Briefly. (kinda, not)
In 2009, the Saints finished 13-3 with losses to the Buccaneers, Cowboys and Panthers. They then beat the Colts in the Super Bowl. In 2018, the Saints finished 13-3 and lost to those same three teams. Will we see a SB rematch with the Colts?
Trivia #1: The Patriots are 10-1 following a first-round bye. Who was the only team to beat them?
Trivia #2: Antonio Brown led the NFL in receiving yards despite missing the final two games of the regular season. Who is the other player in the Super Bowl era to lead the NFL in receiving yards despite missing two or more games? (tough one)
Strava, the social network for athletes, has discovered that Saturday, January 12 (tomorrow) is the fateful day for New Year’s resolutions. According to the study, about 80 percent of people fail to keep their New Year’s resolutions. So, are you there yet??
In all due respect to Scal, Tommy Heinsohn is back! Well, almost. During last Friday night’s Celtics broadcast, Mike Gorman and Scal got Heinsohn on the phone during the second quarter. Insightful as always, it was good to hear him again.
Speaking of the Celtics, it was Black Thursday last night as both the Celtics’ and Bruins’ winning streaks came to a halt.
So Chicago Bears’ kicker Cody Parkey’s missed field goal was tipped? Lucky for him though it may have been ruled that way too late, after his reputation was sealed.
Speaking of Parkey, Kobe Bryant showed his support on Twitter tweeting; “We’ve all been there Cody…” What?! We have? You have? Not quite Kobe. Very few athletes had a moment like Cody Parkey had last Sunday. As Chris Collingsworth called it; “a double doink!”
Watch closely on Sunday during the Pats/Chargers game. The NFL’s first female referee, Sarah Thomas, who debuted in 2015, will become the first female referee to officiate a playoff game.
Also on Sunday will be the California Strong Celebrity Softball Game at Pepperdine University to raise funds for Californians impacted by dual tragedies in the fall – the Oct. 7 shooting at a bar in Thousand Oaks and all of the wildfires. Milwaukee Brewers star Christian Yelich, who lost his home in a fire along with teammates Ryan Braun, Mike Moustakas and team owner Mike Attanasio, are some of the organizers. Also participating in the game are the likes of Justin Turner, Eric Hosmer, Baker Mayfield, Jared Goff, Jamie Foxx, Reggie Miller (Braun’s neighbor), Adam Sandler and Charlie Sheen. All proceeds will go directly to victims. Nice!
Pitchers and catchers report in 5 weeks.
People ask me all the time about Mets’ superstar, Tim Tebow (never). 31-year old Tebow just got engaged to the 2017 Miss Universe winner, 23-year old Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters.
Robbery, you’re doing it wrong. Eric Cupernell, from MA, was caught red-handed on Tuesday stealing valuables from a house. He has been convicted of burglary 50 times!
The Red Sox will be holding auditions for new talent to fill approximately 17 spots to perform the national anthem this spring at JetBlue Park. If you can carry a tune, be at the park in Fort Myers, FL on January 16 (5-7pm) or the 17th (4-7pm). Good luck!
Ticket prices at Monday’s College Football National championship were at historic lows – $177 the morning of the game and as low as $126 the week prior. Face value was $475. By comparison, last year’s ‘Bama/Georgia game tix were roughly $1,700. The location might have had something to do with that, Santa Clara California. That’s quite a trip for Clemson/Alabama fans to make clear across the country. That and, aren’t we all sick of Alabama (and Clemson?)?
Did you see Deshaun Watson on the Clemson sideline Monday night? Hey, it’s not like he has to watch game film in preparation for this weekend or anything.
Dallas Cowboys’ receiver, Allen Hurns. I saw him lying there on the field, face down, with his right foot facing as if he was on his back. Neither of the commentators mentioned it and I then watched the replay. That was, and is, the last time I will watch either the replay or that picture of him lying on the field. Gruesome.
Patriots’ owner Robert Kraft has been awarded Israel‘s 2019 Genesis prize. Widely known as the “Jewish Nobel” prize, it is granted each year to a person recognized as an inspiration to the next generation of Jews through professional achievement and commitment to Jewish values. The $1 million award will be donated to initiatives combating anti-Semitism, other forms of prejudices and what some portray as attempts to delegitimize Israel.
R.I.P. The Captain, Daryl Dragon of Captain and Tenille (76) of renal failure.
R.I.P. Verna Bloom (80) from complications of dementia. Bloom played Mrs. Marion (Dean) Wormer in the 1978 classic, Animal House. DYK, she was also Clint Eastwood’s lover in High Plains Drifter?
Trivia #1: The Patriots are 10-1 following a first-round bye. Who was the only team to beat them? – The New York Football Jets in 2010.
Trivia #2: Antonio Brown led the NFL in receiving yards despite missing the final two games of the regular season. Who is the other player in the Superbowl era to lead the NFL in receiving yards despite missing two or more games? – Josh Gordon in 2013.
“Mother, do you think they’ll drop the bomb?
Mother, do you think they’ll like this song?
Mother, do you think they’ll try to break my balls?
Ooh, aah, mother, should I build a wall?”
Ed's Head On Friday 