The Miami Heat opened their season last night with a 120-107 victory over the Boston Celtics.  Dwayne Wade led the Heat with 29 points, LeBron James had 26, and Chris Bosh contributed with 19 points.  Good night for the newcomers as well.  Ray Allen added 19 and Rashard Lewis scored 10.  LeBron left the game early with some leg cramps, but it is not expected to be a serious situation.  You know that a Heat-Celtics game is going to have some physical play, and last night was no exception.  With the game already decided in the closing seconds, Celtic guard Rajon Rondo committed a dirty, flagrant foul on Wade by grabbing him by the neck as Wade was driving to the basket.  Rondo is in midseason form adding to his reputation as a dirty player.  Next game for the Heat is on Friday, November 2nd, in New York against the Knicks and they have a quick turnaround with a game on Saturday, the 3rd, back in Miami against the Denver Nuggets.  In other games around the NBA yesterday,

Cleveland Cavaliers 94 Washington Wizards 84

Kyrie Irving led the way with 29 points for the Cavs.  Anderson Varejao pulled down 23 rebounds for Cleveland. 

Dallas Mavericks 99 LA Lakers 92

Dwight Howard’s debut with the Lakers saw him score 19 points and grab 10 rebounds before fouling out.  Howard was horrible, as usual, from the foul line, as he converted only 3 of 14 from the stripe.    

TODAY IN THE NBA

Indiana Pacers @ Toronto Raptors         7:00 pm

Denver Nuggets @ Philadelphia 76ers 7:00 pm

Houston Rockets @ Detroit Pistons         7:30 pm

Sacramento Kings @ Chicago Bulls         8:00 pm WGN

San Antonio Spurs @ New Orleans Hornets 8:00 pm NBA-TV

Dallas Mavericks @ Utah Jazz         9:00 pm

Golden State Warriors @ Phoenix Suns 10:00 pm

Memphis Grizzlies @ LA Clippers 10:30 pm

LA Lakers @ Portland Trailblazers 10:30 pm NBA-TV

  

TODAY’S TRIVIA QUESTION:  A lot of teams don’t play well the opening game of the season after winning an NBA Championship.  What did the Heat do in their opening game in 2006 after winning the NBA trophy in 2005?  Tell you later, alligator. 

The Miami Dolphins are still not certain as to the playing status of rookie QB Ryan Tannehill for Sunday’s game against the Colts in Indianapolis.  The coaches and the training staff will continue to monitor Tannehill during practice this week.  They are very confident in backup QB Matt Moore, so they feel they don’t need to rush Tannehill back before he is 100% ready to go.  A good matchup on the other side of the ball this week, as the Colts come in 9th in the league on offense, while the Fins have allowed the fewest points in the AFC.  Miami is going to have to run the ball better than they did against the Jets, when they only got 97 total yards rushing, a 2.9 yards per carry average.  The Colts are 27th in the league against the run.  Game time this Sunday is 1:00 pm, and the game will be televised by CBS, Channel 4 in Miami.

This week’s complete NFL schedule, 

THURSDAY

Kansas City Chiefs @ San Diego Chargers

SD -9.5 8:20 pm NFL Network

SUNDAY

Miami Dolphins @ Indianapolis Colts

Ind +1 1:00 pm CBS Ch. 4

Denver Broncos @ Cincinnati Bengals

Cin +3.5 1:00 pm

Baltimore Ravens @ Cleveland Browns

Cle +3.5 1:00 pm

Arizona Cardinals @ Green Bay Packers

GB -11 1:00 pm

Chicago Bears @ Tennessee Titans

Ten +3.5 1:00 pm

Carolina Panthers @ Washington Redskins

Was -3.5 1:00 pm

Detroit Lions @ Jacksonville Jaguars

Jax +3.5 1:00 pm

Buffalo Bills @ Houston Texans

Hou -10 1:00 pm

Tampa Bay Bucs @ Oakland Raiders

Oak -1 4:05 pm

Minnesota Vikings @ Seattle Seahawks

Sea -5 4:05 pm

Pittsburgh Steelers @ New York Giants

NYG -3.5 4:25 pm FOX Ch. 7

Dallas Cowboys @ Atlanta Falcons

Atl -4 8:20 pm NBC Ch. 6

MONDAY 

Philadelphia Eagles @ New Orleans Saints

NO - 3.5 8:30 pm    ESPN

Bye week for the St. Louis Rams, New England Patriots, New York Jets, and San Francisco 49ers

