Archive for February, 2019

Foles No Franchise Tag, Manziel Flames Out Of CFL, Wade Hits 3-Pointer For Win Over Warriors

FOOTBALL

The Philadelphia Eagles decided not to place a franchise tag (which would cost them $25 million) on quarterback Nick Foles, making him a free agent. Foles has served as Carson Wentz’s primary backup and even won the MVP in Super Bowl LII.

The Montreal Alouettes, of the Canadian Football League, terminated Johnny Manziel’s contract beacause he “contravened the agreement which made him eligible to play in the league.” Manziel, a former Heisman Trophy winner, flamed out in the NFL after having been chosen in the first round of the draft by the Cleveland Browns. The Alouettes didn’t specify what exactly led to his dismissal, but his contract specifies a number of “extensive and exacting” conditions including weekly therapy appointments, doctor visits and Lithium tests (which he takes for his bipolar disease). Manziel tweeted farewell to his team and said he was “looking forward to exploring new options within the United States.”

BASKETBALL

Miami Heat’s Dwayne Wade hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer to secure a big win over the Golden State Warriors. At one point, the Heat lead by 24 points, but the Warriors battled back, and the Heat` had to rely on Wade’s incredible shot to put them on top for the win.  After the game, Wade spoke about his game-winner and said, “I’m a little overwhelmed right now. It’s been a while since a moment like, against a team like that. I told Steph (Curry), ‘I appreciate that. I needed that on my way out.’ ” Heat 126, Warriors 125

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Cousins Technical Rescinded, Duke Drops, XFL Offer To Kaepernick

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In a follow up to Tuesday’s story about DeMarcus Cousins getting a technical foul for throwing a shoe off the court, the San Jose Mercury reported the “NBA has rescinded DeMarcus Cousins’ technical from last night. Players generally aren’t allowed to toss a shoe off the floor, but DeMarcus did it to avoid an injury to himself and others.” Cousins will avoid paying a $3000 fine.

Without an injured Zion Williamson, Duke lost again and is now slipping in rankings in the college basketball AP poll. Gonzaga currently ranks #1, Virginia #2, and Duke at #3.

FOOTBALL

The XFL (Vince McMahon’s alternative football league) has reportedly had conversations with controversial former SF 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick about joining the league when it starts up again in 2020. It’s been reported Kaepernick was offered $20 million to play in the Alliance of American Football (seen as a competitor of the XFL) and turned it down. No word on what sum he was offered for the rebooted league or if he accepted. There was even a rumor (started by Kaepernick’s lawyer) that the New England Patriots and Oakland Raiders were interested in signing him.

 

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Harden’s Streak Ends, Cousins Gets Technical For Removing Shoe, LeBron Frustrated

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James Harden’s historic 30-point streak ended on Monday night when he shot 28 points in a 119-111 win over the Atlanta Hawks. Harden has been suffering from a neck injury (which kept him out of a game on Saturday) and clearly still wasn’t 100% healthy as he missed all 10 of his 3-point attempts. When asked how he felt with the streak over, he said, “It was cool, but I knew I wasn’t going to get to No. 1.”

Golden State Warriors’ DeMarcus Cousins got called for a technical foul against the Charlotte Hornets in the 4th quarter on Monday night for a seemingly reasonable move. The Hornets Jeremy Lamb’s shoe fell off and Cousins picked it up and threw it off the court to make sure no one tripped. After the game, Cousins said, “next time I’ll just step on the shoe and roll my ankle, break it, tear an Achilles. Just leave it out there next time. I guess that’s what they want. I’ll keep that in mind.” Warriors 121, Hornets 110

LeBron James was clearly frustrated on Monday night, even though he added another milestone (only player in NBA history in top 10 in career scoring and career assists) to his incredible career. After the Lakers lost to the Memphis Grizzlies, LeBron was asked if the pressure was distracting the team. LeBron responded with this tirade, “At this point, if you’re still allowing distractions to affect the way you play, this is the wrong franchise to be a part of and you should just come in and be like, ‘Listen, I can’t do this. Seriously, if you’re distracted by playoff pushes …” Grizzlies 110, Lakers 105

 

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Harper Remains Unsigned, Knicks Finally Win

BASEBALL

Free agent Bryce Harper remains unsigned and is looking for a long team deal. At 26 years old, Harper was offered a 10 year $300 million deal to stay with the Washington Nationals, and Harper is looking for more. The LA Dodgers appear interested in a short term deal, but the Philadelphia Phillies seem convinced Harper will sign with them.

