What’s cookin’, sports fans? Welcome to another edition of the extra large and turbo-charged Epoch Times Sports Brief for Friday, Jan. 31, 2025. I’m Bill Thomas and before we dive into today’s almost award winning Sports Brief program, just a reminder that we’re only eight days away from being one day before Super Bowl 59, and to celebrate, we’re gonna buy a 235-inch big screen TV and put it up on the Sports Brief studio wall and have ourselves a grand old football adventure. Football, a big screen TV, and microwavable burritos—what could possibly go wrong?
For now, we’ve got some phenomenal stories to share with you, and here’s what’s happening in the thrilling world of sports.
The PGA tour swings into high gear on the legendary Pebble Beach links, the NBA reveals the complete rosters for their upcoming All Star game, and college football’s top seniors aim to show off their skills in a pivotal gridiron showcase.
Also, an aging baseball legend signs a one-year deal for his final shot at glory, and the world’s best athletes square off before thousands of screaming fans in a highly anticipated wrestling Royal Rumble.
World’s Best Golfers Tee Off at Pebble Beach
The world’s best golfer, No. 1-ranked Scottie Scheffler, is back on the links this weekend, along with a whole bunch of the world’s best pros, as they battle on the California coast in the PGA’s second signature event of the year.Yesterday, Scheffler scored a five-under 67 in his return from a kitchen accident, and he looks like hasn’t missed a beat from last season’s spectacular run.
Sports Brief host commentary: Hey Schef, word of advice: Stay out of the kitchen and let a real chef, like Chef Boyardee, do the cookin’—Back to the program.
In case you’re not up on the Pebble Beach Pro-Am, the first two rounds feature pros coupled with amateurs, and today, they’re all competing on a pair of courses: Pebble Beach and Spyglass Hill. However, beginning tomorrow, the amateurs are out, the pros go solo, and the last two rounds of action are gonna be played entirely on the main Pebble Beach links.
By the way, this weekend, 80 competitors are in the mix for the $3.6 million top prize. A pair of notables include three-time major winner Jordan Spieth, who’s back from wrist surgery and shot a 70 on day one, as well as world No. 3 Rory McIlroy, who made his season debut yesterday. The four-time major winner didn’t disappoint, shooting a six-under 66 and bagging an unexpected hole-in-one on the 15th hole at Spyglass Hill.
In case you’re wondering, after round one, Russell Henley sits atop the leaderboard, but as we all know, blustery Pebble Beach may be one of the most iconic, naturally beautiful courses in the world, and when the winds kick in off the Pacific, all bets are off.
NBA Picks All Star Reserves
The NBA has just announced the reserves for their upcoming All Star game, and it should come as no surprise that budding Spurs superstar Victor Wembanyama is a slam dunk to be the first man off the bench.The 21-year-old Wemby is off to a blazing start to his stellar career and this year he’s averaging more than 24 points, nearly 11 rebounds, and leading the league in blocks once again—but that should really come as no surprise, given that he’s almost as tall as the Sears Tower and moves with the grace of a gazelle. The only real surprise here is that he wasn’t voted in as a starter—but you can be certain he will be in the near future.
Joining him on the Western Conference bench are a pair of L.A. veterans, 10-time All Star Anthony Davis of the Lakers and 11-time All Star James Harden of the Clippers, along with Wolves guard Anthony Edwards, who’ll be making his third appearance. (I wonder if that’s the same Anthony Edwards from that TV show ER? Eh, moving on.)
Grizzlies forward Jaren Jackson Jr., Thunder forward Jalen Williams, and Rockets big man Alperen Sengun round out the West.
Over in the East, Bucks guard Damian Lillard will be making his ninth appearance in the big show, and he’ll be joined by a trio of first-timers, Evan Mobley and Darius Garland of the conference-leading Cleveland Cavaliers and point guard Tyler Herro of the Miami Heat.
Also riding pine in the Eastern Conference are former No. 1 draft pick Cade Cunningham of the Pistons, Pacers forward Pascal Siakam, and Jaylen Brown of the Celtics.
By the way, this year’s NBA All Star festivities are gonna include a brand new format that breaks the players down into eight-man teams, a tournament for rising young stars, and the legendary slam dunk contest, and it all tips off just two weeks from today in San Francisco.
Sports Brief host commentary: I left my heart in San Francisco. I’m not bitter, I’m just sharing. Back to the program.
Senior Bowl, Pro Bowl Games Highlight Pigskin Weekend
Tomorrow afternoon, a number of the nation’s top upperclassmen are gonna be looking to bump their draft stock way up—and score lucrative contracts on draft day—when they compete in the annual Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama.In case you’re not aware, the weeklong training event and game are a once-in-a-lifetime chance for a number of unknown players from colleges around the country to show pro scouts they’ve got what it takes to play in the greatest league on earth (No, not my bowling league—the other greatest league.)
So far, this year’s standouts include Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe, who’s aiming to prove doubters wrong and show big league scouts that he’s a bonafide NFL starter, and Marshall edge rusher Mike Green, who had such a great showing that he’s already packed his bags and headin’ for home.
Meanwhile, if you really miss the NFL, the latest edition of the league’s annual Pro Bowl Games are gonna be held on Sunday in Orlando, Florida.
