Showing posts with label Christmas. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Christmas. Show all posts
Sunday, 21 December 2025
Wednesday, 25 December 2024
BOOKER OUT FOR CHRISTMAS; LEBRON, TATUM QUESTIONABLE
Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker has been ruled out of Wednesday's Christmas night home game against the Denver Nuggets because of a groin strain.
It would be the third straight game Booker has missed after suffering the injury in the third quarter of a defeat last week to the visiting Indiana Pacers. The Suns lost both games he missed.
Several other stars are listed as questionable for Christmas Day, including Los Angeles Lakers stars Anthony Davis (shoulder) and LeBron James (injury management). Davis and James both played in Monday night's home loss to the Detroit Pistons.
Jamal Murray, who missed the Nuggets' home win over the Suns on Monday, is listed as questionable for Wednesday's rematch due to an ankle injury.
Jayson Tatum is listed as questionable for the Boston Celtics' game against the visiting Philadelphia 76ers with an illness that also kept him out of a loss Monday at the Orlando Magic.
The Dallas Mavericks' Luka Doncic missed two games last week with a left heel injury but returned Monday for a win over the visiting Portland Trail Blazers. He is listed as questionable for Wednesday's home game versus the Minnesota Timberwolves.
- ESPN
Thursday, 21 November 2024
ESPN TO SHOW DISNEY-ANIMATED ALT-CAST OF KNICKS-SPURS ON DEC. 25
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| Disney |
BRISTOL, Conn. -- Mickey Mouse and many of Disney's iconic characters will be part of the NBA's first animated alt-cast on Christmas Day.
Disney and ESPN announced Wednesday that the Dec. 25 game between the San Antonio Spurs and New York Knicks will be on ESPN2, Disney+ and ESPN+ as "Dunk the Halls."
Even though this is the first time with the NBA, ESPN has done alternate animated broadcasts for NFL and NHL games.
The telecast will be entirely animated, with the players' movements in sync with what is happening in real time on the court. That's done through player-tracking data enabled by Sony's Hawk-Eye Innovations' optical tracking system and Beyond Sports.
The animated version of the game will be set on iconic "Main Street, USA" in Magic Kingdom Park at Walt Disney World Resort. Shots of "Main Street, USA" and other famous landmarks within the park will be regularly shown, including Cinderella's Castle.
The traditional broadcast will air on ABC and ESPN.
- Associated Press
Wednesday, 8 May 2024
2024 NFL SCHEDULE RELEASE SNEAK PEEK: HERE ARE SEVEN THINGS WE ALREADY KNOW ABOUT THIS YEAR'S SLATE OF GAMES
With the NFL Draft officially in the rearview mirror, there's only one big event left on the NFL's offseason calendar and that's the release of the schedule. The only problem with this year's release is that no one seems to have any idea when the schedule is actually going to come out.
Well, that was a problem, but it's not anymore, thanks to the Sports Business Journal. According to the SBJ, the NFL has informed teams that the schedule will be released on Wednesday, May 15, which will make it the latest schedule release since at least 1990.
For the past two years, the schedule has been released on the second Thursday in May, but the NFL decided to push that date back this year. The league hasn't offered any explanation on why the schedule release was pushed back so far this year.
Although we won't know the full schedule until May 15, you won't have to wait that long to get every nugget of information and that's because we already know several things about the 2024 schedule and we're going to cover those below.
1. Thursday night opener in Kansas City. The defending Super Bowl champion annually plays host in the opening game of the season, which means that barring something unforeseen, the Chiefs will be the home team in the Thursday night opener. Their home schedule consists of the Broncos, Chargers, Raiders, Ravens, Bengals, Texans, Saints and Buccaneers, so the NFL will have plenty of juicy games to choose from, including a possible AFC title game rematch with Baltimore. The Bengals and Texans would also qualify as attractive options. The NFL generally tries to avoid putting divisional games in the opener, so the Chargers, Raiders and Broncos likely won't be playing in Kansas City in Week 1.
2. NFL set to play in Brazil for the first time. Sao Paulo will be hosting the NFL's first-ever game in Brazil and that will be coming in Week 1. The Eagles will be "hosting" the Packers in a rare Friday game that will stream exclusively on Peacock on Sept. 6.
