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Allen Barra

Allen Barra writes about sports for the Wall Street Journal and TheAtlantic.com. His next book is Mickey and Willie--The Parallel Lives of Baseball's Golden Age.

How Did Bill Parcells Not Make the Pro Football Hall of Fame?

How Did Bill Parcells Not Make the Pro Football Hall of Fame?

The snub highlights the many flaws in the HOF selection process.… More »

Joe Paterno's Disappointing Last Decade at Penn State

Joe Paterno's Disappointing Last Decade at Penn State

Why did the legendary coach keep going, even after his best days were behind him?… More »

Eli Manning Is Not an Elite Quarterback (Yet)

Eli Manning Is Not an Elite Quarterback (Yet)

And unless he wins this year's Super Bowl, he probably won't ever be.… More »

Why Aren't These Two Players in the Baseball Hall of Fame?

Why Aren't These Two Players in the Baseball Hall of Fame?

No, we're not talking about Shoeless Joe Jackson and Pete Rose.… More »

LSU vs. Alabama Will Be Great, but the BCS Still Needs to Go

LSU vs. Alabama Will Be Great, but the BCS Still Needs to Go

The championship game brings together the two best teams in the nation, but fans missed out by not having a playoffs.… More »

How Murakami's '1Q84' Became 2011's Biggest Literary Letdown

How Murakami's '1Q84' Became 2011's Biggest Literary Letdown

The Japanese author's long, unsatisfying book was a big disappointment after years of hype… More »

Albert Pujols's Bad Move

Albert Pujols's Bad Move

The slugger will make $30 million for going to LA—but he'll lose a lot more… More »

How to Fix the Heisman

How to Fix the Heisman

It's impossible to choose the year's best college football player—so the voters should pick two… More »

It Doesn't Matter If the Packers Lose to the Lions on Thanksgiving

It Doesn't Matter If the Packers Lose to the Lions on Thanksgiving

The undefeated Green Bay team can still go on to win the Super Bowl, even if it falls to Detroit tomorrow—as it learned a half-century ago… More »

Stop Calling the Pacquiao-Marquez Fight Controversial

Stop Calling the Pacquiao-Marquez Fight Controversial

No one should question that the world champion beat his Mexican rival in their third match-up… More »

Penn State Should Not Let Joe Paterno Coach Even One More Football Game

Penn State Should Not Let Joe Paterno Coach Even One More Football Game

University administrators are making a grave mistake in allowing Paterno to wait until the end of the season to retire… More »

How Alabama Became College Football's Greatest Team

How Alabama Became College Football's Greatest Team

As the number-two-ranked Crimson Tide prepares to play number-one-ranked LSU this weekend, a look at what's made the program so successful… More »

Sugar Ray Leonard and Hugh Jackman on Fighting for 'Real Steel'

Sugar Ray Leonard and Hugh Jackman on Fighting for 'Real Steel'

A boxing legend teamed up with a movie star to make the new film about dueling robots… More »

Irish Crime Writer Ken Bruen on Alcoholism, Sick Priests, and Neo-Nazis

Irish Crime Writer Ken Bruen on Alcoholism, Sick Priests, and Neo-Nazis

An interview with the author of the Jack Taylor series, whose latest book comes out this week… More »

The Many Problems With 'Moneyball'

The Many Problems With 'Moneyball'

Michael Lewis's book-turned-movie made a legend out of Oakland A's general manager Billy Beane. But does his record match the hype?… More »

Goodbye to Peyton Manning, Greatest Quarterback of the 21st Century

Goodbye to Peyton Manning, Greatest Quarterback of the 21st Century

The aging, injured star may never play another pro football game. Why he's this era's most impressive player—no matter what Tom Brady fans say.… More »

Baseball vs. Football: Which Sport is More Fair?

Baseball vs. Football: Which Sport is More Fair?

The NFL seems to be a better league than the MLB for a small-time team, but the opposite may be true… More »

Don't Hate A-Rod: He's One of the Cleanest Yankee Greats Ever

Don't Hate A-Rod: He's One of the Cleanest Yankee Greats Ever

Gambling accusations are just the latest, empty reason for the media to beat up on the star… More »

Roger Maris's Misunderstood Quest to Break the Home Run Record

Roger Maris's Misunderstood Quest to Break the Home Run Record

1961 was one of baseball's most exciting seasons—but it also gave rise to a string of persistent myths… More »

How Curt Flood Changed Baseball and Killed His Career in the Process

How Curt Flood Changed Baseball and Killed His Career in the Process

The Cardinals centerfielder, subject of a new HBO documentary, brought in the era of free agency… More »

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