data-mm-id=”_68g5wg9mo”>On Monday, New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ardern happily announced to the world that her country is coronavirus-free. It has been 75 days since New Zealand instituted its lockdown protocols, and now two weeks since the last known case of the virus. New Zealand's population will now be able to return to their normal lives with absolutely no restrictions. This is extraordinarily encouraging news for everybody. While most countries still have a lot of work to do in order to get to where New Zealand is, the simple fact that they got there is reason for optimism. What this also means is that we sports fans will be seeing fans packing seats once more. With all restrictions being lifted, New Zealanders can flock to stadiums en masse. As it so happens, their ne…

data-mm-id=”_js5eu8r5g”>New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara has not been at camp recently, and reports suggest it's a pointed absence to advance discussions of a contract extension. Kamara is entering the final year of his rookie deal and certainly outperformed his contract as a three-time Pro Bowler and Offensive Rookie of the Year who can do anything and everything out of the backfield. But Kamara struggled with injuries last year and didn't come into the offseason with the best leverage for a new deal. But it would seem the Saints aren't interested in those discussions, as Josina Anderson reports New Orleans is open to trading its star tailback. Here are four potential destinations for Kamara. Similar to the Yannick Ngakoue trade from last weekend, whoever ge…

data-mm-id=”_8xsrs3yc3″>The NFL seems hellbent on barreling through this season with as much grace as a rhinoceros in an antique shop. The latest example comes with their pending decision to proceed with Week 5 games featuring teams that have at least one new COVID-positive test (Patriots-Broncos, Raiders-Chiefs) and the idea the Titans might have to forfeit their critical game against the Bills because the former hasn't been able to get their COVID outbreak under control.Well, that makes as much sense as eating a poop-flavored lollipop..@DanGrazianoESPN just said on ESPN's @GetUpESPN that Sunday's Week 5 game between the #Bills & #Titans could go down as a forfeit for Tennessee instead of it being re-scheduled— Nick (@Nick_Wojton) October 7, 2020Last week, the NFL…

data-mm-id=”_5cyd10jj7″>Curt Schilling failed to make it into the Baseball Hall of Fame this year, as did every candidate on the list. Schilling garnered 71.1 percent of the vote, falling 16 votes shy of the 75 percent threshold for enshrinement. The former All-Star subsequently released a statement asking the Hall of Fame to remove him from the ballot after this latest failure. Schilling to the HOF: "I will not participate in the final year of voting. I am requesting to be removed from the ballot." https://t.co/Xjd8jRNCrd— Andrew Baggarly (@extrabaggs) January 26, 2021Here's the crux of Schilling's statement:””I will not participate in the final year of voting. I am requesting to be removed from the ballot. I’ll defer to the veterans committee and men whose opini…

data-mm-id=”_vigo579ec”>Liam McKeone and Kyle Koster went 6-8 this week and that .500 mark scooches ever further with the pair's record at 113-118 on the season. While a dominant year is long gone there's still plenty of opportunities to finish strong. Here are The Big Lead's Week 17 NFL predictions and picks against the spread. TITANS (+9.5) over COWBOYSDallas' offense has looked playoff ready with a fully healthy Dak Presoctt and the Titans seemed to be smack-dab in the middle of falling through the floor without a safety net. And yet does it really feel like a good idea to lay this many points to a team at home fighting for its playoff life? No, reader, it does not. Cowboys 20, Titans 14FALCONS (-3.5) over CARDINALS Woof. Trace McSorley almost defeating Tom Brady…

data-mm-id=”_x00qym465″>The Seattle Mariners were forced to place Jarred Kelenic on the 10-day IL on Thursday with a broken foot and expect him to miss an "extended period of time." The injury was suffered in front of thousands of viewers; Kelenic kicked a cooler after striking out in the ninth inning of Wednesday's contest with the Minnesota Twins. He kicked it so hard he broke his foot and will now miss extended time as his team attempts to bridge the 5.5-game gap between them and a Wild Card berth. Jarred Kelenic kicked a cooler in the dugout after striking out in the 9th last night and broke a bone in his foot. Scott Servais: “He feels terrible. He knows he let a lot of people down.”— Adam Jude (@A_Jude) July 20, 2023That last point was hammered home during Kel…

data-mm-id=”_dd4nxv8th”>Tua Tagovailoa and the Miami Dolphins have what most consider to be the NFL's most explosive offense and they're not above using a little trickery from time to time. On Sunday night against the Philadelphia Eagles, Tagovailoa used a little sleight of hand to toss a no-look pass to Tyreek Hill.The play came on first-and-10 from Philadelphia's 23-yard line. Tagovailoa faked the handoff to Raheem Mostert, and while his back was turned, he tossed the ball forward to Hill, who was running the other way just behind the offensive. It was a really slick play. Watch:The Dolphins going into their bag of tricks early 😮📺: #MIAvsPHI on NBC📱: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/0rIJPFKW6L pic.twitter.com/cCY8bEn6V8— NFL (@NFL) October …