BASKETBALL

With the 130-118 win over the San Antonio Spurs, the NY Knicks avoided tieing an embarrassing home losing streak set by the 1993-1994 Dallas Mavericks. Evan actor Samuel Jackson enthusiastically announced on stage at the Academy Awards that after 18 home losses, the Knicks finally won.

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Space Jam 2 Is On, Harden & Paul Complain About Ref, NBA’s Proposal To Lower Draft Age

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SpringHill Entertainment confirmed Space Jam 2 is happening. LeBron James will star in the sequel to the original Space Jam movie starring Michael Jordan and a supporting cast of Patrick Ewing, Larry Johnson, Muggsy Bogues, Shawn Bradley, Charles Barkley, Bill Murray and of course Bugs Bunny.  No word yet on who will join LeBron in this much-anticipated sequel set to hit theaters on July 16th, 2021.

The Houston Rockets lost 111-106 to the LA Lakers on Thursday night. James Harden kept his streak (32 consecutive games) of 30-points (or more) per game alive, but the big story of the night involved teammates James Harden and Chis Paul complaining about referee Scott Foster.  Harden said he believes Foster is “rude and arrogant”. Paul added “I don’t know what else to do, know what I mean? I met with the league with him before and all this stuff. I don’t know what else to do.” Foster is a 25-year veteran of the league, but in a 2016 LA Times poll was voted by the players and coaches the league’s worst referee.

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver submitted a proposal to the National Basketball Players Association to lower the draft-eligible age from 19 to 18. The NBA hopes the rule change is agreed upon and officially in place by the 2022 draft.

 

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Zion Williamson’s Shoe Falls Apart, ACLU Involved In Cheerleading Gag Awards

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Fans who paid from $2000-$10,000 for a ticket to watch the UNC/Duke game and get a glimpse of Zion Williamson barely saw him play.  With just 36 seconds in, Williamson collapsed on the court because his shoe fell apart. He was wearing a Nike PG 2.5 PE and, according to Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski, Zion suffered “a mild knee sprain”. The Tar Heels beat Duke 88-72, but all anyone could talk about was the freak injury to Zion and whether or not the almost certain #1 pick in the NBA draft will continue to play this season or sit out for fear of another injury.

CHEERLEADING

Tremper High School in Wisconsin is under scrutiny by the ACLU for “creating a hostile environment for female students” after parents complained about the awards given out to cheerleaders at the annual banquets in 2017 and 2018. In addition to the traditional awards, a number of “gag” awards were announced including the “Big Boobie” and the “Big Booty” award. According to an ACLU attorney, “There is a serious indifference to how young girls are being treated within the KUSD (Kenosha Wisconsin Unified School District) system and that indifference is creating a toxic culture of perpetuating gender stereotypes that will stay with these girls for the rest of their lives.”

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Machado Signs W/Padres, MLB New Rules, Duke/UNC $2500 Tkts

BASEBALL

Manny Machado signed a monster 10-year deal to play for the San Diego Padres. His $300 million deal is the largest deal ever signed by a free agent in the history of American sports. The previous record was $275 million by Alex Rodriguez and the Yankees in 2008.

In other big news from Major League Baseball, the League has instituted new rules to prevent sign stealing. Among the high tech changes are a ban on in-house outfield cameras from foul pole to foul pole and television monitors in the clubhouse put on an 8 second delay.

BASKETBALL

The basketball rivalry between Duke and the University of North Carolina has always been intense, but this year the intensity is at a whole new level thanks to Duke’s superstar Zion Williamson. For tonight’s game, a fan can expect to pay $2500 for the cheapest available ticket. According to Vivid seats, one ticket went for $10,652.

