Left field
The Reuters global sports blog
NFL Week 16 Christmas Lineman picks
Well, after two weeks of 4-2 the Lineman is still searching for that perfect Christmas gift and hopes he has found it with this six-pack of holiday picks.
Keeping in the spirit of the holiday season, the Lineman offers you all the best and may all your picks be winners HO HO HO.
Record: 47-43. Last week 4-2; Pick of the Week: 13-2
PICK OF THE WEEK
Denver Broncos (8-6) at Buffalo Bills (5-9) (Line Broncos minus-2.5)
You do not need to be one of the Three Wise Men to know this has the look of a Christmas Special.
Post-Christmas cheer in Oslo for out-of-contract players
By Philip O’Connor, Scandinavia sports correspondent
For many football fans, the post-Christmas blues will be banished by the prospect of their club buying big when the transfer window opens in January.
But the out-of-contract players taking part in the FIFPro Winter Tournament in Oslo are hoping to get their futures sorted out before the window opens again.
On a full-size indoor pitch, players affiliated to Norwegians, Swedish, Finnish and Irish unions got together to play a tournament in front of invited scouts and club representatives from across the region.
All the players are out of contract, and many are desperate for a chance to stay in the game.
“We had 120 players looking for places in the squad,” Irish players’ union boss Steephen McGuinness told Reuters. “Last week we took the decision to bump the kitman, just so we could bring another player on the plane”.
For McGuinness and some of his players, it’s their second visit; some of them got short-term deals at the first tournament here in January, but with many clubs in Ireland and elsewhere only offering short-term, 40 week contracts, several have come back to try their luck again.
from Shop Talk:
Detroit Tigers bring Xmas in July
It's the story that keeps on giving as more and more organizations hold "Christmas in July"-type events in the final nine days before the timeline becomes unusable.
Today's entry comes from the Detroit Tigers, who announced that they will be celebrating the unseasonal holiday in style this Thursday, transforming Comerica Park into a winter wonderland complete with live holiday music, toys soldiers, Christmas trees and yes, the man himself, Santa Claus, will be there. He'll even be bringing some of his elves.
The event, now in its second year, will also include some of the Salvation Army's familiar bell-ringing workers, known to normally flank store entrances in Santa hats during the holiday season, collecting money for the poor.
Naturally, Santa will be throwing the first pitch--although it's unclear whether or not he'll be wearing his typical suit, or perhaps a more seasonal pair of shorts and a Hawaiian shirt? Dr. Seuss' Christmas-Stealing Grinch will lead the audience in "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" during the 7th inning stretch.
No word yet on whether the Holiday Armadillo has been invited to the festivities.
(Reuters photo)
