Wednesday’s Water Cooler – January 27, 2010
Here we go with today’s sports water cooler talk. Here, you won’t just find the straight news; you’ll find the stuff everyone is talking about – the ice breakers, the Twitter topics…well, the stuff you discuss at the water cooler.
Enjoy!
It seems like we see a new major upset in college hoops every week. Call it the curse of No. 1 or something. Kentucky was the latest casualty and headlines the day’s news.
NCAA basketball news: South Carolina shocks Kentucky
Well, that’s it for undefeated teams in Division-1 college hoops this season. Just one day after earning their first No. 1 national ranking since 2003, the Kentucky Wildcats suffered their first defeat of the 2009-10 season. South Carolina triumphed 68-62 at home on the strength of Devan Downey’s 30 points. After the win, the Gamecocks guard repeatedly yelled “I told you so”’; apparently, he predicted his team would slay the giant. That takes balls. I guess.
NFL news: Childress giving Favre long offseason leash
Say what you want about Brad Childress’ scary facial hair or his reported feud with Brett Favre during the 2009 season, but it seems the Vikings choice is making all the right moves so far this offseason. After Favre may have posted his career-best numbers this year, It seems he’s earned the right to run his own soap opera yet again this offseason, as Childress explained yesterday that he won’t give Favre a deadline to declare his 2010 status. The big winners here: Packer fans. Not only can they take sick pleasure in watching Favre make another team squirm all offseason, there’s no guarantee Favre will get his legs back as a 40-year-old.
MMA News: Sort Of…
Though it’s technically MMA news, here’s a fun nugget for long-time NFL fans. Herschel Walker, considered the best college football player ever by many people and subject of the biggest trade in NFL history, will make his mixed martial arts debut at Strikeforce this weekend. He’s 47 friggin’ years old. Reportedly, though, his trainers claim he has the fitness and athleticism of a man 20 years younger. They insist this won’t be Johnnie Morton or Jose Canseco all over again. We’ll see, though it’s hard to bet against the immense physical gifts of Mr. Walker.
MLB news: Sheets heads to Oakland; milk heads to Haiti
They didn’t exactly get a bargain-bin price at $10-million per year, but the Oakland A’s may have found their next ace in Ben Sheets. They signed the former Brewer and first-round pick to a one-year deal after he sat out 2009 with elbow surgery. Sheets impressed scouts with a 92 pile-per-hour fastball and plenty of bend on his trademark curveball this offseason. This is a guy who once struck out 264 batters in one season and 18 in one game. Can’t blame the A’s for taking a chance here.
Staying true to his bizarre look, Bronson Arroyo made perhaps the strangest – and most useful – donation to Haiti relief yet. He sent approximately 10,000 containers of OneSource milk there. The product has protein in it and can last up to a year even in the heat. Well, good for Bronson. If he puts the same amount of thought into facing hitters in Cincinnati this year, he could have a second straight strong year.
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