Later in this blog: my fearless predictions for 2013. I hope you have a sense of humor, and are able to take some of them with a grain of salt, but you may want to print this for future reference or at least write them down.
Ron Turner will be introduced today as the third head football coach at FIU. Turner returns to the college game for the first time since 2004, when he was fired by Illinois. His best season with the Illini was 2001, when the team had a 10-2 record, losing to LSU in the Sugar Bowl. His overall college coaching record, which includes a one-year stint at San Jose State, is 42-61. He is highly regarded as an offensive coach, and had good success in the NFL as an offensive coordinator, mostly with the Chicago Bears, where he made mediocre QB’s like Erik Kramer, Kyle Orton, and Rex Grossman look good. Last year, he was the QB coach with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, working under Greg Schiano. The 59-year-old Turner’s brother is Norv Turner, who was recently let go by the San Diego Chargers.
In case you’re still wondering, regardless of all the denials, I’m still sticking to my previous post that Butch Davis was the guy they wanted to hire, but were unable to work out money issues, specifically with money still due Davis from his prior employer, UNC. FIU AD Pete Garcia told the Associated Press that he consulted with various coaches, including Schiano, Indianapolis Colts head coach Chuck Pagano, and Davis, who all recommended Turner for the job and told him (Garcia) that “Turner was the guy we had to get”.
To close out this FIU head coaching situation from my end, I still do not believe that the decision to fire Mario Cristobal was the correct decision, nor was it handled properly. His dismissal, as well as the way the assistant coaches were handled, was definitely not the university’s best moment. Coach Cristobal took over a football program that was in shambles and led them to bowl games in 2010 and 2011, even winning the Sun Belt Championship. This football program was headed in the right direction, and the 3-9 record in 2012 was mainly due to injuries, something that probably should have been considered before he was let go, especially after Mario had turned down a couple of job opportunities to be a head coach elsewhere the last two years.
I wish the best of luck to Coach Turner and FIU going forward. With all the economic restraints that are a part of life at FIU, and whether Turner was their first choice or not, in the end, Pete Garcia was able to bring in a head coach with head-coaching experience at the college level and one with success as a coordinator in the NFL. Let’s hope that this change leads to bigger and better things for FIU.
The Miami Heat hit the court again tonight when they host the Chicago Bulls at the AAA. LeBron James was held out of practice yesterday because of a knee contusion, but is expected be ready to play his usual 39-40 minutes or so tonight. On Sunday, the Washington Wizards visit the AAA.
In the NBA yesterday,
New York 100 San Antonio 83
Carmelo Anthony led the Knicks with 23 points. The Spur’s seven-game winning streak is over.
Minnesota 101 Denver 97
Jose Juan Barea led six Minnesota players in double figures with 17 points.
TONIGHT IN THE NBA:
Chicago @ Miami 8:00 pm ESPN, Sun Sports
Sacramento @ Toronto 7:00 pm
Brooklyn @ Washington 7:00 pm
Cleveland @ Charlotte 7:00 pm
Atlanta @ Detroit 7:30 pm
Indiana @ Boston 8:00 pm
Portland @ Memphis 8:00 pm
Philadelphia @ Oklahoma City 8:00 pm
Houston @ Milwaukee 8:30 pm
Utah @ Phoenix 9:00 pm
LA Lakers @ LA Clippers 10:30 pm ESPN
We’ll continue to show the list of casualties in the NFL until replacements are final:
Arizona Cardinals fired Ken Whisenhunt
Buffalo Bills fired Chan Gailey
Chicago Bears fired Lovie Smith
Cleveland Browns fired Pat Schurmur
Kansas City Chiefs fired Romeo Crennel
Philadelphia Eagles fired Andy Reid
San Diego Chargers fired Norv Turner
The coaching-recycling program is off and running in the NFL. After firing their head coach Romeo Crennel on Monday, the KC Chiefs and their GM Scott Pioli agreed to go their separate ways, opening the door for Andy Reid to join the Chiefs. The Cleveland Browns are talking to Ken Whisenhunt, and Lovie Smith could be headed to Buffalo. University of Oregon coach Chip Kelly is talking to everyone in the NFL, and don’t be surprised if the Detroit Lions and even the Dallas Cowboys also make changes in their respective coaching staffs.
