http://www.yardbarker.com/entertainment/players/robert_redford/88450 Recent articles about Robert Redford en-us ATLANTA Here are three things we learned from the Braves' 6-3 win over the Nationals, which bumped the club's lead in the National League East to 6 12 games: 1. It's going to take a substantial rally for either the Nationals or Phillies to claim the division crown From a players or managers standpoint, it's too early to make any bold proclamations of the Braves (34-22) taking the division and avoiding the dreaded randomness of a one-game playoff in the Wild Card round. But that shouldn't stop anyone else from doing the math. If Atlanta, conservatively speaking, posts a 57-49 record for the remainder of the season, Washington (28-29, 6 12 back) and Philadelphia (27-30, 7 12 behind) would then have to finish 63-42 and 64-41, respectively, just for the honor of forcing a tie for the NL East title, at 91-71. The Braves notching only 57 wins from this point forward would likely be the result of major injuries to Craig Kimbrel, Justin Upton or Freddie Freeman (more on him later). The pitc Sun, 02 Jun 2013 17:58:58 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/three_cuts_freeman_led_braves_grab_series_win_over_nats/13746509 http://network.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/three_cuts_freeman_led_braves_grab_series_win_over_nats/13746509 Three Cuts: Freeman-led Braves grab series win over Nats http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/articles/three_cuts_freeman_led_braves_grab_series_win_over_nats/13746509 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png As Evan Gattis was rounding the bases, soaking up the cheers from his first grand slam, he noticed the song blaring triumphantly from the speakers at Turner Field. The theme from ''The Natural.'' Did he get the correlation? ''There goes Roy Hobbs,'' Gattis said, chuckling at the thought of being compared to the mythical figure played on screen by Robert Redford. ''Yeah, right,'' he added, sarcastically. But, much like Hobbs, this is the tale of someone who turned away from the game he loved, only to find his way back. Then, like a script straight out of Hollywood, he makes the team and suddenly becomes an almost mythical figure - or, as Atlanta Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez put it, a ''legend.'' The 26-year-old rookie catcher has already hit 10 homers, which was tied for fifth in the National League heading into Thursday's games. He's second on the team with 27 RBIs. Most impressively, he keeps coming through in clutch situations. F Thu, 23 May 2013 19:23:11 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/braves_gattis_takes_strange_road_to_the_majors/13682501 http://network.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/braves_gattis_takes_strange_road_to_the_majors/13682501 Braves' Gattis takes strange road to the majors http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/articles/braves_gattis_takes_strange_road_to_the_majors/13682501 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png It is with a hesitant heart that I post this into the boiling id of the Yankiverse.I don't want to be the jinx. But, hell, this is like that cool girl you dated in 10th grade, the one who moved away without saying goodbye. One day, she's a goddess, she's everything. Then she busts her foot trying to score on a single, she puts on 30 pounds, and her folks sell her to the Nats, and she's gone, and you don't even cop a sympathy feel from her best friend, Iana Kennedy.Chien-Ming Wang - the last great pitcher developed by the Yankee high school - is back in the educational system, working on his G.E.D. and - damn - it's as if your old flame just friended you on Facebook, and she's living in Scranton, she's lost weight, her photograph is pretty hot, she's throwing strikes, and she says she was never happier than back in 10th grade, when you used to take her bowling. (Admit it, you thought she was going to say she has a 20-year-old son named "Duque,... Wed, 01 May 2013 06:27:00 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/dare_we_think_wang_can_return/13525934 http://network.