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A.D. Ibarra
-ICT
Eagle Pass' Jonathan Garza began his professional boxing career with a decisive and hard-fought victory over Miguel Angel "El Acero" Rebollosa at Fight Night on Saturday at the International Center for Trade.
"Thank God we emerged victorious on this night. We trained for two months straight for this fight, waking up at five in the morning to train physical, conditioning and boxing skills," said trainer Raul garza who actually is now the official corner man for Marco Antonio "El Veneno" Rubio, "It was an even fight. When a fighter embarks on a career in boxing, many trainers find a weak opponent in order to begin collecting those 'W's', but we decided that we would find a rival at Jonathan's level with the same amateur experience so that the fight is a good fight and so that the fans don't leave with a bad taste in their mouths. I think we accomplished that."
The fight, according to many of the 1,000 who attended Eagle Pass Fight Night, the fight between Jonathan Garza and Miguel Angel Rebollosa, "El Acero" of Musquiz, Coahuila was the fight of the night.
"The fight went to the score cards because it was a veritable war in the ring. Both fighters came out bloody in this battle, one from the eye, the other from the head. It was a war and I think the people loved it. I think Eagle Pass has a new star."
A.D. Ibarra
-The Max, Laredo
Diego Ibarra battled the elements and a field of teams from the greater Laredo area and Eagle Pass on Saturday to notch his second consecutive Top Ten finish and win his first varsity tournament as he came from seven strokes back to take the 2016 Nixon Invitational Golf Tournament.
Ibarra hit ten pars and one birdie on Day 1 including 2 out of two greens on the Par threes, but just four of nine fairways which affected his scorecard when on holes 3 and four, he ran into some trouble closing out his round with four three putts falling behind Eagle Pass' Diego Carrillo who logged a 2-over 74.
On Day 2 however in the thirty mile an hour winds which howled across South Texas, scores began to plummet but according to Coach Pat Hernandez, her player was able to rise up to the challenge as he did on Day 2 at Sharyland in the rain and cold to notch a 78 and move into a sixth place overall in Mission, "Diego was able to keep his composure and was able to win his first tournament. He turned it up on day 2 to win the tournament by one stroke."
Diego had only 38 putts on Day 2 with one birdie and seven pars. He was 6/14 in fairways hit and 4/4 on par threes, but two three puts cut into his round
The Mavericks consisting of Ibarra, Adrian Alvarez, Matthew Rodriguez, Alan Ruiz and Daigo Matsuoka, took third place as a team, their first Top Three finish according to Hernandez. The Mavs are coached by Hernandez, Jaime Flores and JT Tovar.
Overall team results were St. Augustine 1st, Eagle Pass 2nd and CC Winn 3rd.
Eagle Pass High School Golf Team placed 2nd at the Nixon High School invitational. The team is lead by Diego Carrillo, Ricardo De La Cabada, Abraham Diaz, Sebastian Gomez and Jose De Luna. The team also had 2 top 5 finishes with Sebastian Gomez placing 5th and Diego Carrillo placing second. The teams next tournament will be in Del Rio, Texas February 5-6. The team has shown alot of improvement and mainly is due to their dedication and perserverance. Coach Beto Hernandez is very proud of the team and has high expectations. Coach Annie Rodriguez and Coach Oscar Rodriguez are another big reason the team has shown improvement. Not inlcuded in the team picture Abraham Diaz.
Tom Brady has more championship rings. Peyton Manning has nearly all the passing records.
Fans will always debate which quarterback is better. But there's no arguing it's one of the greatest rivalries in sports history.
So it's fitting a Super Bowl berth is at stake for Brady-Manning 17.
Brady and the New England Patriots are trying to repeat and earn their fifth NFL title. Manning and the Denver Broncos are aiming for the franchise's first championship in 16 years and his second.
Brady won the first six meetings and he leads the series 11-5. They're tied 2-2 in the playoffs with Manning winning the last two, including the AFC championship game two years ago.
