Newmark's Door

Impressive, but if they are really the best of Pele, or close to his best, I'm sorry, but Leo is better.

Series at The Athletic. Gated, but if you have access, some excellent pieces. My favorites: "Willis Reed--NBA Finals, Game 7," "1986 World Series," and, of course, "28-3: told from both sides of the fence".

I, for one, wish Leo all the best in the next stage of his career.

Hour long video on how Jürgen did it.

13 minutes of Barca at their best.

I remember a few years back when U.S. sports announcers got so excited about U.S. fans doing the "wave". That didn't hold a candle to English soccer fans' singing.

The '69-'70 Knicks were one of the first sports teams I ever rooted for and the very first team I ever bet on. They were a lot of fun to watch and Willis's game 7 entrance at the Garden was one for the ages.

It was an awfully tough year for Barca, but before we bury the season, take a look at the most recent example of Messi's genius: "He's falling over. He's practically on the ground."

Related: "Lionel Messi: Ranking the Barcelona star's greatest solo goals after his Napoli stunner". (I'd swap #2 and #1, but otherwise it's a fine list.)

Son Heung-min wins Premier goal of the year and I think it's well-deserved. You can see for yourself.

Research seems to show the answer to the first question is it depends on the sport, but there is a home-field advantage in all of them. The answer to the second may well be this: "Apparently, when the crowd sits closer to the field, the officials are more susceptible to getting caught up in the home-crowd emotion."

Link courtesy of my older daughter.