Day 660

• The NCAA still believes the March Madness basketball tournaments will be played as scheduled...  Hahahahahahaahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha...   
• Barcelona FC now has 10 COVID positives.
• The Boston Bricklayers' Club Celtics lost 91-82 at home against the Clippers last night -- going 4 for 42 from 3-point range.  There is only one time in the history of the league (this past February by Houston) where a team shot a lower percentage shooting 40 times or more from beyond the arc.
• A third form of pre-cancer on his vocal cords will sideline Dick Vitale for the time being.  Vitale emphasizes his melanoma is cured and progress has been made on the lymphoma -- but dysplasia has formed, pre-cancerous growths, on his vocal cords.
• Aaron Rodgers may be retiring at the end of this season -- he won't delay, this year, on making his plans clear.  Probably making it clear the decision has already been made.   
• Captain Fatfuck, Leader of Men, probably is.  Rapistberger all but admitting that Monday night is probably his last home game at Heinz Field.
• There is a belief at least one COVID positive will impact the CFP semifinals tomorrow:  Daxton Hill, star defensive back of Michigan.  It hasn't been reported (but has been rumored a couple days now) as such -- probably to prevent panic against the entire Wolverines squad.  And if the Wolverines do, in the next 36-ish hours, have to fall out, Georgia advances via forfeit.
• The NFL will hold a moment of silence before each Week 17 game for John Madden.
  
• Doc Rivers, the coach of the 76ers, in the protocols.
• It appears a Denver-Golden State game for tonight -- one of four on the schedule, is COVID-endangered.
• Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand postponed...
• And not helping matters:  Reports coming out today more than one-third of all of the NBA referees are in protocols for COVID -- meaning G-League refs have to fill in.
• 71 D1 men's basketball games were scheduled for tonight, and 31 of them are already called off.
• The Saints GM says they should not have played last week's MNF game.  And if you see the post I made yesterday on the NFL COVID list, you know why.  They've scrubbed a net 50 off the COVID list today to try to make it look like they can play on Sunday.   
• One day after Isaiah Thomas got his second 10-day hardship deal (with the Mavericks, after a stint with the Lakers), Thomas has gone into the NBA's COVID protocols.
• MASSIVE grass fire north of Denver -- 100 MPH winds are creating possible fire tornadoes.
• Baker Mayfield has been the subject of death threats online -- doesn't see them as unusual...
• ... but maybe he should be more careful.  Joao Cancelo of EPL-leading Manchester City was the victim of a home robbery today in which four people assaulted and robbed him.
• The annual Gaki no Tsukai/Downtown New Year's Eve batsu game special (where Japanese comedians get hit in the butt every time they laugh over a 24-hour period -- with insane stunts to ensure they do!) has been canceled this year due to COVID concerns.  Tanaka need not worry about his annual Thai Kick punishment.
• The annual NHK Kouhaku Uta Gassen "Red vs. White Song Battle" will take place for the 72nd time tonight (JP Time).  Men and male-led musical groups (The Red Team) vs. women and female-led musical groups (The White Team) in the long-standing Japanese New Year's Eve tradition.  The six special judges assigned to the event will constitute one point, the live audience returns this year and will constitute a second, and the viewers a third.  Whichever side gets two points, wins.  
• The White team (the women) lost 12 of the last 15 before last year's victory (solely by viewer voting, since there was no live audience -- White won by a nearly 2-1 margin).  You get selected via invitation for the show, and it is one of Japanese pop music's highest honors to be so involved.