
Welcome to our friends The NHL’s Board Of Governors, in Pebble Beach for their annual pre-Christmas Free Vacation meeting. There will be discussions of nothing, promises of less, and lots of golf and drinks.
And if you’re wondering why they never have these meetings in Winnipeg, Raleigh or Pittsburgh, reread the above paragraph.
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Unfair! Unfair! Fight The Power! Rage Against The Machine!
“Stand up, damned of the Earth;
Stand up, prisoners of starvation;
Reason thunders in its volcano;
News
This is the eruption of the end!”
Jonathan Papelbon has filed a grievance to get his fine and suspension by the Washington Nationals rescinded. Kris Bryant and Maikel Franco have filed grievances to get their full first-year playing time credit even though their teams went to such trouble to keep them from the full year. Steve Sarkisian is suing USC for wrongful termination after being terminated for wrongful behavior.
Why all this unhappiness during the holiday season? You have the answer. It’s the holiday season, and nothing sours the mood quite like out-of-context ho-ho-hos.
Trust me on this.
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And now, to the not-as-funny-as-it-seemed-at-the-time. Golden State forward Andre Iguodala decided to poke sensibilities when he was asked about “the recipe” to beating the Warriors after Sunday’s win over Brooklyn. “Going to the gun range and learning how to shoot. Kill us all” was his ill-timed response, and then as the subject was pursued, doubled down with a “No, that's the only way you gonna beat us, if you shoot us and kill us and we can't play.”
He followed that with the obligatory “That's a joke,” but the Internet wheels had already begun to spin. This ends with a semi-abject apology, and lasts about two days.
[RELATED: Warriors crush spirits with treys: 'Like a monster dunk']
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We told you Friday about the Carlisle United players who offered to help their fellow citizens help with tasks while their town was flooded because of Storm Desmond, but that was before they found out that the flood had struck their stadium as well.
In short, they’ll have some bailing to do before they can get to Auntie Gemma’s roofed furniture.
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Christian McCaffrey’s pending second-place finish in the Heisman voting puts him in rarefied air with John Elway, Toby Gerhart and Andrew Luck (twice). But if it helps, he will return kicks at your kid’s birthday party.
[RELATED: McCaffrey one of three Heisman finalists]
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The Jerry Colangelo Era in Philadelphia started quickly – with a 51-point loss at home to San Antonio. Proof positive that you can take the Sixers away from (Sam) Hinkie, but you can’t take the hinky out of the Sixers.
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Chipotle may have just lost its potential sponsorship deal with the Boston College athletic department, just because of its new Vengeful Guacamole burrito.
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And finally, Canadian sprinter Andre De Grasse just signed a pro contract with Puma recently that is worth $11.25 million, with up to $30 million in bonuses possible. We know this because he told us, which is fairly amazing, but what is moreso is this:
Track athletes are doing a whole lot better than we thought they were. Which brings us back to The Internationale:
“Equality wants other laws:
No rights without duties, she says,
Equally, no duties without rights.
This is the final struggle
Let us group together, and tomorrow
The Internationale
Will be the human race.”
Yay money.