The NFL Playoffs kicked off this past weekend, with the four wild card games.  First in the AFC,

Baltimore Ravens 24 Indianapolis 9

The Ravens rode the emotional return of Ray Lewis, who has announced his retirement after this playoff run for the Ravens. Playing for the first time since October due to a torn triceps, Lewis had 13 tackles in the win. Offensively, Joe Flacco threw for 282 yards and two touchdowns,  Anquan Boldin caught 5 passes for 145 yards.  Nothing to be ashamed of for the Colts, who reached the playoffs just one year after a horrible 2-14 season last year. 

Houston Texans 19 Cincinnati Bengals 13

Arian Foster ran for 140 yards and a touchdown on 32 carries and caught 8 passes for 34 yards.  He became the first player in NFL history to rush for over 100 yards in each of his first three career playoff games.

In the NFC,

Green Bay Packers 24 Minnesota Vikings 10

Aaron Rodgers completed 23-33 passes for 274 yards and a touchdown to lead the Pack.  Fullback John Kuhn had a rushing touchdown and a receiving touchdown in the game.  The Vikings played without starting QB Christian Ponder due to an elbow injury he suffered in last week’s season-ending game.

Seattle Seahawks 24 Washington Redskins 14

After spotting the Redskins a 14-0 lead in the first quarter, the Seahawks scored the final 24 points of the contest.  Marshawn Lynch ran for 132 yards and the go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter, while QB Russell Wilson completed 15 of 26 passes for 187 yards and a touchdown, while also rushing for 67 yards in eight carries.

This weekend,    

SATURDAY

Baltimore Ravens @ Denver Broncos Den -9

4:30 pm NBC Channel 6

Green Bay Packers @ San Francisco 49ers SF -3

8:00 pm NBC Channel 6

SUNDAY

Seattle Seahawks @ Atlanta Falcons Atl -3

1:00 pm FOX Channel 7

Houston Texans @ New England Patriots NE -9.5

4:30 pm CBS Channel 4

The Miami Heat had a bi-polar weekend.  On friday night, the Heat suffered only their third loss at home this season, losing to the Chicago Bulls 96-89.  Chicago dominated the boards against Miami, outrebounding the Heat by 20.  Yesterday, against the Washington Wizards, it was a different story.  LeBron James scored 24 points, extending his streak of games with 20 or more to all 32 games this season, 53 in a row including last year’s playoff run.  The Heat dominated the boards yesterday, 50-39, led by Udonis Haslem’s 12 and Chris Bosh, who had 9 rebounds.  The Circus is in town, so the Heat go on their annual two-week road trip.  They kick off their trip tomorrow night in Indiana against the Pacers.  They head west after that, where they will play the Portland Trailblazers (Thu, Jan 10), the Sacramento Kings (Sat, Jan 12), the Utah Jazz (Mon, Jan 14), the Golden State Warriors (Wed, Jan 16), before closing out their trip the next night in Los Angeles against the Lakers.  Their next game at home will be on Wednesday, January 23, against the Toronto Raptors.  All told, 10 of their next 12 games will be away from the AAA.         

In the rest of the NBA yesterday,

Oklahoma City 104 Toronto 92

Charlotte 108 Detroit 101  (OT)

Memphis 92 Phoenix 81

Denver 112 LA Lakers 105

TONIGHT’S GAMES:  

Oklahoma City @ Washington

Boston @ New York

Cleveland @ Chicago

San Antonio @ New Orleans

Dallas @ Utah

Memphis @ Sacramento

Orlando @ Portland

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, HIRED 

                                        SYRACUSE HEAD COACH 

                                        DOUG MARRONE

Chicago Bears fired Lovie Smith

Cleveland Browns fired Pat Schurmur

Kansas City Chiefs fired Romeo Crennel, 

                                        HIRED ANDY REID

Philadelphia Eagles fired Andy Reid

San Diego Chargers fired Norv Turner

University of Oregon coach Chip Kelly will apparently return to Oregon and not go to the NFL. 

Around Major League Baseball, the Texas Rangers signed Lance Berkman to a one-year deal.  The best closer in the history of the game, Mariano Rivera, declared that he is 95% ready, and plans to start throwing immediately to be ready for the 2013 campaign. Relief pitcher JP Howell and the LA Dodgers agreed on a one-year contract, and the saga of Dontrelle Willis continues, as he tries one more time to get back to the Majors, this time with the Chicago Cubs.  The D-train signed a minor league deal.  Good luck to him!     

TODAY’S TRIVIA QUESTION:  Today’s question is a simple one.  Who is the only player in the history of major league baseball to play ate least one full season as a catcher and at least one full season at second base?  Tell you later, alligator.  Too easy, today.

Today’s article of the day comes from ESPN’s Tim Kurkjian, who talks about the HOF announcement on Wednesday, specifically singling out Craig Biggio.  http://espn.go.com/mlb/hof13/story/_/id/8809931/craig-biggio-belongs-cooperstown

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. 

Bowl season finally comes to an end in college football tonight,  when the National Championship will be decided.  #1 Notre Dame takes on #2 Alabama at the Seven-Names Stadium tonight.  Kickoff is at 8:00 pm, and you can watch the contest on ESPN.    

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 41 #11 Oklahoma 13

Heisman winner Johnny Manziel posted 516 total yards in the win

Saturday, January 5

BBVA COMPASS BOWL

Ole Miss 38 Pittsburgh 17

Bo Wallace threw three touchdown passes

Sunday, January 6

GODADDY.COM BOWL

Arkansas State 17 #25 Kent State 13

First-ever bowl win for Arkansas State

Monday, January 7

DISCOVER BCS NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME

#2 Alabama vs #1 Notre Dame

8:30 pm ESPN

The answer to today’s question: Who is the only player in the history of major league baseball to play ate least one full season as a catcher and at least one full season at second base?  If you said Craig Biggio, you are correct.  Biggio has a good chance to make the Hall of Fame on Wednesday in his first year of eligibility.  

In case you missed them last friday, here are my 2013 predictions.  Take these with a grain of salt, but I suggest you write them down or print them and keep them for future reference. 

MY GUARANTEED (OR YOUR MONEY BACK) 2013 PREDICTIONS:    

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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)
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. 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.  Besides, how long can the Mike DiAntoni experiment last in Los Angeles?
7. 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”?
8. 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.
9. 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.
10. Tiger Woods will win a major tournament this year.
11. 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.
12. The University of Miami will finally have to face the specter of NCAA sanctions starting in 2013.  It will not be pretty.
13. 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. 

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:    

1. 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.

1. 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.

1. 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)

1. 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. 

1. 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.

1. 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.

1. 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”?

1. 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.

1. 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.

1. Tiger Woods will win a major tournament this year.

1. 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.

1. The University of Miami will finally have to face the specter of   

      NCAA sanctions starting in 2013.  It will not be pretty.

1. 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!