[W]hen it came to racing cars, no one outdueled Tony Stewart. But his demons sure put up a hell of a fight. | | Tony Stewart at Texas Motor Speedway, April 2013. (Marco Becerra) | | | | “[W]hen it came to racing cars, no one outdueled Tony Stewart. But his demons sure put up a hell of a fight.” |
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| rantnrave:// When you are telling the tale of the NASCAR career of the great and complicated TONY STEWART, which ends Sunday in HOMESTEAD, FLA., how does the death of KEVIN WARD JR. fit in? In JAY BUSBEE's long, dark and somewhat sympathetic essay for YAHOO!, Ward's horrifying on-track death in 2014 is the text. In JORDAN BIANCHI's long, lighter and more sympathetic piece for SB NATION, it's pretty much subtext. Either way, it's all but impossible to view Stewart's career except through the prism of that tragedy, which you may or may not choose to connect to his frequent outbursts of rage over the years. But if you do choose to do that, first read this bit of exemplary sportswriting—and insight—from Busbee: "When he returned to the public eye nearly a month later, at a media conference in Atlanta, he looked 10 years older, his hair grayer and his eyes sunken. Even as he tried to put his pain into words and express sympathy for Ward’s family, critics pointed to his history, as if one could draw a direct line from slapping tape recorders and slinging helmets to running over a human being." If you keep reading, you will also know that Stewart has performed enormous acts of charity for fellow drivers, and is obsessively dedicated to the craft of his sport. And that he's hotheaded and prone to tantrums. Human, complicated and undoubtedly one of the great sportsmen, if not always a great sportsman...Yes, yes and yes to MIKE TROUT's AMERICAN LEAGUE MVP honor, which should always go to the best player in the league, period (unless you want to give it to the guy who played the best relative to his salary, but you don't want to do that, do you?)... Tough to watch the PANTHERS' LUKE KUECHLY carted off the field in tears Thursday night. Earlier in the night, he did this (which was called back through no fault of his own and led to a touchdown anyway)... LEBRON JAMES backs MUHAMMAD ALI exhibit at SMITHSONIAN with $2.5 million... MANCHESTER UNITED's debt soars thanks to BREXIT... This weekend: Rivalry weekend in EUROPE... SERGEY KOVALEV (30-0-1) vs. ANDRE WARD (30-0-0) Saturday night for the light heavyweight title... JARED GOFF takes the reins in LA... RIP ENZO MAIORCA. | | - Matty Karas, curator |
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| Tony Stewart will turn his last laps as a NASCAR driver at Homestead this weekend, and when he rolls off into the Florida sunset, so too will NASCAR’s last link to its fiery, brawling, race-anything-that-moves past. The world has moved on since the hell-bent days of Earnhardt and Wallace and Waltrip | |
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The big weekend, which includes Atlético Madrid versus Real Madrid and Manchester United versus Arsenal, is a chance for four European leagues to battle globally for fans and sponsors. | |
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On Monday, the Raiders play the Texans in Mexico City as the NFL makes a pitch for the Mexican market - but working people are sticking with soccer for now. | |
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It's no wonder Sergey Kovalev's nickname is "Krusher". Of his 30 victories, 26 have ended in knockouts. The Russian's journey to success hasn't been all highs, however. | |
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How a talkshow host / small-town mayor / convicted criminal / sausage enthusiast stole Spain’s third-largest soccer team. | |
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Mike Trout won the second MVP he’s deserved for years, which should give you hope for the future of the award. | |
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Tony Romo asked for the chance to win back his job from Dak Prescott. Cowboys executive Stephen Jones explains the difficult answer to that question. | |
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“The best thing about making content in 2016 - if you have good content, people are going to find it no matter who you are and where you are.” | |
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One man is settled. The other is not. Both have felt the Manchester rain. As the golden age of Guardiola and Mourinho rolls on, it's time to explore the city's dual obsession with football and music. | |
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Sam Foltz was part of a Nebraska walk-on class that inspired one another to make the impossible possible. Now the Huskers face one more challenge: a Senior Day touched by triumph and tragedy. | |
| Are the Hash House Harriers a nearly century-old orienteering group dash, a drinking club with a running problem, or just Tinder for runners? Our correspondent intended to find out. | |
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Van Gundy, who speaks his mind on social issues, said he, like Knicks President Phil Jackson, had used the word “posse” in a way that would offend black players. | |
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Cash just keeps flowing to the Premier League. | |
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Last year, the Tennessee Titans drafted quarterback Marcus Mariota No. 2 overall. This year, they opted to keep Mike Mularkey as their head coach, and Mularkey loudly and proudly signaled his intention to install a ground-and-pound offense that didn’t seem suited to Mariota’s spread-system skill set. | |
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P.J. Fleck has created something special at Western Michigan. | |
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| Columbia Journalism Review |
BuzzFeed News in January turned its attention to the issue of fraud in professional tennis, publishing an investigation called “The Tennis Racket." The piece featured an innovative use of statistical analysis to identify professional players who may have thrown matches. | |
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Magnus Carlsen and Sergey Karjakin are engaged in fierce competition in a contest that recalls classic contests down the years. | |
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“I don’t want to fight anymore,” Miesha Tate told her partner Bryan Caraway in the Octagon, moments before Bruce Buffer announced the official decision. “I don’t want to do this anymore.” | |
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| The Orange County Register |
Chris Paul, the Clippers’ sure-fire Hall of Fame point guard, listed them off one after another. “F-E-L-O-P-Z-D. D-E-F-P-O-T-E-C” He recited the 20/25 and 20/20 lines on the eye chart in rapid succession. He didn’t pause to squint. He didn’t strain a single muscle on his face. He made it -- pardon the pun -- look easy. | |
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Why the greatest sports video game of all time lives on 25 years later. | |
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