LETS TALK FOOTBALL PLAYOFFS

Bengals 19-16 over Titans.

Joe Burrow got beat up in the game -- sacked an NFL-record-tying nine times -- he still threw for 348 yards to propel the Bengals to one of their biggest wins in franchise history.

The Bengals wouldn't have won this game without Evan McPherson, who hit four field goals, including the game-winner from 52 yards out as time expired.

On the Titans' end, they just made way too many mistakes. QB Ryan Tannehill threw three interceptions, including the first play of the game, but the Titans also failed to convert a fourth-and-1 from the Bengals' 35-yard line with just over seven minutes left to play.

49ers 13-10 over Packers.

The 49ers didn't score a single offensive touchdown. but they were able to pull off the upset in Green Bay thanks to special teams play and a defense that shut down Aaron Rodgers. The 49ers blocked a field goal in the first half & returned a blocked punt for a touchdown to tie the game at 10 with just 4:41 left to play. Robbie Gould then finished it with a 45-yard field goal as time expired.

Rams 30-27 over Buccaneers.

Tom Brady almost pulled it off.  But Matthew Stafford had enough magic in the final minute Of ot the Rams to win. At one point, the Buccaneers trailed 27-3, but they managed to tie things up at 27 after a crazy fourth quarter. The Rams escaped with the win when Stafford threw to Cooper Kupp for a 44-yard play just seconds left. That set up a 30-yard walk-off field goal by Matt Gay. The Rams won in spite of turning the ball over four times.

Chiefs 42-36 over Bills in OT.

Patrick Mahomes threw for 378 yards & three touchdowns. And the Chiefs held on to beat the Bills in a game that few will forget. Definitely made Playoff history. Mahomes threw to Kelce for an 8-yard TD in overtime to take the win. in the With just 13 seconds left, Mahomes made a 44-yard drive to set up Butker's 49-yard field goal, which tied the game and sent it to OT.

After a playoff weekend that opened with three straight crazy games, it didn't seem possible that the Bills-Chiefs game would be able to top the previous games, but it did! Games what other games?    The Chiefs' win over Bills was an instant classic

Let's take a closer look at the Bills - Chiefs game.

Game gets wild in final two minutes. The two teams combined to score 25 points in the final two minutes of the game, which set a playoff record for the most points scored in the final two minutes of a game (It was also the second-most in NFL history for the final two minutes, behind only the 28 scored by the Ravens and Vikings in 2013).

Bills scoring plays in the final two minutes. The first score in the final two minutes came when Josh Allen connected with Gabriel Davis for a 27-yard TD on FOURTH-AND-13. After the Chiefs responded, Allen and Davis hooked up again for another TD with just 13 seconds left to play. Overall, Davis had four catches for 201 yards and four touchdowns, with the four scores setting an NFL playoff receiving record.

Mahomes was magic. At the two-minute warning, Mahomes only had 190 passing yards in the game, but then he almost DOUBLED that total. After the two-minute warning, and including overtime, Mahomes went 10 of 13 for 188 yards and two touchdowns, including a game-winning TD pass to Travis Kelce. He also threw a 64-yard TD pass to Tyreek Hill with 1:02 left to play that gave the Chiefs a 33-29 lead.

Did I mention Mahomes was magic? Although Mahomes threw two late touchdowns, that wasn't even the most impressive thing he did. The most impressive thing he did was engineer a 44-yard drive in 10 seconds to set up Harrison Butker's game-tying field goal at the end of regulation. With the Chiefs trailing 36-33 and just 13 seconds left, Mahomes got his team in field goal range by throwing a 19-yard pass to Tyreek Hill followed by a 25-yard pass to Kelce. Those two plays took just 10 seconds off the clock, which left three seconds for Butker to hit the game-tying field goal from 49 yards away.

We all witnessed history. If you feel like you were watching a historical performance, you're right. Both quarterbacks had 300 or more passing yards and three or more touchdown passes to go along with 50 or more rushing yards and zero interceptions. It was the first time in NFL history that BOTH quarterbacks in a game hit all of those numbers.

Heartbreak for Bills fans. The loss to the Chiefs marked the FOURTH time in franchise history that they've lost a postseason game on the final play. It also happened in the 2019 wild card round when the Texans hit a game-winning field goal along with the Music City Miracle in the 1999 wild card round and of course, Scott Norwood's missed field goal on the final play of Super Bowl XXV. If you see a Bills fan today, please hug them.

Andy Reid is on a roll. The win by the Chiefs was the 19th playoff victory in Reid's coaching a career, which is the third-most in NFL history. Reid could move into a tie for second overall with Tom Landry if the Chiefs beat the Bengals this week. Bill Belichick is at the top of the list with 31 wins. 

