends or influence many people with this commentary. Football . . . is a beautiful game. With the unexpected death of Pittsburgh Steelers Franco Harris last month, the media refreshed all our memories of “The Immaculate Reception,” the play that not only defined Harris but remains one of...
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January 6, 2023
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Clayton Kershaw, Hall of Fame Pitcher, 1st Class Role Model
Just when you think cynicism has become the default setting in much of America today a story comes along that reminds us of our humanity. Dodger pitcher Clayton Kershaw—who, last week, came within 6 outs of a perfect game—was answering questions at a press conference for major league baseball’s All-Star game when a member of the media pointed to 10-year-old...
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July 22, 2022
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The Way Forward, Conclusion: Where We Need to Be
Moral courage is a rare commodity, rarer still today. Those who stand up—frequently alone—to shine a light on corruption, deceit, and discrimination at the risk of their reputations and livelihoods are worthy of admiration. Republican representatives Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger, singer-songwriters Joni Mitchell and Neil Young, football coach Brian Flores—all have gone it alone in standing against reprehensible behavior,...
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February 4, 2022
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What We Tolerate and Why
Twitter permanently suspended Georgia’s Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene from the social media website after she tweeted, falsely, “extremely high amounts of Covid vaccine deaths.” After a discussion on the sidelines during last Sunday’s game, Buccaneers football wide receiver, Antonio Brown took off his gear and left the field during a game. Happy New Year and welcome to disrespectful, reckless...
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January 4, 2022
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Aaron Rodgers
“If the vaccine is so great, how come people are still getting Covid and spreading Covid and unfortunately, dying from Covid?”— Aaron Rodgers, quarterback for the Green Bay Packers Sports reporter Kurt Streeter writes, “Apparently, Rodgers missed the memo that while they are not foolproof, the vaccines are close to 90 percent effective and by far the best tools we...
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November 16, 2021
It’s a Dumb Rule
Standing before a judge to fight a traffic ticket was a matter of principle to me. Embed from Getty Images Back in my college days I was helping a friend move. I had loaded up my car with boxes and was waiting for her to come down, get in her car so I could follow her to a new apartment....
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July 8, 2021