TWIST: This Week in Sports Talk December 10, 2017

You don’t love professional sports, but your livelihood and/or personal happiness depends upon your being able to converse intelligently about it. It’s a common dilemma with a simple solution: you need to learn a new language. You need to learn how to talk sports. And we’re here to help! The TWIST is our weekly Dandelion Chandelier guide to what’s happened on the field, on the court and on the ice. Every weekend you’ll find the three (and only three) things you need to know this coming week to speak cogently about professional sports with the boss, the gang at the office, your barber, your barista, your secret crush, or your in-laws. Do the TWIST every week and we promise you’ll know how to talk about sports like a champion.

This week’s edition of TWIST: This Week in Sports Talk is dedicated to the G.O.A.T. (that would be Greatest of All Time), tennis player Serena Williams, who announced that she’ll be playing in the upcoming Australian Open; it will be her first tournament as a mom, and we can’t wait to see her back on the court.

This week has served up the perfect holiday party ice-breaker if you want to engage in conversation with a dedicated sports fan this weekend. A baseball fan asked pitching ace Justin Verlander – who was traded from the Detroit Tigers to the Houston Astros just in time for the post-season, and who was a major contributor to the Astros’ winning the World Series – if in hindsight, he felt it was worth it to miss the World Series celebration in Houston to be in Italy for his long-planned wedding to Kate Upton. He didn’t really answer the question, and she later engaged with fans on the topic on Twitter. All you have to say is: “Do you think Verlander should have postponed his wedding so that he could join the victory parade in Houston?” You’re sure to spark a lively discussion about whether or not this is grounds for divorce. Our Sports Desk has been extremely vocal in this debate (mostly on one side of the argument). Our Executive Editor states: “I still find it amazing that she wouldn’t reschedule – this might be the only World Series championship in his career. That would be like someone winning the Nobel Prize, but missing the ceremony because of their wedding. C’mon man.” For the record, the Style Council feels that a celebrity wedding far exceeds a World Series parade in terms of historical importance. Feel free to discuss this among yourselves.

Meanwhile, for Those Who Do Not Follow Professional Sports, here’s what you need to know this week (and not a single thing more).

3 for the week of December 10, 2017:

1. College Football Playoffs are set. Must know: Last Sunday was Selection Sunday, and the 13-member selection committee chose Clemson, Oklahoma, Georgia and Alabama as the final four teams. Nice to know: The only real controversy in this year’s selection was Alabama over Ohio State. Both teams had 2 losses, and by choosing the Crimson Tide, the committee allowed two SEC teams into the finals, with no representation from the Big 10. In the end, they were just more impressed with ‘Bama. Extra credit: The next match-ups for these teams will be the bowl games. On New Year’s Day, the Sugar Bowl will feature Clemson versus Alabama, and the Rose Bowl will see Oklahoma and Georgia face off. This weekend’s big college game was Army-Navy – Army won, 14-13. This year’s Heisman Trophy winner is Baker Mayfield, quarterback for the Oklahoma Sooners.

Baseball’s off-season sees pending trades. Must know: This is the time of year that Major League Baseball sees coaching changes and player trades. Nice to know: Miami Marlins star outfielder Giancarlo Stanton was on the trading block, and had shared the list of teams he’d consider: the Astros, Dodgers, Cubs, Red Sox and Yankees. This morning, it was announced that he’s joining the Yankees. Having both Stanton and Aaron Judge on the same team has Yankee fans dreaming of another World Series championship. The Marlins’ owner, former star Yankee Derek Jeter, had been shopping Stanton around as he works to reduce costs; his former team is surely grateful that this deal worked out. Extra credit: Shohei Ohtani, a 23-year old phenom from Japan, was the most sought-after recruit in the off season. He just announced his decision to join the L.A. Angels, where he’ll join superstar outfielder Mike Trout. The pick was a bit surprising, but he had expressed serious interest only in teams on the West Coast.

NFL sees a spike in rough playing. Must know: The past couple of weeks have seen several instances of aggressive – and sometimes dirty – play. Nice to know: In last week’s matchup between the Steelers and Bengals, the Steelers’ Ryan Shazier required spinal stabilization surgery after making a tackle; the current prognosis is unclear on whether he’ll ever play again. The Patriots’ Rob Gronkowski (aka “Gronk”) was suspended for one game after making a “dirty” hit on Buffalo Bills cornerback Tre’Davious White as he lay on the field during Sunday’s game. Some were shocked and felt the act was uncharacteristic of him; White feels that Gronk’s apology in front of reporters was insufficient. Extra credit: Meanwhile, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell finalized his contract extension and will remain in place for another five years.

If you want to go for the gold in terms of sports chatter this week (or if you’ve got a long plane ride with your boss), you can also mention the following:

• In the NBA, the Cleveland Cavaliers have tied a franchise record with 13 victories in a row (their winning was snapped on Friday night). Skeptics accused them early in the season of being too old and too weak after Kyrie Irving asked to be traded and departed for the Boston Celtics. Just another proof point that you should never count LeBron James out.
• The 2018 Winter Olympics are an increasing focus of attention – the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has banned Russia from the Games due to doping in Sochi. Meanwhile, US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley says that it has still not been decided whether the US team will be permitted to compete in South Korea. The Games are taking place only 50 kilometers from the Demilitarized Zone with North Korea, and the threat level is rising between the two countries.

For the remainder of the NFL season, we’ll highlight the key weekend games you need to know about. It will be up to you to find out the final scores before hitting the office on Monday morning. Remember: you always need to know how “your” team did. Here are the key match-ups that pro football fans will want to discuss this week:

• Philadelphia Eagles at Los Angeles Rams – Jared Goff and Carson Wentz, the quarterbacks drafted first and second overall in the same year, are squaring off; the Eagles are looking for their first division title since 2013, but the Rams are slightly favored to win at home.
• New Orleans Saints at Atlanta Falcons –  the Falcons narrow victory — 17-20 — in this Thursday night game will keep them in contention for the NFC South division title
• Minnesota Vikings at Carolina Panthers – the Super Bowl will be held in the Vikings’ home stadium in Minneapolis in February 2018 – this game will be a factor in whether or not they’ll be playing in it; they could clinch the NFC North if they win or tie.

Holiday shopping season is officially here! Don’t forget to check out our roundup of perfect holiday gifts for sports fans. That’s it. You’re good to go. See you next week.

 

Forward This Article