Author: Will Beebe

Certain Seattle fans still smart from the Supersonic franchise´s drastic decision to hightail it to Oklahoma City in 2008. But now, behind the sharpshooting of the OKC Thunderman, alias Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma returns home for Gm. 5 tied 2-2, on the verge of a Dallas and Doncic collapse. The Okies also boast a seven-foot-tall shot-blocking tower named Chet Holmgren. The only thing lacking after this sensational series is for their top gun, SGA (his hyphenated name doesn´t really roll off the tongue), to ride into the sunset flanked by ´Mad Max´ Mel Gibson and Tina Turner, beyond the Thunderdome. Is…

The Los Angeles Lakers showtime style brings out the biggest celebs in La La Land, typically led by jocular Jack Nicholson. But the N.Y. Knicks have lured the biggest stars and paparazzi into Madison Square Garden for decades. Film director and front-row super supporter Spike Lee still dresses in his craziest clothes and dandiest glasses, hoping to will the Knicks to their first NBA championship since 1973. Fat Joe, Tracy Morgan, Chris Rock, and Ben Stiller are other frequent high-profile attendees. Knick Fans Gotta Have It! Decked out in the distinctive N.Y. Knickerbocker hues of orange and blue, Spike Lee…

When your team manages to construct the best roster in a particular pro sport, they may not need the MVP. If your team plays tightly together, with the pivotal pieces interchangeable, they don´t need the same high scorer or rebounder night in and night out. And even when they lose the previous season´s ´Sixth Man of The Year,´ it may not matter, because the collective is what counts. The ´17th Man´ thus becomes more critical. Was Brad a Bad Coach? http://gty.im/893127498 In the current case of the high-flying Boston Celtics, they happen to boast the so-called ´17th Man´ (hey, I…

Real Madrid fans may not necessarily drool now after being spoiled rotten for decades. The Spanish capital´s squad has boasted attacking star after star, from Spain´s goal machine Raúl to the Ronaldos (the Brazilian number 9 and the Portuguese number 7). Then comes the current dazzling crop of Rodrygo and Vini Jr. who´ve just lifted the Spaniards to a decisive draw away against Bayern Munich in the Champions League semis. Soon another elite Brazilian speedster named Endrick will arrive to thrill Los Galácticos. Endrick Emerges  http://gty.im/2149579653 Perhaps only Pelé, also called the Black Pearl and widely referred to as the…

There´s a 10-mile stretch of cruel concrete soccer courts below the River Thames in South London. That expanse of rugged pavement has also spawned 10 percent of the English Premier League´s recent top talent, according to a 2021 study. Southside hotshots like Jadon Sancho, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Eberechi Eze, Joe Gomez, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, and Tammy Abraham are but some of the stars who cut their teeth in that sizzling south zone. Go South of the (Thames) River, Son http://gty.im/2151417456 Even former Manchester United monster and England international Rio Ferdinand hosted a TV series called South of the River. The film took…

The Miami Heat begged their diehard fans for a ´White Out´ at home in Game 4 of their NBA playoff series against the Boston Celtics. Surely there were heaps of flashy white clothes in the Kaseya Center, but they only served to light a fire under a certain C named Derrick White. The Celtics sharpshooter connected on eight 3s in the game, along with a couple of thunderous dunks. White´s career-high 38 points helped Boston banish the Heat, despite the temporary loss of willow tree Kristaps Porzingis to a calf strain. Why’s Celtics Guard Derrick White Suddenly So Wicked? http://gty.im/1246437271…

Brazilian astro Thiago Silva tearfully announced his Chelsea exit at the end of this English Premier League campaign. He´ll be 39 years old after four fruitful years with the London outfit. Silva anchored the Blue’s defense as they found their way to 2021 Champions League success. Now, right as he declares his departure, Stamford Bridge rumors swirl that he´ll soon be back in a coaching capacity. Meanwhile, embattled Argentine manager Mauricio Pochettino remains in the hot seat, for the time being. The Chelsea boss lamented the fact that the organization has sunk close to £1 billion into the club, but…

You’ll have to take a momentary back seat, Cam Neely, as current Bruin captain Brad Marchand scored again on Saturday night. The Boston Bruins toppled the Toronto Maple Leafs, 3-1, in Game 4 of their puck series. The Beantowners now sit on the verge of an NHL playoff showdown against the Florida Panthers in the second round. In constant motion, Marchand used his typical Tasmanian Devil approach to crack a tie with the legendary Neely as the all-time post-season high scorer for the storied Bruin franchise. After notching his 56th playoff goal for the Bruins since 2011 and passing the revered Neely,…

You may think you can´t get too hot and bothered about climate change just yet. After all, today, you´ve got a thousand other pressing things to do. But when you hear the dire warnings currently coming from ESPN, scientists, and FIFA itself that your stadium could soon sink, sit up and take notice. There´s no way for us to hide our heads in the sand anymore. About one in four (that´s a whopping 25 percent, folks!) of the stadiums in the highest four divisions of English football will suffer from partial or total flooding in the next quarter century (that´s…

The Florida Panthers have clawed their way to a sizeable 3-0 series advantage in Alligator Alley action against rivals Tampa Bay. However, the Lightning won´t go without a sizzle. The puck drops once more in Tampa´s Amalie Arena on Saturday night, April 27, as the cross-state rivalry continues to rip. Expect the Lightning to leave the home locker room all set to check, hit hard, and drop the gloves as soon as the chance arises. Sharpshooting Panther Matthew Tkachuk found the back of the net twice as Florida skated away 5-3 winners in Game 3. “We’re in a position right…

