R.G.'s Weekly Sports ReCap: Saturday 1/18 - Friday 1/24

My 'notable' happenings and keynotes from the sports world this past week:

 

NFL: In an epic battle, the Seattle Seahawks edged out the San Francisco 49ers 23-17 to win the NFC championship and advance to Super Bowl 48 and play the Denver Broncos, who captured the AFC crown by defeating the New England Patriots 26-16. This year's league championship game will be played at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey on Sunday 2/2 between the No. 1 offense (Broncos) and No. 1 defense. (Seahawks)....Veteran offensive lineman David Diehl announced his retirement after 11 seasons and two Super Bowl championships with the New York Giants.

NBA: Players of the Week (Monday 1/13 - Sunday 1/19)....Eastern Conference - F Paul George, Indiana Pacers; Western Conference - F Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City Thunder....New York Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony set a single-game franchise record by scoring 62 points in the team's 125-96 victory over the Charlotte Bobcats at Madison Square Garden. Anthony's feat was also the most points ever scored by one player at the World's Most Famous Arena, and is the season-high thus far for any player in the league thus far....The starting lineups for this year's All-Star Game in New Orleans, Louisiana were announced and were voted on by the fans: EAST - G Kyrie Irving, Cleveland Cavaliers; G Dwyane Wade, Miami Heat; F LeBron James, Miami Heat; F Carmelo Anthony, New York Knicks; F Paul George, Indiana Pacers.....WEST - G Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors; G Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers; F Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City Thunder; F Blake Griffin, Los Angeles Clippers; F Kevin Love, Minnesota Timberwolves.

MLB: The New York Yankees signed talented 25-year-old Japanese pitcher Masashiro Tanaka to a seven-year, $155M contract.....The Tampa Bay Rays re-sign first baseman James Loney to a three-year, $21M extension, and signed free-agent closer Grant Balfour to a two-year, $12M deal....The Chicago White Sox extended the contract of manager Robin Ventura.

Pro Tennis (Australian Open): In the men's bracket, eight-seeded upstart Stanislas Wawrinka of Switerland upset Novak Djokovic in the quarterfinals en route to advancing to the final on Sunday 1/26 against top-seed Rafael Nadal of Spain.....On the women's side, both top-seeded Serena Williams and defending Aussie Open champ Victoria Azarenka were eliminated. No. 20-seed Dominika Cibulkova of Slovakia will play fourth-seeded Li Na of China for the singles title on Saturday 1/25.

Men's College Basketball (Division I): Associated Press Top 10 - 1. Arizona  2. Syracuse  3. Michigan State  4. Villanova  5. Wichita State  6. Florida  7. San Diego State  8. Kansas  9. Wisconsin  10. Iowa

Women's College Basketball (Division I): Associated Press Top 10 - 1. U.Conn  2. Notre Dame  3. Duke  4. Villanova  5. Louisville  6. Maryland  7. U.N.C.  8. Oklahoma State  9. Kentucky  10. South Carolina

Red Carpet Q.and.A: TIFFNEY CAMBRIDGE

 

RG: How has the early success of your hit VH1 network reality TV series MARRYING THE GAME been for you and your family thus far?

TC: It has taken some time for me to get used to the attention that's on my children and myself. At this point, the children are adjusting and enjoying the attention. As long as they continue to enjoy the experience, we will remain blessed to share our lives with the world.

RG: I've been a fan of your fiance' (hip-hop artist THE GAME) since Day One with his music and acting career, and now with the reality series two seasons in, I'm even a bigger fan due to his role as a loving father to his kids. How gratifying is that, being the equally loving and amazing mother that you are to sons Justice and Harlem, and daughter Cali?

TC: Justice, Harlem and Cali are amazing kids. They are already well-rounded and respectful for their young ages so far. I only know Jayceon (GAME's government name) to be the awesome dad that he is. I love that he has always made sure that there was a balance between his career and his love of fatherhood. He treats his kids with the love they deserve.

RG: As a proud educator presently teaching young children, how important is it for you to insure that your students are at their best - not only in the classroom, but also with life in general?

TC: I feel it is incredibly important for me to follow a philosophy of teaching the 'whole' child. My curriculum focuses on not only challenging their minds with classroom lessons....It truly seeks to give them an education that shapes their characters. In my classroom, they learn life lessons that teach them the importance of having integrity and self-confidence so that they can achieve their desired goals and dreams without reservations.

RG: From an entrepreneurial standpoint, what business ventures are you actively looking into, or that you are currently involved with now?

TC: My major focus right now is my children's book titled THE LITTLE GIRL WHO LOST HER SMILE. This series of children's books was inspired by one of my former students whose vibrant smile in her kindergarden photo had diminished by the time she took her fifth-grade class photo. I spent time with her exploring what caused this change, and as a result, I sought to create a series that taught children how to combat some of the issues they would face as they grew older so that those 'kindergarden' smiles weren't lost forever.

