Chris Thompson

Virginia

Co-Founder and Staff Writer at Defector

Co-founder and Staff Writer at @DefectorMedia. Send your tips to [email protected]

Articles

Red Alert! The Dinger-Starved Royals Have Promoted A Mighty Lad

4 days ago | defector.com | Chris Thompson

The Kansas City Royals advised minor-leaguer Jac Caglianone, their first pick in the 2024 draft and top overall prospect, that he could accelerate his path to the majors by focusing his development on mastery of the art of socking huge dingers. I realize that this is pretty much exactly what every organization is saying to every player in the minors at every opportunity.
Abandon All Hope, Ye Who Enter Oklahoma City

1 week ago | defector.com | Chris Thompson

"NBA people will tell you the toughest game to win in the playoffs is the close-out game," explained Mike Breen, minutes before the opening tip of Game 5 of the Western Conference final, by way of laying down the stakes. "And that's OKC's challenge tonight, because Minnesota is playing for their season." There was a quality of pleading in Breen's face: A certain matte non-twinkle in the eyes, a tendency of the outer points of features to turn down.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Makes It Feel Bad

2 weeks ago | defector.com | Chris Thompson

There was a sequence in the first quarter of Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals where the Oklahoma City Thunder used a drive-and-kick and a swing pass to get the ball to versatile young noodleman Chet Holmgren, who'd floated to a whiteboard-perfect shooting position out above the break. Naz Reid of the visiting Timberwolves hastened to close out on Holmgren, who is a danger from deep.
The Orioles Are Nowhere

2 weeks ago | defector.com | Chris Thompson

Tony Mansolino has been put in a tough position. It is his job today to engineer a turnaround for the most disappointing team in baseball. The Baltimore Orioles fired manager Brandon Hyde Saturday morning, after the team played sloppily and stranded a billion baserunners in a loss Friday night, their fourth in a row and 10th in 12 games.
No, You're Outta Here!

3 weeks ago | defector.com | Chris Thompson

Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo is real good at getting ejected from a baseball game. A fellow ought to get his dang money's worth; there are too many managers out there—sleepy, retiring types, or the constitutionally frail—who do not or cannot make a truly cinematic moment out of an argument. Fans and players alike appreciate a manager who kicks huge ass.
The Goddamn Mavericks Won The Goddamn Draft Lottery

3 weeks ago | defector.com | Chris Thompson

Right now I would like to punch something, hard enough to make jelly of my fist. Not because I am a fan of the Washington Wizards! Nowadays being a fan of the Wizards means hoping they will lose—they trained me for this, by trying hard for six months to lose as much as possible—and I'll be damned if I can switch off that impulse in time for the draft lottery.
Red Sox Now Chasing Rafael Devers Across The Country, Waving Lineup Card

3 weeks ago | defector.com | Chris Thompson

Rafael Devers did what his bosses wanted. The Red Sox went out and grabbed a big-time addition over the winter, but to maximize their investment they needed Devers to shift away from his preferred position—the one he's been playing his entire career, and the one the Red Sox extended him a nine-figure contract to continue playing off into the future. Devers wasn't happy about the request and resisted for a while.
Celtics Flatten Knicks By Sticking To The Formula

3 weeks ago | defector.com | Chris Thompson

The Boston Celtics and New York Knicks have played 149 minutes across three games of their second-round playoff series. The Celtics—the higher seeded team and the defending NBA champions—have led outright for about 128 minutes of that time, and the teams have spent about another 11 minutes tied, meaning the Knicks have led in this series for a little over 10 total minutes.
Tyrese Haliburton Sure Knows How To Pick His Spots

1 month ago | defector.com | Chris Thompson

Cleveland's home crowd was caught chanting "overrated" at Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton during the second quarter of Tuesday night's Game 2. Donovan Mitchell, performing heroically for a severely depleted Cavaliers squad that was at that moment up 10 points, made an effort to discourage the chanting, but it persisted long enough to be picked up by TNT's microphones. This was a minor miracle: The production quality Tuesday was somehow even worse than it was Sunday.
The Pacers Out-Styled The Cavaliers And Swiped Home-Court Advantage

1 month ago | defector.com | Chris Thompson

They say the home crowd was extremely noisy Sunday night, in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinal series between the Indiana Pacers and the Cleveland Cavaliers. Play-by-play guy Spero Dedes called it "just deafening." Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle, asked about the challenge facing his young team in the second round of the playoffs, didn't even mention the opponent. "This place is very loud, very crazy," he told TNT sideline reporter Jared Greenberg, after the first quarter.