Archive for February, 2018

Chloe Kim Wins Gold, LeBron And NBA Stars Obsessed With Wine

OLYMPICS

Chloe Kim fulfilled her lifelong dream and won gold for the US in the halpipe. It’s pretty safe to say it was a lifelong dream as she is only 17 and was ready but not old enough to compete in the Olympics 4 years ago. Not going to lie, I don’t know what a 1080 is, but apparently it’s a big deal, and she’s the only woman to land them back to back (which she also did on Tuesday to win the Gold). During the qualifying rounds, Kim tweeted she’d be “down for some ice cream”, so when she won a fan gave her a cup of chocolate ice cream, which she ate while doing her interviews. Looks like Ben and Jerry’s has a new spokesperson!

BASKETBALL

ESPNw features a story of NBA players new obsession with wine. If you’re a oenophile or just a fan of some of the NBA superstars like LeBron, DeWayne Wade (who even has his own label), Steph Curry, Chris Paul, and Jimmy Butler, it’s a fun read on how they are spending their time off the court.  Carissa Mondavi, the granddaughter of Napa’s wine pioneer Robert Mondavi, reflected on why it makes sense so many of these players are interested and appreciate the complexity of wine. She said, “ NBA players are the product of so many unseen hours spent perfecting so many hidden details, all leading to the moment when the ball is tossed in the air. So too is wine crafted against countless variables — the weather, soil, harvest, tanks, the barrels and blends, the delicate alchemy of it all — until, one day, the cork is pulled. For both to shine, it takes so much work no one will ever see.“ LeBron admitted he “believes in wine’s purported physical benefits” and said,  “I’ve heard it’s good for the heart. Listen, I’m playing the best basketball of my life, and I’m drinking some wine pretty much every day. Whatever it is, I’ll take it.”

 

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Cavs Win With Fresh New Look, Fitzgerald Wins Pebble Beach Pro-Am, Crosby Scores 400th Goal

BASKETBALL

The Cleveland Cavaliers traded six players away at the NBA trade deadline last week.  The Cavs debuted their new-fresh look featuring Rodney Hood, George Hill, Larry Nance Jr and Jordan Clarkson Sunday night.  The blowout 121-99 win over the Boston Celtics was their first win over a current top 5 team since the season opener. Even with Kevin Love still out with a broken hand, the Cavs chemistry seems to have improved.

GOLF

Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald won the Pebble Beach Pro-Am with pro Kevin Steelman. He’s the first professional athlete since Dan Marino in 1988 to win the Pebble Beach Pro-Am tournament. No word yet on whether Larry will continue his football career and return to play for the Cardinals next season.

HOCKEY

Captain of the Pittsburgh Penguins, Sidney Crosby, scored his 400th career goal. Mario Lemieux and Jeromir Jagr are the only other 2 players scoring this many goals with the Penguins.

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Cavs Flurry Of Trades At Deadline, 2018 Winter Olympics Begins

BASKETBALL

The NBA trade deadline expired Thursday afternoon, but not without a whirlwind of moves by the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Cavaliers caused the most drama making 6 trades in just over an hour. They sent Isaiah Thomas and Channing Frye (and a first round draft pick) to the Los Angeles Lakers for Jordan Clarkson and Larry Nance Jr. The Cavs then acquired George Hill and Rodney Hood and sent Derrick Rose and Jae Crowder to the Utah Jazz. If your head isn’t spinning yet, it should as the flurry of trades continued with the Cavs eventually sending Dwayne Wade back to Miami, where he’s said he wants to retire. The Cavs wanted to change the chemistry of the team and make LeBron happy. We’ll see how that works out in the next few months.

OLYMPICS

The 2018 Winter Olympics is finally here! You can watch the opening ceremony Friday night at 8:00 pm and witness South and North Korea walking together under one flag (an event of historic proportions, as many believe the two countries are still technically at war since no peace treaty was ever signed in 1953), South and North Korea’s women’s’ hockey team competing as one, and Vice President Mike Pence sitting feet away from North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un’s sister, Kim Yo Jong. The opening ceremony will feature 2,900 athletes from 90 nations. For a guide to all events and how to watch, click here.