3. International series will also feature games in London and Munich. The NFL will be playing four games in Europe this year with three games in London and one game in Germany. For the slate of games in England, the Bears, Vikings and Jaguars will each serve as the home team in one game. As for the game in Germany, the Panthers will serve as the home team for the NFL's second regular-season game ever in Munich.
4. Jaguars could be going back-to-back in London for the second straight season. According to Jacksonville.com, the Jags are expected to play back-to-back games in London for the second straight season. The Jags will host one game and then serve as the visiting team in one game, which will likely come against the Bears.
5. Christmas doubleheader that will make history. For just the third time in 75 years, the NFL will be playing on a Wednesday and that will be happening this year because Dec. 25 falls on a Wednesday in 2024. So yup, that means the NFL will be giving us a doubleheader on Christmas.
6. Teams could be given two short-week games. The NFL owners approved a rule in March 2023 that now allows teams to play two short-week games. This means that several teams could end up playing multiple games this year on just three days rest. This will make it much easier to schedule the two Christmas games. The four teams playing on Dec. 25 are expected to play on the prior Saturday.
7. Every home-and-away opponent for all 32 teams. Although we don't know the time and dates for any game yet this year, we do know who each team will be playing and you can check out the home-and-away opponents for all 32 teams by clicking here.
The NFL schedule release has become a major offseason event for the league and this year should be no exception.
- John Breech
Tuesday, 26 December 2023
PHILADELPHIA EAGLES HANG ON TO BEAT NY GIANTS ON CHRISTMAS
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| AP |
PHILADELPHIA -- After nearly letting a 17-point halftime lead slip away for good, the Philadelphia Eagles defeated the New York Giants 33-25 on Christmas. It was their 12th consecutive victory over the Giants and snapped a three-game losing streak. Now at 11-4, the win also keeps the Eagles as the favorite to win the NFC East.
The Giants, meanwhile, fell to 5-10 and could once again be turning to a new starter at quarterback after Tommy DeVito was benched at halftime for backup Tyrod Taylor.
Here's a breakdown of the Christmas clash:
Monday, 25 December 2023
NFL CHRISTMAS DAY WAGS JINGLE ALL THE BAE!!!
The NFL is gifting fans with a slate of games this Christmas ... and what better way to celebrate the holiday than by shining the spotlight on some wives and girlfriends of the league's biggest stars!!
Of course, all eyes will be on the lookout for Travis Kelce's lady, Taylor Swift, when the Chiefs host the Raiders at Arrowhead Stadium ... and if she shows up, expect her to be screaming expletives from a suite with Brittany Mahomes, Patrick's ride-or-die wife.
Maxx Crosby's wife, Rachel, and Davante Adams' lady, Devanne, will be hoping those new friends go home upset ... as they'll be pulling for their boys from Las Vegas.
Following the AFC West rivalry game, the Giants and Eagles will have a divisional matchup of their own ... and both teams are coming off a loss."
Darren Waller's wife, Kelsey Plum, is all about winning, though -- she just captured her 2nd consecutive WNBA Finals with the Las Vegas Aces in October ... so maybe she can give some victory vibes to her tight end hubby.
Sterling Shepard's girlfriend, Carolyn, will most likely be at the game, too ... as this will be their first Christmas as a couple.
Jason Kelce's wife, Kylie will be singing "Fly Eagles Fly" before singing Christmas carols together later in the night ... after all, the All-Pro center has his own holiday EP with fellow teammates!!
The last game of Christmas Day -- Ravens and 49ers -- is chock full of supportive WAGs ... including Jadeveon Clowney's girlfriend, production makeup artist Nanaj Re ... and safety Kyle Hamilton's high school sweetheart, Reese Damm."
On the other side, George Kittle's ride-or-die, Claire, is always cheering on her man ... and Fred Warner's wife Sydney, who is expecting their first child in March, will be rootin' for Niner Gang as well.
And last but not least, Christian McCaffrey's fiancée, Olivia Culpo, could potentially be present for the contest, too ... which would certainly be a nice present for the running back.
(Football) season's greetings!!"
- TMZ Sports
Wednesday, 20 December 2023
RATING THIS YEAR'S CHRISTMAS SWEATERS FROM TOP SOCCER TEAMS
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| Bayern Munich's Harry Kane and Raphaël Guerreiro look delighted to be modelling their club's holiday knitwear. Bayern Munich |
It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas, and football clubs have once again piled the shelves of their online stores with a wide selection of festive knitwear.
