The A to Z (Post-Xmas Edition)

A is for Astros. The Astros made their first offseason move signing outfielder Jose Siri to a minor league deal this week. Siri hit .237 between AA and AAA in 2019, and didn't appear in a game in 2020. 

B is for Badgers. The 9th ranked Wisconsin Badgers Mens Basketball Team defeated 12th ranked Michigan State 85-76 on Christmas Day. Wisconsin improves to 8-1 on the season while Michigan State falls to 0-2 in the Big Ten. 

C is for Camellia Bowl. The Buffalo Bulls defeated the Marshall Thundering Herd 17-10 to win the 2020 Camellia Bowl on Christmas Day. Buffalo got 138 rushing yard from junior Kevin Marks Jr. in the win. 

D is for Duncan Robinson. The 6'7" sharpshooter hit seven three-pointers on Christmas Day as the Miami Heat defeated the New Orleans Pelicans 111-98. Robinson hit 270 3-pointers during the 2019-20 season.

E is for England. With a smattering of Boxing Day matches on the docket, Liverpool heads into the post-Christmas stretch atop the English Premier League standings with 31 points. Liverpool is in action tomorrow against West Bromwich Albion. 

F is for Fighters. The Texas Rangers made a splash in Free Agency this week when they signed right-handed pitcher Kohei Arihara, formerly of the Nippon Ham Fighters in Japan. Arihara won 15 games for the Ham Fighters in 2019. 

G is for Goals. Manchester United midfielder Bruno Fernandes bagged his 10th goal of the Premier League season against Leicester City on Boxing Day. He also added an assist in the draw. Liverpool's Mo Salah leads all Premier League scorers with 13 goals. 

H is for Heisman Finalists. The four finalists for this year's Heisman Trophy are Mac Jones (Jr QB, Alabama), DeVonta Smith (Sr WR, Alabama), Trevor Lawrence (Jr QB, Clemson), and Kyle Trask (Sr QB, Florida). LSU QB Joe Burrow won the award in 2019 and quarterbacks have won the last four Heisman Trophies overall. The last wide receiver to win the award was Desmond Howard (Michigan, 1991). 

I is for Irving. Brooklyn Nets point guard Kyrie Irving drilled seven three-pointers on his way to a game high 37 points as the Nets upended the Boston Celtics on Christmas Day and improved to 2-0 on the young season. 

J is for Josh Bell. The All-Star first baseman was traded by the Pittsburgh Pirates to the Washington Nationals this week. Bell, who hit 37 home runs in 2019, struggled in 2020 and hit just .226. Eric Thames (.203 Avg) and Asdrubal Cabrera (.242 Avg) split the first base duties for the Nats last season so Bell is expected to be a potentially significant upgrade. 

K is for Kamara. New Orleans running back Alvin Kamara ran for 155 yards and tied an NFL record with six rushing touchdowns in the Saints' 52-33 Christmas Day victory over the Minnesota Vikings. Kamara's scores came from distances of 40, 1, 5, 6, 7, and 3 yards. Kamara now has 21 touchdowns on the season (16 rushing, 5 receiving). 

L is for LeBron. LeBron James turned in a solid all-around performance on Christmas Day with 22 points, 7 rebounds and 10 assists, as the Lakers picked up their first win of the season, 138-115 over the Dallas Mavericks. 

M is for Mahomes. Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes needs 538 passing yards over his final two games to reach 5,000 passing yards this season. Mahomes threw for a career high 5,087 yards in 2018.

N is for NFC East. If the Washington Football Team doesn't win their next two games, whoever wins the NFC East will be guaranteed to have a losing record. Washington plays Carolina (4-10) on Sunday and Philadelphia (4-9-1) on January 3rd. 

O is for Oubre. Golden State Warriors forward Kelly Oubre Jr., traded to the team in November, has struggled through his first two games with his new squad. After hitting just 3 of 14 shots against the Nets, Oubre Jr. followed that up with a 1 for 10 effort against the Bucks. Oubre Jr. averaged 18.7 points for the Suns last season while shooting 45.2% from the field. 

P is for Paul George. George led the Clippers to a second straight road win to open the 2020-21 NBA season as they defeated Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets 121-108 on Christmas Day. George scored a team high 23 points and added 9 assists. 

Q is for Quarterback. If Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen throws for 89 yards this weekend, he will have improved has passing totals by over 1,000 yards for the second straight season. Allen threw for 2,074 yards in 2018, 3,089 yards in 2019 and is currently sitting at 4,000 yards in 2020. The Bills, who have clinched the AFC East, are 11-3 heading into play this weekend. 

R is for Rookie. Golden State's rookie center James Wiseman scored 18 points and added 8 rebounds in the Warriors' (See "W") Christmas Day loss to Milwaukee. Through two NBA games, Wiseman is averaging 18.5 points and 7.0 rebounds for the 0-2 Warriors. 

S is for Stanford. The #1 Ranked Stanford Women's Basketball Team is out of action for the remainder of the calendar year. Their next game comes against 6th ranked Arizona on New Year's Day. Stanford is currently 7-0. 

T is for Tommy Kahnle. The former Yankees reliever was signed by the Los Angeles Dodgers despite undergoing Tommy John surgery in August. The deal is for two years and $4.75M. Kahnle struck out 88 batters in 61 1/3 innings in 2019. 

U is for Undefeated. 12th ranked Coastal Carolina (11-0) tries to wrap up an undefeated season today when they take on Liberty (9-1) in the FBC Mortgage Cure Bowl. The Chanticleers joined the Sun Belt Conference before he 2017 season and this is their first bowl appearance.

V is for Vardy. Leicester City striker Jamie Vardy netted an 85th minute equalizer as Leicester City drew with Manchester United 2-2 on Boxing Day. Vardy now has 12 goals on the season, good for second-most in the Premier League.

W is for Warriors. Golden State was throttled by the Milwaukee Bucks on Christmas Day 138-99. The loss drops Golden State to 0-2 as they play without Klay Thompson and Draymond Green. 

X is for Xmas. Decent haul at the Smith household this Christmas. Scored some new legos (including a Razor Crest), some roller blades, a bunch of Star Wars books, and some gift cards (Panera, iTunes, etc). Not bad for a pandemic. 

Y is for Yummy. In the Christmas rush, my wife realized that we were out of ground cloves, an ingredient in her pumpkin pie. I zipped out on Christmas Eve to three different stores, but all of them were out. Whole cloves? No problem. Ground cloves? No dice. In any case, I think the pie actually turned out better without it. Not that I've ever met a pie I didn't like. 

Z is for Zion. 20 year-old Zion Williamson scored 32 points and added 14 rebounds in a losing effort on Christmas Day. The New Orleans Pelicans fell to 1-1 after winning their opener against Toronto earlier this week.