Sports ‘n Stuff 1/14/22

The Associated Press 2021 NFL All-Pro team selected by a national panel of 50 media members:

OFFENSE

Quarterback — Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay

Running Back — Jonathan Taylor, Indianapolis

Tight End — Mark Andrews, Baltimore

Wide Receivers — Davante Adams, Green Bay; Cooper Kupp, Los Angeles Rams; Deebo Samuel, San Francisco

Left Tackle — Trent Williams, San Francisco

Right Tackle — Tristan Wirfs, Tampa Bay

Left Guard — Joel Bitonio, Cleveland

Right Guard — Zack Martin, Dallas

Center — Jason Kelce, Philadelphia

DEFENSE

Edge Rushers — T.J. Watt, Pittsburgh; Myles Garrett, Cleveland

Interior Linemen — Aaron Donald, Los Angeles Rams; Cam Heyward, Pittsburgh

Linebackers — Darius Leonard, Indianapolis; Micah Parsons, Dallas; De’Vondre Campbell, Green Bay

Cornerbacks — Trevon Diggs, Dallas; Jalen Ramsey, Los Angeles Rams

Safeties — Kevin Byard, Tennessee; Jordan Poyer, Buffalo

SPECIAL TEAMS

Placekicker — Justin Tucker, Baltimore

Punter — A.J. Cole, Las Vegas

Kick Returner — Braxton Berrios, New York Jets

Punt Returner — Devin Duvernay, Baltimore

Special Teamer — J. T. Gray, New Orleans

Long Snapper — Luke Rhodes, Indianapolis

SECOND TEAM

OFFENSE

Quarterback — Tom Brady, Tampa Bay

Running Back — VACANT

Tight End — Travis Kelce, Kansas City

Wide Receivers — Ja’Marr Chase, Cincinnati; Justin Jefferson, Minnesota;

Left Tackle — Rashawn Slater, Los Angeles Chargers

Right Tackle — Lane Johnson, Philadelphia

Left Guard — Quenton Nelson, Indianapolis

Right Guard — Wyatt Teller, Cleveland

Center — Corey Linsley, Los Angeles Chargers

DEFENSE

Edge Rushers — Robert Quinn, Chicago; Maxx Crosby, Las Vegas

Interior Linemen — Chris Jones, Kansas City; Jeffery Simmons, Tennessee

Linebackers — Demario Davis, New Orleans; Roquan Smith, Chicago; Bobby Wagner, Seattle

Cornerbacks — J.C. Jackson, New England; A.J. Terrell, Atlanta

Safeties — Justin Simmons, Denver, Micah Hyde, Buffalo and Budda Baker, Arizona (tie)

SPECIAL TEAMS

Placekicker — Daniel Carlson, Las Vegas

Punter — Bryan Anger, Dallas

Kick Returner — Andre Roberts, Los Angeles Chargers

Punt Returner — Jakeem Grant, Chicago

Special Teamer —- Matthew Slater, New England, and Ashton Dulin, Indianapolis.

Long Snapper — Josh Harris, Atlanta

The hype for  “Baby Shark” has apparently not died down. The viral song that kids can’t get enough of has become the first video on YouTube to reach 10 billion views! In November of 2020, it had already become the most viewed video of all time after surpassing “Despacito” by Luis Fonzi and Daddy Yankee.

Shaquille O’Neal announced that he sold his share of the Sacramento Kings. 

“As a result of a new business endeavor, I was required by NBA rules to sell my interest in the Kings” he wrote via a post shared on Twitter Wednesday, Shaq went on to say “I loved being an owner of such a forward thinking organization and I hope to be back someday.”

Kanye West is accused of punching someone outside a nightclub in downtown Los Angeles.

He told a group gathered outside the Soho Warehouse not to take pictures because he was going through stuff.

When someone disputed him, he punched the person twice.

The incident is being investigated as a possible misdemeanor battery.

So far, no arrests or citations have been announced.

Tomorrow is Use Your Gift Card Day . . . an annual reminder to use the gift cards you received as gifts, before they become lost in a drawer somewhere.  It’s free money, so use it before you lose it.

 

Here are 5 bands who set world records, in no particular order:

 

1.  Metallica . . . In 2013, they became the first band to play on all seven continents in one year.

 

2.  KISS . . . During their “Kiss 2020 Goodbye” livestream in Dubai, they had the highest flame projection in a concert at about 115 feet . . . and the most flame projections launched simultaneously in a music concert.

 

3.  Pearl Jam . . . They have the most live tracks released in one week.  Last year they put out a digital archive called “Deep” that has 5,404 live songs compiled over a span of 14 years of touring.

 

4.  Motley Crue . . . They have the first song to sell better on Xbox than iTunes. “Saints of Los Angeles” was downloaded 37,000 more times in its first week on Xbox Live.

 

5.  Paramore . . . In the music video for “Ain’t It Fun”, they set 10 world records, including the most feathers caught in 30 seconds, longest time spinning a vinyl record on a finger, and the fastest time to run backward holding stuffed animals while blindfolded for 30 feet.

Setting 10 world records in a video was also a world record in itself.

5 random facts on Friday . . .

 

1.  The reason the taste of artificial banana flavoring and artificial banana flavored products doesn’t taste like bananas is that it is based on a type of banana that was wiped out by a plague in the 1950s.