In the past, many clubs had taken a cheap and cheerful approach to their seasonal apparel, but the bar has been raised for Christmas 2023 with some legitimately stylish efforts available.
In some designs, clubs pay tributes to their stadiums, statues and home cities, while others are based on classic kits. Inevitably there are some that fall firmly into the category of ugly sweaters, with varying results.
After delving into the vast smorgasbord of Christmas sweaters released by some of the biggest clubs in the game this year, we have selected the standouts and given each a rating out of 10 to separate the ones with the most seasonal style from those that should be sent back to the North Pole.
AC Milan
Hailing from the fashion capital of the world, Milan are treading a fine line between stylish and kitsch, but the result -- a pattern featuring tinsel and tin soldiers from Tchaikovsky's classic Christmas ballet "The Nutcracker" -- is rather refined compared to some of the more garish designs on here.
Rating: 7/10
Ajax
Ajax's sweater this year, modelled by Jorrel Hato, elevates the conventional Fair Isle pattern by adding silhouetted buildings lifted from the skyline of Amsterdam: the Royal Palace, the De Gooyer windmill and the club's own Johan Cruyff Arena. Christmassy and educational in equal measure.
Rating: 7/10
Arsenal
Christmas sweaters inspired by popular kits from the past are something of a theme this year. The Gunners' nostalgic offering, worn by Laura Wienroither, harks back to the jersey worn by the Invincibles of 2003-04, with former sponsor O2's logo reworked into a festive wreath. The detail is impressive, right down to the Premier League "patches" on the sleeves that replace the rampant lion with a frolicking reindeer. It puts the club's other effort, worn by Gabriel Jesus, in the shade.
Rating: 8/10
Barcelona
Barcelona's best Christmas sweater features a goofy reindeer with blaugrana antlers rendered in 8-bit style. The little chap also wearing knee-high Barça socks is just the icing on the Christmas cake. Ingrid Engen certainly seems pleased with it.
Rating: 8/10
Bayern Munich
Bayern have come up trumps with a brilliantly over-the-top patchwork design that features the club crest, motto, Munich town hall, their training ground, stars, snowflakes and even the Bavarian Alps. Harry Kane might be all smiles with Raphaël Guerreiro at the top of the page, but you can tell deep down he's deeply envious of his teammate for getting to model the prime product while he's been palmed off with the comparatively plain navy alternative.
Rating: 10/10
Borussia Dortmund
Never ones to hold back when it comes to lavish Christmas wear, Dortmund have hung their 2023 design with just about every conceivable seasonal garland -- from gingerbread to boughs of holly; from tannenbaums to candy canes; and all in their trademark black and yellow.
Rating: 7/10
Chelsea
Despite turning out in '90s-inspired kits this season, Chelsea haven't extended that theme to their Christmas catalogue. Instead, the Blues have released a fairly routine knitted pattern, which has elements of the club crest alongside basic Yuletide staples such as reindeer, trees and snowflakes.
Rating: 6/10
England
With no fixtures of any kind until March next year, England fans will be able to tide themselves over by throwing on this smart Christmas jumper. The design is actually rather nice, with swatches of past kits jumbled up and used to make a patchwork effect. Given the usual winter weather, England fans may well be able to wear this when Brazil pitch up at Wembley for a friendly in four months' time.
Rating: 7/10
Everton
It'll be a cold Christmas at Everton after they were deducted 10 points by the Premier League, but at least the club has provided their fans with a belter of a Christmas jumper to help warm their cockles. The fabulous quarter-zip fleece features detailed reindeer, the club crest and a full Nordic ski scene complete with overhead cable cars.
Rating: 8/10
FIFA
As the most un-Christmassy entity on the face of the planet, it's unclear as to why FIFA felt the need to produce their own official Christmas jumper or exactly who they think will buy it. The design is smart enough -- to the point that you could probably, at a push, wear it outside of the house (though trying to ensure no one clocks the large FIFA logo on the sleeve). The only downside is that you won't be able to look any of your nearest and dearest in the eye while wearing it.
Rating: 6/10
Inter Milan
Last season's Champions League finalists often incorporate a blue serpent (a symbol of the city of Milan) into their kits and apparel, and now they have added it to what would otherwise be a fairly standard item of Nerazzuri knitwear.