RG: What have been the keys to you and GAME's relationship to this point?

TC: I think the ability to be fully expressed in communication has been key for myself and Jayceon. I don't hold back speaking the truth to him, so he knows that he can always expect an unfiltered look into our life together from my perspective.

RG: If you had the power to change the world for the better, what would that change be?

TC: Often times, OUTLOOK is the greatest factor in some of life's greatest triumphs and failures. I would definitely seek to create a world that was more positive, supportive, and collaborative in its approach to dealing with life.

RG: In five-to-ten-years from now, with GOD's blessing, Tiffney Cambridge will be -

TC: An author, the mother of two well-adjusted teenagers, and a WIFE!

RG: Which style are you most comfortable in - dressed up or dressed down?

TC: BOTH!!!!.....I am unapologetically a woman who LOVES FASHION!

*BIG kudos go out to publicists DARIA FENNELL (www.twitter.com/DariaFennellPR; www.instagram.com/DariaFennellPR) and SURAYYAH TATUM (www.SurayyahTatum.com) for blessing me with the opportunity to interview the all-around awesome and gorgeous Miss Tiffney!

www.twitter.com/LoveTiffney
www.instagram.com/LoveTiffney
www.facebook.com/TiffneyCambridgeOfficial

R.G.'s Weekly Sports ReCap: Saturday 1/11 - Friday 1/17

My 'notable' happenings and keynotes from this past week in Sports Land:

 

NFL: In the NFC division round of the playoffs, the San Francisco 49ers defeated the Carolina Panthers 23-10 on the road to advance to their third consecutive NFC championship game. They will try and make a return trip to the Super Bowl against the Seattle Seahawks, who outlasted the New Orleans Saints 23-15 at home. On the AFC side, the Denver Broncos edged out a resilient San Diego Chargers squad 24-17 on their home field to move on and play the New England Patriots, who dominated the Indianapolis Colts 43-22 behind a potent ground game led by RB LeGarette Blount. Both conference championship matchups will take place on Sunday 1/19 for the right to play in Super Bowl 48 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey on Sunday 2/2.....New head coach hires - Ken Whisenhunt, Tennessee Titans; Mike Zimmer, Minnesota Vikings; Jim Caldwell, Detroit Lions.

NBA: Players of the Week (Monday 1/6 - Sunday 1/12)....Eastern Conference - F Carmelo Anthony, New York Knicks; Westerm Conference - C DeMarcus Cousins, Sacramento Kings....Miami Heat center and 2K7 No. 1-overall draft pick Greg Oden played in his first game since 2K9 in the team's 114-97 loss to the Washington Wizards on the road. Oden scored 6 points and grabbed two rebounds in eight minutes of action, as he continues to work his way back from the various knee ailments that have curtailed his once-promising career. In other Heat news, the organization was honored this past week at the White Hose by President Barack Obama for the second straight year for winning the championship....The contending Golden State Warriors acquired much-needed backcourt help in guards Jordan Crawford and MarShon Brooks from the Boston Celtics in a three-team trade that also included the aforementioned Miami Heat, who sent veteran forward/center Joel Anthony to Boston.

MLB: The league suspended New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez for the entire 2K14 regular season and playoffs for alleged use of performance-enhancing drugs - the longest punishment in history. Rodriguez continues to deny that he did no wrong, and will fight the case in Federal Court. So the saga continues....Also making history, the league announced that an expansion of instant reply will be implemented this upcoming season. The new change was voted on unanimously by the team owners....Notable re-signings: LHP Clayton Kershaw, Los Angeles Dodgers (7-years, $215M; highest ever for a pitcher; highest per-season salary by any position player in history - $30,714,286); LHP David Price, Tampa Bay Rays. (1-year, $14M)

Men's College Baskball (Division I): Associated Press Top 10 - 1. Arizona  2. Syracuse  3. Wisconsin  4. Michigan State  5. Wichita State  6. Villanova  7. Florida  8. Iowa State  9. Oklahoma State  10. San Diego State

Women's College Basketball (Division I): Associated Press Top 10 - 1. U.Conn  2. Notre Dame  3. Duke  4. Stanford  5. Louisville  6. Maryland  7. Baylor  8. South Carolina  9. UNC  10. Kentucky

Pro Tennis: The sport's first major of the calendar year - the Australian Open - got underway in Melbourne, where temperatures have soared to triple-digit figures this past week during play. Novak Djokovic (Men's) and Serena Williams (Women's) both enter the tournament as the No. 1 seeds.

