In this Uncrowned series, combat sports television commentator, historian, officials trainer and regulator Sean Wheelock takes an in-depth and analytical look at infamous matches from MMA, boxing, pro wrestling, bare-knuckle and the long and confused history of mixed-match fighting to determine whether controversial bouts were Shoots (legitimate competition) or Works (predetermined results).Who: Eric “Butterbean” Esch (super heavyweight boxer) vs. Bart Gunn (WWF star)AdvertisementWhen: March 28, 1999Where: WrestleMania XV at First Union Center, Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaTHE SETUPEric “Butterbean” Esch vs. Bart Gunn was the fifth match on WWF’s WrestleMania XV card (main-evented by “Stone Cold” Steve Austin vs. Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson),…
Golfpocalypse is a meandering collection of words about golf (professional and otherwise) that sometimes, but not always, has a point. Reach out with your questions or comments on absolutely anything at shane.spr8@gmail.com. We’ll publish the best emails here.I’m going to start these weekly previews with something I call the “Rogue…
It appeared over the weekend that NASCAR implemented a new policy that made an extra effort to not reasonably throw a caution on the final lap of a superspeedway race.It appeared that way because NASCAR evenly applied that stance in both the Truck and Cup race across two different race…
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Don’t look now, but Nikola Jokic is back in the picture.An afterthought in January when he missed 16 games with a left ankle sprain, the Serbian big man has risen to second on the NBA MVP Odds board thanks to an impressive seven-game stretch in which he has averaged 24.4 points, 13.0 rebounds, and 9.4 assists per game. His strong play has Denver back in the thick of the playoff hunt and has Jokic within striking distance of his fourth most valuable player trophy.AdvertisementJokic’s reemergence has coincided with an injury to reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who has seen his odds…
The NBA All-Star Break is deceptive. This is not midseason, but rather there is only a third of the season remaining. The playoff picture is very much in focus.NBA championship odds already reflect that, but they may overvalue the Oklahoma City Thunder. My NBA picks tell you why the Celtics…
Mark Pope is attempting to pull off the unthinkable, a feat Mark Stoops never had a prayer of achieving. He’s turning Kentucky into a football school.Seriously, after Kentucky lost to Georgia inside Rupp Arena on Feb. 17 for the first time since 2009, spring practice can’t get arrive quickly enough…
Kansas State basketball’s attempt to fire Jerome Tang for cause has been widely derided by the basketball world. After a 90-74 win over Baylor with interim coach Matthew Driscoll on the bench, the Wildcats still mentioned Tang several times postgame.Kansas State arguably looked more complete than it has all season,…
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New Las Vegas Raiders head coach Klint Kubiak has added someone to his coaching staff to work with 2025 first-round pick Ashton Jeanty, reportedly hiring Iowa running backs coach Omar Young to the same position in Las Vegas, per CBS Sports’ Matt Zenitz and David Eickholt.Let’s get to know Young better.AdvertisementPrevious job:He was the Hawkeyes’ running backs coach for one season (2025).Age:Young is 42 years old and turns 43 in September. Also, he was born in Oakland and went to high school in Berkeley.Coaching experience:Young’s experience has primarily been in the college ranks, including last year, but he has been…
The San Francisco 49ers had injury issues that were out of their control this past season. They overcame those challenges to make the playoffs, but missing several key players undoubtedly capped their potential to make a deeper run.The NFL’s league year doesn’t even start until March, but we already know…
Commanders linksArticlesBullock’s Film Room (subscription)Commanders Free Agent Fits: Wide ReceiverI will state up front that I’m not sure how aggressive the Commanders will be in free agency for a wide receiver. My gut feeling is that the team will take a shot on Brandon Aiyuk whenever the 49ers decide to…
Puka Nacua is coming off of one of the most productive seasons in NFL history, leading the league with 129 receptions and averaging 107.2 yards per game for the Rams as a 24-year-old All-Pro receiver. But at a time when a contract extension should be obvious to everyone in the…
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For the final time this year, it’s nomination day! Head to the comment section to nominate some prospects for Friday’s CPL.Baseball is in the air. The San Francisco Giants, like all teams, are fully in the spring swing, as they’ve been playing real baseball activities in Scottsdale for over a week now. On Saturday, they’ll play their first Cactus League game of the year. Meanwhile, over here at McCovey Chronicles, we’ve nearly finished our Willie McCovey Memorial Community Prospect List, in which we’ll work together to rank the top 44 prospects in the Giants organization.AdvertisementOur next name is a player…
