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Mike Finger

Mike Finger arrived at the Express-News in 1999, and has spent more than two decades covering professional and college sports, including the San Antonio Spurs and the Texas Longhorns. The Associated Press Sports Editors have awarded him with national Top 10 honors for column writing four times, including first place in both 2017 and 2018.

Stories By Mike Finger

For Spurs, Snyder, it won’t come full-circle

When Quin Snyder needed a life preserver 16 years ago, it was the Spurs who threw it to him. They pulled him onboard, handed him a towel, and put him to work at a time when few others in basketball wanted to give him that chance. In the poetic... By Mike Finger

Finger: For sports ‘disrupters,’ the bet is on changing fanhood

“Disrupter” leagues like the XFL and Overtime Elite are trying to reshape the sports world by looking for new ways to engage a new generation of sports fans. By Mike Finger

The lasting impact of Red McCombs on sports and beyond

The man who helped put San Antonio on the map with the Spurs touched many from Austin to Houston Mike Finger

Finger: Red McCombs’ voice always resonated with booming charm

Red McCombs, who died Sunday, played an integral role in the growth of San Antonio and was responsible for more than $100 million in donations to civic causes across Texas. By Mike Finger

Vying for All-Star attention, Spurs eye a Sunday leap

Fridays are fun at the NBA’s All-Star Weekend, but a team that’s quiet on Sunday isn’t generating much excitement. By Mike Finger

Finger: For some college coaches, complaints defy logic

Biff’s Burrito World has seen better days. Used to be, it was the top joint in town, and everybody knew it. Then Biff’s standards started slipping, and lately he’s been serving stale tortillas and undercooked beans. So now that his customers... By Mike Finger

As Spurs await their reward, there’s honor in misery

Traded to the Spurs on Thursday afternoon and established as their leading scorer on Friday night, Graham counts himself as a true believer in his new franchise’s message, which some might compare to karma. By Mike Finger

Dejounte Murray reflects on S.A.: 'I wanted to be there forever'

“If I didn’t go through (San Antonio), there’s no telling where I would be today,” Murray said. “I still give them a lot of credit for that.” By Mike Finger

As Durant, Irving leave team in ruin, Spurs see power of patience

Keeping Jakob Poeltl around with the hope of re-signing him is a risk the Spurs aren’t into those these days. They prefer picks because provide flexibility. By Mike Finger

Irving and Popovich? How the Spurs averted disaster

The Spurs were tempted by Kyrie Irving’s talent before his disastrous turns in Boston and Brooklyn. By Mike Finger

For Spurs’ Bates-Diop, a cause close to his heart

Wilma Bates watched the replay, along with millions of other Americans that Monday night. She saw a strong young athlete stand up, and she watched him collapse, and then came a flood of old images that weren’t on her TV screen. The flashing... By Mike Finger

Finger: Delay in joining SEC may not be all bad for Texas, OU

If Longhorns and Sooners can't negotiate their way out of Big 12 before 2025, there are worse things. Schools could find better timing down the road. Mike Finger

Longhorns can find a bright side, even in Big 12 limbo

Texas and Oklahoma aren’t expected to leave for the SEC in 2024 after negotiations stall. By Mike Finger

Finger: More than a caretaker, Rodney Terry can be just what Texas Longhorns need

The Longhorns would be crazy to assume they can do better than the leader they did not choose but might have needed all along. By Mike Finger

With Jakob Poeltl, Spurs still have options

If the Spurs had the past few trade deadlines to do over again, chances are they’d change some things. One of them might be to become less sentimental. They’ve almost always done right by their veterans, from Pau Gasol to LaMarcus Aldridge to... By Mike Finger

As one old Spurs wound heals, Murray picks at another

While Kawhi Leonard has stopped picking at the scabs of an old wound, another former Spur has not. By Mike Finger

Prescott gets blame, but there’s plenty to go around

Even after Prescott’s undeniable stinker of a performance in Sunday’s divisional-round loss to San Francisco, would you rather have had Nick Foles under center? How about Joe Flacco, or Brad Johnson, or Trent Dilfer? By Mike Finger

Against Cowboys, Brock Purdy faces familiar challenge

Cowboys would be wise not to doubt Brock Purdy, despite his inexperience. By Mike Finger

Finger: As TCU hires Kendal Briles, has anyone learned a lesson?

The outrage over the sexual assault cases in Waco seems to matter less and less as college football rolls on Mike Finger

As TCU hires Kendal Briles, has anyone learned a lesson?

Used to be, the easiest feat in the world was to declare oneself morally superior to Baylor. With its repeated, systemic mishandling of rampant sexual assault allegations in its football program and across its campus from 2012 to 2016, the Waco... By Mike Finger