Author Archive for Ben Whitney
Ben Whitney comes from journalistic stock. Aside from his brothers, rumor has that his great-great grandfather was the youngest brother of Eli Whitney and covered the earliest "rounders" games. Big Ben is also another New York Rugby Club player/pal of Different Matt, Short Matt and Junoir Blaber. He likes film noir discussions, has twin girls and took up ice hockey after retiring from rugby.
Big Ben Tuesday: NFL Controversies; Zeke Elliot Suspended, Marshawn Lynch Sits for Anthem
DALLAS, TX – It was a rough week for America. Among the bizarre events, freaking Nazis marching around with impunity and a minor nuclear scare. When North Korea threatened to attack Guam, Trump eased the concerns of Governor Eddie Calvo by telling him not to worry; Calvo was about to be famous and tourism to Guam […]
Big Ben Tuesday: Five Things for Mets’ Fans to do in August
QUEENS, NY: There’s been a lot of winching in recent days about the difficulty of writing about sports in August. It’s understandable, as much of the complaining is coming from New York Mets’ fans. It’s been a while since the Mets have had meaningful games in October. Or August. And most of them are Jets […]
Big Ben Tuesday; What’s Ill and What’s Chill
New Paltz, NY: My college frat had a newsletter called the Dirt Rag, where a regular feature was What’s Ill and What’s Chill? Things that were “ill” usually included things like cops breaking up keg parties and “chill” things would be a new crop of killer weed in town. Deep stuff. Anyway, I’m co-opting the idea. […]
Big Ben’s Game of Thrones Sports Special: Arya Stark and Golden State Warriors, Other Contrived GoT Character Parallels in Sporting World
WESTEROS, NORTH OF THE WALL: I was getting primed for the season premier of Game of Thrones on Sunday afternoon and I caught the memorable The Door episode from last season. Hodor’s tragic sacrifice gets me every damn time. I wiped off a few tears and then toggled over to the Yankees Red Sox. Aaron Judge was up and […]
Big Ben’s Home Run Derby Special: Aaron Judge Wins, Barely Breaking a Sweat
MIAMI BEACH, FL – It’s everyone’s favorite sports hiatus, the MLB All-Star Break. I made a point to watch the Home Run Derby this year to see Aaron Judge in action. And, Ladies and Gentlemen of the jury, he did not disappoint. In other news… I learned how to embed Tweets. I now can totally […]
Big Ben’s Independence Day Special: Obscene NBA Contracts, Bobby Bonilla Day, NY Rangers Sign a Local Boy
INDEPENDENCE, NY: Happy 4th everyone! And even though our president is a mean girl, internet troll, we still have much to celebrate. So enjoy it, but be careful. Especially if you’re a franchise player with a multi-year offer on the table. Too soon? What better way to celebrate America than to talk about money. There […]
Big Ben Tuesday: Athletes and Politics; Kaerpernick Remains Unsigned and the Rangers Trade for Tony D From Jersey
WASHINGTON, DC – When it comes to politics and athletes, there are two basic schools of thought. 1. The guy can hit a baseball 500 feet, that doesn’t make him an expert on Israeli Palestinian relations. 2. Athletes are role models and should stand up for what they think is right. The Greatest and His […]
Bengasm Tuesday: Rihanna Disses Durant, the Odell Beckham Contract Situation, and Tanaka Giving Up Long Dongs
BROAD CHANNEL, NY – It’s Tuesday, buckle in for your weekly Bengasm. This week I’ll take a look at Rhianna’s whiff on a diss of Kevin Durant. I’m also starting to get nervous about Odell’s contract situation and Tanaka Serving Up a Ton of Long Dongs. Let’s get to it. Durant Diss In case you […]
Big Ben Tuesday – NY Jets Embark on a Major League Tank Job
East Rutherford NJ: Last week I took a run at the Mets organization, jokingly comparing them to the Trump Administration. Low blow I know, but the Mets have won four in a row and have powered their way into second place in the NL East. In this week’s rant on bad NY sport organizations, let’s turn […]
Big Ben’s Game of Thrones Sports Special Part II: Roger Clemens, Tyrion Lannister, Yogi Berra and Other Contrived GoT Character Parallels
Dragonstone, Westeros – Fasten your swords into the sheaths, it’s time for Part II of my series, Game of Thrones Character Parallels in the Sporting World. Here’s Part I if you missed it. This one is limited to New York athletes and events because I love a challenge and I might be able to milk another week […]
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