Playoffs kick off this weekend in the NFL:
SATURDAY
Cincinnati Bengals @ Houston Texans Hou -4.5
4:30 pm NBC - Ch. 6
Minnesota Vikings @ Green Bay Packers GB -9.5
8:00 pm NBC - Ch. 6
Indianapolis Colts @ Baltimore Ravens Bal -7
1:00 pm CBS - Ch. 4
Seattle Seahawks @ Washington Redskins Was +3
4:30 pm FOX - Ch. 7
The Denver Broncos and the New England Patriots are enjoying a first round bye in the AFC, while the Atlanta Falcons and the San Francisco 49ers have the bye in the NFC.
Today’s article of the day again comes from ESPN’s David Schoenfield, who puts some Giancarlo Stanton trade ideas out there. http://espn.go.com/blog/sweetspot/post/_/id/31858/impossible-giancarlo-stanton-trade-ideas
Dear Santa Claus Tooth Fairy Cupid Easter Bunny Jeffrey Loria and minions:
What do you mean, you still haven’t sold the team? Christmas came and went! The New Year is here!!! What are you waiting for? Valentine’s day? Easter?
Your inept management allowed the Marlins farm system to deteriorate to the point of being horrible, and now have dismantled the major league roster while pissing off the players on the roster and the entire South Florida community. You allow your management to continue the policy of “sell low and buy high”. Please sell the team so we can once again enjoy baseball in Miami.
All kidding aside, you will soon have the window of opportunity you need to get out of town. The five-year anniversary of the Marlins and Miami-Dade County agreement for the baseball stadium is coming up on February 21, 2013. After that time, the “penalty” for selling the team is only 5%, a mere pittance, based on a $250 million value of the team. You’ve already saved much more than that on the salary dump this season alone. Of course, you and your minions have already decided not to field a quality major league roster this coming season, hopefully setting up the sale of the team.
We’ll continue to keep our fingers crossed and light a candle in the meantime.
In college football last night, #4 Oregon pummeled #5 Kansas State in the Fiesta Bowl by the score of 35-17. Tonight, Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel leads #9 Texas A&M against #11 Oklahoma. Kickoff is at 8:00 pm and you can watch the game on FOX, Channel 7 in Miami. Tomorrow, Pittsburgh battles Ole Miss in the Compass Bowl at 1:00 pm on ESPN. On Sunday, also on ESPN, #25 Kent State plays Arkansas State in the GoDaddy.com Bowl at 9:00 pm. Monday Night will finally bring us the National Championship battle between #1 Notre Dame and #2 Alabama. Game time on Monday is 8:00 pm on ESPN.
TODAY’S TRIVIA QUESTION: Today’s question is a simple one. What is going to happen in the sports world in the year 2013? Tell you later, alligator. You’ll just have to read the rest of the blog.
The complete bowl results and upcoming schedule in college football:
December 15
GILDAN NEW MEXICO BOWL
Arizona 49 Nevada 48
FAMOUS IDAHO POTATO BOWL
#22 Utah State 41 Toledo 15
December 20
SAN DIEGO COUNTY CREDIT UNION POINSETTIA BOWL
Brigham Young 23 San Diego State 6
Friday, December 21
BEEF O’BRADY BOWL ST. PETERSBURG
Central Florida 38 Ball State 17
December 22
R+L CARRIERS NEW ORLEANS BOWL
Louisiana-Lafayette 43 East Carolina 34
MAACO BOWL LAS VEGAS
#19 Boise State 28 Washington 26
December 24
SHERATON HAWAII BOWL
Southern Methodist 43 Fresno State 10
December 26
LITTLE CAESARS BOWL
Central Michigan 24 Western Kentucky 21
December 27
MILITARY BOWL-PRESENTED BY NORTHROP GRUMMAN
#24 San Jose State 29 Bowling Green 20
BELK BOWL
Cincinnati 48 Duke 34
BRIDGEPOINT EDUCATION HOLIDAY BOWL
Baylor 49 #17 UCLA 26
Friday, December 28
ADVOCARE V100 INDEPENDENCE BOWL
Ohio 45 Louisiana-Monroe 14
RUSSELL ATHLETIC BOWL
Virginia Tech 13 Rutgers 10 (OT)
MEINEKE CAR CARE BOWL OF TEXAS
Texas Tech 34 Minnesota 31
Saturday, December 29
BELL HELICOPTER ARMED FORCES BOWL
Rice 33 Air Force 14
NEW ERA PINSTRIPE BOWL
Syracuse 38 West Virginia 14
KRAFT FIGHT HUNGER BOWL
Arizona State 62 Navy 28
VALERO ALAMO BOWL
#23 Texas 31 #13 Oregon State 27
