- Sep 10, 2018
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Armadillo Sports
Saturday’s 6-pack
NFL leaders in touchdown passes:
35— Mahomes, KC
31— Burrow, Cin
30— Allen, Buff
26— Smith, Sea
24— Cousins/Tagovailoa/Lawrence
23— Goff/Carr/Rodgers
Quote of the Day
“Right now, I think we are very fragile. You start going through these things and then you start believing them. Once you start believing them, it becomes who you are. The only way to break them is by being mentally tough.”
Draymond Green, talking about the Golden State Warriors
Saturday’s quiz
In 1971, James Caan starred in Brian’s Song, the story of NFL player Brian Piccolo, who died in his 20’s. Which NFL team did Brian Piccolo play for?
Friday’s quiz
Tom Coughlin was the first coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Thursday’s quiz
When Michael Jordan played minor league baseball for the Birmingham Barons in the Southern League in 1994, Terry Francona was the Barons’ manager.
*****************************
Saturday’s Den: Random stuff with the weekend here…….
— First of all, hope all of you have an excellent Christmas; thanks for reading this blog, hope you read it every day (you don’t read it every day?!?!?!). Hope we all have an excellent 2023.
— Why, why, why do TV stations send reporters people outside during winter storms? As I type this, some poor bastard is standing outside in Buffalo, struggling to stand still in a vicious storm with both wind/snow beating down on him. We get it, the weather sucks; why punish this guy?
— 50 years ago this week, Steelers beat Oakland 13-7 in a dramatic playoff game, the Immaculate Reception game, where Franco Harris scored on a 60-yard TD pass off a deflection right at the end of the game. One of the most dramatic wins in NFL history.
Before that game, the Steelers had never won a playoff game; they had losing seasons in 25 of their previous 37 seasons. Starting in 1972, Pittsburgh made the playoffs eight years in a row, winning four Super Bowls. That one play was the turning point in their franchise history.
— Which college QB has thrown the most TD passes this season?
Western Kentucky QB Austin Reed has thrown 41 TD passes this year; never would’ve guessed that.
— Read this week that there are now 333.2 million people in this country, 1.2 million more than at this time last year.
— Phoenix Suns sold for $4B this week; that’s billion, with a B.
Just 12 years ago, Golden State Warriors sold for $450M. Warriors are a much more successful franchise than Phoenix. NBA has taken off in popularity all over the world. The league basically forced the Suns’ owner out because he’s a bad guy, but he still banks a $4B payday.
— There are 42 NBA players making $30M+ this season.
— Lakers’ star Anthony Davis is out for a while with a foot injury; they haven’t said exactly how long he’ll be out, but it doesn’t sound good.
— Kids today don’t know how great a basketball player Wilt Chamberlain was; he still holds the record, with two streaks of 14 games in a row with 40+ points.
Chamberlain helped the 76ers win the 1967 NBA title, but people criticized him because they said he didn’t pass enough, so the next year, Wilt led the league in assists. Seriously, he did.
The guy scored 100 points in a game; he also played in 79+ games in seven of his last eight seasons, spanning ages 29-36, and this was before teams flew on charters. None of this load management BS for him.
— Arizona Diamondbacks are trading OF/C Daulton Varsho to Toronto, for C Gabriel Moreno and OF/1B Lourdes Gurriel Jr. Varsho hit 27 homers for Arizona LY.
— P Erick Fedde signed a $1M deal with the NC Dinos in Korean baseball; $1M is the maximum deal for a foreign player who is in his first season in the KBO.
— Two best base stealers ever: Rickey Henderson and Lou Brock.
Brock stole his first base on April 13, 1962.
Henderson stole his last base on August 29, 2003.
There were four days in 1979 where Brock/Henderson both stole a base on the same day.
— Houston Astros are really good in large part because their international scouting is excellent; they have four starting pitchers— Framber Valdez, Cristian Javier, Luis Garcia, Jose Urquidy, whose COMBINED signing bonuses were only $140,000.
— Houston 23, Louisiana 16
Houston drove 92 yards, scored game-winning TD with 0:20 left.
Ragin’ Cajuns led 13-0 in second quarter.
Teams combined to convert 6-25 on 3rd down, 6-8 on 4th down.
Houston was +3 in turnovers.
— Wake Forest 27, Missouri 17
Wake QB Hartman threw for 280 yards, three TD’s.
How is Dave Clawson still the coach at Wake Forest? Some big $$$ school should scoop him up. Wake is a smallish school for big-time football; last seven years, Deacons are 44-30- they’ve won four of last six bowl games.
— Clemson QB DJ Uiagalelei is now Oregon State QB DJ Uiagalelei; he bolted to Corvallis this week, as the epidemic of QB’s transferring continues. He needs to be a more accurate passer.
— Mets traded backup C James McCann to Baltimore, have now signed C Omar Narvaez to an $8M deal for next season. Narvaez has a .728 career OPS.
— San Francisco Giants spend some of the $$$ they saved on the Carlos Correa non-signing; they gave Michael Conforto a 2-year, $36M deal— he sat out last year a shoulder sinjury, and they also gave P Taylor Rogers a 3-year, $33M deal. Rogers joins his twin brother Tyler in the Giants’ bullpen.
— Phillies signed closer Craig Kimbrel to a one-year, $10M deal.
