Archive for January, 2020

Super Bowl Sunday, 6 More First-Time Starters For NBA All-Star Game, LeBron & Anthony Kobe Tattoos

FOOTBALL

The Super Bowl is almost here. Tune in on Sunday at 6:30 pm for what should be an exciting matchup featuring the San Francisco 49ers vs the Kansas City Chiefs at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami. For everything, you need to know about the game including the halftime show, the pre-game, and post-game events and the commercials, click here.

BASKETBALL

In addition to the first-time starters named last week to the NBA All-Star Game on February 16th (Luka Doncic, Trae Young and Pascal Siakam), six more first-time players got the nod as reserves. With Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert (Utah Jazz),  Brandon Ingram (New Orleans Pelicans), Bam Adebayo (Miami Heat), Domantas Sabonis (Indiana Pacers) and Jayson Tatum (Boston Celtics), the All-Star Game will now have nine players making their first appearance.

LeBron James and Anthony Davis continued to honor their friend Kobe Bryant by getting Bryant tattoos on their legs. LeBron’s tattoo is of a snake with the #24 for the Black Mamba.

 

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Djokovic Ousts Federer, American Kenin In First Grand Slam Final, Richard Sherman Slams Owners For 17-Game Proposal

TENNIS

Novak Djokovic ousted rival Roger Federer 7-6, 6-4, 6-3 in the Australian Open. The semifinal match was their 50th meeting. Djokovic will compete in the finals of the Australian Open for the eighth time in his career, having won the previous seven. If he’s victorious on Sunday, he will have accumulated 17 grand slam titles and be back to #1 in the rankings.

In the women’s final, American Sofia Kenin will appear in her first grand slam final on Saturday against unseeded Garbiñe Muguruza. Kenin is the first American (other than Serena or Venus Williams) to reach the Australian Open final since 1995.

FOOTBALL

San Francisco 49ers cornerback Richard Sherman (who is also the VP for the NFL Players Association executive committee) laid into the NFL owners for rumors that they are thinking of expanding the regular season to include 17-games. His frustration stems from the notion that the NFL claims player safety is their main priority, but are then considering expanding the season. He said, “It’s always odd when you hear player safety is (the league’s) biggest concern. They’re really standing up for player safety, player safety, player safety, but it seems like player safety has a price tag. Player safety up to the point of ‘Hey, 17 games makes us this much money, so we really don’t care how safe they are if you’re going to pay us this much money to play another game.’ “That’s the part that’s really concerning for us as a union and us as players.”

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Embiid Wears 24 Scores 24, Zion Successful Road Game

BASKETBALL

The world continues to honor the legendary Kobe Bryant with tributes in stadiums across the US. On Wednesday evening, the 76ers paid their tribute to the Philadelphia native by wearing No.24 and No. 8 Bryant jerseys in warmups. And, in his first game back from a hand injury, 76ers Joel Embiid got permission to wear Hall of Famer Bobby Jones retired #24 jersey during the game. Embiid scored 24 points in Kobe’s honor for a 115-104 win over the Golden State Warriors.  Embiid, like many athletes, credited Kobe with his love of basketball.

In a matchup against the Cleveland Cavaliers, New Orleans Pelicans #1 pick Zion Williamson had another successful court appearance in his first road game. According to Elias Sports Bureau, “Williamson is the first first-round pick to have at least 10 points and shoot better than 50 percent from the field in his first four games.” Pelicans 125, Cavaliers 111.

 

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Wicked Smaht Commercial, Brady Tells Garoppolo To Win, $41,644 SB Ticket

FOOTBALL

Super Bowl week officially kicked off with player interviews, team analysis, professional betting, and of course the previews of the $5.6 million per 30-second spot commercials. I just saw a great debut this morning from Hyundai which will likely stay as one of my top five. The spot promotes Hyundai’s smart parking assist and features Chris Evans, John Krasinski and Rachel Dratch sporting full Boston accents. Krasinski says, “Just hit the clickah – cah pahks itself. It’s wicked smaht.”Check it out!

Speaking of Boston, the New England Patriots aren’t in the Super Bowl, but quarterback Tom Brady sent his protege, San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, a text message of encouragement. According to Garoppolo, Brady said, “Good luck’ and everything like that. Just go handle business.’ It wasn’t too complicated or anything, just ‘Go win.'”

According to TicketIQ, the secondary market for Super Bowl tickets could be the second most expensive of the decade with an average price per ticket of $7,733. As of early this week, the most expensive ticket costs $41,644 in the 72 Club (“the most luxurious seating experience in all of South Florida sports and entertainment”).​

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The World Mourns NBA Legend Kobe Bryant

BASKETBALL

Kobe Bryant, the transformational NBA legend, died in a helicopter crash in California on Sunday. Kobe’s 13-year old daughter Gianna and seven others were with the 41-year old superstar. Bryant was en route to coach in a game at his Mamba Sports Academy in Thousand Oaks.

