It was on this day in 1988 that the Miami Heat won their first regular season game in franchise history. The Heat defeated the Los Angeles Clippers 89-88 in a game played at the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena.

The Miami Heat were not expected to have much success in their inaugural season, but no one could have expected them to get off to such a terrible start. The Heat would lose their first 17 games of the season, which was a record that has since been matched by the 1999 Los Angeles Clippers as the worst start in NBA history. The team was made up of mostly young players and journeymen.  And it did not help that they played in the Western Conference despite being an East Coast team, which forced them to travel more than any other club in the league. The Heat would finish the year 15-67, which was bad enough for dead last in the entire league.

The future now looks bright for the Miami Heat as their trio of LeBron James, Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade should mean that they will be legitimate title contenders for several seasons to come.

Here is a look at the greatest moment in Miami Heat history.

Notable Birthdays

Craig Biggio, MLB – Born December 14th 1965 (age 46) in Smithtown, New York

Bill Ranford, NHL – Born December 14th 1966 (age 45) in Brandon, Manitoba

Shaun Marcum, MLB – Born December 14th 1981 (age 30) in Kansas City, Missouri

It sure is a tough time to be a Dolphins fan these days.  They are coming off a disappointing 26-10 home loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, their 4-9 record is good enough for last in the AFC East, their coach just got fired, and yet they aren’t even bad enough to have a shot at drafting Andrew Luck.

That’s rough, but just when you thought things couldn’t get any worse, they did for one unfortunate Dolphins fan.

Likely disgruntled following his team’s poor showing, one short, brave fan in a white Dolphins jersey approached a group of fellow Dolphins fans and began throwing punches.  One punch would eventually land, but it wasn’t one of his.  Instead, it was a sucker punch from a nearby friend that put the instigator to sleep on the pavement.

I should probably hold judgement until I know exactly how this all started, but if  the video clip below is any indication, it appears as though the unconscious fan was asking for it…

And he sure as hell got it.

Hat Tip – [Sweater Punch]

As 2011 begins to draw to a close, we here at Total Pro Sports thought this would be a perfect time to revisit and update our list of the world’s most Googled female athletes.

It was a pretty big year for women’s sports. The biggest event of course was the 2011 Woman’s World Cup, which was more exciting and more popular than ever before. Women’s tennis also got a big boost this year thanks to the return of it’s biggest star, Serena Williams, who had been out for the better part of a year. How did all of this affect this year’s results? You’ll have to read the list to find out.

So without any further ado, here are the world’s most popular female athletes in 2011 as measured by the number of Google search results from the past 12 months.

30. Yanina Wickmayer – 1,080,000 Results

This Belgian tennis player may only be ranked no. 26 in the world, but she still manages to just barely crack the top 30 most Googled female athletes.

29. Abby Wambach – 1,120,000 Results

When you score a dramatic game-tying goal in extra time against Brazil in the quarterfinals of the World Cup, and that goal is named the best play of the year at the 2011 ESPY Awards—yeah, you get a big boost in Google search results.

28. Leryn Franco – 1,130,000 Results

Paraguayan Leryn Franco is by far the world’s most famous javelin thrower. I wonder why?

27. Agnieszka Radwanska – 1,260,000 Results

Surely Agnieszka Radwanska makes the list on the strength of her being the most successful Polish women’s tennis player of all time.

26. Misty May-Treanor – 1,360,000 Results

Misty May is one half of the greatest beach volleyball team of all time, but for some reason she’s a lot more popular on the web than teammate Kerri Walsh.

Here are some of the best sports plays for all you gamblers out there.

The Game: Boston Bruins @ Ottawa Senators

The Pick: Bruins -110 in regulation

The Reason: The Boston Bruins remain one of the hottest teams in the NHL, as they have now won 16 of their last 19 overall and seven of their last eight on the road.  They will be up against a Senators team that has won only two of their last seven.  Boston has won each of their last five games against Ottawa, as well as each of their last five games in Ottawa.  The Sens will be without their top goalscorer, Milan Michalek, who was injured during last night’s game.  Look for the Bruins to take advantage and continue their hot streak with a win tonight.

