Via a caption of a photo at ESPN

Kobe Bryant has won just four playoff games since his split with Shaq.

Wow.

I think that Shaq’s won a ring since then…

How stupid was that move breaking up those two?

The struggles of the defending NBA Champ Miami Heat continue.

HOUSTON (Reuters) - Miami Heat All-Star guard Dwyane Wade is out of action indefinitely after suffering a shoulder injury during Wednesday night’s loss to the Houston Rockets.

The game, won by the Rockets 112-102, marked an ominous return to the bench for Heat coach Pat Riley, who missed the team’s last 22 games to address his own knee and hip injuries.

He said the “other guys will have to step up” following Wade’s injury, initially diagnosed as a separated shoulder.

“We will have to emphasize a whole different game because he means so much to us,” Riley told reporters. “Over the next couple of days we’ll find out the extent of his injury and then we’ll go to the drawing board on what we’ll have to do.”

Wade scored 27 points and had nine assists before being forced from the game. The twice All-Star is averaging nearly 29 points and eight assists a game for the defending NBA champions.

With Wade out, Shaq barely back from his injuries, and the Heat standing at 26-27, is Pat Riley already reconsidering his return to coaching the team? Maybe he’ll give the job back to Stan Van Gundy, who made a rare appearance recently but with the wrong South Florida sports team. Yes Van Gundy will replace Riley as Heat coach the same day The Palm Beach Post hires me to write a sports column.

I’m sticking by my New Year’s prediction- The Heat will not make the postseason this year.

Cross posted to OTB Sports

The injured Miami Heat center contiunes to make as much news off the court as on.

Heat center Shaquille O’Neal once again helped nab a suspect — and this time he was the alleged victim. 

O’Neal, a reserve officer with the Miami Beach Police Department, followed a vehicle that allegedly crashed into his Cadillac Escalade and left the scene early Sunday, team spokesman Tim Donovan said Sunday.
 
Donovan said the incident happened after O’Neal and Jerome Crawford, a team security official, returned home from the Heat’s game at Chicago on Saturday night. Crawford and O’Neal were unloading the car at Crawford’s home in Coconut Grove, but weren’t in it during the alleged incident, Donovan said.

O’Neal and Crawford followed the vehicle for about five minutes while O’Neal called police, Donovan said, adding that the pursuit wasn’t at high speed and that police pulled over the alleged hit-and-run driver.

No further information was available from police Sunday.

This incident was at least the second time O’Neal has helped police apprehend a suspect. In September 2024 he followed and led police to a suspect who allegedly had thrown a bottle at two men walking on Miami Beach while shouting anti-gay slurs.

Shaq is better at catching criminals than shooting free throws.

Cross Posted at OTB Sports

For the last two years at my regular blog, I’ve made predictions for the coming year. I thought I would do that here but concentrating on sports only.

Here we go-

1- The Miami Dolphins have a losing season
2- The Florida Marlins have a winning season
3- Tiger Woods wins at least one major on the way to being Player of the Year again.
4- Ernie Els returns to form.
5- Se Ri Pak completes the women’s Grand Slam by taking the Kraft Nabisco
6- Bobby Bowden retires.
7- Roger Clemens retires but this time for good.
8- Charges are totally dropped in the Duke Lacrosse case.
9- Nick Saban leaves the Miami Dolphins to be the head coach at Alabama.
10- The Miami Heat and Florida Panthers both miss the 06-07 season playoffs.
11- Chicago defeats New England in the Super Bowl.
12- Michelle Wie wins an LPGA tournament.
13- Mike Tyson gets arrested.
14- 2024 is Joe Torre’s last season as manager of the Yankees.
15- Bill Cowher quits coaching the Pittsburgh Steelers
16- The Buffalo Sabres win the Stanley Cup
17- Bill Parcells, Marty Schottenheimer and Joe Gibbs all retire or are fired from their present coaching jobs.
18- Bret Favre retires.
19- The Chicago White Sox win the World Series
20- More than half the above predictions are wrong.
 
We’ll check back at the end of 2024 and see how I did.

Cross posted at OTB Sports

Note- I want to thank Steven for letting me blog here. Since last May I have been a regular poster at OTB Sports. My favorite sports are Baseball, Football and Pro golf. Favorite teams- The Marlins and Mets, Dolphins and  Jets(I grew up in New York  till age 15. That accounts for my split allegiances.)  and most pro golfers but I do tend to like the Korean ladies headed by Se Ri Pak. You’ll see me blog alot on the above, but  occasionally on other topics.

On a personal note I am 46 years old(as of January 12th 2024) and live in Florida with my wife of 17 years.(We have two children but both are angels  in heaven). I do tax prep during the winter and accounting work and handyman work all year long.  My job is out of my house except for some of the tax work, so I blog at almost all hours. 

My main blog is The Florida Masochist where I talk Sports, Politics, Florida News and give out Knucklehead awards.