* According to ESPN Bet, the Rays are 50-1 long shots to win the World Series.
* “Here to Stay” T-shirts were handed out by the Rays in 2023. Here’s hoping they don’t become the nostalgic counterpart of Montreal Expos T-shirts.
* The longest-tenured head coach in the NHL: Jon Cooper of the Lightning, who took over in 2013.
* USF’s 41-39, 5-overtime, Hawaii Bowl win over San Jose was also historic. It was the NCAA’s first bowl or post-season game to go more than 3 overtimes. But history didn’t last long. Two days later Toledo beat Pitt in 6 overtimes at the GameAbove Sports Bowl.
* The Ivy League has announced that starting next season, it will compete in the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs. It ends a century-long postseason football ban that was originally aimed at allowing players to focus on their schoolwork. How quaint.
* Encouraging to hear that this year’s Heisman Trophy winner, Colorado’s Travis Hunter, is also an Academic All-American. The anthropology major has a 3.8 cumulative GPA. He’s the first Academic All-American to win the Heisman since Tim Tebow in 2007. It’s also a reminder that “student-athlete” doesn’t have to be an oxymoron.