As hard as it can be to remember now, with the Houston Astros headed for their fourth World Series in six seasons, the franchise was once notable for its capacity for self-inflicted losing. As part of a radical rebuilding plan, Houston from 2011 to 2013 became just the seventh team since 1901 to pile up […]
maya (Maya Sweedler, editor): Week 7 of the NFL season is almost done and dusted, and after some thrilling early weeks, it feels like the league has somewhat settled. Through Sunday, only half the league’s divisions include a five- or six-win team. Of those four divisions, just two include multiple such teams. (Are they the […]
As the Golden State Warriors embark on their fourth title defense in eight years, they are also trying to do something even more remarkable: bridge two eras together. From 2014-15 through 2018-19, the Warriors were by far the best team in basketball: They won 44 more regular-season games than any other team during that span, […]
Among the many side effects of MLB’s full-throated embrace of sabermetrics has been the rise of the bullpen in October. The old way of thinking — riding your headline starters until their arms could take no more — gradually gave way to the new prevailing tactic — shielding your starter from going through the opposing […]
It’s almost November, and NFL offenses still can’t find the end zone. That may not sound terribly surprising to anyone who’s watched the Denver Broncos play three ugly, nationally televised games in the season’s first six weeks, but the league’s offensive woes go far beyond Russell Wilson and Nathaniel Hackett. Teams are collectively averaging fewer […]