We begin with a surprising story out of Florida International University.  FIU has fired head football coach Mario Cristobal.  There is a lot more to this story than just wins and losses. Mario is under contract through 2017.  Can Butch Davis be far behind?  What’s Dennis Erickson up to these days? Will it be a up and comer like Manny Diaz Jr. or James Coley?  More details to follow.

A triple double by LeBron James (26 points, 13 rebounds, and 12 assists) wasn’t enough for the Miami Heat last night as they lost to the Washington Wizards 105-101.  Miami went into the game with the best record in the NBA at 12-3 and the Wizards came in with the worst W-L mark in the league at 1-13.  Miami trailed during the entire game, played a poor defensive game, and couldn’t hit the side of a barn when shooting outside the three-point arc, finishing only 8-28 long distance.  Another factor last night were free throws.  The Wizards went to the line 29 times and hit 22 of their free throws, while Miami only attempted 16 free throws, connecting on 11.  The Heat are back home at the AAA for six straight contests, beginning tomorrow night with a critical matchup against the New York Knicks.  

IN THE NBA LAST NIGHT:  

Minnesota 105 Philadelphia 88

Alexei Shved scored 17 points and Josh Howard added 16.  Miami product JJ Barea had 11 points in the win.

Oklahoma City 117 Brooklyn 111

Kevin Durant finished with 32 points, 6 assists, and 5 rebounds.

Indiana 80         Chicago 76

Paul George had a game-high 34 points to go with 9 rebounds.

Houston 107 LA Lakers 105

Greg Smith scored 17 of his career-high 21 points in the second half to lead the Rockets to a comeback win, erasing a 13 point deficit with a little more than nine minutes left in the game.

Memphis 108 Phoenix 98 (ot)

Zach Randolph dominated on both sides of the court, connecting for 38 points and collecting 22 rebounds.  THe Grizzlies overcame a 16-point deficit.

TONIGHT IN THE NBA:

New York @ Charlotte 7:00 pm

Portland @ Indiana 7:00 pm

Minnesota @ Boston 7:30 pm

Golden State @ Detroit 7:30 pm

Denver @ Atlanta 8:00 pm ESPN

Chicago @ Cleveland 8:00 pm

LA Lakers @ New Orleans 8:00 pm

Milwaukee @ San Antonio 8:30 pm

Orlando @ Utah 9:00 pm

Toronto @ Sacramento 10:00 pm

Dallas @ LA Clippers 10:30 pm ESPN

The Marlins did what they were expected to do and traded the recently-acquired Yunel Escobar to the Tampa Bay Rays for a minor-league prospect, infielder Derek Dietrich.  Dietrich was a second-round pick by the Rays in 2010 from Georgia Tech.  The 23-year-old finished with a combined .278 average in Class A Charlotte and Double-A Montgomery, with a total of 14 homers and 75 RBI, and was considered the best power hitter in the Rays organization.  He is a shortstop, and the Marlins will probably be looking at him at 3B in the future.  Marlins president Larry Beinfest said that they would now be shopping for a 3rd baseman for 2013, and some of the names out there are Jeff Keppinger, Ian Stewart, Mark Reynolds, and Jack Hannahan.  With all due respect, none of these names create even a tingle.  The Fish have Zack Cox, who they acquired last season from the Cardinals for Edward Mujica, and will give him a look in spring training. 

Yesterday at the MLB winter meetings, the San Francisco Giants signed Marco Scutaro.  The Boston Red Sox added Shane Victorino, overpaying with a 3 year, $39 million contract.  The Texas Rangers added releiver Joakim Soria, and the Washington Nationals keep stockpiling pitching, adding Dan Haren to an already formidable starting rotation.

THIS BEARS REPEATING:  

Note to Jeffrey Loria and his minions:  Please sell the team as quickly as possible.  No player in his right mind will ever want to play here in the future, and most fans will not buy a ticket to a game as long as you are still here.  You are only going to be able to get guys that have nowhere else to go.  You have alienated players on your roster, as well as all the South Florida baseball fans.  One more thing--please do not feed us the “look at what Oakland and Baltimore did last year” story.  That comparison does not apply here.  They had young players in their farm systems that were obviously ready to contribute immediately.  Management here allowed the Marlins farm system to deteriorate to the point of being horrible until the team dismantled the major league roster and traded for these new prospects now.  All of those prospects are still a couple of years away from being ready to contribute at the major league level.

Some rumors from the baseball meetings:

The Texas Rangers and the LA Dodgers look like they’re the last two teams competing for Zach Greinke.  If the Rangers sign Greinke, they will probably back off on trying to re-sign Josh Hamilton.

A couple of blockbuster trades are being discussed, including a three-team trade and a four-team trade.

