Sports ‘n Stuff 2/16/22

Slovakia stunned Team USA in their Olympic men’s ice hockey quarterfinal, tying the game in the final minute of regulation and then eliminating the tournament’s top seed in a shootout early this morning in Beijing.

STOP DOING THIS IMMEDIATELY:

A new report says never drink old water from a reusable “soft” plastic water bottle.  Researchers tested water that had been sitting in them for 24 hours, and it was full of chemicals.

They found hundreds of substances, including “photo-initiators,” which can mess with your hormones and potentially cause cancer.

And this part might be even worse:  They did it again after the bottles had gone through the dishwasher.  And there were even MORE chemicals.

The lead author of the study says he’ll never use plastic water bottles now, and suggests a quality stainless steel bottle instead.

Cincinnati Bengals Head Coach Zac Taylor signed a three year extension today. On their way to the Super Bowl, Taylor notched the Bengals’ first playoff win in 31 years, a thrilling 26-19 Wild Card victory over the Raiders.

Taylor also said today that quarterback Joe Burrow will not need surgery, only rest to repair a right knee MCL sprain he suffered in the Super Bowl LVI loss.

Here’s a few random facts for Wednesday:

Billy Joel was in a two-man rock band called Attila in 1969 and 1970.  They only made one album, and it’s on multiple lists of the worst rock albums of all time.

The first CD that was made and sold in the U.S. was . . . Bruce Springsteen’s “Born in the U.S.A.” in 1984.

No crack of bats or balls popping into mitts.

No free agents putting on new uniforms for the first time.

No veterans hugging teammates following months apart.

No kids leaning on  fences waiting for autographs.

No sign of getting ready for an opening day that may not happen on March 31.

Not even a negotiating session.

Neither side made any public statement in MLB this week as Spring training is failing to start on schedule for the first time since 1995, victim of a lockout that stretches into its 77th day.

Players and management continue to squabble basically over what else? MONEY!

In TV News:

Showtime has renewed its high-finance drama, Billions, for a seventh season.

Paramount + has just ordered more episodes of their “Yellowstone” prequel, “1883,” although they are not calling it a second season, possibly to get around pay raises. 1883 stars Tim McGraw and Faith Hill. Paramount has also ordered another “Yellowstone” prequel, “1932,” following “a new generation of Duttons during the time of Western expansion, Prohibition and the Great Depression.”

“Spider-Man: No Way Home” has surpassed “Avatar” in the domestic box office and is now the THIRD highest-grossing film with $761 million in earnings so far.  Globally, it sits at #6 with $1.8 billion, and it hasn’t even come out in China yet.

A Florida high school’s star basketball player was declared to be the tallest teenager in the world when his 7-foot, 5.33-inch height was verified by Guinness World Records.

Olivier Rioux, 15, who hails from Beloeil, Quebec, and now attends IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., was named the tallest teenager living by Guiness World Records.

Cavaliers lost their final game before the All Star break to Atlanta last night. Trae Young scored 41 for the Hawks as the Cavs lose 124-116. Cleveland enters the break in 4th place in the East, 2 games out of first at 35-23. The Cavs will now be off until the 24th when they travel to Detroit to take on the Pistons.

Today is Wednesday, February 16, 2022

Today in Sports history:

1970 – Joe Frazier began his reign as the undefeated heavyweight world champion when he knocked out Jimmy Ellis in five rounds. He lost the title on January 22, 1973, when he lost for the first time in his professional career to George Foreman. 

1972 – Los Angeles Laker Wilt Chamberlain topped the 30,000-point mark in his career during a game against the Phoenix Suns. He was the first NBA player to reach 30,000 points. Wilt Ended with 31,419 points, well behind Kareem’s 38,387

1992 – The Los Angeles Lakers officially retired Magic Johnson’s #32 jersey. Johnson was the fifth Laker player to have his jersey retired. The other players at the time were Jerry West, Elgin Baylor, Wilt Chamberlain and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. 

1999 – O.J. Simpson’s 1968 Heisman Trophy was sold for $230,000. A court judgment ordered the trophy to be sold to help settle a $33.5 million civil judgment against Simpson for the deaths of his ex-wife and her friend. 

Celebrity Birthdays today:

Levar Burton is 65 (“Roots,” “Star Trek: The Next Generation,” “Reading Rainbow,” “Perception”)

Tennis champ and commentator John McEnroe is 63

The late Sonny Bono would’ve been 87 today. Died in a skiing accident in 1998.