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