Sports Agenda for Monday (5/21/12)
Big Story:
Now that's what I'm talking about LeBron & D-Wade! The Heat come through in a must-win game in a BIG way. The Marlins take 2-3 from Cleveland and let's ride on the wheels of conference realignment again!
Quote of the Day:
"I've said that playing the blues is like having to be black twice. Stevie Ray Vaughan missed on both counts, but I never noticed." – B.B. King (and if you've never listened to SRV…for shame!!!)
Miami Heat: (off Monday)
So if you remember the last agenda, I pounded D-Wade pretty hard for not showing up for this series.
Looks like he got tired of hearing that.
All it took was one play, a simple backdoor pass for a dunk but D-Wade finally got in the groove last night in a BIG way.
I'm telling you, that third and fourth quarter were just something you won't see but once or twice in a lifetime.
First, let's give the kudos where they truly belong…LeBron James.
For all the D-Wade talk…LeBron is the MAN who carried this team until D-Wade got into the groove.
I mean, you want to look at a ridunkulous stat line?
40 points on 14-27 shooting, 18 rebounds, 9 assists, 2 steals, 2 blocked shots.
That, son, is how you completely dominate a game in a way only a couple of other stars could ever pull off.
Wade broke out of his slump in a big way.
He finished with:
30 points on 13-23 shooting, 9 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 steal, 0 turnovers, and 2 blocked shots.
As I watched the James and Wade show just demolish the Pacers I couldn't help but think one thing…
Why haven't they been doing this the whole series?
I know, it doesn't matter because they did it here.
But still, they were attacking and attacking and attacking yesterday and it's just been missing from the playoffs the last few games.
They even admitted as much in the postgame.
So again, with Bosh out and the rest of the team not being able to hit water if they fell out of a boat…why haven't they attacked the whole series?
Oh well, let's enjoy the victory for one more reason.
Udonis Haslem got his shot back!!!
Could this be like last season when he finally came back against the Bulls and sparked a nice run by the Heat to the Finals?
Time will tell, but if he's getting confidence in his shot again and can stick in 10-15 points a night…this is a totally different Heat team.
They need someone to hit the mid-range jumper, and you couldn't feel any better for anyone than UD to finally get going.
It was a heckuva game and now the Heat come back home looking to go up 3-2.
If the Heat play like they did in the third and fourth quarter of Game 4 for an entire game, Indiana doesn't stand a chance.
Time will tell.
No update on Bosh….still rehabbing….still have my fingers crossed.
Miami Marlins: (vs. Colorado Rockies, 7:10 p.m., Fox Sports Florida)
Well, the Marlins went on the road last Tuesday and finished with a 3-2 record including winning the series against Cleveland.
Now, the Marlins have to prove they can do it at home.
They begin a 10 game home stand where they'll face the Rockies, Giants, and Nationals.
They'll continue working with a makeshift lineup.
The Fish finally demoted Gaby Sanchez, Emilio Bonifacio is on the 15-day DL, and Omar Infante is out for a couple of days due to a death in his family.
Want a reason to watch tonight?
Jamie Moyer will be pitching for the Rockies.
I don't want to say he's old, but when he gets a cut, dust falls out.
Yup, Moyer all nearly 50 years old of him will square off against the Marlins' Mark Buehrle.
And say what you want, but I think the pitching rotation is finally starting to come around.
Look at the ERA's for Anibal, Big Z, and Buehrle: 2.32, 1.96, and 3.17 respectively.
And JJ gave them a great outing on Sunday with 7 strong innings.
Now it's time to defend the home turf and prepare for next week's battle with the Washington Nationals, who are just 2 games ahead of the Fish in the NL East.
Conference Realignment:
Is FSU going or is FSU staying?
What does the Big XII-SEC champion bowl say for the conferences?
What about Notre Dame?
Okay, let's tackle this…
Texas is in love with adding Notre Dame to the Big XII and have been actively pursuing them for the last two years.
Notre Dame's stupid NBC contract is the main holdup, but Texas believes that could be overcome.
ND would have to determine if they want to go with a Big XII schedule or stay more independent.
It looks like the latter.
"All we know is that Texas athletic director DeLoss Dodds has been courting Irish athletic director Jack Swarbrick like a reluctant prom date for three years," according to Orangebloods.com.
Some say Notre Dame is seriously looking at the Big XII, which would be a coup for the conference.
But ND joining the BiG XII may not happen until after the NBC deal runs out in 2015.
As for Florida State and Clemson, it's looking like if they go somewhere, it will be a package deal.
Here's a possibility….
FSU, Clemson, and Louisville join the Big XII to make it 13 teams.
ND joins in all sports but football until 2015 when they join in football as well.
As for the Big XII vs. SEC champion bowl game….
That was the final nail in the coffin of the BCS and I have to say praise the Lord and pass the biscuits.
But there could be a big loser in all of this…..the Orange Bowl.
The Big XII vs. SEC champion bowl game will either be the Cotton Bowl or the Sugar Bowl.
The Pac-12 vs. Big Ten game will remain the Rose Bowl.
That leaves the ACC and Big East….yikes.
It means the Orange Bowl could become one of the rotation of bowls that gets the national championship game each year in a playoff format.
Or it could be a permanent host to a semifinal game.
We'll have to wait until the end of June for those details.
I hope the Orange Bowl can finally reestablish itself as a major bowl destination.
Seriously, if you're a college student and you can go to either Tempe, Arizona or Miami…what would you choose?
All of that and more on cbsmiami.com/sports
Follow me on Twitter @timkephart33
