Happy Martin Luther King Jr Day! As James Taylor sang in Shed a Little Light:
Oh, let us turn our thoughts today To Martin Luther King And recognize that there are ties between us All men and women living on the Earth Ties of hope and love Sister and brotherhood
So ear you go, a few ties of hope and love from the world of sports.
⛳️ Quote
Gary Woodland, 2019 US Open champ on returning to the PGA tour after having brain surgery last fall to remove part of a tumor:
“I just want to prove you can do hard things. I want to prove to my kids nobody is going to tell you you can’t do anything. You can overcome tough, scary decisions in your life. Not everything is easy.”
Source: The Associated Press
⚽️ Story
Gambia team in emergency landing scare on way to Cup of Nations
By Mark Gleeson, Reuters
Gambia’s national football team took off Wednesday for the Ivory Coast to play in the Africa Cup of Nations. Within minutes, the plane’s cabin lost oxygen.
“Luckily for us, the pilot recognized the problem and after nine minutes in the air turned around to land again,” Gambia coach Tom Saintfiet told Reuters. “We all fell asleep.”
Sometimes a loss on the pitch may feel devastating. But a loss of oxygen? Whew.
🏀 Highlight
Should we just rename this segment the Nikola Jokić Highlight of the Week? Take a peek. Or be like Jokić and look away.
🏈 Stats
105 for 1,486: receptions and yards this season for LA Ram receiver Puka Nacua, who set new AFL/NFL rookie records in both categories
🏈 Groaner
New England is not standing Pat, parting ways with Bill Belichick after 24 years. They’ve even gone so far as to rebrand their training programs. The Patriots’ minicamp will now be called…
The Mayo Clinic!
🔆 Song
Shed a Little Light by The Maccabeats & Naturally 7 (written by James Taylor)
As long as we’re doing this project together, you’ll probably get Shed a Little Light this time of year. I could not love the OG Tay Tay’s tribute to Dr Martin Luther King Jr more. Love the gospel harmonies. Love the message in the lyrics. Love this a cappella rendition by the Maccabeats and Naturally 7. And love the video they shot on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, where King gave his “I Have a Dream” speech in 1963.
If you do nothing else to celebrate MLK Day, hit play and soak up a little light.
🏈 Trivia
Nick Saban retired with 7 “national championships”, most in major college football history. Who’s next on the championship ladder?
Bear Bryant
Jim Harbaugh
Woody Hayes
Knute Rockne
Answer below.
Bear Bryant won six mythical national championships at Alabama, followed by Bernie Bierman and Woody Hayes with five.
Source: NCAA
For more trivia, take the interactive Corny Sports Quiz.
Aw shucks, 🌽 that’s it for this week. May you breathe easily this week and shed a little light.
Thx for the restack, Mike!