The grand finale features three games of seven-on-seven flag football, with the teams coached by NFL legends Peyton and Eli Manning. A good time will be had by all, except for the viewers—we’re just kidding, of course. It’s an entertaining afternoon and a good excuse to kick back, shovel loads of messy barbecue ribs down your gullet, toss the wet naps on the floor, and veg out in front of the tube.
Scherzer Signs With Blue Jays
The Toronto Blue Jays have just signed three-time Cy Young winner Max Scherzer to a one-year $15.5 million contract, and the biggest question for the Jays is whether or not the 40-year-old righty can stay healthy.It’s no secret that the future Hall of Famer has been plagued by back problems in recent years, including last season with the Rangers when his numbers were down and he was limited to just nine starts.
The two-time World Series champion may have lost a step, but he’s a risk worth taking for the birds. He bolsters an already formidable starting rotation, they’ve got a number of solid bats with some pop in the middle of their lineup, and if the cards fall right, they could be smack dab in the middle of the AL playoff race.
Meanwhile, the rich just keep gettin’ richer. Earlier this week, the World Champion Los Angeles Dodgers added All Star reliever Kirby Yates to the back end of their pen, signing the free agent righty to a hefty one-year, $13 million dollar deal.
Yates joins an absolutely stacked roster that includes recent free agent signings Blake Snell and Tanner Scott; a positively filthy starting rotation; a rock-solid, powerful daily lineup; and let’s not forget all-world Shohei Ohtani.
After shoring up the dugout with their gazillion-dollar spending spree, the boys in blue and their killer lineup are gonna be tough to beat—and you can be sure that everyone outside of La La Land will be rooting against them every step of the way. (So you know, someone has to pay for those chunky contracts, so moving forward, Dodger Dogs will now cost $314 a piece, but the mustard and onions are complimentary.)
Anticipation Over the Top for Wrestling’s Royal Rumble
Tomorrow at Lucas Oil Stadium, a ginormous crowd of 65,000 screaming fanatics from all over the U.S. is gonna watch professional wrestling’s legendary Royal Rumble, and for these well-trained, underfed athletes, the stakes are enormous.In case you’re not familiar with the rules, a Royal Rumble works like this: Two competitors start in the ring; every two minutes another one enters; there are 30 total entrants; and a wrestler is eliminated from the competition when they’re tossed out of the ring.
Hey, if you don’t think it takes an incredible athlete to powerlift a 300-pound behemoth over his head and hurl him over the top rope, then I’ve got some beachfront property to sell you just four miles south of Dubuque, Iowa, where the sun shines all year long and the waves just keep on crashing. Oh ... and don’t forget the suntan lotion.
The last person remaining in the ring is the winner and earns a championship match at this year’s massive Wrestlemania event, which takes place later this spring in Las Vegas.
By the way, some of the big names in tomorrow’s smackdown include Roman Reigns, CM Punk, and John Cena, who’s going for a record-tying third victory in the annual showdown.
Meanwhile, in other matches, both the WWE individual and tag team championships will also be up for grabs, and an all-female Royal Rumble is also on the docket. Ronda Rousey, come on down!
Now, you might think that this is a scripted event and that these performers are actors and not athletes. However, your Sports Brief crew begs to differ, and we say if you don’t believe us, you can always ask Hulk Hogan. ‘Nuff said.
We’re just about out of time here at The Epoch Times Sports Brief, but before we shut the studio down and spend all weekend gorging on sports and deep fried spaghetti, we want to tip our caps to the highest scoring quarter in the history of the Super Bowl, which took place in San Diego exactly 37 years ago, on Jan. 31, 1988.
In case you weren’t there, the Washington Redskins, led by quarterback Doug Williams, were trailing the Denver Broncos 10–0 in Super Bowl 22 before unleashing a five-touchdown barrage and scoring 35 points in the second quarter alone. The Skins went on to win the game 42–10, Williams became a legend, and the rest is history.
Hey, we’re really out of time right now, but before we go, we’d like to offer our condolences to the family, friends, fans, and loved ones of the world figure skating community, which is in the midst of a very difficult week.
In case you’re not aware, a number of figure skaters were among those lost in this week’s tragic midair collision over the Potomac, including many young hopefuls just beginning their journeys, along with a pair of Russian former world champions.
Additionally, skating legend and two-time Olympic gold medal winner Dick Button just passed away yesterday at the age of 95.
For anyone who was fortunate enough to be touched by any of these people, we offer our most sincere condolences.
Now, it really is time for us to head out, but we’ll be back again next week with another edition of The Epoch Times Sports Brief.
If you have any thoughts, comments, or suggestions about the Sports Brief program, we’d love to hear from you, and you can find us at [email protected].
For all of us here at The Epoch Times Sports Brief, I’m Bill Thomas.
The Epoch Times Sports Brief program is written each week by Davey Ross.
Thank you for making us your one-stop source for a concise, accurate, and engaging rundown of all the sports stories you absolutely need to know about.
Enjoy another great weekend of sports, stay safe, and remember: let’s all continue to watch out for one another, have a superb day today, and don’t forget to keep your eyes on the game. Bye for now.