In college football, the University of Miami Hurricanes return to the field at Seven Names Stadium on Thursday to take on the Virginia Tech Hokies.  Game time is 8:00 pm, and you can watch the game on ESPN.  FIU travels to Mobile to take on South Alabama this saturday.  Game time is 3:30 pm, and remember to catch the game broadcast (in English) on your smartphone or on the computer at www.fiusports.com.  I will be handling the play-by-play, and Pete Pelegrin will be handling the color analysis.  In the BCS rankings, Alabama remains #1, Kansas State is #2, Notre Dame is #3, Oregon is #4, and LSU is #5.  The rest of the top ten - #6 Georgia, #7 Florida, #8 South Carolina, #9 Florida State, and #10 Louisville.  Game of the week is definitely #1 Alabama visiting #5 LSU.  

MLB handed out their gold gloves last night, and the Marlins weren’t shut out as Mark Buehrle won his fourth straight gold glove.  Of course, the first three were with the White Sox.  The other Marlins finalist, SS Jose Reyes, lost out to Jimmy Rollins of the Phillies.  The complete list of winners that included nine first-time winners:

AMERICAN LEAGUE NATIONAL LEAGUE

C Matt Wieters BAL Yadier Molina STL

1B Mark Teixeira NYY Adam LaRoche    WAS

2B Robinson Cano NYY Darwin Barney    CHC

SS JJ Hardy BAL Jimmy Rollins PHI

3B Adrian Beltre TEX Chase Headley    SD

LF Alex Gordon KC Carlos Gonzalez COL

CF Adam Jones BAL Andrew McCutchen  PIT

RF Josh Reddick OAK Jason Heyward ATL

P Jeremy Hellickson  TB Mark Buehrle MIA

Jake Peavy CWS

THE ANSWER TO TODAY’S TRIVIA QUESTION:  A lot of teams don’t play well the opening game of the season after winning an NBA Championship.  What did the Heat do in their opening game in 2006 after winning the NBA trophy in 2005?  The Heat got embarrassed by the Chicago Bulls, 108-66.  They started that 2006 season 4-8.  

Don’t miss my two “Descarga Deportiva” segments (for the Spanish-challenged, “Sports Jam Session”) every day, Monday through Friday, at 9:25 am and 12:15 pm on Radio Esperanza, 1550 AM or on the internet on www.miradioesperanza.com.  

Behave yourselves, and always remember that tomorrow will bring us a brand new day.  

The San Francisco Giants and the Detroit Tigers participated in the world series this season, a series that ended in a four game sweep by the Giants.  Unfortunately, the television ratings were the lowest in history.  I guess that’s what happens in a totally one-sided series, with no mystery or drama.  The free agent period is ready to kick off, but this is considered a bad year for free agents.  We may see a good number of trades during the winter meetings in Nashville that start on the 3rd of December.  This afternoon, the winners of the Gold Gloves will be announced. The only Marlin among the finalists is pitcher Mark Buehrle, who won three in a row in the American League before coming to Miami this past season.     

In the NFL yesterday, the San Francisco 49ers overwhelmed the Arizona Cardinals 24-3.   49er QB Alex Smith completed 18-19 passes for 232 yards and three TD’s.  Arizona has lost four games in a row after winning their first four games this season.  In this week’s picks on my radio show, I went 4-1.  I’m on a roll right now, having gone 4-1, 5-0, and 4-1 the past three weeks.  

