If you are a parent with kids aged 8-18, you are probably all-too-well aware of the latest meme/trend/fad, bottle flipping.Whether you are doing pick up at soccer practice, sitting on the sidelines at games or possibly just minding your own business in the house, if there is a plastic bottle nearby with, say, a quarter of its liquid still left in it, undoubtedly your kid or their friends have picked it up, held it by its top and flicked it out, attempting to flip it so that it delivers a Simone Biles-level stick-the-landing on the floor or tabletop.The issue isnt the flip itself -- the issue is the kids compulsive attempts to successfully pull off the trick. New York Times reporter Christopher Mele succinctly and accurately described the sound: Gurgle. Thud. Crunch. Paying attention to the coach at practice? Focusing on homework? Heck, even the kid-nirvana of Netflix has seemingly seen mindshare erode to the likes of Deer Park, Gatorade or Aquafina.Credit/blame high school trend-setter Michael Senatore, whose Charlotte-area talent-show bottle-flip video from a few months ago went viral and launched this frenzy:You can lose hours (and possibly your mind) on YouTube looking up bottle-flip videos, but we might have reached Peak Bottle Flip this past Saturday night at Duke basketballs annual Countdown to Craziness, where Chase Jeter stole the show:Earlier this week, my kids relayed a fascinating development: Kids at their elementary school were buying bottles of water using their lunch-money account (financed by their parents!), spilling out three-quarters of the water, then selling bottle flip-ready toys to their fellow students for 50 cents each.While I admire their entrepreneurial zeal, I cant disagree with the schools principal, who shut down the flip economy before some mesmerized first-grader started pilfering from their familys spare-change jar.Lets be clear: The practice is, in fact, incredibly annoying. The sound. The block-out-what-else-they-should-be-paying-attention-to focus. The repetition -- if you as a parent can ignore it for more than a half-dozen tries before snapping, I salute your restraint.Are there any redeeming qualities? Well, its not screen time, so theres that. Hopefully the kids have actually consumed the water down to its requisite optimal flip level, so there is a modest health attribute to it. It is inherently social, even if it quickly devolves into battling over whose turn it is to flip. And, grade-school gray-market aside, as an activity, it is far more accessible to far more kids than, say, a travel sports team. Anyone can flip -- you dont need to be a Duke basketball player to successfully compete.To that last point, Im all for taking everyday objects or environments and turning them into play, whether its flipping a water bottle or leaping over cracks in the sidewalk or taking a piece of paper and launching into a game of paper football.So is there anything to it? Ill admit I tried it for myself:OK, this isnt not fun...Dan Shanoff writes about parenting for espnW. Connect with him on Twitter at @danshanoff or follow his sports-parenting adventures on Instagram at @danshanoff.Miami Heat Gear .Y. - New Orleans forward Anthony Davis was chosen Friday to replace the injured Kobe Bryant in the NBA All-Star game that will be played in his home city. Miami Heat Pro Shop . The parade and rally were held to celebrate the Saskatchewan Roughriders 45-23 win over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Sunday in the CFLs championship game. https://www.cheapheatonline.com/797h-udonis-haslem-jersey-heat.html . It was just business as usual for the Thunder at home. Durant scored 32 points and the Thunder beat the Bulls 107-95 on Thursday night for their eighth straight win. Stitched Heat Jerseys . -- Peyton Manning will have all of his wide receivers available for the first time in a month when the Denver Broncos begin their playoff run Jan. Mario Chalmers Jersey . With his new coach and six-time Grand Slam singles champion Boris Becker watching him during an official match for the first time, Djokovic appeared tentative early against the Slovakian player, who often appeared content to keep the ball in play.BARCELONA, Spain -- Barcelona has signed Portugal midfielder Andre Gomes after securing his transfer from rival Spanish club Valencia.The Liga champions say that Gomes will sign a five-year contract.A skilled playmaker, Gomes helped Portugal win the European Championship earlier this month.Barcelona did not reveal the financial details of the transfer.The 22-year-old Gomees played for Valencia for the past two seasons after a move from Benfica, where he won the Portuguese league and cup.ddddddddddddHe is the Barcelonas fourth summer signing, following the arrivals of Denis Suarez, Samuel Umtiti and Lucas Digne. ' ' '