Frank Deford

Frank Deford appears in the following:

The Pitch For More No. 42s

Wednesday, April 17, 2013

Yet another movie about Jackie Robinson arrived as baseball held its annual commemorative celebration of No. 42, but officials of the game are fretting over the fact that only 8 1/2 percent of current major leaguers are black.

Given that African-Americans only constitute about 13 percent of the U.S. population, ...

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Tiger At The Masters: The Juncture Of Exhilaration And Peril

Wednesday, April 10, 2013

Let us now ponder the exquisite status of Tiger Woods, who has clawed back to the top of the charts thereby to proclaim, with the help of his Nike mouthpiece, that his ragged and raw past few years never really happened because — ta-da –– as his ad says: "Winning ...

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Baseball Isn't Dead; It Just Takes More Work To Appreciate

Wednesday, April 03, 2013

It being the start of baseball season, that means we've been inundated by predictions — who'll win the divisions and the pennants and the World Series? We know two things on this subject. In every sport, at the start of the season, the experts are bound and determined to make ...

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It's Been An Ugly Year For College Basketball

Wednesday, March 27, 2013

There once was a wise old basketball coach named Arad McCutchan who led the Evansville Purple Aces to five national championships in the small-college division, dressing his Purple Aces in bright orange T-shirts. I've been reminded of this recently as a number of grubby athletic directors have sold out to ...

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What's The Score On Spirited Sports Banter At Bars?

Wednesday, March 20, 2013

The more I travel, the more I see sports bars. They've been around for years, usually in obvious places, like in college towns or near arenas.

But now they're everywhere, even in airports and hotels, places where you'd expect generic bars. Sports bars are becoming ubiquitous and ordinary — merely, ...

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School Bands Should Not Be Entertainment Adjunct For Sports

Wednesday, March 13, 2013

Several years ago I gave a speech in which I mentioned that athletes tended to be the only college students who were awarded scholarships for what is an extracurricular activity.

Afterward, Myles Brand, the late president of the NCAA, told me I was wrong, that many music extracurricular scholarships were ...

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Catholic Universities See True Path To Salvation: Basketball

Wednesday, March 06, 2013

I've always felt it's no coincidence that some basketball powerhouses — let us say, off the top of my head, Duke, Kentucky, Kansas and Indiana — get a few better players because those hoops museums don't do very well with football.

I mean, if I were a big-deal high school ...

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Dear College Presidents: Break The NCAA's Vise Grip On Athletes

Wednesday, February 27, 2013

The great social quest in American sport is to have one prominent, active, gay male athlete step forward and identify himself.

But I have a similar quest. I seek one prominent college president to say to her trustees or to the other presidents in his conference: "The NCAA is a ...

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NHL Lockout Leaves Fans Out In The Cold

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

Hockey fans are living their lives, going about their business, but their days are a little paler. Commentator Frank Deford says fans deserve a little sympathy when their sport is taken from them.

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Brooklyn Finally Nets A Team Of Its Own

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

In its long history, Brooklyn has been famous for two sports events: No. 1, having the Dodgers; No. 2, losing the Dodgers. But now Brooklyn has an NBA team, a fancy new arena — and even a floor that may set a new trend.

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The NFL's Lesson: There's No Replacing Good Refs

Wednesday, October 03, 2012

Only two groups of people really matter in any game: the players and the officials. That's the lesson the NFL inadvertently taught football fans in the past four weeks, says Frank Def...

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Serena Williams Takes Tennis For A Ride

Wednesday, August 22, 2012

The U.S. Open tennis tournament starts next week and, as commentator Frank Deford points out, Serena Williams may be the best reason to watch.

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The NBA Is Bullish On Christmas, By Necessity

Wednesday, December 21, 2011

In 2010, Phil Jackson, then the coach of the Los Angeles Lakers, complained about the NBA's scheduling of games on Christmas Day. It seemed, he said, that "Christian holidays don't me...

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The Entitled

Wednesday, August 01, 2007

Frank Deford is a renowned sportswriter, screenwriter, National Public Radio commentator, television personality, and novelist. He joins us to discuss his most recent novel, The Entitled. It’s a story about today’s entitled baseball superstars told from the viewpoint of a candid, journeyman manager.

The Entitled is available for purchase at ...

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Tony Blair's Legacy

Wednesday, August 01, 2007

Alastair Campbell served as press secretary, official spokesman, and confidant to former Prime Minister Tony Blair. He joins us to reveal the inner workings of 10 Downing Street during Blair's rule. Then, a sportswriter recounts his year on the road with an iconic Negro Leagues baseball player and manager, sportswriter ...

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