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	<title>Sports &#187; Sean Gregory &#124; TIME.com</title>
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	<link>http://keepingscore.blogs.time.com</link>
	<description>Where sports is on the mind</description>
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		<title>Sports &#187; Sean Gregory &#124; TIME.com</title>
		<link>http://keepingscore.blogs.time.com</link>
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		<title>NBA Playoffs: Why Are The Small Markets Winning?</title>
		<link>http://keepingscore.blogs.time.com/2013/05/21/nba-playoffs-why-are-the-small-markets-winning/</link>
		<comments>http://keepingscore.blogs.time.com/2013/05/21/nba-playoffs-why-are-the-small-markets-winning/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 21 May 2013 09:00:27 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Sean Gregory</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Basketball]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://keepingscore.blogs.time.com/?p=2346371</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Are you psyched about a Pacers-Grizzlies NBA Finals? Unless you&#8217;re from Indianapolis of Memphis, probably not. In truth, this matchup probably won&#8217;t happen, given that Indiana is trying to knock off LeBron James and the Miami Heat, who have looked unbeatable all season, and San Antonio has the Tim Duncan-Tony Parker-Manu Ginobili triumvirate, along with younger legs (Danny Green, Kawhi Leonard) that it has lacked in recent years. San Antonio also crushed Memphis, 105-83, in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals; Game 2 is Tuesday. The Eastern conference finals start Wednesday, in Miami. We could care less that these towns are &#8220;small-markets.&#8221; Memphis has the fewest TV homes in the NBA, and Indianapolis ranks 21st out of 28 in NBA market size. Rather, a lack of marquee names hurts them. More than any other sport, basketball is a star-driven enterprise. A great player can take over a game in all kinds of wild, wonderful ways that, say, a baseball player who hits once every nine at-bats cannot. Basketball players are visible, larger than life, and not covered by helmets or pants. As viewers, we get a courtside seat to their exploits. Indiana is a nice young team, with the Georges &#8212; Paul George, George Hill &#8212; mercurial guard Lance Stephenson, who had a breakout game &#8212; 25 points, 10 rebounds &#8212; in Saturday night&#8217;s Game 6 clincher against the New York Knicks, and the 7&#8217;2&#8243; Roy Hibbert coming into this own. But Indiana is the first conference finals team since 1994 not to feature a player who was a Top 5 draft pick. (MORE: Will Jason Collins Get An NBA Shot Next Year?) Memphis has one such player &#8212; speedy point guard Mike Conley, taken with the fourth pick of the 2007 draft. Forward Zach Randolph and Center Marc Gasol are a skilled one-two punch in the frontcourt. The Grizzlies are a fun team to watch. But the Spurs deserve at least shot at Miami. Tim Duncan has won four titles; Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili, three each. San<img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=keepingscore.blogs.time.com&#038;blog=33268979&#038;post=2346371&#038;subd=timekeepingscore&#038;ref=&#038;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
	<primary_category>Basketball</primary_category><primary_category_link>http://keepingscore.blogs.time.com/category/basketball-2/</primary_category_link><featured_image>http://timekeepingscore.files.wordpress.com/2013/05/169025788-copy.jpg?w=240</featured_image>
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			<media:title type="html">New York Knicks v Indiana Pacers - Game Six</media:title>
		</media:content>

		<media:content url="http://0.gravatar.com/avatar/6611ab521be756a66a200bd2b84b5e80?s=96&#38;d=http%3A%2F%2Fs0.wp.com%2Fi%2Fmu.gif&#38;r=G" medium="image">
			<media:title type="html">Sean Gregory</media:title>
		</media:content>
	</item>
		<item>
		<title>Why Brittney Griner Kept Her Sexuality Quiet</title>
		<link>http://keepingscore.blogs.time.com/2013/05/20/why-brittney-griner-kept-her-sexuality-quiet/</link>