The Miami Dolphins got relatively good news about the injury to Ryan Tannehill and head coach Joe Philbin is cautiously optimistic that the rookie will be able to play on Sunday against the Indianapolis Colts.  We will probably not hear anything further on Tannehill’s status until tomorrow.  Backup QB Matt Moore looked very good on Sunday in the 30-9 victory over the Jets, so there may be no real hurry to get Tannehill back in before he is 100% ready.  Game time this Sunday at Indianapolis against the much improved Colts is 1:00 pm, and the game will be televised by CBS, Channel 4 in Miami.

With the NFL season at the halfway point, it is now time to start watching out for the Atlanta Falcons, the only unbeaten team left in the league.  The Falcons are running on all cylinders so far, and are excellent on both sides of the ball.  They are fifth in the league in points allowed, giving up only 18 per game, and seventh in points scored, scoring almost 29 points per contest.  The Falcons host the Dallas Cowboys this Sunday night, and then they travel to New Orleans to take on the Saints the following Sunday.  Both of those teams are underperforming this season, so they may be out to prove something and turn around their seasons.  Methinks that the Falcons’ first loss will come in New Orleans.   

This week’s complete NFL schedule, 

THURSDAY

Kansas City Chiefs @ San Diego Chargers

SD -9.5 8:20 pm NFL Network

SUNDAY

Miami Dolphins @ Indianapolis Colts

Ind +1 1:00 pm CBS Ch. 4

Denver Broncos @ Cincinnati Bengals

Cin +3.5 1:00 pm

Baltimore Ravens @ Cleveland Browns

Cle +3.5 1:00 pm

Arizona Cardinals @ Green Bay Packers

GB -10 1:00 pm

Chicago Bears @ Tennessee Titans

Ten +3.5 1:00 pm

Carolina Panthers @ Washington Redskins

Was -3.5 1:00 pm

Detroit Lions @ Jacksonville Jaguars

Jax +3.5 1:00 pm

Buffalo Bills @ Houston Texans

Hou -10 1:00 pm

Tampa Bay Bucs @ Oakland Raiders

Oak -1 4:05 pm

Minnesota Vikings @ Seattle Seahawks

Sea -5 4:05 pm

Pittsburgh Steelers @ New York Giants

NYG -3.5 4:25 pm FOX Ch. 7

Dallas Cowboys @ Atlanta Falcons

Atl -4.5 8:20 pm NBC Ch. 6

MONDAY 

Philadelphia Eagles @ New Orleans Saints

NO - 3.5 8:30 pm    ESPN

Bye week for the St. Louis Rams, New England Patriots, New York Jets, and San Francisco 49ers

TODAY’S TRIVIA QUESTION:  Mark Buehrle is the only Marlin to be named a finalist for this year’s Gold Glove awards.  Who are the only Marlins to win gold glove awards? Tell you later, alligator. 

In college football, FIU again found a way to snatch victory from the jaws of victory, falling to Western Kentucky, 14-6.  A couple of untimely mistakes did them in.  This week, the Panthers travel to Mobile to take on South Alabama.  Game time on saturday is 3:30 pm, and remember to catch the game broadcast (in English) on your smartphone or on the computer at www.fiusports.com.  I will be handling the play-by-play, and Pete Pelegrin will be handling the color analysis.  The University of Miami Hurricanes had the week off, but return to the field at Seven Names Stadium on Thursday to take on the Virginia Tech Hokies.  Game time is 8:00 pm, and you can watch the game on ESPN.  A change at the top of the BCS rankings, as #2 Florida lost to Georgia.  Alabama remains #1, Kansas State is the new #2, Notre Dame is #3, Oregon is #4, and LSU is #5.  The rest of the top ten - #6 Georgia, #7 Florida, #8 South Carolina, #9 Florida State, and #10 Louisville.  

