A uniquely contemporary myth exists in boxing: To be one of the greats, so it goes, a fighter must choose one extreme of the likability spectrum – or at least allow it to be chosen for them. To take up permanent residence in the public consciousness – to put asses in seats – a fighter must... Continue Reading →
The only thing I resent more than authority is a man's lush head of hair. Yet there I was, roughly 20 years ago now, calling after then-Boston Celtics head coach Rick Pitino – a pompadour in a power suit – in the sweltering visitors locker room at Chicago's United Center. This would have been the... Continue Reading →
Twitter isn't a destination for logic seekers. It's a place where respectful exchanges of ideas go to crawl under a dumpster and bleed out. Follow the Twitter rabbit hole past the cat videos and #brandedcontent and duck-lipped, cleavage-girded selfies, and you arrive at a minefield inside an echo chamber that's assiduously monitored by your employer's HR... Continue Reading →
Today, hours before arguably the biggest and best prizefight boxing has seen in some years, a buddy offhandedly asked, as part of a never-ending bullshit session in a group text, for the lowdown on the matchup. It was a tongue-in-cheek question because, well, my friend is a jackass. Although I'm the resident boxing "expert" in... Continue Reading →
This won't take a minute. Because tomes have already been written and endless terabytes of audio and video exhausted in the Cannonball Run-style sprint to offer THE OPINION about Saturday's Floyd Mayweather-Conor McGregor Show of Shite, the less I pile onto the steaming heap the better. Still, there's this: It's not a fight. Tonight's main... Continue Reading →
When I was a boy, I pinned a photo to the bulletin board hanging on my bedroom wall—a 4x6 color snapshot of the local university mascot, (weirdly) signed and gifted to my parents to pass on to me. I was a fan of the school's football and basketball teams, so in the mind of a kid... Continue Reading →
One of history's all-time great heavyweight champions retired today. But don't hold your breath for the hero's sendoff. More like, Don't let the door hit you in the ass on the way out. So it went for Wladimir Klitschko, who announced Thursday that, after 20-plus years of professional prizefighting, he is moving on. For the... Continue Reading →
Go ahead and dust off your adage of choice: The grass is always greener. Don't cut off your nose to spite your face. Chances are, one of them applies to Kyrie Irving. It seems Irving, the Cavaliers' seminally skilled point guard and former No. 1 pick, wants out of Cleveland. This wouldn't be noteworthy for 98... Continue Reading →
I have a friend—insomuch as a 70-year-old man might consider me a "friend." We'll call my friend Greg. A few years back, when Greg was a spry, mid-60s shithead—and I say that with the utmost reverence—we'd do battle in Wednesday morning 1-on-1 hoops at the YMCA. That's no hyperbole or purple prose. Greg would, very simply, beat the snot out of me. Despite my being three... Continue Reading →
