Briefly.
Trivia #1: Of the following, pick the top three Red Sox sluggers who reached double-digit homeruns with the Red Sox the fastest? – George “Boomer” Scott, Michael Chavis, Sam Horn, Lou Merloni, Tony Conigliaro, Fred Lynn, Mo Vaughn
Trivia #2: Last Sunday night, LA Rams wide receiver Robert Woods scored his first touchdown of the season after reaching the 900 yard receiving mark. What NFL receiver had the most receiving yards in one season without scoring a touchdown?
Trivia #3: What is the only infectious disease afflicting humans to be officially eradicated?
Trivia #4: Since 1944-1945, the NHL MVP has been won by a defenseman four times. Name the players, bonus if you can know the years each won it.
12 days until Christmas but, more importantly, 9 days until the days start getting longer again!
Great couple of nights for sports on television – Wednesday (Celtics, Bruins, President’s Cup), Thursday (same three plus NFL). Watched all four on Thursday, couldn’t pass up Doc Emrick and the Bruins on Wednesday.
Tom Brady said it best regarding the bad calls last Sunday: “I think these things, over time, have a way of balancing each other out.” You don’t agree? I give you… The Tuck Rule
On Tuesday night the Texas Tech men’s basketball team upset then #1 Louisville. That means that next Monday’s #1 ranking will change for the fifth time in seven weeks, which is a record.
On average, New York yankees’ pitcher Gerrit Cole’s 9-year $324 million contract will pay him approximately $9,200 per pitch.
Speaking of baseball, Major League Baseball and its players’ union announced Thursday that marijuana will be removed from its list of banned substances and that players will be tested for major opioids, cocaine and other drugs in a new treatment-based approach to drug use.
Don’t get me going… Dwight “Dewey” Evans should be in the Hall of Fame, losing out last week yet another time. He led the majors in extra-base hits in the 80’s and led the AL in homeruns during that same stretch. He finished in the top 11 in MVP voting over a nine-year span and, at the time of his retirement, was one of 25 all-time with over 10,000 plate appearances and a .825 OPS. All of those 25 players are in the HOF, except Evans.
This week’s sign of the apocalypse: Prankster-artist Maurizio Cattelan duct-taped a (fresh) banana to a white wall. He has sold two at $120,000 apiece and a third is going for $150,000.
Russia has been banned from international sporting events for four years, a span that includes the 2022 winter Olympics in Beijing and the 2022 World Cup. The World Anti-Doping Agency imposed the ban on Monday after evidence emerged that Russia dopes its athletes in systematic fashion. Some argue the punishment is not strong enough in that individual Russian athletes can still compete, though they must wear neutral uniforms and won’t hear their national anthem if they win.
Hey Patriot fans, relax!
Having said that, Lamar Jackson is pretty good.
Belgian child prodigy Laurent Simons (of Belgian and Dutch descent) has dropped out of Eindhoven University of Technology, located in the Netherlands, after school officials refused to let him graduate before the age of 10 – which his family claims he was initially assured he could do. He would have become the first person to graduate college under the age of 10. I find that ironic because I nearly missed out on graduating because I acted as if I was 10!
Big SNOW ski resort, as part of East Rutherford, New Jersey’s American Dream mega-mall, is open all year long. The resort can make 5,500 tons of snow per day and keeps the facility at 20 degrees Fahrenheit. Lift tickets cost $34.99 for a two-hour pass, and packages including equipment rentals cost $69.99. There are hills of all sizes, from beginner to black diamond.
What is worse, not liking The Godfather or never seeing it?
Congratulations to family of Nick Cafardo. Nick will be honored posthumously as the 2020 recipient of the J.G. Taylor Spink Award, given out since 1962 to recognize sportswriters “for meritorious contributions to baseball writing.”
I do my best proof reading after I hit “send.”
R.I.P. Carroll Edwin Spinney (85) – A graduate of Acton-Boxborough High School, Spinney played both Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch. DYK, Big Bird was 8 feet 2 inches tall and Spinney couldn’t see out of the costume. He had to maneuver the giant from inside with hands, wires and a TV monitor strapped to his chest to guide him around studio sets.
R.I.P. Peter Frates (34) – Have to give a shout-out to a guy who has been so influential in raising hundreds of thousands of dollars towards ALS research. The funeral today will be seen nationwide.
R.I.P. John J. Ford (86) – The Plymouth, MN man was born in Buffalo but loved the Minnesota Vikings, in addition to Notre Dame, golf and a “good cigar.” He died during the Vikings’ Dec 2 MNF game against the Seahawks. His obituary read “…passed away surrounded by his family on December 2 after the Vikings allowed 17 unanswered points…”
Trivia #1 answer: Of the following, pick the top three Red Sox sluggers who reached double-digit homeruns with the Red Sox the fastest – George “Boomer” Scott, Michael Chavis, Sam Horn, Lou Merloni, Tony Conigliaro, Fred Lynn, Mo Vaughn – Answer: George “Boomer” Scott (1966), Michael Chavis (2019), Sam Horn (1987)
Trivia #2 answer: Last Sunday night, LA Rams wide receiver Robert Woods scored his first touchdown of the season after reaching the 900 yard receiving mark. What NFL receiver had the most receiving yards in one season without scoring a touchdown? – NY Jets’ Al Toon (963 yards)
Trivia #3 answer: What is the only infectious disease afflicting humans to be officially eradicated? – Smallpox
Trivia #4 answer: Since 1944-1945, the NHL MVP has been won by a defenseman four times. Name the players, bonus if you can site the years they won it. – Bobby Orr (1969-70, 1970-71, 1971-72), Chris Pronger (1999-00)
“Sunny day
Sweeping the clouds away
On my way to where the air is sweet
Can you tell me how to get
How to get to Sesame Street”
Ed's Head On Friday 