On the “unfair significance” of Jeremy Lin.
Sports
A newspaper writer’s attempt to solve the mystery of a homeless man who claims to be a once-famous boxer.
The story of Olympic boxing hopeful Quanitta Underwood, who was sexually abused by her father as a child.
The story of a high school star who died minutes after hitting a game-winner to end an undefeated season, and the family and friends he left behind.
On Mike Powell, a Chicago-area high school wrestling coach who hasn’t allowed a life-threatening illness to interrupt his life’s work.
On a young Arnold Schwarzenegger and the body-building culture of Venice Beach in the 1970s.
A former first-string tackle considers the green zone as a war zone:
Just as football has evolved in accordance with the evolving business ethic of American society, so has it evolved in accordance with the changing strategic assumptions about war. The development (or rebirth) of the T-formation in football coincided almost exactly with the development of a new era of mobility and speed in warfare best exemplified in the Blitzkrieg tactics of the German armies in Europe in 1939-40. The T-formation soon overwhelmed the “Maginot Line” mentality of traditional football, based as it was on rigid lines and massive concentrations of defensive and offensive power.
On the late Angelo Dundee, who trained Muhammad Ali.
The story of Attila Ambrus, who was released from jail this morning in Hungary. Nicknamed the Whiskey Robber because witnesses always spotted him having a double across the street prior to his heists, Ambrus only stole from state-owned banks and post offices, becoming a Hungarian folk hero during his seven years on the lam. While on his spree he was also the goaltender for Budapest’s best-known hockey team and was arguably the worst pro goalie ever to play the sport, once giving up 23 goals in a single game.
Excerpted from Ballad of the Whiskey Robber: A True Story of Bank Heists, Ice Hockey, Transylvanian Pelt Smuggling, Moonlighting Detectives, and Broken Hearts.
How a rugby legend came out and made history.


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