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/dare_we_think_wang_can_return/13525934 Dare we think Wang can return? http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/articles/dare_we_think_wang_can_return/13525934 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png If you paid $10 to see 42, and you expected to see the story of anyone other than Jackie Robinson, one of two things likely happened: You went to the right movie, but for the wrong reason You missed a great movie … and that’s a shame Maybe, both. Coincidentally, sports media reporter Ed Sherman fell victim to both of those circumstances. In a column for the National Sports Journalism Center at Indiana University Sherman seemed disappointed by the fact that 42  “… hardly captures the totality of (Wendell) Smith’s role in integrating baseball and his overall impact on the life of the baseball legend.” A quick refresher for younger generations who might be asking the question: Who is Wendell Smith? He was an African-American sportswriter who recommended Robinson to Branch Rickey. Smith was also a victim of discrimination like many working black men and women of the generation. He wasn’t allowed in the press box at Forbes Field and wasn’t welcomed in the all-white Baseball Writers Ass... Fri, 19 Apr 2013 13:17:27 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/42_the_true_story_of_an_american_legend_right_movie_wrong_reason/13438006 http://network.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/42_the_true_story_of_an_american_legend_right_movie_wrong_reason/13438006 42 – The True Story of an American Legend: Right Movie, Wrong Reason http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/articles/42_the_true_story_of_an_american_legend_right_movie_wrong_reason/13438006 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png Ronda Rousey isn't the only Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) title holder getting blockbuster movie offers from Hollywood. Latino Review reports that mixed martial arts (MMA) "Marvel," Georges St. Pierre, will make his big screen debut in a supporting role in "Captain America: The Winter Soldier," the sequel to the wildly successful "Captain America: The First Avenger" film, which has grossed more than $176 million to date. Here is the scoop: Just got off the phone with my Marvel source who gave me an Exclusive scoop… I've been told that mixed martial artist and current UFC Welterweight Champion, Georges St. Pierre aka GSP has been cast in Marvel's "Captain America: The Winter Soldier". GSP will play one of the villains, Batroc the Leaper!!! According to the character description, "Batroc has no superhuman abilities, but is in peak physical condition and is an Olympic-level weightlifter with extraordinary agility and refle... Mon, 25 Mar 2013 22:56:34 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/mma/article_external/batroc_the_leaper_georges_st_pierre_lands_role_in_upcoming_captain_america_winter_soldier_movie/13234372 http://network.yardbarker.com/mma/article_external/batroc_the_leaper_georges_st_pierre_lands_role_in_upcoming_captain_america_winter_soldier_movie/13234372 Batroc the Leaper: Georges St. Pierre lands role in upcoming ‘Captain America: Winter Soldier’ movie http://www.yardbarker.com/mma/articles/batroc_the_leaper_georges_st_pierre_lands_role_in_upcoming_captain_america_winter_soldier_movie/13234372 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/9/b/9b80ceec7487f238fa30b98180fed796bd693735/mini/6759566.jpg Following his UFC 158 main event title defense against Nick Diaz, the welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre said he was going to go on vacation and just relax. It looks like a movie is in the works as well, as ComingSoon.net is reporting that “Rush” will appear in the next Captain America movie. St-Pierre will play French kickboxing master Georges Batroc, AKA Batroc the Leaper. With origins dating all the way back to 1966′s “Tales of Suspense” #75, Batroc doesn’t have any superhuman abilities beyond his mastery of martial arts. While he’s primarily a Cap foe, he’s appeared throughout the Marvel Universe and done battle with the likes of Spider-Man, the Punisher, Iron Fist and many more. This will be the third film that St-Pierre has appeared in. Other martial arts films he was in were Death Warrior and Never Surrender, which were both directed by Hector Echavarria. “Captain America: Winter Soldier” is expected to be released on April 4, 2014 and will also star Chris Evans, Samu Mon, 25 Mar 2013 19:57:20 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/mma/article_external/georges_st_pierre_set_to_appear_in_captain_america_winter_soldier/13233256 http://network.yardbarker.com/mma/article_external/georges_st_pierre_set_to_appear_in_captain_america_winter_soldier/13233256 Georges St-Pierre set to appear in Captain America: Winter Soldier http://www.yardbarker.com/mma/articles/georges_st_pierre_set_to_appear_in_captain_america_winter_soldier/13233256 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png Tonight we have the 85th Academy Awards show, preceded by about six hours of red carpet as stars line up to blab to reporters in outfits that cost the GDP of a small island nation to make.  