Big Story:
The Heat finally return to the court tonight I Portland; the Panthers stay in Canada to face Winnipeg which means they probably will win; get ready for number 18 on the Dolphins roster; everybody is making the playoffs in baseball; and the Canes are officially out of the NCAA Tournament.
Lyric of the day…
"Tell me I'm a sinner I got news for you…I spoke to God this morning and he don't like you. You're telling all the people the original sin…he said he loves you better than you'll ever love him." --Ozzy Osbourne in the song "I Don't Wanna Change The World"

Heat: (@Portland, 10:30 p.m., TNT)
The Heat return to the left coast tonight to play the Portland Trailblazers as they start the second half of the season.
What do they have to do from here on out?
Easy, keep doing what you're doing.
LeBron, the best player in the NBA, just has to keep doing what he's doing along with Dwyane Wade and the rest of the team and it's playoffs here we come.
The main thing the Heat have looked, which should trouble opponents, is comfortable.
Outside of that first Hawks game when they first faced a zone defense, this team has looked supremely confident and comfortable in all their roles.
That's exactly what the rest of the league should not want to see.
Now, here's the thing about the Heat in the second half.
I'd like to see LeBron and Wade get a little more rest if the game gets out of hand.
That's going to require a little bit better production from the rest of the team, but it will pay off in the long run.
Still, knowing the competitiveness of those two, I doubt it will happen.
Much is being made of this weekend's Lakers game.
Big deal.
Look, every game this year for the Heat is being blown up like it's the biggest hurdle they've had.
Remember the Linsanity game? Yeah, how'd that turn out Knicks fans?
I really don't see a team outside of Chicago or Oklahoma City that can give this team a serious run for their money in the playoffs.
So now, the job is to get to the playoffs with everyone healthy and get ready for the long march to June.
That's pretty much what the second half of the season should be for the Heat.
It starts tonight in Portland and the Heat need to get things rolling on the right foot as they get back into the saddle of the shortened season.
Tipoff is set for around 10:30 p.m. tonight, so it'll be a late one for you Heat fans out there.

Panthers: (@Winnipeg Jets, Fox Sports Florida, 8:30 p.m.)
Florida is still in Canada, which is a good thing for them, considering they play their best hockey in that country.
They battle Winnipeg tonight in a game that will either bring Florida a more comfortable lead, or drop them down to just 2 points ahead of Winnipeg.
It's a southeast division battle and Florida has no room for error heading into the final month of the season.
The Panthers have around 20 games left this year, with the majority coming in March.
They have a total of 8 home games in March and 8 road games.
The road games are tough, but the Cats get the Bruins at home, along with the Maples Leafs, Sabres, Senators, Islanders, and Oilers to name a few.
All of those games, sans the Boston game are winnable.
The best news for Florida?
They avoid St. Louis Detroit, and the New York Rangers this month, arguably the three best teams in the league, along with the Canucks.
Course you don't wanna drop to that eighth playoff spot in the east because then you automatically go to play the Rangers in the first round.
Not good.
The Cats are in first place to start the final month of the regular season…let's see if they can hold it together for just a little while longer and go to the playoffs for the first time in more than a decade.
If they do, then Kevin Dineen is my vote for coach of the year, period.

Peyton Manning & Dolphins:
As one of my favorite announcers used to say, "business is about to pick up" on this front.
Everyone in the league is pretty much in agreement that Manning is coming to Miami.
I will still go on record and say it's a mistake and the Dolphins will regret for another decade not drafting RGIII, but I digress.
Assuming Manning can throw, which is still a BIG assumption, then let's say the Fins also acquire Reggie Wayne to team up with Manning.
A realistic assumption, if the cap space can be manipulated just enough.
Here's where I think things could get really interesting.
If you do that, I vote to trade down about 3-4 spots in the draft and acquire an extra pick or two.
Then, draft one of two players, David DeCastro (Guard) or Jonathan Martin (OT) from Stanford.
DeCastro is the best guard in the draft and just a mauler. Jonathan Martin is my pick for second best tackle in the draft behind Matt Kalil.
Neither of them is worth the eighth pick, but at around 10-13 I'd take either of them.
You can plug either of them into the line immediately and be set at that position, they're both that good.
It will provide Manning even more protection and give him more time to throw the ball, not that he needs it.
And I'd take them both over the tackle from Iowa, who reminds me a lot of Robert Gallery…and that ain't a good thing.
So would you take this as an offense in 2012?
QB: Peyton Manning
RB: Reggie Bush/Daniel Thomas/draft pick
FB/HB: Charles Clay
TE: Draft pick/Anthony Fasano
WR: Brandon Marshall, Reggie Wayne, Davone Bess, Brian Hartline
LT: Jake Long
LG: Richie Incognito
C: Mike Pouncey
RG: DeCastro or Vernon Carey
RT: Jonathan Martin or another player
Not bad eh?

MLB:
Well, major league baseball decided to expand their playoffs by adding two more teams.
*Yawn*
Look, don't get me wrong, playoff baseball is great…look at Game 6 of the World Series last year, which I argue may have been the greatest Series game in history.
But, here's why it's a HUGE risk for baseball: the NFL and College Football.
The deeper and more games you put into October…the more you risk losing the casual fans to football, America's pastime.
Baseball isn't on the same wave length in American sports as football, sorry baseball purists, and the more football is on, the worse the ratings will be for baseball.
Combine that with some really bad teams in New York and Los Angeles, your two biggest media markets, and it's tough sledding for baseball.
I don't think it will be a significant change for players or for the game or for the ratings.
Still, if they start producing more of those game 6's, I might be forced to reevaluate my opinion.

Hurricanes basketball:
Sorry Canes basketball fans, but your bubble likely burst last night in Raleigh.
The loss dropped the Canes' record to (17-11) and while that's good, it's not going to be good enough this year to get into the big dance.
It's sad, Miami held the lead at half and then gave it up in the second half and couldn't keep up with NC State.
Unless the Canes can win the ACC Tournament, it looks like the Canes are NIT bound.
Still, given what was left by Frank Haith in terms of talent, that's a pretty impressive feat.
Here's where we will find out about Miami's dedication to basketball….
If Larranga can recruit better players and get facility upgrades, then Miami will compete.
We'll also find out about Haith now that he has money and great facilities to go with him at Mizzou. Can he win consistently, or was this year a fluke thanks to Mike Anderson's players?
Only time will tell!