Rating: 6/10
Juventus
Initially we were tempted to knock off marks for that eyesore of a crest (it's been six years since they "updated" it and we're still salty). But the Bianconeri are actually getting a point docked for merely printing a black jacquard star pattern on a basic white crewneck sweatshirt.
Rating: 5/10
Liverpool
Simple, understated and redolent in red, this design is a straightforward Fair Isle pattern that incorporates the Liverpool club crest and looks the part without falling into full-blown "ugly sweater" territory.
Rating: 6/10
Manchester City
This City Christmas sweater is another one based on a classic kit. The shirt from 1989-90 was presumably selected as it already had an icicle-esque chevron pattern worked into the fabric. A few decorative fir trees are added to the mix while, across the midriff, Santa replaces the name of erstwhile sponsor, Brother.
Rating: 7/10
Manchester United
United have quite a range of festive attire this year, but the most Christmassy of their selection of sweaters must be this one, proving that sometimes less is more. The fir trees and Santa's sleigh running across the chest and the large snowflakes on the sleeves are more than the sum of their parts and stand out nicely above the block green torso. In fact, if you didn't notice the thin line bearing the club's name, you wouldn't even realise it was an item of club merch.
Rating: 7/10
Napoli
Still revelling in their historic Serie A win last season, Napoli are eager to remind us that they remain champions of Italy as we approach the midpoint of what has proven to be a tricky title defence. With Christmas knitwear designed by Emporio Armani, you'd think it would have a little more pizzazz, but this doesn't quite hit the mark.
Rating: 6/10
Nottingham Forest
Let's face it, Forest fans need a bit of festive cheer. Given the team's form, it looks like a trip down memory lane will have to suffice. The club have a couple of retro kit-inspired designs to choose from, but the one that leaps out is the Yuletide version of their nausea-inducing, cult classic 1995-97 away kit. It's probably best not to wear a knitted version of a kit nicknamed the "yellow vomit" shirt around the dinner table, mind.
Rating: 3/10
Paris Saint-Germain
Teasing a new signing for the winter window, PSG have added the name and number of a mysterious new player (Noëlinho) and a new sponsor (Xmas Airways) to their kit-inspired sweater. While we haven't yet scouted the new signing, we can assume he operates well as the focal point of a Christmas tree formation.
Rating: 7/10
Real Madrid
In a rare departure from their classic club colours, Real have laid on a lustrous green, red and gold design. Modelled by Dani Carvajal, the sweater has the Los Blancos crest front and centre amid a bustling woven pattern of gifts, baubles and candy.
Rating: 6/10
Roma
Roma have a couple of formulaic designs to pick from, but the best is the red and yellow knitted jumper that adds the club's wolf head crest to a Christmas pattern that includes reindeer and snowflakes.
Rating: 6/10
Tottenham Hotspur
The sleeves on Tottenham's knitwear have adopted a high line, just how coach Ange Postecoglou likes his defence. We don't recall ever seeing a club offer a knitted vest option as part of their Christmas range before, but it really works here.
Rating: 8/10
United States
season than by donning a festive homage to the official governing body of United States soccer? The faux patchwork monstrosity is deliberately ugly (hence the name) but that doesn't mean it's any less of a shambles. Had it been rendered in knitwear, it might have worked, but printed on a polyester crewneck sweater, it's just ghastly.
Rating: 4/10
West Ham United
West Ham have adapted their club anthem to produce a fine, pun-based Christmas jumper. What's more, goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski looks positively thrilled to be on modelling duty.
Rating: 7/10
Images courtesy of acmilan.com, ajax.nl, arsenal.com, fcbarcelona.com, fcbayern.com, bvbonlineshop.com, chelseamegastore.com, englandstore.com, evertonfc.com, fifa.com, inter.it, juventus.com, liverpoolfc.com, mancity.com, manutd.com, sscnapoli.it, nottinghamforest.co.uk, psg.fr, realmadrid.com, asroma.com, tottenhamhotspur.com, ussoccer.com, whufc.com
Monday, 20 November 2023
Monday, 26 December 2022
Monday, 14 November 2022
Sunday, 26 December 2021
KOBE AND SHAQ FACED-OFF AS OPPONENT'S 17 YEARS AGO ON CHRISTMAS 🎄
Shaq and Kobe Bryant faced each other for the first time as opponents 17 years ago on Christmas 🎄 day.
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