The Sports Report: Suddenly, an NFL playoff spot seems irrelevant

Howdy, I’m your host, Houston Mitchell. We start today with a sad story, with Damar Hamlin in critical condition at the time this newsletter was put together late Monday night. It’s a story that puts a lot of things in perspective and makes USC’s loss to Tulane earlier in the day much less of a big deal.

From Sam Farmer: The NFL took the unprecedented step of suspending play Monday night after Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin collapsed on the field in Cincinnati, and – while shocked and weeping teammates watched – was administered CPR and transported by ambulance to a local hospital.

Hamlin, 24, climbed to his feet after making a jarring but otherwise unremarkable tackle of receiver Tee Higgins, then stumbled and seemed to lose consciousness as he fell backward to the turf. From the various TV angles, the impact of the tackle did not appear to be to Hamlin’s head or neck, but to his chest.

Players who saw Hamlin lying face up and motionless frantically called for medical personnel, and the ambulance was brought onto the field.

Players from both teams formed something of a human wall around the scene, many in tears. The stunned crowd anticipating one of the biggest AFC showdowns of the season watched in near silence, the game only nine minutes old with Cincinnati leading, 7-3. Dozens of players from both teams formed a circle and knelt in prayer. The game was halted with six minutes remaining in the opening quarter.

Early Tuesday morning in Buffalo, the team issued the following update via Twitter:

“Damar Hamlin suffered a cardiac arrest following a hit in our game versus the Bengals. His heartbeat was restored on the field and he was transferred to the [University of Cincinnati] Medical Center for further testing and treatment. He is currently sedated and listed in critical condition.”

Medical personnel reportedly performed CPR on Hamlin for nine minutes including use of an automated external defibrillator. According to various reports, the player was intubated at some point, clearing the way for him to get oxygen.

NFL executives said that they would have no updates Monday night on Hamlin’s condition, nor will they make any immediate decisions about when the game might be finished. There is one week remaining in the regular season.

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USC FOOTBALL

From Bill Plaschke: The ending at frantic AT&T Stadium looked like much of the stunning 30 minutes that preceded it.

Tulane players running wildly across the field, swarming from sideline to sideline, sprinting unimpeded and uninhibited.

USC players just standing there.

Tulane players bouncing in circles around the turf and each other, leaping, lunging, loopy.

USC players staring at them through tears.

An ESPN television reporter asked Tulane coach Willie Fritz what just happened.

“I’m not sure,” he said.

Oh, on the contrary, in the wake of Tulane’s shocking 46-45 upset of USC in Monday’s Cotton Bowl, it’s clear what just happened.

The reeking stain in Lincoln Riley’s regime happened. The bane of the USC fan’s existence happened. The Trojans’ weekly embarrassment, monthly humiliation, and season-long disgrace happened.

The USC defense happened.

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‘It’s gonna linger.’ USC haunted by shocking loss to Tulane in Cotton Bowl

With Cameron Rising injured, Penn State storms past Utah for Rose Bowl win

LAKERS

From Dan Woike: LeBron James roamed the baseline near the Lakers bench, most seats still empty after the halftime intermission.

He’d just scored — again — and barked at no one in particular, almost annoyed at the strategy being employed against him. This big, this strong, this skilled and this is how you try to stop him?

James had that kind of attitude about him against every defender Charlotte put in front him, asserting the kind of physical dominance that helped the Lakers wrap a five-game trip with an unlikely winning record after beating the Hornets 121-115.

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CLIPPERS

From Steve Henson: No panic. Seemingly nothing to fret about. Just the Clippers’ franchise player missing another game for a new reason.

Kawhi Leonard sat out against the Miami Heat on Monday night at Crypto.com Arena because of an illness. The team made a point of saying COVID wasn’t the culprit, but we all know there is plenty of other nasty stuff going around this winter.

The Clippers consistently opt for safe over sorry with Leonard, who has played in only 16 of the Clippers’ 39 games this season and 125 of 203 regular-season games since signing with the team ahead of the 2019-2020 season.

