Sports Poets Society

https://vault.si.com/vault/1976/02/23/slicks-his-nameand-his-game SEATTLE'S NIFTY GUARD WOULD BE A SHOO-IN IN A POPULARITY CONTEST, TOO JOHN PAPANEK Sports Illustrated -  FEBRUARY 23, 1976 TABLE OF CONTENTS ORIGINAL LAYOUT Whether or not Slick Watts is the most popular athlete ever to perform in the state of Washington is no longer in question. Forget Hugh McElhenny, Elgin Baylor and Lenny Wilkens . The question now is: Why do Washingtonians regard a totally bald six-foot, 24-year-old black backcourtman as the most popular person ever to live in the state? What about Judy Collins? Bing Crosby? That celebrated pick and roll artist Jimi Hendrix ? The next President of the United States, Henry (Scoop) Jackson ? Watts, who plays for the Seattle Super-Sonics, isn't even close to being a superstar . He's a very good player and getting better, and he leads the young Sonics with boundless optimism and energy. He also leads the universe in color on court and off. Watts emerged 2½ y...

Slick Watts in 1976 in his signature headband. In the 1975-76 season, he became the first player to lead the N.B.A. in both assists and steals.Credit...George Gojkovich/Getty Images https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/16/obituaries/slick-watts-dead.html An undrafted, 6-foot-1 point guard with patchy hair, he made an enduring fashion statement and became seen as the ultimate Seattle SuperSonic . By Alex Traub Published March 16, 2025Updated March 18, 2025 Slick Watts, an unheralded, undersized, patchy-haired point guard who turned his obstacles into springboards, endearing himself to fans of the Seattle SuperSonics long past the team’s existence and helping to invent the headband as a basketball fashion signature, has died. He was 73. His son Donald announced the death on social media on Saturday in a statement that did not provide further details. In 2021, Watts had a major stroke, and he spent recent years dealing with lung sarcoidosis, an inflammatory condition. Watts played for the Sup...

Cédric Vasseur (54 ans) est le manager général de Cofidis depuis octobre 2017. La gestion de l’équipe Cofidis, et en particulier de son manager, a nourri des critiques de coureurs ces dernières semaines. Management dur dicté par l’exigence du haut niveau ou pression à la limite ? Éléments de réponse. "Régler les problèmes dans les médias,  cela ne profite à personne"    - AXEL ZINGLE, PARTI CET HIVER       CHEZ VISMA-LEASE A BIKE 19 Mar 2025 - L'Équipe ALEXANDRE ROOS (avec Y. Ha. et P. Me.) Un peu de fumée s’est échappée cet hiver de chez Cofidis, des témoignages de coureurs qui avaient quitté la maison rouge et blanc, Alexis Gougeard dans ces colonnes, Axel Mariault dans celles de Ouest-France, et qui regrettaient notamment d’être partis sans un échange avec Cédric Vasseur. Deux cas qui ne sont pas isolés. D’autres membres de l’équipe ont fait leurs valises sans explications. Trois entraîneurs ont été remerciés à la fin de l’an passé, dont Vincent Vil...

19 Mar 2025 - L'Équipe HUGO DELOM (avec D. D.) L’évolution du rôle d’Ousmane Dembélé sur ce stage soulève de réelles interrogations sur la répartition des rôles du trident offensif. Cette animation peut-elle fonctionner ? Dans l’histoire des choix tactiques de Didier Deschamps depuis 2012, celui-ci sera peut-être l’un des plus intéressants à analyser. Dès l’automne, alors qu’il n’occupait pas encore durablement une position axiale au PSG, le sélectionneur des Bleus réfléchissait à une inflexion du rôle d’Ousmane Dembélé. Avec une volonté de ne plus le cantonner à ce rôle d’ailier pur mais de lui offrir davantage de liberté. Notamment dans une position axiale.Ousmane Dembélé avec Bradley Barcola (à droite) lors de la victoire en Belgique (2-1), le 14 octobre. Dans ses récentes prises de parole, le sélectionneur des Bleus a insisté sur cette notion de « permutation» et de « flexibilité » .En clair, tout en cherchant à ce que son « animation offensive pose le plus de problèmes à l’adv...

