Gold medalist Marieke Vervoort allowed photographer @lynseyaddario and me into her life as she wrestled with the incredible task of picking a day to die:

Palate cleanser for Yankee fans: We know about Mr. October. But to trick-or-treaters in northern New Jersey, C.C. Sabathia is Mr. October 31st. He and his wife, Amber, take a maximalist approach to Halloween, drawing thousands to their home every year:

I wrote about a plaque in a Brooklyn parking lot that marks the location of home plate at Ebbets Field and the apartment maintenance workers who've become its unofficial caretakers. Fans of the Dodgers and Yankees, they say, have been stopping by all week.

Olympians from 145 countries have visited the athletes' village hair salon this summer. A barber joked that the hours were hard but the cuts were easy. “All athletes have the same style: Just make a fade on the side,” he said. “It’s the same haircut.”

A story about the Olympics and the importance of a good haircut:

These gentlemen brought inflatable baguette thundersticks to the France-Germany game. Must be a big game

Had lunch here again today. Japanese athletes were eating and taking pictures with people. Mr. Tang said several journalists came by to interview him after our story came out. The food continues to hit the spot

Instant @andrewkeh classic

A story about a little, family-run Chinese restaurant in Paris that's become the unofficial clubhouse of Olympic table tennis, serving a carousel of top players, former gold medalists, coaches and countless fans seeking a comforting taste of home:

I asked Olympic table tennis player Lily Zhang about meeting NBA stars Steph Curry and Anthony Edwards — "So nice!" — and whether she'd indeed blank them, 11-0: "That's for sure. But if they wanted a challenge, I'm always open to humbling them a little." https://t.co/uPojCSpela

I asked Olympic table tennis player Lily Zhang about meeting NBA stars Steph Curry and Anthony Edwards — "So nice!" — and whether she'd indeed blank them, 11-0: "That's for sure. But if they wanted a challenge, I'm always open to humbling them a little." https://t.co/uPojCSpela

I asked Olympic table tennis players about the cross that all of them must bear: Constantly meeting people who assume they can hold their own against them in a game. "It's cute. But it's not true." https://t.co/YoQYiPYvIU

After two pandemic Olympics, the Games are back to "normal" — full stands, full volume. The athletes, especially those who suffered through Tokyo, who've attended an Olympics but haven't truly experienced one, couldn't be happier. Here's why:

The Olympic mascot, an anthropomorphic hat, just fell down on the slippery concourse at the USA-Cuba beach volleyball game under the Eiffel Tower. The hat is OK, back on its feet, still smiling. There are lots of US fans here, but most of the packed crowd is going crazy for Cuba.

Tara Davis-Woodhall on the Tokyo Olympics: "What the heck? This is weird!" Tara Davis-Woodhall on the Paris Olympics: "Now I get to live out my moment." Me on the Olympics being back to "normal" — full stadiums, loud noises — and what that really means:

This story was on the front page today. And I'm sitting in the Stade de France getting ready to watch some rugby. They're playing Daft Punk on the speakers. The stands are purple. The Olympics are about to start.

For Olympic shooters, there's no such thing as a routine flight. Air travel is already one of the most annoying experiences on earth. Now try doing it with a big gun and hundreds of rounds of ammunition. "Mentally, I was ready to be arrested."

Why did dozens of people cram inside a Brooklyn bar one morning last month to drink beer, eat pastries and cheer on a minor league soccer team from Denmark that nobody here has heard of? They own it. "Besides the fame, looks or money — just like Wrexham.”

Why did dozens of people cram inside a Brooklyn bar one morning last month to drink beer, eat pastries and cheer on a minor league soccer team from Denmark that nobody here has heard of? They own it. "Besides the fame, looks or money — just like Wrexham.”

So this happened. I'm beyond grateful for the opportunity and excited to get going @espn.

Powerful story here. Google, which makes this possible by surfacing in Search Trends the names of people who have died tragically, blames “data voids.” That was the same weakness the online slander industry exploited.