KarateKen

Zach Parise has signed with the Colorado Avalanche. Parise has over 400 career goals and has bounced around the league a bit between NJ, Minnesota, and the NY Islanders. He's one of my favorite players so I will be interested to see how he fits in with the Avs.

How disappointing.

Oilers win again, now 16 in a row. They are one away from tying the Penguins for longest win streak in NHL history, and two away from setting the record. Because of all All-Star break they have some time off; this could hurt their momentum. The Oilers next game is Feb. 6, in Vegas.

Alright, time for some predictions. I strongly suggest not taking these seriously enough to put money on them. I don't know who will win anymore than anyone else. I could flip a coin and maybe have a better chance of calling the winners correctly. Ya know, I might do that at the end. Chiefs @ Ravens. It's tough to pick against KC. They have a fantastic head coach, their QB is the best player in football, and they find ways to win big games. I just think the Ravens are better. Ravens are at home, they have the top running game and top defense in the league. I predict it will be a close game, but Ravens pull away and win in the 4th, 28-20 final score. Lions @ 49ers. I am picking with my heart on this one and taking the Lions. 49ers are better on paper, are at home, and have an extra day to prepare since they played on Saturday night. It won't matter. Detroit is a team of destiny. This franchise has never been to a Super Bowl. They had not won a division title in 30 years, or a playoff game in 32 years. They won more playoff games in 2024 than they had in the previous sixty something years combined. They have not won a road playoff game since 1957, which was also against the 49ers. That's right, 1957, the last time they won an NFL title which was before the Super Bowl existed. I think all those streaks are ending this year. The Lions hired the perfect coach for this roster and are a team that is not afraid of anyone. They have moved on from the loser label and they are ready to win it all. Lions beat the 49ers by a score of 31-27 (same score as in 1957) and advance to their first Super Bowl, where they will beat the Ravens to win the Lombardi Trophy on February 11 in Las Vegas. OK I flipped a coin with heads being the home team. It came up heads for both games, so the coin says Baltimore and San Fran. I hope it is wrong.

I liked Vrabel a lot also. My guess is he goes to Seattle and Bill ends up in Washington, but I was wrong about Atlanta, so I have no idea. Maybe if Bill gets hired and Mike doesn't, Vrabel becomes his DC?

The Falcons have hired Rams defensive coordinator Raheem Morris as their head coach. Titans have hired Brian Callahan to be head coach leaving only two teams left, Seattle and Washington. Bill Belichick is still available, same with Mike Vrabel and Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson. Interesting development.

Maybe he should go by Mike.

Yep. Thanks. Great to hear, KarateKen!! I mean, it could be worse. My name could be Michael Bolton. I actually know a guy who does karate whose name is Michael Bolton. Is he related to the that singer?

The Atlanta Falcons have interviewed Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson for the head coach position and appear to have a second interview scheduled for next week. Johnson might also get consideration from other teams. Washington and Seattle appear interested. Reports are that Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh is talking with the LA Chargers and they are "within striking distance" of coming to an agreement. Makes sense, Harbaugh is a California guy. Coached at Stanford and the San Fransisco 49ers. The Raiders and Patriots have named their coaches, but the Falcons, Commanders, Panthers, Chargers, Titans, and Seahawks are still searching. Despite coaching changes to the staff in Philly it looks like Nick Sirianni will remain with the Eagles next season.

The fake punt was a terrible idea, but they got bailed out by the D when the fumble went into the endzone. You're not the only one who wants a coaching change in Buffalo. A lot of fans are unhappy. They should also be unhappy with Stephon Diggs who had a whole 21 yards on three receptions and no touchdowns. Nearly 100 million dollars to this guy and he comes up empty in the big game yet again.

Yep. Thanks. Great to hear, KarateKen!! I mean, it could be worse. My name could be Michael Bolton.

Yep. Thanks.

Two good games on Sunday both decided by one possession. Lions hold on and beat Tampa while KC breaks Buffalo's heart again. Championship games are scheduled for Sunday, times are pacific. Chiefs @ Ravens 12pm on CBS Lions @ 49ers 330pm on FOX Ravens open at a 3.5 point favorite, 49ers at a 7 point favorite.

The game was close through three quarters, but the Ravens dominated the 4th and turned it into a blowout. They will host whoever wins between Buffalo and KC. It will be the first time the AFC Championship game was played in Baltomore since 1971 when they were still the Colts. Packers looked like they were going to pull off the upset, but the top seeded 49ers hold on and win. San Fran will host the winner of Tampa and Detroit. 49ers are now in their 4th NFC Championship Game in the last five years, and the third one in a row.

The Oilers are on a 13-game winning streak. This is a team that was a disaster at the start of the year but they are looking like the Oilers of old now. They are becoming a legit playoff contender as they have passed the Kings for third in the division. While the Oilers have been red hot the Kings have struggled of late. You could argue the three best teams in the league right now are in Canada, they are Vancouver, Winnipeg, and now Edmonton.

