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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

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winter 2023 gift (eyebrow)

The Defector Crewneck Sweatshirt Is Back In Stock

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Merch v3

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Ray Ratto

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.

Los Angeles Dodgers defeat the New York Mets 10-5 to win game 6 of a National League Championship Series.

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>
<div id=":g5.ma" class="Mu SP" data-tooltip="January 26, 2021 at 2:34:45 PM UTC-5"></div>


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.

MLB: JUL 07 Nationals at Phillies

Gambling For Life

<div class="author-header-content">
<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>
<p>&nbsp;</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.

New England Patriots (21) Vs. Pittsburgh Steelers (18) At Acrisure Stadium

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.

World Baseball Classic Qualifier 3  Game 6: Team Panama v Team Brazil

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.

Jackie Robinson and Martin Luther King

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. He’s on Twitter at <a href="https://twitter.com/pjsauer" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">@pjsauer</a>.</p>


Patrick Sauer

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Music

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


<p>Visual Editor. Runs <a href="http://defectorstore.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">defectorstore.com</a>. Philadelphia-based, if you couldn’t tell.</p>


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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

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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.

Jacklin With Ballesteros

Book Excerpts That Don't Suck

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

<p>Marc Normandin currently writes on baseball’s labor issues and more at&nbsp;<a href="https://www.marcnormandin.com/">marcnormandin.com</a>, which you can read for free but&nbsp;<a href="https://www.patreon.com/marcnormandin">support through his Patreon</a>. His baseball writing has appeared at SB Nation, Deadspin, Sports Illustrated, ESPN, Sports on Earth, The Guardian, The Nation, and TalkPoverty.</p>


Marc Normandin

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

BBA-STRIKE-OWNERS

MLB Owners Are Still Trying To Win The Labor Battles Of The 1990’s

History Lessons