NHL: As of Friday 1/18, the Anaheim Ducks own the leagues top overall record at 36-9-5. (19-0-2 at home; 77 points).....The Pittsburgh Penguins lead the pack in the Eastern Conference at 34-12-2. (70 points)

Pro Soccer: With 69 goals scored for both Real Madrid and Portugal in 2K13, Christiano Ronaldo dethroned Argentinian superstar Lionel Messi's four-year reign as the top player by capturing the FIFA Ballon d'Or award.

R.G.'s Weekly Sports ReCap: Saturday 1/4 - Friday 1/10

My 'notable' happenings and keynotes of the sports world this past week:

 

College Football: The #1 Florida State Seminoles closed out their unbeaten season in dramatic, come-from-behind fashion with a 34-31 victory over the #2-ranked Auburn Tigers in the Vizio BCS National Championship Game - their first title in 15 years. 'Noles QB Jameis Winston (20-23, 237 yards, 3 TDs) made history by becoming the first freshman signal-caller to win both the Heisman Trophy and the national title in the same season....New head coach hires - Charlie Strong, Texas Longhorns; James Franklin, Penn State; Bobby Petrino, Louisville Cardinals....2K12 Heisman Trophy winning QB Johnny Manziel forgoes his Junior season and will enter this year's NFL Draft.

MLB: Pitching greats Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine, along with former two-time AL MVP Frank Thomas, are the new inductees into the 2K14 Baseball Hall of Fame. Former Houston Astros great Craig Biggio nearly became a fourth member of this year's class - falling short by just two votes.(74.8% of the required 75% needed for induction)....The Los Angeles Dodgers extend manager Don Mattingly to a new three-year contract extension.

NFL: The postseason began with the Wild Card round, as both the San Diego Chargers and Indianapolis Colts advanced to the division round in the AFC, while in the NFC, the defending conference champion San Francisco 49ers and the New Orleans Saints successfully moved on to the second round....Head coach hiring: Jay Gruden, Washington Redskins.

NBA: Players of the Week (Monday 12/30/2K13 - Sunday 1/5/2K14)....Eastern Conference - F Thaddeus Young, Philadelphia 76ers; Western Conference - F David Lee, Golden State Warriors....Players of the Month (December 2K13): East - F LeBron James, Miami Heat; West - F Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City Thunder....Rookies of the Month (December 2K13): East - G Victor Oladipo, Orlando Magic; West - G Trey Burke, Utah Jazz....Coaches of the Month (December 2K13): East - Dwane Casey, Toronto Raptors; West - Jeff Hornacek, Phoenix Suns....The Cleveland Cavaliers traded talented yet disgruntled and oft-injured center Andrew Bynum to the Chicago Bulls for All-Star forward Luol Deng and future draft picks.

Men's College Basketball (Division I): Associated Press Top 10 - 1.  Arizona  2. Syracuse  3. Ohio State  4. Wisconsin  5. Michigan State  6. Wichita State  7. Baylor  8. Villanova  9. Iowa State  10. Florida

Women's College Basketball (Division I): Associated Press Top 10 - 1. U.Conn  2. Notre Dame  3. Duke  4. Stanford  5. Lousiville  6. Maryland  7. Baylor  8. Tennessee  9. Kentucky  10. South Carolina....*Standout Performance: Baylor All-American G Odyssey Sims scored 48 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in the team's victory over West Virginia.

Winter Sports: 29-year-old Olympic gold medal-winning skiier Lindsey Vonn will not complete at the upcoming Winter Games in Sochi, Russia due to her injured knee that will require surgery.

Soccer: Legendary Potugese player Eusebio passed away in his hometown of Lisbon, Portugal at the age of 71 due to heart failure.

Red Carpet Feature: 'CURVY' CORI QUINN

 

Having recently released her incredibly produced and sexy debut calendar for 2K14 titled 'Provocative Curves: 365 Days A Year,' New York City native 'Curvy' Cori Quinn has triumphantly set the bar on a high level for Plus-Size women everywhere with a body of work that has not been seen before. This bright-minded, stunningly beautiful resident of Baltimore, Maryland exudes pure confidence through her firm belief in GOD, and with the groundbreaking success of her calendar, Quinn hopes that it will only inspire the many curvy, Plus-Size ladies like herself to be totally in love with who they are, and that they too can succeed in whatever it is that they aspire to do in life. 'As a Plus-Size woman of color, I am sexy, confident, and capable of showing different phases of myself.' said the lovely Leo during during my recent phone interview with her. 'And I want "big" women like myself to have that same air of confidence and belief in the beauty of themselves as well.'

Not only is 'Curvy' Cori an amazing model, but an aspiring Dramatic actress who is more than determined to make her mark in the industry in the very near future. 'I'm an intelligent, educated woman with a Masters Degree from Towson University, and a Bachelors Degree from Morgan State University, but at the same time, I have an edgy element to my character as well.' With having legendary, multitalented entertainer Queen Latifah as someone she strongly looks up to as her biggest inspiration ('She IS what I am trying to become.' Cori expressed during our chat), the world can be sure to anticipate future greatness from Quinn, as she continues to expand her brand as not just as a model, but as an all-around entertainer and also as a philanthropist, supporting charities such as the American Heart Association.

