Sports Illustrated

now on si tv

Global ConnectionsGERMANY HAS become the land of opportunity for many of the best young American soccer players. The latest episode of Exploring Planet Fútbol on SI TV takes you on a road trip around Deutschland, as Sports Illustrated senior writer Grant Wahl visits four players fast on their way to becoming the backbone of the U.S. men’s national team: 20-year-old midfielders Tyler Adams (RB Leipzig), Weston McKennie (Schalke 04) and Christian Pulisic (Chelsea), and 19-year-old defender Chris Richards (Bayern Munich II). Each shares his experiences of playing and living in Germany; USMNT fans will not be disappointed.Half travel show and half soccer show, Exploring Planet Fútbol uses the world’s most popular sport to examine the culture of a country. In an episode on Japan, which will debut in late May,…

clutch shots

JESSE D. GARRABRANTNBA PHOTOGRAPHERI WAS ON strobes, so I would only get that one frame—I had to time it perfectly. I’d rather have the ball up a little bit in the air so there’s less time on the clock. That’s why I waited that little bit of time while the ball was at its peak. His shot was so short. I’m up on one knee, ready to run down the court just in case I have to, but once it hit, I’m like, “I’m gonna take a seat back down because we’re going to overtime.” And then it hits the rim four times and it looks like somebody pushed it in from the other side. It was crazy, because right before the play I was thinking that 18 years ago,…

inbox

… LET HIM FLIP!Before I read Stephanie Apstein’s article I thought of White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson as immature. After reading it, I can see his point of view a little better. I understand and applaud his efforts to bring baseball to inner-city kids, his willingness to sign autographs and to take photos. I can certainly get behind his notion of making baseball fun. I admire his desire to join the conversation about race in America.Michael JenningsHot Springs, Ark.Anderson may be suffering slightly from delusions of grandeur when he says, “I kind of feel like today’s Jackie Robinson.” Not quite. There was nothing worse in baseball’s history than the color line—and the way African-American players were treated back in the day. Anderson’s blatant profanity, and arrogant behavior in general, do…

tiger and roger

LET’S START with a couple of stories. This first one, you probably know.The boy’s father could tell something was different. At six months old, the boy could balance on his father’s palm as he walked through their home. At 10 months he could climb down from his high chair, trundle over to a golf club that had been cut down to size and imitate the swing he’d been watching in the garage. At two—an age when physical developmental milestones include “kicks a ball” and “stands on tiptoe”—he went on national television and used a shoulder-height club to drive a ball past an admiring Bob Hope. That same year he entered his first tournament and won the 10-and-under division.At eight, the son beat his father for the first time. The father…

red kelly: 1927-2019

LEONARD PATRICK (RED) KELLY, who died on May 2 in Toronto at age 91, was a star as versatile as he was accomplished. Over the course of a 30-year NHL career, which included 10 seasons coaching, he won eight Stanley Cups, the most of any player without a stint in Montreal. On the ice, he was an integral member of two dynasties (the 1950s Red Wings and the ’60s Maple Leafs)—at different positions. For 13 seasons Kelly was a defenseman with Detroit, an eight-time All-Star who won the inaugural Norris Trophy, in ’54. Then, after being traded to Toronto in ’60, he began playing center, moved there by coach Punch Imlach, who was looking for a check against Canadiens star Jean Béliveau.The pleasant by-products of that switch came in the…

eye openers

THE WNBA TIPS OFF on May 24, and this season should be the most-watched in the league’s 23-year history. Under a new deal signed on April 22, CBS will broadcast 40 games in 2019—and that’s in addition to the 35 that will be shown on ESPN and the 20 that will be streamed on Twitter. Here are three story lines you should be paying attention to.WALKING WOUNDEDSeveral of the league’s top stars will be missing when the season begins, including Mercury guard Diana Taurasi (who had back surgery in April), Dream forward Angel McCoughtry (who tore her right ACL last August) and Wings guard Skylar Diggins-Smith (who gave birth in April). Storm forward Breanna Stewart, the 2018 league and finals MVP, ruptured her right Achilles tendon while playing for Dynamo…