Illinois Residents Have A Message For Gov. Bruce Rauner

Too Little, Too Late Rick Snyder

Michigan governor Rick Snyder (Republican) has vowed to release emails that showed what was going on during the current lead tainted water crisis in Flint, Michigan that he had a direct hand in causing due to his neglect.
Snyder appointed a would be dictator (aka town emergency manager) to take over Flint, Michigan and super cede the Mayor and City Council in that town.
Well, that turned into a disaster when the dictator switched the water supply of Flint from Detroit to the Flint River (which is polluted) in an effort to save money and that river water caused the pipes to corrode and release the lead which got into the water system.
The rest is recent history and this joker needs to resign from office and get the hell out of the state of Michigan.
Disgusting!

NFL Playoffs - Divisional Round Review

Denver fans celebrate the playoff win.

And then there were four.
The AFC and NFC Championship Games are set for next Sunday as the New England Patriots will travel to face the Denver Broncos for the AFC crown while the Carolina Panthers will host the Arizona Cardinals in the NFC title bout.
The winners will advance to Super Bowl 50 in three weeks.
The New England Patriots eliminated the Kansas City Chiefs, 27-20 as quarterback Tom Brady scored a rushing touchdown and hooked up with tight end Rob Gronkowski for two scoring passes to lead the way.
The Denver Broncos roared back in the fourth quarter after the defense came up with a fumble recovery that led to a touchdown drive capped by a one-yard touchdown run by C.J. Anderson.
Broncos kicker Brandon McManus made five field goals in the 23-16 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Meanwhile, Pittsburgh QB Ben Roethlisberger had 339 passing yards in the loss while playing the game with a sore throwing shoulder and without wide receiver Antonio Brown (concussion) and running back DeAngelo Williams (foot).
The Arizona Cardinals survived a 'Hail Mary'  touchdown pass as time ran out in regulation by Green Bay Packers QB Aaron Rodgers to win 26-20 in OT and advance to the NFC Championship Game.
Cardinals QB Carson Palmer overcame two interceptions by throwing for three scores, including the game winner to WR Larry Fitzgerald.

The Carolina Panthers jumped out to a 31-0 halftime lead against the visiting Seattle Seahawks and then held on for a hard fought 31-24 win to advance.
The Panthers defense intercepted Seahawks QB Russell Wilson twice, including a 14-yard touchdown off a pick by linebacker Luke Kuechly. Carolina RB Jonathan Stewart scored two rushing touchdowns and ran for 106 yards. Panthers QB Cam Newton (pictured left) added a touchdown pass to account for the final score before the half.
Seattle scored all their points in the second half on three TD passes by Wilson and a 36-yard field goal by kicker Steven Hauschka, but fell just short when the onside kickoff with just over a minute left to play was recovered by Carolina.

The AFC and NFC Championship Games Are Set

The NFL Playoffs are now down to four teams as the the AFC and NFC title games are set for next weekend.
The New England Patriots will face the Broncos in Denver while the Arizona Cardinals will face the host Carolina Panthers for the right to play in Super Bowl 50 on February 7th.

NFL PLAYOFFS - Divisional Round Preview

The NFL Playoffs continue this weekend with the red hot Kansas City Chiefs going up to New England to face the mighty (but banged up) New England Patriots while the Green Bay Packers will be looking to avenge a blow out loss three weeks ago against the Arizona Cardinals.
On Sunday, the Seattle Seahawks face the Carolina Panthers and the Pittsburgh Steelers (another team missing key players with injuries) will travel to play the top seeded Denver Broncos, who will have quarterback Peyton Manning back at the helm.

Tom Brady and the Patriots know how to win in the post-season and have been doing it for so many years, including last season when they were fortunate to win the Super Bowl because the Seattle Seahawks made perhaps the most stupid play call in the game's history.
Look for the Pats to somehow come out on top in their game against Kansas City, even though they appear to be banged up in several key areas on both sides of the ball. The Chiefs, meanwhile have won eleven straight games and continued to roll by pummeling the Houston Texans, 30-0 last weekend in the Wild Card round.
Kansas City QB Alex Smith continues to lead the efficient offense and the defense seems to be on a mission after the team's 1-5 start.
The Packers rolled past the upstart Washington Redskins, 35-18 last week and now face the team that crushed them 38-8  just three weeks ago.
But that was then and this is now the Packers say as they play the Arizona Cardinals in the desert. The Red Birds have been rolling this season (13-3 record) and QB Carson Palmer has been like a young man once again with the season he is having.
This should be a closer game (much like the second go round last week when Minnesota nearly beat Seattle after being blown out just a few weeks earlier) between the two teams, but look for Arizona to emerge from this one.
The Carolina Panthers (15-1) and QB Cam Newton are the top dog in the NFL this year and they did have a huge come from behind win in Seattle earlier this season.  The Seahawks were very fortunate to win in Minnesota last week in the Wild Card round and they know they must play near perfect in every aspect of the game to win in Carolina.
Having running back Marshawn Lynch back will be a big boost for the 'Hawks offense. Seahawks QB Russell Wilson is a proven winner in the playoffs and that is a big X factor for the team.
The Pittsburgh Steelers will have to play the Denver Broncos without RB DeAngelo Williams (foot/knee) and wide receiver Antonio Brown (concussion) and also have QB Ben Roethlisberger (shoulder) ailing coming into the game.
That is a daunting task facing the NFL's number-one defense (yardage wise) in the Mile High city. The Broncos have Manning back at quarterback and how much that will influence the game remains to be seen.
Manning struggled mightily this season and was also hampered by foot issues as the team turned to Brock Osweiler while Manning was nursing those injuries. Denver and the Steelers battled it out a month ago in the Steel City with the Steelers coming back from 17 points down to win the game and keep their playoff hopes alive.
Pittsburgh won a thriller over Cincinnati 18-16 last week in the Wild Card game but lost Bryant to the concussion when he was the recipient of a cheap shot by Bengals linebacker Vontaze Burfict. Roethlisberger also left the game briefly (shoulder injury) before returning to lead the drive that led to the game winning field goal.
Without Brown and Williams and Big Ben not 100 percent, the Steelers offense will be hampered while facing the tenacious Broncos defense, so look for Denver to win a squeaker in this game.
All in all, it looks to be a fun filled weekend with the games, even with all the injuries involved. That is why they play the games it is often said and that holds true for these games as well.
Let's go!

The Heftyinfo pick for the Divisional Round playoff games . . .  (Home teams listed in BOLD)

New England over Kansas City
Arizona over Green Bay
Seattle over Carolina
Denver over Pittsburgh

Last Week's Record:  3-1

PLAYOFF RECORD:  3-1

State of the Union Address

Bravo!  Mr. President!

College Football - Roll Tide! Alabama National Champions Once Again

The Alabama Crimson Tide beat the Clemson Tigers, 45-40 to win the College Football National Championship.
It was the Tide's fourth title in the last seven years and the fifth overall championship for Alabama Head Coach Nick Saban.

The Heftyinfo FINAL College Football Top Ten

1.  ALABAMA  (14-1)
2.  Clemson  (14-1)
3.  Ohio State (12-1)
4.  Stanford  (12-2)
5.  TCU  (11-2)
6.  Michigan State (12-2)
7.  Oklahoma (11-2)
8.  Houston (13-1)
9.  Iowa  (12-2)
10.  Notre Dame (10-3)