		<comments>http://keepingscore.blogs.time.com/2013/05/20/why-brittney-griner-kept-her-sexuality-quiet/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 20 May 2013 09:00:33 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Sean Gregory</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[College Sports]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://keepingscore.blogs.time.com/?p=2346360</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Brittney Griner, the former Baylor University basketball star who now plays for the WNBA&#8217;s Phoenix Mercury, has been open about her sexuality around friends and family since her freshman year of high school. But in an interview with ESPN The Magazine and espnW, Griner says her coaches asked her not to come out publicly during her college playing career. &#8220;It was a recruiting thing,&#8221; said Griner, who told Sports Illustrated in an interview last month that she was gay. &#8220;The coaches thought that if it seemed like they condoned it, people wouldn&#8217;t let their kids come play for Baylor.&#8221; &#8220;It was more of an unwritten law [to not discuss your sexuality] &#8230; it was kind of, like, one of those things, you know, just don&#8217;t do it,&#8221; Griner told ESPN. &#8220;They tried to make it, like, &#8216;why put your business out on the street like that?&#8217;&#8221; (When asked to comment on Griner&#8217;s remarks, Baylor coach Kim Mulkey told ESPN, in a statement: &#8220;Brittney Griner represented Baylor University proudly on and off the basketball court, and she leaves behind an incredible legacy. I cannot comment on personal matters surrounding any of our student-athletes, but I can tell you Brittney will always be a celebrated member of the Baylor family.&#8221;) (MORE: Can A Woman Play In The NBA?) That the Baylor coaching staff would ask Griner to keep quiet isn&#8217;t surprising. For starters, ESPN notes that Baylor&#8217;s Student Policies and Procedures includes a &#8220;Statement on Human Sexuality.&#8221; It reads: Baylor University welcomes all students into a safe and supportive environment in which to discuss and learn about a variety of issues, including those of human sexuality. The University affirms the biblical understanding of sexuality as a gift from God. Christian churches across the ages and around the world have affirmed purity in singleness and fidelity in marriage between a man and a woman as the biblical norm. Temptations to deviate from this norm include both heterosexual sex outside of marriage and homosexual behavior. It is thus expected that Baylor students will not<img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=keepingscore.blogs.time.com&#038;blog=33268979&#038;post=2346360&#038;subd=timekeepingscore&#038;ref=&#038;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
	<primary_category>College Sports</primary_category><primary_category_link>http://keepingscore.blogs.time.com/category/college-sports-2/</primary_category_link><letterbox>1</letterbox><featured_image>http://timekeepingscore.files.wordpress.com/2013/05/169072595.jpg?w=240</featured_image>
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			<media:title type="html">Brittney Griner #42 of the Phoenix Mercury prepares to take a free throw shot against Japan during the preseason WNBA game at US Airways Center in Phoenix, on May 19, 2013.</media:title>
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		<media:content url="http://0.gravatar.com/avatar/6611ab521be756a66a200bd2b84b5e80?s=96&#38;d=http%3A%2F%2Fs0.wp.com%2Fi%2Fmu.gif&#38;r=G" medium="image">
			<media:title type="html">Sean Gregory</media:title>
		</media:content>
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		<title>Stupid Baseball Spending: Breaking Down The Early Season Leaders</title>
		<link>http://keepingscore.blogs.time.com/2013/05/16/stupid-baseball-spending-breaking-down-the-early-season-leaders/</link>
		<comments>http://keepingscore.blogs.time.com/2013/05/16/stupid-baseball-spending-breaking-down-the-early-season-leaders/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 16 May 2013 09:00:20 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Sean Gregory</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Baseball]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://keepingscore.blogs.time.com/?p=2346250</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[With its lack of a salary cap, and wild disparities in team payroll (New York Yankees &#8212; $228.8 million; Houston Astros &#8212; $22 million, or less than one A-Rod), baseball, more than any other major U.S. sport, pinpoints market inefficiencies. Stupid spenders, we know who you are. So about a month-and-a-half into the season, I thought I&#8217;d have a little fun with the numbers. Yes, it&#8217;s still early, and the fortunes of many teams will change, for better or worse. But when you see baseball teams making the same mistakes, again and again, you can&#8217;t help but take notice. Just look at the Toronto Blue Jays and Los Angeles Dodgers. Both teams seemed to