The two latest Atlanta Braves pitchers dealing with elbow issues are now beginning to deal with those issues as both Spencer Schwellenbach and Hurston Waldrep are taking the route of surgery. According to a report from Braves beat writer Mark Bowman of MLB.com, Spencer Schwellenbach has already underwent surgery on…
Action is starting to pick up in spring camp as the beginning of Grapefruit League play looms ahead this weekend. The Tigers will kick off their 2026 spring schedule on Saturday at 1:05 p.m. ET on the road against the Yankees. Then they’ll welcome in the Orioles and the Twins…
When Mickey Morandini pulled it off, it came so quickly, even the announcers didn’t realize what happened.And who could blame them? An unassisted triple play had only happened eight times in Major League Baseball history.AdvertisementWhy are we talking about Morandini’s magical moment? Because, on Tuesday, a ticket to the Sept.…
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En route to winning the 2026 AT&T Pebble Beach Invitational, Collin Morikawa made a bit of a mess around the 14th green on Sunday, although a nice chip on his fourth shot salvaged par and allowed him to stay even with clubhouse leader Scottie Scheffler.Of course, Morikawa went on to win the event, ending a 28-month PGA Tour drought in the process. His birdie at the 72nd hole gave him a one-stroke win over Min Woo Lee and Sepp Straka. Morikawa shot a 5-under 67 at Pebble Beach Golf Links and finished with a 72-hole aggregate of 22-under 266 to…
Today marks 25 years since we lost Dale Earnhardt. Heading into the 2026 Daytona 500, Motorsport.com already put together a special feature in remembrance of that day and his impact on the sport, but today, we want to do something different.In this simple story, we’re going to focus on seven of Dale’s most impressive and memorable NASCAR Cup Series wins, in honor of the seven-time champion:Advertisement1. 1998 Daytona 500 — 20 years of tryingThere was no question about where to put this race on our list. Earnhardt had won everything there is to win at Daytona, except the 500 itself.…
Fiorentina have a decimated squad for their Conference League play-off against Jagiellonia, as the conditions do not bode well.The first leg kicks off on Thursday at the Stadion Miejski w Bialymstoku in Bialystok at 20.00 GMT (21.00 CET).AdvertisementThe decider will then be at the Stadio Artemio Franchi in Florence next week.Coach Paolo Vanoli’s mood was boosted by last week’s unexpected 2-1 Serie A victory away to Como, which lifted them out of the Serie A relegation zone.However, it came at a cost, because they had to leave several top players behind for this trip to Poland due to fitness concerns.PISA,…
BMW may launch a high-performance M off-roader, inspired by its racing heritage. It would likely be based on the upcoming G74, BMW’s G-Class rival, arriving around 2029. BMW has never produced a true high-performance off-road vehicle. BMW might be getting serious about off-roading. The German automaker already offers a rugged version of the X5 and is developing its own rival to the Mercedes-Benz G-Class. Now, a new report suggests the brand could be considering a high-performance off-roader wearing an M badge. Speaking with Australia’s CarExpert, BMW M boss Frank van Meel said that, given the company’s deep racing heritage, an M-badged…
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One of the San Jose Sharks’ top objectives ahead of the 2026 NHL trade deadline should be to improve their blueline. Adding a right-shot defenseman, in particular, would be beneficial for a Sharks club that is looking to stay in the playoff race.Now, they are continuing to be connected to one of the NHL’s top defenseman trade candidates because of it.AdvertisementIn a recent article for Bleacher Report, Lyle Richardson named the Sharks as a potential landing spot for New York Rangers blueliner Braden Schneider.”Adding Schneider would give the Sharks a young, physical shutdown defenseman who can log over 20 minutes…
Marco Penge has been named the 2025 Seve Ballesteros Award winner ahead of Rory McIlroy.The award recognises the best golfer of the season and is voted for by the DP World Tour players.Penge and McIlroy were the two leading contenders, and the Englishman has come out on top this time.AdvertisementHe had three victories on the Tour last season: the Hainan Classic, the Danish Golf Championship and the Open de Espana.The 27-year-old also had five top-10 finishes and climbed into the top 30 in the Official World Golf Ranking.Penge has now reacted to winning the award named after one of Europe’s…
Chase Briscoe ‘dipped my toes the bald community’ last month but it was a hoax, online fake news and AI rubbish.With all the attention and focus on the new look three-time Cup Series champion Joey Logano has received since taking a trimmer and razor to his dome, Briscoe decided to respond to his well-documented follicle situation by shaving his own head.AdvertisementHowever, it wasn’t real, and AI generated but practically everyone briefly fell for it.“I have social media in an uproar normally every single week, because TV shows me during the National Anthem, and people roast me for how bad my…
