Sports Agenda For Friday (3/30/12)
Big Story:
Just when we thought it was safe to say the Panthers were in the playoffs, the Heat beat the crapola out of the Mavericks, the Dolphins liked Tannehill, and hey, why not some Wrestlemania predictions while we're at it.
Lyrics of the Day:
"People are crazy and times are strange. I'm locked in tight, I'm out of range. I used to care, but things have changed." Bob Dylan, from the song Things Have Changed.
Heat: @Toronto Raptors, 7 p.m., Sun Sports)
Hmm, well, that's a nice way to reassert yourself in the NBA.
Nice to see LeBron and Bosh have the same stat line of 19 points and 9 rebounds.
Also, where in the hell has that offense been Udonis Haslem. Welcome to the season UD's offensive game!
Mario Chalmers had 12 points, but I'm sorry, 2-9 from 3 and he missed several completely wide open three's ain't gonna cut it.
I'm still on the bandwagon for Ronny Turiaf starting for this team.
He made a back-to-the-basket move last night and I literally sat up in my chair because I haven't seen that since Zo left.
Turiaf had 4 points and 6 rebounds and no turnovers with only one foul.
I'm telling you, he's the best starter the Heat have.
Can you imagine bringing Battier, Haslem, Cole, and Anthony off the bench with their energy?
C'mon Erik, quit fighting it and look at the obvious.
And can we end the Mike Miller wait?
I'm thinking he's just not needed anymore and at the end of the season he's the prime candidate to be amnestied.
I understand wanting to see if it will work, but I'm sorry, he just can't stay healthy at his age.
It also helps that the Heat outrebounded the Mavericks 44-29.
See, you hit the boards, don't turn the ball over, and lookie lookie lookie, here comes the cookie!
Now that they have the Mavs victory under their belt it's time to sit LeBron for the next two games
Keep him out for the Toronto and Celtics game to get him a little rest.
Bring him back for Philly next Tuesday.
But if you think LeBron will sit out, I've got a sweet bridge in Brooklyn to sell ya.
Panthers: (@ Columbus Blue Jackets, 7:00 p.m, Fox Sports Florida)
Just when I think I'm out, they suck me back in to watch them go down.
Really Panthers? REALLY?
You just lost to the third worst team in the Western Conference.
Here's the thing Florida, if you lose tonight, don't come home.
You're playing the Columbus Blue Jackets, the worst team in the NHL.
To put it in another sports prospective….you're playing Sister Mary's School for the Blind.
The Panthers have just 57 points on the season and you have 90.
If you lose this game, just stay in Columbus.
But seriously, Florida hit 90 points with the tie last night and Washington remained 4 points behind in the Southeast Division.
Now I'm not good with math, but try to go with me here.
Washington has four games left, which means at maximum, they can get eight more points.
Florida has five games left, which means at maximum, they can get ten more points.
Florida is four points ahead of Washington.
So Florida needs some combination of two victories and a Washington loss and they get in?
Or something like that.
They're really close is what I'm trying to say.
They should walk away with two points tonight for the victory.
We shall see though…..we shall see.
Dolphins:
Yes, the Dolphins braintrust (is that an oxymoron?) was in College Station to see Ryan Tannehill throw against air.
He completed 65-68 passes in his pro day throwing against oxygen. Two of the incompletions were drops.
He also ran a 4.62 40-yard-dash.
What did we learn new?
Nothing.
We knew all of this ahead of time and it's no surprise now.
Is he worth the eigth overall pick?
I still say no.
If I'm the Fins, I try to trade above the Rams, so to the number four or five spot I believe.
Why you ask?
To draft Justin Blackmon.
He'd be locked in for five years at an insanely affordable salary and solves your number one receiver problem in one fail swoop.
What do I think the Fins will do?
More than likely overdraft Tannehill at eight and then draft another offensive lineman high in the second round.
But that's just my guess.
Look, Tannehill could be the next Brett Favre, but I SERIOUSLY doubt it.
He's a good athlete and has a good arm, but he never won the big game and I'm not wasting a high pick on a quarterback who couldn't win the big game.
Tell me something….what do these guys have in common?
Cam Newton, Sam Bradford, Eli Manning, Carson Palmer, Peyton Manning? Yup, they all won the big game.
Wrestlemania Predictions:
Yeah, it's not exactly sports, kinda entertainment, but I'll be out there anyways, so may as well end the week on something goofy.
So here's you Wrestlemania predictions:
Kane over Randy Orton
Big Show over Cody Rhodes
Sheamus over Daniel Bryan
Chris Jericho over CM Punk
Team Johnny over Team Teddy
Undertaker over Triple H
John Cena over The Rock
Oh one other WWE note, expect next year's main event to be finalized the following Monday night and don't be surprised if Stone Cold Steve Austin makes an appearance soon.
We'll try to get to all of this on CBSMiami.com/sports today plus all the other latest news that's fit to print.
Follow me on Twitter @timkephart33 for all the late breaking news and sports you can handle. (See what I did there, handle?)
Have a good weekend everyone.