buy a pennant in the offseason. The Dodgers, behind the financial muscle of their private-equity owners, and the smile of part-owner/franchise cheerleader Magic Johnson, signed staring pitcher Zack Greinke to a six-year, $147 million contract that raised eyebrows around the majors. Whoa, Greinke is good, but was he worth that much? Greinke pitched in two games this season, before he broke his collar bone in a brawl with San Diego Padres outfielder Carlos Quentin. (Greinke made a winning return against the Washington Nationals on Wednesday night). The Dodgers spiked their 2013 payroll 127% year-over-year: that&#8217;s the biggest jump in the majors, by far. Yet, the team&#8217;s winning percentage is down 21% from the final 2012 result. As of Wednesday, the Dodgers were 17-22, in last in the National League West by 5½ games. Manager Don Mattingly may be on the hot seat. Up north, the Blue Jays haven&#8217;t impressed. The team&#8217;s winning percentage has fallen 11% &#8212; Toronto is at the bottom of the AL East by 8½ games though it has won four in a row &#8212; even though payroll is up 55.7%, the second-highest year-over-year jump in the majors, trailing only the Dodgers. Toronto made a series of splashy-moves: the team&#8217;s blockbuster trade with Miami brought in shortstop Jose Reyes, who had signed a six-year, $106 million contract with the Marlins the year before,<img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=keepingscore.blogs.time.com&#038;blog=33268979&#038;post=2346250&#038;subd=timekeepingscore&#038;ref=&#038;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
	<primary_category>Baseball</primary_category><primary_category_link>http://keepingscore.blogs.time.com/category/baseball-2/</primary_category_link><featured_image>http://timekeepingscore.files.wordpress.com/2013/05/166498842.jpg?w=240</featured_image>
		<media:thumbnail url="http://timekeepingscore.files.wordpress.com/2013/05/166498842.jpg?w=240" />
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			<media:title type="html">Los Angeles Dodgers v San Diego Padres</media:title>
		</media:content>

		<media:content url="http://0.gravatar.com/avatar/6611ab521be756a66a200bd2b84b5e80?s=96&#38;d=http%3A%2F%2Fs0.wp.com%2Fi%2Fmu.gif&#38;r=G" medium="image">
			<media:title type="html">Sean Gregory</media:title>
		</media:content>
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		<title>Conspiracy in the NHL? Why Alex Ovechkin Suggested So</title>
		<link>http://keepingscore.blogs.time.com/2013/05/14/conspiracy-in-the-nhl-why-alex-ovechkin-suggested-so/</link>
		<comments>http://keepingscore.blogs.time.com/2013/05/14/conspiracy-in-the-nhl-why-alex-ovechkin-suggested-so/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 14 May 2013 16:24:04 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Sean Gregory</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Hockey]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://keepingscore.blogs.time.com/?p=2346239</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Who can stop Washington Capitals star Alex Ovechkin? According to Ovechkin, maybe Gary Bettman, the NHL commissioner. Ovechkin has suggested that someone &#8211; NHL hire ups? TV execs? The refs? &#8212; conspired against the Capitals, who lost 5-0 to the New York Rangers Monday night in Game 7 of their first round series. It was the fourth time in Ovechkin&#8217;s otherwise brilliant career that his team has lost a Game 7 at home.  After the game, Ovechkin was still smarting about Game 6, a 1-0 New York win. In that game, the Rangers were not assessed any penalties. In a Russian-language interview after Game 7, Overchkin said: “The refereeing&#8230; You understand it yourself. How can there be no penalties at all (on one team) during the playoffs? “I am not saying there was a phone call from (the league), but someone just wanted Game 7. For the ratings. You know, the lockout, escrow, the League needs to make profit&#8230; I don&#8217;t know whether the refs were predisposed against us or the League. But to not give obvious penalties (against the Capitals), while for us any little thing was immediately penalized&#8230;” Ovechkin gets somewhat of a pass on this: he was understandably frustrated. Washington&#8217;s post-season failures are threatening to overwhelm the narrative of his career. But &#8230; wow. Pro sports leagues hate conspiracy theories. The urban legend that the NBA rigged the 1985 draft lottery so that the New York Knicks could draft Patrick Ewing always irks commissioner David Stern. For one of the league&#8217;s top attractions to touch this third rail, even if it was a