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This is Defector, a new sports blog and media company. We made this place together, we own it together, we run it together. Without access, without favor, without discretion, and without interference.

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Defector

Enter Our Raffle To Win A Visit And Home-Cooked Meal From Drew Magary

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tip jar sweepstakes

Profile Pic

Chris Thompson

MLB Makes A Convenient Example Of Several Gambling Bozos

<div dir="auto">
<div dir="auto">Corbin Smith is a writer and photographer from Vancouver, Washington. His work has appeared in Deadspin, The Daily Beast, and <em>Rolling Stone</em>. He is also the host of <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-pacific-northwest-insurance-corporation-moviefilm/id1712416222"><em>The Pacific Northwest Insurance Corporation Moviefilm Podcast</em></a> a podcast about movies.</div>
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Corbin Smith

People riding bikes around in a very small loop at the Ladd's 500 relay in Portland, Oregon.

LaddsLads

Life's Rich Pageant

The Beauty And Boredom Of 500 Laps Around The Same .148-Mile Loop

<p>Columnist. Author of many <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Drew-Magary/e/B001JS8R52/ref=dp_byline_cont_pop_book_1">fine works of literature</a>, including <em>Point B</em>. Handsomest man in the world.</p>


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Drew Magary

06/08/12 - Midland Park, NJ - A supermarket shelf at a Kings Food Market in Midland Park, New Jersey filled mostly with Frito-Lay brands of chips.

Snack chips on a supermarket shelf

Funbag

Mixing Chip Flavors Is A Dangerous Game


<p>charismatic megafauna (they/them)</p>


Typing

Sabrina Imbler

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Creaturefector

Why The Matador Bug Is A Walking Red Flag

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Maitreyi Anantharaman

Elizabeth Cambage of Sichuan reacts during Game 5 of the Women's Chinese Basketball Association WCBA league Finals between Sichuan and Inner Mongolia in Hohhot, north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, April 22, 2024.

CHINA-HOHHOT-BASKETBALL-WCBA-FINALS (CN)

WNBA

Only One Person Can Save Us From Terrible WNBA Takes

<p>Heather Chen is a former Defector intern and the sports editor at the <em>Columbia Daily Spectator</em>. She loves hockey, photography, and the good ol’ state of Michigan.</p>


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Heather Wei-Xi Chen

Jake Oettinger during pregame introductions

Colorado Avalanche vs Dallas Stars game one of the second round of the 2024 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs

The Stars Crashed Down To Earth


<p>Investigations Editor. You can reach her at diana@defector.com or, if you prefer protonmail, dfmoskovitz@protonmail.com. If security is a concern, download the Signal app and send her a text at 929-251-8187.</p>


DFM New Headshot

Diana Moskovitz

A photo of the baseball field and the scoreboard at Meji Jingu Baseball Stadium stadium in Tokyo. The night sky is a dark blue and, despite the rain, the outfield seats still hold a good number of fans. There's also a runner on second base.

Japan Baseball Photo

The Key To Having Fun At A Baseball Game Is Flying To The Other Side Of The World

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Giri Nathan

<p>Owen Lewis is a former Defector intern and co-founded the website <a href="http://popcorntennis.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://popcorntennis.com&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1726234676777000&amp;usg=AOvVaw0PFWw6PL-FUqaCMME5TLqP">popcorntennis.com</a>. He wrote 63,000 words about the Novak Djokovic-Rafael Nadal rivalry that can be accessed for free at <a href="https://thegoldenrivalry.substack.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://thegoldenrivalry.substack.com&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1726234676777000&amp;usg=AOvVaw2OjAHpo4PVIhkx8Xd21lRJ">thegoldenrivalry.substack.com</a>.</p>


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Owen Lewis

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Patrick Redford

Iga Swiatek and Naomi Osaka are competing during Roland Garros 2024 in Paris, France, on May 29, 2024. (Photo by Foto Olimpik/NurPhoto)

2024 French Open – Day 4

Tennis

Let Us Consider The French Open’s Thrilling, Waterlogged First Week

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Lauren Theisen

WNBA: JUN 02 Indiana Fever at New York Liberty

A Sunday Night With The Caitlin Casuals

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Albert Burneko

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The Great Outdoors

Garden Check!

Tommy Pham is angry.

The White Sox Are Ready To Kick Someone’s Ass, Just Not At Baseball

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Ruairí McCann

Still image from the movie The Canticle of the Stones.

