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Army-Navy Game: A Tradition Like No Other; WNBA Star Brittney Griner Freed From Russia In Prisoner Swap. Aired 4-4:10a ET
Aired December 09, 2022 - 04:00:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
COY WIRE, CNN 10 ANCHOR: Hello, lovely people, and welcome to the city of Brotherly Love, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, my home state.
I`m standing in front of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and you may recognize those steps, the iconic rocky steps. We`re here for one of the
greatest rivalries in all of sports. Tomorrow at 3:00 p.m. Eastern, it`s the 123rd edition of the Army-Navy football game and it`s so much more than
a game.
Dating back to 1890, the traditions, pageantry, passion and respect make the Army-Navy game the greatest rivalry in American sports. The game is so
big, 10 sitting U.S. presidents have attended, from Theodore Roosevelt in 1901, to Donald Trump two years ago. It is humbling to watch this rivalry.
It`s said that this is a game where everyone playing is willing to die for everyone watching. That`s powerful stuff. This is America`s game.
If only all of us could have the perspective of these individuals representing the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, and the U.S.
Military Academy in West Point, New York. They stand their ground against the opposing side, but afterwards, they walk across the field and embrace
each other as brothers and sisters because they never forget that in the end, they`re all on the same team.
But don`t get me wrong they play hard for bragging rights that`ll last a lifetime. Navy leads the series 62-53-7 all time and to paraphrase the 34th
president of the United States Dwight Eisenhower, the Army and Navy are the best of friends 364-1/2 days out of the year. But on this one Saturday
afternoon, they are the worst of enemies.
The rivalry is also loaded with traditions, like when Army West Point`s marathon team runs the ball about 150 miles through the night and through
the elements, from West Point to Philly. There`s also a flyover before the game during the national anthem, and there isn`t a dry eye in the stadium.
Later on in the show, I`ll tell you about some of the fun pranks associated with the rivalry.
But first let`s take a look at some of the headlines of today.
WNBA star Brittney Griner was released from a Russian prison yesterday. In February, she was arrested on drug smuggling charges when traveling through
the Moscow airport. In August, she was sentenced to nine years in a Russian prison. Griner`s release on Thursday was part of a prisoner swap between
Russia and the United States.
A convicted Russian arms dealer Victor Bout was released from a U.S. prison. He was previously sentenced to 25 years on charges of conspiring to
kill Americans and providing weapons to terrorist organizations. The swap did not include another American that the state department has declared
wrongfully detained, Paul Whalen.
Here`s what President Biden had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We never forgot about Brittney. We`ve not forgotten about Paul Whelan who`s been unjustly detained in
Russia for years. This was not a choice of which American to bring home.
We brought home Trevor Reed when we had a chance early this year. Sadly, for totally illegitimate reasons, Russia is treating Paul`s case
differently than Brittney`s. And while we have not yet succeeded in securing Paul`s release, we are not giving up. We will never give up.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WIRE: Next up, scientists say they have now confirmed why we get more colds in the wintertime, and they say it`s a major breakthrough. According
to a recent study, it turns out that the cold air damages the immune response occurring in our noses. When we`re exposed to cold air the
temperature in our nose can drop by as much as 9 degrees Fahrenheit and that kills nearly percent of the billions of virus and bacteria fighting
cells in our nostrils. It`s enough to essentially knock out all of the immune advantages that our nose has to offer. More research is needed to
understand how this research could be used to prevent illness in the future.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WIRE: Ten-second trivia:
Which of these prehistoric animals was a marine reptile?
Allosaurus, Plesiosaur, Diplodocus or ankylosaurus?
While the others on this list were all land dinosaurs, the plesiosaur was a marine reptile and an intact skeleton of one was just discovered in
Australia.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SUBTITLE: This 100-million-year-old intact plesiosaur skeleton was discovered in Queensland, Australia.
Amateur paleontologists known as the "Rock Chicks" uncovered the remains of the 19-foot-tall reptile in August.
Researchers say the finding may provide vital clues about prehistoric life.
DR. ESPEN KNUTSEN, SENIOR CURATOR OF PALEONTOLOGY, QUEENSLAND MUSEUM: So, usually, what we find is that when we`re digging these things out of the
ground is that we`ll find bits of the body, no head, and very, very rarely, we`ll find just ahead, but unfortunately with no body attached. So the fact
that this guy had both allows us to close that gap where they have this overlap between the body and the head that will unravel a lot of the
species diversity, of how many species of these long neck pieces also swimming around here in this outback ocean 100 million years ago.
SUBTITLE: Plesiosaurs are not classified as dinosaurs as they did not have gills and had to surface to breathe.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WIRE: Okay. Now to those pranks I was telling you about. As I mentioned at the top of the show, there`s so much tradition associated with the Army-
Navy game but some of it is all in good fun.
Exhibit A, this year, Navy flew over the Army`s campus and dropped a bunch of ping pong balls that said, go Navy, beat Army.
But every year, the Navy has to protect their beloved mascots, their goats, because the Army tries to steal them. A while back I got to interview the
goats and their protectors.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WIRE: Preparations for the Army-Navy game can be intense. You have the game plan, the playbooks and the practices. But perhaps one of the most
important facets of pre-game preparations here in Annapolis has nothing to do with the players, but rather mascots, goats, and more specifically
protecting the goats.
Can you tell us where you keep the goats?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I can`t tell you that..
WIRE: We won`t tell anyone.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, afraid I can`t do that.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We don`t want Army to come and steal it, like we know they`re not capable of doing it, but just for a precaution measures.
WIRE: So, we`re talking maybe confidential, secret or the location of the goats.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Above top secret. So, we`re -- this is a whole separate classification.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They`re kept at a pretty secure location though. They have a guard dog.
WIRE: So, there is a guard dog?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There is, and he is massive and scary.
WIRE: You think if I ask a goat, maybe they would tell me where they`re kept.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You could definitely try but they`ve been briefed heavily, and let`s just say they probably won`t give you anything either.
WIRE: Can you tell us where your hideout is? Are you aware of the Army`s hype video that they released? It alludes to an elaborate plot to steal the
goats this year.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Confirm the role of Billy the Goat is the head of Navy spirit group.
WIRE: Does it make you nervous?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It does not. I`ve seen our security measures and especially the dog once again is I don`t think anyone could get past him.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We feel the goods are pretty secure, and not many people know their location, and even if they did, they`d have a hard time
stealing them.
UNIDENTIFIED MALES: Fear the goats, beat the Army.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WIRE: All right. For today`s 10 out of 10, the Oxford Dictionary just announced their word of the year. Drum roll, please. It`s -- wait, what?
The word is goblin mode, technically two words.
It`s a slang term that became popular during the pandemic, and it means someone that is unapologetically self-indulgent and loves being lazy. This
way of life rejects all social expectations. Yeah. I know, we`re not talking about anyone in this group, right? Yeah, sure.
All right. We are going to switch from goblin mode to beast mode. All right, being that we`re at one of the most popular tourist destinations in
all of Philadelphia, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, you know I had to take you on a run with me up the iconic Rocky steps from the 1976 film "Rocky".
Thousands of people flock to these steps every year to mimic one of the most famous movie scenes in the world. Rocky Balboa finishing a morning run
at the top of these steps, a symbol for all the underdogs out there.
Now, we`re going to give a special shout out to New Hope Middle School in Columbus, Mississippi. Rise up.
And for all of you underdogs out there, keep working everyone every single day. Keep believing in yourself, so that you can make your dreams come
true, too.
I`m Coy Wire. This is CNN 10. Yo, Adrian!
END
