Sports ‘n Stuff 7/21/22

Via ESPN, the NBA fined Warriors owner Joe Lacob a whopping $500,000 on Wednesday for uttering two words. He called the league’s luxury tax system “very unfair” during a podcast appearance.
The fine arises from the fact that the comments relate to CBA talks with the NBA Players Association.

The rebranded USFL pulled off something the AAF and XFL could not: a successful spring season. It was the one-loss Birmingham Stallions who hoisted the hardware earlier this month, as they defeated the Philadelphia Stars in the USFL championship, 33-30.
The USFL has placed at least 5 players into NFL rosters so far and most teams haven’t even started camp yet.

Velveeta is hyping a new liquid mac-and-cheese martini.  It’s called the VELTINI . . .
A cheesy martini?
Here’s how it’s done…
Velveeta cheese-infused vodka . . . an olive brine . . . and dry vermouth.  It’s garnished with Velveeta-stuffed olives . . . jumbo-size Velveeta cheese shells . . . and there’s a “cheese drip” along the brim of the glass.

J-Lo getting married last week could be good news for Tom Brady:
Every time J-Lo has tied the knot, TB12 has won a championship during the same season or calendar year.
J-Lo’s first marriage was to music producer Ojani Noa in Feb. 1997. That same college football season, the Wolverines were co-national champions.
The next instance came in Sept. 2001 she married dancer Cris Judd. That same NFL season, Brady stepped in for Drew Bledsoe and the Patriots won the Super Bowl.
In June 2004, she married singer Marc Anthony, Brady helped the Pats win their second Super Bowl beating Carolina.
So if there’s anything to this,
We’ll see if Lopez’s new marriage to Affleck leads to another title for Brady and the Buccaneers.

Charles Barkley said yesterday that the LIV Golf tournament has reached out to him and that he would be speaking to LIV Golf on Wednesday night. What that might mean is that Charles could be leaving “Inside the NBA.” Per rumors, his purse could be as big as $75 million a year! Stay tuned!

Philadelphia 76ers free agent star James Harden is returning to the franchise on a new two-year, $68.6 million contract, including a player option for the 2023-24 season, sources told ESPN on Wednesday.

MLB Power Rankings are out
To no ones surprise the Yankees are still at the top at 64-28
Hanging around at #16 this week, The Cleveland Guardians at 46-44, only 2 games behind the Twins in division
Every now and then you’ll be reminded that the Guardians are still in the AL Central hunt.

The second half of the season starts tomorrow for the Guards in Chicago at 8:10 with Cal Quantrill on the mound at 6-7 3.76 era.

Today is Thursday July 21, 2022
Today in sports and pop culture history

1968 – Arnold Palmer became the first golfer to make a million dollars in career earnings after he tied for second place at the PGA Championship.

35 years ago – In 1987, Guns N’ Roses released their debut album “Appetite for Destruction”, featuring “Welcome to the Jungle,” “Paradise City” & “Sweet Child of Mine.”
One of the greatest Rock albums of all time, to this day, over 30 million copies sold!

Celebrity birthdays today

* Jon Lovitz is 65 (“Saturday Night Live,” “Benchwarmers,” “The Critic”)

and we honor the comedic genius of:
The late Don Knotts (1924-2006)…he would have been 98 (“The Andy Griffith Show,” “Three’s Company”)

The late Robin Williams (1951-2014) …he would have been 71 (“The World According to Garp,” “Mork & Mindy,” “Good Morning, Vietnam,” “Dead Poets Society,” “Mrs. Doubtfire,” “Good Will Hunting,” “Birdcage,” “Aladdin,” “Night at the Museum,” “World’s Greatest Dad”)