For all your real estate needs in Central Florida around Ocala and The Villages, please feel free to contact me.
Good Monday to all.
The blog will change a little going forward, with more of my comments and takes, and less of what you can normally get in the newspaper and/or the endless babble of sports radio.
Another change is that the blog will come out on Tuesdays, rather than Monday, so I can include the MNF game.
All this, AND you get to look at my realtor card.
Here we go:
We’ll start with the Dolphins and the NFL. GREAT day for the Fins, who scored 23 unanswered points in the second half and beat the Patriots going away, 33-20. This was the first opening day loss for the Patriots since 2003.
What I got out of this game:
Knowshown Moreno paid dividends immediately, as he rushed for 135 yards on 23 carries and a tough 4-yard TD run in the fourth quarter. Last year, that scoring drive would, more than likely, have ended in a field goal. Moreno also may have helped Lamar Miller as Miller also looked good. At least for one game, against a normally stout defense, the running game was outstanding. The new and improved offensive line opened the way for 191 yards on 38 carries, just over a 5-yard average per carry.
Although it started poorly, Mike Wallace’s day got progressively better as the day went on. He pretty much was better than Darrelle Revis all day. Seven catches for 81 yards and a touchdown may not seem like a lot, but it is a great start.
Ryan Tannehill is still not playing like a “great one”, but the Fins still beat the Patriots by two touchdowns. Two throws to Wallace should have been touchdowns, and another TD pass was dropped by TE Dion Sims. I counted at least six dropped passes during the game.
The defense and special teams played very well, considering that Miami lost starting linebackers Koa Misi and Dannell Ellerbe to injuries during the game, and the other starter, Philip Wheeler, was out as well. Backups Jason Trusnik, Jelani Jenkins, Jonathan Freeny, and Chris McCain filled those shoes quite admirably. McCain also blocked a punt that led to a Dolphins touchdown. The defensive line was all over Tom Brady all day, registering four sacks and pressuring him constantly. The defense as a whole tackled and covered well. One stat that stuck out - the Patriots only managed three first downs in the second half.
Hats off, as well, to the secondary. They managed to effectively take away Brady’s deep passing game in combination with the pressure the D-Line was putting on.
Welcome back, Caleb Sturgis. The second-year kicker from Florida connected on all three of his field goal attempts and all of his kickoffs resulted in touchbacks. It doesn’t get any better than that.
Best quote of the day: When WR Mike Wallace was asked, after the game, what the message was to the rest of the NFL, he answered, “We want people to take us seriously.”
I know it is just one game, but . . . . .
Next Sunday, a tough matchup in Buffalo against the Bills, who surprised everyone with a road win in Chicago against the Bears. Game time on Sunday is 1:00 pm.
In the rest of the NFL yesterday,
Atlanta 37, New Orleans 34 (OT)
The game of the day. Matt Ryan threw for a franchise-record 448 yards, Matt Bryant tied the game at the end of regulation with a 51-yard field goal, and won the game with a 52-yarder in overtime.
Cincinnati 23, Baltimore 16
Andy Dalton's 77-yard TD pass to A.J. Green lifted the Cincinnati Bengals to the win. Dalton ended up 25-of-38 for 301 yards for the Bengals and Mike Nugent added five field goals.
Buffalo 23, Chicago 20 (OT)
Fred Jackson's 38-yard run in overtime set up Dan Carpenter's game-winning 27-yard field goal as the Buffalo Bills shocked the Chicago Bears
Houston 17, Washington 6
The Texans won thanks to a blocked punt returned for a touchdown and by playing excellent defense. DE JJ Watt blocked an extra point attempt, had one sack, one fumble recovery and a pair of tackles for loss. The Texans’ defense recovered two fumbles in the red zone.
Tennessee 26, Kansas City 10
Ryan Succop kicked four field goals against his former team and Jake Locker threw for a pair of touchdowns.
NY Jets 19, Oakland 14
Geno Smith threw for a score and completed 23-of-28 passes for 221 yards. The Raiders suffered their 15th straight loss when playing in the Eastern time zone.
Philadelphia 34, Jacksonville 17
The Philadelphia Eagles were down by 17 points at the half, and then put on a furious comeback in the second half to win by 17. Nick Foles' 68-yard touchdown to Jeremy Maclin midway through the fourth quarter gave the Eagles their first lead of the day. Foles finished with 322 yards passing and a pair of touchdowns
Pittsburgh 30, Cleveland 27
Shaun Suisham kicked a 41-yard field goal as time expired for the Steelers, who now have 11 straight home wins against the Browns. Cleveland gave Pittsburgh a scare, as they scored 24 unanswered points coming out of halftime to erase a 27-3 deficit.