The Falcons have now had two interviews will Belichick and are making an aggressive push to have him be the coach. I now predict Bill will go to Atlanta and coach the Falcons for the next two or three seasons. They will need a QB, so they can either draft one or maybe pick up Kirk Cousins in free agency. Also, don't be surprised if Josh McDaniels becomes the offensive coordinator as well. This is assuming Bill takes the job which I believe he will. Bill is chasing Don Shula for most career wins, I think Bill needs 25 more to pass Shula. Three to four more years of coaching and he will likely get there. The Las Vegas Raiders have named Antonio Pierce their head coach. Pierce took over after McDaniels was fired back in October and coached the team for the second half of the season, he did well enough to earn the job full time.

I need to learn to take this approach more. Thank you sir!

I definitely think it is the game of the week, and these teams have had some epic playoff matchups. I'm expecting another one on Sunday, looks like there could be some bad weather as well. Also, the Cowboys will not be getting Belichick. The team announced that Mike McCarthy will return for another season.

On Christmas Day I slipped on some ice, fell down a couple stairs, and landed hard on some cement. Thankfully I did not hit my head though I did break a rib and damage some back muscles. I am not sure if I used it or not, but the training I have had in class about how to fall correctly might have saved me from a head injury. It all happened fast, and my feet went right out from under me. It was definitely painful, but it could have been so much worse. I don't expect any long-term problems but if I had hit my head, it could have happened for sure. So learning to fall has maybe been the closest thing to a lifesaving technique I have used from my training.

The reason I don't think Belichick will go to Dallas is because he would want more control than Jerry Jones will give. Jones would have to get out of the way and let Bill do things his way. Bill didn't win 6 Super Bowls and over 300 games to have Jerry Jones tell him how to do his job. If the Cowboys can get Bill they should take it, just seems like a tough pairing with those egos involved. Bill has already done an interview with the Atlanta Falcons, one of the frontrunners as a landing spot. The other option kicked around has been Washington. I'd like to see him with the Raiders but the Davis family likes to hire offensive coaches, so Vegas seems like a long shot. Here is the schedule for the divisional round (all times Pacific): Saturday: Texans at Ravens 1:30pm on ESPN/ABC Packers at 49ers: 5pm on FOX Sunday: Bucs at Lions 12pm on NBC Chiefs at Bills 330pm on CBS

For the first time in 32 years the Detroit Lions have won a playoff game. GO LIONS!!

Looks like we might see some crazy weather this weekend. The game in KC is expected to have wind chills of -20 degrees. If that happens, we will see how Miami reacts playing in that climate. Also there could be a snowstorm during the Steelers Bills game on Sunday with high winds included. As of Friday afternoon, the league has no intention of moving the game to a different day or location. Personally I love snow and bad weather games, we don't see it as much as we used to, so while I have no rotting interest in either game I might tune in just to see what the teams do in terrible weather.

Blackhawks rookie Connor Bedard will be out at least six weeks with a broken jaw. Too bad for the league because the first overall pick is a human highlight film of hockey. Winnipeg is still tearing up the league, they are on an eight-game win streak, a franchise record, and hold the best record in the NHL. You could argue that the two best teams in the league right now are both from Canada, Winnipeg and Vancouver. The struggling Vegas Golden Knights win in OT against Boston yesterday, a nice win for a team that is still a top contender but has lost seven of their last ten. This five-game home stand for Vegas might be what gets them back on track, though they have some tough teams coming in. The Oilers have been red hot since the coaching change and are making a push. Seattle is also making a push after a slow start. San Jose has won their 10th game after losing 11 or 12 in a row, that marks the second time this season that the Sharks had a double didget losing streak. Fleury has now started over 1,000 games, only the 4th goaltender in history to do that at the NHL level. Last week he tied Patrick Roy for second place on the all time career wins list. Minnesota has been awful but I am happy for Fleury, one of my favorite players. Boston and the NY Rangers are still on top out east but Carolina is starting to look better, the big question with them come playoffs will be goaltending. Flyers head coach John Tortorella ripped into a reporter at the press conference the other day because Tortorella accused the reporter of lying about one of his players and writing stories that were not true, dismissing the idea that the anonymous sources should be considered credible. Tortorella has a long history of feuding with the media, making coaches like Billl Belichick or Greg Popovich seem friendly. See ya on the ice!

Interesting take by Alan Watts about death. Lately I have been thinking about how the future of humanity feels bleak. I met someone earlier this year who said "the world is going to (cuss word) so if my time to die is tomorrow, then I am OK with it." This kind of works for me when thinking about death and how there are so many things I imagine I won't have to put up with anymore that I find frustrating, scary, hurtful, ect. I don't want to die tomorrow, and this person I met was dealing with depression, but it made sense to me that someone would feel that way. Whether I die tomorrow or live another 50 years, I hope that when it does happen it is not painful, and that I end up in a better place.

Thanks.