Ricky Mangidis

How the Thunder helped heal Oklahoma City 30 years after unimaginable terror For 30 years, the Oklahoma City bombing -- the most devastating act of homegrown terrorism in history -- has been seared into the identity of the city. Since 2008, the Thunder have been trying to hono...

NEW: The Thunder are built upon a tragedy that seared their city 30 years ago. When Sam Presti arrived in 2008, he was so inspired by the recovery that he built his team in its image, forging bonds with those whose lives forever changed on April 19, 1995. www.espn.com/nba/story/_/...

This post is probably going to break all sorts of earnestness records, but just very grateful to have AEW to watch each week. Here's to the next six years #AEWDynamite

I was ... uhh ... not expecting India to lose 4/4 in two overs 😳

Hopefully a sign of more World Cup chaos to come (said as someone planning to spend most of his three weeks leave watching it)

#CWC25

🚨🆕 on The Shinboner 🚨

How Brisbane flipped the script: The lessons they learned from the Qualifying Final loss, what they changed for the Grand Final, and how they executed it all to win the ultimate prize.

↪️ theshinboner.com/2025/09/29/h...

🚨 New on The Shinboner 🚨

Lessons from the Qualifying Final: A 2025 Grand Final preview.

↪️ theshinboner.com/2025/09/27/l...

🆕 on The Shinboner: A look into Adelaide's finals campaign.

What caused each of their losses, the lessons to be learned, and why the fixes should be relatively straight forward to implement, with one wildcard.

↪️ theshinboner.com/2025/09/14/a...

Sugar Ray Robinson, Jake LaMotta and the mob: How a fierce boxing rivalry wreaked havoc and heartbreak "Sugar" Ray Robinson and Jake LaMotta had one of boxing's fiercest rivalries, pitting two very different men against each other and the mob in a wild, corrupt, and deeply memorable period of boxing hi...

Fascinating piece on boxing, the mob and two of the most famous fighters ever:

sports.yahoo.com/boxing/artic...

🆕 on The Shinboner: The last Finals Dossier, focusing on everything Collingwood.

Reasons for their start to the year, reasons for their finish, everything in between, and what it all means heading into September...

↪️ theshinboner.com/2025/08/29/2...

(see pinned post for full access dates)

🆕 on The Shinboner: Today's Finals Dossier is all about the reigning premiers.

Everything about a fascinating Brisbane campaign, what to take out of the highs, and how much of the lows are relevant in a finals setting...

↪️ theshinboner.com/2025/08/28/2...

(see pinned post for full access dates)

🆕 on The Shinboner: The ever-present in these Finals Dossiers, Geelong.

This is the sixth edition, Geelong have featured five (!) times, and yet there's always plenty of new things to write about.

↪️ theshinboner.com/2025/08/27/2...

(see pinned post for full access dates and Patreon levels)

🆕 on The Shinboner: 2025's first Finals Dossier is here, and naturally we start with the minor premiers.

Everything Adelaide - and it feels like literally everything - in a large, large piece.

↪️ theshinboner.com/2025/08/26/2...

(see pinned post for full access dates and levels)

The schedule for this year's Finals Dossier are locked in now, with a large thank you to Gold Coast for not making it too complicated.

Tuesday: Adelaide
Wednesday: Geelong
Thursday: Brisbane
Friday: Collingwood

With the different levels of access based on the date here ⬇️

Expected Score v Actual Score for Round 24, via the Herald Sun (except for Wednesday night's game).

A full season summary is featured in this week's Notebook: theshinboner.com/2025/08/25/e...

🆕 on The Shinboner: A final home and away season Notebook, summarising...

1) Expected Score rankings
2) Minutes Played By Age for each team
3) A personal top-five favourite games of the year

(all except Wednesday night's game)

↪️ theshinboner.com/2025/08/25/e...

🆕 on The Shinboner: 23 up, 23 down. The last North Melbourne match review of the season.

