Yahoo Sports AM: Green chokes Gobert
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🚨 HEADLINES
🏈 Top Dawg: Georgia overtook Ohio State for the top spot in the newest College Football Playoff rankings after back-to-back wins over top 25 teams.
💔 RIP, Peter: Padres owner Peter Seidler, a two-time cancer survivor, died Tuesday at age 63. Majority ownership of the team will remain in the Seidler family.
🎾 Streak snapped: Jannik Sinner beat Novak Djokovic, 7-5, 6-7 (5), 7-6 (2), in a three-hour marathon at the ATP Finals to snap Djokovic's 19-match winning streak that dated back to Wimbledon.
⚾️ Best managers: Baltimore's Brandon Hyde (AL) and Miami's Skip Schumaker (NL) were named Managers of the Year.
🏀 Dickinson goes off: Hunter Dickinson put up 27 points and 21 rebounds to lift No. 1 Kansas past No. 17 Kentucky, 89-84, in the Champions Classic at Chicago's United Center.
🏀 GREEN CHOKES GOBERT, GETS EJECTED (AGAIN)
Draymond Green was ejected on Tuesday night after putting Rudy Gobert in a chokehold during a brawl that erupted in the first two minutes of the Warriors-Timberwolves game.
What happened: The scuffle began when Golden State's Klay Thompson and Minnesota's Jaden McDaniels started pulling and shoving each other in transition. When Gobert ran over to pull back Thompson, Green flew in and grabbed him by the neck before violently dragging him away.
Thompson and McDaniels were both assessed double technicals, while Green was hit with a flagrant 2 foul, all automatic ejections. That likely won't be the end to the consequences for Green, who could be facing a suspension in the coming days.
Minnesota won, 108-102, to beat Golden State for the second time in three nights*. Karl-Anthony Towns (33 points) led the way for the Timberwolves, while rookie Brandin Podziemski (23 points) paced the Warriors, who were missing Steph Curry (knee).
Green vs. Gobert: There's a history of bad blood between Green and Gobert, who have traded social media barbs in the past. "Every time Steph doesn't play, [Draymond] doesn't want to play without his guy Steph, so he does anything he can to get ejected," Gobert said Tuesday, calling Green's actions "clown behavior."
By the numbers: This was the second ejection in two weeks for Green and the 18th of his career, moving him past Dwight Howard for the second-most in NBA history. 12 more and he'll pass Rasheed "Ball Don't Lie" Wallace on the all-time list:
29: Wallace
18: Green
17: Howard
16: Charles Barkley, Anthony Mason
14: Shaquille O'Neal, DeMarcus Cousins
13: Matt Barnes
12: Dennis Rodman, Kenyon Martin, Reggie Miller
*Growing rivalry: These teams do not like each other. Green got into it with Anthony Edwards on Sunday, which set the stage for Tuesday. Back in July, Edwards said he couldn’t wait to play the Warriors this year. Why? "I mean, because Draymond talks so much trash."
Yahoo Sports' Jack Baer contributed to this report.
🏈 NFL POWER RANKINGS: EAGLES BACK ON TOP
The top 10 teams in this week's NFL power rankings are evenly distributed between the NFC and AFC. But when it comes to depth, the AFC puts the NFC to shame, Jeff writes.
NFC: The playoff picture is taking shape in the top-heavy conference, with six clear favorites plus whoever wins the dismal NFC South. Beyond that, just look at our rankings: eight of the bottom 10 teams are in the NFC.
AFC: 11 of the conference's 16 teams have at least five wins, compared to just seven in the NFC. And that doesn't include the uber-talented Chargers or red-hot Broncos, who are both firmly in the playoff picture at 4-5.
The rankings: Denver (up seven), Houston (up five) and Minnesota (up five) are this week's biggest risers, while New Orleans (down five), Baltimore (down four) and Cincinnati (down four) are the biggest fallers.
