By David Epstein/ProPublica

On Monday, the World Anti-Doping Agency issued a report painting Russia’s sports programs as doping machines reminiscent of East Germany’s erstwhile state-sponsored drug programs.
This year we’ve written about the use of prescription drugs to enhance performance and why it’s so hard to catch dopers.
But in Russia, there appeared to be no need for ever-more advanced maneuvering to evade positive tests. In Russia, athletes simply needed cash and a culture that rewarded a no-holds-barred drive for champions.

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Posted on November 11, 2015

By Jim Coffman

If I have to hear one more thing about the poor Chargers and their horribly unfair run of injuries . . .
Exactly how long is it going to take for the big re-set? That will be the one when announcers like Jon Gruden and Mike Tirico (and they have plenty of company along these lines) finally figure out that NFL football games featuring only an injury or two are the exception and have been for a while.
Do these guys, who called the Bears’ 22-19 victory at San Diego on Monday night, pay attention to the injury reports at all? Because if they did, they would know that the rule is now that NFL teams deal with at least a dozen significant injuries every week and that players are dropping like flies in game after game. And it is way past time for the average NFL announcer to acknowledge this fact. I hate to break it to them, but the Chargers’ run of injuries is now the norm.

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Posted on November 10, 2015

By Jim Coffman and Steve Rhodes

Media narratives are not your friend. Plus: The Bears Stay The Course; Cubs At Peak Betting Value; Dusty Hoiberg; Patrick Kane Not Vindicated; Kane D.A. Shows Caveman Colors; Blackhawks Blues; and Wearing Kane’s Jersey.

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Posted on November 6, 2015

By Carl Mohrbacher

Week 8 Recap
BOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!
Week 9: 10 Reasons To Watch
There are plenty of reasons to feel down about the last two weeks, what with the losing, the injuries to key players, the bad tackling, the terrible special teams play. I repeat, GOOOOOOO!!!
I mean, “boo.” Damn you autocorrect.
But what really grinds my gears is . . .
[Editor’s Note: It gets a little racist for about a paragraph. For those of you who read the piece before the “Top 10 Reasons That The Kolufo Tribe Are Scum” section was removed, we apologize. Please know that Carl’s opinions do not reflect the views of the Beachwood Reporter and we respect your right to conduct interclan warfare on the basis of a suspicion of witchcraft.]
. . . and the notion that you give conjugal preference to your great uncle’s daughter in polygymous marriage is, at best, a dick move practiced by a real bunch of fuck-wits.
As I was saying, rather than spend more time discussing what went wrong, let’s explore some reasons to invest your time in the 2015 Bears.

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Posted on November 5, 2015

By Dan O’Shea

Week 8 of the NFL slate produced two of the biggest fantasy performances by QBs in recent memory, and it happened in a single game. Drew Brees, NO, threw for 505 yards and seven TDs, while his counterpart across the field, Eli Manning, NYG, aired out for 350 yards and six TDs.
The big day for Brees was so big that he outscored Manning in fantasy points by a full 15 points in standard leagues – 62 to 47. Not that you’d hear Manning’s owners complaining, since getting 47 points from your QB will go pretty far toward winning you the week.
If you are hoping these guys can do it again, it seems highly unlikely. The Saints beat the Giants 52-49 in a game that defined the word “shootout,” and that probably says more about the respective defenses than where the QBs are headed. Looking back over this season, Brees has been a yardage monster as usual, but was average about one TD and almost one INT per game coming into last week. Manning has had a couple very good games, but has been pretty inconsistent, and going into last week was not finding the end zone as often as we expected this year.

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Posted on November 5, 2015

By Jim Coffman

Well, Ryan Pace, whaddya got?
Does Matt Forte have any trade value? Probably not due to his decent-sized contract, age and now injury, but I know you are out there looking, desperately trying to generally manage another draft pick or two into the Bears’ coffers with some sort of transaction.
Perhaps Robbie Gould? The kicker who blasted a 55-yard field goal that would have been good from 60 may have missed from 51 yards later on. but he is a proven, clutch commodity. And a really good kicker on a bad football team is like a really good closer for a baseball team on its way to 90 losses – extremely tradeworthy.
Hell, any chance the Texans might consider some sort of deal for Jay Cutler?

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Posted on November 2, 2015

Ears pricked to the heavens all day, Triple Crown hero American Pharoah immediately seized control, smoothly glided over the beautiful Keeneland dirt course and thoroughly thumped seven others in the $5,000,000 Breeders’ Cup Classic on Saturday, flying into history and retirement, a horse we will remember for the rest of our lives.
‘Pharoah covered the 10 furlongs in 2:00.07, smashing the Keeneland track record. His 6-plus lengths victory paid $3.40, $3.00 and $2.40. Effinex placed and Honor Code showed.
“I knew this was going to be his last race, and I let him run,” jockey Victor Espinoza said. “On the backside, the path I was in was a little deep, so I decided to move out and he accelerated a little. Turning for home, I knew I was gone.”

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Posted on November 1, 2015

By Thomas Chambers

Just as I was gathering notes for this piece, we learned that Beholder
was scratched from the Breeders’ Cup Classic.
Some bleeding in her lungs was detected after an examination Thursday morning.
What could have been a spectacular race had already turned into merely a great one when Liam’ Map’s connections decided to run him in the easier BC Dirt Mile. Now, it’s just a very good one.

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Posted on October 30, 2015

By Jim Coffman and Steve Rhodes

Team hid Jeremiah Ratliff’s mass murder threat in latest cover-up. Plus: A Cubs Post Post-Mortem: Not Yet Royal; Dominican Republic Dominates; Bulls’ Black Cloud Lifts; and Wait ‘Til Next Year For The Blackhawks?

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Posted on October 30, 2015

By Carl Mohrbacher

NFL Fever – Catch It! Whatever That Means
Seemingly each NFL season brings at least one instance of a Detroit Lion receiver involved in a play that forces us to study, question, ignore or amend the NFL rulebook on the fly.
This year, the Lions have provided the world a couple flavors of end zone weirdness, and Week 6’s occurrence may have cost the Bears a shot at . . . nothing.

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Posted on October 28, 2015