Wednesday's A.M. Hot Clicks: Showing the Love to Tim Howard
The Biggest Loser
The U.S. Men's National Team ended its World Cup run with a 2-1 loss to Belgium but nobody can blame goalkeeper Tim Howard for the defeat. The new Secretary of Defense (according to Wikipedia, at least) made a record 16 saves and earned the respect not only of his opponents, but also of random people looking to get married and an actor who played a meth dealer. As the U.S. team heads home, Yahoo's Dirty Tackle looks ahead to the 2018 World Cup, while the FiveThirtyEight blog uses a lot of statistics I don't understand to, among other things, compare the team to the Atlanta Hawks.
He's Back
Step aside, Giancarlo Stanton. The biggest attraction for baseball fans in Miami is 8-year-old dance machine Jonathan Esponda, who made his triumphant return to Marlins Park last night. Only this time, he brought a much older dance partner.
Best Instagram Photo Ever?
Since his days at Stanford, Robin Lopez has been told he looks exactly like Sideshow Bob of The Simpsons. Do you agree?
Lovely Lady of the Day
Rebecca from Brooklyn forwarded me this gallery of Rayana Ragan with a request to make her a LLOD. Good choice, Rebecca!
Dumb Arrest of the Day
WWE diva Emma (real name: Tenille Dashwood) was arrested for stealing a $21 iPad case from a Walmart in Hartford. The story goes (and I believe it) that she was in one of the store's self-service checkout lines and forgot to scan the item. Not sure why the Hartford PD felt the need to formally arrest her and take mug shots, but that's a story for another day. In happier pro wrestling news, John Cena will play a villain in the new Tina Fey/Amy Poehler comedy The Nest.
Herschel Walker Is Still In Good Shape
The former running back, who is now 52, maintains his 1982 body by doing 1,500 pushups a day.
From the SI Vault
No, you're not seeing double. Jose Canseco has an identical twin named Ozzie, and the two brothers turn 50 today. You may remember Ozzie from the 2011 Celebrity Boxing incident when he was caught impersonating Jose after the promoter realized that Ozzie had none of his brother's tattoos. For more classic sports photos, visit the SI Vault on Twitter. While you're there, follow my personal account and then join the Hot Clicks Facebook page. Enough social media plugs?
Odds and Ends
NFL teams as corporate logos ... You gotta love the highly scientific approach that Rays manager Joe Maddon uses when it comes to choosing a closer ... Joel Embiid wants LeBron to consider playing for the Sixers next season ... A soccer referee in Michigan died after being punched by an angry player whom he was about to eject from a game ... A federal appeals court will reconsider Barry Bonds' felony conviction for obstruction of justice ... Spurs guard Patty Mills had shoulder surgery and will be out seven months ... A dog in Wisconsin coughed up a wedding ring that had been missing for five years ... I like this gallery of old things transformed into cooler stuff (for example, an old airplane that is now being used as a kindergarten classroom) ... Jennifer Love Hewitt will join the cast of Criminal Minds next season. As a CM fan, I'd like to see her hook up with Derek Morgan, but I can see them pairing her with Spencer Reid. I'm just happy Blake is off the show. She was atrocious. Email me (andy_gray@simail.com) your thoughts on Criminal Minds or anything for that matter (except the overlay bar in the LLOD gallery, which I promise is getting fixed). I'd love to hear from you.
Saying Goodbye to an Old Friend
Northwestern's Wildcat says goodbye to the school's old scoreboard in this emotional video.
RG3 Works Out
The Redskins quarterback jumps hurdles, lifts weights and does a few other things I'm not capable of doing.
Triple Play of the Day
The Indians turned their first triple play since 2011, though it took two replay reviews to make sure the call was correct.
Now This is a Tennis Shot
Nick Kyrgios hits the shot of the tournament (the tournament being Wimbledon) during yesterday's victory over Rafael Nadal.