Minnesota 34, St. Louis 6
Wide receiver Cordarrelle Patterson ran the ball three times for 102 yards, including a 67-yard touchdown, and caught three passes for 26 yards for the Vikings.
San Francisco 28, Dallas 17
San Francisco turned four Dallas turnovers into 21 points. Colin Kaepernick threw a pair of touchdown passes to Vernon Davis.
Carolina 20, Tampa Bay 14
Derek Anderson led the Panthers in relief of the injured Cam Newton. Anderson threw touchdown passes to Kelvin Benjamin and Greg Olsen.
Denver 31, Indianapolis 24
Peyton Manning and Julius Thomas connected for three touchdowns, and the Broncos held off the Indianapolis Colts.
Tonight, we will have the Monday Night doubleheader on ESPN.
At 7:00 pm, the New York Football Giants visit the Detroit Lions, followed at 10:30 pm by the game between the San Diego Chargers at the Arizona Cardinals.
NOTE TO ALL:
Due to a technical glitch, my picks did not end up showing up in the blog as I intended last Thursday.
I realize that it is late now, but, as info, here were my NFL picks for this past week’s games as they should have appeared:
(HOME TEAM IN CAPS):
SEATTLE (-4 ½) over Green Bay
MIAMI (+3 ½) over New England
PHILADELPHIA (-9) over Jacksonville
HOUSTON (-3) over Washington
San Francisco (-4 ½) over DALLAS
DENVER (-7 ½) over Indianapolis
MONDAY NIGHT
DETROIT (-5 ½)over New York Giants
San Diego +3 over ARIZONA
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LAST SEASON, I FINISHED THE SEASON WITH A 61-51-7 RECORD AGAINST THE SPREAD, AND 72-47 OVERALL.
With tonight’s two Monday night games still pending, I'm 6-0 overall, and 5-1 against the spread, losing the Denver-Indy game by the dreaded ½ point, as Denver won by only 7.
This week’s NFL schedule and early point spreads:
Thursday, September 11th
Steelers @ Ravens -3 8:30 pm NFL Network & CBS
Sunday, September 14th
Dolphins @ Bills pick’em 1:00 pm CBS
Jaguars @ Redskins -5 ½ 1:00 pm CBS
Patriots @ Vikings +3 1:00 pm CBS
Falcons @ Bengals 5 1:00 pm CBS
Lions @ Panthers -3 1:00 pm FOX
Cowboys @ Titans -4 1:00 pm FOX
Cardinals @ Giants -2 1:00 pm FOX
Saints @ Browns +6 1:00 pm FOX
Rams @ Buccaneers -3 ½ 4:05 pm FOX
Seahawks @ Chargers +5 ½ 4:05 pm FOX
Texans @ Raiders +3 4:25 pm CBS
Jets @ Packers -7 ½ 4:25 pm CBS
Chiefs @ Broncos -13 4:25 pm CBS
Bears @ 49ers -7 8:30 pm NBC
Monday, September 815th
Eagles @ Colts -3 8:30 pm ESPN
Going forward, I will bring you my weekly picks in a more timely fashion, technical issues permitting, on Thursdays.
What else are the Dolphins up to?
Miami Dolphins blog from Armando Salguero:
Chris Perkins and Omar Kelly bring us their Dolphin blog:
2014 MIAMI DOLPHINS Regular Season schedule:
Sep. 7 DOLPHINS 33, Patriots 20
Sep. 14 at Buffalo Bills 1:00 pm
Sep. 21 Kansas City Chiefs 4:25 pm
Sep. 28 at Oakland Raiders (London) 6:00 pm
Sep. 14 at Buffalo Bills 1:00 pm
Sep. 21 Kansas City Chiefs 4:25 pm
Sep. 28 at Oakland Raiders (London) 6:00 pm
Oct. 5 BYE
Oct. 12 Green Bay Packers 1:00 pm
Oct. 19 at Chicago Bears 1:00 pm
Oct. 26 at Jacksonville Jaguars 1:00 pm
Nov. 2 San Diego Chargers 1:00 pm
Nov. 9 at Detroit Lions 1:00 pm
Nov. 13 Buffalo Bills (Thu) 8:25 pm
Nov. 23 at Denver Broncos 4:25 pm
Oct. 12 Green Bay Packers 1:00 pm
Oct. 19 at Chicago Bears 1:00 pm
Oct. 26 at Jacksonville Jaguars 1:00 pm
Nov. 2 San Diego Chargers 1:00 pm
Nov. 9 at Detroit Lions 1:00 pm
Nov. 13 Buffalo Bills (Thu) 8:25 pm
Nov. 23 at Denver Broncos 4:25 pm
Dec. 1 at New York Jets (Mon) 8:30 pm
Dec. 7 Baltimore Ravens 1:00 pm
Dec. 14 at New England Patriots 1:00 pm
Dec. 21 Minnesota Vikings 1:00 pm
Dec. 28 New York Jets 1:00 pm
Dec. 7 Baltimore Ravens 1:00 pm
Dec. 14 at New England Patriots 1:00 pm
Dec. 21 Minnesota Vikings 1:00 pm
Dec. 28 New York Jets 1:00 pm
For more news from around the NFL, here is NFL NATION:
Of course, we can all continue to sleep at night, knowing full well that Aaron Hernandez remains in jail, where he belongs.
