FOOTBALL

In the NFL, the media is circling the stars of the Super Bowl, and their target is, of course, Peyton Manning.  The first question for Manning has been, “will Manning play after this season”?  Manning has said that he “certainly” wants to play beyond the Super Bowl.  Manning continued saying that his career took a big turn when he switched teams, and he’s taking it all year by year.  He said his goal coming into this year was a Super Bowl, and right now, he’s not looking past that game.  We’ll all be anxious to see what he decides to do after the big game.

And speaking of the Super Bowl, both teams are in town and starting their practices.  The first thing they see:  snowy practice fields.  This is exactly what they were worried about, as neither team wants weather conditions to affect the game.  That’s probably unavoidable considering the NFL’s decision to put the Super Bowl in New York. Both teams are hoping for no wind. This Super Bowl could be highly controversial if weather plays a major factor.

And, in a meaningless but fun game to watch, Jerry Rice’s team beat Deion Sanders’ team in the Pro Bowl Sunday night in Hawaii. The format was very different this year as Rice and Sanders got to choose their team (fantasy football style) from the terrific athletes chosen for the Pro Bowl (which is a huge honor). The game itself is purely for fun and if a player was chosen for the Pro Bowl but is on the Broncos or Seahawks, they obviously weren’t eligible to play. Can you imagine if Peyton Manning played Sunday night in the Pro Bowl and got injured and couldn’t play in the Super Bowl?

BASKETBALL

Finally, in the NBA, the Lakers are clearly struggling this season.  They are looking towards the future, and eyeing some key free agents.  One of most likely free agents of the off-season will be Carmelo Anthony of the Knicks.  The Lakers would love a big name like Anthony, and told Kobe they would love if he would help court him.  But Kobe has said that he would do no such thing.  As of now, the Lakers are still Kobe’s team.  He would love the help, but he wants nothing to do with finding a replacement icon for the Lakers.

FOOTBALL

In the NFL, it was a lowly Thursday night game between the Houston Texans and the Jacksonville Jaguars.  The Texans put up a fight against the Patriots last week, and the Jags were on a 2-game win streak headed into the game.  The Jags got out to a big lead early, and even caused the Texans to pull their starting quarterback Case Keenum, who hasn’t won a game yet for the Texans.  Matt Schaub replaced him, but the Jags are playing well right now and they came away with the home victory.  That’s 3 in a row for the Jags, and now the Texans (based on their losing season) are in position to get the #1 pick.  That will lead to countless “Should they draft Texas hero Johnny Manziel?” articles over the next 6 months.  Jacksonville 27, Houston 20.

The big news out of the day came from the college football world and the decision in Tallahassee as to the verdict on the charge against Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston.  Winston was accused of sexual assault by a woman a year ago.  If found guilty, he would not have played in the National Title Game.  But Winston’s lawyer has said all along that the sex was consensual.  It was up to the judge to decide, and the official verdict was that Winston was absolved of all charges. There will likely be many questions and commentary on this decision over the next few weeks.

BASKETBALL

And in the NBA, the New York Knicks haven’t had such a great beginning of the season.  Then again, neither have the Brooklyn Nets, who were supposed to be a juggernaut with the addition of Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce.  Thursday night, they would square off in a rivalry game at the Barclays Center in a battle to see who could get to 5 wins first.  Fortunately, Knicks fans have a little to celebrate as Carmelo Anthony had a good game to snap a 9-game losing streak and crush the Nets.  NY Knicks 113, Brooklyn 83.

BASKETBALL

In the NBA, it was Game 2 between the Indiana Pacers and the New York Knicks.  The Pacers stole a game from the Knicks in Game 1, but Carmelo Anthony and the Knicks came out to play in Game 2.  Carmelo had 32 points as the Knicks overwhelmed the Pacers.  This series could potentially go to the wire.  We haven’t seen many close games from either teams in both this series and their first round match-ups.  The series now shifts back to Indiana for Game 3.  Knicks 105, Pacers 79.