Saturday’s 6-pack
NFL leaders in touchdown passes:
35— Mahomes, KC
31— Burrow, Cin
30— Allen, Buff
26— Smith, Sea
24— Cousins/Tagovailoa/Lawrence
23— Goff/Carr/Rodgers
Quote of the Day
“Right now, I think we are very fragile. You start going through these things and then you start believing them. Once you start believing them, it becomes who you are. The only way to break them is by being mentally tough.”
Draymond Green, talking about the Golden State Warriors
Saturday’s quiz
In 1971, James Caan starred in Brian’s Song, the story of NFL player Brian Piccolo, who died in his 20’s. Which NFL team did Brian Piccolo play for?
Friday’s quiz
Tom Coughlin was the first coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Thursday’s quiz
When Michael Jordan played minor league baseball for the Birmingham Barons in the Southern League in 1994, Terry Francona was the Barons’ manager.
*****************************
Saturday’s Den: Random stuff with the weekend here…….
— First of all, hope all of you have an excellent Christmas; thanks for reading this blog, hope you read it every day (you don’t read it every day?!?!?!). Hope we all have an excellent 2023.
— Why, why, why do TV stations send reporters people outside during winter storms? As I type this, some poor bastard is standing outside in Buffalo, struggling to stand still in a vicious storm with both wind/snow beating down on him. We get it, the weather sucks; why punish this guy?
— 50 years ago this week, Steelers beat Oakland 13-7 in a dramatic playoff game, the Immaculate Reception game, where Franco Harris scored on a 60-yard TD pass off a deflection right at the end of the game. One of the most dramatic wins in NFL history.
Before that game, the Steelers had never won a playoff game; they had losing seasons in 25 of their previous 37 seasons. Starting in 1972, Pittsburgh made the playoffs eight years in a row, winning four Super Bowls. That one play was the turning point in their franchise history.
— Which college QB has thrown the most TD passes this season?
Western Kentucky QB Austin Reed has thrown 41 TD passes this year; never would’ve guessed that.
— Read this week that there are now 333.2 million people in this country, 1.2 million more than at this time last year.
— Phoenix Suns sold for $4B this week; that’s billion, with a B.
Just 12 years ago, Golden State Warriors sold for $450M. Warriors are a much more successful franchise than Phoenix. NBA has taken off in popularity all over the world. The league basically forced the Suns’ owner out because he’s a bad guy, but he still banks a $4B payday.
— There are 42 NBA players making $30M+ this season.
— Lakers’ star Anthony Davis is out for a while with a foot injury; they haven’t said exactly how long he’ll be out, but it doesn’t sound good.
— Kids today don’t know how great a basketball player Wilt Chamberlain was; he still holds the record, with two streaks of 14 games in a row with 40+ points.
Chamberlain helped the 76ers win the 1967 NBA title, but people criticized him because they said he didn’t pass enough, so the next year, Wilt led the league in assists. Seriously, he did.
The guy scored 100 points in a game; he also played in 79+ games in seven of his last eight seasons, spanning ages 29-36, and this was before teams flew on charters. None of this load management BS for him.
— Arizona Diamondbacks are trading OF/C Daulton Varsho to Toronto, for C Gabriel Moreno and OF/1B Lourdes Gurriel Jr. Varsho hit 27 homers for Arizona LY.
— P Erick Fedde signed a $1M deal with the NC Dinos in Korean baseball; $1M is the maximum deal for a foreign player who is in his first season in the KBO.
— Two best base stealers ever: Rickey Henderson and Lou Brock.
Brock stole his first base on April 13, 1962.
Henderson stole his last base on August 29, 2003.
There were four days in 1979 where Brock/Henderson both stole a base on the same day.
— Houston Astros are really good in large part because their international scouting is excellent; they have four starting pitchers— Framber Valdez, Cristian Javier, Luis Garcia, Jose Urquidy, whose COMBINED signing bonuses were only $140,000.
— Houston 23, Louisiana 16
Houston drove 92 yards, scored game-winning TD with 0:20 left.
Ragin’ Cajuns led 13-0 in second quarter.
Teams combined to convert 6-25 on 3rd down, 6-8 on 4th down.
Houston was +3 in turnovers.
— Wake Forest 27, Missouri 17
Wake QB Hartman threw for 280 yards, three TD’s.
How is Dave Clawson still the coach at Wake Forest? Some big $$$ school should scoop him up. Wake is a smallish school for big-time football; last seven years, Deacons are 44-30- they’ve won four of last six bowl games.
— Clemson QB DJ Uiagalelei is now Oregon State QB DJ Uiagalelei; he bolted to Corvallis this week, as the epidemic of QB’s transferring continues. He needs to be a more accurate passer.
— Mets traded backup C James McCann to Baltimore, have now signed C Omar Narvaez to an $8M deal for next season. Narvaez has a .728 career OPS.
— San Francisco Giants spend some of the $$$ they saved on the Carlos Correa non-signing; they gave Michael Conforto a 2-year, $36M deal— he sat out last year a shoulder sinjury, and they also gave P Taylor Rogers a 3-year, $33M deal. Rogers joins his twin brother Tyler in the Giants’ bullpen.
— Phillies signed closer Craig Kimbrel to a one-year, $10M deal.