It’s kind of like how on Super Bowl Sunday they had about 12 hours’ worth of pregame for a sporting event that lasted about three hours (with the halftime show included).  We also have a Cubs link to the Oscars thanks to The Cub Reporter, who notes that Theo Epstein had a great-uncle who helped write the screenplay for “Casablanca”. Last year, “Moneyball” was a surprising nominee for multiple Oscars.  I actually watched it and liked it, but didn’t think it was that good.  You can peruse the full list of nominees for this year, which unfortunately does not include a baseball entry.  But I can make a bold prediction now that Bradley Cooper will likely not win an Oscar.  Just like Jonah Hill wasn’t going to win an Oscar last year.  I do wonder if previous baseball movies deserved a better break at t... Sun, 24 Feb 2013 14:59:52 -0500 http://network.yardbarker.com/all_sports/article_external/baseball_at_the_movies/12982774 http://network.yardbarker.com/all_sports/article_external/baseball_at_the_movies/12982774 Baseball at the movies http://www.yardbarker.com/all_sports/articles/baseball_at_the_movies/12982774 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png This sounds like it should be the title of spy thriller starring a young Robert Redford or Charles Bronson, but instead it is exactly what the title says--the hockey team's mascot, a condor, got loose before the game Saturday night. Saying 'gone wild' is a little unfair. The poor bird looked more like he was looking for a way out than anything else. It's something to see how jumpy all these big, rough, and tough hockey guys got just because a big bird happened to be wondering by! Hmmm...I wonder if that would work for other mascots....maybe the Phoenix Coyotes could try that...or the Chicago Bulls (if they actually had a bull mascot)...oh, the possibilities... It would be a little dangerous if the Arizona Diamondbacks did though. [Yahoo] Sun, 10 Feb 2013 18:28:00 -0500 http://network.yardbarker.com/all_sports/article_external/hockey_mascots_gone_wild_or_night_of_the_condor/12886477 http://network.yardbarker.com/all_sports/article_external/hockey_mascots_gone_wild_or_night_of_the_condor/12886477 Hockey Mascots Gone Wild or Night of the Condor! http://www.yardbarker.com/all_sports/articles/hockey_mascots_gone_wild_or_night_of_the_condor/12886477 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png Okay, so perhaps I’m a little “blog happy” today, or just a tad bit bored with it being cold out and I really don’t want to come out from under my electric throw blanket, so here goes another one!  As a Cub fan, what is ONE thing that every fan dreams of at least one point in their life?  Come on, I know you all have wanted to know what it feels like to have the soft grass of Wrigley Field under your shoes, right?  Well, I have  a story for you, then… and more!  Never EVER in my wild, creative imagination could I have EVER thought of what happened to me, my dad, and son on April 1, 2011.  Ever.Before I get to what happened that day, let me give you a  little background first:  Every year for my dad’s birthday, I get us tickets to Opening Day.  We’ve been doing this since, well, since the first year we got Soriano, and we still thought it was an awesome signing! We were there when Fukudome was introduced as a SuperStar, and hit a game tying home run in the 9th inning of his debut, in  Sat, 05 Jan 2013 21:19:05 -0500 http://network.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/beyond_a_dream_come_true/12586999 http://network.