Most of my work covers American sports, but once in a while a piece requires a conversation with President of Ireland, Michael D. Higgins
Published Sports Pieces
PeachtreeHoops: This Day in Hawks History - April 7, 1969
On an April night in San Diego in 1969, Hawks point guard Walt Hazzard stepped to the free throw line late in the fourth quarter against the San Diego Rockets with a chance to give Atlanta its first playoff series victory in a major professional sports league.
FantasyPros: By the Numbers Week 3
Whether a tree falling in a lonely forest makes a sound has been debated ad nauseam in popular culture since the early 1700s, but the answer – and its implications – go beyond the famous question itself.
PeachtreeHoops: Dedmon brings ‘veteran leadership’
No matter what impact Dedmon has on the court during the second half of the season, it’s clear the move to acquire him had almost as much – or more – to do with his fit in the locker room, evidence strengthened by teammates’ postgame comments on his return.
FantasyPros: 2020 NFL Draft Running Back Sleepers
In recent seasons, first-rounders Todd Gurley, Ezekiel Elliott, Saquon Barkley and Christian McCaffrey have found early success at the NFL level, but as have second-day and later draft picks such as Alvin Kamara, Aaron Jones, Le’Veon Bell and Nick Chubb. As evidenced, significant value can and likely will be found among running back sleepers in the 2020 NFL draft.
Peachtree Hoops: Catching up with Hawks center Damian Jones
In 2018, Damian Jones started at center for the Golden State Warriors in Game 3 of the Western Conference finals against the Portland Trail Blazers. The 24-year-old’s future in Golden State appeared promising at that point, even after he missed most of the regular season with a torn pectoral and had struggled with injuries and competition level in his first two years in the NBA.
Medill News: Jesus Coll and the First Esports Scholarship Athletes
CHICAGO — The next big thing in college athletics is simmering beneath the city streets of downtown Chicago, tucked away in a basement full of computer science majors whose sweaty palms and beady eyes indicate they’ve been battling for hours.
PeachtreeHoops:
Quotables from the 76ers locker room after Atlanta’s 127-117 win
All-Stars Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons, as well as 76ers starters Shake Milton and Tobias Harris, weighed in on Trae Young’s growth and what makes his skillset so difficult to defend.
Courier-Journal: Former Louisville player Donovan Mitchell a rising NBA star trying to stay grounded
LOS ANGELES – Donovan Mitchell’s star is shining a little bit brighter after he added Slam Dunk Contest champion to his Rookie of the Year Award résumé at NBA All-Star Weekend.
Medill News: Catching Up with All-Star Weekend’s Mascot Babysitter
LOS ANGELES – Several recognizable team mascots have entertained spectators throughout NBA All-Star Weekend, but who is the middle-aged man wearing 10 credentials and chasing them from event to event?
FantasyPros: Players to Target in NL-Only Drafts
While some will point to Coors Field as an indictment on Nolan Arenado’s numbers, an argument which his career home/road splits and hard-hit rate support, he’s still a guy who has batted .300 and averaged 40 home runs, 124 RBIs and 104 runs over the past five seasons.
FantasyPros:
Analyzing Slow Fantasy Baseball Starters
Going into 2018, Paul Goldschmidt was a consensus top-10 fantasy draft pick, boasting cross-category upside and consistency for fantasy managers looking to hit on a sure thing in the first round. He returned managers’ investments with an uninspiring start that saw him batting .208 with only seven home runs, two steals, and 19 RBIs through the end of that May.
The Irish Times: Patriots, Rams and Super Bowl Déjà Vu
Seventeen years, 12 conference championship appearances and four Super Bowl victories later, the Patriots will once again face the Rams on February 3rd in the Super Bowl. In many ways besides the date, the story is the same for New England.
The Irish Times: Patriots Embrace Underdog Role
After Sunday’s dominant 41-28 divisional-round victory over the favored LA Chargers, New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady acknowledged his team was now an underdog, telling a CBS reporter that “everybody thinks we suck and can’t win any games.”
The Irish Times: Eagles’ magic continues on Wild Card Weekend
The Eagles are facing third and goal with one minute left in Sunday’s Wild Card Playoff match against the Bears. Chicago is leading, 15-10. Can Nick Foles do it again?
The Irish Times: No Carson Wentz, still no problem for the Eagles
The NFL’s best back-up quarterback Nick Foles turned in a masterful performance on Sunday in a must-win game for the Eagles, who over the coming weeks will hope to replicate a 2017 playoff run that ended with a Super Bowl victory over the Patriots.
The Irish Times: Jackson’s dancing feet put Ravens in playoff picture
While passing statistics indicate Jackson has been one of the worst traditional drop-back passers in the league this season, his ability to extend plays and gain first downs with his legs has made this once anemic attack unpredictable and at times dynamic.
The Irish Times: Philip Rivers sets up best chance at a Super Bowl
San Diego Chargers general manager A.J. Smith took a calculated risk when he drafted quarterback Eli Manning out of the University of Mississippi with the first overall pick in the 2004 NFL Draft, as Manning was on record saying he did not want to play in San Diego and would not sign with the team.
The Irish Times: Bills may have struck gold with Josh Allen
While there are a lot of “ifs” in projecting Allen’s future success, Bills fans should be encouraged that this season has been more boom than bust for the new face of the franchise.
The Irish Times: Chiefs’ attack prolific without Hunt
Losing a player of Hunt’s caliber would appear crippling for a team a decade ago, but a league-wide devaluing of the running back position in recent seasons and Kansas City’s 40-point effort against the Raiders in week 13 represent positive indicators for Chiefs fans.
The Irish Times: Green Bay Packers lose key Seattle clash
The mystique of 2010’s Super Bowl win has worn off and there will be no more excuses for this football team. It appears they will have to run the table to save McCarthy’s job, if a decision on his firing has not already been made.
