Weekend winners
Justin Rose. Dude is the best player on the planet right now and the gap between Rose and everyone else is a) growing and b) bigger than you may realize. In the last two years, Rose has 15 top-three finishes - including Sunday's win at Torrey Pines - and has 13 top-10s in his last 17 starts. He is the world's No. 1 ranked player for the first time in his career. (Side note: Rose is the Vegas favorite for a little tournament called the Masters, and the cheese factor is off the charts for a Jim Nantz call about a 'Rose' being brilliant at Augusta National, which was a nursery before it was crafted into the the best golf tract this side of Heaven.)
Holly Warlick got a much-needed win Sunday as the Lady Vols ended a historic losing streak. Still, it feels like a stretch to think she won the weekend because there was a time not that long ago that beating LSU - or just about any SEC team - in Knoxville was not a cause for celebration. It was simply the expectation.
Kentucky basketball. OK, there were a lot of choices from the college basketball realm. But know this: UK looks the part for the long-haul. (Yes, so do the Vols, but UT's test with West Virginia pales in comparison to what UK did to KU in a physical and fun Wildcats' W.) One of the sneaky things that really matters in all of sports, but especially college and high school sports, is when a coach really likes a team, special things can happen. And judging by his demeanor and his statements, Coach Calipari really enjoys coaching this UK bunch.
Drew Lock. The former Missouri QB looked like the best quarterback among the collection at the Senior Bowl on Saturday. Yes, Duke's Daniel Jones was the MVP, but Lock looked the part of fringe-first-rounder way more than Jones. Being third behind Dwayne Haskins and Kyler Murray is worth a lot of coin friends.
People who bet the under on the Pro Bowl. Man, for a game with no defense a 26-7 final was kind of surprising, no? The game was a pick 'em with the total closing at 55.
Bonus pick: Signal Mountain fifth-grade boys hoopsters. Despite a glaring hole in the coaching department, a fine collection - Colton, Tyler, J.B. Zach, Hudson, Lee, Max, Bo and Tommy - of young basketballers managed to topple a very good McConnell team and a very strong Big Ridge bunch to win the regular-season league title in the North Hamilton Basketball League. Well played guys. Well played indeed.
Weekend losers
Football fans everywhere. In the Macro sense, we have one game left. In the Micro, man, it feels like no one will ever shut up about the non-call near the end of the Rams-Saints game. Cam Jordan had a T-shirt with a nod to the play - "Blow whistles, not games" on the back. There is hubbub about four officials in the NFC title game living in Southern California. Now, Rams corner Nickell Robey-Coleman - the alleged and apparent interferer and helmet-to-helmet hitter - is claims the ball was tipped, changing his original tune. NRC actually sounded the best on the issue saying in essence, hey I got there early and they didn't call it before changing his tune. Make it stop. (Here's the video that folks are saying that maybe it was tipped. And yes, if called correctly it would not have mattered because there was helmet-to-helmet as well. But dang, make it stop.)
Pelicans fans, if there are any. Anthony Davis is my pick for the best NBA player 25 and under. And he has been for the last couple of years. The Brow, as he's called, is a monster - he's at 29.3/13.3/4.4 with 2.6 blocks per while shooting 50.8 - and a franchise building block for the next decade. And he has told New Orleans that he will not sign there long-term. The team with the most to deal between now and Feb. 7 (NBA trading deadline) is Boston, but the Celtics can't make a move until July 1. That opens the door for a slew of possibilities. But we think it is important to note that AD's agent is Rich Paul, yes, the same Rich Paul who is long-time buddies with and the rep for some dude named LeBron James, who would love to add a few pieces to the Lakers roster.
Auburn basketball. Bruce Pearl and the Tigers have lost three straight and are free falling. To make matters worse, Auburn lost Saturday at Mississippi State despite shooting 53 percent. No es bueno. Not getting stops and turning it over is not a recipe for March success.
Matthew McConaughey. Despite dude seriously pimping his new film - he was even on Adnan Virk's podcast pitching it - "Serenity" was the worst opening of MM's career. Ouch-standing.