The Miami Heat open their regular season to defend their NBA Championship tomorrow at 8:00 pm at the AAA against the Boston Celtics.  You can watch the game on TNT on your cable or satellite system.  The rest of the games on Tuesday,

Washington Wizards @ Cleveland Cavaliers 7:00 pm

Dallas Mavericks @ Los Angeles Lakers 10:30 pm TNT

THE ANSWER TO TODAY’S TRIVIA QUESTION:  Mark Buehrle is the only Marlin to be named a finalist for this year’s Gold Glove awards.  Who are the only Marlins to win gold glove awards?  Charles Johnson won three, 1995-1997; Luis Castillo also won three, 2003-2005, Derrek Lee won in 2003, and Mike Lowell took home the hardware in 2005.

Don’t miss my two “Descarga Deportiva” segments (for the Spanish-challenged, “Sports Jam Session”) every day, Monday through Friday, at 9:25 am and 12:15 pm on Radio Esperanza, 1550 AM or on the internet on www.miradioesperanza.com.  

Behave yourselves, and always remember that tomorrow will bring us a brand new day.  

The San Francisco Giants captured their second World Series title in three years, sweeping the Detroit Tigers in four game.  Last night, they needed ten innings to win 4-3.  Marco Scutaro singled in the deciding run in to close out what turned out to be a totally one-sided series.  No mystery, no drama, no doubt.  The Tigers, who were the overwhelming favorites, were bullied into submission by the Giants.  They managed to hit only .159 as a team, and that is just not going to cut it.  Baseball is a cruel game, but it is a simple one.  Good pitching, good fielding, and timely hitting wins all the time.  Congrats to Kung Fu Panda, Pablo Sandoval, who was named the MVP of the series.  Bruce Bochy is as good as they come as a manager.  He manages people better than most managers.  He benched Sandoval two years ago, left Barry Zito off the roster two years ago, and look at the contributions they made.  He took Tim Lincecum out of the starting rotation and he was outstanding coming out of the bullpen.  Their GM Brian Sabean gave him the players he needed and you don't ever hear a peep out of ownership. Lessons for the Marlins to learn from.  Now it is time to wait for the yearly awards, the managerial changes, and the hot stove.   

TODAY’S TRIVIA QUESTION:  The Tigers’ .159 team batting average in the series was the third worst hitting performance by a team in WS history.  Who were the two worst?  Tell you later, alligator. 

In the NFL yesterday, the Miami Dolphins beat the New York Jets in all phases of the game, beating their rivals 30-9.  Backup quarterback Matt Moore came off the bench, replacing injured QB Ryan Tannehill and threw a TD pass to Anthony Fasano.  Tht extent of Tannehill’s injury will be determined today after an MRI, but it looks like he escaped serious injury.  Next game for the Dolphins is next sunday at Indianapolis against the much improved Indianapolis Colts.  In the rest of the NFL yesterday,

Chicago Bears 23 Carolina Panthers 22

Cleveland Browns 7 San Diego Chargers 6

Detroit Lions 28 Seattle Seahawks 24

Green Bay Packers 24 Jacksonville Jaguars 15

Indianapolis Colts 19 Tennessee Titans 13  (OT)

New England Patriots 45 St. Louis Rams 7

Atlanta Falcons 30 Philadelphia Eagles 17

Pittsburgh Steelers 27 Washington Redskins 12

Oakland Raiders 26 Kansas City 16

NY Giants 29 Dallas Cowboys 24

Denver Broncos 34 New Orleans Saints 14

Tonight, 

San Francisco 49ers @ Arizona Cardinals Ari +7 8:30 pm     ESPN

Bye week for the Buffalo Bills, Cincinnati Bengals, Baltimore Ravens, & Houston Texans

In college football, FIU again found a way to snatch victory from the jaws of victory, falling to Western Kentucky, 14-6.  A couple of untimely mistakes did them in.  This week, the Panthers travel to Mobile to take on South Alabama.  Game time on saturday is 3:30 pm, and remember to catch the game broadcast (in English) on your smartphone or on the computer atwww.fiusports.com.  I will be handling the play-by-play, and Pete Pelegrin will be handling the color analysis.  The University of Miami Hurricanes had the week off, but return to the field at Seven Names Stadium on Thursday to take on the Virginia Tech Hokies.  Game time is 8:00 pm, and you can watch the game on ESPN.  A change at the top of the BCS rankings, as #2 Florida lost to Georgia.  Alabama remains #1, Kansas State is the new #2, Notre Dame is #3, Oregon is #4, and LSU is #5.  The rest of the top ten - #6 Georgia, #7 Florida, #8 South Carolina, #9 Florida State, and #10 Louisville.  