Eagles: 8-1 (up 1)
Chiefs: 7-2 (up 1)
Lions: 7-2 (up 1)
49ers: 6-3 (up 1)
Ravens: 7-3 (down 4)
Dolphins: 6-3 (up 1)
Cowboys: 6-3 (up 2)
Browns: 6-3 (up 2)
Jaguars: 6-3 (down 3)
Seahawks: 6-3 (up 2)
Texans: 5-4 (up 5)
Bengals: 5-4 (down 4)
Vikings: 6-4 (up 5)
Bills: 5-5 (down 3)
Steelers: 6-3 (–)
Chargers: 4-5 (down 3)
Broncos: 4-5 (up 7)
Jets: 4-5 (down 1)
Saints: 5-5 (down 5)
Colts: 5-5 (down 1)
Buccaneers: 4-5 (–)
Raiders: 5-5 (up 3)
Falcons: 4-6 (down 3)
Commanders: 4-6 (down 1)
Titans: 3-6 (down 3)
Packers: 3-6 (–)
Rams: 3-6 (–)
Bears: 3-7 (–)
Cardinals: 2-8 (up 3)
Patriots: 2-8 (down 1)
Panthers: 1-8 (down 1)
Giants: 2-8 (down 1)
Coming up: Great primetime lineup this week, with the Bengals visiting the rival Ravens tomorrow night, the surging Vikings and Broncos meeting on Sunday night, and the Eagles and Chiefs playing a Super Bowl rematch on Monday night.
⚾️ STANTON'S AGENT CLAPS BACK AT CASHMAN
Giancarlo Stanton's agent, Joel Wolfe, clapped back at Brian Cashman on Tuesday after the Yankees general manager appeared to take a shot at his client.
"We try to limit the time he's down," Cashman said at the general manager meetings in Arizona, per the New York Daily News. "But I'm not gonna tell you he's gonna play every game next year because he's not. He's going to wind up getting hurt again more likely than not because it seems to be part of his game."
To which Wolfe replied:
"I read the context of the entire interview. I think it's a good reminder for all free agents considering signing in New York … that to play for that team you've got to be made of Teflon, both mentally and physically because you can never let your guard down even in the offseason."
By the numbers: Stanton, 34, batted a career-worst .191 with 24 HRs and 60 RBI last season while playing in 101 games due to a hamstring injury. He was an All-Star in 2022 but played in just 110 games due to calf and Achilles injuries.
The backdrop: Cashman is under intense pressure following a season that he, himself, called a "disaster." So far, he's sparred with reporters, gone on an expletive-laden rant, and called out one of his highest-paid players. It's a bold strategy, Cotton! Let's see if it pays off for him.
⛳️ TIGER'S NEW LOW
Tiger Woods fell to 1,307th in this week's Official World Golf Rankings, the lowest in his nearly three-decade career, Jeff writes.
How he got here: Woods' previous low of 1,294 came in February before he finished tied for 45th at the Genesis Invitational and returned to the top 1,000. He made the cut at the Masters two months later but withdrew with an ankle injury that required surgery. He hasn't competed since.
Looking back: Woods debuted at No. 720 in February 1994. By June 1997, he'd reached No. 1 for the first of a record 683 weeks. His only other significant drop came in November 2017 when he fell to No. 1,199. He'd later win the 2019 Masters and ascend as high as No 5.
Most weeks at No. 1:
Woods: 683
Greg Norman: 331
Dustin Johnson: 135
Rory McIlroy: 122
Nick Faldo: 97
Looking ahead: Woods, 47, is still dealing with pain around his ankle, but there's a belief that he'll return to action at next month's Hero World Challenge, which he hosts in the Bahamas. 19 of the 20 players have been announced, leaving one spot to be filled.
🏈 UPDATE: "THE BLIND SIDE" LEGAL BATTLE
The legal battle involving Michael Oher and the Tuohy family, whose story was the inspiration for "The Blind Side," has taken another turn, Jeff writes.
Catch up quick: According to a court filing last week, the Tuohys paid Oher more than $138,000 from the proceeds of the Oscar-winning movie, contradicting Oher's claim that he never received any money.
Oher, who made $34.5 million over his eight-year NFL career, claimed that the Tuohys made millions from the movie while he never saw a cent.
But documents show that the Tuohys paid Oher roughly one-third of the net profits they earned from the film, which totaled over $432,000.
