Monday's A.M. Hot Clicks
NFL Roundup
Brandon Boykin and LeSean McCoy :: Drew Hallowell/Getty Images
Steelers fans are steaming that the refs missed this call, which could've led to a penalty, a possible Chiefs win, and a playoff berth for Pittsburgh. ... Eagles running back LeSean McCoy won the World Heavyweight Championship of rushing and found one NBA star jealous of his title belt ... Browns coach Rob Chudzinski was fired, which some players agreed with and others didn't ... Quarterback Cam Newton led the Panthers to the No. 2 seed in the NFC and also gave this young fan a lifelong memory ... Rams defensive tackle Kendall Langford was ejected from the game against Seattle after accidentally hitting a referee ... Saints wide receiver Lance Mooreand Chargers running back Danny Woodhead had the day's best celebration dances ... Nobody came to MetLife Stadium for yesterday's Giants-Redskins game ... Jerry Jones had a rough night on Sunday ... A very early look at the Top 10 picks of the 2014 NFL Draft.
A Mile High
The Denver Post had a big feature in yesterday's paper about athletes and pot, which included the revelation from Nuggets executive Rex Chapman: a member of the team was high the morning of a 2010 playoff game. I don't want to point any fingers so check out the roster and decide for yourself who the player in question is.
Boyz II Men/Aaron Rodgers Update
I am happy to announce the beef between Boys II Men and Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers is officially squashed. In. September 2012, Rodgers agreed to wear an Alex Smith jersey for a week if the Packers lost their season-opener to the 49ers (which they did by a score of 30-22). But Rodgers refused to wear the jersey, saying the incident got "blown way out of proportion" and "it was at best a joke between friends." TMZ caught up with Boys II Men member Wanya Morris, who forgave Rodgers and because "it's all good, life is life."
Lovely Lady Of The Day
Monday's A.M. Hot Clicks
Maxim has a poll up to determine this year's Maxim 100 and one girl who caught my eye was Noureen Dewulf, who stars in FX's Anger Management. Not only is she married to Sabres goalie Ryan Miller, but also she grew up in the same town (Stone Mountain, Ga.) as the Jake "The Snake" Roberts.That alone is reason to make Dewulf today's LLOD.
Good Sportsman or Bad Sportsman?
Sixers forward Evan Turner threw down a huge and completely unnecessary last-second dunk against the Lakers on Sunday, then realized he shouldn't have done it and immediately apologized to them. As you can see in the video, several members of the Lakers were less than pleased with Turner's action.
Move Over, Jon Kitna
A lot was made last week about 41-year-old Jon Kitna leaving his job as a high school math teacher to join the Cowboys for yesterday's game (and donating his $53,000 game check to the school). The Indianapolis Star has a great story on 23-year-old minor league pitcher Alex Meyer, who also works as a substitute teacher at Greensburg High School making $63/day.
SI Vault Photo of the Day
LeBron James :: Michael J. LeBrecht II/SI
He may currently be the world's best basketball player, but in February 2002 LeBron James was still a relatively unknown high schooler when SI put him on its cover with the headline, "The Chosen One." As James celebrates his 29th birthday, we look back on Grant Wahl's profile of the 17-year-old prodigy.
"Then again, the world behind the velvet rope is nothing new to LeBron. Last summer he was the only schoolboy invited to play in Jordan's top-secret workouts in Chicago. LeBron speaks regularly with Boston Celtics star Antoine Walker, who is his best friend among NBA players. Those floor tickets to the Cavaliers game? LeBron's surrogate father, Eddie Jackson, simply made a call to Cleveland coach John Lucas. Already LeBron has hung out withMichael Finley, Tracy McGrady and Jerry Stackhouse, to say nothing of his favorite rapper, Jay-Z. "He's a cool guy too," LeBron says. "We went to his hotel first, and then I had backstage passes." Did we say LeBron just turned 17?
"At this age LeBron is better than anybody I've seen in 37 years in this business, including Kevin [Garnett] and Kobe [Bryant] and Tracy," says Sonny Vaccaro, the Adidas rep who signed the first shoe deals with Jordan (forNike), Bryant and McGrady.""
Odds and Ends
The Knicks celebrated back-to-back losses to Toronto by going to a club ... The 100 best stories of 2014 ... Two married Alabama fans named their daughter Krimson Tyde -- and are surprised people are mocking them for it .... Tickets to Saturday's Texas Bowl were going for one penny on StubHub before kickoff ... Alabama quarterback A.J. McCarron photobombed two girls ... Floyd Mayweather got his fiancee a 25-carat ring and 50-carat bracelet.
Celebration Of The Day
The Wisconsin football team goes crazy after the Packers go-ahead touchdown against the Bears yesterday.
Wake Up!
ESPN's Mike Ditka takes a quick nap during Sunday NFL Countdown. Luckily, colleague Keyshawn Johnson was there to wake him up.
Longhorns-Ducks Dance-Off
The two teams compete in a Dougie dance-off as part of the festivities at the Valero Alamo Bowl.