The Irish Times: Jekyll and Hyde Cowboys muddy playoff waters
The Cowboys have been one of the most frustrating teams to watch this season, sometimes showing the balanced effort of a Super Bowl contender, other times looking like a below average team plagued by inconsistent quarterback play and a disjointed organizational vision.
The Irish Times: What are the implications of Rams’ first loss?
Leading up to the Saints’ 45-35 victory over the Rams on Sunday, there was talk of LA’s newest franchise going undefeated and flying into the playoffs as the NFC’s No. 1 seed.
The Irish Times: Jaguars playoff hopes take a big hit in London
Coming into this season, the Jaguars were riding the energy of the franchise’s first AFC Championship appearance in 18 years and the words of outspoken star cornerback Jalen Ramsey, who criticized just about every quarterback in the league in a GQ profile published in August.
The Irish Times: Eric Reid’s Malcolm Jenkins issue
Before Sunday’s match between the Panthers and Eagles, recently signed Carolina safety Eric Reid and Eagles safety Malcolm Jenkins had to be separated by referees. Rarely do interactions like this occur during pregame warm-ups between two players of the same position, and even more rarely is the issue at hand a political one.
The Irish Times: Brady gets the better of Mahomes as Patriots edge Chiefs
Coordinators leave and the receivers are different each year, but one thing remains clear in New England after the Patriots’ 43-40 victory against the Chiefs on Sunday: Tom Brady and the gang are Super Bowl contenders yet again, and there is no sense in doubting this reality.
The Irish Times: Giants still lacking quarterback spark
In an interview taped earlier in the week with ESPN’s Josina Anderson, star wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. responded “I don’t know,” when asked if there was an issue at quarterback in New York.
General Assignment Work
The Irish Times: There’s a passion that we need change – Democrats Abroad in Dublin
San Francisco native and first-year Trinity College political science student Morgan Hildula, 18, remembers friends crying in the hallway of her secondary school the morning after the 2016 American presidential election.
The Irish Times: School closures: ‘Where are 1,200 students going to go?’
Every morning, Olga Morgan, a stay-at-home mother of five, prepares her son Andy, 6, for a taxi that takes him from their home in Clonee, Co Meath, to Tyrrelstown Educate Together National School. Andy, who is non-verbal and attends a specialised autism unit at the school, relies on this routine.
The Irish Times: Budget hurts Hairdressing Industry
Hairdresser David Marshall, 65, has watched many salons close over the years, including his own flagship store on Dublin’s Dawson Street in 2011. With the release of today’s budget – which calls for a 4.5 percent increase of the VAT on hairdressing services – he fears more dark days are ahead for the industry.
The Irish Times: Selfless acts of bravery marked at water safety awards
Martin Cullinane, 46, remembers sitting for dinner in his first-floor apartment last April when he looked out the window to see two young brothers screaming for help, floundering in the cold, choppy tidal waters of Mariners Quay in Passage West, Co Cork. From that point, Mr Cullinane’s memory fades.
The Irish Times: Story of seven ‘magnificent’ children on display at National Gallery
The exhibition honoring the children and their performance will be on display for one month to highlight the importance of making arts available to every child, regardless of their physical abilities.
The Irish Times: Video of wheelchair user wins student art competition
The animation of a day in Sophie’s life took first prize at the competition’s awards ceremony in Dublin’s City Hall on Wednesday, where a shortlist of 45 pieces (of more than 2,4000 entries throughout Ireland) ranging from posters and collages to large sculptural illustrations were also on display.
The Irish Times: Schools awarded yellow flags for efforts to increase diversity
Holywell Educate Together National School’s choir rendition of ‘This is Me’ from the American musical The Greatest Showman made for a most fitting opening to Wednesday morning’s Yellow Flag Programme ceremony at Dublin’s Liberty Hall Theatre.
The Irish Times: Befriending campaign launched for elderly
Seated for tea at Dublin’s Powerscourt Townhouse Centre, comedian Katherine Lynch shared anecdotes from her youth and explained the importance of reaching out to elderly people who may be suffering from loneliness, especially during the holiday season.
The Irish Times: Families remember those killed on the roads
Many survivors remember where they were when they heard the news of the death of their loved ones, their last conversation with them and the endless unfulfilled dreams and promises.
Elber Twomey’s date of remembrance is July 6th, 2012.
The Irish Times: ‘It was like glass shattering’ - homeless children tell their stories
Leonitia Jordan had been renting and moving from house to house since 2008 before settling into homeless accommodations with her three young children a year and a half ago. Since that time, the four of them have shared a single room in a converted bed and breakfast.
The Irish Times: Plaque marks Beatles 1963 concert
On November 7th, 1963, a 14-year-old Terrie Colman-Black anxiously waited for The Beatles to appear from behind beautiful red curtains at the Adelphi Cinema on Middle Abbey Street. She had suffered through “everybody else that played before them,” so when John, Paul, Ringo and George began singing at their first of two shows that evening, she screamed.
The Irish Times: DeafHear changes name to Chime
Gary Kearney, 54, still remembers waking up in his hospital bed eight years ago with double vision and a headache, unsure where he was or what had happened to him the night before.
His nurses informed him he had been mugged and drugged, and that he had sustained brain haemorrhaging and severed nerves in his skull, among other injuries.
The Irish Times: ‘Marley & Me’ author draws tears from Trinity audience
John Grogan, author of New York Times best-selling autobiographical book Marley & Me, pauses when asked what he thinks of Owen Wilson, who portrayed Grogan in the book’s film adaptation. “He had this odd ability to get inside my skin,” Grogan says, laughing. “He got how I behave as a husband.”