Growing up in Brazil, my 12-year-old son Miguel absolutely loves Vini Jr., the Brazilian superstar. While I´m a white American, my son´s mother is African-Brazilian. But Miguel doesn´t care at all about Vini´s skin color. He adores this incredible Junior because he´s lightning-fast. Moreover, he constantly twists dizzy defenders inside out with his elastic soccer dribbles. How Does Vini Jr. Handle Spain´s Rampant Racism? http://gty.im/2105323533 The fact that Vini Jr. does a dance or two after scoring glorious goals for a couple of the world´s best teams, Brazil and Real Madrid, only makes him more fun to watch. Yet Vini…

Arsenal kicks the bucket at home on Sunday against Aston Villa. Surely, there´s only agony for the Gunners´ as their English Premier League (EPL) title hopes are now all but over after losing to Villa, 2-0. Pundits say there´s no way Manchester City will falter in their remaining six games. For the second year running, Arsenal had one hand on the Cup, and let it slip. Liverpool fell dramatically to third after biting the bullet against lowly Crystal Palace, 1-0, on April 14, 2024. Jurgen Klopp´s last season as the Reds´ manager tastes increasingly bitter. What does this loss mean…

If you ever played any sport, and happened to have a bad game, you know you could be booed. Much more than a boo: a fan whips Moroccan soccer player, Abderrazak Hamdallah, in public in the UAE. Hamdallah´s team, Al Ittihad, had just fallen 4-1 in the Saudi Super Cup final to bitter rivals, Al Hilal, on April 11, 2024. After all, we do get the word ´fan´ directly from ´fanatic.´ Fan whips player wells up from a deep-rooted place called fanaticism. Social media video quickly showed the shocking strike. Hamdallah, a 33-year-old striker from Morocco, walked towards the endline…

Husky headman Dan Hurley and his UConn Huskies just completed their latest devastating NCAA run. They plowed past Purdue, 75-60, clinching their second straight national title. In addition, the Husky headman danced his way into the almighty company, joining the immortal John Wooden who won six consecutive championships (and nine of 10) with UCLA in the late ´60s. Hurley also joined more recent elite coaching company. Billy Donovan was the last to cop two consecutive titles with Florida in 2006 and 2007. Coach K (message me if you know how to pronounce his last name!) accomplished the same tough task…

John Textor sits pretty on a billion-dollar stockpile. The U.S. soccer king also owns controlling interests in numerous pro soccer clubs the world over. These include 90% of Brazil´s Botafogo (´Set Fire´ is the direct translation), Belgium´s Molenbeek, England´s Crystal Palace, France´s Lyon, and the OL (Seattle) Reign. Now, the billionaire faces trial in Brazil. Is he really responsible for bringing the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) into disrepute? Will he drag down giants Palmeiras and São Paulo F.C. as well? U.S. Soccer King: Can AI Show Match-Fixing? Textor made most of his moola from streaming platforms like FuboTV. It´s no…

‘Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire’ is now playing in theaters near you! But forget your movie tickets for a minute. Just tune in on April 8 to marvel at the mouth-watering matchup between Purdue’s modern-day boilermaker Zach ‘Godzilla’ Edey and UConn’s Donovan ‘Kong’ Clingan. 2024’s NCAA championship hoop game will decide which big man rules the lofty empire of college basketball for another year. Of course, this intergalactic battle is based on Purdue pummeling N.C. State in Saturday’s first men’s semifinal. Then UConn has to crush Alabama by their normal victory margin of 27.8 points in the second. (You…

There is simply no greater Cinderella story than N.C. State winning the March Madness tournament. (Well, Cinderella herself might rank right up there.) This is truly a Jimmy V revival in the making. The Wolfpack won it in the last second, against all odds, in 1983 with a coach who became so famous that writers don´t even put a period after his initial. Is N.C. State on the verge of doing the dramatic deed again in 2024? What´s the Best Basketball State in the Nation? http://gty.im/2123617141 Also, no state in this grand union is perennially better at college hoops…

Has German soccer been hit hard by the Adidas snub? After seven decades of support by the three-striped talisman, the German national team suddenly decides to ditch the long-standing sponsor. Sure, everybody knows that big deals come and go. But shouldn´t Adidas forever be part of the German DNA? The country´s football history is full of powerful performances by both the men and women wearing Adidas, while winning World Cups and European Championships, stretching way back to 1954. But now (in 2027 to be precise), Adidas gets the boot by American monster Nike. The End of A 77-Year Honeymoon http://gty.im/56142257…

Terrific ´Bama transfer, Grant Nelson, carried the Crimson Tide as they knocked out NCAA hoop icons UNC, 89-87. The 6´10″ North Dakotan Nelson nailed shot after tough shot as Alabama battled to keep favored Carolina at bay in the NCAA Men´s Sweet 16. At the moment, the tide has totally turned (yes, pun intended). Alabama now finds itself in the Final Four, with a single bump in the road ahead: a hot hoops juggernaut called UConn. Momentarily, the kids from the Cotton State—in particular native son Mark Sears and frosh Jarin Stevenson—can rest on their laurels for a week. They…

Fans, players, and pundits around the world are drooling over the pivotal match pitting Arsenal against hosts Man City. On March 31, 2024, the English Premier League Championship (EPL) will boil over at Etihad Stadium. The Gunners take the field with a slim lead, only on goal difference. Liverpool lurks in second, with City another point back. Arsenal against Manchester City is surely one of England’s most traditional and frequent fixtures. This Easter Sunday’s scuffle will be the 211th battle between the two teams. And this time around, with everything at stake, it could be the best ever. Arsenal Owns…