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Defector At The Movies

‘Canticle Of The Stones’ Grapples With The Difficulty Of Artistic Representation Inside Occupied Palestine

Ha-Seong Kim #7 of the San Diego Padres bunts during the sixth inning against the New York Yankees at Petco Park on May 26, 2024 in San Diego, California

Crosswords

The Crossword, June 3: Tight Ends

Lorenzo Musetti stretches to play a backhand

2024 French Open – Day 7

Don’t Cry For Lorenzo Musetti

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Barry Petchesky

EDMONTON, CANADA - JUNE 02: Connor McDavid #97 of the Edmonton Oilers celebrates his first-period goal against the Dallas Stars in Game Six of the Western Conference Final of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Rogers Place on June 2, 2024, in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. (Photo by Andy Devlin/NHLI via Getty Images)

Dallas Stars v Edmonton Oilers – Game Six

Connor McDavid What In The Actual Hell

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Ray Ratto

EDMONTON, CANADA - JUNE 02: Fans cheer on the Edmonton Oilers in Game Six of the Western Conference Final of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs against the Dallas Stars at Rogers Place on June 2, 2024, in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. (Photo by Andy Devlin/NHLI via Getty Images)

Edmonton At The End

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Tom Ley

Chicago Sky guard Chennedy Carter (7) is whistled for a flagrant foul for knocking Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) to the ground on June 1, 2024, at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana.

WNBA: JUN 01 Chicago Sky at Indiana Fever

Caitlin Clark And The Fever Are Going Through It

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Luis Paez-Pumar

Real Madrid's Spanish defender Nacho Fernandez (C) and Real Madrid's players lift the trophy to celebrate their victory at the end of the UEFA Champions League final football match between Borussia Dortmund and Real Madrid at Wembley Stadium in London, United Kingdom on June 01, 2024.

Real Madrid win 2024 UEFA Champions League trophy, beating Borussia Dortmund 2-0 in final

Soccer

Real Madrid Is Bulletproof

MOVIE GAG: CHILD ACTOR BOBBY 'WHEEZER' HUTCHINS OF THE OUR GANG TROUPE HITTING A MAN OVER THE HEAD WITH A HAMMER.UNDATED PHOTOGRAPH, CIRCA 1920s.

Boy Hitting Man over Head with Hammer

Announcements

The Baby Photo Takeover Continues

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Israel Daramola

Talk show host Conan O'Brien appears on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" at the NBC Studios on September 5, 2003 in Burbank, California.

Conan O’Brien Appears on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno

Mods Asleep

The Late-Night Television Wars Are Worth Reliving

Rafael Nadal is playing against Alexander Zverev in the first round of the men's singles at the Roland Garros French Open tennis tournament in Paris, France, on May 27, 2024.

rafael-nadal-zverev-french-open

There Are No Tidy Endings In Rafael Nadal’s Clay Temple

<p>Nicholas Russell is a writer from Las Vegas.</p>


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Nicholas Russell

End of life petrol and diesel cars and vans are piled on top of one another as they wait to be recycled in a car scrapyard on November 29, 2022 in Glastonbury, England. The UK scraps over one million cars a year and many more petrol and diesel cars will need to be taken off the road if the Government is to reach its target for the number of electric cars to be reached.

End Of Life Vehicles

I Will Drive This Fucked-Up Car Until One Of Us Dies

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<div class="p-rich_text_section">Tom Scocca is the editor of <a href="http://indignity.net">Indignity</a>, a subscription-supported newsletter of news, essays, and commentary.</div>
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Tom Scocca

Former U.S. President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump attends the NASCAR Cup Series Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on May 26, 2024 in Concord, North Carolina. He is wearing a make American Great Again hat.

Donald Trump

Margin Of Error

The Doubts Were Not Reasonable

MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - MAY 30: Luka Doncic #77 of the Dallas Mavericks celebrates during the fourth quarter against the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game Five of the Western Conference Finals at Target Center on May 30, 2024 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by David Berding/Getty Images)

Dallas Mavericks v Minnesota Timberwolves – Game Five

The Mavericks Have Met The Moment


<p>Corey Atad is a freelancer writer based in Toronto with an unhealthy Air Bud obsession.</p>


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Corey Atad

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The Decemberists Take Me Back And Forth

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