ANOTHER LAST MINUTE STORY:
The Baltimore Ravens released star running back Ray Rice after a new video surfaced of him punching his wife in an elevator. Rice was serving a suspension for the offense, but he is now apparently done in football. Here's the full story:
Ray Rice released by the Baltimore Ravens
In college football last week, no real surprises with any of the games involving the state of Florida teams we follow here on the blog.
#1 ranked Florida State beat up on The Citadel 37-12; Florida pummeled Eastern Michigan 65-0; the University of Miami easily beat up on Div 1-AA opponent Florida A&M 41-7; Florida Atlantic fell to #2 Alabama 41-0; and FIU won against Division 1-AA Wagner by the score of 34-3.
I’m not going to get real excited over UM’s and FIU’s wins over Division 1-AA opponents, nor do I take FSU’s and Florida’s wins over The Citadel and Eastern Michigan very seriously.
This week,
Pittsburgh (-25 ½) @ FIU 12 Noon
Central Florida (-9 ½ ) @ Maryland 12 Noon
Arkansas State @ Miami (-16 ½) 3:30 pm
Tulsa (-1 ½) @ Florida Atlantic 7:00 pm
Kentucky @ Florida (-17 ½) 7:30 pm
#1 Florida State is off this week
More from around the universities,
JUST IN from the UM front:
Donna Shalala to leave her job as UM president in 2015:
Shalala to resign
JUST IN from the UM front:
Donna Shalala to leave her job as UM president in 2015:
Shalala to resign
Manny Navarro and Susan Miller Degnan have all the latest news from the University of Miami.
From FIU, David J. Neal of the Herald, who is, once again, allowed to see FIU play and practice, has the latest from the University of Westchester in his blog. ‘Bout damn time.
Here’s the latest from Tallahassee and the Seminoles:
From Gainesville and the University of Florida:
The Central Florida Knights are in the house:
Every week, celebrating the fact that we will now have a four-team playoff to determine the national championship, I will bring you my TOP FOUR teams in college football. This list will probably change every week.
1. Florida State Seminoles
2. Oregon Ducks
3. Alabama Crimson Tide
4. Georgia Bulldogs
Off to the diamonds we go.
The Marlins took two out of three against the offensively-challenged Atlanta Braves this past weekend. (More on the Braves later on.)
Here we are with 21 games remaining in the season, and the Marlins are still in the playoff hunt, only 4 ½ games behind the Pittsburgh Pirates, 4 games behind the Braves and the Brewers.
The Fish are on the road again, as they open a four-game series in Milwaukee against the Brewers. Here are the pitching match-ups for the rest of the series against the Metropolitans:
Mon 8:10 pm Brad Penny vs Yovani Gallardo
Tue 8:10 pm Tom Koehler vs Matt Garza
Wed 8:10 pm Jarred Cosart vs Wily Peralta
Thu 8:10 pm Nathan Eovaldi vs Mike Fiers
After the series in Milwaukee, no rest for the weary, as the Marlins will be in Philadelphia for a three-game series against the Phillies, and they will continue on to the Big Apple to take on the New York Metropolitans for another three-game set. The Fish will return to Marlins Park on Thursday, September 18, to take on the Washington Nationals.
For the latest Marlins news and stories, follow make sure you follow my good friend Larry Walansky on nbcmiami.com.
Here is Joe Frisaro’s MLB Marlins Blog:
The Yankees’ blog is here, thanks to Mark Feinsand of the NY Daily News:
Click below for yesterday’s recaps and results in the major leagues:
Here are the standings in MLB:
Here are the individual leaders in the majors:
In other baseball news,
Congratulations to our old friend Miguel Cabrera, who just reached the 100-RBI level for the 11th consecutive season, becoming only the fifth player ever to do that. In what has been an injury-plagued season for Cabrera, reaching that milestone has been more than a challenge.
TODAY’S TRIVIA QUESTION: Who are the other four players in MLB history to drive in 100 runs or more for at least 11 consecutive seasons? The answer comes later, alligator.
The Marlins’ Jarred Cosart has been lights out since coming to the Marlins in the trade with the Astros. In his six starts with the team, Cosart is 4-1 with a 1.99 ERA.