Some of the best individual rivalries from the other sports:
ALI-FRAZIER: Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier fought three times, including two of the most famous matches ever. Frazier defended his heavyweight championship with a unanimous decision over Ali in 1971 at Madison Square Garden in the "Fight of the Century." Ali won the rematch by decision in 1974. Then came "The Thrilla in Manila" in 1975. Ali won on a TKO after 14 rounds. Honorable mentions: Sugar Ray Leonard vs. Roberto Duran, Ray Robinson vs. Jake LaMotta.
CHAMBERLAIN-RUSSELL: Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell went head-to-head 142 times over a decade from 1959-1969. Russell's Boston Celtics beat Chamberlain's teams 85 games. Chamberlain shattered records. Russell collected championship banners, winning nine to Chamberlain's one. Honorable mention: Larry Bird vs. Magic Johnson.
NICKLAUS-PALMER: Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer turned golf into a popular spectator sport on television. Nicklaus holds the record with 18 majors while Palmer captured seven in his career. They finished 1-2 four times in majors. Honorable mention: Tiger Woods vs. Phil Mickelson.
FEDERER-NADAL: Roger Federer has a 17-14 edge over Rafael Nadal in career grand slam victories, but the head-to-head rivalry is one-sided. Nadal leads the series 23-11, including a 9-2 record in grand slams. Nadal's victory in the 2008 Wimbledon final is considered one of the best tennis matches in history. Both men also have long rivalries with Novak Djokovic. Honorable mentions: Chris Evert vs. Martina Navratilova; John McEnroe vs. Bjorn Borg.
GRETZKY-LEMIEUX: The Great One vs. The Magnificent One. Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux dominated the NHL for two decades with one of the two players winning the scoring title every year between 1980 and 1997 except for one season. They never faced each other in the playoffs, however. Honorable mention: Sidney Crosby vs. Alex Ovechkin.
DIMAGGIO-WILLIAMS: Joltin' Joe vs. The Splendid Splinter. Yankees-Red Sox had to make the baseball list. Ted Williams remains the last player to hit over .400, but his tremendous 1941 season was overshadowed by Joe DiMaggio's 56-game hitting streak. Williams won two AL MVP awards and two triple crowns, but no World Series titles. DiMaggio was a three-time MVP who won nine World Series championships with New York. Honorable mention: Willie Mays vs. Mickey Mantle.
MESSI-RONALDO: The two best soccer players in the world play in the same league for two powerhouse teams. Since the Ballon d'Or was first awarded to the world's top player in 2010, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are the only men to win it (Messi, 2010-12, 2015; Ronaldo 2013-14). In 2008, Ronaldo won the FIFA player of the year award, and Messi won in 2009. Messi's Barcelona team club won the UEFA championship last season, and Ronaldo's Real Madrid has not won the Spanish league since 2012, giving Messi some recent bragging rights. Internationally, Messi and Argentina lost to Germany in the finals of the World Cup, while Portugal and Ronaldo failed to get out of the group stage.
BALTIMORE (AP) --
Chris Davis slipped on the Orioles jersey with No. 19 on it, smiled broadly and said, "Feels familiar."
After spending much of the offseason wondering if he would continue his baseball career in Baltimore, Davis formally signed a $161 million, seven-year contract Thursday, a deal that includes $42 million in deferred money that won't be fully received until he is 51.
The deal was announced in a news conference at Camden Yards, where the reigning major league home run king has been hitting long balls for the Orioles since the middle of the 2011 season.
"Not only do I get the opportunity to spend the majority of my career in one place, but the opportunity to be with a franchise that has had so much success in the past and has so much history," Davis said. "It's something that not a lot of guys get the opportunity to do."
Davis, 29, became a free agent after the 2015 season. He was pursued heavily by the Orioles, who finally struck a deal over the weekend pending a medical examination.
"We always had Chris as a primary target to sign through the winter," said Dan Duquette, the Orioles executive vice president of baseball operations. "You know, these deals, they have their own timing. Some take a while. Some get done quickly. In this case, things came together late Friday night."
And now, Davis is the highest-paid player in the history of the franchise.
Davis will receive salaries of $23 million annually, but $6 million a year is deferred without interest. He will receive 10 payments of $3.5 million each July 1 from 2023-32 and five payments of $1.4 million every July 1 from 2033-37.
