ESPN.com presents The Triangle http://espn.go.com/blog/the-triangle 60 en-us Sun, 19 May 2013 03:13:18 webmaster@espn.go.com http://assets.espn.go.com/i/espn/teamlogos/lrg/trans/espn_dotcom_black.gif 110 110 What's that? You were wondering exactly how many days until the start of the NFL season? Well, you're in luck! We here at the Triangle are set to spend the next three and a half months providing a daily reason to get excited about pro football's return. Take a look at this photo. What do you see? I’ll tell you what I see. I see the purest of friendships, an unbreakable bond, forged by hundreds of millions of after-practice route-running sessions and a joint chiponmyshoulderness born of lives defined by slights.]]> http://www.grantland.com/blog/the-triangle/post/_/id/62525/111-day-nfl-warning-wes-welker-switches-sides-in-the-brady-manning-blood-feud Fri, 17 May 2013 17:30:39 EDT 62525 And we are BACK, with your all-purpose* guide to the weekend in MLB action. *Single-purpose, really. It's super limited in function. You can only read it. 10. no. 2 UNC vs. no. 3 Virginia (Friday, 8 p.m. and Saturday, 2 p.m., ESPN3) Whoa! Super controversial start! Who is this guy? He must think way outside the box to be including a college baseball game in a post specifically dedicated to MLB. What a challenging artistic choice! I imagine people will have split reactions, but it'll definitely get them talking!]]> http://www.grantland.com/blog/the-triangle/post/_/id/62415/mlb-weekend-top-10-texas-exceptionalism-forever Fri, 17 May 2013 17:05:56 EDT 62415 With a looping back-post header well into stoppage time, Branislav Ivanovic turned Benfica goalkeeper Artur into a statued spectator and gave Chelsea FC a 2-1 win in the Europa League final. The easy explanation for Americans not well versed in the various continental soccer competitions is to call it Europe's NIT. It's a lesser tournament that nobody really cares about until someone else wins it. But even that analogy is not really accurate. When Kansas inevitably gets bounced from the NCAA basketball tournament in the Sweet 16, there isn't a consolation spot waiting for them in the NIT.]]> http://www.grantland.com/blog/the-triangle/post/_/id/62417/what-chelseas-europa-league-win-says-about-the-differences-between-europe-and-the-usa Fri, 17 May 2013 16:45:37 EDT 62417 Welcome to a weekly blog post of thoughts and observations from the past few days and/or decades of NHL hockey. The Three Stars of Comedy Recognizing the three moments or personalities from around the league that produced the most comedic fodder for fans this week. The third star: Dustin Penner wants his McFlurry Hey @mcdonalds was it that every @lakings fan got a mcflurry except for the guy who scored the goal?? I'm going to @dairyqueen #injustice— Dustin Penner (@Dustinpenner25) May 13, 2013 Penner — who has been derided for a lack of conditioning over his career and once actually injured himself eating pancakes — has apparently decided to just go ahead and embrace the fat joke.]]> http://www.grantland.com/blog/the-triangle/post/_/id/62343/nhl-grab-bag-penner-want-food Fri, 17 May 2013 16:20:41 EDT 62343 On today's show, The Basketball Jones preview and predict the Western Conference finals. They also discuss George Hill's injury, Mike Woodson finally playing Chris Copeland, guys who have boosted their free-agency stock, whether Paul Pierce has played his last game in a Celtics uniform, the Kings staying in Sacramento, and the NBA's best and worst mascots. All that, plus swirling winds, The Office, tiny "Baby Birdman," and more on crepes. Listen to this podcast here.]]> http://www.grantland.com/blog/the-triangle/post/_/id/62510/grantland-network-the-basketball-jones-10 Fri, 17 May 2013 16:00:49 EDT 62510 Rooting for a perpetually hopeless franchise will drive you insane for a number of reasons. You know this. But you know when it gets really bad? The playoffs, when you have to watch players your team passed up dominate on another team. Actually that's not it, either. It gets REALLY bad when you watch someone like Kawhi Leonard dominating for the Spurs and realize that this never would've happened if he'd landed with your team. This epiphany is the most crushing truth of them all.]]> http://www.grantland.com/blog/the-triangle/post/_/id/62485/the-kawhi-leonard-conundrum-and-why-life-is-unfair Fri, 17 May 2013 15:30:21 EDT 62485 Bill Simmons dials up Joe House to break down the NBA playoffs and, more importantly, the food options in San Antonio and Memphis. To listen to this podcast, download it on iTunes here or listen at the ESPN.com Podcenter.]]> http://www.grantland.com/blog/the-triangle/post/_/id/62512/b-s-report-joe-house-4 Fri, 17 May 2013 14:45:30 EDT 62512 On Thursday night, Barry Derr was reminded in stark metaphorical terms of his place in the entertainment pecking order. Thousands had come to downtown Los Angeles to see the big matchup: Candice versus Kree on American Idol. Barry and a few dissidents had come for Kings versus Sharks, a second-round NHL playoff game. The idols were greeted by a wide red carpet outside the Nokia Theatre, where teleprompters spit out inane questions (“What’s going on down there on the red carpet?]]> http://www.grantland.com/blog/the-triangle/post/_/id/62482/we-went-there-the-kings-of-l-a-live Fri, 17 May 2013 14:35:55 EDT 62482 After years of seeing poor receivers like Ryan Doumit cost them strikes, the Pittsburgh Pirates signed Russell Martin to the biggest free-agent contract in franchise history over the winter. According to Baseball Prospectus analyst Max Marchi’s pitch-framing statistics, Martin, a converted infielder who worked hard at becoming a better receiver, ranks fourth among major league catchers with more than 105 runs saved because of framing from 2008 to present, or roughly 0.]]> http://www.grantland.com/blog/the-triangle/post/_/id/62122/qa-russell-martin-on-the-art-of-pitch-framing Fri, 17 May 2013 13:40:53 EDT 62122 The Senators and Penguins opened their second-round series Tuesday night, with Pittsburgh claiming an early series lead thanks to a 4-1 win on home ice. The no. 1-seeded Penguins are the consensus favorites over the 7-seed Senators, but nobody would be surprised if the series turned out to be a long one. In the end, it may come down to which team can manage an edge in the key matchups. Which key matchups, you ask, since you assume that’s what you’re supposed to do?]]> http://www.grantland.com/blog/the-triangle/post/_/id/62269/who-will-win-in-the-battle-between-ottawas-hopes-and-dreams-and-reality-spoiler-reality Fri, 17 May 2013 12:50:56 EDT 62269