How it ended.
(Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)
How it ended.
(Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)
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Mike Vorkunov, curator January 9, 2018
QUOTABLES!
quote of the day
Semper Annus Alter Erit
sign at Cleveland parade celebrating Browns' 0-16 season, a Latin translation for "there's always next year"
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ALABAMA, walkoff TD. You yelled too, right? Champions under NICK SABAN again (again) (again) (again) (again). Some kind of gumption to pull your starting QB at halftime of the national title game. The kind of move only a legendary coach with five national titles already might make. Alabama, down 13-0 to GEORGIA, benched JALEN HURTS to start the third. TUA TAGOVAILOA came in and led a memorable comeback. Why wasn't he playing all season? He's a funslinger. Redemption for Alabama. Lost to CLEMSON last year with one second left. Ended it in overtime this time. No chance to blow it. Best title game since last year's... I saw Saban smile. Then it rebooted... Receiver DEVONTA SMITH is never gonna pay for a meal in Alabama again, and the NCAA can't do anything about it... Smith, Tagovailoa, and leading rusher NAJEE HARRIS -- all true freshmen... ANDY PAPPANASTOS is a champion but Monday night is still going to haunt him. But Saban broke the cardinal rule of coaching: don't trust college kickers... Saban's ex-assistants still can't beat the master. They're 0-12 now, but nobody came closer than BULLDOGS coach KIRBY SMART. Doesn't matter. No win. No ring. All heartbreak... How many Georgia fans are FALCONS fans too? Which hurts more: 28-3 or 20-7?... UCF/Bama split national champs... MEKHI BROWN is going to be running gassers until spring practice... The only stadium proposal that isn't corny... The NBA has LAVAR BALL fatigue and it's causing an open rift between the league's coaches and ESPN. MAVERICKS coach RICK CARLISLE wants to stop ESPN from talking to Ball. WARRIORS coach STEVE KERR called him a KARDASHIAN and says he's emblematic of what's wrong with society. STAN VAN GUNDY is boycotting ESPN altogether. Are they trying to dictate coverage by bullying ESPN? How comfortable is the NBA to have its coaches in a rift with its TV partner? What happens if Ball continues his criticism of LAKERS coach LUKE WALTON? How awkward is this for LONZO? Can't believe the Lakers believed Ball when he said he'd stay quiet if they drafted his son... Another loss for US SOCCER. JONATHAN GONZALEZ chose to play for MEXICO internationally. Gonzalez, a 20-year-old defensive midfielder with potential, had played for the US for the U17 and U20 teams, but won't for the senior team. Would he have made a different choice if the US qualified for the 2018 WORLD CUP?... In creative battle... RIP DERBY.

Mike Vorkunov, curator

January 9, 2018