NFL News:

• James Harrison signed with the Patriots a couple of days ago.
  • And many former teammates will not stop bitching about it.
  • This makes it either:
    • A heel turn of the “Andre joins the Heenan Family” variety;
    • A heel turn of the “Hogan joins the NWO” variety; or
    • A double swerve of the “Mike Tyson acts like he joined D-X, but then turns & joins Stone Cold” variety

^{I was hoping for the Shawn – Marty, and Dreamboat eats glass.}

• Eli Apple has been suspended for the Giants final game of the season.
  • Helping matters: being called a “cancer” by a teammate.
    • For which Landon Collins provided the subsequent, belated “apology”

• On the topic of cancers, the Tiger-Cats are prepared to offer Johnny Manziel a contract for 2018.
  • No word yet on acknowledgement or adherence to the NFL’s 4-game ban for substance abuse violations.

• Having clinched the #4 spot, Andy Reid is going full-1998 Wade Phillips and starting Patrick Mahomes for the Chiefs finale against the Broncos.
  • Officially, the Chiefs are “resting key starters”, but if he puts up 400 yards against Von Miller, it’s going to take more ribs for Andy to come to a decision.

Finally, a judge in St. Louis has allowed the city’s case against the Rams and the NFL to proceed.

• Claiming “breach of contract”, the city (, county & sports authority) argues the League violated its own relocation guidelines, and that both the Rams & League enriched themselves at the expense of the city et al.
  • Importantly, the city et al believes they are owed the loss of millions of dollars in tax revenue.
• To quote a county executive:

“This ruling is another step toward holding Stan Kroenke and the NFL accountable for conspiring to swindle the St. Louis area out of the NFL team we supported with our hearts and our tax dollars.”

Movie Reviews:

I saw “Darkest Hour” on Tuesday night. A wonderful film, and a nice companion piece if you saw “Dunkirk” earlier this summer.

Gary Oldman, if you look past the makeup, does an excellent job as Churchill. Given his manic preparation for roles, I’m guessing he studied hundreds of hours of tape & old recordings. He carries himself like the man is remembered. He has the vocal mannerisms down cold, but every so often you can hear that Oldman-pitch in his voice, usually when he tries to raise Churchill’s voice.

Kristin Scott-Thomas plays his wife Clementine, and gives her a quite grace as the supportive wife of a man who has punched at the clouds his whole life. Commander Krennic from “The Force Awakens, Ben Mendelsohn, plays King George VI, and is actually a better person in the role than Colin Firth was. (He was also Dagget in “The Dark Knight Rises” and, more importantly, The Sun Thief in “Axe Cop”.) Lily James from “Baby Driver” plays his harried secretary well, and I will simply say she is a good actress.

If you are a history buff, I highly recommend it. It’s Oldman’s film, and the movie is event-driven.  The pacing of the film is good, and it never feels like it’s dragging; when it ends, you will feel like you’ve seen a movie & not been part of an event. (If that makes any sense.) Its timeline is the the first month of Churchill’s Prime Ministership, starting with the day-before he got the job, leading up to how he organized the Dunkirk evacuation and crafted probably his most famous speech.

If you feel like seeing an actual movie, and your tastes don’t veer towards “Ladybird”, which I’ve been assured is also excellent, “Darkest Hour” will not be a waste of your money.

Tonight’s sports:

• Hockey:
  •  NHL:
    • Bruins at Capitals – 7:30PM | NBCSN / Sportsnet
    • Vegas at Kings – 10:00PM | NBCSN
    • Black Hawks at Canucks – 10:00PM | Sportsnet
  • World Juniors:
    • USA vs. Slovakia – 8:00PM | TSN / NHLN
• NBA:
  • Rockets at Celtics – 8:00PM | TNT / Sportsnet1
  • 76ers at Blazers – 10:30PM | TNT / Sportsnet1
• NCAA:
  • Football:
    • Alamo Bowl – Stanford vs TCU – 9:00PM | ESPN / TSN3
    • Holiday Bowl – Washington State vs Michigan State – 9:00PM | FS1
  • Men’s basketball:
    • Tulane at Temple – 7:00PM | ESPN2
    • Creighton at Seton Hall – 7:00PM | FS1
    • Pacific at Gonzaga – 9:00PM | ESPN2

I skipped the “Broadcaster” previews because we have FINALLY reached the Holiday Bowl, when the games matter & the crews get more professional. Also, this is my last write-up of the year, as I’ll be in Seattle for the Hawks finale & New Year’s. Have fun New Year’s Eve, and I’ll see you soon. KEEP IT BETWEEN THE DITCHES!