Mike Lupica, in the New York Daily News: “You think Charlie Sheen ever thinks about just ordering in pizza?” . . . Brittany Favre — yes she is Brett’s daughter — tweeted this the other day: “So I got married this morning. Today has been pretty dang good.” Which resulted in this from Adam Hill of the Las Vegas Review-Journal: “See how easy it is, Brett? Make a decision. Do it. Then let the entire world know in 140 characters or less.” . . . The travel trials and tribulations of the Everett Silvertips and Chilliwack Bruins on Wednesday night/Thursday morning proved once again that bus drivers really are the untold heroes of every hockey season. When you think about how many hockey teams travel the highways on this continent over the course of each season and how they always seem to get their passengers home safely, you realize what a great job these drivers do. . . .
A tweet from Ed Willes of The Province after the Vancouver Canucks played the Stars in Dallas on Tuesday night: “Canucks win 4-1 to take over 1st overall. Parade committee will meet at 10 a.m. tomorrow. I’ll bring the muffins.” . . . Tori Spence, a dynamic young lady who just happens to be a long track speed skater with the River City Racers, is a terrific pick as the flag bearer for Team B.C. at the Canada Winter Games later this month in Halifax. Unfortunately, she won’t be at the sendoff for Kamloops athletes, officials and coaches that is scheduled for noon at the TCC. She’s in Milwaukee, at the North American championships. . . . Mike Bianchi of the Orlando Sentinel solves one of life’s mysteries: “By some estimates, 60 per cent of NBA players are broke five years after they retire. Meanwhile, Gilbert Arenas spends $6,500 a month feeding his pet sharks. Mystery solved.” . . .
The Left Coast Sports Babe opines on an impossible-sounding story that is big news in Washington, D.C.: “The Washington Post is reporting that Redskins owner Dan Snyder is trying to get a reporter from a small newspaper fired. The reporter in question wrote a long piece about all the things that have gone wrong during Snyder’s tenure. Here’s a suggestion if Dan wants a positive story written instead – ‘Sell the team.’ ” . . . Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers will be the first pro athlete to get the cement treatment — hand and foot imprints — at Grauman’s Chinese Theater in Hollywood. As The Babe noted, though: “Cleveland fans would like Lebron James to follow him, although preferably with the full body treatment.’’ . . . After the Tampa Bay Rays signed Manny Ramirez, The Babe put it this way: “I’ll take Gluttons for Punishment for $600, Alex.” . . .
A football fan in Columbus, Ohio, obviously with far too much time on his hands, has built a replica of Ohio State’s football stadium. He used a million pieces of Lego to do it. As David Thomas of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram noted: “The most impressive part is that he was able to construct a stadium without asking for taxpayer funding.” . . . After Cincinnati Bengals receiver Chad Ochocinco revealed that he plans on going back to his original name — Chad Johnson — Ian Hamilton of the Regina Leader-Post scribbled: “Maybe somebody should ask the Johnsons if they want him back.” . . . One more from Hamilton: “The town council in Redditch, England, is being criticized for its plans to use the excess heat generated by the furnace in the town’s crematorium to warm the water at a neighbouring swimming pool. If the plan goes ahead, every race held at the pool will end in a dead heat.” . . .
After last weekend’s PGA Tour stop at Torrey Pines, Reggie Hayes of the Fort Wayne, Ind., News-Sentinel noted: “Bubba beat Lefty in the Farmers? Shouldn’t they have held this event in Tuscaloosa instead of San Diego?” . . . Len Berman, at ThatsSports.com: “Years ago I remember reading a newspaper headline, Right Winger Takes Over Bolivia. I thought to myself, Gordie Howe?” . . . Headline at SportsPickle.com: Yankees sign Bartolo Colon to serve as CC Sabathia’s stunt double. . . . Has there been anything more absurd than the TV talking heads whose job it was to analyze the draft during which the two teams were selected for the NHL Some-Star Game? I mean, c’mon, it was buddies drafting buddies, for goodness sake. Time to lighten up, folks. . . .
Regular contributor Tony Chong, looking ahead to Sunday’s Super Bowl, notes that “tailgate parties have never had the popularity of this year’s. Gotta huddle around the BBQ to fight off hypothermia.” . . . Here’s Jerry Crowe, in the Los Angeles Times: “At a low temperature of 17 degrees, it was colder Tuesday in Dallas than it was in Milwaukee and Pittsburgh, not to mention Vancouver, Canada, and Oslo, Norway. The latter two have hosted the Winter Olympics.” . . . One of the people who questioned the character of Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler was none other than former cornerback Deion Sanders, who never saw a tackle he couldn’t avoid. As Seattle Times reader Bill Littlejohn put it: “That’s like having your country’s toughness questioned by France.” . . .
As for Sunday, there is a supreme feeling that the Pittsburgh Steelers will court victory but, in the end, justice will be served with a Green Bay Packers’ victory. By two TDs. This has a lot to do with Maurkice Pouncey, the Steelers’ starting centre, not being able to answer the bell, which means Doug Legursky gets to make his first NFL start in the big game.
Gregg Drinnan is sports editor of The Daily News. Email him at gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca, follow him at twitter.com/gdrinnan, or visit his blog at gdrinnan.blogspot.com. Keeping Score appears Saturdays.
Posts