The Miami Heat open their regular season to defend their NBA Championship tomorrow at 8:00 pm at the AAA against the Boston Celtics.  You can watch the game on TNT on your cable or satellite system.  The rest of the games on Tuesday,

Washington Wizards @ Cleveland Cavaliers 7:00 pm

Dallas Mavericks @ Los Angeles Lakers 10:30 pm TNT

THE ANSWER TO TODAY’S TRIVIA QUESTION:  The Tigers’ .159 team batting average in the series was the third worst performance in WS history.  The 1966 Dodgers hit .142 against the Orioles, and the 1969 Orioles hit only .146 against the Mets. 

Don’t miss my two “Descarga Deportiva” segments (for the Spanish-challenged, “Sports Jam Session”) every day, Monday through Friday, at 9:25 am and 12:15 pm on Radio Esperanza, 1550 AM or on the internet on www.miradioesperanza.com.  

Behave yourselves, and always remember that tomorrow will bring us a brand new day.  

The San Francisco Giants captured their second World Series title in three years, sweeping the Detroit Tigers in four game.  Last night, they needed ten innings to win 4-3.  Marco Scutaro singled in the deciding run in to close out what turned out to be a totally one-sided series.  No mystery, no drama, no doubt.  The Tigers, who were the overwhelming favorites, were bullied into submission by the Giants.  They managed to hit only .159 as a team, and that is just not going to cut it.  Baseball is a cruel game, but it is a simple one.  Good pitching, good fielding, and timely hitting wins all the time.  Congrats to Kung Fu Panda, Pablo Sandoval, who was named the MVP of the series.  Bruce Bochy is as good as they come as a manager.  He manages people better than most managers.  He benched Sandoval two years ago, left Barry Zito off the roster two years ago, and look at the contributions they made.  He took Tim Lincecum out of the starting rotation and he was outstanding coming out of the bullpen.  Their GM Brian Sabean gave him the players he needed and you don't ever hear a peep out of ownership. Lessons for the Marlins to learn from.  Now it is time to wait for the yearly awards, the managerial changes, and the hot stove.   

TODAY’S TRIVIA QUESTION:  The Tigers’ .159 team batting average in the series was the third worst hitting performance by a team in WS history.  Who were the two worst?  Tell you later, alligator. 

In the NFL yesterday, the Miami Dolphins beat the New York Jets in all phases of the game, beating their rivals 30-9.  Backup quarterback Matt Moore came off the bench, replacing injured QB Ryan Tannehill and threw a TD pass to Anthony Fasano.  Tht extent of Tannehill’s injury will be determined today after an MRI, but it looks like he escaped serious injury.  Next game for the Dolphins is next sunday at Indianapolis against the much improved Indianapolis Colts.  In the rest of the NFL yesterday,

Chicago Bears 23 Carolina Panthers 22

Cleveland Browns 7 San Diego Chargers 6

Detroit Lions 28 Seattle Seahawks 24

Green Bay Packers 24 Jacksonville Jaguars 15

Indianapolis Colts 19 Tennessee Titans 13  (OT)

New England Patriots 45 St. Louis Rams 7

Atlanta Falcons 30 Philadelphia Eagles 17

Pittsburgh Steelers 27 Washington Redskins 12

Oakland Raiders 26 Kansas City 16

NY Giants 29 Dallas Cowboys 24

Denver Broncos 34 New Orleans Saints 14

Tonight, 

San Francisco 49ers @ Arizona Cardinals Ari +7 8:30 pm    ESPN

Bye week for the Buffalo Bills, Cincinnati Bengals, Baltimore Ravens, & Houston Texans

