The Miami Heat did what they had to do, held serve, and took a 2-0 lead in the opening round series against the Milwaukee Bucks. Last night, it was Dwyane Wade leading the team in scoring with 21 points, LeBron James finished with 19 to get past the Bucks, 98-86. The game was close throughout, and Miami only led 68-65 going into the fourth quarter. That is when the Heat, playing with four backups and LeBron, scored the first twelve points of the final quarter in 2 minutes and 22 seconds. Now, its off to Milwaukee for games three and four, tomorrow and Sunday. In the other first round games last night,
New York 87 Boston 71 Knicks lead series 2-0
Carmelo Anthony scored a game-high 34 points. JR Smith added 19 points, and Raymond Felton pitched in with 16 points.
Golden State 131 Denver 117 Series tied 1-1
Stephen Curry had 30 points and 13 assists, Jarrett Jack and Harrison Barnes scored 26 and 24 points, respectively.
TONIGHT
Houston @ Oklahoma City 7:00 pm TNT
Game 2 Thunder lead series 1-0
Atlanta @ Indiana 7:30 pm NBA-TV
Game 2 Pacers lead series 1-0
LA Lakers @ San Antonio 9:30 pm TNT
Game 2 Spurs lead series 1-0
THURSDAY
Miami @ Milwaukee 7:00 pm Sun, TNT
Game 3 Heat lead series 2-0
Brooklyn @ Chicago 8:30 pm NBA-TV
Game 3 Series tied 1-1
LA Clippers @ Memphis 9:30 pm TNT
Game 3 Clippers lead series 2-0
FRIDAY
New York @ Boston 8:00 pm ESPN
Game 3 Knicks lead series 2-0
San Antonio @ LA Lakers 10:30 pm ESPN
Game 3 Game 2 is being played tonight
Denver @ Golden State 10:30 pm ESPN-2
Game 3 Series tied 1-1
Going from the hard court to the diamond, the Marlins and the Twins split a doubleheader yesterday. In game 1, the Twins beat rookie Jose Fernandez 4-3, thanks to a three-run homer by Osvaldo Arcia, his first HR in the major leagues. In game 2, Rob Brantly went 3-5 with 4 RBI and the man-child, Giancarlo Stanton, went 2-4 with 2 RBI and two runs scored. A much needed win for the Fish, 8-5. The Marlins are off today and return home to take on the Chicago Cubs in a four-game series that starts tomorrow.
The Fish are still bringing up the rear in MLB in runs scored, with a grand total of 54 runs in their first 21 games. I will be posting the “bottom five” rankings in runs scored until the Marlins aren’t on the list. At this point, I am not very optimistic about this list not being a permanent part of this blog.
TEAM W-L Runs
Marlins 5-16 54
Dodgers 9-10 61
White Sox 7-12 63
Cubs 6-13 65
Padres 5-15 67
In the rest of MLB yesterday, first in the National League,
Braves 4 Rockies 3 (Game 1)
Braves 10 Rockies 2 (Game 2)
BJ and Justin Upton hit back to back homers in the fifth inning as the Braves completed a sweep of their doubleheader, 10-2, over the Rockies. Justin Upton brings his ML-leading home run total to 11, after also connecting long distance in game one, leading Atlanta to the 4-3 win.
Cardinals 2 Nationals 0
Adam Wainwright threw 8 1/3 dominant innings before handing the ball over to former Marlin Edward Mujica, who got the last two outs to record his third save of the season.
Pirates 2 Phillies 0
Gaby Sanchez smacked a solo homer in support of Jeff Locke, who tossed six scoreless innings. Former Marlin Jason Grilli struck out two in a 1-2-3 ninth inning to notch his eighth save of the year.
Cubs 4 Reds 2 (10 innings)
Darwin Barney hit a solo homer in the tenth inning. Joey Votto had tied the game in the ninth with a run-scoring single off Carlos Marmol, who still can’t get anybody out.
Dodgers 7 Mets 2
Mark Ellis went 4-5 with two home runs and 4 RBI.