Even though the Heat dominated the waning minutes and won 110-100, the Clippers didn’t come away entirely empty-handed. Their roster is deep, and every time Leonard is out — knee and ankle injuries have sidelined him this season, not to mention nods to load management — coach Tyronn Lue is afforded another opportunity to experiment.

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DODGERS

From Bill Shaikin: When an arbitrator truncated the suspension of Dodgers pitcher Trevor Bauer three days before Christmas, that opened a 14-day window for the team to decide whether to reinstate him or release him.

As of Monday, they had done neither. Under major league rules, they must decide by Friday.

As Dodgers fans await an announcement, here are some questions and answers on the team’s first big decision of 2023:

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DUCKS

Travis Konecny and Joel Farabee each had a goal and an assist and Philadelphia Flyers beat the Ducks 4-1 Monday night.

Morgan Frost and Scott Laughton also scored, and Noah Cates and Kevin Hayes each had two assists to help the Flyers finish 3-2-0 on a five-game trip — with all three victories coming in California.

Ryan Strome scored in the closing minute for Anaheim, and John Gibson had 29 saves as the Ducks fell to 1-3-1 on a franchise-record 10-game homestand.

THIS DATE IN SPORTS

1920 — Boston Red Sox owner Harry Frazee sells pitcher-outfielder Babe Ruth to the New York Yankees for $125,000 plus a $350,000 loan.

1931 — Nels Stewart of the Montreal Maroons scores two goals four seconds apart in the third period of a 5-3 victory over the Boston Bruins.

1946 — George Woolf falls off head first from his mount, Please Me, as he rounds the clubhouse turn in the fourth race at Santa Anita Park. Suffering from a concussion, the 35-year-old jockey, is taken to the hospital where he dies the following day. Woolf, known as “The Iceman” for his coolness in the saddle, has 3,784 mounts, 721 wins, 589 seconds and 468 thirds, with earnings of $2,856,125 in his 18-year career.

1973 — A 12-member group headed by George Steinbrenner buys the New York Yankees from the Columbia Broadcasting System for $10 million.

1991 — Wayne Gretzky scores three goals, including his 700th, as the Kings beat the New York Islanders 6-3.

1993 — The Buffalo Bills stage pro football’s biggest comeback to beat the Houston Oilers 41-38 in overtime in the first round of the NFL playoffs. The Oilers held a 35-3 lead 1:41 into the third quarter. Frank Reich throws four touchdown passes to give Buffalo its first lead of the game 38-35. Al Del Grecco’s 26-yard field goal ties the score. Steve Christie kicks the game-winning 32-yard field goal in overtime.

1995 — Nebraska, the fourth team to finish 13-0 in Division I-A football history, wins its first national football title since 1971 as the Cornhuskers are the overwhelming choice in The Associated Press poll.

1998 — Michigan wins its first national championship since 1948 as the Wolverines are officially declared No. 1 in the final Associated Press poll. The coaches poll jumps Nebraska to the No. 1 spot, creating a split national championship for the third time in the 1990s.

1999 — Brian Bellows of the Washington Capitals, has a goal and an assist, including the 1,000th point of his NHL career, to lead Washington past Toronto 5-2.

2003 — Ohio State completes an unlikely, unbeaten run to their first national title in 34 years with a 31-24 double-overtime win over Miami at the Fiesta Bowl.

2010 — Chris Johnson rushes for 134 yards and two touchdowns in Tennessee’s 17-13 win over Seattle and finishes the year with 2,006 yards.

2011 — Connecticut’s nearly three-year hold on the top ranking ends when they were overtaken by Baylor and drop to No. 2 in The Associated Press women’s basketball poll. Connecticut, which had it’s 90-game win streak snapped by Stanford on Dec. 30, had been the top team for a record 51 straight weeks, beginning Feb. 18, 2008.

2015 — A month shy of 43, Jaromir Jagr scores three times to pass Gordie Howe and becomes the oldest NHL player to record a hat trick, leading New Jersey to a 5-2 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers.

2016 - Jimmy Butler breaks Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls record for points in an NBA half, scoring 40 of his 42 points in the second half to lead the Bulls in a 115-113 victory over the Toronto Raptors

Compiled by the Associated Press

And finally

Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig take batting practice. Watch and listen here.