Alex House Articles - Page 31

The ongoing presence of Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin allows fans to remember the Pittsburgh Penguins’ glory days, but this is undeniably a new era, especially following the firing of head coach Mike Sullivan. They have not competed in the Stanley Cup Playoffs in three years and have not won a series since 2018. The […]

The Ottawa Senators achieved a desperately-needed breakthrough when they ended a seven-year Stanley Cup Playoffs drought during the 2024-25 campaign, but now comes the hard part. General manager Steve Staios must do everything in his power to solidify this franchise as a perennial postseason presence. He seems to be taking that mission quite seriously based […]

Alabama football made a big splash earlier in the week, securing commitments from five-star running back Ezavier “EJ” Crowell and four-star tight end Mack Sutter to bolster their 2026 recruiting class. Crimson Tide head coach Kalen DeBoer is lauded for his offensive ingenuity, so it is no surprise he wanted to focus on that side […]

Gerrit Cole, Carlos Correa, Alex Bregman, Kyle Tucker and Justin Verlander. They are all gone, and yet the Houston Astros (48-33) remain a perennial American League contender. They continue to overcome major departures and constant pitching injuries, proving just how strong a foundation the organization has set in place. Yordan Alvarez is still under contract […]

The Toronto Blue Jays (43-37) have a small cushion in the American League Wild Card standings, as they head to Fenway Park for a divisional series against the slumping Boston Red Sox (40-42). It only takes one bad weekend for this enduring ballclub to forfeit the momentum it built after grabbing two out of three […]

We have all tried to attach a “but” to the Baltimore Orioles’ severely disappointing campaign. They are in last place, but wait until they get healthy. The bats have not produced for most of the year, but wait until the lineup heats up. The pitching staff is in shambles, but maybe general manger Mike Elias […]

Seattle Mariners switch hitter Cal Raleigh has done the unthinkable in more ways than one this season. He is redefining what is possible at the catcher position, while also giving Aaron Judge true competition in what was initially supposed to be one of the least suspenseful MVP races in recent MLB history. The Big Dumper […]

A four-game series amid a fairly tight divisional race was already enough to add some spark to the longstanding St. Louis Cardinals-Chicago Cubs rivalry, but a strong emotional response from someone who has played on both teams might as well have been gasoline for this National League Central conflict. Cardinals first baseman Willson Contreras and […]

ESPN college basketball analyst Jay Bilas perfectly summed up the NBA Draft after the first round concluded on Wednesday: history will remember it as a coronation for No. 1 overall pick Cooper Flagg, but there are several players in this class who will leave their mark in The Association. The Dallas Mavericks stumbled into the […]

Cooper Flagg and the basketball-watching world knew he was going to be selected as the No. 1 overall pick in the NBA Draft. That distinct honor was projected before the 6-foot-9 forward even suited up for the Duke Blue Devils, and he solidified his spot on the top of the board with a historic freshman […]

The Portland Trail Blazers made noticeable progress in their rebuild last season, winning 15 more games than the previous campaign and finishing just a bit short of a Play-In Tournament slot. But now they are shaking things up again, following a series of surprising moves this week. Blazers general manager Joe Cronin maintained his aggressive […]

Edmonton Oilers superstar Connor McDavid is once again experiencing the offseason after a crushing Stanley Cup Final defeat to the Florida Panthers. In an awful case of deja vu, the former Conn Smythe Trophy winner was unable to make much of an impact in the latter stage of the series, scoring just two points in […]

As has been the case since the Los Angeles Lakers first signed LeBron James in 2018, there is substantial pressure on general manager Rob Pelinka and the front office to make impactful moves in the offseason. The Purple and Gold hopes it just completed one at the 2025 NBA Draft. LA traded the No. 45 […]

The last week had been going swimmingly for the St. Louis Cardinals. They finished off the Chicago White Sox, took a series from the Cincinnati Reds, won the first two games of their divisional showdown with the Chicago Cubs, and occupied a National League Wild Card slot. Their luck is turning a bit, however, as […]

For better or worse, the Phoenix Suns have commanded much of the headlines this offseason. They are wasting no time in revamping their roster and have been incredibly active at the 2025 NBA Draft. The front office seemingly has a plan in mind ahead of the second round, as evidenced by a trade-filled Thursday. Following […]

While there are a number of complicating factors surrounding the whole unfortunate saga, the main reason why the Boston Red Sox abruptly traded Rafael Devers after reaching the peak of their 2025 campaign is because they deemed him to be a long-term problem. Many fans and multiple analysts used that line of thinking as justification […]

When the final buzzer sounds on his career, Draymond Green will leave behind one of the more complicated legacies in modern NBA history. He is guaranteed Hall of Fame enshrinement in Springfield, Mass., and could go down as the second-most important member of the Golden State Warriors dynasty. But the veteran forward has also proven […]

Future Hall of Famer Terry Francona has a tough balancing act to perform in his first season as Cincinnati Reds manager. He is tasked with guiding this group to a winning season while also helping the younger players come of age. Both things happened on Tuesday, as the gritty ballclub pulled out a 5-4 extra-innings […]

The San Francisco Giants (44-35) currently occupy the second of three National League Wild Card slots and are only four and half games behind the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL West race, giving their fans plenty to celebrate after back-to-back losing seasons. But there is little room for error in the crowded Senior Circuit. […]

The Washington Wizards completed a polarizing trade with the New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday, moving on from Jordan Poole and the almost $66 million left on his contract and welcoming in veteran guard CJ McCollum. The franchise is creating more financial flexibility in the long run and further reshaping the roster’s core. Many fans applaud […]