Next up, it was Game 2 between the Memphis Grizzlies and the Oklahoma City Thunder.  The Grizz had complete control over Game 1, but choked in the final minutes, giving the game back to the Thunder.  But they hoped to make up for that in Game 2.  Plus, without Russell Westbrook (and James Harden) the Thunder are a completely different team.  The game was still close for most of the way, and the Thunder led it heading into the 4th quarter.  But down the stretch, the Grizzlies defense thwarted the Thunder and pulled away for a Game 2 win.  Now the series heads back to Memphis, where it will be extremely tough for the Thunder to win.  Memphis 99, OKC 93.

FOOTBALL

Finally, in the NFL, there was a lot of controversy surrounding the New York Jets selection of quarterback Geno Smith in the 2nd round.  They already had 4 quarterbacks on their roster and they added a 5th in Smith.  But soon after the draft, they dropped Tim Tebow, and have publicly declared that this is going to be a 4-way competition for the starting quarterback job.  And Tuesday, Jets owner Woody Johnson said he was “extremely happy” that the Jets drafted Smith, saying he’s looking forward to this competition. The main problem with the Jets… they don’t have a lot of offensive receiving weapons.  Their lead guys are Santonio Holmes and second-year receiver Stephen Hill.   With so many solid wide receivers in the draft, it’s shocking that the Jets didn’t snag a big name.  But apparently they had too many other needs to fill.

BASKETBALL

In the NBA, the playoffs continued.  First up, it was LeBron and the Heat defending their home court against a pesky Milwaukee team.  This time, however, the Bucks kept it close all the way through the 4th quarter.  They even probably thought they could steal a game from Miami in Miami.  They of course let their imagination get the best of them, and watched as the Heat sailed to an easy win in the fourth quarter.  A valiant effort however for the Bucks.  Miami 98, Milwaukee 86.
Then, it was Carmelo Anthony and the Knicks defending Madison Square Garden against the Celtics.  The Celtics kept this one close in Game 1, but in game 2 it was a different story, as it’s pretty clear that the Knicks are on the up and up, while the Celtics look old and ailing.  Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett had off-shooting nights, while Carmelo Anthony was on fire for the Knicks, and the Celtics simply had no answer for him. The Knicks cruised to a win and took a 2-0 lead in the series.

Finally, it was Game 2 between the Warriors and the Nuggets.  A lot of people thought this series would be close considering that offensive firepower the Warriors had, but the Warriors lost their all-star David Lee in Game 1, and it’s uncertain when he will be back.  So if they expected to steal a game from Denver IN Denver, where the Nuggets are pretty much impossible to beat, they would have to have an amazing offensive performance.  Fortunately for the Warriors, they have Stephen Curry, a guy who has absolutely no ceiling every night.  Curry looked great, putting up 30 points and 13 assists and absolutely punishing the Nuggets.  The Warriors got the job done, and head back to the Bay Area with the series tied.  Golden State 131, Denver 117.

And in some other NBA news, things may not have worked out in Los Angeles, but Mike Brown has found another coaching job.  And this is money for Brown ON TOP of what the Lakers had to pay him for firing him.  Brown is actually headed back to Cleveland, a place where he made a name for himself coaching LeBron for 7 seasons.  The Cavs have a young team full of promising talent that Brown could mold into a legitimate playoff team.  This is the perfect fit for Brown, and he will probably be there a long term.

BASKETBALL

Update on Rutgers basketball coach: Mike Rice was fired (belatedly but thankfully)  and now Athletic Director Tim Pernetti is under the microscope. Pernetti helped Rutgers get into the Big 10 and therefore a ton of money for the school.  It brings up an issue on what athletic directors and University Presidents are morally obligated to do. They clearly knew Rice was acting atrociously but he was also winning games and winning games brings in money. This story still has some life to it…..

In a show of athleticism and entertainment, Carmelo Anthony followed up his incredible 50-point shooting performance in Miami against the Heat with 40 points against the Atlanta Hawks Wednesday night. The Knicks are now on a 10 game win streak. 10th straight win. Knicks 95, Hawks 82.

FOOTBALL

In the NFL, Nnamdi Asomugha was considered the best cornerback in football a few years ago.  When he left the Raiders to pursue the free agent market, he was the most desirable name on the free agent board.  He picked the Philadelphia Eagles coming off a hot season, but the Eagles were terrible the following year.  It left many wondering how good Asomugha actually was.  Was he just all hype?  Now, he has moved on from the Eagles and will join the secondary of the NFC Champion San Francisco 49ers.  The Niners have a staunch defense, but their secondary left something to be desired.  The Ravens chewed it up in the Super Bowl.  But with Asomugha back there, they might just turn into the league’s toughest defense.