Super week
There will be a load of Super Bowl stories. It is the 'Big Game' and all.
We will certainly breakdown down the pieces and the players and the plans. It's fun. It's guesswork of course, but it's still part of the anticipation of the Super Bowl.
There will be the conversations about the Patriots' place in history, and almost daily we hear some strange number that makes you pause and thing, "Dang, that's amazing." Today's stat of that ilk? Try this one: Four dudes named Favre, Brees, Manning and Marino got to eight Super Bowls combined in their career. This is No. 9 for Tom Brady.
So in our daily Super look, let's examine something that will not get mentioned during the broadcast. Gambling.
Yes, we wholeheartedly believe this will be the last time a Super Bowl broadcast will openly say, "No gambling talk" ever.
We know there are more than 440 prop bets across every imaginable angle even related to the game. More on this in a moment.
But, according to sports betting/legal expert Daniel Wallach, the numbers of betting influence continue to grow by leaps and bounds.
Last year there was $4.76 million bet on the Super Bowl. Of that total, there was $158.5 bet legally in Nevada. Let those percentages marinate.
Now know this: There is more than $6 billion expected to be wagered on the Super Bowl this weekend, with $320 bet legally in the eight states that now all sports gambling. That's roughly a 25 percent increase in total betting and a 50 percent increase in legal betting. Hmmmmmmmmmm.
Speaking of the props, let's roll the dice with a Super Props to the Super Prop Bets at the Super Bowl contest. Who's in?
Here's the thought: We'll offer the following 10 prop bets with a tie-breaker and whomever gets the most right gets lunch on the 5-at-10. Deal? Deal.
OK here are the props:
Length of the national anthem, over/under 107 seconds?
Head or tails?
Total number of Tweets from Donald Trump on Sunday, Feb. 3, over/under 6.5?
Duke's Zion Williamson points and rebounds on Feb. 2 vs. Pats and Rams first-half points combined?
Which commercial will appear first, Doritos or Pringles?
Which will be higher, Trump approval rating on 2/4/19 (according to Rasmussen Reports) or the badges of the longest made field goal?
Winner of the Puppy Bowl - Team Fluff or Team Ruff?
How many Bud Light commercials will feature the Bud Knight, over/under 1.5?
Number of Tom Brady interceptions, over/under 0.5?
Super Bowl MVP, a quarterback or the field?
Tie-breaker: Distance of the longest scoring play - FG, pick 6, fumble return, any of them - in Super Bowl LIII?
Who's in? Need entries by lunch Saturday. Deal? Deal.
This and that
- Yes James Harden continues to score at historic rates. His 44.1 points per game average in January is the second-best January in NBA history. (Of course No. 1 is Wilt.) On Sunday, he got a basket off an assist for the first time in a while. How long? His previous 89 buckets were unassisted.
- We mentioned the Senior Bowl and improved draft stock, here's one mock draft that has Deebo Samuel moving all the way into round one with a strong week in Mobile.
- Hey, we love Bret Bielema as much as anyone. The league was more fun with the big guy around. But man, that dude continues to fall up, right? Now, according to this, he's in line to be the next Pats' DC, which is a good two-year turn away from "Bret Bielema, NFL head coach" is an actual thing.
- Some of my kickball friends (aka soccer supporters) were pretty tickled that the U.S. beat someone in soccer. Go team!
- McDonald's is changing the Big Mac recipe. Seriously. No word whether McDowell's will change the Big Mic recipe as of now.
- On this day 60 years ago, Vince Lombardi was named the Packers head coach. Wonder if he won the press conference?
Today's questions
Weekend winners, please share.
Weekend losers, also share.
As for today, Jan. 28, it's bubble wrap appreciation day. We're fine with that.
It's also national Blueberry pancake day. Pancakes, traditional or flavored (i.e. blueberry, chocolate chip, etc.)?
"We Are the World" was recorded on this day in 1985.
Alan Alda is 83. Elijah Wood is 38. Greg Popovich is 70.
Rushmore of Gregs all-time. Go.