Kobe entered the NBA right out of high school and played all 20 of his pro seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers. His accomplishments included winning 5 Championships, a 2008 MVP, two-time Finals MVP, 18-times All-Star, four-time All-Star MVP, and two gold medals with USA Basketball in 2008 and 2012. He was also widely revered for his work ethic, his competitive spirit, and his commitment to being a loving and dedicated father. Rest in peace Kobe, Gianna and the others who died in this horrible tragedy.

 

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15-Year Old Coco Eliminates #1 Naomi, Serena Loses, LeBron & Giannis Named Captains For All-Star Game

TENNIS

In the third round of the Australian Open, 15-year old Coco Gauff eliminated former #1 Naomi Osaka 6-3, 6-4. Coco is the youngest player to beat a reigning women’s champion at the Australian Open and the youngest since Jennifer Capriate in 1991 to beat a top-five opponent in a woman’s tour-level match. After the match, Coco effused, “Honestly, like, what is my life? Like, oh, my gosh Two years ago, I lost first round in juniors and now I’m here. This is crazy.”

In other Open news, Serena Williams lost 6-4, 6-7 (2), 7-5 to 27th seeded Wang Qiang in the third round, her earliest exit in 14 years.

BASKETBALL

The League announced LeBron James and Giannis Antetokounmpo will again be captains and starters for the NBA All-Star Game on February 16th in Chicago. The other starters in the East are Kemba Walker, Trae Young, Pascal Siakam and Joel Embiid. In the West, the starters are James Harden, Anthony Davis, Kawhi Leonard, and Luka Doncic. Next Thursday the League will announce the reserves.

 

 

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Eli Manning Retiring, Zion Williamson’s Exciting Debut

FOOTBALL

After 16 seasons at quarterback and two Super Bowl MVP’s with the New York Giants, Eli Manning announced he’s retiring. At 39 years old, Manning holds the franchise’s record for passing yards, touchdowns and completion percentage. He was drafted #1 in 2004 by the San Diego Chargers and then traded to the Giants where he played his entire career winning the Super Bowl in 2007 and 2011. Manning will be eligible for the Hall of Fame in five years, and considering he’s only one of five players (Joe Montana, Bart Starr, Terry Bradshaw and Tom Brady) in NFL history with at least two Super Bowl MVP’s, he’ll likely be a shoo-in.

BASKETBALL

Zion Williamson did not disappoint in his much-anticipated debut Wednesday night in New Orleans. He scored 22 points including 17 straight in the 4th quarter. Pelicans’ coach Alvin Gentry ultimately pulled him out before the game was over to make sure he wasn’t extending himself too much in his first official outing after his injury. The Pelicans ended up losing to the San Antonio Spurs 121-117, but the excitement of their #1 pick energized the crowd giving them great hope for the future.

 

 

 

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Derek Jeter & Larry Walker Hall Of Fame, Zion’s Debut

BASEBALL

To no one’s surprise, Derek Jeter was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame. The big surprise was he was one vote shy of being a unanimous pick, receiving 396 out of 397 votes. Last year, his teammate Mariano Rivera was the first and only unanimous selection. Also making it into the Hall was Larry Walker (Montreal Expos, Colorado Rockies, and St. Louis Cardinals) who was in his last year of eligibility. Earlier in the day, Walker tweeted he thought he’d be a little short in the voting, so he was overwhelmed when he got the call and heard he cleared the 75% threshold.

BASKETBALL

On Wednesday night against the San Antonio Spurs, we’ll see the long-awaited debut of the 2019 #1 pick, the Pelicans’ Zion Williamson. Zion suffered a knee injury and had meniscus surgery on October 21st.

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Lillard Sets Record For Player 6’2″ Or Shorter, Westbrook Joins LeBron In Triple-Doubles, Tim Tebow Marries Miss Universe

BASKETBALL

Portland Trail Blazers Damian Lillard scored 11 3-pointers and set a franchise record of 61 points in a 129-124 overtime win over the Golden State Warriors on Monday. Lillard beat his own record of 60 points earlier this season. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Lillard has the two highest-scoring marks in NBA history by a player 6’2″ (Damian is 6’2″) or shorter.

Also making history, Houston Rockets guard Russell Westbrook became the second player in NBA history to record a triple-double against all 30 franchises. Westbrook joins LeBron James in this feat.

BASEBALL

Tim Tebow, the former NFL quarterback/ Heisman Trophy winner and current minor league baseball player for the New York Mets, married former Miss Universe 2017 Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters.

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Kansas City Chiefs Vs San Francisco 49ers In Super Bowl LIV

FOOTBALL

In the NFL’s 100th season, Super Bowl LIV (54) is set with the Kansas City Chiefs squaring off against the San Francisco 49ers. The lineup features two head coaches who have never won a Super Bowl ring and clearly have something to prove this time around.

Here are some highlights from both Conference Championship games:

In the AFC, last season’s MVP Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes threw for three touchdowns and ran for a fourth in a spectacular performance to beat the Tennessee Titans 35-24.  The Chiefs will make their first appearance in the Super Bowl in 50 years.

In the NFC, the San Francisco 49ers dominated the Green Bay Packers for a 37-20 win thanks to star performances from quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo and running back Raheem Mostert (who scored four touchdowns and rushed for 220 yards).

The Super Bowl is slated for Feb. 2 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida.

 

 

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