BUFFALO WILD WINGS BOWL
Michigan State 17 TCU 16
Monday, December 31
FRANKLIN AMERICAN MORTGAGE MUSIC CITY BOWL
Vanderbilt 38 North Carolina State 24
HYUNDAY SUN BOWL
Georgia Tech 21 USC 7
AUTOZONE LIBERTY BOWL
Tulsa 31 Iowa State 17
CHICK-FIL-A BOWL
#14 Clemson 25 #8 LSU 24
Tuesday, January 1
TAXSLAYER.COM GATOR BOWL
#20 Northwestern 34 Mississippi State 20
HEART OF DALLAS BOWL
Oklahoma State 58 Purdue 14
CAPITAL ONE BOWL
#7 Georgia 45 #16 Nebraska 31
OUTBACK BOWL
#10 South Carolina 33 #18 Michigan 28
ROSE BOWL GAME PRESENTED BY VIZIO
#6 Stanford 20 Wisconsin 14
DISCOVER ORANGE BOWL
#12 Florida State 31 #15 Northern Illinois 10
Wednesday, January 2
ALLSTATE SUGAR BOWL
#21 Louisville 33 #3 Florida 23
Thursday, January 3
TOSTITOS FIESTA BOWL
#4 Oregon 35 #5 Kansas State 17
Friday, January 4
AT&T COTTON BOWL
#9 Texas A&M vs #11 Oklahoma
8:00 pm FOX Ch. 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
MY GUARANTEED (OR YOUR MONEY BACK) 2013 PREDICTIONS:
- The Miami Marlins will be sold in 2013. The tarot cards tell me that the new ownership group will be headed by a local real estate mogul and a former governor of Florida.
- Staying with the Marlins, they will continue to entertain offers for slugger Giancarlo Stanton and will eventually end up trading him to the Yankees for a number of players, including a healthy Alex Rodriguez. Incredibly enough, the 2013 Marlins will end up winning more games than they won in 2012.
- My New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox will watch the MLB playoffs from home. The 2013 World Series will NOT include any teams from Los Angeles. Two former Marlins managers will face each other in the World Series. Fredi Gonzalez and the Atlanta Braves will take on Jim Leyland and the Detroit Tigers in the fall classic. (I’ll be rooting for Fredi)
- The surprise teams in the majors this coming season will be the San Diego Padres and the Kansas City Royals. BTW, the Pittsburgh Pirates will finally finish better than .500.
- The Miami Heat will repeat as NBA champions, beating the Memphis Grizzlies in a hard-fought six-game series. Too much LeBron, Wade, and Bosh and the addition of Ray Allen, together with the continued development of Mario Chalmers will be the difference.
- Phil Jackson will return to coach in the NBA in 2013. It will be the only way that Dwight Howard stays in LA. If not, Howard will pack his backs and end up in Atlanta with the Hawks.
- The Miami Dolphins will make the playoffs in 2013. They will fire GM Jeff Ireland, opening the door for the team to be able to take full advantage of the 5 draft selections they have in the first 3 rounds. Can you say “wide receiver” and “cornerbacks”?
- Tim Tebow will be traded to the Jacksonville Jaguars, and the Jaguars will end up with a better record than the J-E-T-S Jets next season. Mark Sanchez will end up in Oakland, Alex Smith will escape San Francisco and join the Jets.
- My original picks for the Super Bowl before the season started were the Atlanta Falcons and the Houston Texans. I’m sticking to these picks, although it will be a difficult task for the Texans. The Broncos and the Patriots will have something to say, I’m sure.
- Tiger Woods will win a major tournament this year.
- Alabama will beat Notre Dame for the National Championship
in college football on Monday. Next year, Florida State will
face Ohio State for the national championship.
- The University of Miami will finally have to face the specter of
NCAA sanctions starting in 2013. It will not be pretty.
- Duke will be the NCAA Men’s basketball champions and Baylor will win the Women’s championship.
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!
IF YOU OR ANYONE YOU KNOW WANT TO ADVERTISE YOUR PRODUCT OR SERVICE ON MY RADIO SEGMENTS, PLEASE E-MAIL ME FOR ALL THE DETAILS - jerry@descargadeportiva.com
Behave yourselves, and always remember that tomorrow will bring us a brand new day. HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND!
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