Daily Buzz: Did a lucky penny help US snowboarder Anderson win gold?

Published Feb. 11, 2014 6:35 p.m. ET

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Sam Gardner

American snowboarder Jamie Anderson won the gold medal in the inaugural Olympic slopestyle competition Sunday in Sochi, and she may have a little bit of copper — or copper-plated zinc, anyway — to thank for it.

On Tuesday, Anderson, who beat out Enni Rukajarvi of Finland with a 95.25 in her final run after landing two 720s, posted a note to Twitter that she had received from a young fan. In addition to the kind words, the letter also included a penny, to be used for good luck.

The letter reads:

Dear Jamie Anderson,

I’m so proud you made the Olyimpic [sic] team! I’ve been reading about you and you are really amazing! I learned that you like biking. I like biking, too. I hope you go high and do lots of tricks and do a really good job and do a nice job on the usa team. You are really good at Slopestyle Snowboarding. Rub the penny to get good luck.

Anderson won’t be competing in the ladies’ halfpipe event, which begins Wednesday, but she might still want to hold onto that penny going forward, as it seems to be working.

Now, for some links:

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• Johnny Manziel reportedly won’t throw for scouts at Texas A&M pro day, but will hold a separate workout later next month.

• Here’s what it looks like to ski the downhill course in Sochi:

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• DeMaurice Smith slammed anonymous NFL executives who criticized Michael Sam.

• The poor Houston Astros can’t catch a break:

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• According to a report by TideSports.com, an Auburn, Ala., football recruit says he is getting harassed by fans for picking Alabama over Auburn.

• South Carolina's Steve Spurrier, 69, is proving age is just a number with his work on the recruiting trail.

• The train delays for fans at the Super Bowl were reportedly a partial result of purchased parking passes and charter bus permits that went unused.

• This video of Aussie football players being hypnotized almost seems too good to be real:

• Apparently bored with winning every basketball game, Syracuse basketball gives curling a try:

• Joel Quenneville’s three-year-old colt is primed for a Kentucky Derby run.

• Kansas State is trolling Kansas with a new shirt in the team athletic store.

• Ben Wallace's SUV was reportedly involved in a hit-and-run in Virginia.

• Say hello to Alexey Shved:

• Gio Gonzalez went fishing and reeled in this bad boy:

• Ben Roethlisberger’s foundation will be providing Pittsburgh police with a new dog in honor of canine Rocco, who was killed in the line of duty in January.

• NCAA football attendance topped 50 million in 2013.

• Canadian Olympians have their own beer fridge that can only be opened with a passport:

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