Russell Westbrook
The Cheat SheetBy David Lauterbach on

Thursday was a busy day in the world of sports on and off the court once again as Russell Westbrook got snubbed in NBA All-Star voting, Darren Rovell talked about his Bar Mitzvah, Jets’ Owner Woody Johnson was named a USA Ambassador, big movements in the world of baseball broadcasting, and Johnny Manziel beginning to turn the page.

Russell Westbrook snubbed in All-Star voting

NBA All-Star Game 2015

In 2015, Russell Westbrook won the NBA All-Star Game MVP award. So far during the 2016-2017 NBA season, Westbrook is averaging a triple double with 30.6 PPG, 10.4 APG, and 10.6 RPG. Despite the fact that Westbrook is playing out of his mind, he won’t be starting in the NBA All-Star game.

https://twitter.com/jtylerconway/status/822225147214106625?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

https://twitter.com/SheaSerrano/status/822237871579004928

Here were the final numbers on the votes:

James Harden and Steph Curry starting over Westbrook isn’t too hard to believe, but at the same time, Westbrook is playing like the MVP of the league at the moment.

Jeff Bagwell attended Darren Rovell’s Bar Mitzvah

rovelltwittershirtAs crazy as it sounds, it’s true.

Jeff Bagwell was one of three players voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame on Wednesday, joining Tim Raines and Pudge Rodriguez in Cooperstown’s class of 2017. That news gave ESPN’s Darren Rovell an opportunity to share an amusing story about an unexpected connection between the two.

Yet it occurred to Rovell’s father that getting a young player from the Astros, who were in town to play the Mets, might accomplish his objective. But the original request for Craig Biggio couldn’t be accommodated and that led the Astros’ PR department to suggest a fledgling young star who just joined the team.

New York Jets’ owner Woody Johnson is heading across the pond

Woody Johnson
ORCHARD PARK, NY – SEPTEMBER 15: New York Jets owner Woody Johnson talks on the sidelines before the game against the Buffalo Bills at New Era Field on September 15, 2016 in Orchard Park, New York. (Photo by Michael Adamucci/Getty Images)

The inauguration of President-Elect Donald Trump is Friday and with that comes the news of newly appointed United States ambassadors all around the world. One of those newly appointed diplomats is New York Jets’ owner Woody Johnson as the United States ambassador to the United Kingdom.

Trump announced the appointment during a luncheon.

President-elect Donald Trump said on Thursday that National Football League team owner Woody Johnson was “going to St. James,” indicating he would assume the plum diplomatic post of U.S. ambassador to the United Kingdom.

Last month, it was reported that Johnson “emerged as a leading contender for a key ambassadorship”, which was later revealed to be the UK job.

A year ago, Trump took a shot at Johnson on Twitter for supporting Jeb Bush.

NBC Regional Networks will begin streaming MLB games online for the first time ever

NEW YORK, NY - NOVEMBER 22: Major League Baseball Executive Vice President Rob Manfred speaks at a news conference at MLB headquarters on November 22, 2011 in New York City. Commissioner Bud Selig announced a new five-year labor agreement between Major League Baseball and the Major League Baseball Players Association. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY – NOVEMBER 22: Major League Baseball Executive Vice President Rob Manfred speaks at a news conference at MLB headquarters on November 22, 2011 in New York City. Commissioner Bud Selig announced a new five-year labor agreement between Major League Baseball and the Major League Baseball Players Association. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)

In a move that will make watching baseball drastically easier for fans in some major MLB markets, NBC Sports has announced it will stream games live on multiple platforms for free, beginning in 2017.

Streaming will be available to all CSN subscribers in Chicago, Philadelphia and the Bay Area, who will be able to watch the Cubs, White Sox, Phillies Giants and Athletics online or through the NBC Sports app with an authenticated username.

MLB was slow to embrace in-market streaming, lagging behind the NBA and NHL, but is catching up quickly. NBC’s announcement comes 14 months after Fox, which has rights for 15 of the 30 MLB teams, reached its own streaming agreement. We’re not quite at the point where every MLB fan can watch local games online (ROOT Sports and others are not there yet), but we’ve reached a clear majority.

Johnny Manziel is trying to make a comeback

Johnny Manziel

 

Johnny Manziel is seriously for real trying to really definitely turn the page on his troubled past and definitely for certain become a better person. We’re not kidding.