heat-of-the-moment reaction, certainly sent shudders through the NHL offices. Which, incidentally, are in New York. Hmmm. Just kidding. The Rangers simply outclassed the Caps. Ovechkin doesn&#8217;t look good, complaining about the refs after his team got walloped, after she scored just one goal in the series. And the NHL got lucky here. Instead of obsessing over a possible conspiracy, most hockey fans &#8212; and even non-hockey fans &#8212; are chatting about Boston&#8217;s incredible comeback<img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=keepingscore.blogs.time.com&#038;blog=33268979&#038;post=2346239&#038;subd=timekeepingscore&#038;ref=&#038;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
	<primary_category>Hockey</primary_category><primary_category_link>http://keepingscore.blogs.time.com/category/hockey-2/</primary_category_link><featured_image>http://timekeepingscore.files.wordpress.com/2013/05/168695371.jpg?w=240</featured_image>
		<media:thumbnail url="http://timekeepingscore.files.wordpress.com/2013/05/168695371.jpg?w=240" />
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			<media:title type="html">NHL Play-offs New York Rangers @ Washington Capitals</media:title>
		</media:content>

		<media:content url="http://0.gravatar.com/avatar/6611ab521be756a66a200bd2b84b5e80?s=96&#38;d=http%3A%2F%2Fs0.wp.com%2Fi%2Fmu.gif&#38;r=G" medium="image">
			<media:title type="html">Sean Gregory</media:title>
		</media:content>
	</item>
		<item>
		<title>Why The Chicago Bulls-Miami Heat Series Isn&#8217;t All That Rough</title>
		<link>http://keepingscore.blogs.time.com/2013/05/13/why-the-chicago-bulls-miami-heat-series-isnt-all-that-rough/</link>
		<comments>http://keepingscore.blogs.time.com/2013/05/13/why-the-chicago-bulls-miami-heat-series-isnt-all-that-rough/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 13 May 2013 19:34:34 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Sean Gregory</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Basketball]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://keepingscore.blogs.time.com/?p=2346229</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Raw intensity, and physical play, have stamped the Miami Heat-Chicago Bulls playoff series, which continues with Game 4 tonight (Miami leads, 2-1). The shorthanded Bulls and their defense-first coach, Tom Thibodeau, know there’s only one way they can beat the Heat: by beating them up. In Game 2 last week, the refs called nine technical fouls, and two Bulls were ejected. In Game 3, Chicago’s Nazr Mohammed ran down James, like a madman, and hacked him. After James took exception with an elbow, Mohammed shoved James to the floor. Mohammed was ejected. Thibodeau accused James of flopping, and earned a $35,000 fine for criticizing the officials. Chicago’s effort hasn’t been pretty. But is this roughhouse series setting basketball back? No way. Save finesse for the Finals. The Bulls are doing what they need to do to win, and watching Chicago try to get under Miami’s skin, and rattle the Heat into submission, has been great fun. (MORE: Is Not Voting For LeBron James as NBA MVP Defensible?) Plus, it’s not all that ugly. This Bulls-Heat series got me thinking back to 21 years ago, the last time I can remember a team so overtly slugging a superior opponent. In that 1992 Eastern conference semifinal series, the New York Knicks faced the defending champion Chicago Bulls, who finished the regular season with a 67-15 record. The Bulls had Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen. The Knicks had Patrick Ewing – and pretty much no shot. New York’s coach was Pat Riley, now president of the Heat. (So Riley can&#8217;t gripe) So what does Xavier McDaniel, whose intimidation of Pippen and the Bulls in that series stood out, think of this current match-up? “I definitely don’t think it’s more physical,” says McDaniel, who spent a dozen years in the NBA. He now runs a trucking and shipping company; in 1985, at Wichita St., McDaniel became the first college player to lead the country in points and rebounds. (He also made a memorable cameo in the movie Singles). “I’d chase guys all over the<img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=keepingscore.blogs.time.com&#038;blog=33268979&#038;post=2346229&#038;subd=timekeepingscore&#038;ref=&#038;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
	<primary_category>Basketball</primary_category><primary_category_link>http://keepingscore.blogs.time.com/category/basketball-2/</primary_category_link><featured_image>http://timekeepingscore.files.wordpress.com/2013/05/168527556.jpg?w=240</featured_image>