In college football, FIU again found a way to snatch victory from the jaws of victory, falling to Western Kentucky, 14-6.  A couple of untimely mistakes did them in.  This week, the Panthers travel to Mobile to take on South Alabama.  Game time on saturday is 3:30 pm, and remember to catch the game broadcast (in English) on your smartphone or on the computer at www.fiusports.com.  I will be handling the play-by-play, and Pete Pelegrin will be handling the color analysis.  The University of Miami Hurricanes had the week off, but return to the field at Seven Names Stadium on Thursday to take on the Virginia Tech Hokies.  Game time is 8:00 pm, and you can watch the game on ESPN.  A change at the top of the BCS rankings, as #2 Florida lost to Georgia.  Alabama remains #1, Kansas State is the new #2, Notre Dame is #3, Oregon is #4, and LSU is #5.  The rest of the top ten - #6 Georgia, #7 Florida, #8 South Carolina, #9 Florida State, and #10 Louisville.  

The Miami Heat open their regular season to defend their NBA Championship tomorrow at 8:00 pm at the AAA against the Boston Celtics.  You can watch the game on TNT on your cable or satellite system.  The rest of the games on Tuesday,

Washington Wizards @ Cleveland Cavaliers 7:00 pm

Dallas Mavericks @ Los Angeles Lakers 10:30 pm TNT

THE ANSWER TO TODAY’S TRIVIA QUESTION:  The Tigers’ .159 team batting average in the series was the third worst performance in WS history.  The 1966 Dodgers hit .142 against the Orioles, and the 1969 Orioles hit only .146 against the Mets. 

Don’t miss my two “Descarga Deportiva” segments (for the Spanish-challenged, “Sports Jam Session”) every day, Monday through Friday, at 9:25 am and 12:15 pm on Radio Esperanza, 1550 AM or on the internet on www.miradioesperanza.com.  

Behave yourselves, and always remember that tomorrow will bring us a brand new day.  

The San Francisco Giants are off and running in the 2012 World Series, beating the Detroit Tigers last night in game two of the series, 2-0.  Madison Bumgarner threw seven shutout innings while Hunter Pence scored a run and drove in the other one.  The series now moves to Detroit for the next three games, with the Giants ahead two games to none.  On Saturday, Anibal Sanchez will start for the Tigers, and Ryan Vogelsong will toe the rubber for the Giants.  On Sunday, Max Scherzer will take the mound for Detroit against Matt Cain.  Can Detroit do what the Giants have been doing this entire postseason?  

Nothing new for now on the Marlins search for a new manager, but one of the “hot” candidates out there, San Diego special assistant Brad Ausmus, told the team he is not interested in working for the Marlins.  Gee, I wonder why?  Seems odd that a guy that is that wanted would even refuse to join the interview process.  Mike Redmond is the popular choice among the media and former Marlins players who know Redmond from his playing days here in Miami.  Among the former Marlins to endorse Redmond is Mike Lowell, who isn’t interested in getting back to a 162 game season so soon after retiring as an active player.  The thing I remember most about Redmond is how he killed left-handed pitchers, especially future Hall-of-Famer Tom Glavine.   Apparently, Reds pitching coach Bryan Price and Diamondbacks special assistant Luis Gonzalez (my personal choice) are still out there, but let’s remember anything is possible when Jeffrey Loria is the guy leading the search.  At least, we still have a beautiful baseball park.    

TODAY’S TRIVIA QUESTION:  The Giants are the ninth team since 1997 to take a 2-0 lead in the world series.  How many of the other eight teams to take 2-0 leads went on to win the series?  Who was the last team to win after falling behind 2 games to none?Tell you later, alligator. 

The Miami Dolphins go on the road this sunday against the New York Jets.  Rex Ryan is again creating controversy, talking his usual trash.  This one should be fun.  The Fins find themselves in second place in the AFC East with a 3-3 record, behind the New England Patriots, who lead the division with a 4-3 record.  The Jets and Bills are 3-4.  