The Game: Phoenix Coyotes @ Anaheim Ducks

The Pick: Over 5.5

The Reason: The Anaheim Ducks have struggled to keep the opposition off the scoreboard at home.  They are currently ranked 28th in the league in home defense, allowing an average of 3.3 goals against per game.  They have also watched seven of their last ten home games go over the total.  The Coyotes have averaged an impressive 3.0 goals scored per game on the road.  Each of the last four games between these two teams have gone over the total.  Look for much of the same tonight.

2011 Record: (224-220-9), This Week: (2-2), Last Week: (5-5)

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Taylor University’s “Silent Night Game” is cool.  John Brown University’s “Toilet Paper Game” is even cooler.  But in my opinion, both pale in comparison to Lawrence Central Catholic High’s pre-game “parting of the Red Sea.”

Prior to each of their home games, the students in the “Red Sea fan group” simulate a giant body of water by waving their arms back and forth, all the while a man dressed as Moses stands in front of them with his broom.  Suddenly, at Moses’ request, the fans part down the middle in unison, making way for the prophet’s accent to the top of the stands.  And once he gets there, the “Let’s Go Central” chants begin.

I’m not quite sure if this tradition will win you games, but it is bound to earn you nationwide recognition as one of the most dedicated high school fan bases across the country.

Hat Tip – [Prep Rally]

Shea Weber has developed a reputation for having one of the hardest shots in the National Hockey League, but it appears as though he wants everyone to know that his shot can be quite accurate as well.

Standing at the top of section 317 inside Bridgestone Arena, home of the Nashville Predators, Weber took aim at the net situated at the opposite end of the rink and delivered a wrist shot that took a friendly bounce and slid directly into the goal.

With six goals on the season, Weber is currently tied with six others for second place among all NHL defensemen in scoring.  However, none of the six shots that produced his six goals were more difficult than this trick-shot.

Here is an interesting picture for all of you.  It comes via Imgur and is described as an image take while the cameraman’s friend tried to sell President Barack Obama a beer during last weekend’s Army vs. Navy game.  Apparently, the President wasn’t very thirsty and had to refuse, but not befire giving everyone in the section something to chuckle about.

It appears as though Ron Artest Metta World Peace has lost his marbles once again. The last time this happened he changed his name to those three words that many of us are still trying to make sense of.  This time around he is going off topic during interviews, talking about how kind and brilliant Jesus is to allow us to keep our teeth, rather than having our baby teeth fall out at the age of 18.

Still wondering what type of question would evoke such an answer?  Here is what he was asked by Melissa Rohlin of the LA Times:

“Metta, I’ve been asking a bunch of players whether they call you Metta World Piece, or Ron Artest now.  And all the rookies say Metta, and all the veterans say Ron.  What’s up with that?  Is it some type of hazing?”

Needless to say, Metta did a terrible job answering the question, but as usual, he did a great job keeping things interesting during this interview.

Check it out.

We all know that there are two guarantees in life; death and taxes.  Athletes are no exception to this rules, as even their hefty salaries are forced to take somewhat of a hit.  However, each state has its own tax laws, meaning players’ salaries could take a bigger or smaller tax hit depending on where they choose to play.

It can be confusing to keep track of how much athletes’ salaries are taxed in each state, but thankfully the people at TurboTax created this infographic to help provide us all with a better understanding of the taxing life of a pro athlete.

So the next time one of your favorite athletes signs a big contract and you think to yourself, “damn, that is a lot of cash,” just remember that not all of that money will end up in their pocket.

Hat Tip Neil

There were a few great fights in the NHL last night, but none was better than the show put on by Cam Janssen of the New Jersey Devils and Krys Barch of the Florida Panthers.