First, Manziel shot down the rumor that he would be charging $50 for a selfie during the autograph session (though he did nothing to debunk the $99 charge for an autograph).

Then he explained why he was doing the signing – to thank (I guess?) those who stood by him during his numerous hard times.

He claimed he was happy (finally).

Manziel then admitted he was a “douche” during 2016, and also acknowledged his drinking.

He signed off with a somewhat inspirational note.

You can do this, Johnny!

Quick Hits

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– The Raiders officially filed for relocation! TO LAS VEGAS! Let’s just hope this isn’t their logo…

No but seriously they actually did file for relocation.

NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport is expecting a March vote and once the Raiders get the necessary votes, the move will go ahead. The Raiders would need to stay in Oakland for the next two seasons but would move into Las Vegas in 2020. And in that time, the fans in Oakland will be dealt another blow just as their longtime underachieving team just got good.

 

– A Dog’s Purpose is slated to be released in the United States on January 27th, 2017 and is a movie about a dog who finds the meaning of his own existence. Sadly, people are now protesting it for a justified reason.

TMZ released behind-the-scenes video on the set of A Dog’s Purpose as filmmakers were supposed to film one of the dogs swimming through some rapidly moving water. The german shepherd wants nothing to do with being in the water because it looks incredibly dangerous but the human handlers try to force him in the water anyway to get the shot.

– The 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics opening ceremony could feature a flying car. Wait what.

The group behind these plans is a company called Cart!vator, a team of about 20 young engineers that is conducting experiments at an abandoned elementary school in the mountains of the Aichi Prefecture. Tsubasa Nakamura, who founded the company in 2012, was given permission by the city of Toyota to use the school as a garage and testing facility. If the team can complete a true working model by the 2020 Olympics, it will be a crucial first step toward its ultimate goal.

“We aim to create (a) world where anyone can fly in the sky anytime by 2050,” reads the Cart!vator website. “To realize our vision, a compact flying car is necessary with a vertical takeoff and landing type, which does not need roads and runways to take off.”

 

– A Cowboys’ fan once got a tattoo claiming Dallas would win Super Bowl 51.

Well the Cowboys lost and now Jordan has been forced to update his tattoo. Except he’s now predicting Dallas will win Super Bowl 52!

– The New Zealand national cricket team has banned #69. This is not a drill.

A spokesperson for New Zealand Cricket has confirmed the number 69 has never been available to Blackcaps players, saying of all the numbers from 1 to 99, “69 is the only number that can’t be used, due to its double meaning.”

 

– Pixar gave us all the feels by linking together all 17 of their movies. I watched the great video (seen below) and then ranked the movies.

– A lawmaker in Mississippi wants to fine the NCAA for taking longer than a year to complete investigations.

– Forget about the “Florida Man” it’s all about the “Massachusetts woman” biting a cop’s ear!

– San Antonio Spurs Head Coach Gregg Popovich got mad, then got ejected, and then the crowd gave him a standing ovation.

– President Obama is a huge basketball and apparently a solid basketball player too, seeing as he once crossed over Chris Paul.

“I was shocked at how good he was,” Paul said in an oral history on Obama’s basketball background published by GQ. “Nice lefty jump shot. But he got lucky one time on the break. I sort of jumped out, made him guess which way to go and he made the right play, crossed over, made it look like he crossed me up. It’ll never happen again. Hopefully now that he’s out of office we’ll have some time to see if it was real.”

Anyone else wish there was video of this?

– Bill Walton is the best and strangest basketball analyst.

– Is this the least unenthusiastic reaction to new jerseys ever?

A Random ‘The Office’ Related Video:

Michael went a litttttttle too far here with Toby.

One Last Glorious Moment of Procrastination:

Keeping with The Office theme. Damn it Steve.

https://twitter.com/SteveCarell/status/821823812387753984

https://twitter.com/SteveCarell/status/821825239629692928

https://twitter.com/SteveCarell/status/822110246281674752

And finally…

Steve Carell looking the way I picture Michael Scott looked, his first day at Dunder Mifflin. (1984)

About David Lauterbach

David is a writer for The Comeback. He enjoyed two Men's Basketball Final Four trips for Syracuse before graduating in 2016. If The Office or Game of Thrones is on TV, David will be watching.

View all posts by David Lauterbach