Because of the deferred compensation, Major League Baseball evaluated the deal's present-day value at $147,831,478 and the players' association at $147,737,635.
No matter how it's sliced, that's a lot of money.
"I understand the commitment that was made," the first baseman said. "And to me, it's actually a flattering, more humbling gesture that the Orioles decided to make this kind of commitment to me. It really motivates me to work that much harder and do everything I can to show them that their faith was well placed."
Davis had 47 homers and 117 RBIs last season. Since 2012, Davis leads the majors with 159 home runs and ranks fourth with 412 RBIs. Although he's only been with the Orioles for 4 1/2 years, the slugger is 10th on the team's career home run list with 161.
From the conclusion of the 2015 season to the second week in January, there was really only one question on the mind of every Oriole fan in the city: Will Chris Davis return to the Orioles?
"I don't know how many places I went this year where people said, 'You've got to sign Chris Davis,'" Duquette said. "So I know he's got a lot of fans in Baltimore that follow the team and love to see his prodigious home runs."
Davis' agent, Scott Boras, would not divulge how many teams - if any - were competing with the Orioles to sign Davis.
"You know, when you go to a wedding, you never talk about your girlfriends," Boras said.
But he knew that Davis and cozy Camden Yards are a wonderful pairing.
"I think the key part was that everyone knew that in this ballpark was built for Chris Davis," Boras said. "This is where he can execute and be most effective."
Davis was asked if there was ever a time when he thought his days in Baltimore were over.
"I don't think so," he said. "We knew that we have really enjoyed being in Baltimore. For the last four years, that's really all I had known and we've had a lot of success here and it's just was a comfortable place to be. My family enjoys it here. I think the fact that we knew they were interested obviously made it a little bit easier."
The return of Davis is the highlight of an offseason in which the Orioles retained three key free agents. Earlier, catcher Matt Wieters accepted the team's qualifying offer and setup man Darren O'Day signed a four-year, $31 million contract.
Manager Buck Showalter gave credit to owner Peter Angelos, who opened his wallet to make it happen for a team that's made the playoffs in two of the last three years.
"Knowing Mr. Angelos, I think for the city of Baltimore, he was going to do everything possible to try to keep going," Showalter said. "I think it was important to him to make sure the city could continue to be proud of these guys. It worked out and we're excited about it."
To make room for Davis on the 40-man roster, Baltimore designated utility player Joey Terdoslavich for assignment.
The last time Tom Brady and the New England Patriots came to Denver, Peyton Manning watched the game on television from inside the locker room.
Not next Sunday, though. The Broncos quarterback will take in his customary spot in the huddle.
Manning meets Brady for a 17th time - with a trip to Super Bowl 50 at stake.
Perhaps it's only fitting these two quarterbacks meet in the AFC title game, since Manning didn't get to suit up against New England on Nov. 29 because of a foot injury. That game was a thriller, too, with Brock Osweiler leading the Broncos to a 30-24 overtime victory.
Manning's foot is healed - at least as healed as it's going to get for now - and he guided the Broncos to a 23-16 win over Ben Roethlisberger and the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday.
Brady is still vintage Brady, passing, bootlegging and QB sneaking the Super Bowl champion Patriots past the Chiefs on Saturday and into the AFC title game for a fifth straight season.
Brady's Patriots opened as a 3 1/2-point favorite over Manning's Broncos.
Manning didn't want to start reflecting on the rivalry with Brady right away. "We'll deal with that on Wednesday," he said.
Manning is now 12-13 in the playoffs over his career. This one, though, possibly means a little more, given his comeback from a foot ailment that sidelined him for six weeks.
"It's been a unique season, a lot of new things have happened this season, kind of like tonight," said Manning, who replaced Osweiler in the season finale, leading the Broncos to a win over San Diego to secure the No. 1 seed. "We stayed patient tonight. We never really got frustrated and that served us well tonight and it served me well this season."
Denver surrendered 339 yards passing to Roethlisberger, who entered the game with a sore shoulder. The challenge doesn't get any easier.