 

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Hamlin Wins Daytona-Emotional For JGR, Team LeBron Wins All-Star Game, Diallo’s Dunk, Kaepernick & Reid Get Settlement

DAYTONA 500

Denny Hamlin won the prestigious Daytona 500 on Sunday, his second Daytona win in four years. The victory was particularly special for Hamlin, as he races for Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) and dedicated his season to J.D. Gibbs (Joe’s son who passed away last month after suffering from a degenerative neurological disease). JGR teammates, Kyle Busch and Erik Jones finished second and third, making JGR only the second team in NASCAR history to hold the top 3 spots at the Daytona 500. After the race, Gibbs, the Hall of Fame NFL coach, said “It was the most important night in my occupational life. I know J.D. and everybody in my family was emotional.”

BASKETBALL

The outcome of the All-Star game has no bearing on an NBA season, but the game certainly provided some entertaining moments on Sunday. Team LeBron came out on top, as his team overcame a 20-point deficit to beat Team Giannis 178-164. Giannis Antetokounmpo had the best play of the night when he slammed the basket off of a bounce pass alley-oop from Steph Curry. The  MVP of the game went to Team Lebron’s Kevin Durant for his 31 points and 7 rebounds. In the slam dunk contest on Saturday, OKC’s Hamidou Diallo took the prize after he soared over NBA icon Shaquille O’Neal for the dunk.

FOOTBALL

In some big news over the weekend, former SF 49er teammates Colin Kaepernick and Eric Reid reached a resolution of their collusion case against the NFL. The agreement remains confidential so it’s unclear how much money the players received.

 

 

 

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Kaepernick Wanted $20Million To Play For AAF, Edelman Honorary Starter For Daytona, All-Star Weekend

FOOTBALL

According to reports, the new Alliance of American Football (which debuted last weekend) reached out to Colin Kaepernick about playing in the league. Kaepernick is said to have asked for $20 million or more to consider the offer. Alliance players earn $225,000 over three years (but are free in May to pursue NFL careers). AAF also reached out to former quarterback Tim Tebow, but Tebow declined as he’s at spring training with the NY Mets.

DAYTONA 500

Super Bowl MVP, Julian Edelman will serve as the honorary starter for NASCAR’s biggest and most prestigious race, the Daytona 500 on Sunday, Feb 17th at 2:30 pm. Edelman will wave the green flag to begin the race.

BASKETBALL

Tune in to a weekend of festivities including a dunk contest, three-point contest, and other challenges during NBA All-Star weekend in Charlotte, NC. The events all lead up to the big game featuring Team LeBron vs Team Giannis which starts at 8:00 pm on Sunday, February 17th.

 

 

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Harden Streak Continues, Actress Regina King Almost Gets Crushed By Embiid, Flacco Traded To Broncos

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The Houston Rockets James Harden streak continues with his 31st consecutive game with over 30 points. In a loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves,  Harden scored 42 points. He is now tied with Wilt Chamberlain for the second-longest streak in NBA history. Timberwolves 121, Rockets 111.

Actress Regina King was sitting in the front row at Madison Square Garden in a Knicks/76ers game, when Sixers Joel Embiid leaped over her head trying to save a loose ball. Thankfully, no one was harmed but Sixers’ coach Brett Brown said he’d prefer Embiid didn’t put himself in a possible injury situation (especially with the team ahead by 15 points). He said, “Just like I think our owners and our fans back home were thinking, You respect his aggression and his passion, but you don’t want that. I say that out of love and care. It’s stuff you hope to avoid.” Embiid responded with, “I only know one way to play and that’s to play hard and compete.” Sixers 126, Knicks 111.

FOOTBALL

The Baltimore Ravens traded their longtime quarterback Joe Flacco (34 years old) to the Denver Broncos for a 4th round pick. With the move, the Ravens are putting the team in the hands of second-year QB Lamar Jackson. The move can’t be officially processed until after 4:00 pm EST on March 13th.

 

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