Brewers 6 Padres 3
Jonathan Lucroy and Yunieski Betancourt drove in two runs apiece and the Brewers have won 9 in a row since starting the season 2-8.
D-Backs 6 Giants 4 (11 innings)
Didi Gregorius scored the go-ahead run on a wild pitch in the 11th. The Giants had erased a four-run deficit and sent the game to extra innings thanks to a pinch-hit two-run homer by Brandon Belt.
Over in the American League:
A’s 13 Red Sox 0 (7 innings)
Bartolo Colon tossed a three-hit shutout in a rain-shortened blowout. Seth Smith homered and finished with three RBI, Coco Crisp, John Jaso, Brandon Moss, and Josh Reddick each drove in two runs.
Orioles 4 Blue Jays 3
Manny Machado’s two run single in the second inning proved to be the difference in the game.
Yankees 4 Rays 3
Ichiro Suzuki had the tie-breaking two-run single with two outs in the top of the ninth inning to give the Yankees only their third win in the last 15 games in Tropicana Field. Mariano Rivera got the save, despite giving up a solo homer to Evan Longoria in the ninth.
Astros 3 Mariners 2
Marwin Gonzalez homered for the Astros. Kendrys Morales connected long distance in the loss for Seattle.
Angels 5 Rangers 4 (11 innings)
Howie Kendrick ended the game with a solo homer in the bottom of the 11th inning, his second homer of the game. The Angels are showing signs of life, winning four out of their last five.
The games between the Royals and the Tigers and the Indians and White Sox were postponed due to inclement weather. No make-up date was announced for either game.
Today’s games, first in the National League:
Cubs @ Reds 12:35 pm
Jeff Samardzija vs Mat Latos
Cardinals @ Nationals 1:05 pm
Jaime Garcia vs Stephen Strasburg
Braves @ Rockies 3:10 pm
Tim Hudson vs Tyler Chatwood
D-Backs @ Giants 3:45 pm
Ian Kennedy vs Madison Bumgarner
Pirates @ Phillies 7:05 pm
Wandy Rodriguez vs Roy Halladay
Dodgers @ Mets 7:10 pm
Ted Lilly vs Matt Harvey
Brewers @ Padres 10:10 pm
Marco Estrada vs Edinson Volquez
Over in the American League:
Blue Jays @ Orioles 12:35 pm
Brandon Morrow vs Josh Stinson
Indians @ White Sox 2:10 pm
Zach McAllister vs Jose Quintana
Mariners @ Astros 2:10 pm
Joe Saunders vs Lucas Harrell
A’s @ Red Sox 4:05 pm
Brett Anderson vs Jon Lester
Royals @ Tigers 7:08 pm
Luis Mendoza vs Justin Verlander
Yankees @ Rays 7:10 pm
Andy Pettitte vs Alex Cobb
Rangers @ Angels 10:05 pm
Yu Darvish vs Jerome Williams
Here are the up-to-the-minute standings in MLB:
Here are the individual league leaders in MLB:
Jumping over to the NFL, I will have my MOCK draft in tomorrow’s blog. Just as info, in last year’s draft I had 25 of the 32 picks in the first round correct, and I had seven of them right on the money (right pick, right team), including the Dolphins’ pick of Ryan Tannehill with the #8 selection. Not bad for a first round that had 19 trades on draft day (more on that later). My 2013 mock draft is about 85% complete, and I can only hope to be as good or better than I was last year, but I am little concerned. Here’s a heads-up: In a shocking development, my pick for the Dolphins with the #12 pick is Notre Dame tight end Tyler Eifert. After all the receivers the Fins signed as free agents, this is the guy that could propel second-year QB Ryan Tannehill into the Pro Bowl, and more importantly, put the Dolphins in the playoffs for the first time since World War II. (OK, I’m exaggerating a little).
TODAY’S TRIVIA QUESTION: It is quite obvious to all that the Dolphins haven’t had a lot of success in the first round of drafts. In 1983, the Dolphins were very fortunate that Dan Marino fell all the way down to #27, and they jumped all over that opportunity. Marino was the SIXTH quarterback taken in the first round that year. Who were the five QB’s selected ahead of Marino in that fateful draft? Tell you later, alligator.