		<media:thumbnail url="http://timekeepingscore.files.wordpress.com/2013/05/168527556.jpg?w=240" />
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			<media:title type="html">Game 3: Miami at Chicago</media:title>
		</media:content>

		<media:content url="http://0.gravatar.com/avatar/6611ab521be756a66a200bd2b84b5e80?s=96&#38;d=http%3A%2F%2Fs0.wp.com%2Fi%2Fmu.gif&#38;r=G" medium="image">
			<media:title type="html">Sean Gregory</media:title>
		</media:content>
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		<title>What David Moyes Will Bring To Man U.</title>
		<link>http://keepingscore.blogs.time.com/2013/05/10/what-david-moyes-will-bring-to-man-u/</link>
		<comments>http://keepingscore.blogs.time.com/2013/05/10/what-david-moyes-will-bring-to-man-u/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 10 May 2013 21:09:33 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Bill Saporito</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Soccer]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://keepingscore.blogs.time.com/?p=2346223</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[If you want to understand why Manchester United selected Everton boss David Moyes as the manager to succeed the legendary Sir Alex Ferguson, you might consider the case of an American soccer player, Landon Donovan. The Los Angeles Galaxy and U.S. national team star played for Everton on loan in 2010 and again in 2012 and he typifies the kind of footballer that Moyes prefers: skillful enough, fast enough and tough enough for the English game yet at the same time hardworking and flexible. Oh yes, and affordable. It was a relationship that worked well for both parties. “I&#8217;ve never heard anybody say a bad thing about him,” Donovan said of Moyes.  “I have nothing but great memories of my time there, and I think he&#8217;s going to do really well.” Moyes did awfully well at Everton, keeping the team in the top half of the Barclays Premier League despite being vastly outspent by the three big London clubs, the two big Manchester clubs and the one big Liverpool club. Everton, a district of Liverpool, is the city&#8217;s poor cousin of a soccer team. While the mighty Reds of Liverpool are known in all parts of the world, the Toffees, as Everton are nicknamed, are well known in most parts of Liverpool. Yet, the big spending, American-owned Reds trail Everton by five points in the league standings. This year’s Everton is typical of Moyes’ ability to assemble relatively low-cost teams that compete at high levels with few out and out stars.  The defense is anchored by English defenders Phil Jagielka and Leighton Baines, who packs wallop in his left foot, and is backed by American goalie Tim Howard. Moyes picked up Howard when Ferguson unloaded him in 2006, not having the patience to let the young keeper mature. Howard has been since rock solid in the net for the Toffees as well as the U.S. national team and recently reupped his contract. The offense is far less solid. On attack, Moyes has a set of forwards , Belgian Kevin Mirallas,<img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=keepingscore.blogs.time.com&#038;blog=33268979&#038;post=2346223&#038;subd=timekeepingscore&#038;ref=&#038;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
	<primary_category>Soccer</primary_category><primary_category_link>http://keepingscore.blogs.time.com/category/soccer/</primary_category_link><featured_image>http://timekeepingscore.files.wordpress.com/2013/05/168087248.jpg?w=240</featured_image>
		<media:thumbnail url="http://timekeepingscore.files.wordpress.com/2013/05/168087248.jpg?w=240" />
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			<media:title type="html">Liverpool v Everton - Premier League</media:title>
		</media:content>

		<media:content url="http://0.gravatar.com/avatar/6611ab521be756a66a200bd2b84b5e80?s=96&#38;d=http%3A%2F%2Fs0.wp.com%2Fi%2Fmu.gif&#38;r=G" medium="image">
			<media:title type="html">Sean Gregory</media:title>
		</media:content>
	</item>
		<item>
		<title>Why Pitchers Won&#8217;t Be Wearing Helmets, Even After Latest Scare</title>
		<link>http://keepingscore.blogs.time.com/2013/05/09/why-pitchers-wont-be-wearing-helmets-even-after-latest-scare/</link>
