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Defector

Ray Ratto

Houston Rockets Kenny Smith (C) gets squeezed out on a screen play by Seattle Supersonic Detlef Schrempf (R) as his teammate Gary Payton (L) dribbles past during game one of their Western Conference semifinal series on May 4 in Seattle.

A Basketball Team Can Be Sold, But Who Owns Its History?

David Roth

Sitting in the dugout and watching the game, (L to R), are Tim Teufel, Howard Johnson, Bob Ojeda and Ron Darling, as they balance baseballs on their caps to try and change the Mets luck. The image is in black and white; and from 1986.

39 Years Ago, Four Mets Fought The Cops At A Houston Bar Named Cooter’s

A black-and-white image of Ray Fosse, in an old-timey Oakland A's uniform, bossing around a bunch of lumpy '70s guys at an A's fantasy camp in

Zero Lessons From 54 Years Of My Fantasy Baseball League

Manager Dave Roberts celebrates with bench coach Danny Lehmann, right, as the Los Angeles Dodgers celebrate after defeating the New York Mets 10-5 to win game 6 of a National League Championship Series at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles on Sunday, October 20, 2024.

History Is For The Dead And The Boring

<div id=":g4.ma" class="Mu SP" title="January 26, 2021 at 2:34:42 PM UTC-5" data-tooltip="January 26, 2021 at 2:34:42 PM UTC-5"><span id=":g4.co" class="tL8wMe EMoHub" dir="ltr"><a href="https://twitter.com/GoStevenGoldman">Steven Goldman</a> is a former BP editor-in-chief and current consulting editor. He is the author of the Casey Stengel biography <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Forging-Genius-Making-Casey-Stengel/dp/1574888749">Forging Genius</a> </i>and host of the long-running <a href="https://www.baseballprospectus.com/show/the-infinite-inning/"><i>Infinite Inning </i>podcast</a>, which sits at the crossroads of baseball, history, politics, and culture. His most recent book, which has an introduction by David Roth, is <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Baseballs-Brief-Lives-Inspired-Infinite/dp/B0BBJTPGDF"><i>Baseball&#8217;s Brief Lives: Player-Stories Inspired by the Infinite Inning</i></a>.</span></div>
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Steven Goldman

A general view of the DraftKings Bet Live Now signage during the Major League Baseball game between the Philadelphia Phillies and the Washington Nationals on July 7, 2022.

Gambling For Life

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<p>Charles P. Pierce is a writer at <em>Esquire</em> and the author of four books, most recently <em>Idiot America</em>, and has been a working journalist since 1976. He lives near Boston with his wife but no longer his three children.</p>
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Charles P. Pierce

New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick chats with QB Bailey Zappe in the first half. The Patriots beat the Pittsburgh Steelers, 21-18.

The Patriots Are Reverting To Type

<p>Andre Kobayashi Deckrow is Post-Doctoral Associate in the Heritage Studies and Public History program and the Department of History at the University of Minnesota. He is currently working on a book about Japanese state-led migration to São Paulo in the 1920s and &#8217;30s. When not teaching or researching, he can be found rooting for Seattle sports teams or cooking Japanese food.</p>


Andre Kobayashi Deckrow

Pedro Okuda of Team Brazil celebrates a win over Panama in the WBC qualifiers in 2012.

How Baseball Became Brazilian

Jackie Robinson and the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King talk before a press conference as part of their campaign against segregation in 1962.

What Is Baseball History For?


<p>A founding member of the Billings, Montana-to-Brooklyn sportswriting pipeline, Patrick Sauer has written for many large digital publications you’ve heard of and even more smaller ones that no longer exist. Check out his work at <a href="http://patricksauer.contently.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://patricksauer.contently.com&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1782568830003000&amp;usg=AOvVaw2lJRPIa8YxoLI3taZ9zsro">patricksauer.contently.com</a> or follow him on Bluesky <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/pjsauer.bsky.social" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://bsky.app/profile/pjsauer.bsky.social&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1782568830003000&amp;usg=AOvVaw1pDFKunGJ4lkfhBy4EMrEt">@pjsauer.bsky.social</a>.</p>


Patrick Sauer

Music

The Legend Of Run-DMC’s Immortal “Christmas In Hollis,” As Remembered By The People Who Made It


<p>Dan McQuade was a founding member of Defector. He died in January 2026.</p>


Dan McQuade

CINCINNATI, OH - SEPTEMBER 11: Cincinnati Bengals place kicker Evan McPherson (2) reacts after missing a field goal in overtime during the game against the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Cincinnati Bengals on September 11, 2022, at Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati, OH. (Photo by Ian Johnson/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

What Could Have Been: There Were Almost Two Ties Yesterday


<p>Shane Ryan is the author of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.hachettebooks.com/titles/shane-ryan/the-cup-they-couldnt-lose/9780306874390/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><em>The Cup They Couldn&#8217;t Lose</em></a>, the story of the modern Ryder Cup, which came out on May 10. He lives in Durham, NC, and his writing appears in <em>Golf Digest</em>, <em>Paste Magazine</em>, and elsewhere. Previously, he wrote on Defector about&nbsp;<a href="https://defector.com/online-quiz-league-is-the-future-of-competitive-trivia/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Online Quiz League</a>. He also runs Apocalypse Sports Trivia, which you can join by contacting him on&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/ShaneRyanHere" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Twitter</a>.</p>


Shane Ryan

Golfers Tony Jacklin and Seve Ballesteros (right) celebrate the victory of the European team in the Ryder Cup in 1987.

Book Excerpts That Don't Suck

The Mysteries Of Seve Ballesteros, And The Ryder Cup Loss That Changed Everything

<p><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif">Marc Normandin currently writes on baseball’s labor issues and more at </span><a style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif" href="http://marcnormandin.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://marcnormandin.com&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1758998321491000&amp;usg=AOvVaw1ZpjG5RUFwdpapWqR1u4bd">marcnormandin.com</a><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif">, which you can read for free but support </span><a style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif" href="https://www.patreon.com/marcnormandin">through his Patreon</a><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif">. His baseball writing has appeared at FOX Sports, SB Nation, Defector, Global Sport Matters, Deadspin, Sports Illustrated, ESPN, Sports on Earth, The Guardian, The Nation, FAIR, and TalkPoverty, and you can read his takes on video games at Retro XP and Endless Mode.</span></p>
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Marc Normandin

Red Sox owner John Harrington and Braves president Stan Kasten, seen listening to Bud Selig during the 1994 MLB strike.