Thursday Flakes: NHL, WNBA, Football and More

As a meteorology guy, I would like to take a quick second to mark an important date on the calendar. October 15th, the first official freeze of the fall. Now my allergies will stop going crazy and I can start to bitch about having a cold. I also would like to point out that even though we hit the first freeze of the season here in Lincoln, it also included a fire weather warning for low humidity and a warm, southerly breeze. When did Lincoln become a desert climate? Warmer than usual day temperatures with cold nights? The only thing dryer then the air here is my sense of humor (as you will get to later of course). I can’t even remember the last time we had precipitation. So snuggle up with some coffee (or hot tea in my case), do a rain dance and enjoy your flakes…

NEBRASKA:

Dave Feit: Midseason Coaching Grades for Nebraska Football
There’s plenty of improvement from a year ago for this Nebraska football team.

Matt Rhule rants against the state of college football | Yardbarker
Does Rhule have a point?

Ex-Nebraska football quarterback gets another shot at the spotlight
A former Nebraska football quarterback will get the chance to start again after Arizona State’s usual starter is out with an injury.

HOCKEY:

Top 10 NHL Scorers All-Time – Yahoo Sports
Sidney Crosby became the 10th player to score 1,600 points in NHL history. Where does the Pittsburgh Penguins captain rank all-time?

Super 16: Flames among major surprises in power rankings to start season | NHL.com
Utah, Wild, Senators also get in; preseason picks Avalanche, Predators on outside

WNBA:

Fever’s Caitlin Clark, Aces’ A’ja Wilson named All-WNBA – ESPN
Fever guard Caitlin Clark on Wednesday became the league’s first rookie since Candace Parker in 2008 to be named to the All-WNBA first team.

Sabrina Ionescu secures Liberty Game 3 win in WNBA Finals vs. Lynx – ESPN
Sabrina Ionescu hit a tiebreaking 3-pointer from 28 feet with 1 second left and Breanna Stewart scored 30 points to help the Liberty beat the Lynx 80-77 on Wednesday night, taking a 2-1 lead in the WNBA Finals.

ENTERTAINMENT:

One Direction singer Liam Payne dead after falling from Buenos Aires hotel balcony | Reuters
Emergency workers confirmed the death of the British singer, who was reportedly found in the hotel’s interior patio.

ALL OTHER FOOTBALL(S):

NCAA closes loophole on Oregon’s 12-man penalty – ESPN
The NCAA is closing the loophole used by Oregon to shave time off the game clock at the end of Saturday’s win over Ohio State, when the Ducks intentionally used 12 players on defense.

Chargers HC Jim Harbaugh gets positive test results from cardiologist: ‘The heart of an athlete’
Los Angeles Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh was in good spirts on Wednesday just a few days after experiencing an irregular heartbeat at the start of Sunday’s win over the Denver Broncos. The reason? Harbaugh had received good news from his cardiologist.

What Did We Learn From Mauricio Pochettino’s First USMNT Games? – The Ringer
The Pochettino era kicked off with mixed results, with a convincing win against Panama but a defeat to bitter rivals Mexico. But there’s plenty of reason to believe the coach can instill a winning culture.

JOKE OF THE WEEK:

I hate it when my wife gets mad at me for being lazy. It’s not like I did anything!