Game time on Sunday is 1:00 pm, and you can watch the game on Channel 4, CBS in Miami.  In the NFL this week,

THURSDAY

Tampa Bay @ Minnesota Minn - 6.5 8:20 pm  NFL Network

SUNDAY

Miami @ New York Jets NY -1 1:00 pm CBS Ch. 4

Carolina @ Chicago Chi -9 1:00 pm

San Diego @ Cleveland Cle +1 1:00 pm

Seattle @ Detroit Det -1 1:00 pm

Jacsonville @ Green Bay GB -13 1:00 pm

Indianapolis @ Tennessee Ten -3.5 1:00 pm

New England @ St. Louis StL +7 1:00 pm

Atlanta @ Philadelphia Phi -1 1:00 pm

Washington @ Pittsburgh Pit -5 1:00 pm

Oakland @ Kansas City KC -1 4:05 pm

New York Giants @ Dallas Dal +1 4:25 pm

New Orleans @ Denver Den -6 8:20 pm NBC Ch. 6

MONDAY

San Francisco @ Arizona Ari + 6.5 8:30 pm ESPN

Bye Week for Buffalo, Cincinnati, Baltimore, and Houston.

In college football, FIU hosts Western Kentucky this saturday at 6:00 pm.  Good time for FIU to turn it around against a very good Hilltopper team.  I invite you to catch game broadcast (in English) on your smartphone or on the computer at www.fiusports.com.  I will be handling the play-by-play, and Pete Pelegrin will be handling the color analysis.

The University of Miami Hurricanes are off until Thursday, November 1st, when the Hokies of Virginia Tech visit the Seven-Names Stadium.  PLENTY of good seats are still available, and you can watch the game on ESPN.  In the BCS ratings, Alabama is #1, followed by Florida at #2, Kansas State #3, Oregon is fourth, and Notre Dame is fifth.  LSU, Oregon State, Oklahoma, USC, and Georgia round out the top ten.  Florida State is #12.  

The Miami Heat take on the New Orleans Hornets tonight at the AAA to mercifully close out the exhibition season.  The first game that counts will be next Tuesday, October 30th, when the Heat welcome the Boston Celtics to the American Airlines Arena.  

THE ANSWER TO TODAY’S TRIVIA QUESTION:  The Giants are the ninth team since 1997 to take a 2-0 lead in the world series.  How many of the other eight teams to take 2-0 leads went on to win the series?  Who was the last team to win after falling behind 2 games to none?  The last eight teams to take a 2-0 lead in the World Series all went on to win the series.  The last team to win a world series after falling behind 2 games to none were the 1996 Yankees.        

Don’t miss my two “Descarga Deportiva” segments (for the Spanish-challenged, “Sports Jam Session”) every day, Monday through Friday, at 9:25 am and 12:15 pm on Radio Esperanza, 1550 AM or on the internet on www.miradioesperanza.com.  

Behave yourselves, and always remember that tomorrow will bring us a brand new day.  HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND!

The World Series got under way last night, and, of course, the unexpected happened.  Pablo Sandoval, the Giants third baseman who resembles Kung Fu Panda, homered three times to lead San Francisco to the game one victory, 8-3 over Detroit.  You just never know.  Sandoval was benched in the 2010 world series because of lack of production, and Barry Zito, the starting pitcher last night, was kept off the world series roster two years ago.  Zito shut out the Tigers until Miguel Cabrera had an RBI single in the sixth inning.  The Giants have now won 14 consecutive Zito starts.  Tigers starter Justin Verlander didn’t have it last night, giving up 5 runs and 6 hits in four ineffective innings.

Game 2 is tonight, again starting at 8:00 pm and will be televised by FOX, Channel 7 in Miami.  Madison Bumgarner will toe the rubber for the Giants, Doug Fister will start for the Tigers.      

The Marlins interviewed former catcher Mike Redmond yesterday, and he is now considered the front-runner to take over as Marlins manager.  Other candidates that have supposedly moved to the top of the wish list include Padres special assistant Brad Ausmus, Reds pitching coach Bryan Price, and Diamondbacks special assistant Luis Gonzalez (Gonzo would be my choice, but I would welcome new blood like Ausmus or Redmond.)  Like I told you yesterday, this is the most important decision this ownership group is going to have to make until they decide to sell the team.  This franchise needs a stable, calming influence in the clubhouse.  A manager that reacts to a difficult loss the same way he reacts to a victory.  They cannot blow this one.  