 Twelve crazy facts from the divisional round

1. Home sweet home. The Chiefs will be hosting the AFC title game for the fourth straight year, which sets an NFL record for most consecutive times hosting the game. Thanks to the win, Reid also became the first coach in NFL history to lead multiple teams to four consecutive conference title games (He led the Eagles to four straight NFC title games from 2001-04).  Home sweet home Part II. Thanks to the Rams win, SoFi Stadium will become the first stadium in NFL history to host both a conference title game and a Super Bowl in the same year. The Rams could also become the first team to play both games at home. They're also the third team to make the conference title game in a year where their stadium is hosting the Super Bowl (2017 Vikings, 2020 Buccaneers).
2. High drama in the divisional round. With all four games ending on a walk-off score, it marks the first time in NFL history that there has been four game-winning scores with no time left in a single postseason. Basically, this had never happened before over an ENTIRE postseason and we got to see it happen in a 48-hour period.
3. Top seeds go down. The losses by the Titans and Packers mark the first time since 2010 that both one seeds were knocked out in the divisional round. Eleven years ago, the top seeds were the Patriots and Falcons, who lost to the Jets and Packers.
4. Road teams rule the divisional round. The road teams going 3-1 in the divisional round marks just the third time since the AFL-NFL merger in 1970 that the road teams have done that well in the divisional round. The only other times it happened came in 2008 and 1971. Road teams have never gone 4-0 in the round.
5. Bengals end another drought. The Bengals are in the AFC title game for the first time since the 1988 season. Cincinnati's appearance ends the NFL's longest drought without playing in a conference title game. The Browns, who haven't made it since 1989, now have the NFL's longest drought. The Bengals also picked up their first road playoff win in franchise history.
6. Aaron Rodgers can't beat the 49ers. The Packers QB is now 0-4 against the 49ers in the playoffs. That's the most playoff losses by a starting QB against a single opponent in NFL history.
7. Goulden foot. After hitting two clutch field goals against the Packers, Robbie Gould now holds the NFL playoff record for most field goal attempts without a miss. In his postseason career, Gould is 20-for-20. To put that in perspective, only one other kicker in NFL history has even attempted at least 12 playoff field goals and made them all (Chris Boswell).  
8. Money McPherson. Bengals kicker Evan McPherson had four field goals against the Titans, making him the first kicker in NFL history to hit four field goals in multiple games in the same postseason. McPherson has also hit every field goal he's attempted on the road this year (15 of 15).
9. Titans might want to avoid the top seed in the future. The Titans have been the top seed a total of three times in franchise history and they're 0-3 as the AFC's No. 1 seed. Not only did they get upset this year, but they also lost as the top seed in 2008 and 2000.
10. Titans bully Joe Burrow. The Titans' defense sacked Burrow a total of nine times, which tied the NFL single-game record for the playoffs. Despite the sacks, the Titans still lost, making them the second team in NFL history to lose in a playoff game with nine sacks.
11. Rams lose fumbles, but win game. The Rams lost four fumbles against Tampa Bay, but they still managed to win, making them the first team since the 1975 Steelers to win a playoff game despite losing four fumbles.
12. Tom Brady mum about future; Aaron Rodgers will take time to think about options. With the Buccaneers and Packers both losing, that means retirement watch is now on for both Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers.

EARLY ODDS

Sunday, Jan. 30

(4) Bengals at (2) Chiefs, 3 p.m. ET (CBS)

Opening line: Chiefs -7

Current line: Chiefs -7

Sunday, Jan. 30

(6) 49ers at (4) Rams, 6:30 p.m. ET (Fox)

Opening line: Rams -4

Current line: Rams -3.5

NFL Draft order is partially set: Top 28 picks are locked in

AND NOW FOR BASEBALL!

Let’s talk Hall of Fame and who belongs, for Real!

Roger Clemens, quite simply, is one of the greatest pitchers in baseball history.

The statistics and awards reveal the utter dominance during his era.

– Seven Cy Young awards.

– One MVP.

– 11 All-Star selections.

– 354 wins.

– 4,672 strikeouts.

– Seven ERA titles.

If it was merely about numbers, Clemens would have been a shoo-in when he first appeared on the Hall of Fame ballot and not about to be extinguished in his last year of eligibility.

