So great to back again this week, with new-found abs courtesy of my Xmas gift: shock therapy. In case you missed them, here’s what made headlines this past week in the world of pro sports:
NFL – WILD CARD MADNESS
The jewel of last weekend’s football action was the Packers-49ers game. With the wind chill, they were playing in -10 degree weather – or, as Canadians call it, balmy springtime temperatures.
Actually, this past weekend’s game at Lambeau was the highest-rated wild card game in NFL history, with 53 million viewers tuning in at its peak. Just to give you an idea of how many people that is, take the amount of people who think Andy Dalton is a playoff quarterback and add 53 million.
For the record, Dalton is now 0-3 in the postseason for the Bengals. It’s not that he’s bad at completing passes; he’s just bad at completing them to his own teammates.
Rumor has it (via Dan Patrick) that the NFL plans to add a wild card team in both conferences. It’s already got a new nickname: “The Jerry Jones Expansion”.
A recent study suggests that 80% of Super Bowl ads don’t even help product sales. Imagine spending upwards of $4 million on something that come back to haunt you in the long term? Oh wait – there was that time Kanye West bought Kim Kardashian an engagement ring …
NHL – WOE CANADA
The roster for the men’s Canadian Olympics squad for Sochi was announced Tuesday. Hearts were broken and tears were shed. And that’s just the people who waited eight hours before the player’s names were called.
Seriously, there was an incredibly long build-up to the announcement. Even the transport minister spoke for a bit. He kept mentioning his fond memories of Canada, leaving people with less-than-fond memories of the lunch break they wasted in front of their computer or mobile device.
Even Steve Yzerman made a speech. Of course, he did something truly Canadian, and thanked way too many people.
The big controversy surrounds the snub of Martin St. Louis in favor of players who have had inferior season thus far in the NHL. I can’t understand why they didn’t pick him – they could even have saved money on plane tickets and check him as a carry-on.
NCAA FOOTBALL – AND THE WINNER IS …
FSU battled back against Auburn this week to win a wild BCS National Championship Game 34-31. Just think – Nick Saban was that close to losing to Jimbo Fisher by three.
Here’s an interesting story: Tim Tebow’s prediction of the score, as an ESPN analyst, was only one point off. He was so excited that he called Andy Reid to let him know how great it felt to be just one point shy.
NBA – STIRRING THE CHICAGO POT
Dennis Rodman is in the news again. He had a meltdown during a CNN interview when he was asked about his most recent trip to North Korea. Honestly, he sounded as if Smaug and the Swedish Chef had a baby with a stuttering problem and a fake sense of diplomacy together.
Rodman has recruited some former NBA players to join him in playing an exhibition game in honor of Dictator Kim Jong Un’s birthday. Said he’s had plenty of experience with cold-hearted leaders – after all, he played with Michael Jordan for several years.
The Cleveland Cavaliers finally traded Andrew Bynum, who was then waived by the Bulls. You know you’re not well liked in Ohio when Trent Richardson is the only the second-biggest sports failure to leave the city this year.
AND FINALLY …
For the first time ever, MLB’s gross revenues topped $8 billion dollars. The sad part? They had to spend half of that on a new toupee for Bud Selig.
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