CBS' Bill Macatee, who was assigned to call today's Browns-Patriots game alongside Steve Tasker, "had weather-related travel issues out of Dallas" so Don Criqui was on the call instead (ESPNBOSTON.com, 12/8). Meanwhile, Fox' Terry Bradshaw also had weather-related travel issues out of Dallas, so he appeared on "Fox NFL Sunday" via phone (TWITTER.com, 12/7).
Tonight's Panthers-Saints "SNF" matchup at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome "will also be the Saints' shot to establish a record for crowd noise at indoor sports stadium as representatives from Guinness World Records will be in attendance." The record is currently held by the NBA Kings. The Saints also will "distribute 75,000 towels" to those in attendance (New Orleans TIMES-PICAYUNE, 12/8).
Ticket sales for the '14 FIFA World Cup reopened today following Friday's group selection. For every match at the tournament, 16% of the allotted tickets will be reserved for fans from both teams (8% per team) (FIFA).
NHL COO John Collins said that more than 200,000 tickets "have already been sold" for Michigan Stadium's upcoming slate of hockey games, which includes the Maple Leafs-Red Wings Winter Classic (TORONTO SUN, 12/8).
Fired Texans coach Gary Kubiak "bought a full-page advertisement" on Page C3 of today's Houston Chronicle sports section to "deliver a message to Houston" (CHRON.com, 12/8).