		<comments>http://keepingscore.blogs.time.com/2013/05/09/why-pitchers-wont-be-wearing-helmets-even-after-latest-scare/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 09 May 2013 09:45:36 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Sean Gregory</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Baseball]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Brandon McCarthy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Doug Fister]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Helmets]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[J.A. Happ]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[pitchers]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://keepingscore.blogs.time.com/?p=2346203</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[A major league batter stands 60-feet, 6-inches away from the pitcher, give or take a few inches; the exact distance depends on where the batter is positioned in the box. Batters must wear helmets, to prevent potentially lethal skull fractures. This rule seems so commonsensical though helmets weren&#8217;t mandatory, in fact, until 1971. Meanwhile, the pitcher stands 60-feet, 6-inches away from the batter, give or take those same few inches. And while there&#8217;s a chance that the pitcher will bean a batter in the head with a 95-miles-per-hour fastball, there&#8217;s also a chance that a ball can rocket off the bat at a similarly dangerous speed, and smash the head of the pitcher. Yet, pitchers wear no helmets. Does this make any sense? In the second inning of Toronto&#8217;s game against the Tampa Bay Rays, in St. Petersburg, on Tuesday night, Blue Jays pitcher J.A. Happ was struck on the side of the head by a line drive. Happ was stabilized, lifted onto a stretcher, and taken to a hospital. Players and fans were shaken. (MORE: The Decline of Doc &#8211; Is The End Near For Roy Halladay?) On Wednesday, thankfully, Happ was released from the hospital. He did not suffer a concussion; he said he had a fracture in a bone behind his left ear, but that it wasn&#8217;t serious. He also tweaked his knee while falling to the ground. Toronto put Happ on the 15-day disabled list. Still, his fate could have been much worse. It probably should have been. &#8220;When the ball hits the head that fast, you&#8217;d expect a serious skull fracture,&#8221; says Dr. Barry Jordan, director of brain injury rehab at Burke Rehabilitation Center in White Plains, N.Y. &#8220;I&#8217;m surprised that didn&#8217;t happen. He&#8217;s very lucky.&#8221; Yes, these scary incidents are rare in baseball. But a recent string of beanings are alarming. Last September, Oakland A&#8217;s pitcher Brandon McCarthy suffered an epidural hemorrhage, brain contusion and skull fracture after a batted ball struck him on the right side of his head. McCarthy needed emergency brain<img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=keepingscore.blogs.time.com&#038;blog=33268979&#038;post=2346203&#038;subd=timekeepingscore&#038;ref=&#038;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
	<primary_category>Baseball</primary_category><primary_category_link>http://keepingscore.blogs.time.com/category/baseball-2/</primary_category_link><featured_image>http://timekeepingscore.files.wordpress.com/2013/05/168283552.jpg?w=240</featured_image>
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			<media:title type="html">Toronto Blue Jays v Tampa Bay Rays</media:title>
		</media:content>

		<media:content url="http://0.gravatar.com/avatar/6611ab521be756a66a200bd2b84b5e80?s=96&#38;d=http%3A%2F%2Fs0.wp.com%2Fi%2Fmu.gif&#38;r=G" medium="image">
			<media:title type="html">Sean Gregory</media:title>
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		<title>How Nate Robinson and Stephen Curry &#8212; The Little Guys &#8212; Have Taken Over the NBA Playoffs</title>
		<link>http://keepingscore.blogs.time.com/2013/05/07/how-nate-robinson-and-stephen-curry-the-little-guys-have-taken-over-the-nba-playoffs/</link>
		<comments>http://keepingscore.blogs.time.com/2013/05/07/how-nate-robinson-and-stephen-curry-the-little-guys-have-taken-over-the-nba-playoffs/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 07 May 2013 15:46:55 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Sean Gregory</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Basketball]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://keepingscore.blogs.time.com/?p=2346133</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The wave-off, really, was the highlight. And it tells you everything you need to know about Nate Robinson, Chicago&#8216;s 5&#8217;9&#8243; sprite of a point-guard/gunner. About 20 seconds earlier, Robinson had hit a 19-footer to give his team an 88-86 lead against the Miami Heat, the defending champs, winners of 27-straight games at one point this season, employer of freshly-crowned MVP LeBron James, all that, in Game 1 of their second round playoff series. And after Dwyane Wade&#8217;s ill-advised heave at the other end failed to give the Heat the lead, Robinson had the ball, and waved-off