What they're saying: Michael Lewis, who wrote the book that the movie is based on, has said that Oher should be angry at the entertainment industry, not the Tuohys. The film grossed more than $330 million.
How we got here: This legal battle began in August when Oher, 37, sued the Tuohys for allegedly tricking him into a conservatorship when he was 18, two years after they took him in and provided financial support.
Oher claims that he thought the Tuohys were adopting him when he signed the conservator papers, and that they've used that alleged deception to profit off his story for years.
The Tuohys said they never intended to adopt Oher and "have never received any money as conservators on [his] behalf." They called the lawsuit a "shakedown."
The presiding judge ended the conservatorship in September, saying she'd never seen such an agreement with someone who was not disabled.
The latest: On Tuesday, Oher's lawyers filed a motion saying the Tuohys continue to profit off the falsehood that they adopted Michael, Bloomberg reports. Leigh Anne Tuohy was scheduled to speak at a Florida college on Tuesday in a talk that described her as Oher's adoptive mother.
📆 NOV. 15, 2011: COACH K PASSES KNIGHT
12 years ago today, Mike Krzyzewski won his 903rd game, passing his former West Point coach and mentor Bob Knight to become the all-time winningest D-I men's basketball coach, Jeff writes.
The top 10, per the NCAA:
Krzyzewski: 1,202 wins
Jim Boeheim: 1,015
Bob Huggins: 935
Jim Calhoun: 920
Roy Williams: 903
Knight: 902
Dean Smith: 879
Adolph Rupp: 876
Jim Phelan: 830
Cliff Ellis: 828 (still active)
🏀 1952: An NBA-record 13 players fouled out of the Baltimore Bullets' 97-91 win over the Syracuse Nationals. So many Nationals fouled out (eight) that refs allowed some of them back in the game* to keep five players on the court.
⛳️ 2020: Dustin Johnson won the only November Masters (thanks, COVID) with a record score of 20-under par, breaking the mark previously held by Jordan Spieth and Tiger Woods (-18).
*Whenever the fouled-out Syracuse players who were let back into the game committed a foul, Baltimore was given a technical foul shot in addition to the free throws.
📺 WATCHLIST: BEASTS OF THE EAST
The 76ers host the Celtics tonight (7:30pm ET, ESPN) in a battle of the Eastern Conference's top two teams, Jeff writes.
Head-to-head: Philly (8-2) has won eight of nine since dropping the season opener. Boston (8-2) has also only lost twice, but one of those came against the Sixers last week.
More to watch:
🎾 Tennis: ATP Finals (8:30am, Tennis)
🏀 NBA: Kings at Lakers (10pm, ESPN)
🏒 NHL: Flyers at Hurricanes (7:30pm, TNT/Max); Islanders at Canucks* (10pm, TNT/Max)
⚽️ Women's Champions League: Matchday 1 (12:45-3pm, YouTube) … Four matches.
🏈 NCAAF: Buffalo at Miami-Ohio (7pm, ESPN2); CMU at Ohio (7pm, ESPNU)
*Vancouver's on fire: The Canucks (11-3-1) are off to their best start in franchise history, topping the 10-3-2 record they had through 15 games in 2005-06.
🏈 NFL TRIVIA
Who am I?
I currently lead the NFL in passing yards
I was a fifth-round pick
My team has a losing record
Answer at the bottom.
🏀 FAIRLEIGH DICKINSON'S NEW DIGS
Fairleigh Dickinson's stunning upset of top-seeded Purdue last March led to an uptick in undergraduate applications, a surge in apparel sales and a new TV deal. Now, it's helping FDU get out of the shower.
Wait, what? Thanks to $500,000 raised by the school following the team's historic win, FDU has built a new locker room and film room, meaning the men's basketball team no longer has to watch game film in a community shower.
"It was a tighter space, so it's not like you're in the shower room and everybody's comfortable," FDU coach Jack Castleberry told ESPN. "Everyone was kind of on top of each other and one of the shower heads was still leaking ... every 15 seconds."
Two Cinderellas: The team's new digs will be unveiled before tonight's home game against Saint Peter's, who enjoyed a Cinderella story of their own in 2022.
___
Trivia answer: Sam Howell (Commanders)
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