News of the day

The 2020 American Rescue Dog Show premieres Sunday, February 16 at 8 p.m. EST/7 p.m. CST on Hallmark. The show honors both purebred and mixbreed shelter pups, and aims to “shine the spotlight on rescue dogs” and highlight the importance of adopting. The show is pre-taped and takes place over two days, with the second half of the show airing Monday, February 17 at the same time (8/7c).

Unlike standard dog shows, which gives out awards based on breed traits, the American Dog Rescue show has the following fun, silly categories: Best in Senior Dogs, Best in Snoring, Best in Special Needs, Best in Talking, Best in Underbite, Best in Wiggling, Best in Belly Rubs, Best in Couch Potato, Best in Ears, and Best in Wrinkles.

Here’s what you need to know about the 2020 American Rescue Dog Show:

The First Ever Hallmark Rescue Dog Event Outperformed the Longest-Running Purebred Competition in History

The Hallmark description of the special, two-night event reads, “Rebecca Romijn and Rodney Peete host the third annual canine competition, the only one of its kind to shine the spotlight on rescue dogs. Mixed breeds and purebreds vie for top honors over the two- night event in adorable categories including Best in Snoring, Best in Special Needs, Best in Underbite and more, with the winners in each category facing off for the title of Best in Rescue.”

According to SF Gate, Hallmark decided to start the Rescue Dog competition three years ago in order to “shine a light on the urgent need for more adoptions around the country.” The first two-night event was such a success that it outperformed America’s longest-running purebred competition, so Hallmark decided to keep the tradition going, SF Gate reports.

Last year’s 2019 show included categories like Best in Short and Sweet, Best in Wiggle Butt and Best in Smile, among many similar categories to the 2020 show. Although they only pick one winner from each category, it’s obvious that every dog is a winner (always).

Check Out a Full List of the Nominees Below

We can’t wait for the American Rescue Dog Show to start! Say hello to some of this year’s competitors with host @LarissaWohlTV & tweet using #BestInRescue tonight & tomorrow at 8pm/7c! #AdoptionEverAfter #AdoptDontShop pic.twitter.com/lWVPj02VMY

— Hallmark Channel (@hallmarkchannel) February 16, 2020

There are 72 nominees for the 2020 Rescue Dog Show. …read more

Source:: Heavy.com

Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred held a news conference on Sunday about the state of the sport and — surprise! — he had to answer a lot of questions about the Houston Astros cheating scandal.

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Source:: AOL.com

It has been, on the whole, a heavy weekend here in Chicago. The NBA is playing its annual All-Star game on Sunday amid a series of tributes for Lakers star Kobe Bryant, who died tragically in a helicopter accident on January 26, along with his daughter and seven others. It’s also been a time to reflect on former commissioner David Stern, who died on January 1.

That’s resonated with Lakers star LeBron James.

“I always appreciate it,” James said. “It’s the game that I love. It’s the game that I fell in love with when I was a little boy. So for me to be a part of All-Star Weekend here with all the fans all around the world that we have that support our beautiful game, I never take this moment for granted.”

But it is basketball, after all, and it should be fun. Enough with the complaints about a stolen dunk contest, for cryin’ out loud.

With that in mind, the folks at ESPN put together a unique look at some of the players who will be donning uniforms for Team Giannis and Team LeBron: It gathered their baby pictures.

Yes, ESPN put out, “All-Star: Baby Edition,” photos of 20 of Sunday’s star players going back to when they were toddlers in diapers.

Some Priceless Expressions

The photos are highlighted by a round-cheeked LeBron James, ears in full bloom, cracking a full-faced smile while wearing orange overalls. Lakers teammate Anthony Davis and Chicago native appears next to him holding what appears to be a Chicago Bulls basketball. (A free-agency hint? Alert the conspiracy theorists!)

The birthday cake and accompanying smile on Mavericks guard Luka Doncic, along with the braids worn by Rockets guard Russell Westbrook are also notable.

The LeBron babies:

via ESPN

On the opposite side are the Giannis Antetkounmpo tykes. There’s more love for the Bulls there, from Celtics point guard Kemba Walker, who shows up in a black and red Chicago hat. The anger on the face of young Kyle Lowry is, maybe, the most interesting trait of any of the 20 babies.

Here’s Team Giannis:

via ESPN

And, Of Course, Some Hot Toddler Takes

There were, naturally, some zingers from ESPN’s Twitter audience on the subject.

Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young, who earned a spot on the team by averaging 23.1 points and 8.5 assists this season, got noticed for his still-youthful looks. Young is 21, we should note.

Trae Young hasn’t aged a day

— M. Shields …read more

Source:: Heavy.com