Craig Gaines

Words (and Stats) Struggle to Capture Shohei Ohtani’s GOAT Game MLB’s two-way star cemented his playoff legend with a signature spectacle that showcased the upside of the Dodgers’ dominance

I had to miss the latest Ohtani Game last night. After I watched the condensed game, I immediately needed @benlindbergh.bsky.social to tell me how impossible that performance was. And here we go:

www.theringer.com/2025/10/18/m...

The Real Ambassadors — A Jazz Opera for Louis Armstrong by Dave & Iola Brubeck

Great late-night listen.

open.spotify.com/episode/7EPF...

Remembering Hulk Hogan, Dead at 71 - The Ringer David and Brian react to the death of Hulk Hogan at the age of 71 (0:00). Then they answer the COLD OPEN QUESTION OF THE WEEK: If you could go back in time to throw a…

When you're the kind of writer whom everyone turns to during a specific event, you are facing all kinds of pressure. But no surprise that my colleague (and former office mate) @davidshoemaker.bsky.social delivered on the passing of Hulk Hogan. Listen and read here:

www.theringer.com/podcasts/the...

The Floods in Texas - The Ringer Bryan and Joel discuss the Texas flash floods, how the story hits them as parents and Texans, the slow trickle of information, defensive posturing from Texas leadership, misinformation gaining tractio...

Fantastic humanity from @joelanderson.bsky.social and @bryancurtis.bsky.social today on the Texas floods. Listen and read here.

www.theringer.com/podcasts/the...

Don’t screw yourself. Read the entire thing. Makes me rethink my own very cynical take on fandom. Root like Tyler.

Somehow, the Indiana Pacers Just Keep Outdoing Themselves Indiana’s magical postseason run continues in the NBA Finals, where Tyrese Haliburton’s game-winning jumper propelled the Pacers to an early series lead over the Thunder

“Game after game, moment after moment throughout this season, the Pacers have reanimated themselves in the nick of time, leaving just enough room for a miracle to be cultivated.”

@dannychau.bsky.social on a magical G1.

www.theringer.com/2025/06/06/n...

The Millennial Canon Bracket Twenty-five years into the 21st century, the millennials’ heyday is in the books. Now it’s time to determine which person, place, event, or even behavioral tic best encapsulates the generation.

I just miss the cut for being a millennial but I voted in our Millennial Canon Bracket anyway. IS THAT VOTER FRAUD? Check out the bracket and decide whether to report me to the authorities. (Also student loan debt vs. ‘Glee.’)

www.theringer.com/2025/05/05/p...

Protestors gather at an intersection and hold signs.

Protestors cross a street. One sign says “Deport Elon to Mars.”

Lovely afternoon in Hollywood/Los Feliz.

The 100 Best Sports Moments of the Quarter Century - The Ringer Since the calendar turned from 1999 to 2000 and none of us succumbed to the great machine uprising of Y2K, there have been 60,096 games played in Major League Baseball, 32,579 in the NBA, 31,377 in the NHL, 6,758 in the NFL, and 5,884 in the WNBA. That is a lot of sports in 25-plus years, a total of 136,694 games, which doesn’t even take into account college sports, all of the Olympics, the tennis matches, the rounds of golf, and the myriad other ways to behold athletic competition. You’d be forgiven if it all blended together.

Only at The Ringer could I write about George W. Bush and Freddie Freeman for the same package. Helluva thing my colleagues built here.

www.theringer.com/project/100-...

I support spelling it out like this in a quote.

an archival black and white photograph of the KKK marching in Washington DC with the capitol behind them

In light of everything happening, I wrote about how the KKK in the 1920s felt unstoppable, about the people that fought against them anyway, and about how fascism always fails. dansinker.com/posts/202…

The perfect day (alas) to read this, by @benehrenreich.bsky.social at @flaminghydra.com

The Ashes of History The Eaton Fire imperils Altadena — a special place for Black Los Angeles. Written by journalist Erin Aubry Kaplan.

“Altadena has a longstanding Black community with roots in the 19th century and is one of the very few cohesive Black communities left in a county that has seen its Black populations shrink significantly in the last couple of decades.”

redcanarycollective.org/magazine/alt...

Socorro Herrera, founder of tiny Los Feliz taco stand Yuca's Hut, dies From a shoeshine booth turned taco stand, Soccoro 'Mama Yuca's' Herrera was a taco champion and James Beard Award winner at her Yuca's Hut in Los Feliz.

Today my favorite writer memorializes my favorite Angelena matriarch. Worth your time just like Yuca’s is worth the wait when there’s a line.

www.latimes.com/food/story/2...

The soundscape is always with me, too: the griddle’s symphonic sizzle, Hillhurst’s ebbs and flows, and Mama’s voice booming out the names of customers ready to receive prizes wrapped n tortillas and foil.

Yuca’s was the first iconic Los Angeles food I ate when I moved here 20 years ago. The images are crystalline in my head: the sign, the communal table, the afternoon sun slanting in through the hut, and Mama’s looping cursive on a brown paper bag.

Let's toss an ellipsis and an em dash into the mix too

How History Led Bill Belichick to North Carolina The greatest coach in NFL history is going back to school. Why did he take the UNC job?

for my first piece at @the-ringer.bsky.social, i wondered why in the hell bill belichick would do this? then i started reading and watching old tape, just like he would've probably. theringer.com/2024/12/12/c...