It's a long piece to mark the occasion, juggling between individual match analysis, placing it into a larger season context, and a look at the year as a whole.

↪️ theshinboner.com/2025/08/24/o...

🆕 on The Shinboner: Had a lot of fun putting this week's Notebook together.

The different ways to use uncontested marks, using Brisbane's method against Fremantle and St Kilda's method against Richmond as the examples.

↪️ theshinboner.com/2025/08/20/t...

🆕 on The Shinboner: A 48-point North Melbourne win and a 54-disposal game means today's post is about two things:

1) How North were able to dictate the game
2) How Harry Sheezel was able to get 54 disposals

↪️ theshinboner.com/2025/08/17/r...

🆕 on The Shinboner: It's a large Notebook this week.

Three topics, lots of words, and also a bit of scene setting for a couple of finals topics...

↪️ theshinboner.com/2025/08/13/d...

🆕 on The Shinboner: Today's post about North Melbourne's loss to GWS zooms out a bit.

There's a focus on domino effects, where the key part of a chain happens early, but focus is drawn to what happens at the end.

And also a superb bit of leadership.

↪️ theshinboner.com/2025/08/11/d...

Gazza’s chaotic 39 days at Kettering: Mid-training pizza, a fully clothed shower and a Ferrari promise Paul Gascoigne arrived at the sixth-tier club 20 years ago as a footballing legend. Those who were there at the time relive a crazy period

🔈 Emotional team talks
🦷 A recreation of dentist chair celebration
🍕 Takeaway pizzas at training
🚿 Gazza in the showers fully clothed
👋 A bitter exit

Twenty years since Paul Gascoigne's only managerial job, a big read on his remarkable 39 days at Kettering Town

www.nytimes.com/athletic/630...

🆕 on The Shinboner: A hastily put together Notebook this week has a sole focus on Melbourne:

1️⃣ Half-assessment of their on-field prospects, style, and list structure
2️⃣ Half-providing the info for people to make up their own assessments as well

↪️ theshinboner.com/2025/08/06/a...

Expected Score v Actual Score for Round 21, via the Herald Sun ⬇️

🆕 on The Shinboner: Today's post on North Melbourne's loss to St Kilda jumps around from topic to topic, including:

- Colby McKercher's form + future role
- The team's tendency to retreat
- A mini checklist of things to see in the last three games

↪️ theshinboner.com/2025/08/04/i...

Expected Score v Actual Score for Round 20, via the Herald Sun. A pretty ho-hum round, right up until the end...

A Shinboner programming note for the finals & September, mainly getting posted so I can pin it:

- The Finals Dossiers return for the sixth edition
- Notebooks will continue right through the finals
- Extra bits and bobs

Dates & details: theshinboner.com/2025/07/28/f...

🆕 on The Shinboner: North Melbourne's 101-point loss to Geelong was another example of the same cycle repeating itself this year.

Today's post explains what that cycle is, how it plays out, and pondering how it can be broken...

↪️ theshinboner.com/2025/07/27/r...

🆕 on The Shinboner: North Melbourne's loss to Sydney basically boiled down to two things:

1) How they fared in the ruck, and its flow on effects
2) Their ball use, both by hand and foot

So today's post touches on those two things...

↪️ theshinboner.com/2025/07/20/r...

Cool piece by Atherton looking back on working on the 2005 Ashes. This anecdote sounds hilarious too: www.thetimes.com/article/9c8b...

Joel Embiid sees you In what he's calling his "most important" offseason, Joel Embiid responds to his critics.

Unbelievably good piece on Joel Embiid. Best thing I've read in a long, long time: www.espn.com/nba/story/_/...

🆕 on The Shinboner: Round 18's Notebook focuses on three of the top teams:

1) Brisbane testing tweaks against Carlton, changing their style a little
2) The Suns v Pies midfield battle, how both sides played through Nick Daicos, and the adjustments

↪️ theshinboner.com/2025/07/16/b...