BASKETBALL

In the NBA, the Heat’s streak has been over for a week now, so they are now in safety mode.  Against the Knicks, they rested both LeBron and Dwayne Wade to ensure they wouldn’t get hurt from their minor injuries.  That gave Knicks’ star Carmelo Anthony a chance to shine.  Anthony put up a whopping 50 points in the win against the Heat.  The Heat know that they’re in the midst of a special season (especially given their 27-game streak), but none of it will matter if they don’t win a Championship.  NY 102, Miami 90.

Finally, in some interesting news out of Dallas, Mark Cuban has made a fascinating comment.  Brittney Griner is arguably the best female basketball player ever.  She was a dominate center at Baylor, and nobody could come close to stopping her.  She even dunked 18 times while at Baylor.  She’s headed to the WNBA, BUT, Mark Cuban has said that he would consider drafting her in the second round.  And if Dallas doesn’t draft her, he said he would invite her to camp to see if she could hang with the big boys.  This is quite progressive, and if there is any woman who could make it in the NBA, it’s Griner.  Would be fascinating to see the Mavs grab Griner.  Cuban said that most 2nd round players don’t make it in the league anyway, so it would be worth the risk.

FOOTBALL

In the NFL, the Pro Bowl teams have been named. San Francisco led the way with nine Pro Bowl selections, followed by Houston and New England, who had eight and seven respectively. Notable players who were selected were Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning, who was selected for a record 12^th time and Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson, coming just one year off major knee surgery. Washington Redskins rookie quarterback Robert Griffin III was the only one of the big three rookie quarterbacks to be selected to the game.

BASKETBALL

In the NBA, the New York Knicks traveled to Phoenix to play the Suns without Carmelo Anthony and Raymond Felton. But even so, J.R. Smith was able to hit two late shots to beat the Suns. Coming off the bench, he had 27 points, six rebounds and five assists. Jason Kidd added 23 points six rebounds and eight assists to the cause. For Phoenix, the star on a heartbreaking night was Jared Dudley. He scored 36 points on the night. The 99-97 win gives the Knicks their 21^st  win on the season.

And in Denver, the Nuggets stopped the Los Angeles Lakers winning streak 126 – 114.  Kobe Bryant led all scoring with 40 points on the night, but it wasn’t enough to overcome the entire Nuggets starting five in double figures. In addition to the starters, Corey Brewer played 24 minutes off the bench for Denver and added 27 points of his own on the night. The loss drops the Lakers to under .500.

BASKETBALL

In the NBA, Christmas lends itself to having the biggest player play in front of fans, when no other sporting event can compete. The basketball king, Lebron James, was paraded in front of the world on his home court in Miami. He dropped 29 points, eight rebounds and nine assists on Kevin Durant and the Oklahoma City Thunder.  It was James’ 30^th straight game of scoring at least 30 points. Durant countered with 33 points of his own and seven rebounds, but the late surge by the Thunder was not enough to over take the Heat in the 4^th quarter. Miami handed Oklahoma City its first consecutive loss of the season. Miami Heat 103, Oklahoma City Thunder 97.

And on the other coast, Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers improved to .500 on the season with the win over the New York Knicks. Both Carmelo Anthony and Kobe Bryant scored 34 points for their respective teams. The win marked the fifth in a row for the Lakers for Bryant’s record 15^th Christmas Day game. Bryant has scored 383 points all time on Christmas leading all other players in the history of the NBA. The Lakers avenged the 116-107 loss to the Knicks nearly two weeks ago with this 100-94 victory.

After Chicago’s Joakim Noah called out Houston’s Omer Asik, before Tuesday’s game, Noah had nothing to add after the Bulls were beat. Houston scored 120 points on Chicago. Asik’s part in the win was a big one with 20 points and 18 rebounds.  In fact, all five of the Rocket’s starters were in double-digit points on the night. The only bright spot on the night was Nate Robinson scoring 27 points off the bench. Houston Rockets 120, Chicago Bulls 97.