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National Signing Day, Mom Walks Out, Wilson To Yankees, Girardi Joins MLB

FOOTBALL

With new rules allowing for an early signing period in December, Wednesday’s National College Signing Day didn’t provide the same excitement as in year’s past. At the end of the day, the following teams were ranked in the top ten for their recruitment classes: Georgia, Ohio State, Texas, Alabama, Penn State, Clemson, Miami, Auburn, Oklahoma, and Notre Dame.  The most cringe-worthy moment of the day came when receiver Jacob Copeland chose the Florida Gators while his mom (sitting right next to him in an Alabama shirt and Tennessee hat) walked out, clearly looking disappointed. She eventually came back to hug her son, but as one ESPN reporter noted, “she took the attention away from her son on his big day”.

BASEBALL

Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson will join the New York Yankees training camp this spring. No, he’s not retiring from football, but he used to be a baseball player and has always said his dream was to play for the Yankees. Many believe this is just a publicity stunt, but even if it is, Yankees’ GM Brian Cashman admitted, “This is a unique opportunity for us to learn from an extraordinary athlete who has reached the pinnacle of his profession.”

In other Yankee news, former manager Joe Girardi joined MLB Networks as a studio analyst. Girardi won 4 World Series rings (three as a player and one as a manager). The Yankees let him go after 10 seasons with the team, but even though Girardi will now be in studio, he still hopes to get back on the field some day as a manager.

 

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McDaniels Staying With Pats, Porzingis Torn ACL, LeBron Not Waiving No Trade

FOOTBALL

New England Patriots Offensive Coordinator Josh McDaniels had an agreement with the Indianapolis Colts to become their new head coach, but he shocked the sports world by announcing he’ll stay with the Pats. There is speculation he reneged on the deal because he’s being groomed as the successor to Bill Belichick.

BASKETBALL

The New York Knicks are 1 of 6 wins without Kristaps Porzingis this season, but unfortunately they lost their All-Star on Tuesday night to a torn ACL injury. Porzingis landed on Giannis Antetokounmpo’s foot and immediately grabbed his knee. No word yet on how long he’ll be out, but an injury like this tends to require at least 9 months of recovery.

With just two days to go before the NBA trade deadline, there’s talk on whether LeBron will leave Cleveland. After Tuesday night’s loss (their 14th in 21 games),  LeBron insisted he’s not going anywhere. He said, “I’m here for this season right now to try and figure out a way we can still compete. I owe it to my teammates to finish this season out no matter how it ends up. I would never waive my no-trade clause.”

 

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Nowitski Hits 50,000 Minute Mark, Behind The Scenes Of Manning/Odell Ad

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Dallas Mavericks’ Dirk Nowitski became only the 6th player in NBA history to play 50,000 minutes on the court. Nowitski has only ever played for the Mavericks and is in his 20th year. Other players earning this distinction are: Kevin Garnett, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Karl Malone, Jason Kidd and Elvin Hayes. LeBron congratulated Nowitski on twitter and said, “Sheesh bro that’s insane. Congrats man! That’s what you call punching in your clock daily!”

FOOTBALL

I’m still obsessed with the Eli Manning/Odell Beckham Jr ad on the Super Bowl. If you are too, here’s a recap of how the ad was made.

 

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Eagles Win Super Bowl 52, Foles MVP, Eli Manning/Odell Beckham Jr Best Ad

FOOTBALL

The Philadelphia Eagles beat the heavily favored New England Patriots in Super Bowl LII. With the win, the Eagles secure their first NFL Championship. The game was close all evening, and with just over 2 minutes left, Nick Foles marched his team downfield and threw an 11 yard pass to Zach Ertz. Ertz bobbled the catch in the end zone but kept  hold of it. It was ruled a fair catch after the officials called him a “runner” not “receiver”, because he took a few steps before entering the end zone. The Eagles were now up 38-33, and the Patriots couldn’t bounce back. The Eagles then kicked a field goal to bring the final score to 41-33.  Quarterback Nick Foles was the team’s backup just a few months ago, but certainly didn’t play like one during the playoffs and particularly during last night’s game. One of the best plays all night was before halftime where coach Doug Pederson called a trick play (called the “Philly Special”) where Foles stepped aside after the snap to let running back Corey Clement grab the ball then toss it to receiver Trey Burton who then threw it to Nick Foles in the end zone for the touchdown. Foles ended the night with a spectacular 3 touchdown passes and one receiving touchdown. He was the clear MVP of the Super Bowl, and when asked after the game how it felt, he was emotionally said, “There’s plenty of kids watching this game right now dreaming about this moment, some day will be here, and to be here with my daughter, my wife and my family, my teammates, this city. We’re very blessed.”

