Good Morning! It appears that the temperature is dropping and winter is coming. In honor of the impending cold weather, let’s celebrate (or commiserate?!) with Nike’s “Choose Your Winter” ad. Stay warm folks! 

QUIPS FOR THIS WEEK

NFL

Sunday Night Football was worth the wait as the New England Patriots put on quite the show in their road win (42-20) against the Indianapolis Colts. The story in this game was scoring runs, but not from who you would expect. This week’s star was Jonas Gray who had a career day (and franchise record) with 4 touchdowns for the Patriots. It’s no surprise but New England is looking good — real good.

The Arizona Cardinals are now 9-1 after defeating the Detroit Lions 14-6. This was the first game for the Cardinals since losing quarterback Carson Palmer to a torn ACL, and quarterback Drew Stanton threw 2 touchdowns (and 2 interceptions) for the win. In other news, the Atlanta Falcons got a big win (and took the lead in the division) over the Carolina Panthers 19-17, the Houston Texans beat the Cleveland Browns 23-7 with the help of JJ Watt, the Denver Broncos lost a surprising game to the St. Louis Rams 22-7, the Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Seattle Seahawks 24-20,  and the Green Bay Packers put on an offensive show in their 53-20 win over the Philadelphia Eagles. Whoa.

The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) paid a surprise visit to some NFL teams on Sunday and conducted inspections on visiting team’s medical and training personnel to conclude whether there were federal violations involving the distribution of pain medications. The story is still developing.

This week’s Monday Night Football game features the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Tennessee Titans. 8:30pm – be there (or turn on your TVs)!

College Football

Big games and big results are the theme of Week 12 in college football. What stands out? For starters, # 1 Mississippi State (now #4) is undefeated no more after losing to # 4 Alabama (now #2) 25-20 on Saturday. The other team with no losses, #3 Florida State (now #1) overcame another close game to remain undefeated at 10-0 with their win over Miami 30-26 on the road. Other big results from the weekend include: #5 TCU (still #5) over Kansas 34-30, Oregon State shocking #6 Arizona State (now #13) 35-27, #8 Ohio State (still #8) defeating #25 Minnesota 21-24 and #15 Georgia (now #9) over #9 Auburn (now #16) 34-7. Why are these games significant? Well, results matter more than ever as the post-season playoff is getting closer and closer and teams are doing whatever it takes to get into the Top 4 ranks.

Another narrative that defined the weekend was injuries. In his first week back (after a 4 game suspension), Georgia’s star running back Todd Gurley tore his ACL during their game against Auburn on Saturday. Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson also suffered a knee injury this weekend and will be day-to-day as he recovers from an LCL strain.

Florida’s Will Muschamp will step down as the head coach after this season. In a statement released by the school, Muschamp said: “I was given every opportunity to get it done here and I simply didn’t win enough games — that is the bottom line. I’m disappointed that I didn’t get it done and it is my responsibility to get it done.”

Okay, so let’s talk Week 13 rankings. The aftermath of this weekend has adjusted some things at the top. Florida State is now #1 while Alabama has risen to #2. After that we’ve got: Oregon, Mississippi State and TCU rounding out the AP Top 5.

NBA

Word on the interwebs is that the Sacramento Kings are going to sign Rudy Gay to a 3 year contract extension worth roughly $40 million. The Kings are having a solid start to their season, and it’s not surprising that the Kings would want to keep him on their young roster.

In all things interesting, Kevin Garnett of the Brooklyn Nets stated his desire to buy the Minnesota Timberwolves — well, someday that is. Garnett said: “I want to buy the Timberwolves. Put a group together and perhaps some day try to buy the team. That’s what I want.” Time will tell!

Derrick Rose continues to battle injuries in his comeback season in the NBA. The Chicago Bulls point guard sat out on Saturday night with a left hamstring injury as his team took on the Indiana Pacers. Here’s to wishing DRose a quick recovery — we love seeing him out on the court!

In other injury news, rookie Aaron Gordon will be out indefinitely for the Orlando Magic after suffering a broken foot. Get well!

The Royals are coming…to Barclays?!? That’s right, Prince William and Duchess Kate are coming to see LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers take on the Brooklyn Nets on Friday, December 8th. They are in town as part of a larger project between the NBA, Royal Foundation, and United for Wildlife. Brilliant!

College Basketball

College hoops season is here, and while we know it’s only the beginning of the season, there are a few great games on deck this week. On Tuesday night, #4 Duke takes on #18 Michigan State followed by a great match-up between #1 Kentucky and #5 Kansas. Could this be a potential Final Four preview? Time will tell but it’s only fitting that the game is being played in Indianapolis — this year’s site for the Final Four. The games are part of the State Farm Champions Classic and will be played back-to-back in Indianapolis at 7pm and 9pm respectively.

The Final Four is one of the most exciting events in all of sports. Men’s college basketball’s prime time event will take place in Indianapolis this year, and on Friday, the game sites for 2017-2021 were announced as Phoenix, San Antonio, Minneapolis, Atlanta and then again Indianapolis.

Tyler Summitt’s first game as the Louisiana Tech coach ended in success as his squad defeated Stephen F. Austin 76-69 on Saturday evening.  Tyler Summitt is the son of the legendary Pat Summitt of Tennessee.

 

Other

Baseball named the LA Dodgers’ Clayton Kershaw the NL MVP for his performance in the 2014 MLB season. He is the first pitcher to win the award in 46 years in the National League. The LA Angels’ Mike Trout took home the MVP honors in the American League.

Kevin Harvick is NASCAR’s newest Spring Cup Champion. After winning on Sunday in Miami, Harvick claimed the 2014 title.

The family of Gordie Howe released a statement that he “has taken a turn for the worse” and that he is not in good health after another stroke. Howe is a hockey legend and NHL Hall of Famer. Our thoughts are with his family.

WNBA player Elena Delle Donne was announced as the new national ambassador for Lyme disease. The Chicago Sky star has battled the disease since 2008 and seeks to raise awareness as an ambassador.

JUST FOR FUN

Oh you fancy, huh?
The most luxurious stadiums in America – they’re even better than watching the game from your couch!

 

STORIES FOR INSIGHTS, COOL FACTOR + DEBATE

Paul Silas
The history of a man who spent six decades with the NBA
He’s worked hard and played hard with all of the greats

The myth of college sports
They’re not really about the school pride anymore
Is the college game a total sell out?

The first baseball contract worth over $300 million
Have you heard of the Miami Marlins’ Giancarlo Stanton?
He won the Hank Aaron Award as the National League’s top offensive player this year, but it’s looking like that’s just the beginning…

What’s this year’s mountain?
Last year, the UConn Huskies were ignited by a cause
They’re no longer fighting back from their 2012 ban… so what’s driving their internal fire now?

A moment of silence
The University of Richmond mourns Natalie Lewis and Ginny Doyle
The Spiders will wear a patch on their jerseys this season to honor the two women

Catch a wave and you’re sittin’ on top of the world
The Triple Crown of surfing is on
Don’t you wish you could be on the beach in Hawaii right now?