Brady has long gotten the better of Manning, who is 5-11 lifetime against his counterpart, but 2-2 in the playoffs, including a win two years ago in this stadium.
"I'm honored to be a part of it and I'm looking forward to playing next week in the AFC championship," Manning said.
But this is hardly the same Manning anymore. He doesn't rely on his arm nearly as much as his ability to decipher schemes. He also leans heavily on the running game.
And Denver's top-ranked defense, too.
"Our defense is guiding us. Let's make that clear. They played great all season," Manning said. "They were dominant today against a high-powered offense."
Manning and Brady were paired on this stage following the 2013 season, when the Broncos held on for a 26-16 to advance to the Super Bowl.
It was a game that may be best remembered for a hit by Wes Welker on Aqib Talib, which knocked the then-Patriots cornerback out of the game and opened up things for Manning, who threw for 400 yards that afternoon.
Talib is with the Broncos now and a big reason for the success of the defense.
"We've had a lot of different players contribute to our success when we've been successful," Broncos coach Gary Kubiak said. "I told them it would take them all today. It sure did. It will continue to take all of us as we move forward."
Brady has one of his security blankets back in Julian Edelman, who returned from a broken foot on Saturday to help the Patriots beat Kansas City. Of course, Brady also has tight end Rob Gronkowski.
"They're one of the best teams in the AFC," Broncos linebacker Von Miller said. "Let's go out and play and see who wants the Super Bowl."
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) --
Cam Newton. Larry Fitzgerald.
Two of the biggest stars playing for the two highest scoring teams with a Super Bowl berth on the line.
Welcome to the NFC championship game - the Arizona Cardinals and Carolina Panthers next Sunday in Charlotte, North Carolina.
The Panthers held on to beat the Seattle Seahawks 31-24 on Sunday, knocking the two-time defending NFC champs out of the postseason with their 12th straight home win.
Now they'll host the NFC championship game for the first time in franchise history.
"To get something that you've never got, you have to do something that you've never done," Newton said of the team's quest to win its first Super Bowl.
The Cardinals (14-3) beat the Green Bay Packers 26-20 in overtime on Saturday night to advance.
The Panthers and Cardinals have not played this season, but this has the potential to be a high-scoring matchup. The Panthers averaged more than 31 points this season and the Cardinals were a close second at 30.5.
Fitzgerald had eight catches for 176 yards and a touchdown in the win over the Packers, but Carson Palmer struggled most of the game with inaccurate passes.
"It's easy to dwell on (bad plays)," said Palmer, who like Newton is a former No. 1 pick and Heisman Trophy winner. "But the experience I have, I've learned from a lot of opportunities and situations. You've got to forget about it and move on. There is no other thought."
Newton said the key will be to not make mistakes and, if the team gets a lead, to not let off the gas.
"We were conservative, but at the end of the day, you have to trust coaching," Newton said. "We had a great plan coming in. We just got to keep putting it back together.
"We're getting a lot of guys back, watch this film, get better on it and get ready for Arizona."
Arizona won in its only other NFC championship game appearance in 2008 before losing to the Pittsburgh Steelers 27-23 in the Super Bowl.
It is Carolina's fourth appearance in the NFC title game, but first since 2005. The Panthers are 1-2 in their previous three appearances, reaching the Super Bowl in 2003 before losing 32-29 on a late field goal to the New England Patriots.
"It's pretty special, it's hard to do," tight end Greg Olsen said of hosting the game. "When you're the No. 1 seed coming off the regular season your destiny is in your own hands and we took care of business against what has been the pinnacle of the NFC the last few years, so this was a big step forward as an organization."
This is the third time since 2008 the Panthers have hosted the Cardinals in a playoff game.
The Cardinals upset Jake Delhomme and the No. 2-seeded Panthers 33-13 in the divisional playoffs in 2008. The Panthers got some measure of revenge last year when they defeated the Cardinals 27-16 in the wild-card round last season, although Arizona was on its fourth quarterback of the season in Ryan Lindley.
"A lot of us wouldn't mind going back there to Carolina and playing those guys again since they beat us last year when we had a lot of injuries," Cardinals cornerback Justin Bethel said.
