When you’re used to playing and practicing in a temperature-controlled climate, the weather of Green Bay in December may be a little… shocking. We saw that last night, plus we plead with NFL owners to NOT build domes in cold weather cities. But that’s just a small taste of all we have in today’s very special CHRISTMAS EVE edition of the Daily Stump!

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Today’s Trivia🧠

(answer at the bottom of the Stump)

On This Day…

🏀 On this day in 1982, Chaminade, a university with a student body of only 850 students, defeated the number one ranked team in the country, Virginia.

The game took place in a Honolulu holiday basketball classic and is considered one of the most improbable upsets in college basketball history.

Today’s Stump Story…

🏈 Saints Frozen at Lambeau

With all of the injuries and a bunch of “who?” type of guys playing for the Saints, there wasn’t a lot of people with high hopes for the Saints. But honestly, New Orleans might as well of not shown up.

Every single owner of a cold weather team should watch last night’s game again, and then again, and then again. Last night showed the difference between a cold-weather team who plays outside and a team used to playing in a climate-controlled setting. You may think: “Oh shut up it doesn’t matter that much”, but I promise you, it does.

News broke this week that the Saints QBs were going through mental reps in the freezer of the kitchen in their facility. To many, that’s objectively hilarious, to others, it consumes time. When preparing for a football game, especially one against a team like the Packers who is extremely good, every second of preparation matters.

Not only having to prepare for the team, the scheme, the plays, the concepts, the stars, but also the weather, adds a whole other element that the opponent has to take considerable time discussing, preparing for, and contemplating how it may affect their team. Those little moments matter.

I understand the Saints were severely undermanned, that was obvious. But they sure did look cold too. Teams like the Packers have an obvious advantage over the Saints in this weather. It’s sticking the difference it makes. It really matters when the playoffs come around because whoever may have to play in that type of weather has one more thing they have to worry about, adapt to, or spend time thinking about. Every minute counts.

The Packers came out last night and embarrassed the Saints, a franchise stuck looking for answers anywhere they may find them. The Packers got out to a lead early and never looked back, ever. They were even playing cats I’ve never heard of before in the second half. It was a Packers parade in the cold, a defensive clinic, and an absolute shot to the heart for owners who think a dome will help them compete.

Quick Hitters

🤝 The Houston Texans officially claimed WR Diontae Johnson following Tank Dell’s season ending injury. Johnson, who has made news all season long for his drama and lack of appearances on the field with the Baltimore Ravens. This is Johnson’s fourth team in his short career, including his third in the year of 2024.

🏈 Monday’s Bowl Games: Myrtle Beach Bowl: Somehow, Coastal Carolina got to play in the bowl game they host. Hardly seems fair. Fear not, because it did not matter in the slightest, UTSA put the HURT on Coastal on their own field. Coastal had a depleted roaster in the portal, so that didn’t help. UTSA 44, Coastal 15. Famous Idaho Potato Bowl: By far one of the best bowl games by name only, this years game featured Northern Illinois and Fresno State. A fairly boring game for 4 quarters featured bad kicking, lots of back ups, and little scoring. An ELECTRIC overtime period saved this game, as the two went back and forth in extra time. NIU 28, Fresno 20.

⚾️ The Boston Red Sox seem to have filled out their starting rotation with the signing of former Dodgers starter Walker Buehler. The two agreed to a 1-year, $21 million deal. Buehler was one of the best pitchers in all of baseball from 2018-2021, but underwent a second Tommy John Surgery in 2022 and struggled upon his return in 2024. He settled in late and got red hot in the playoffs, providing 10 scoreless innings between two starts in the NLCS and World Series.

Other News:

• 🔥 Ohio State lands massive transfer portal addition

• 🥹 No Bevo in Atlanta this weekend

• 😠 Texas AG sues NCAA over transgender athletes

• 🤝 Dallas Wings hire new head man

Top Performers:

• 🏀 Karl Anthony Towns (NYK): 31 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists

• 🏈 Packers Defense: Shut out at home

• 🏀 SGA (OKC): 41 points, nine rebounds

• 🏒 Mark Scheifele (WPG): Hat trick, 1 assist for good measure

Stump Favorites

🍟 FRENCH FRY DUMP

😂 That is NOT how you spell “Bulldogs” ESPN…

🖐️ ONE HANDED TUDDY

😚 MYLES TURNER CALLS GAME

💯 Full Scoreboards: MLB, Soccer, PGA, NFL, WNBA, NCAAF, NHL

Today’s Slate

*All times are ET*

🏈 NCAAF: Hawai’i Bowl: San Jose State vs South Florida (8:00 PM on ESPN)

🏀 NBA: No NBA today, full schedule

🏀 NCAAM: No ranked teams in action, full schedule

🏀 NCAAW: No ranked teams in action, full schedule

🏒 NHL: No hockey action, full schedule

Trivia Answer:

No wrong answer, eat up today ladies and gents.

Can’t thank you enough for sticking to the end of this thing we call The Daily Stump. If you know anybody who might want this bit of daily sports news in their life, send them this link, it would go a long way. Appreciate the hell out of you all…

Trees get chopped. Stumps hold strong 💪