There’s always a debate about the entertainment during the Super Bowl, but Leslie Odom Jr singing American the Beautiful was perfection.  No player sat during Pink’s Star Spangled banner and Justin Timberlake’s hafltime show covered a lot including a tribute to Prince. As for the commercials, Tide cleverly weaved their way through multiple spots, and the dueling rappers (Peter Dinklage and Morgan Freeman) in Doritos vs Mountain Dew was thoroughly entertaining. The best ad, in my opinion,  (which was a promotion for the NFL) was Eli Manning and Odell Beckham Jr practicing their touchdown celebration to “Dirty Dancing’s” Time of My Life. Rodger Sherman cleverly tweeted after, “this is the third time Eli Manning has won a Super Bowl the Patriots were playing in”.

Congrats to Philly on their big win!

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Super Bowl LII, Timberlake’s Man Crush, Commercials To Watch

FOOTBALL

The Super Bowl is finally here. Tune in at 6:30 pm ET on Sunday for Super Bowl LII (52). The Big Game features the New England Patriots (who have been to the SB 9 times and won 5) against the underdog Philadelphia Eagles. Fun fact, the last time the Eagles played in the Super Bowl in 2004, they lost to the Patriots. The Eagles have never actually won the Championship. For a full lineup of stories to watch and players to pay attention to, click here!

In other Super Bowl news, Justin Timberlake will be performing the half-time show for the third time (the most of any individual performer). In a pre-game interview, he spoke about his man-crush on Tom Brady (but admitted nothing could come between his bromance with Jimmy Fallon).

And, of course there are the commercials. A 30-second ad is now around $5million (11% higher than last year). The most talked about ads so far are:

Amazon: Alexa losing her voice starring Jeff Bezos and other celebs including Rebel Wilson

M&M’s: Danny Devito turning into candy

Doritos/Mountain Dew: Featuring Peter Dinklage (Game of Thrones) vs Morgan Freeman

Pepsi and Coke commercials: Haven’t seen the ads, but have seen Cindy Crawford in it so giving the “who wore it better” to Pepsi!

Enjoy the Game!

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LeBron And Warriors Rumor, Russian Athletes Doping Overturned, Terrell Owens HOF Complaining

BASKETBALL

LeBron James has made it clear he wants another championship and is invested in either building a team around him or taking his talents elsewhere. He has indicated he’ll become an unrestricted free agent after the season and decline his $35.6 million player option with the Cavaliers. There’s widespread speculation as to where he’d end up (Warriors and Rockets have been named), but any team would have to make significant maneuvers and cuts to afford LeBron.

OLYMPICS

With only one week to go before the games begin, the International Olympic Committee has overturned doping bans on 28 Russian athletes. Many of these athletes are now seeking late entries into the games in Pyeongchang. The Winter Olympics begins on February 9th.

FOOTBALL

On Saturday night, the NFL will announce the 2018 Hall of Fame inductees. Terrell Owens is on the shortlist, but has been denied the last two years. This year, he’s hoping to get the honor, but has already stated he won’t go in as San Francisco 49er, where he spent 8 years racking up impressive stats.  He also shared his feelings about not making the cut the last two years. He told NFL Network’s “Good Morning Football”, “I feel more disrespect than disappointed, And I’ve always said, too, that when you align your expectations with reality, you’ll never be disappointed. So I think in terms of my body of work and what I’ve done for the game, that speaks loudly for itself. But in terms of bringing up all these other narratives as for why I’m not in the [Hall of Fame] as far as character issues … it doesn’t add up.”

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