 

2.  Australia has over 10,000 beaches.  So, you could visit a new beach every day for over 27 years.

 

3.  The legendary bass line from the White Stripes’ song “Seven Nation Army” wasn’t played on a bass.  They used a guitar that was lowered an octave.

 

4.  The Backstreet Boys and TLC both passed on recording the song “Baby One More Time” . . . so it went to a brand new artist named Britney Spears.

 

5.  Oregon and Ohio State played in the championship in the first-ever college football playoff in 2015 . . . AND in the finals in the first-ever college basketball Final Four in 1939.  Ohio State won in football, Oregon won in basketball.

Ben Roethlisberger is currently fifth all-time with 5,757 yards in 22 playoff games. He is just 16 yards from passing Montana and 99 yards from passing Favre on the all-time list. Roethlisberger would only trail Tom Brady (12,449 yards) and Peyton Manning (7,339 yards) for most passing yards in the postseason. The only active player in the top 10 besides Roethlisberger and Brady is Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who is sixth all-time with 5,669 yards.

Roethlisberger is in the playoffs for the 12th time in his 18 seasons in Pittsburgh. He is 13-9 in the playoffs, including victories in Super Bowls XL and XLIII. Roethlisberger helped the Steelers reach a third Super Bowl in six years at the end of the 2010 season.  

Tomorrow Kicks off Wild Card Weekend 

Saturday, Jan. 15

• (5) Raiders at (4) Bengals: 4:30 p.m. ET (NBC). This is a rematch of a game that the Bengals won 32-13 on the road back in Week 11. This is the first time these two teams have met in the postseason since January 1991 when the Raiders started Cincinnati’s 31-year playoff losing streak.
• (6) Patriots at (3) Bills: 8:15 p.m. ET (CBS) Stream: Paramount+ (click here). These two division rivals will be meeting for the third time this season. The Patriots and Bills split their season-series with the home team losing each time.

Sunday, Jan. 16

• (7) Eagles at (2) Buccaneers: 1 p.m. ET (Fox). The Eagles will get another crack at a Buccaneers team that beat them 28-22 back in Week 6. After that loss, the Eagles went 7-4 over their final 11 games to earn a playoff berth.
• (6) 49ers at (3) Cowboys: 4:30 p.m. ET (CBS and Nickelodeon) Stream: Paramount+ (click here). This will be a rematch of one of the most storied rivalries in NFL playoff history. Although these two teams have met seven times in the playoffs, this will mark their first postseason meeting since the 1994 season, which is also the last time the 49ers won the Super Bowl..
• (7) Steelers at (2) Chiefs: 8:15 p.m. ET (NBC). Ben Roethlisberger will get a chance to put off his retirement for another week or two if the Steelers can figure out a way to upset the Chiefs. However, that won’t be easy, considering Kansas City blew the Steelers out 36-10 just two weeks ago.

Monday, Jan. 17

• (5) Cardinals at (4) Rams: 8:15 p.m. ET (ABC/ESPN). These two division rivals will be meeting for the third time this season. The Cardinals and Rams split their season-series with the home team losing each time, which isn’t great news for the Rams, who will be the home team in this game.

When the Cavs signed Ricky Rubio, it was only on a one year deal. Or was it? Had he not been lost for the remainder of the season, he may have extended his contract and retired a Cavalier. In a recent interview, the veteran point guard said.

“When my son starts school, the NBA will not be worth it. I will have to go back. I don’t want to make him dizzy moving around when he’s six years old, at the age of starting to make friends. It was discussed with my wife and we have it very clear. There will come a time when basketball will not be the priority.”

The Cavs are at San Antonio tonight and take on the Spurs at 8:30 Cleveland is currently 4-1 on the road trip with a chance to possibly go 5-1 at OKC tomorrow night when they face the Thunder. 

Cleveland is a 4 pt. Favorite tonight in Texas.

As reported by Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, the Cavs are hiring former Spanish point guard Jose Calderon to a front office role.

Calderon retired from basketball in 2019 after playing his last NBA season with the Detroit Pistons and since then he has been working for the NBPA, the NBA players’ association.

This will be a return to Cleveland for Calderon, who played for the Cavs in the 2017-2018 season, reaching the NBA Finals.

Ohio States men’s basketball team still trying to find their sea legs after a mid December Covid work stoppage were drilled in Madison last night 78-68. Next up for the Bucks, Penn State comes to town on Sunday at noon.

Today is Friday, January 14, 2022

Today in Sports History

1951 – The first National Football League Pro Bowl All-Star Game was played in Los Angeles, CA. 

1954 – Marilyn Monroe and Joe DiMaggio were married. The marriage only lasted nine months. 

1973 – The Miami Dolphins became the first NFL team to go undefeated in a regular season. They also defeated the Washington Redskins in Super Bowl VII. 

1974 – The World Football League was founded. 

1976 – Ted Turner completed the purchase of the Atlanta Braves. 

Celebrity Birthdays:

Carl Weathers is 74 (“Happy Gilmore,” “Little Nicky,” “Rocky”)

As a football player, Weathers played from 1970 to 1971 for the Oakland Raiders.

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees

Foo Fighters’ Dave Grohl is 53

LL Cool J is 54 (born James Todd Smith