Altoona Mirror, January 3, 2016

Here's another thing about those Friday holidays -- when you get to the Monday after New Years, it's over. Really over. Oh so over. Decorations are stowed away, school is back in session (and maybe the pre-break homework assignment is done) and it's business as usual again. (Never mind the lazy guy down the street who leaves the icicle lights up all year).
After the glorious ride that starts with the long Thanksgiving weekend, it's routine stuff from here out, and that reality hits hard.
There's no known cure for the January-February-March snow-crusted blues, but you can ease the pain just a bit by taking the annual year-end quiz. A dozen puzzlers that look back on the year in sports give you a chance to feel a little smarter than average.
Get yourself a pair of sharpened No. 2 pencils and have at it. Hey, it beats trying to make sense out of that neglected homework assignment.
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1. Peyton Manning's biggest rival is:
a. Tom Brady.
b. Ben Roethlisberger.
c. Jake from State Farm.
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2. "50-50" is:
a. An even split.
b. A popular raffle.
c. The ratio of prank callers to legitimate ones on "Nightly Sports Call."
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3. The Mets or Yankees might be a good destination for Pedro Alvarez because:
a. Teams need power.
b. The price is right.
c. New Yorkers love to watch the ball drop.
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4. What does Clint Hurdle usually eat for lunch during the season?
a. Soup.
b. Sandwich.
c. Robby Incmikoski.
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5. If you refuse to take no for an answer, you might be:
a. Persistent.
b. Obstinate.
c. Pete Rose.
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6. Most people could live comfortably on:
a. A lottery jackpot.
b. A large inheritance.
c. Five percent of the money wasted on legal fees for "Deflate-gate."
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7. Now that A.J. Burnett is retired, he'll finally have time to:
a. Hunt.
b. Bond with his family.
c. Read all his tattoos.
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8. What happens every four years?
a. Presidential election.
b. Winter Olympics.
c. Jay Caufield's facial expression changes.
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9. The Steelers need to find:
a. A better pass rush.
b. Upgrades for the secondary.
c. The person who thought signing Jacoby Jones was a good idea.
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10. The Penguins spent the first 10 weeks of the season
a. Struggling with systems.
b. Trying to assimilate new personnel.
c. Filing missing person reports on Sidney Crosby.
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11. If a Pedro Alvarez Pirates jersey landed under your tree, you should:
a. Charge Santa with an error.
b. Count on a favorable exchange policy.
c. Hope he can at least catch pine needles.
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12. If the Steelers reach the playoffs, they should do well because:
a. They're motivated.
b. They're experienced.
c. They won't face any teams with losing records.
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