The Atlanta Braves are struggling to hit this year. The Braves were shutout on Sunday for the thirteenth time this season, including four shutouts by the Marlins. In the last 14 games, the Braves has been shutout a total of five times, while their batting average as a team over that stretch is .210, scoring only 34 runs in those 14 games, a stretch in which the team is 6-8.
I hope that the Braves aren’t stupid enough to lay the blame of this team’s shortcomings on the shoulders of Fredi Gonzalez. This year’s team lost three of their starters as the season began, and their offense has disappeared. Still, the Braves find themselves just ½ game behind the Pittsburgh Pirates for the second wild card spot, and are only seven games out of first place in the NL East, behind the Washington Nationals. Atlanta has beaten Washington 9 out of 13 so far this season, and the Braves have six games remaining with the Nats.
Fredi has done a terrific job in Atlanta since taking over in 2011. All you have to do is look at the record:
Over the last four seasons (including this year), the Braves have a record of 353 - 276. Only two teams in the majors have better records over that stretch, and only by one game:
Detroit Tigers 354 - 275
St. Louis Cardinals 354 - 275
Atlanta Braves 353 - 276
The rest of the best? These teams round out the top-12 list during this four-year span:
New York Yankees 350 - 277
Oakland A’s 344 - 284
Washington Nats 344 - 282
Tampa Bay Rays 342 - 289
LA Dodgers 341 - 287
LA Angels 340 - 288
SF Giants 334 - 295
Cincinnati Reds 333 - 296
Milwaukee Brewers 327 - 302
Speaking of managers, Joe Girardi has also done a great job with the Yankees. The Yanks have also been beset with injuries this year, losing their two top starters. The Yankees are 73-68 this year, yet they have been outscored by their opponents by 26 runs. They are not out of it in the playoff race, although the fat lady is beginning to clear her throat. The Yanks are 4 ½ games behind Oakland and Seattle, 4 games behind the Tigers, and one game behind the Cleveland Indians. Good to hear as well that the Yankees will not be parting ways with their General Manager, Brian Cashman. Good baseball people are hard to find and keep.
In case you missed it, here’s another surprising fact:
The six teams that were in first place in their respective divisions on July 1 - Atlanta, Milwaukee, and San Francisco in the National League, and Toronto, Detroit, and Oakland, were not in first place on September 1.
Some division races are heading down to the wire, and this week may tell us a lot.
Detroit and Kansas City square off in a very important three-game series starting Monday afternoon in Motown. The Royals’ lead over the Tigers in the AL Central is two games. In the NL West, the Dodgers lead the Giants by three games. Both teams are at their respective home parks to begin the week - the Dodgers host the Padres in a three game series, while the Giants entertain the Arizona Diamondbacks for four games. The Dodgers and Giants will square off in a three-game series this coming weekend in San Francisco.
The Cardinals, Orioles, Angels, and Nationals all have comfortable leads in their divisions heading into the stretch.
Buster Posey is doing everything he can to bring the Giants back. In his last 10 games, Posey is hitting .512, with 3 homers and 14 RBI.
Speaking of hot, Jose Altuve of the Astros continues to lead the majors in batting average with a .340 average. In his last ten games, Altuve is hitting .419. His Astros may be awful, but Altuve is a lot of fun to watch. MLB needs more players like him.
Regardless of what other people think, I am 100% convinced that the MVP award in the National League belongs to Giancarlo Stanton. I know that Clayton Kershaw is going to get consideration as well, but my vote would go to the man-child.
Speaking of awards, if the voting were held today, and if I had a vote, my winners for the individual awards in both leagues would be:
National League American League
MVP Giancarlo Stanton Mike Trout
Cy Young Clayton Kershaw Felix Hernandez
Rookie of the Year Billy Hamilton Jose Abreu
THE ANSWER TO TODAY’S TRIVIA QUESTION: Who are the other four players in MLB history to drive in 100 runs or more for at least 11 consecutive seasons?
Lou Gehrig 13 consecutive seasons
Jimmie Foxx 13 consecutive seasons
Alex Rodriguez 13 consecutive seasons
Al Simmons 11 consecutive seasons
Miguel Cabrera 11 consecutive seasons
A little more trivial info for you. Three of these all-time greats have Miami ties. You all know that Miggy began his career with the Marlins, and you know that A-Roid grew up in Miami, and the U-M stadium and the facilities at the Boys and Girls Club are named after him. What you may not know is that Hall of Famer Jimmie Foxx was the head baseball coach at the University of Miami baseball team back in 1956 and 1957.
Let’s go to the hardwood, and here is Ira Winderman’s Miami Heat Blog:
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