Every four years, the world falls head over heels for curling—a combination of bocce, bowling, and hockey so bizarre and so niche that everyone can't help but stop and stare. This year the fixation has reached an ice-pebbling (CURLING TERM ALERT ) pitch, producing two brand-new superstars in the process. The first is American Matt Hamilton, who captured the internet's heart because he looks EXACTLY like Mario…
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…and the second is Olympic Athlete From Russia Anastasia Bryzgalova, who has become a global phenomenon because she looks absolutely NOTHING like Mario.
FacebookPinterestRonald MartinezFacebookPinterestRonald MartinezFacebookPinterestMaddie MeyerBefore you ask, no, she's not a plant, nor a cyborg, nor a reincarnation of a long-lost Romanov princess. She's just a badass curler—the 2016 World Mixed Doubles champion with husband and curling pa..

Last week Instagram star and aspiring professional golfer Paige Spiranac revealed that she'd be appearing in this year's Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue, which hit shelves on Tuesday. Luckily for you, the internet exists and you don't have to go to a store with said shelves to buy the magazine and see the photos like it's the Stone Age.
Instead, you can simply follow this link for all 44 (!) of Paige's photos, which are … interesting. Spiranac unveiled a few via her Twitter and Instagram accounts as well. Here she is doing the cobra stretch, which very good for the lower back:
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And here's the half-nude-sitting-on-rock pose. Probably not as good for the lower back:
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As expected, there are already plenty of fiery takes from both sides of the aisle. But rather than sift through those and waste valuable time at work you should just sift through the photos instead, but maybe ..

Yes, it's early and most stars have only played once. However, here are 17 strange-but-true golf stats from the 2018 season

Welcome to another edition of The Grind, where we can sympathize with Larry Fitzgerald. On the golf course, at least. Last year, I came under a bit of fire for winning my annual golf trip, the HGGA Championship, in dominant fashion like Fitz — Can I call you Fitz, Larry? I feel like we’re basically brothers taking on the handicap haters. The grief I took was so bad it almost wasn’t worth winning … Kidding! Winning is awesome. Am I right, Fitz?
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Ted Potter Jr.: There are successful homemade golf swings on the PGA Tour and then there’s whatever this guy does. Seriously, most of the amateurs at Pebble had better-looking golf swings. What an amazing performance by this former Florida mini-tour legend. Not only to win at Pebble Beach, but to hold off a Hall-of-Fame threesome of Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson and Jason Day (plus Chez Reavie)? And to get to share the spotlight with my main man Fitz?
FacebookPinterestWarren LittleTalk about a dream week.
Jim ..

There are two problems with the flu, and the first is that it f**king sucks. There’s being Normal-Level Sick, with its sniffles and sore throats and headaches, and there’s feeling like your face is underneath the left flank of 1987-era Big John Studd for five days while the children in your house continue to thoughtlessly do things like “ask you for dinner.” The second thing is that avoiding the flu is damn near impossible without employing a flotilla of fairly unpleasant techniques, many of which conspire to make you look less like a grownup attempting to retain his health and more like a fragile porcelain mouse figurine from your grandma’s curio cabinet. Because we at The Loop hate illness but like to maintain a façade of external coolness (look, we’re very needy), here are a few ways you can avoid the flu like a damn man:
Only touch subway poles or stairway handrails while wearing appropriate gear: That appropriate gear is a full set of Tower of London-era chain mail. Or goalie glov..

Fernando MedinaThe halcyon days of the Slam Dunk Contest are dead and gone. You've heard it one hundred million trillion times. The scoring is broken, the theatrics are played, and LeBron isn't walking through that door. But where the memory of stars like 'Nique, Jordan, Vince, and Dwight have withered, a young, electric crop of jumpers and NBA hipster faves have emerged, breathing new life into the tired-but-time-honored format.
This year, that quartet includes Donovan Mitchell, Larry Nance Jr., Dennis Smith Jr., and 2015 Dunk Contest runner-up, Victor Oladipo, all of whom will be vying for the title of Grand Master Posterizer this weekend. So sit down, shut up, and feast your eyes on each contestant's (totally subjective) dunk of the season. There may be no A-list name to tune in for or A+ villain to hate, but if these rim-splattering show-stoppers are any indication, there will be nothing left of Staples Center but a smoldering crater and the Cheesecake Factory n..

With a blank itinerary in mind, here are five golf courses you need to play now that you've retired.

Robert LabergeBubba Watson waves to the gallery after making a putt on the first hole during the third round of the 2018 Waste Management Phoenix Open.Bubba Watson is praying for good weather this week at the Genesis Open, particularly on Friday, so that he might get the chance to show that he is as much a deep threat on a basketball court as he is on a golf course.
The two-time Masters champion is playing in the NBA All-Star Celebrity Game scheduled to begin at 4 p.m. PST Friday at the Verizon Up Arena at the Los Angeles Convention Center. The exhibition contest is part of NBA All-Star Weekend.
Watson’s name wasn’t randomly pulled out of a hat. Once he found out that the NBA All-Star Weekend was in Los Angeles and that the dates coincided with the Genesis Open at Riviera Country Club in nearby Pacific Palisades, Calif., a PGA Tour event he has won twice, the lithe left-hander began lobbying to participate.
“I love the NBA. I love watching basketball,” Watson said Sunday at Pebble Beac..

Vic Damone, who died on Sunday, was an obsessive golfer who had Hogan stories

Until five minutes ago, I'd never heard of Swiss skier Fabian Bosch. In fact, the only skier I've ever heard of is Lindsey Vonn, mainly because she's Tiger Woods' ex, but she's been out of the sport for years. (** Googles Lindsey Vonn **) Wait, she's still skiing?! And she's in these Olympics?! Go Lindsey!
RELATED: What's a Golf Channel guy doing talking about the biathlon?
Anyway, back to Bosch, who is now my new favorite Olympic athlete (not named Lindsey Vonn, of course) and it has nothing to do with his prowess on the slopes (Look how I casually dropped some skiing lingo). Instead, it's how he rides an escalator. Although, we're not sure “rides” is the right word. Check it out:
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That's some solid upper-body strength right there. No wonder this guy (** Googles Fabian Bosch **) won a world championship in 2015. Good luck in PyeongChang this week, Fabian. We'll be, um, pulling for you.
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