BASKETBALL

In New York, we definitely have a new rivalry.  Since the Nets have moved from New Jersey to Brooklyn, they have been a completely different team.  They play well together, and are ready to give the Eastern Conference a run for its money.  So, Tuesday night was Round 2 of the new rivalry between the Knicks and Nets.  And we were back at the Barclays Center where Carmelo knows how to score.  The game was a back and forth battle, but Carmelo Anthony went crazy again with a whopping 45 points. In two meetings at the Barclays center, Anthony has a total of 80 points — that’s amazing!  It came to the end, and the Knicks eeked out the victory.  But let’s be clear, this rivalry is only going to get more ferocious.  New York 100, Brooklyn 97.

Elsewhere in the NBA, the Lakers are receiving a ton of criticism from their poor play, and much of that is coming from Laker-God:  Magic Johnson.  Magic’s latest criticism is that the Lakers are using Pau Gasol incorrectly.  Magic said that when Pau Gasol played in the low block (meaning right around the rim), he shot 53% and was one of the best passing big men in the game.  But now, new head coach Mike D’Antoni is playing him at the foul line.  Magic said that that’s not efficient for Pau Gasol, and that he’s not being utilized correctly.  The main problem is that because his numbers have slipped, a lot of the blame is landing on Pau’s shoulders for the Lakers woes.   And a lot of fans want the Lakers to trade Pau.  They must have forgotten how integral he was to those two championships.  Either way, the Lakers need to figure out things quickly.

They had a shot against a losing Cleveland Cavaliers squad.  However, Cleveland does have talent, and you never know when they’re going to sneak up on you.  Plus, this season, given the major off-season acquisitions, it seems that every team is out there trying to beat the Lakers when they come to town.  Cleveland was no exception, and they now have their star point-guard Kyrie Irving back.  This game turned into Kobe v. Kyrie (two guys who challenged each other during the Olympic practices).  Kobe had 42 points, and Kyrie went for 28, but, in the end, the Cavaliers were just too much for the Lakeshow.  The Lakers currently aren’t even ranked in the top 8 in the west, meaning that they wouldn’t make the playoffs if it started today.  That’s pretty pathetic for a team that just brought in Dwight Howard AND Steve Nash.  Cleveland 100, LA Lakers 94.

FOOTBALL

In Thursday Night Football, it was the Miami Dolphins heading to Buffalo to play the Bills.  Both teams desperately needed this game, but more so the Bills, as a loss would almost surely signal the end of their season.  The Bills defense has improved since they got back their high priced free agent Mario Williams.  And that’s the defense they would need and use to completely shut down Dolphins rookie quarterback Ryan Tannehill.  They held him to just 141 yards and even caused him to toss 2 interceptions.  Meanwhile, the Bills offense wasn’t exactly impressive (they failed to convert one offensive touchdown), but they did just enough to hang on a take the game.  Their season remains alive.  Buffalo 19, Miami 14.

BASKETBALL

The New York Knicks are the last undefeated team in the league, and they were looking to go 6-0 against the Spurs on the road.  Winning against a Spurs team that’s gunning to take you down is no easy task.  But, the Knicks are seriously gelling this year.  They’ve got a nice rhythm, and the team is clearly led by Carmelo Anthony, without all the talk of Jeremy Lin surrounding him.  Their roles players are playing great, including the newly add J.R. Smith who openly admitted he was kinda checked out last year because the New York night life was just too appealing to him.  The Spurs did everything they could to cause the Knicks first loss, but Raymond Felton (25 points, 7 assists) and the Knicks were just too much for the Spurs to handle.  The Knicks remain undefeated at 6-0. That’s very hard in the modern era NBA.  NY Knicks 104, San Antonio 100.

BASEBALL

The big daddy of them all, the MVP awards, finally came in.  Buster Posey of the San Francisco Giants took the National League.  That was no surprise.  The big drama was in the American League between the Detroit Tigers Miguel Cabrera, who had a phenomenal season, and the Los Angeles Angels’ young superstar Mike Trout.  The Angels even won more games than the Tigers, they just happened to be in a tougher division.  But, in the end, the voting wasn’t even close, as Cabrera got the award by a landslide.  However, there is a lot of controversy over this While Cabrera’s stats were better, Mike Trout may have been actually been more valuable to his team.  He helped them win a lot of games, while Cabrera actually lost quite a few for the Tigers.  That’s what baseball is about:  arguments over who’s the best.