APCKRFAN's NFL Picks 2014: Week 20: Conference Championship

Week 20: Conference Championship

Sun., Jan. 18:
Green Bay @ Seattle - Green Bay
Indianapolis @ New England - New England

(Come on, you don't *really* expect me to pick Seattle, do you?)

APCKRFAN's NFL Picks 2014: Week 19: Divisional Playoffs

Week 19: Divisional Playoffs
Jan. 10:
Baltimore @ New England - New England
Carolina @ Seattle - Seattle

Jan. 11:
Dallas @ Green Bay - Green Bay
Indianapolis @ Denver - Denver

Sports Fact & This Day in History 1/6/15

January 6:
2001: Congress certifies George W. Bush winner of the 2000 presidential elections

On this day, Vice President Al Gore presided over a joint session of Congress that certified George W. Bush as the winner of the 2000 election. In one of the closest presidential elections in U.S. history, George W. Bush was finally declared the winner more than five weeks after the election, due to disputed Florida ballots. Gore became the fourth presidential candidate to win the popular vote, but lose the election after the Supreme Court ruled 5-4 to halt Florida's manual recount. The ruling, in effect, gave Florida's twenty-five electoral votes to Bush, giving him 271 to Gore's 266-where 270 is needed to win the election. George W. Bush took the oath of office on January 20, 2001, to become the forty-third President of the  United States.

1/6/1985:
In the AFC championship game at the Orange Bowl in Miami, the Dolphins prevail 45-28 over the Steelers. The two teams combine for 1,024 net yards. Trailing 14-10, Miami scores twice in the last 1:30 of the first half to take a 24-14 advantage into the locker room. Dolphins quarterback Dan Marino, who played his high school and college ball in Pittsburgh, completes 21 of 32 passes for 421 yards and four touchdowns. Wide receiver Mark Duper hauls in five catches for 148 yards and two scores. Running back Tony Nathan has eight receptions for 114 yards and also crosses the goal line on a two-yard run.

Birthdays:
Early Wynn b. 1920
Lou Holtz b. 1937
Nancy Lopez b. 1957
Gilbert Arenas b. 1982
Ndamukong Suh b. 1987

Sports Fact & This Day in History 1/4-5/15

January 4:
1974: Nixon refuses to hand over Watergate recordings
President Richard Nixon refused to hand over tape recordings and documents that had been subpoenaed by the Senate Watergate Committee. The refusal marked the beginning of the end of his presidency,and Nixon would resign from office in disgrace eight months later.

1/4/2005:
Matt Leinart's five touchdown passes lead top-ranked Southern California to a victory over number two Oklahoma 55-19 in the BCS championship game played at Pro Player Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. the game is over early as the Trojans roll to a 38-10 halftime lead. The victory caps a 13-0 season, extends USC's winning streak to 22 games, and earns the school a second consecutive national title.

Birthdays:
Johnny lujack b. 1925
Don Shula b. 1930
Floyd Patterson b. 1935
Kermit Alexander b. 1941
Garrison Hearst b. 1971

January 5:
1968: Prague Spring begins in Czechoslovakia
On this date, Antonin Novotny, the Stalinist ruler of Czechoslovakia, was succeeded as first secretary by Alexander Dubvek, a Slovak who supported liberal reforms. In the first few months of his rule, Dubcek introduced a series of far-reaching political and economic reforms, including increased freedom of speech and the rehabilitation of political dissidents. Dubcek's effort to establish "communism with a human face" was celebrated across the country, and the brief period of freedom became known as the "Prague Spring."

1/5/1934:
A fire destroys part of Fenway Park as a result of a reconstruction project at the ballpark. Red Sox owner Tom Yawkey began the project after the close of the 1933 season to update the facility, which opened in 1912. The fire begins when an overturned cement beater ignites tarred canvas, and the fire lasts five hours, razing the stands along the left field line, beyond third base, and in center field. Two workmen are injured. Before the blaze is contained, it spreads. Firemen concentrate most of their efforts on the oil tanks of nearby Neponset Oil Company, which is encircled by flames. Although the fire turns Yawkey's rebuilding plans into re-building plans, the ballpark is ready by Opening Day.

Birthdays:
Lou Carnesecca b. 1925
Chuck Noll b. 1932
Chuck McKinley b. 1941
Alex English b. 1954
Warrick Dunn b. 1975

APCKRFAN's NFL Picks 2014: Week 18: Wild Card Weekend

Week 18: Wild Card Weekend
Jan. 3:
Arizona @ Carolina - Carolina
Baltimore @ Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh

Jan. 4:
Cincinnati @ Indianapolis - Indianapolis
Detroit @ Dallas - Dallas

Sports Fact & This Day in History 1/3/15

Jan. 3:
1959: Alaska admitted into Union
On January 3, 1959, President Eisenhower signed a special proclamation admitting the territory of Alaska into the Union as the forty-ninth and largest state. the European discovery of Alaska came in 1741, when a Russian expedition led by Danish navigator Vitus Bering sighted the Alaskan mainland. Russian hunters were soon making incursions into Alaska, and the native Aleut population suffered greatly after being exposed to foreign diseases. In 1784, Grigory Shelikhov established the first permanent Russian colony in Alaska on Kodiak Island. Despite a slow start in settlement by Americans from the continental United States, the discovery of gold in 1898 brought a rapid influx of people to the territory. Alaska, rich in natural resources, has been contributing to American prosperity ever since.

