Your morning roundup for Jan. 23, the day we learned a little bit of luck can go a long way. H/T to Zachary F. for the video. Got any stories or photos for us? Tip your editors.
What we watched: Football. Apparently there will be a rematch of Super Bowl XLII. Some pretty boy named Tom Brady will face off against this doofy-looking southerner named Eli Manning. There may or may not be drama surrounding this game. We'll keep you updated.
What we're watching (all times EST, unless noted): Syracuse at Cincinnati in men's college basketball at 7 (ESPN). Orlando at Boston in NBA basketball at 7:30 (NBATV). St. Louis at Detroit in NHL hockey at 7:30 (NBCSN). New Jersey at Boston in NBA basketball at 8 (WGN). Texas A&M at Kansas in men's college basketball at 9 (ESPN). Australian Open quarterfinals at 9 (ESPN2). Memphis at Golden State in NBA basketball at 10:30 (NBATV).
Read Me
On Joe Paterno: "When the Sandusky grand jury made its findings public, Paterno deserved to be fired. When an entire athletic culture—a culture built around Paterno and his tenure—fails so badly, as Penn State's did in 2002, they all have to go. It deserved to be messy, too. There was no other way to make clear the necessity of tearing down the walls. But that was then. The punishment was for that single episode in 2002. We have learned since then that there are two kinds of people in the world: those that saw Paterno as an old man who suffered a terrible lapse in judgment, and those that saw an evil puppet master operating to preserve a tired myth. Maybe we will find out, someday, one way or the other. But here is the problem. If he did know about the investigation in 1998 and still did the bare minimum in 2002, which would be the worst case, it will be easy enough to prove because his name will be found on some document or somebody will say that they told him back when it happened. But what if there is no document? What if no one says they told Paterno? What then? In the end, it will come down to what you believe." [Philadelphia Daily News]
This Date In Deadspin History
Jan 23, 2008: ESPN Sends Dana Jacobson Away For A Week
Elsewhere
You've never done anything this impressive: "British adventurer Felicity Aston completed her crossing of Antarctica on Monday, becoming the first woman to ski across the icy continent alone. She did it in 59 days, pulling two sledges for 1,084 miles (1,744 kilometers) from her starting point on the Leverett Glacier on Nov. 25. ‘!!!Congratulations to the 1st female to traverse Antarctica SOLO.V proud,' her Twitter message said. She announced her achievement from Hercules Inlet on Antarctica's Ronne Ice Shelf, where she waited alone in her tent for bad weather to clear so that a small plane could pick her up and take her to a base camp. Other expeditions also have gathered there, preparing for the summer's last flight off the continent." [ESPN]
How about a timeout? "'Yeah, that never occurred to me,' Harbaugh said. 'I didn't think that. You know, looking back at it now, maybe there was something we could have done. But in the situation, it didn't seem like we were that rushed on the field. [I] thought we were in pretty good shape.'" [Baltimore Sun]
Your Drunk Lady Resisting Arrest Interlude:
Small Victories: "All-You-Can-Eat nights? Been there. Bobblehead dolls? Done that. Clearly, it's time for the next evolution for minor league hockey promotions. Since the Las Vegas Wranglers have the Rapture covered, that leaves shattering irreverent world records as the next big thing. The Central Hockey League's Texas Brahmas attempted to break three Guinness World Records on Friday night: the longest air hockey marathon, the most simultaneous fist bumps and the longest conga line on ice. As the video shows, they might have pulled off the conga line record, at least. But over in San Antonio, home to the Florida Panthers' AHL affiliate the Rampage, the team believes it's set a record that will give you paws: The greatest number of dogs ever assembled to watch a live sporting event. Saturday night was Pucks and Paws night at the AT&T Center in San Antonio, and KSAT reports: ‘Rampage officials said 842 dogs showed up for the fifth annual Pucks & Paws event. The team was required to get at least 600 dogs to attend the game in order to be considered for a world record. The Rampage will file paperwork and evidence to be recognized as an official Guinness Book of World Record holder. In addition, 25 dogs were adopted at the event.' No, seriously: People watched the game with their dogs." [Puck Daddy]
Ryan Braun is George Costanza: "For anyone expecting Milwaukee Brewers slugger Ryan Braun to make big news at the baseball writers banquet Saturday night, well, he didn't. Unless you count the awesome velvet tuxedo he wore to accept his 2011 NL MVP Award. In a brief speech spent mostly thanking his supporters, Braun only alluded to the positive drug test that will lead to a 50-game suspension if his appeal is denied. He didn't dramatically decline the MVP award, as some fantasized he might, and he didn't emotionally defend his reputation from revelations that could taint it forever in the eyes of many." [Big League Stew]
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