To purchase Cori's sexy 2K14 calendar, and to keep up with her world in motion, log on to www.CurvyCori.com

*BIG kudos goes out to publicist ERNEST JACKSON of M.N.S. Media Group (www.twitter.com/StricklyForTheP) for blessing me with the opportunity to interview the talented, humble, and oh-so-fine Miss 'Curvy' Cori!

www.facebook.com/CurvyCori (Fan Page)
www.twitter.com/CurvyCori
www.instagram.com/CurvyCori

R.G.'s Weekly Sports ReCap: Saturday 12/28/2K13 - Friday 1/3/2K14

 

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2K14!.....My 'notable' happenings and keynotes from this past week in the sports world:

 

NFL: The regular season concluded with both the AFC Denver Broncos (13-3) and the NFC Seattle Seahawks (13-3) finishing with the top record in the league and earning No. 1-seeds plus home-field advantage in the upcoming playoffs....Wild-Card Round: Saturday 1/4, 4:35pm EST - Kansas City Chiefs (11-5) at Indianapolis Colts (11-5); 8:10pm EST - New Orleans Saints (11-5) at Philadelphia Eagles (10-6)....Sunday 1/5, 1:05pm EST - San Diego Chargers (9-7) at Cincinnati Bengals (11-5); 4:40pm EST - San Francisco 49ers (12-4) at Green Bay Packers (8-7-1). The New England Patriots (12-4) and the Carolina Panthers (12-4) also wrapped up bye-weeks and will play in the Division round. The defending Super Bowl champion Baltimore Ravens finished 8-8 and missed making the postseason. The Houston Texans (2-14) with the worst record this season will have the overall number-one pick of the upcoming draft in May....Denver Broncos QB Peyton Manning added to his certain Hall-of-Fame resume' by setting a new league record for most passing yards in a season - 5,477 - in a 34-14 victory over the Oakland Raiders on the road. Manning also finished the season with 55 touchdown passes - a new record as well....Head coach firings: Rob Chudzinski, Cleveland Browns; Greg Schiano, Tampa Bay Buccaneers; Mike Shanahan, Washington Redskins; Jim Schwartz, Detroit Lions; Leslie Frazier, Minnesota Vikings. Head coach hiring: Lovie Smith, Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Bill O'Brien, Houston Texans....The Chicago Bears re-sign QB Jay Cutler to a seven-year, $126M contract extension. ($50M guaranteed)....31-year-old veteran running back Brandon Jacobs announced his retirement after nine years in the league and two Super Bowl rings with the New York Giants.

NBA: Players of the Week (Monday 12/23/2K13 - Sunday 12/29/2K13)....Easterm Conference - F Chris Bosh, Miami Heat; Western Conference - F Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City Thunder....Notable player injuries: PG Chris Paul, Los Angeles Clippers (Separated right shoulder; out 3-5 weeks); F/C Al Horford, Atlanta Hawks (Torn pectoral muscle; out for the season)....As of Friday 1/3/2K14, the Indiana Pacers continue to own the league's best record at 25-6, with the Portland Trail Blazers (26-7) right behind them.

College Football: The Oklahoma Sooners upset the defending national champion Alabama Crimson Tide 45-31 in the Allstate Sugar Bowl....Louisville Cardinals QB Teddy Bridgewater will bypass his senior season and enter the 2K14 NFL Draft, and is projected to be the first signal-caller selected this coming May in New York City.

NHL: The 2K14 Winter Classic outdoor matchup between the home team Detroit Red Wings and the Toronto Maple Leafs played to the largest crowd ever to see a pro hockey game - 105, 591 - at Michigan Stadium (home of the Wolverines college football program) in Ann Arbor. The Maple Leafs won the game 3-2 in a shootout amidst the snowy, arctic elements of the weather on New Year's Day....In other Maple Leafs news, the organization re-signed 28-year-old defenseman/team captain Dion Phaneuf to a seven-year, $49M contract extension.

Men's College Basketball: Associated Press Top 10 - 1. Arizona  2. Syracuse  3. Ohio State  4. Wisconsin  5. Michigan State  6. Oklahoma State  7. Duke  8. Wichita State  9. Baylor  10. Oregon

Women's College Basketball: Associated Press Top 10 - 1. U.Conn  2. Notre Dame  3. Duke  4. Stanford  5. Tennessee  6. Kentucky  7. Louisville  8. Maryland  9. Baylor  10. UNC....The No. 3 jersey once worn by former All-American Candace Parker was retired by the Tennessee Lady Vols organization.