Aston Villa player’s father-in-law plays role in late deal that ‘wasn’t that easy’

data-mm-id=”_evf9ein3r”>Not long ago, Michigan was in free fall. Gone were the days of being the hottest, fastest-rising team in college basketball. The blistering 7-0 start and unprecedented poll ascension were in the rearview. Losers of nine of the last 13, the Wolverines were in serious jeopardy of missing the NCAA Tournament entirely if some form of stabilization couldn't be found. With backs against the wall, first-year coach Juwan Howard was under the gun to find answers and find them fast. And he did. Time after time. The Wolverines responded. They cruised past rival Michigan State before destroying Northwestern and Indiana. Then on Tuesday they did something no other team in the country had done this year: Go to Rutgers and emerge with a victory. Without Isaiah Livers, who…

data-mm-id=”_6slvfly3u”>Spring training has begun for Major League Baseball, and we're all ready to put an offseason of controversy and finger-pointing behind us once and for all. While much is expected of the teams on this list this season, keep in mind that the defending world champion came from out of nowhere to take the trophy.Here are five teams that will exceed their projected win totals:Philadelphia Phillies (Projection: 85.5 wins)For the past two seasons, the Phillies started hot before fading down the stretch to finish just below .500. Ultimately, manager Gabe Kapler was the one held accountable for the Phillies' "phailures" and was given the boot. Reinforcements have arrived in the form of two former Yankees: new manager Joe Girardi and shortstop Didi Greg…

data-mm-id=”_lzrfzjigx”>The Premier League has been given the go-ahead by the British government to resume operations on June 1st. Clubs met on Monday to discuss "Project Restart" as coronavirus restrictions begin to loosen in the UK. Unfortunately, it's not quite as easy rolling the ball out and saying, "Play futbol."The EPL faces a number of hurdles before actual matches resume. Teams will have to train together and then play games in empty, neutral stadiums. Testing will be extensive and costly. Players, especially black players, have concerns about their personal risk. Bottom tier teams want to scrap relegation if they have to play at neutral sites. Then there is the complication of UK broadcast rights. If the NBA started tomorrow we'd probably have ac…

data-mm-id=”_itzuzhmwr”>The Players Coalition, a charity and advocacy organization founded by Anquan Boldin and Malcolm Jenkins in 2017, has collected the signatures of 1,400 athletes and coaches in support of a bill that would end qualified immunity for police officers across America. Qualified immunity currently protects police from being held personally responsible when they are accused of brutality. Among those who have signed in support of the bill are Tom Brady, Drew Brees, Dak Prescott, Carson Wentz, Gregg Popovich and Steve Kerr. You can read the letter and look through the signatures here. Via ESPN:”Qualified immunity has shielded some of the worst law enforcement officials in America. The 8th Circuit applied it to an officer who wrapped a woman in a bear hug, slammed her to t…

data-mm-id=”_jucmndioo”>Lionel Messi shocked the soccer world on Friday by announcing he would stay at FC Barcelona. That is a big reversal for the 33-year-old superstar who was determined to leave a few days ago.It appears Messi returning wasn't entirely out of love for his long-time club. In his return announcement Messi essentially said he was returning because he didn't want to go to court or pay a financial penalty. He also ripped the team's management:Messi didn't hold back ? @brfootball pic.twitter.com/ffiAnEHSTw— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) September 4, 2020While Messi did say he loves the club and didn't want to take it to court to gain his release or hurt it financially, he made clear he wasn't happy and wanted to leave:””All year I’ve b…

data-mm-id=”_pbv2ddm9h”>For the first time in the Twitter era, the Atlanta Braves have reached a National League Championship Series. And in retrospect it's probably best the world didn't have access to this fanbase's every thought when they perfected the art of winning a division but falling short of winning a World Series. They've done so by stringing together a dominant stretch of pitching after unremarkable pedestrian work from the staff during the regular season. Four of five victories have come via shutout. The last team to do that? The 1905 New York Giants. There wasn't even instant replay back then. There were two teams in Boston not named the Red Sox. The Dodgers were going by Brooklyn Superbas. Wild time to be alive. The group has a 5-0 record and a 0…

data-mm-id=”_ziw78hpag”>A winter storm system ripped through Pittsburgh yesterday, dropping some snow. Fans of Punxsutawney Phil need not fret though, as local weatherman Phil Connors insists all the moisture from the Gulf is going to push off to the East and hit Altoona. The snowfall made transportation more difficult on Monday, especially as some of the roads didn't get the privilege of a visit from a salt truck. Anyone who has ever lived on a neglected avenue or boulevard knows the natural frustration that come with seeing the roadways remain slick and perilous. So the response from one local resident — William Weichler — seems reasonable. Give him the keys! Plahw deez roads pic.twitter.com/isCBRULPXV— Nick Maraldo (@nickmaraldo) February 2, 2021The man makes a point. If…

data-mm-id=”_fl5fxv1ha”>With the NFL postseason rapidly approaching, it is of paramount importance to rank all the quarterbacks who might be appearing based on different metrics. If ever there was content made for the week between Christmas and New Year's, this is it. Speak's angle yesterday was sussing out who the panel trusted most on the NFC side of the bracket not named Tom Brady. And you know if David Helman was weighing in on something, he was going to have a perfectly calm and perfectly correct take. Dak Prescott. .@DavidHelman_: If we're leaving Tom Brady out, the QB I trust the most in the playoffs is Dak Prescott. pic.twitter.com/nywNEibYun— Speak (@SpeakOnFS1) December 29, 2022As Helman says, words matter. When you're talking about trust, there are plen…

data-mm-id=”_7odfunbk6″>Elon Musk decided to rename Twitter to "X" last week and it has quickly become apparent that no preparation was done beforehand to help facilitate the brand change. The website is still very much set up for Twitter and the Twitter Headquarters sign in San Francisco is still on the building despite his best efforts because he failed to secure a permit to take it down. So everything is going great, thanks for asking. Last night Musk apparently directed his teams to get the new X logo up on top of their building. It is huge and extremely bright, to the great chagrin of people walking past it and all the residents in the apartment building across the street. I would be fucking LIVID. Imagine this fucking X sign right across from your bedroom. #x #twitter p…

data-mm-id=”_lxhby8wjz”>Aaron Rodgers has somehow managed to convince the masses that there is, in fact, hope that he will return to playing professional football mere months after he tore his Achilles at 38-years old. It's tough to blame New York Jets fans for blindly believing that it's possible given all they've been through but the appropriate, healthy skepticism on the matter appears to have disappeared entirely from the larger conversation. Which is why we now get widely-circulated videos every Sunday of Rodgers making incremental progress in his recovery. Here is the latest in that series– Rodgers doing some three-step dropbacks ahead of the Jets' matchup with the New York Giants today. Aaron Rodgers gets some throws in at MetLife this morning pic.twitter.co…