The team also fired bench coach Joey Cora and pitching coach Randy St. Claire.   

At least, we still have a beautiful baseball park.    

TODAY’S TRIVIA QUESTION:  Pablo Sandoval joined a very exclusive list of players that have hit  three home runs in a World Series game.  Who are other three?  Tell you later, alligator. 

The Miami Dolphins go on the road this sunday against the New York Jets.  Rex Ryan is again creating controversy, talking his usual trash.  This one should be fun.  The Fins find themselves in second place in the AFC East with a 3-3 record, behind the New England Patriots, who lead the division with a 4-3 record.  The Jets and Bills are 3-4.  

Game time on Sunday is 1:00 pm, and you can watch the game on Channel 4, CBS in Miami.  In the NFL this week,

THURSDAY

Tampa Bay @ Minnesota Minn - 6.5 8:20 pm  NFL Network

SUNDAY

Miami @ New York Jets NY -1 1:00 pm CBS Ch. 4

Carolina @ Chicago Chi -9 1:00 pm

San Diego @ Cleveland Cle +1 1:00 pm

Seattle @ Detroit Det -1 1:00 pm

Jacsonville @ Green Bay GB -13 1:00 pm

Indianapolis @ Tennessee Ten -3.5 1:00 pm

New England @ St. Louis StL +7 1:00 pm

Atlanta @ Philadelphia Phi -1 1:00 pm

Washington @ Pittsburgh Pit -5 1:00 pm

Oakland @ Kansas City KC -1 4:05 pm

New York Giants @ Dallas Dal +1 4:25 pm

New Orleans @ Denver Den -6 8:20 pm NBC Ch. 6

MONDAY

San Francisco @ Arizona Ari + 6.5 8:30 pm ESPN

Bye Week for Buffalo, Cincinnati, Baltimore, and Houston.

In college football, FIU hosts Western Kentucky this saturday at 6:00 pm.  Good time for FIU to turn it around against a very good Hilltopper team.  I invite you to catch game broadcast (in English) on your smartphone or on the computer at www.fiusports.com.  I will be handling the play-by-play, and Pete Pelegrin will be handling the color analysis.

The University of Miami Hurricanes are off until Thursday, November 1st, when the Hokies of Virginia Tech visit the Seven-Names Stadium.  PLENTY of good seats are still available, and you can watch the game on ESPN.  In the BCS ratings, Alabama is #1, followed by Florida at #2, Kansas State #3, Oregon is fourth, and Notre Dame is fifth.  LSU, Oregon State, Oklahoma, USC, and Georgia round out the top ten.  Florida State is #12.  

In Kansas City, the Miami Heat lost to the Washington Wizards last night, 101-94.  Dwayne Wade scored 23 points, Chris Bosh added 18, and LeBron James had 13.  The Heat return home to the AAA to take on the New Orleans Hornets tomorrow night as the exhibition season mercifully comes to a close.  The team opens the regular season on Tuesday, October 30th, against the Boston Celtics.  

THE ANSWER TO TODAY’S TRIVIA QUESTION:  Pablo Sandoval joined a very exclusive list of players that have hit  three home runs in a World Series game.  Who are other three?  Babe Ruth did it twice, in 1926 and 1928.  Reggie Jackson connected long distance three times against the Dodgers in 1977, and Alberto Pujols did it last year for the Cardinals against the Texas Rangers.         

Don’t miss my two “Descarga Deportiva” segments (for the Spanish-challenged, “Sports Jam Session”) every day, Monday through Friday, at 9:25 am and 12:15 pm on Radio Esperanza, 1550 AM or on the internet on www.miradioesperanza.com.  

Behave yourselves, and always remember that tomorrow will bring us a brand new day.