The NFL Postseason is in full swing, and we will have a couple of terrific match ups this coming Sunday. This week’s divisional championship results:
SATURDAY
Seattle 23 - 7 ½ New Orleans 15
New England 43 Indianapolis 22 + 7 ½
SUNDAY
San Francisco 23 Carolina 10 +2
Denver 24 San Diego 17 +10
I went 2-2 this week in my picks. My record in the playoffs against the spread so far is 5-2-1.
This Sunday, the Conference Championships take center stage, and we can probably say that the best four teams in the NFL are in the final four.
SUNDAY
New England @ Denver -4 ½ 3:00 pm CBS
San Francisco @ Seattle -3 ½ 6:30 pm FOX
I’ll have my picks on Friday.
TODAY’S TRIVIA QUESTION: All 4 teams in the conference championship games this weekend are 12-4. When was the last time that all four teams in the championship games had at least 12 wins? The answer comes later, alligator.
The Dolphins are in full-fledged “interview” mode, and have interviewed a number of candidates for the GM job. Let’s hope some of these are more qualified than their predecessor:
Here’s more on the Fins from Armando Salguero:
There’s always next season. The Dolphins will play the AFC West and NFC North in addition to their usual AFC East opponents.
2014 Home schedule: Buffalo, New England, NY Jets, Kansas City, San Diego, Green Bay, Minnesota and Baltimore.
2014 Road schedule: Buffalo, New England, NY Jets, Denver, Chicago, Detroit, Oakland (in London), and Jacksonville.
Here is the 2014 draft order, according to ESPN. There are coin flips pending and the final order will be determined by playoff results. The only thing that is certain is that the Houston Texans are on the clock.
Of course, we can all continue to sleep at night, knowing full well that Aaron Hernandez remains in jail, where he belongs.
In baseball news, the arbitrator’s decision on the Alex Rodriguez suspension is in, and A-Roid is suspended for 162 games, which translates to the entire 2014 season, and he will also be excluded from any playoff participation this season. Of course, A-Roid plans to file a lawsuit in federal court to try and overturn the arbitrator’s decision.
MY TAKE: A-Roid is the only player named in the Anthony Bosch/Biogenesis investigation that did not accept a suspension. He is contesting the decision reached by a process agreed to by Major League Baseball and the Player’s Union that represents him and all other major league players. According to all the legal experts out there, except his own attorneys, there is no chance in hell that this decision will be overturned.
Bosch appeared yesterday on CBS’ “60 Minutes”program with specific details on how they were able to beat the MLB drug-testing system. The evidence given to ML by Bosch, albeit a questionable and despicable human being himself, is very strong and damning against A-Roid.
Known associates of A-Roid threatened Bosch and Team A-Roid did everything in their power to impede the investigation at every turn. Hundreds and hundreds of text messages between Bosh and A-Roid are part of the evidence that eventually led to this suspension.
Lots of info to review, but I truly believe that A-Roid has played his last inning for the New York Yankees. There are $61 million left in A-Roid’s contract with the Yankees, and it is now up to the team to decide what to do. There will be no settlement or reduction of the amount owed.
It will be really interesting to see what happens in a couple of weeks, when Spring Training opens. Due to a loophole in the players’ agreement with MLB, it seems that A-Roid will be allowed to participate in spring training. Since he is now not on the team’s 40-man roster, the Yankees could banish him to their minor league camp and keep him away from their major league training camp.
In other news around baseball,
Marlins’ pitchers and catchers report February 16th, position players arrive February 20th, and the spring training games begin February 26th, when the Fish play the University of Miami Hurricanes. They will then play the FIU Panthers on the 27th. Both of those games will be in Jupiter.
Here is the complete preseason schedule for the Fish:
Moving to the hardwood:
The Miami Heat has lost two in a row, falling to the Knicks and the Nets in their last two contests. The team’s next game is in Washington, DC, against the Wizards on Wednesday. Tomorrow, however, the team will again visit the White House to celebrate last season’s NBA championship. I promise you . . . that does not get old.
The Heat’s schedule for the rest of the month:
Heat @ Wizards Wed 1/15 7:00 pm Sun Sports
Heat @ 76ers Fri 1/17 7:00 pm Sun Sports
Heat @ Bobcats Sat 1/18 7:00 pm Sun Sports
Heat @ Hawks Mon 1/20 5:30 pm Sun Sports
Celtics @ Heat Tue 1/21 7:30 pm Sun Sports
Lakers @ Heat Thu 1/23 8:00 pm TNT
Spurs @ Heat Sun 1/26 1:00 pm ABC
Thunder @ Heat Wed 1/29 7:00 pm Sun Sports, ESPN
More Heat and NBA coverage:
Here is the Heat’s complete regular season schedule:
College Sports Information Central:
Manny Navarro and Susan Miller Degnan have the latest from Coral Gables.
From FIU, David J. Neal of the Herald has the latest in his blog:
Here’s the latest from Tallahassee and the Seminoles:
From Gainesville and the University of Florida:
We welcome the Central Florida Knights to the blog:
On the NHL ice, the Florida Panthers return to the ice tomorrow night against the New York Islanders. They will drop the puck at 7:30 pm, and you can watch them game on Fox Sports Florida.
In boxing news,
Here is Santos Perez’ weekly boxing spotlight column from the Miami Herald. This week’s column includes a story on up-and-coming boxers for 2014:
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I’m selling three lots totaling a little over five acres in the beautiful North Carolina mountains, overlooking the New River, a quick 35-minute drive from Boone and Blowing Rock. Click here to see some photos and feel free to contact me if you have any questions:
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THE ANSWER TO TODAY’S TRIVIA QUESTION: All 4 teams in the conference championship games this weekend are 12-4. When was the last time that all four teams in the championship games had at least 12 wins?
The year was 1998. The Denver Broncos (14-2) defeated the New York Jets (12-4) in the AFC Championship game, while in the NFC, the Atlanta Falcons (14-2) beat the Minnesota Vikings (15-1).
Behave yourselves, and always remember that tomorrow will bring us a brand new day.
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