Author: Don Yaeger

Not too long ago, I had an interesting conversation with a friend of mine that I’ll call Bob, mostly because that’s his name. Bob works in Vegas as a casino host, and Bob knows just about everything there is to know about betting lines, propositions, and numbers. In fact, there’s not much that Bob doesn’t know about the science and magic of professional wagering.

Let’s start here: if you want to be great, you’d better have a short memory. That may sound like an odd statement, but it was the major takeaway from the weekend’s NBA action. Whether you’re talking about Steph Curry’s dismal Game 6, Damien Lillard’s abysmal Game 7, or Kawai Leonard’s long struggle in Toronto’s final game, the Conference Semifinals ended far differently than they began.

Have you ever screwed up so badly you wanted to go into hiding? It’s a natural response to failure. We don’t like to own our mistakes, because they make us feel small. Unworthy. Less than human. Know what’s not a natural response to failure?

I’ve sat down twice in the last few days to enjoy the Golden State Warriors versus the Houston Rockets in the NBA playoffs. Like a lot of hoop-heads, I’ve been savoring this matchup since these teams went seven games in the Western Conference finals a year ago. Stephen Curry against the indomitable Chris Paul. Kevin Durant against the crafty Clint Capella. James Harden against anybody. These are the matchups that...

On Thursday night, the National Football League will host an event that’s become one of the league’s crown jewels: the annual player draft. This year, the draft is in Nashville, and while there’s sure to be plenty of parties and activities, the real show will be what happens on stage. Because that’s what Thursday night’s first round has become: a show. Same with Friday night’s second and third rounds. The NFL draft...

After starting the day bright and early to avoid the threat of thunderstorms, the 18th hole of Augusta National was hit by a roll of thunder yesterday afternoon that no meteorologist could have predicted. But no one panicked. No one ran for cover. No one cried—unless they were tears of joy.