The Atlanta Braves are talking to the Toronto Blue Jays to possibly try and work out a trade for Emilio Bonifacio, who would fit in very nicely at the top of their batting order, and has the versatility to play the outfield and infield.  

The Miami Dolphins are back on the practice field today as they continue preparations for their game on Sunday in San Francisco against the 49ers.  With the Fins limping along with a 5-7 record, it might be a good time to give the young kids, especially on offense, a chance to play.  Third-round draft pick TE Michael Egnew has been inactive for all 12 games, fourth-round selection Lamar Miller has been inactive for 3 games and has only carried the ball 27 times for 145 yards.  Fifth-round pick LB has only participated in two games and has no tackles to show for it.  Seventh-round wide receiver Rishard Matthews has two catches for 47 yards this season, both of those catches coming in the last three weeks.  The rookies getting time on offense, OT Jonathan Martin and, of course, QB Ryan Tannehill, have started every game and are getting valuable experience and playing time.  DE Olivier Vernon has been solid on defense and special teams.  The playoffs are not realistic this year, so you might as well increase the playing time for these rookies.  Game time on Sunday is 4:05 pm, and it will be televised by Channel 4, CBS, here in Miami.  

The complete schedule this week in the NFL:

THURSDAY

Denver @ Oakland Oak +10.5

8:20 pm NFL Network

SUNDAY

Miami @ San Francisco SF -10

4:05 pm CBS Channel 4

Dallas @ Cincinnati Cin -3

1:00 pm

St. Louis @ Buffalo Buf -3

1:00 pm

Kansas City @ Cleveland Cle -6

1:00 pm

Tennessee @ Indianapolis Ind -5.5

1:00 pm

Chicago @ Minnesota Min +2.5

1:00 pm

Philadelphia @ Tampa Bay TB -7

1:00 pm

Baltimore @ Washington Was -1

1:00 pm

Atlanta @ Carolina Car +3.5

1:00 pm

NY Jets @ Jacksonville Jax +2.5

1:00 pm

San Diego @ Pittsburgh Pit -3

1:00 pm

Arizona @ Seattle Sea -10.5

4:25 pm

New Orleans @ NY Giants NYG -5

4:25 pm

Detroit @ Green Bay GB -7

8:20 pm NBC Channel 6

MONDAY

Houston @ New England NE -3.5

8:30 pm ESPN

If the playoffs started today,

NFC

Atlanta 11-1  NFC South

San Francisco 8-3-1         NFC West

Green Bay         8-4 NFC North

NY Giants 7-5 NFC East

Chicago 8-4 Wild Card 1

Seattle 7-5 Wild Card 2

In the hunt:  Dallas (6-6), Tampa Bay (6-6), Minnesota (6-6)

AFC

Houston 11-1 AFC South

New England 9-3 AFC East

Baltimore 9-3 AFC North

Denver 9-3 AFC West

Indianapolis 8-4 Wild Card 1

Pittsburgh 7-5 Wild Card 2

In the hunt:  Cincinnati (7-5)  

The three finalists for the 2012 Heisman Trophy have been announced.  The award will be handed out on Saturday at 8:00 pm on ESPN.  They are:

Collin Klein - QB, Kansas State - the senior accounted for 37 of his team’s 56 touchdowns this season. 

Johnny Manziel - QB, Texas A&M - the redshirt freshman with the monicker “Johnny Football” became only the fifth player in history (first freshman ever) to pass for at least 3,000 yards and run for 1,000.

Manti Te’o -  LB, Notre Dame - this senior had a team high 103 tackles, becoming the first Notre Dame player ever to lead the team in tackles three consecutive seasons.  His seven interceptions are the most ever for a Notre Dame linebacker.  

TODAY’S TRIVIA QUESTION:  Who was the last defensive player to win a Heisman Trophy?  Tell you later, alligator. 

The complete bowl schedule in college football:

