Your “A Different Sheepskin On The Menu” Wednesday Night Open Thread

NFL News:

• Getting in the way of a Romo trade is the fact that he counts for $19.6 million of Cowboys salary-cap space in 2017. But they do save $5.1 million if he is not on the team.

• Philip Rivers considers the Pro Bowl his “last game” as a San Diego Charger.
  • A nice sentiment, but it won’t unburn those jerseys.

• The bullshit was flowing from Roger Goodell pretty freely today. Well, he was on “The Herd”, and bullshit is Cowherd’s stock-in-trade. So, what did he talk to Skip Bayless & Peter King’s love child about:
  • He reiterated his “disappointment” that San Diego wouldn’t bend over couldn’t work out a deal with the Spanos’ to keep the team in town.
  • He maintained that the Thursday games “are pretty darn good”.
  • He claimed “it would be an honor” to hand the Super Bowl trophy to Tom Brady. “He’s an extraordinary player, great performer, and a surefire Hall of Famer.”

It’s Robbie Burns Day!

That means Whisky & Haggis for dinner!!

While I realize it may not be for some people,

it’s good enough for me! Thus, allow me to impart upon you the Selkirk Grace:

     Some hae meat an canna eat,
          And some wad eat that want it;
     But we hae meat, and we can eat,
          And sae let the Lord be thankit.

Just don’t go overboard, or the nightmare fuel

becomes real!

Slàinte!

Canada 150:

January 25, 1924 – Canada competes in the first Winter Olympics.

In 1924, the first Winter Olympics were held in Chamonix, France. A total of 258 athletes (247 men, 11 women) represented the 16 countries participating: Austria, Belgium, Canada, Czechoslovakia, Finland, France, Great Britain, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Norway, Poland, Switzerland, Sweden, United States, and Yugoslavia. There were 12 Canadians: one speed skater, two figure skaters (including Canada’s first ever female Olympian, Cecil Smith), and the nine men who made up the hockey team.

The original sports were:

• Bobsled
• Curling
• Figure Skating
• Hockey
• Military Patrol (similar to today’s biathlon)
• Skiing (Cross-Country, and Jumping)
• Speed Skating

Back in the early days of the Olympics, athletes had to be “pure” amateurs. So  the Toronto Granites hockey team, which had won the Allan Cup national amateur senior championship, had the right to represent Canada.

Naturally, Canada picked up the gold in hockey, beating the US 6-1 in the final. This was Canada’s only medal of the tournament; Norway came first, with 17 total medals.

The attendance & popularity of the Winter Games led the IOC to declare a Winter Olympiad would be held every four years, its cycle to coincide with the summer scheduling. [This schedule would be divorced in 1994, with the Lillehammer Winter Games; 1992 was the last year of joint Olympics.]

[The Joint Olympics have been held every year since 1988.]

_{(sources: CBC; COC)}

Tonight’s sports:

• NHL:
  • Leafs at Red Wings – 7:00PM | Sportsnet
  • Flyers at Rangers – 8:00PM | NBCSN
  • Canucks at Avalanche – 9:30PM | Sportsnet1
• NBA:
  • Warriors at Hornets – 8:00PM | ESPN
  • Lakers at Trail Blazers – 10:30PM | ESPN
• NCAA: lots; preferred viewing:
  • St. John’s at Providence – 6:30PM | FS1
  • Butler at Seton Hall – 8:30PM | FS1
• Australian Open: Women’s semifinals – 9:30PM | ESPN2 / TSN
  • Venus Williams versus Coco Vandeweghe – 10:00PM
  • Serena Williams versus Mirjana Lučić-Baroni – 11:30 PM

If anyone needs me,

I’M TOSSIN’ ME CABER!