Sports this 'n' that

 Less than a week ago, Mets fans were salivating over the idea of Carlos Correa playing 3rd base alongside Francisco Lindor for the next few years.

As ESPN's Lee Corso would caution, though, not so fast, my friends, not so fast.

Turns out that the same 8 year old ankle injury that raised red flags with San Francisco has also put the Mets' deal with Correa on hold. Not only that, but Minnesota has decided they're not taking a chance on bringing Correa back. Houston replaced Correa with Jeremy Pena this past season, and got a new star in the bargain.

However, there was never any mention of this ankle injury when Minnesota signed Correa last off-season. Agent Scott Boras Badenov now has to work overtime to try to either close the deal with the Mets, or find another patsy.

If the Mets balk, then Eduardo Escobar would retain the starting job at 3rd going into spring training. The Mets will be fine.

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Proving that there is a way to be a Scrooge after Christmas, the NFL decreed that video footage from Sunday's "Nickmas" telecast on Nickelodeon cannot be used on blogs like this or Saturday Morning Archives.

Anyway, the Nick telecast is getting some attention for using a CGI version of Patrick Star, the bestie of SpongeBob SquarePants, to contribute some commentary from Bikini Bottom during the broadcast. Patrick (Bill Fagerbakke, ex-Coach, Gargoyles) roasted Denver QB Russell Wilson after he threw two interceptions in the 1st quarter. The defending Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Rams, already eliminated from the playoffs, blew away the Broncos, 51-14.

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In the wake of that national embarrassment, Denver dismissed coach Nathaniel Hackett with 2 games remaining. Denver is 4-11, and going nowhere. The team released a statement.

And, just like that, the talk will start again about getting Peyton Manning out of the ESPN booth and back in Denver. Just watch.

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In the course of a 24 season career in golf, Kathy Whitworth won a record 88 tournaments. She was to the LPGA what Sam Snead was to the men's tour in his day, or, in more recent times, Tiger Woods.

Whitworth passed away Saturday at 83 after collapsing following a friend's Christmas party. The LPGA will likely honor her memory with either a trophy or renaming an existing tournament in her honor.

Rest in peace.

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ESPN bloviator Stephen A. Smith is a wrestling fan. We know this from his having WWE personalities like Triple H and the Miz on First Take, where Miz roasted Smith in defense of the Cleveland Cavaliers in a memorable interview.

Now, Smith seems poised to go in over his head and step into WWE.

Smith has started a promo war on social media with veteran manager Paul Heyman, currently advising WWE champion Roman Reigns. The minute Smith shows up on Raw or Smackdown to confront Reigns, Heyman, and the Bloodline, WWE is expecting big ratings. Given Smith's history as being clueless about various subjects outside of basketball, maybe he should consult Pat McAfee before the latter finishes his commitments to College GameDay in 2 weeks and heads back to Smackdown. 

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After seeing brother Logan shine in WWE in limited appearances this year, Jake Paul is making noises about moving to another sport-----football.

Paul, a Cleveland native, signed with the Cleveland Browns prior to the team's home finale Saturday, a loss to New Orleans. The Browns want Paul for his social media skills, not his own dream of playing wide receiver, though the Browns could use his help on the field.

Undefeated as a boxer (6-0), Paul's signing may be little more than a publicity stunt. If he gets trading cards with his name on it on Panini's various NFL brands next year, we'll know he's doing this for real.

Meanwhile, Miz, another Cleveland native, may be wishing he'd thought of the same thing. Michael Mizanin was a running back in high school a lifetime ago. Paul is younger, of course, but we'll know by summer if he's serious about playing.