Janssen had been out for just over a week with a chest injury, but it doesn’t appear as though his endurance or stamina took a hit during his layoff as he was able to exchange punches with Barch for well over a minute, and by doing so he earned himself a spot on the “Frozen Fisticuffs Fight of the Night” for Tuesday, December 13, 2011.

With Christmas less than a week away, Total Pro Sports is pleased to announce that we were able to get our hands on a copy of a top-secret document even WikiLeaks couldn’t obtain: Santa’s naughty list.

Now, what many people probably don’t realize is that Santa Claus is actually a pretty big sports nut. So he keeps especially close tabs on famous athletes and other sports figures throughout the year—sometimes even scouting them in person, at the games—to make sure he gets it right come Christmas Eve.

Today, therefore, we bring you a sampling of the most notable athletes on Santa’s 2011 Naughty List. Unless these people can figure out a way to atone for their bad behavior in the next few days, they’re going to find giant lumps of coal in their stockings come December 25th.

(And no, you won’t find Jerry Sandusky or Bernie Fine here. They’re on Santa’s Evil Scumbag List, not his Naughty List.)

Here are some of the best sports plays for all you gamblers out there.

The Game: Pittsburgh Steelers @ San Francisco 49ers

The Pick: Under 38

The Reason: Two of the best defensive units will go head-to-head tonight when the Pittsburgh Steelers travel to San Francisco to take on the 49ers.  Through their first 13 games of the season, the 49ers have allowed an average of only 14 points against per game, while the Steelers have allowed only 15.2 points against.  The Steelers have gone under in four of their last six, while the 49ers have gone under in six of their last eight.  With Big Ben hobbled by an ankle injury and the 49ers defense giving up nothing on the ground, look for points to be hard to come by as this game goes well under the total.

The Game: Montreal Canadiens @ Boston Bruins

The Pick: Bruins -120 in regulation

The Reason: The Bruins have been nearly unstoppable as of late, as they have lost only three of their last 21 games.  Tonight they will be up against a Canadiens team that has won only three of their last eleven games.  The Habs are currently dealing with some significant injuries, while the Bruins just got Zdeno Chara back in their lineup and are coming off an impressive 6-0 win over the Flyers.  Look for Boston to continue to roll as they earn the victory tonight.

2011 Record: (226-222-9), Last Week: (4-4)

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Many soccer pundits will tell you that Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo has one of the hardest shots in soccer at the moment, but Bayern Munich’s Daniel Van Buyten may have something to say about that following this weekend’s Bundesliga match against FC Koln.

Play had to be stopped following a Bayern free kick, as Van Buyten’s shot ricocheted off the wall, causing the ball’s inner lining to burst through the outer layer of leather.  The broken ball would turn into a rather cool souvenir soon after, as it was kicked into the stands and replaced by a new ball.

Here is a look at the incident.

Hat Tip reader Marcus

Have you ever wondered why Tim Tebow and the Denver Broncos only perform well in the fourth quarter, how they managed to win six games in a row, or how Matt Pratee has managed to hit big field-goal after big field-goal?  Saturday Night Live provided answers to all of those questions and a few more over the weekend during a skit that reenacted Tebow’s post-game pep talk with his teammates, which featured a special appearance from none other than the Lord Jesus Christ himself.

And if you were wondering why the Broncos were unable to perform another miracle fourth quarter comeback during yesterday’s game against the New England Patriots, the following skit should help explain that as well.

Check it out.

There are plenty of sexy athletes in sports, but on my list, none of them rank higher than Gina Carano.  That certainly won’t change following the release of the above photo, which is just one of the many images that will be featured in GQ Magazine’s upcoming article on the MMA fighter-turned-actress.

In the interview, Gina talks about her upcoming movie Haywire, and her transition from the ring to the film studio.  However, what we all really want to see most is some more pics, but I guess you’ll have to buy the magazine to see those.