teammate Joakim Noah, who inched up from the low-post to set a screen on Robinson&#8217;s defender, Ray Allen. No matter that Noah is one of the best screeners in the league, and just wanted to help his teammate. No matter that Robinson had 10 stitches in his lower lip, thanks to a first-half collision with James. And that two nights ago, during Chicago&#8217;s resilient Game 7 victory against the Brooklyn Nets, on the road, Gerald Wallace of the Nets stomped on Robinson&#8217;s head. No, Robinson, whose utterly ridiculous confidence seems to be rubbing off on these Bulls, wanted Allen one-on-one. Robinson made the right call, dribbling to his left and darting right by Allen into the foul lane, where he lofted a scoop shot over Chris Bosh. Chicago was now up four, 90-86, with 45 seconds left. One James air ball later, it was wrapped up. Chicago pulled off the stunner. Chicago&#8217;s excellent run might not last, especially against a Heat team that is sure to be awakened from a playoff slumber. After sweeping the Milwaukee Bucks last Sunday, Miami had a week-long layoff. Chicago&#8217;s Luol Deng, who led the NBA in minutes played per game this season, watched Game 1 from a hospital bed, because of complications from a spinal tap procedure. Derek Rose is sticking to his cautious approach in returning from the ACL injury he suffered last playoffs. He hasn&#8217;t suited up all year, and probably won&#8217;t this series. On paper,<img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=keepingscore.blogs.time.com&#038;blog=33268979&#038;post=2346133&#038;subd=timekeepingscore&#038;ref=&#038;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
	<primary_category>Basketball</primary_category><primary_category_link>http://keepingscore.blogs.time.com/category/basketball-2/</primary_category_link><featured_image>http://timekeepingscore.files.wordpress.com/2013/05/rtxy8wd.jpg?w=240</featured_image>
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			<media:title type="html">Chicago Bulls point guard Nate Robinson drives to the basket defended by Brooklyn Nets center Andray Blatche in New York, on April 4, 2013.</media:title>
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			<media:title type="html">Sean Gregory</media:title>
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		<title>Is Not Voting For LeBron James As NBA MVP Defensible?</title>
		<link>http://keepingscore.blogs.time.com/2013/05/06/is-not-voting-lebron-james-league-mvp-defensible/</link>
		<comments>http://keepingscore.blogs.time.com/2013/05/06/is-not-voting-lebron-james-league-mvp-defensible/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 06 May 2013 16:48:34 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Sean Gregory</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Basketball]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://keepingscore.blogs.time.com/?p=2346125</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[As expected, LeBron James won his fourth MVP award on Sunday afternoon. The only surprise: he didn&#8217;t receive every first place vote. James had a stunning statistical season. He became the fifth player in NBA history to average at least 26 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists in a season (Oscar Robertson did it 5 times, John Havlicek did it twice, and both Larry Bird and Michael Jordan did it once). But only James has registered these numbers while shooting better than 55 percent from the field. These stats, however, didn&#8217;t stop one writer from casting a first-place MVP vote for Carmelo Anthony, denying James the opportunity to become the first unanimous league MVP in NBA history. On Monday morning, Boston Globe writer Gary Washburn came clean, explaining in a column why he voted for Anthony. If you were to take Anthony off the Knicks, they are a lottery team. James plays with two other All-Stars, the league’s all-time 3-point leader, a defensive stalwart, and a fearless point guard. The Heat are loaded. If LeBron was taken away from the Heat, they still would be a fifth or sixth seed. He is the best player of this generation, a multifaceted superstar with the physical prowess of Adonis, but I chose to reward a player who has lifted his team to new heights. Washburn makes clear that he didn&#8217;t vote for Anthony because he was seeking publicity: The perception that I knew the other 120 voters cast their first-place votes for LeBron and that I went against the grain as some kind of statement is inaccurate&#8230; For the most part, MVP controversies are tired philosophical debates. How do you define &#8220;valuable?&#8221; Do you vote for the best player &#8212; even Washburn calls &#8220;James unquestionably is the best player in the game&#8221;&#8211; or do you vote for the player who means the most to his given team? In Washburn&#8217;s mind, a Knicks team without Anthony would be bottom-feeders, while a Miami Heat team with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh would still be<img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=keepingscore.blogs.time.com&#038;blog=33268979&#038;post=2346125&#038;subd=timekeepingscore&#038;ref=&#038;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></description>