People have used countless adjectives to describe 18-year-old phenom Cooper Flagg, the man who will officially be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft on Wednesday night. ESPN continues to pour out heaping piles of praise ahead of the festivities, marveling at his immense potential and incredibly versatile skill set. Analyst Kendrick […]

Arizona Cardinals tight end Trey McBride definitively ascended into the top tier of his position group last season, earning an invitation to the Pro Bowl Games and helping his team double their win total from the previous year. The 25-year-old signed a $76 million contract extension for his efforts and is aiming even higher ahead […]

When taking account of the largely unpredictable melee that was the 2025 NBA playoffs, the Golden State Warriors probably believe they had a realistic chance at contending for a championship with a healthy Stephen Curry. They cannot afford to dwell in the past, however. The clock is ticking on this Curry/Draymond Green/Jimmy Butler-led era of […]

The Oklahoma City Thunder outlasted the persistent Indiana Pacers — who fought valiantly after Tyrese Haliburton suffered a torn Achilles early in Game 7 of the NBA Finals — and claimed the team’s first championship on Sunday night. OKC faced plenty of adversity en route to the Larry O’Brien Trophy, but with MVP/Finals MVP Shai […]

Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer is under the microscope following an overall disappointing first season in Tuscaloosa. Despite outlasting Georgia in a wild game on Saban Field at the end of September, the Crimson Tide suffered a blowout loss at Oklahoma and missed out on the 12-team College Football Playoff. The two-time Pac-12 Coach of […]

Before the Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the devastatingly shorthanded Indiana Pacers to win the NBA championship on Sunday night, the Houston Rockets strengthened their own title aspirations by completing a huge trade with the Phoenix Suns. Kevin Durant is now in Space City, and Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, the No. 10 pick in the 2025 […]

Less than three days before the 2025 NBA Draft is set to commence, the Denver Nuggets finally have a front-office structure officially in place. The organization is promoting Ben Tenzer to executive vice president of basketball operations and bringing in Jon Wallace to serve as executive vice president of player personnel, per ESPN’s Shams Charania. […]

One of the reasons why the Oklahoma City Thunder acquired Alex Caruso last June was to help them learn how to become a championship team. He held up his end of the bargain, displaying invaluable leadership and defensive tenacity in the regular season and tallying 10 points and three steals in Game 7 of the […]

The Washington Wizards have long proven incapable of designing a successful blueprint. Three playoff wins and six losing seasons since 2018 prove as much. Their only chance may be to excel in the NBA Draft and hope that Brian Keefe can leave his imprint on this young roster, starting in his second year at the […]

The Washington Nationals could see a .500 record in sight at the end of May, a welcome sign that the young ballclub’s profusion of talent was finally trending toward competitive results. A nightmarish June has crushed that optimism, however, as the Nats dropped 11 consecutive games before toughing out a 4-3 extra-innings victory versus the […]

James Harden is 35 years old and coming off a first-round playoffs exit with the Los Angeles Clippers, but he seemed as exuberant and confident as ever during Fanatics Fest. The 2018 MVP was feeding into the lively atmosphere, looking like a man who just said his prayers and took his vitamins. He arrived at […]

MLB fan bases are closely monitoring the myriad of pitching injuries that have afflicted the Los Angeles Dodgers (47-30) this season, but the defending World Series Champions overcame a similar calamity last year. While a scarcity of arms is obviously concerning, believe it or not, the biggest priority of this team could actually be keeping […]

UFC all-time great Jon Jones is done stepping into the Octagon, as he prepares to begin the next phase of his life. Dana White, the CEO and president of the mixed martial arts juggernaut, announced the 37-year-old’s retirement, per ESPN’s Brett Okamoto, and also dropped some major news that corresponds with Jones’ departure. Tom Aspinall […]

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has maintained a cool demeanor during the 2024-25 NBA campaign, doing everything in his power to stay grounded on and off the court. The Oklahoma City Thunder superstar has displayed tremendous composure en route to a landmark season, on both an individual and collective level. The Paycom Center will be packed with fans […]

Tom Brady is the greatest quarterback of all-time and a better broadcaster than most people give him credit for, but he frequently rides the fence and can pander to the specific crowd he is in front of, making it difficult to gauge his unfiltered opinion on certain subjects. His latest comments regarding NBA icon LeBron […]

Caroline Hjelle, the wife of San Francisco Giants pitcher Sean Hjelle, made serious accusations against her husband via a TikTok post on Friday, which the team is now looking into, according to Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle. “When my MLB husband abandons us on Mothers Day a week after this (video was taken) […]

Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese has expressed a strong desire to evolve her game and become a more versatile player, and that ambition was reflected through the triple-double she posted in last Sunday’s road win versus the Connecticut Sun, but she also understands the brand component of her WNBA career. The double-double machine has actively […]

During this frenzied era of Name Image and Likeness (NIL) athletics, fans have been longing for one thing above all else: clarity. There are many people who will never come around on the modern landscape, but a Straightforward set of rules for governing contractual commitments can go a long way in building trust with the […]

Following a tension-filled series, the Los Angeles Dodgers (46-30) and San Diego Padres (40-34) finally succumbed to their emotions on Thursday night. And now come the consequences. MLB is suspending managers Dave Roberts and Mike Shildt and Padres closer Robert Suarez, per ESPN’s Alden Gonzalez. All three men were ejected in the last game on […]