Basketball: The 'Ultimate Contradiction' ()  

In basketball, as in life, we may dutifully celebrate the aggregate, but we'™re always spellbound by the exceptional.

June 12, 2013 No matter who is playing, the art of basketball is a paradox for fans. "In basketball, as in life, we may dutifully celebrate the aggregate, but we're always spellbound by the exceptional," says Frank Deford.

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Take Golf Out Of The Rough, Into The 21st Century()  

Write This Down: Keeping your own score does not make you more noble, says Frank Deford.

June 5, 2013 When the St. Jude Classic opens on Wednesday in Memphis, Tenn., Frank Deford will be paying attention to the action on the course. He has some gripes about the requirement that players must tally their own shots.

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One More Swing: 'Casey At The Bat'()  

A statue of Casey of the poem Casey at the Bat stands outside Space Coast Stadium in Viera, Fla.

May 29, 2013 Frank Deford puts aside his gripes this week to pay tribute to the poem by Ernest Lawrence Thayer, first published in the San Francisco Examiner 125 years ago June 3.

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Backing Becks: Don't Knock The Soccer Star's Talents()  

David Beckham spent six years in the U.S. with the LA Galaxy before returning to Europe earlier this year.

May 22, 2013 After the announcement that David Beckham is retiring, there's been much discussion about how good of an athlete he's really been. Sports commentator Frank Deford says Beckham's talents have been overlooked.

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No. 1s: The Latest Greatest Of All Time ()  

Watch The Throne: Not so long ago Michael Jordan was the GOAT. Now, there's a groundswell to ordain LeBron James as the greatest-of-all-time basketball player.

May 15, 2013 The NBA will soon crown another team as the best. And another MVP will be named. But commentator Frank Deford says such titles of greatness are fleeting.

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Ladies, Want Women's Sports To Get More Attention? Pony Up()  

Indiana Fever guard Erin Phillips (right) drives past Phoenix Mercury forward DeWanna Bonner during the first half of their WNBA basketball game Aug. 25.

May 8, 2013 Some critics say that women's sports aren't treated the same as men's sports when it comes to coverage, marketing and advertising. Frank Deford has some thoughts about why that is, and how it can change.

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Get Off My Lawn! And Other Grumblings About Sports Today()  

Grumpy old man.

May 1, 2013 Frank Deford's friend "the Sports Curmudgeon" reflects on some of the things that bother him about the sports world.

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The Pitch For More No. 42s()  

Jackie Robinson during spring training at Vero Beach, Fla., in March 1956. It would be Robinson's 10th and last year with the Brooklyn Dodgers.

April 17, 2013 There's more buzz than usual this year around baseball legend Jackie Robinson, who made his major league debut on April 15, 1947. But commentator Frank Deford says there isn't enough buzz in college athletics to help shape the Robinsons of the future.

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Tiger At The Masters: The Juncture Of Exhilaration And Peril()  

Tiger Woods spends some time on the driving range during Monday's practice round for the Masters golf tournament in Augusta, Ga.

April 10, 2013 When Tiger Woods tees off at Augusta National Golf Club this week, he will have overcome injuries and personal scandal. But commentator Frank Deford wonders whether a Masters win for Woods would be a comeback or his way of getting back at his detractors.

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Baseball Isn't Dead; It Just Takes More Work To Appreciate()  

Some say baseball is too slow and doesn't appeal to young people. Not Frank Deford.

April 3, 2013 For years, non-baseball experts have been ringing the death knell for this game. But sports commentator Frank Deford says popular team games are so deeply ingrained in our culture that they're here to stay.

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About Sweetness And Light

Frank Deford is the senior contributing writer at Sports Illustrated. His commentaries run each Wednesday on NPR.

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