Depending on who you are rooting for in the 2015 World Series, you will either need a celebratory cocktail or one to “right the ship.” Jack Daniels has your back.

Regardless of what side you are rooting for, and even if you are not rooting for either team, Jack Daniels, the world’s best-selling family of whiskeys, has a special recipe for you to enjoy.

The below recipes include ingredients that can easily be found at your local store, all specially made with Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel and Tennessee Fire.

HOME RUN APPLE
New York fans can pay homage to one of their team’s top traditions – The Giant Home Run Apple

1 1/2 oz. Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Fire
1 oz. Apple Juice
Ginger beer
Directions: shake Jack Fire with apple juice and ice. Strain into a Collins glass over fresh ice. Top with ginger beer
Garnish: apple slices

THE ROYAL “JACK”
For KC fans – enjoy a smooth cold beverage you can cheers with every time your team gets a knock

1 1/2 oz. Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Fire
1 oz. White Peach Puree
Irish Style Red Ale
Directions: Shake Tennessee Fire with puree. Strain over ice in a pint glass. Top with ale.
Garnish: A peach slice or orange slice

BASES-LOADED (pictured above)
For fans torn between teams – keep neutral with this crisp beverage garnished with a grapefruit peel

¾ oz. Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel
¾ oz. Aperol
¾ oz. Sloe Gin
¾ oz. Pineapple Juice
Directions: Shake all with ice and strain into a chilled coupe.
Garnish: Mist and garnish with a grapefruit peel

Betting is something that people just seem to enjoy, even though there is always the possibility of losing money. The thrill of making a correct choice in a game of chance stimulates people and keeps them coming back for more.

(image courtesy of cambiodefractal on Flickr)

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We at The Scores Report would like to wish all of our readers a Happy New Year. Let’s just hope that your New Year’s resolution isn’t to spend less time reading sports blogs…

It’s almost fantasy football time, and many of you, like me, have already been doing your research. So let’s take a look at a category that you may not pay much attention to, and many experts will tell you not to anyway. That’s field goal percentage. I realize choosing a kicker is like throwing spaghetti against the wall to see what sticks, but good references are to pick those on good offensive teams, or those that can’t score TDs and create more field goal attempts. But it’s also good to pick an accurate kicker, whether that kicker plays in a dome or not. I mean, why take your chances on someone who kicks 25 field goals but misses another 25? So here is a list of the active Top 10 in field goal percentage. You can thank me later.

1. Nick Folk, Dallas Cowboys (86.79%)—For as good as Folk’s rookie season was in 2007, he had less attempts but was even more accurate in 2008, kicking 20 of 22 field goals (90.9%). Which reminds me, what the hell ever happened to Mike Vanderjagt?

2. Nate Kaeding, San Diego Chargers (86.13%)—Sure, he kicks mostly in warm weather, but Kaeding is about as automatic as they come.

3. Robbie Gould, Chicago Bears (85.94%)—If you’re hitting better than 17 out of 20 times when your home field is in the WINDY city, you’re damn good.

4. Shayne Graham, Cincinnati Bengals (85.64%)—One of the lone bright spots on a team that is perpetually going nowhere.

5. Stephen Gostkowski, New England Patriots (85.56%)—No Adam Vinatieri? No problem. This kid stepped in as a rookie in 2006 and has improved each year, hitting 36 of 40 field goal attempts last season (90%) and leading the NFL in total points (148).

6. Rob Bironas, Tennessee Titans (84.50%)—Bironas is extremely dependable, but nothing topped his 2007 All-Pro campaign, when dude kicked an NFL record 8 field goals against Houston.

7. Matt Stover, free agent (83.70%)—The amazing thing about Stover is that he’s been doing it for so long. He broke in with the Browns in 1991 and moved with the team to Baltimore in 1996, where he played until last season.

8. Phil Dawson, Cleveland Browns (82.81%)—One of the original “expansion” Browns, Dawson, like his counterpart Graham in southern Ohio, has been a bright spot on a bad team for years.

9. Jeff Reed, Pittsburgh Steelers (82.65%)—Every year they seem to talk about how hard it is to kick in Heinz Field, so the fact that Jeff Reed is even on this list says a lot about his ability. I’d love to know what the guy could do playing in Minnesota for a year.

10. John Carney, free agent (82.59%)—Carney stepped in for Lawrence Tynes last season and all he did was hit 35 of 38 field goal attempts, an amazing 92.1% clip. It’s even more amazing because Carney played half his games in windy Giants Stadium, and because he did it at the age of 44.

Source: Pro Football Reference

Two years ago, reigning Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating champion Takeru Kobayashi of Japan was injured with a jaw problem, and since he was not at 100% he let American Joey Chestnut (from San Jose) take over the yellow mustard belt. But Chestnut proved last year that the win was no fluke, beating Kobayashi in a dog-off, and today he won for the third straight year, eating a world record 68 dogs (last year’s record was 59 before the 5-dog tiebreaker). Kobayashi ate 64.5 to finish second, while Patrick Bertoletti came in third with a very respectable 55 dogs.

After announcing the rules, including the new 5-second dunking limit, and after sideline reporter Rob Stone whirred a few dogs in a blender and drank a slug of what he called a “Stoney Shake,” (ewwwwww) they announced each competitor as they do every year, as if they are the Lakers and Celtics players. Other standout competitors were Sonya Thomas, aka “The Black Widow,” who looks like she’s barely 100 pounds but holds world eating records for oysters, buffalo wings, and Vienna sausage. Another tough female competitor was Juliet Lee, who has records in Cherrystone clams and cranberry sauce. Tim “Gravy” Brown, Eric “Badlands” Booker and Tim “Eater X” Janus rounded out the top of the field.

The pace began frenetically, as the announcers said a good rate was 8 dogs per minute, but after the first minute Kobayashi held an 11-10 lead over Chestnut, and at the halfway point it was 42-40 Chestnut. With one minute left, Chestnut, who looked like he was in agony as usual (how could he not be?), was slowing down but managed to have downed 63 dogs by then, to 61 for Kobayashi.

So Chestnut, who also holds world records in funnel cake and deep-fried asparagus, broke his own hot dog record and with three straight yellow belts, is only three away from tying the number of titles held by his arch rival Kobayashi.

Yum, I bet you all now just have to go have a hot dog or sixty. Enjoy your Fourth and be safe!