If the game is close, Olsen said the Panthers are well prepared.
"I guess we're used to it - I know we have some strong tickers," Olsen said. "We have been through some drama and some stress, but we have a lot of character in this room and guys who understand what it means for the Panthers and play for one another. We just have to play it until the end."
As a 24-year-old in 2001, his second NFL season, Tom Brady stepped in when Drew Bledsoe was injured and led the New England Patriots into the playoffs.
When he arrived in Pittsburgh to play the Steelers in the AFC championship game, Brady couldn't believe he was there.
"Fifteen years later, to be a part of 10 of those, I never imagined that any of this was even possible," Brady said on Monday. "You never take it for granted."
A sixth-round draft pick who spent his rookie year as the No. 4 quarterback on the Patriots' depth chart, Brady has grown into a four-time NFL champion and a three-time Super Bowl MVP.
On Sunday, he will play in the AFC championship game for the fifth time in a row and the 10th time in his career, extending what was already an NFL record.
"It's beyond what I'd ever imagined in my wildest dreams," Brady said on his weekly radio appearance on WEEI.
Hall of Famer Joe Montana, whom Brady grew up in the Bay Area idolizing, played in seven conference title games, six with the San Francisco 49ers and another with the Kansas City Chiefs. He was 4-3; Brady is 6-3 heading into Sunday's game in Denver against the Broncos and longtime nemesis Peyton Manning.
Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels said what's most remarkable about Brady is his consistency. After playing in six Super Bowls in his career - and another 24 playoff games leading up to them - Brady isn't likely to be overwhelmed by the moment.
"It's a big football game, and he's played in a lot of them," McDaniels said. "Doing the things that you've done to get yourself in this position are really important. ... His preparation, his rest and treatment and getting his body ready and his mind right. He does a lot of the things every day to prepare for the next day.
"Even though these games have finality to them that some games in the regular season or preseason don't have, he approaches it the same way."
Brady is 22-8 in the playoffs, winner of his first 10 postseason games and his past four. His first career playoff loss and his most recent one were both in Denver, where he is 2-6 in his career.
The Broncos beat New England 30-24 in overtime on Nov. 29 - a victory that earned Denver home-field advantage for Sunday's game. Manning was out for that one, replaced by Brock Osweiler, but he'll be back on Sunday to face Brady in what could be his last game against Brady.
Although the two maintain a golf-and-dinner friendship in the offseason, Brady said he wasn't sure if he would be in touch with Manning this week with such an important game looming.
"It will be fun to play another Peyton Manning-led team," said Brady, who had a long run of success against Manning when he was with the Indianapolis Colts.
"It's pretty hard to get to this point. There's only four teams standing," Brady said. "Two of these teams have to go home. Hope we're not one of them."
NEW YORK (AP) --
The New York Knicks are worth $3 billion, highest in the NBA, according to Forbes.
Forbes said Wednesday in its annual ranking of franchise valuations that the Knicks regained the top spot from the Los Angeles Lakers thanks to a 20 percent value increase from 2015. It says the increase was driven by a new cable deal and the highest premium-seating revenue in the league.
The Lakers have a value of $2.7 billion. The Chicago Bulls, Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Clippers rounded out the top five.
Forbes says the average NBA team is now worth $1.3 billion, a 13 percent increase from 2015, and the $5.2 billion in revenue teams generated last season was a record for the league.
NEW YORK (AP) --
Stephen Curry is still on top in jersey sales and Kristaps Porzingis is already making a run at him.
Curry remained No. 1 on the NBA's most popular jersey list on Wednesday, followed by LeBron James and Kobe Bryant, who moved up three spots in the final season he will wear his Los Angeles Lakers uniform before retiring.
Porzingis, the New York Knicks' rookie forward from Latvia, debuted at No. 4 and Kevin Durant rounded out the top five.
The list is based on sales on NBAstore.com from October through December.
The NBA champion Golden State Warriors remained atop the team merchandise list, followed by the Chicago Bulls, Cleveland Cavaliers, Lakers and Knicks.