On his 600th coaching win on January 2, 1985, a come-from-behind 142-140 triple-overtime decision over Utah State with most of his top players on the bench after fouling out, UNLV coach Jerry Tarkanian said, "We just had to be grateful to the Lord for this one. We had no ballhandlers, we had no shooters, we had guys out of position. How we ever came back to win just amazes me."

Birthdays:
Hank Stram b. 1923
Bobby Hull b. 1939
Darren Daulton b. 1962
Cheryl Miller b. 1964
Eli Manning b. 1981

Sports Fact & This Day In History 1/1-1/2/2015

January 1:
45 BCE: First New Year's Day celebrated
New Year's Day was celebrated on January 1 for the first time in history as teh Julian calendar took effect. Soon after becoming Roman dictator, Julius Caesar decided that the traditional Roman calendar was in need of reform. In designing his new calendar, Caesar enlisted the aid of Sosigenes, an Alexandrian astronomer, who advised him to do away with the lunar cycle entirely and follow the solar year, as the Egyptians did. The year was calculated to be 365 and 1/4 days, and Caesar added sixty-seven days to 45 BC, making 46 BC begin on January 1, rather than in March. He also decreed that every four years a day be added to February, thus theoretically keeping his calendar from falling out of step. Celebrating New Year's Day in January fell out of practice during the Middle Ages, and even those who strictly adhered to the Julian calendar did not observe the New Year exactly on January 1. The reason for the latter was that Caesar and Sosigenes failed to calculate the correct value for the solar year as 365.242199 days, not 365.25 days. Thus, an eleven-minute-a-year error added seven days by the year 1000, and ten days by the mid-fifteenth century.

1/1/1965:
Fifth-ranked Texas downs undefeated number one Alabama 21-17 at the Orange Bowl in Miami. Shown on ABC, it is the first college football game ever telecast nationally in primetime. The Longhorns lead 21-7 at halftime with the help of two touchdowns from running back Ernie Koy, one of which covers 79 yards. The Crimson Tide mounts a comeback and trails 21-17 late in the fourth quarter with a first-and-goal at the Texas three. Four running plays - the last a quarterback sneak by Joe Namath - come up a foot short of the goal line. At the time, there are no post-bowl polls, and Alabama is still declared national champions. The next day Namath signs a contract with the Jets worth $400,000, the most lucrative ever in football to this point.

Birthdays:
Hank Greenberg b. 1911
Rocky Graziano b. 1922
Doak Walker b. 1927
Marlin McKeever b. 1940
Derrick Thomas b. 1967

January 2:
1492: Moors lose control of Spain
On this day, the kingdom of Granada fell to the Christian forces of King Ferdinand V and Queen Isabella I, and the Moors lost their last foothold in Spain. Located at the confluence of the Darro and Genil Rivers in southern Spain, the city of Granada was a Moorish fortress that rose to prominence during the reign of Sultan Almoravid in the eleventh century. In 1238, the Christian Reconquest forced Spanish Muslims south, and the kingdom of Granada was established as the last refuge of the Moorish civilization. Granada flourished culturally and economically for the next two hundred years, but in the late fifteenth century internal feuds and a strengthened Spanish monarchy under Ferdinand and Isabella signaled the end of Moorish civilization in Spain. On January 2, 1492, King Boabdil surrendered Granada to the Spanish forces, and in 1502 the Spanish crown ordered all Muslims forcibly converted to Christianity. The next century saw a number of persecutions, and in 1609 the last Moors still adhering to Islam were expelled from Spain.

1/2/1985:
Jerry Tarkanian earns his 600th victory as a collegiate head coach, leading the Nevada-Las Vegas Runnin' Rebels to a 142-140 decision over Utah State in three overtimes at the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum in Logan, Utah. UNLV trails 59-49 at halftime, before the two teams scorch the nets for a combined 176 points in the second half to end regulations at 116-116. Utah State seems to have the game well in hand with a 140-134 advantage with 3:42 left in the third overtime. Six of the UNLV players have fouled out. But the Runnin' Rebels hold the Aggies scoreless the remainder of the game. Richard Robinson breaks the 140-140 tie on a tip-in with 41 seconds remaining. Richie Adams leads UNLV with 37 points. Fred Banks contributes 31 points and game-tying baskets in the final seconds of both regulation and the first overtime.

Birthdays:
Gina Marchetti b. 1927
Robbie Ftorek b. 1952
David cone b. 1963
Edgar Martinez b. 1963
Pernell Whitaker b. 1964