Sports ‘n Stuff 12-13-22

We’re 12 days from Christmas, so how much would “The 12 Days of Christmas” cost?  An annual report that estimates the cost recently came out.  And the answer is $45,523.

Here’s a breakdown of how much it would cost to buy or hire all 12 things . . .

Twelve drummers drumming . . . $3,267 to hire them.

Eleven pipers piping . . . $3,021.

Ten lords-a-leaping . . . $13,980.  It’s the most expensive gift on the list.  It’s based on how much it would cost to hire ten dancers from the Philadelphia ballet.

Nine ladies dancing . . . $8,308.  Based on hiring nine women from a modern dance company in Philly.  (Strippers are way cheaper.)

Eight maids-a-milking . . . $58.  Weird gift, but the cheapest on the list.  That’s eight women milking cows for an hour at the federal minimum wage of $7.25.

Seven swans-a-swimming . . . $13,125.  

Six geese-a-laying . . . $720.

Five gold rings . . . $1,245, up 39%.  That’s a bigger jump than anything else on the list.  It’s for five 14-carat gold rings according to a national jewelry chain.

Four calling birds . . . $600.

Three French hens . . . $319.

Two turtle doves . . . $600.

And a partridge in a pear tree . . . $280.  The partridge costs the same as last year.  But fertilizer prices are up, so pear trees have jumped 26%.

Free agent catcher, Mike Zunino is signing a one-year, $6M contract with the Guardians. The 10 year vet played for Seattle and most recently the Rays where he only played in 36 games last year for Tampa Bay. Career batting average is .200.

Random Fact “O” The Day:

Poinsettias are not poisonous.  A study at Ohio State University showed that a 50-pound child would have to eat more than 500 leaves to have any harmful effect.  And that’s very unlikely, because they have an “awful taste.”

That said, you should keep your pets from snacking on poinsettia leaves . . . because it can upset their stomachs.

College Basketball AP Top 25

First-place votes in parentheses:

1. Purdue (27)

2. Virginia (19)

3. UConn (15)

4. Alabama

5. Houston

6. Tennessee (1)

7. Texas

8. Kansas

9. Arizona

10. Arkansas

11. Baylor

12. Duke

13. Kentucky

14. Indiana

15. Gonzaga

16. UCLA

17. Mississippi St.

18. Illinois

19. Auburn

20. Maryland

21. TCU

22. Wisconsin

23. Ohio St.

24. Virginia Tech

25. Miami

You might be shocked to learn…not all fast-food chains use real chicken meat for their tenders. We’re not talking mystery meat – it’s the difference between using actual chicken pieces and that other chopped/blended/formed mush. Now, the folks at “EatThis,NotThat!” folks have compiled the chains that actually use the real thing. They are:

• Carl’s Jr. – As with their sister restaurant Hardee’s (it’s Carl’s in the west, Hardee’s in the east), this chain’s chicken tenders are cut from whole strips of breast meat before being hand-dipped in buttermilk, breaded and fried.
• Chick-fil-A – They use whole pieces of chicken for their boneless strips and nuggets. They’re seasoned and pressure-cooked in peanut oil for flavor.
• Church’s Chicken – Church’s fans know why the chain has been around since 1952. Aside from their bone-in chicken, there’s a chicken sandwich and chicken tenders made from whole cuts of white meat.
• KFC – Their deep-fried tenders are also made from whole cut pieces of battered, spiced chicken meat.
• Popeyes – You’ll find their tenders as whole strips of chicken meat
• Raising Cane’s – his chain only sells chicken strips that are fresh, marinated for a full day, never frozen, hand-cut, hand-battered and fried to order.

Trying to avoid gaining weight around the holiday season? You’re not alone – and the folks at the Food Network has eight suggestions for taking care of business.

I have one….STOP EATING SO MUCH!

Nicolas Cage has admitted that he spent his childhood convinced he was an alien.

In a new interview, the 58-year-old actor admitted that he was shocked to discover that he had “normal organs and a normal skeleton”.

“My father told me he felt like he had to introduce himself to me because I was such an alien,” he told Rampstyle magazine.

Updated NFL power rankings are out for week 15, with the Eagles atop the standings and rankings followed by the 49ers, Bengals, Bills, Chiefs, Cowboys, Vikings, Ravens, Chargers and making their way in the top ten, winners of 5 of their last 6 games

THE DETROIT LIONS!

btw, The Browns are #23

Cavaliers fell short in their comeback effort last night at San Antonio. Down by 19 the Cavs lead a fierce 4th quarter comeback outscoring the Spurs 33-20. They lose 112-111.

Next up the Mavericks tomorrow night in Dallas at 9.

Today is Tuesday December 13, 2022

Today in Sports and Pop Culture History

26 years ago – In 1996, “Jerry Maquire” was released.

15 years ago – In 2007, the Mitchell Report was publicly released.  It listed the names of 89 Major League Baseball players who presumably tested positive for performance enhancing drugs. Jason Giambi and Barry Bonds headed the list.

Celebrity Birthdays

Taylor Swift is 33

Jamie Foxx is 55

Rex and Rob Ryan are 60.  Large and loud twin sons of NFL coaching legend Buddy Ryan.

Actor Steve Buscemi is 65

Rocker Ted Nugent “The Motor City Madman” is 74

Dick Van Dyke is 97