Sports Poets Society

UP FROM MEAN STREETS, PISTON HERO ISIAH THOMAS USHERS IN A NEW ERA FOR HIS FAMILY WILLIAM NACK TABLE OF CONTENTS ORIGINAL LAYOUT They were lounging around one day talking about religion, not basketball, and all at once the conversation turned to the afterlife. Isiah Thomas gave the idea a long moment of reflection, and at last he said to his wife, quite earnestly, "Lynn, do you think they have basketball in heaven?" Well, she allowed that, yes, they probably did play hoops in the ever after. "I sure hope they do," mused Isiah. "They've got to have some form of recreation up there. I mean, sitting around eating grapes would be cool for a while, but you have to have something to do. I sure do hope they play ball. If not, I'll be the Naismith of heaven." Isiah Thomas is a romantic , off and on the basketball court, and the game is the central passion in his life. "I'm in love with basketball," Thomas says. "It's my release. It...

https://www.facebook.com/marco.ciriello.9 di MARCO CIRIELLO Il suo orizzonte ero lo stadio dell’Ajax, ad accompagnarlo il profumo di mele – che vendeva suo padre e prima suo nonno – e lui, Johan Cruyff, portava lo stupore.  Ha cambiato squadra, campo, paese, lingua, senza mai perderlo. Questa era la formazione base: luogo, atmosfera, capacità.  Pallone, spettacolo e partite gli appartenevano, era un accentratore – che qualche volta dribblava troppo, ma quando poi si liberava del pallone con l’esterno lanciando in porta un compagno, tutti si convincevano dell’importanza dei suoi dribbling e nessuno più fiatava –, solo John McEnroe l’ha bordeggiato in tirannide agonistica.  Cruyff era il calciatore senza peso, quello che agiva infischiandosene del contesto, perché a ogni causa, principio, azione, anteponeva se stesso. E non perché non fosse generoso, no, ma perché sapeva di essere quello che stava cucendo il prima e il dopo del calcio.  Era la differenza, lo scarto, l’...

https://www.espn.com/chicago/nba/columns/story?columnist=isaacson_melissa&id=4826990 Melissa Isaacson, ESPN.com Jan 14, 2010, 07:09 PM ET They called her "Dear," which was short for "Mother Dear," not to be confused with "Mommie Dearest," but not to be taken too lightly, either. When Mary Thomas died Wednesday morning at age 87, leaving seven children and 50-plus grandchildren and great-grandchildren -- "We really have to count again," said her daughter Ruby Carlsen -- her youngest son Isiah was overwhelmed by the void she leaves. Her sweetness and toughness and love had no limits. One thing is for sure: What Mary Thomas wanted out of life never had a price tag dangling from it. Still, that never stopped Isiah from trying. He bought her a new house in a nice suburb, and she resisted going. He bought her furs, and she would carry them over her arm. Isiah Thomas once treated his mom to a shopping trip along Michigan Avenue, a la the scene from...

Vainqueur de quatre étapes, le Slovène a cadenassé la concurrence pour remporter facilement le Tour de Catalogne. Un signe fort avant de se lancer à l’assaut de son premier Giro, puis du Tour. 25 Mar 2024 - L'Équipe DE NOTRE ENVOYÉ SPÉCIAL MANUEL MARTINEZ (ESPAGNE) – La mèche (blonde) toujours aussi rebelle et le sourire immuable, Tadej Pogačar, 25 ans, a de toute évidence conquis le public massé durant une semaine sur les routes du Tour de Catalogne. Sans doute parce qu’il n’a eu de cesse de passer à l’offensive. Avec l’art et la manière «Attaquer est dans ses gènes, soutient Joxean Matxin Fernandez, le manager sportif de l’équipe UAE Emirates. C’est un gagneur-né, il prend du plaisir sur le vélo et c’est communicatif. Les gens le ressentent, il ne joue pas un rôle.» Pour sa première participation à l’épreuve catalane, après avoir remporté les Strade Bianche et terminé troisième de Milan-San Remo, le Slovène a livré un récital de haute composition. À l’évidence, il se s’est pas av...