Washington Generals

The Washington Generals have lost their last game.

Generals' general manager John Ferrari, who started running the business for his father-in-law, Red Klotz, in 1987, confirmed Thursday that the Harlem Globetrotters had dropped the Generals, their longtime foe, as an opponent.

Ferrari said that -- much like the teams he fielded -- he wasn't even given a chance.

"I got a call about a month ago, and they just told me that that was it," Ferrari said. "I turned to my wife and just said to her, in disbelief, 'It's over.'"

In the past two decades, the Globetrotters have changed hands over and over again, the most recent time being in 2013, by Herschend Enterprises.

Many believe the change is a financial one. Instead of having to pay Ferrari to arrange for an opponent, why shouldn't they do it themselves?

"All great rivalries come to an end, and as we get set to celebrate our 90th anniversary, we are excited to take on a new opponent," Globetrotters legend Sweet Lou Dunbar, who currently coaches one of the Globetrotters teams, said in a statement. "We are looking forward to building a new great rivalry as we entertain families worldwide for years."

For his part, Ferrari said, "The Washington Generals were a very good deal for the Harlem Globetrotters."

Sixty-three years ago, Globetrotters founder Abe Saperstein asked Klotz to create an opponent for the Globetrotters. While the guys in the red, white and blue did their tricks and made crowds of all generations laugh and applaud, the Generals just did their thing -- try to win.

It didn't always work. OK, it never worked -- except for a night in 1971, in Tennessee, when Klotz himself hit a shot at the end to beat the clowns of basketball.

"Beating the Globetrotters is like shooting Santa Claus," Klotz was quoted as saying.

The Generals got two others wins in their history -- against the Taiwanese National Team and a Russian Army team.

Frank Gifford

Former football player and veteran sports journalist Frank Gifford has died in Connecticut, his family announced on Sunday. He was 84.

In a statement, his family said:

It is with the deepest sadness that we announce the sudden passing of our beloved husband, father and friend, Frank Gifford. Frank died suddenly this beautiful Sunday morning of natural causes at his Connecticut home. We rejoice in the extraordinary life he was privileged to live, and we feel grateful and blessed to have been loved by such an amazing human being. We ask that our privacy be respected at this difficult time and we thank you for your prayers.

Born in Santa Monica in 1930, Gifford attended the University of Southern California on a football scholarship and went pro after being selected 11th overall in the first round of the 1952 draft.

Gifford played with the New York Giants his entire NFL career, from 1952 to 1964, with several visits to the Pro-Bowl. In 1956 he was league MVP and led the team to a championship (before it was called "The Super Bowl").

The Giants used Gifford at running back, defensive back, wide receiver and on special teams. He went to the Pro Bowl at three different positions. His 5,434 yards receiving were a Giants record for 39 years, until Amani Toomer surpassed him in 2003. His jersey number, 16, was retired by the team in 2000.

After his playing career ended, he became a sports commentator, first for CBS and then as a co-host of Monday Night Football from 1971 to 1985.

When he wasn't on the field, Gifford tried to put his movie-star good looks to use in Hollywood, appearing in about a dozen films, most notably the 1959 submarine movie "Up Periscope."

He married Kathie Lee Epstein, current TODAY show host, on October 18, 1986.

St. Louis QBs since statehood

Hawaii Prep World sports news archaeologist Jerry Campany went on a mission to get a complete list of Saint Louis starting quarterbacks since statehood.

And he succeeded, with one minor exception. There is a question mark for 1965, but luckily we live in the interactive world of interwebbiness and someone out there has the answer and could relay it to us sometime today. Well, if not, it’s still a damn good list.

[Marcus Mariota was the starter for only one year.  Timmy Chang, Jason Gesser, Darnell Arceneaux two each from 1994-1999, a good run.  Vince Passas was the QB in 1973.  Duke Aiona was the QB in 1972.

Rousey takes 34 seconds this time

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) -- It's not a good idea to give Ronda Rousey some extra motivation.

Hurt by comments about her family and moved by the death of a close friend and idol, Rousey got off to a quick start and knocked out home-crowd favorite Bethe Correia only 34 seconds into the first round at UFC 190 on Saturday night.

Rousey defended her bantamweight title by throwing a rapid sequence of punches at the Brazilian's head, landing a combination of right and left strikes that sent her opponent face-first into the ground and disappointed the local fans packing the HSBC Arena.

It was yet another impressive performance by Rousey, who improved to 12-0 in her incredible MMA career.

She has been crushing her opponents inside the octagon, but this victory seemed special.

Rousey came into the fight upset with Correia after the Brazilian made a comment apparently referencing to Rousey's father's suicide. Rousey said Correia crossed the line, so she would try to embarrass her in front of her fans.

"I hope that nobody really brings up my family anymore when it comes to fights," she said. "I hope this is the last time."

Before the fight, Correia had said she didn't know about what happened to Rousey's father and never intended to attack her personally.

Rousey also was extra motivated after the death of Hall of Fame wrestler Roddy Piper, who was one her greatest idols and inspired her to take the "Rowdy" nickname. She had said she would be fighting for him.

"We've lost a really close friend, `Rowdy' Roddy Piper, who gave me his permission to use his name as a fighter, so I hope he and my dad had a good time watching this today," Rousey said.