Last year, there were 19 trades in the first round. There is a chance that the Dolphins try and trade up to get a top-notch offensive tackle like Lane Johnson of Oklahoma, Eric Fisher of Central Michigan, or even DJ Fluker of Alabama, who could probably be gone by the time the Dolphins pick at #12. Most teams are looking to trade down, so the Fins may be able to move up without giving up too much. However, I feel there is a better chance that the Fins will trade down and get additional picks. It is impossible to predict trades, but I’ll give you a couple of possible scenarios. Follow closely:
The St. Louis Rams at #16 and the Minnesota Vikings at #23 are my potential trade partners for Miami. Both of these teams are looking for an impact wide receiver, with the Rams having lost Danny Amendola and Brandon Gibson through free agency and the Vikings having traded Percy Harvin.
Tavon Austin of West Virginia is the guy that both these teams covet. With the New York Jets trading Darrell Revis to Tampa, the Jets now have their #9 pick and the #13 from Tampa. If the Jets keep both picks, and then at #9, they choose a cornerback like Xavier Rhodes of Florida State, Dee Milliner of Alabama, or maybe Desmond Trufant of Washington, or a defensive monster like Barkavious Mingo from LSU, the Jets would then be set up to select Austin at #13, a guy they also like. If St. Louis and Minnesota really want Austin, they both have multiple picks in the first round and could package a pick with their second or third round pick for the chance to move up and select the WR they want with Miami’s pick at #12.
Personally, I still like Tyler Eifert the TE from Notre Dame to Miami if they keep the #12 pick. Would they still be able to get him at #16 or #22 (the Rams’ pick) or at #23 or 25 (the Vikings’ selections)? Only the shadow knows for sure, and that is one of the many tough decisions for Fins GM Jeff Ireland, who really needs to get it right this year in the draft.
For the last week or so, it has been reported by various sources, including here on this blog, that the Dolphins and KC Chiefs were talking about a trade for Chiefs OT Branden Albert. At this point, there is nothing moving on that front, and, realistically, if something happens, it wouldn’t happen until the last moment. The Fins need to play a little bit of hardball here, both with Albert and his salary demands, and with the Chiefs on the trade.
The NFL Draft begins tomorrow at 8:00 pm with the first round. Trust me . . . I will not be answering my cellphone. Follow me on Twitter or on Facebook. The second and third rounds will be on Friday, the 26th, at 6:00 pm, and rounds 4-7 are on Saturday, the 27th, starting at noon.
According to Mel Kiper Jr. of ESPN, these are a few guys that are moving up in everyone’s eyes right before the draft:
From the Bleacher Report, here is a slide show with the latest rumors from around the NFL right before draft day:
In college baseball this weekend, FIU returns home for a weekend series against Louisiana-Lafayette. Meanwhile, over in Coral Gables, the Canes have a Wednesday game this week at home against Florida Atlantic, before heading up to Chestnut Hill, MA to take on Boston College.
Here is the web site for all the latest in High School Baseball -
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Don’t miss my two “Descarga Deportiva” radi 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 ANSWER TO TODAY’S TRIVIA QUESTION: It is quite obvious to all that the Dolphins haven’t had a lot of success in the first round of drafts. In 1983, the Dolphins were very fortunate that Dan Marino fell all the way down to #30, and they jumped all over that opportunity. Marino was the SIXTH quarterback taken in the first round that year. Who were the five QB’s selected ahead of Marino in that fateful draft?
John Elway by the Baltimore Colts, Todd Blackledge by the Kansas City Chiefs, Jim Kelly by the Buffalo Bills, Tony Eason by the New England Patriots, and Ken O’Brien by the New York Jets. Elway was traded to the Denver Broncos a few days after the draft, and Kelly signed with the Houston Gamblers of the USFL before signing with the Bills when the league folded.
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Behave yourselves, and always remember that tomorrow will bring us a brand new day.
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