David Acord is a sound engineer for Skywalker Sound, the sound division of Lucasfilm. He’s also a Philadelphia Eagles fan. And in an article by Chris McPherson on the Eagles’ website for Star Wars Day, he reveals that there are hidden Eagles references in the two most recent movies: Acord is such a fan of [Eagles tight end Brent] Celek that he incorporated him into The Force Awakens. Acord voiced Teedo, a reptile-like scavenger, and had to create a language for it. He was learning Thai for an upcoming vacation, so he mixed in some phrases in Thai and sprinkled in the names of some Eagles players. Celek and Fletcher, for Fletcher Cox, made it into the final version of the movie. There was another Eagles surprise in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story… When Cassian Andor and Jyn Erso ar…

Some people are fans of the New York Giants. But many, many more people are NOT fans of the New York Giants. This 2016 Deadspin NFL team preview is for those in the latter group. Read all the previews so far here. And buy Drew’s new book here. Your team: New York Giants Your 2015 record: 6-10. It takes a year of extraordinary shame and degradation in order to purge yourself of Tom Coughlin forever. Thankfully, the 2015 Giants were up to the task. When this team fucks up, they REALLY make a scene of it. Let’s recap! •Their best defensive player blew up his hand and played half the season with a lobster claw. •Their tight end nearly had his foot amputated. •They gifted Dallas a Week 1 victory by leaving 40 extra seconds on the clock. •They lost six of their last sev…

Some people are fans of the Indianapolis Colts. But many, many more people are NOT fans of the Indianapolis Colts. This 2013 Deadspin NFL team preview is for those in the latter group. Read all the 2013 NFL previews so far right here. Your team: Indianapolis Colts Your 2012 record: 11-5. This is the part where NERDY METRIC NERDS like me tell you that the Colts actually had a net point differential of minus-30 last season—a mediocre team that got some good bounces, in other words. It's just like the old saying goes: You are what your record says you are, unless you have a terrible net point differential, in which case you are what your net point differential says you really ought to be. Your coach: Chuck Pagano, who will actually have to get out there and COACH this year. N…

A hot new sports media startup may not be the place you’d expect to find a braindead take lifted straight from a dead-tree columnist’s 1996 notebook, but then you remember that The Athletic, in its quest to destroy all print sports sections, did hire plenty of middle-aged white guys. One of those guys is Joe McDonald, and he’s got one hell of a column out this week. McDonald is upset that the Pawtucket Red Sox, the Triple-A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox, are all set to leave their current home in Pawtucket and relocate to Worcester, Mass. The team is abandoning its longtime home because the local government wasn’t willing to chip in enough public money to help build a new stadium, and this has made McDonald righteously angry at the greedy sports franc—no, wait, I’m sorry, …

data-mm-id=”_rko4j5n1o”>The tweet was published at 10:03 AM EST on Monday and the sports world collectively lost its mind. Finally, a ray of sunshine in an otherwise barren sports landscape. BREAKING: As @GolfDigest reported last week, British Open is canceled, formally expected today. Other announcements: Tour will begin mid June, with no fans, at MemorialPGA Champ Aug 6; Ryder Cup Sept 25US Open Sept 17Masters to Nov— Joel Beall (@JoelMBeall) April 6, 2020Wait, sports are being played? As early as June? Surely this must be a fake report from a fake account, right? Wrong. Joel Beall is a respected writer for Golf Digest. No way he would put these dates out there if they weren't based on information he received from reputable sources. So it seems the PGA Tour will indeed restart…

data-mm-id=”_9yw8axqs5″>Gordon Hayward's career as a member of the Boston Celtics has been a story of trials and tribulations with little triumph. After signing with Boston in the summer of 2017, Hayward suffered a catastrophic leg injury that sidelined him for all of the season. He spent pretty much all of the following year trying to get comfortable on the floor, and there were some flashes with four 30-point games in 2018-19. But he clearly wasn't there yet, and it was hard to blame him. Going up for a routine alley-oop that he's done a thousand times over and having it end in a broken ankle will linger on the mind. When 2019 began, expectations were that Hayward would be something like the All-Star he was when he signed with Boston. He had a year to re-acclimate and …

data-mm-id=”_az5cei6kf”>Nelson Cruz hit 22 Major League home runs before entering his age-28 season in 2009. He has 382 since then. Two came yesterday as part of a four-hit, seven RBI outburst in Chicago against the White Sox. Cruz, now 40 and a crucial bat for the pennant-chasing Minnesota Twins, continues to age like a fine wine. Or perhaps he's Benjamin Buttoning, allowing writers to dip back into the overworked Curious Case headline files should they see fit. Something's going on and we need to get to the bottom of it. The slugging outfielder-turned-designated hitter made one All-Star Game before he turned 32. Since then, he's earned a spot in five. Over the past five seasons, he's finished in the Top-10 of MVP voting in four and in 15th in another campaign. Dur…

data-mm-id=”_7jrxc1b22″>Eyebrows were raised around the TBL staff when Gordon Hayward opted out of the final year of his contract with the Boston Celtics. In opting out, he gave up $34 million guaranteed. It turns out that Hayward did, in fact, know what he was doing. On Saturday, he secured a long-term financial commitment from the Charlotte Hornets with only a very slight pay decrease as he signed a four-year deal worth $120 million. Free agent Gordon Hayward is signing a 4-year, $120M deal with Charlotte, per source.— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) November 21, 2020Well, good for Hayward for securing the bag despite serious doubts from everybody that he would be able to get a deal like that on the open market. But what on earth is Michael Jordan and Charlotte thinking by giving him…

data-mm-id=”_5ppvcrci8″>Rory McIlroy is only a few shots off the lead at the 2023 PGA Championship, but that doesn't mean he's happy with the golf he's playing. In the middle of the second round on Friday, McIlroy hit an errant tee shot and ESPN's broadcast picked up audio of the four-time major champ swearing at himself really loudly. Check this out — be warned, it's NSFW:Rory HOT mic !!! pic.twitter.com/rJCgQADxEM— Elijah Collins (@Ecollins2727) May 19, 2023Yes, that is the current face of the PGA yelling, "f—ing p—y" at himself following a bad shot. Not the best look in the world, but we all have rough moments at work. And McIlroy is known for being emotional on the course. McIlroy finished the day at 1 under, and is at even par for the tour…