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.