Fans are entitled to feel euphoric but the Carabao Cup success is also a first significant victory for the club’s Saudi Arabian regime and its sportswashing project 18 Mar 2025 - The Guardian Barney Ronay Well, that’s the nice bit done. Warm feelings, heritage bonds, a cocoon of distracting noise. Wembley is such a different place on these domestic cup days, certainly compared with the Cliff Richard concert vibe of a midweek international. And that feeling was there right from the start of the Carabao Cup final on Sunday as Newcastle were awarded their first corner, drawing the most extraordinary outburst of noise, static, shared energy from one end to the other, filling all that empty Wembley air. There is no other human activity where this happens in the same way, an unchoreographed mass human theatre. But this is also power, and power is more than ever open to being used. So the nice bit is done. And maybe it is time now to look at this with a little more clarity. Two things can be ...

(Image credit: Getty Images) https://www.cyclingweekly.com/racing/tadej-pogacar-might-be-the-favourite-for-milan-san-remo-but-it-will-be-tricky-to-pull-off-the-win?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=dhfacebook&utm_content=null&fbclid=IwY2xjawJHo9dleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHWmaIBeYE1bbCY4eSWLpriYqTV_ODl5rOwgIBnKFN7OOpQXUD2rYY9h-iw_aem_vf2bRCp8mcfZLQ0FAIHb_Q The world champion can seemingly do it all, but Milan-San Remo might even be beyond him By Adam Becket March 18,2025 There is a probably apocryphal quote attributed to the Greek historian Plutarch, and Alexander the Great, that you’ll have heard, which goes along the lines of “When Alexander saw the breadth of his domain, he wept for there were no more worlds to conquer”. The dubious line does not quite apply to Tadej Pogačar , yet. The world champion might have won a lot - including Liège-Bastogne-Liège , the Giro d’Italia , the Tour de France , the World Championships , and Il Lombardia last year - but there...

2024 Milan-San Remo: Pogačar descends the Poggio  (Image credit: Getty Images) https://www.cyclingnews.com/news/uae-management-say-tadej-pogacar-is-getting-better-each-day-for-milan-san-remo-following-strade-bianche-crash/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=dhfacebook&utm_content=null&fbclid=IwY2xjawJHoRBleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHStZRtjvHyxzG511J4ttu0YpQK0U7zKHDM3J0W4LTtc_p8ZcRAMbGZ3f3Q_aem_9fhrfEzg_csxy_JBVpcPKw Definitive decision regarding Pogačar's Paris-Roubaix participation 'has been taken', but is yet to be made public By Alasdair Fotheringham published 1 hour ago Tadej Pogačar is building up well for his bid for a long-sought triumph in Milan-San Remo on Saturday, UAE team management say, while a decision regarding his participation in Paris-Roubaix this April has already been taken, but has yet to be made public. La Primavera, where Pogačar will be a lead favourite this Saturday in his fourth participation, and the Hell of the North, whe...

https://talksport.com/football/3029146/crystal-palace-dougie-freedman-saudi-arabia-al-diriyah-manchester-united/ Ben Jacobs Jackson Cole Published: 20:38, 17 Mar 2025 Updated: 9:27, 18 Mar 2025 Crystal Palace sporting director Dougie Freedman has left the club, the Premier League side have announced.  talkSPORT understands former Palace forward Freedman is leaving Selhurst Park for a new challenge in Saudi Arabia.  2Freedman is joining a club who will be in the second tier of Saudi football next seasonCredit: Rex The Scot is joining Al Diriyah, who will play in the second tier of Saudi football next season having won the Saudi Second Division Group B. talkSPORT also understands that Freedman would effectively be the head of sport for Diriyah Company, meaning he would possess an expansive role across multiple sports.  It's an unexpected move for Freedman, who looked set to join Manchester United last summer , but Al Diriyah are a club with potential to improve hugely. Al ...