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/beyond_a_dream_come_true/12586999 Beyond a dream come true! http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/articles/beyond_a_dream_come_true/12586999 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png One of my favorite movies is "The Natural." One of Roy Hobbs' (Robert Redford's) most famous lines was: "And then when I walked down the street people would've looked and they would've said there goes Roy Hobbs, the best there ever was in this game." He says this later on the movie, but I believe he also says it in the beginning before a drastic turning point in the movie (don't want to spoil it). Anyway, reading a couple of Rondo's quotes today in the Philippines, it seems like he shares a similar motivation to The Natural's protagonist. “It is kinda too early to place my mark on where I am in Celtic history as a point guard. But hopefully, by the time I finish my career, I’d be the best to ever play for the Celtics.” Regarding team goals Rondo had this to say: “In five years, I’ll be 31 (years old). Hopefully, I have at least, and I say at least, two more championships, Maybe one. You never know. I expect to win every year I pla... Tue, 28 Aug 2012 19:46:00 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/nba/article_external/rajon_rondo_channels_his_inner_roy_hobbs/11573155 http://network.yardbarker.com/nba/article_external/rajon_rondo_channels_his_inner_roy_hobbs/11573155 Rajon Rondo channels his inner Roy Hobbs http://www.yardbarker.com/nba/articles/rajon_rondo_channels_his_inner_roy_hobbs/11573155 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/7/0/70f1cda774730e34b40e4b2c3172ae7e571edd1d/mini/9d.jpg Don't gemmie wrong: Aint complainin.'But something hideous and divisive - the super-honed instincts of a snow-shoveling upstate NYker - is screaming from the Don Zimmer memorial steel-plate within my head: TOO EASY, TOO EARLY.  Take last night. Hollywood comeback. If that's a playoff game, Teixeira's HR goes up there with Robert Redford's fireworks shot in "The Natural." We snapped California's spine like a Hershey bar. They should not show up today. They should go back to wherever they came from. Hell, I guess. It should be over. Goodbye. so long, farewell...But it's what, July 14? We still have to survive the Olympics and then the horrible, miserable, Star Trekkie-level conventions. It's a 500-mile hike to Sept. 1. Too easy, too early. We gotta save some Leyritz sauce for later.We've done everything possible to blow it. Andy Pettitte threw himself into a liner just to make us use Freddy Garcia. Brett Gardner is drinking Boddingtons on ... Sat, 14 Jul 2012 08:29:00 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/yankeetorial_eveything_is_going_too_well_are_we_doomed/11218870 http://network.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/yankeetorial_eveything_is_going_too_well_are_we_doomed/11218870 Yankeetorial: Eveything is going too well. Are we doomed? http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/articles/yankeetorial_eveything_is_going_too_well_are_we_doomed/11218870 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png Political AssasinFloyd Mayweather never intended to fight Manny Pacquiao By The Political Assasin Like Robert Redford the coward who killed Jesse James, Floyd Mayweather’s days of glory are slowly coming to an end with a bang. This is no death threat, rather the thoughts of a boxing fan that’s sick of racial intolerance being tolerated because [...]Sports-Kings - The Kings of Sports Lists Mon, 12 Mar 2012 17:45:19 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/boxing/article_external/floyd_mayweather_never_intended_to_fight_manny_pacquiao/10292647 http://network.yardbarker.com/boxing/article_external/floyd_mayweather_never_intended_to_fight_manny_pacquiao/10292647 Floyd Mayweather never intended to fight Manny Pacquiao http://www.yardbarker.com/boxing/articles/floyd_mayweather_never_intended_to_fight_manny_pacquiao/10292647 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png The Obama administration has delayed a decision on whether to approve the 1,700-mile-long Keystone Pipeline, linking Alberta oilfields to the U.S. Gulf Coast, when two months ago approval seemed like a done deal. Environmental protests, from gates of the White House in Washington, D.C., to the street outside an Obama fundraiser in Seattle, helped persuade the administration to consider other routes. Convenient to the president – who saw his green supporters on one side, and job-hungry labor unions on the other – the pipeline’s final fate will be decided after the 2012 election. “Thank you, Mr. President, for standing up to Big Oil,” actor Robert Redford, a pipeline foe, said [...] Thu, 10 Nov 2011 20:59:01 -0500 http://network.yardbarker.com/entertainment/article_external/keystone_pipeline_delayed_big_oil_denied/8012026 http://network.yardbarker.com/entertainment/article_external/keystone_pipeline_delayed_big_oil_denied/8012026 Keystone Pipeline delayed: Big Oil denied http://www.yardbarker.com/entertainment/articles/keystone_pipeline_delayed_big_oil_denied/8012026 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png