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	<primary_category>Basketball</primary_category><primary_category_link>http://keepingscore.blogs.time.com/category/basketball-2/</primary_category_link><featured_image>http://timekeepingscore.files.wordpress.com/2013/05/168122245.jpg?w=240</featured_image>
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			<media:title type="html">Miami Heat LeBron James</media:title>
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			<media:title type="html">Sean Gregory</media:title>
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		<title>In Defense of Horse Racing</title>
		<link>http://keepingscore.blogs.time.com/2013/05/03/in-defense-of-horse-racing/</link>
		<comments>http://keepingscore.blogs.time.com/2013/05/03/in-defense-of-horse-racing/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 03 May 2013 09:00:10 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Ben Cosgrove</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Horse Racing]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://keepingscore.blogs.time.com/?p=2346088</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Sportswriters, op-ed scribes and cultural critics have been drafting horse racing&#8216;s obituary for years. Attendance at U.S. tracks has plummeted to distressing, all-time lows. Drug problems &#8212; in both humans and horses &#8212; plague the industry. Aside from one race in Kentucky on the first Saturday in May, the sport &#8212; once among the two or three most popular in the land &#8212; has largely fallen completely off the radar of most Americans. And is it any wonder? Anyone who has spent any time around horse racing tracks knows that, in fundamental ways, the sport is indefensible. Jockeys, remarkable athletes all, punish their own bodies in order to &#8220;make weight&#8221; so they can push beautiful animals to the limit &#8212; and beyond the limit &#8212; of endurance. Horses that &#8220;break down&#8221; in midrace are frequently euthanized. Opportunities for corruption, for cheating, for scandal are legion. Trainers (not all, but not very few, either) illegally dope horses, while the ubiquity of what might be termed legal doping &#8212; e.g., Furosemide, a preventative for &#8220;exercise-induced pulmonary hemorrhaging&#8221; during races &#8212; is something of a tacit acknowledgment that racing is not all that great for the animals. If their lungs routinely bleed when they race, why are they forced to run? Granted, America&#8217;s marquee racing events &#8212; the Travers Stakes, the Breeders Cup, the Kentucky Derby &#8212; draw tens and even hundreds of thousands to the track and, in the case of the Derby, millions more to their TV sets for most people&#8217;s single annual encounter with the Sport of Kings. The crowds, the drama, the celebrities in their funky hats and (of course) the money won and lost in &#8220;the most exciting two minutes in sports&#8221; &#8212; all the elements combine to paint a picture of a thrilling, thriving enterprise. (MORE: Twilight At The Track) But visit a track &#8212; even one of the great venues, like Del Mar, Keeneland, Belmont or Arlington Park &#8212; on a gray weekday, when a few thousand glum souls are losing their grocery money on claiming<img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=keepingscore.blogs.time.com&#038;blog=33268979&#038;post=2346088&#038;subd=timekeepingscore&#038;ref=&#038;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
	<primary_category>Horse Racing</primary_category><primary_category_link>http://keepingscore.blogs.time.com/category/horse-racing-2/</primary_category_link><featured_image>http://timekeepingscore.files.wordpress.com/2013/05/horses_jehad065.jpeg?w=240</featured_image>
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			<media:title type="html">Horses race at Keeneland in Lexington, Ky.</media:title>
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			<media:title type="html">Sean Gregory</media:title>
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