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Defector

Maitreyi Anantharaman

Vancouver Canucks center Elias Pettersson (40) and Canucks center J.T. Miller (9) talk during the NHL game between the Nashville Predators and Vancouver Canucks, held on January 29, 2025, at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee.

Beef-Ending Trade Of J.T. Miller Leaves Vancouver Sports Media With Nothing To Talk About

New York Liberty Forward Breanna Stewart celebrates the team winning the WNBA championship during their parade on October 24, 2024 in New York City. Fans lined the streets north along Broadway to City Hall through what's known as the "Canyon of Heroes" to celebrate the Liberty's first WNBA championship after a 67-62 overtime victory on Sunday over the Minnesota Lynx. The Liberty were the top seed with a league-best 32-8 record.

Crosswords

The Crossword, Feb. 3: Space Jam

Laura Stacey #7 of the Montreal Victoire skates during warmups prior to the game against the New York Sirens at Place Bell on December 4, 2024 in Laval, Quebec, Canada. The New York Sirens defeated the Montreal Victoire 4-1.

PWHL

Laura Stacey Has No Rust To Shake Off

Alyssa Thomas #25 of the Connecticut Sun at Crypto.com Arena on September 10, 2024 in Los Angeles, California.

WNBA

The Sun And Mercury Join The WNBA Trade Fun

Kelsey Plum #10 of the Las Vegas Aces and Jewell Loyd #24 of the Seattle Storm look on during the fourth quarter at Climate Pledge Arena on July 10, 2024 in Seattle, Washington.

We Got A Real WNBA Trade, With Stars And Everything

Michael Taaffe #16 of the Texas Longhorns looks at the Peach Bowl trophy at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on January 1, 2025 in Atlanta, Georgia.

The Crossword, Jan. 27: Bursting With Pride (Themeless)

Quarterback Patrick Mahomes #15 of the Kansas City Chiefs looks to throw under pressure from defensive end Nick Bosa #97 of the San Francisco 49ers in the fourth quarter of Super Bowl LVIII at Allegiant Stadium on February 11, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Chiefs defeated the 49ers 25-22 in overtime.

The Crossword, Jan. 20: Passing Through

Women's Basketball

Unrivaled Could Be A New Solution To The WNBA’s Old Problems

Washington Commanders Kicker Zane Gonzalez (47) kicks the game winning field goal during the NFC Wild Card Playoff game between the Washington Commanders and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on January 12, 2025 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida.

Kickers Live Their Lives For All To See

Connor McDavid #97 of the Edmonton Oilers looks on against the Minnesota Wild in the third period at Xcel Energy Center on December 12, 2024 in St Paul, Minnesota. The Oilers defeated the Wild 7-1.

The Crossword, Jan. 13: You Don’t Mean That

Justin Herbert #10 of the Los Angeles Chargers reacts after being sacked in the second half during the AFC Wild Card Playoff game against the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium on January 11, 2025 in Houston, Texas.

The Texans Told Justin Herbert To Take A Seat

UCLA Bruins center Lauren Betts (51) huddles up with her team during a women's basketball game against the Indiana Hoosiers on January 4, 2025, at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall in Bloomington, Indiana.

College Basketball

The Growing Pains Are Over For UCLA

Tampa Bay Buccaneers Wide Receiver Mike Evans (13) makes a catch on the last play of the game to get his 11th 1000 yard receiving season during the game between the New Orleans Saints and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on January 05, 2025 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida.

The Bucs Risked It All For Mike Evans

Angel Reese #10 of the LSU Tigers reacts in a game against the UCLA Bruins during the first half in the Sweet 16 round of the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament at MVP Arena on March 30, 2024 in Albany, New York.

The Crossword, Jan. 6: Miss Me

Elias Pettersson #40 and J.T. Miller #9 of the Vancouver Canucks discuss game play during the second period of their NHL game against the San Jose Sharks at Rogers Arena on December 23, 2024 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

Vancouver’s Favorite Sport Isn’t Hockey, It’s Talking About Locker-Room Beefs

Puka Nacua #17 of the Los Angeles Rams carries the ball against Chuck Clark #36 of the New York Jets during the first quarter at MetLife Stadium on December 22, 2024 in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

The Crossword, Dec. 30: Out Of Office (Themeless)

Rachelle Hampton

Giri Nathan

Patrick Redford

David Roth

Firefighters wash up after fighting the O'Brien Creek fire. Lolo national Forest, Montana, August 21, 1940.

Defector Reads A Book

Racing With Mortality In Norman Maclean’s ‘Young Men And Fire’

Ruediger Grube, CEO of Deutsche Bahn AG and DB Mobility Logistics AG, travels by a Deutsche Bahn regional express train from Berlin to Potsdam

The Crossword, Dec. 23: Parting Ways

Kirk Cousins #18 of the Atlanta Falcons warms up prior to the game against the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium on December 16, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Falcons Choose Buyer’s Remorse Over Kirk Cousins

Barry Petchesky


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Sabrina Imbler

Lacey Chabert and her ex-husband in the movie The Christmas Quest, in an attic-like space shining a flashlight on something

Defector At The Movies

Defector Watches A Christmas Movie: ‘The Christmas Quest’

Kiyomi McMiller does a spin move during a game against Wagner

Kiyomi McMiller’s Gorgeous Spin Move Has Graduated To College

On the Cime de la Bonette climb during stage 19 of the 2024 Tour de France cycling race, from Embrun to Isola 2000 (144,6 km), in France, on Friday 19 July 2024.

The Crossword, Dec. 16: Lost At Sea

Hannah Hidalgo Plays Like A Woman Possessed

Golden State Valkyries head coach Natalie Nakase during the expansion draft party in San Francisco on Friday, Dec. 06, 2024.

The Valkyries’ Expansion Draft Is Prep For Next Year’s Free-For-All

Ian Happ of the Chicago Cubs plays left field in a game against the Miami Marlins at Wrigley Field on May 6, 2023 in Chicago, Illinois.