Saturday, December 15

GILDAN NEW MEXICO BOWL

Nevada vs. Arizona 1:00 pm ESPN

FAMOUS IDAHO POTATO BOWL

Toledo vs #22 Utah State 4:30 pm ESPN

Thursday, December 20

SAN DIEGO COUNTY CREDIT UNION POINSETTIA BOWL

Brigham Young vs San Diego State 8:00 pm ESPN

Friday, December 21

BEEF O’BRADY BOWL ST. PETERSBURG

Central Florida vs Ball State 7:30 pm ESPN

Saturday, December 22

R+L CARRIERS NEW ORLEANS BOWL

East Carolina vs Louisiana-Lafayette 12:00 pm ESPN

MAACO BOWL LAS VEGAS

Washington vs #19 Boise State 3:30 pm ESPN

Monday, December 24

SHERATON HAWAII BOWL

Fresno State vs Southern Methodist 8:00 pm ESPN

Wednesday, December 26

LITTLE CAESARS BOWL

Western Kentucky vs Central Michigan 7:30pm ESPN

Thursday, December 27

MILITARY BOWL-PRESENTED BY NORTHROP GRUMMAN

#24 San Jose State vs Bowling Green 3:00 pm ESPN

BELK BOWL

Cincinnati vs Duke 6:30 pm ESPN

BRIDGEPOINT EDUCATION HOLIDAY BOWL

Baylor vs #17 UCLA 9:45 pm ESPN

Friday, December 28

ADVOCARE V100 INDEPENDENCE BOWL

Ohio vs Louisiana-Monroe 2:00 pm ESPN

RUSSELL ATHLETIC BOWL

Rutgers vs Virginia Tech 5:30 pm ESPN

MEINEKE CAR CARE BOWL OF TEXAS

Minnesota vs Texas Tech 9:00 pm ESPN

Saturday, December 29

BELL HELICOPTER ARMED FORCES BOWL

Rice vs Air Force 11:45 am ESPN

NEW ERA PINSTRIPE BOWL

West Virginia vs Syracuse 3:15 pm ESPN

KRAFT FIGHT HUNGER BOWL

Navy vs Arizona State 4:00 pm ESPN-2

VALERO ALAMO BOWL

#23 Texas vs #13 Oregon State 6:45 pm ESPN

BUFFALO WILD WINGS BOWL

TCU vs Michigan State 10:15 pm ESPN

Monday, December 31

FRANKLIN AMERICAN MORTGAGE MUSIC CITY BOWL

North Carolina State vs Vanderbilt 12:00 pm ESPN

HYUNDAY SUN BOWL

USC vs Georgia Tech 2:00 pm CBS Channel 4

AUTOZONE LIBERTY BOWL

Iowa State vs Tulsa 3:30 pm ESPN

CHICK-FIL-A BOWL

#8 LSU vs #14 Clemson 7:30 pm ESPN

Tuesday, January 1

TAXSLAYER.COM GATOR BOWL

Mississippi State vs #20 Northwestern 12:00 pm ESPN-2

HEART OF DALLAS BOWL

Purdue vs Oklahoma State 12:00 pm ESPN-U

CAPITAL ONE BOWL

#7 Georgia vs #16 Nebraska 1:00 pm ABC Channel 10

OUTBACK BOWL

#10 South Carolina vs #18 Michigan 1:00 pm ESPN

ROSE BOWL GAME PRESENTED BY VIZIO

Wisconsin vs #6 Stanford 5:00 pm ESPN

DISCOVER ORANGE BOWL

#15 Northern Illinois vs #12 Florida State 8:30 pm ESPN

Wednesday, January 2

ALLSTATE SUGAR BOWL

#21 Louisville vs #3 Florida 8:30 pm ESPN

Thursday, January 3

TOSTITOS FIESTA BOWL

#4 Oregon vs #5 Kansas State 8:30 pm ESPN

Friday, January 4

AT&T COTTON BOWL

#9 Texas A&M vs #11 Oklahoma 8:00 pm FOX Channel 7

Saturday, January 5

BBVA COMPASS BOWL

Pittsburgh vs Ole Miss 1:00 pm ESPN

Sunday, January 6

GODADDY.COM BOWL

#25 Kent State vs Arkansas State 9:00 pm ESPN

Monday, January 7

DISCOVER BCS NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME

#2 Alabama vs #1 Notre Dame 8:30 pm ESPN

THE ANSWER TO TODAY’S TRIVIA QUESTION:  Who was the last defensive player to win a Heisman Trophy?  Cornerback Charles Woodson from the University of Michigan won the award in 1997, and technically, he is the only defensive player ever to win the award.  Ernie Davis, who played running back for Syracuse, also played linebacker in college, won the Heisman back in 1961.  The list of winners of the Heisman Trophy is dominated by QB’s.  Since 2000, 10 quarterbacks have won the award, with the other 2 trophies going to running backs.         

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. 

The 9:25 am segment on Radio Esperanza is brought to you by the fine folks at La Lechonera Products.  The inventors of the original mojo criollo way back in 1970, also offer the BEST naranja agria (sour orange marinade) product on the market, along with the latest additions to the family - the SALSA PICANTE (hot sauces, both HOT and EXTRA HOT), SALSA DE ALITAS (Buffalo Wings Sauce) and the truly incredible SALSA PICANTE con AJO (Garlic Pepper Sauce - Sriracha).  Look for all the La Lechonera products at Publix, Winn Dixie, Sedano’s, Presidente, and GFS.  If they don’t have it where you shop, ask nicely the first time, then use whatever means necessary to make sure they start offering the complete line of products.  Go to www.lalechoneraproducts.com and LIKE them on Facebook.  Check out some great recipes!  

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