Mike Trout is a self-proclaimed weather nerd.
So, on Saturday, the Los Angeles Angels outfielder and former Arkansas Traveler called The Weather Channel's Jim Cantore to discuss the blizzard that hit the East Coast over the weekend. Trout was at his parents' house in Millville, N.J., and tweeted a video to Cantore on Friday while driving in the storm.
"It's been crazy, for sure," Trout told Cantore. "Obviously, up all night, up every hour checking the measurements. We've probably got about a foot, and it's coming down steady right now. The wind is the worst part about it, it's blowing hard. There's probably, by my parents' house, four-to-five-to-six foot drifts. The roads are terrible ...
"It's awesome, I love it."
Cantore asked Trout if the storm delivered up to his expectations.
"Oh yeah, I can't complain, man," Trout said. "It's all I can ask for, is 12 inches of snow."
Trout, 24, batted .299 with 41 home runs, 90 RBI and 11 stolen bases last season. Cantore thinks Trout may already have a plan after he stops playing baseball.
"He's probably gonna go into weather in about 20 years after his career ends," Cantore said.
Panthers rolling
Scott Fowler of The Charlotte (N.C.) Observer makes a case for the Carolina Panthers to be considered one of the best-ever teams in the NFL should they beat the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl 50 on Feb. 7.
"No, they won't go undefeated. The Panthers lost that chance when they laid an egg in Atlanta in December," Fowler wrote.
"But if the Panthers beat Denver Feb. 7 and convincingly win the Super Bowl in Santa Clara, Calif., they deserve to be known as one of the best teams ever.
"A victory over the Broncos would push Carolina to an 18-1 mark, which would tie for the best record over a 19-game season (when the Miami Dolphins went undefeated in 1972, they only had to win 17 games).
"Underrated for much of the season, the Panthers will be a favorite to win the Super Bowl over Denver. They don't have the notoriety of the 1985 Chicago Bears or a few of the other teams, but you don't go 17-1 by accident. If the 2015 Panthers make it to 18-1, though, they deserve to be ranked among the top half-dozen teams to ever play in the NFL."
Honest headlines
From the weekly "Honest NFL Headlines" series at the satirical sports website Sportspickle.com:
• "Carson Palmer: 'I'm Carson Palmer. What did everyone expect?' "
• "Pro Bowl: See all the top players who couldn't think of a good excuse"
• "Belichick: 'We're onto the offseason and trying to avoid our fans in public"
• "Greatriots dynasty falls short of 2nd title in 11 years"
• "Goodell's revenge? If it wasn't for Roger Goodell moving the extra point back before this season, the Patriots would probably be in the Super Bowl."
He said it
From Brad Dickson of the Omaha World-Herald:
• "Even though the game's been over for a while now, two of Carson Palmer's passes were somehow intercepted about an hour ago."
• "How bad was Carson Palmer is Arizona's loss to Carolina? In the fourth quarter, Cardinals coaches considered replacing him with a college student who threw 10 straight passes into a giant Dr. Pepper can at halftime."
• "Peyton Manning will receive an extra $2 million because the Broncos won Sunday. AARP bonus?"
• "In other sports news, this June fans will be able to get liquored up inside TD Ameritrade Park."
• "After hearing about the pilot program allowing beer and wine to be sold inside TD Ameritrade Park, LSU baseball fans began lining up at the gates on Sunday."
SPORTS QUIZ
Who was the starting quarterback for the Carolina Panthers in their first Super Bowl appearance?
ANSWER
Jake Delhomme. Delhomme started for the Panthers against the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XXXVIII in February 2004.
Sports on 01/26/2016