The trouble with Clemens is that you can’t bring up his name without Barry Bonds. As in Barry Bonds and Steroids. And that is why he is not in yet. And the real crime here is that this year, 2022 is the last year the Roger Clemens with all of those wins and strikeouts and titles. This is the last year he can be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame

Spring training is approaching, so when does the new collective bargaining agreement need to be in place? At some point in the next few weeks MLB and the MLBPA will agree to a new collective bargaining agreement, bringing to an end what is already the longest owners' lockout in baseball history. Major League Baseball will not cease to exist. The two sides will reach a deal at an undetermined point in the future. Dec. 1 expiration of the old CBA was the closest thing to a real deadline -- but the longer the lockout goes on, the more it compromises the season.

The 1990 lockout set a precedent for a delayed Opening Day. That lockout lasted 32 days, shortened spring training to roughly two weeks, and pushed Opening Day back one week. Three extra days were tacked on to the end of the schedule to allow for a full 162-game season. So yes, pushing Opening Day back is a thing that has happened and could happen again.

NOW FOR SOME BASKETBALL

The Trade deadline is Feb 10^th. The season is half over and where ae we now?

27 days to the All Star game? Who will be there?

Bucks, Suns Warriors & Heat are the contenders right now for the title. Lakers keep losing, Suns are 5-0 on the road and return home to face the Jazz.

EASTERN CONFERENCE

 W - L   PCT   GB   PF    PA   CONF  DIV     L10     STRK 

1 Miami Heat

30-17  .638     -     108.6   104.1  19-9   8-2     7-3     W1

2 Brooklyn Nets

29-17  .630   0.5     112.2   109.8  20-9   6-1     5-5     L1

3 Chicago Bulls

28-17  .622   1.0     110.3   108.6  19-11 6-3     3-7     L2

4 Milwaukee Bucks

30-19  .612   1.0     112.0   108.2  19-15 7-2     5-5     W3

5 Cleveland Cavaliers

28-19  .596   2.0     107.2   102.5  15-10 4-2     7-3     W1

6 Philadelphia 76ers

27-19  .587   2.5     107.5   105.7  17-12 4-6     7-3     W1

7 Charlotte Hornets

26-21  .553   4.0     114.1   114.2  17-11 5-5     7-3     L1

8 Boston Celtics

24-24  .500   6.5     107.6   105.5  17-13 5-6     6-4     W1

9 Toronto Raptors

22-22  .500   6.5     106.8   106.1  14-13 5-5     5-5     L1

10 Washington Wizards

23-24  .489   7.0     107.8   109.9  16-16 6-5     4-6     L3

11 New York Knicks

23-24  .489   7.0     104.2   104.5  14-18 4-6     6-4     W1

12 Atlanta Hawks

21-25  .457   8.5     111.2   111.7  13-15 6-5     5-5     W4

13 Indiana Pacers

17-30  .362   13.0   108.2   109.1  8-22   2-7     3-7     L1

14 Detroit Pistons

11-35  .239   18.5   102.0   111.6  7-19   2-7     4-6     L2

15 Orlando Magic

9-39    .188   21.5   102.1   110.6  6-28   2-10   2-8     W1

WESTERN CONFERENCE

W - L    PCT   GB     PF    PA    CONF   L10   STRK

1 Phoenix Suns

36-9   .800   -     112.5   104.5  22-7   9-1     W6

2 Golden State Warriors

34-13  .723   3.0     109.4   101.8  18-8   5-5     W2

3     Memphis Grizzlies

32-17  .653   6.0     111.6   108.4  24-11 7-3     L1

4 Utah Jazz

30-17  .638   7.0     114.2   107.1  19-7   3-7     L1

5 Dallas Mavericks

27-20  .574   10.0   105.3   102.5  21-11 8-2     W1

6 Denver Nuggets

24-21  .533   12.0   107.9   106.9  16-14 6-4     W1

7 Minnesota Timberwolves

23-23  .500   13.5   111.0   110.0  16-15 7-3     W1

8 Los Angeles Lakers

23-24  .489   14.0   111.3   112.7  13-16 5-5     L1

9 LA Clippers

23-25  .479   14.5   105.2   106.5  13-20 4-6     L1

10 Portland Trail Blazers

20-26  .435   16.5   108.4   112.0  8-19   6-4     W2

11 New Orleans Pelicans

17-28  .378   19.0   105.5   109.7  11-16 4-6     W1

12 Sacramento Kings

18-30  .375   19.5   110.5   114.5  13-20 2-8     L3

13 San Antonio Spurs

17-30  .362   20.0   110.4   111.1  10-17 2-8     L2

14 Oklahoma City Thunder

14-32  .304   22.5   100.3   107.8  10-21 1-9     L5

15 Houston Rockets

14-33  .298   23.0   108.3   116.3  7-19   4-6     L1