It may not be very nice to laugh at a bunch of people who have just been run down by an out-of-control golf cart, but it is awfully hard not to at least let out a little chuckle after watching it happen on the field at Cowboys Stadium following a high school state championship game.

With parents, coaches and others on the field well after the Texas 5A Division II State Championship Finals, an unmanned golf cart took off from one end zone, sped across the field and plowed through a group of people.  Many of them were knocked to the ground, while Spring Dekaney head coach Willie Amendola landed in the cart’s passenger seat and was taken for a ride before rolling out approximately 25 yards later.  A field worker was eventually able to hop into the cart and bring this dangerous ghost-ride to an end.

Medical personnel attended to the injured bystanders on the field, but none of the injuries sustained are believed to be serious.  As for the cause of the vehicle’s unexpected acceleration, nothing has been confirmed at the moment, but in the video below it does appear as though a few orange pylons were positioned near the gas pedal and may have been the cause.

In case you were wondering, Spring Dekaney defeated Cibolo Steele by a score of 34-14, capturing the school’s first state title.  Here is a look at the frightening, yet somewhat funny, post-game incident.

Hat Tip – [Rivals]

With only a couple of weeks remaining in 2011, it appeared as though Patricky Pitbull, John Makdessi and Arthur Guseinov were all front-runners to earn the award for MMA “Knockout of the Year.”  That no longer appears to be the case following this past weekend’s events, however, as Cairo “Relampago (Lightning)” Rocha provided us all with this incredible spinning heel kick knockout against Fracisco Neves during Brazil’s “Desafio dos Imortais” (Challenge of the Immortals).

With two weeks to go and a couple of MMA events still left on the 2011 schedule, there is no guarantee that this knockout will stand as the year’s best once January 1st rolls around.  And if Rocha’s spinning heel kick is topped before then, the real winners will be us, the fans of MMA.

But for the time being, here is another look at the 2011 “Knockout of the Year.” Enjoy!

Hat Tip – [Cosby Sweaters]

When the Carolina Panthers used a trick-play to score their third touchdown of yesterday’s game and pull ahead of the Houston Texans by a score of 21-0, many football experts thought Panthers’ head coach Ron Rivera had just taken a page from the 1984 Miami Hurricanes playbook, as his team executed a “fumblerooski-like” play to perfection.  However, following the game Rivera claimed that it was not the ’84 Canes who had inspired the play.  Instead, it was the 1994 family football comedy, “Little Giants.”

In the movie, during the Little Giants’ epic match-up against the much more powerful Cowboys team, Rich Moranis called a trick-play, which was a lot like the “fumblerooski,” but was instead named “the annexation of Puerto Rico.”  The play worked in the movie, and it also worked in real life, as Panthers’ rookie tight end Richie Brockel trotted into the end zone for his first career touchdown.

So the next time someone tells you that stuff in movies never works in real life, I want you to show them this.

With his team trailing by a score of 3-0 early in the third period of last night’s game against the Chicago Blackhawks, Calgary Flames defenseman Cory Sarich was looking to give his club some momentum by laying out Hawks forward Bryan Bickell with a bit open-ice check.  Seeing as how the Flames eventually lost by a score of 4-2, it is tough to say whether or not the hit provided any inspiration.  What it did do, however, was spark a fight between Sarich and Bickell, and it also earned both combatants a spot on the “Frozen Fisticuffs Fight of the Night” for Sunday, December 18, 2011.

You can check out the hit and the ensuing fight in the video below.

With everyone anticipating yesterday’s match-up between the Tim Tebow-led Denver Broncos and the Tom Brady-led New England Patriots, SportsCenter figured Saturday night would be the perfect time to unveil their festive poem titled “Twas the Night Before Tebow.”

The poem turned out to be a hit.  Unfortunately (unless you’re a Pats fan), we can’t say the same for Tebow and his Broncos, who were outmatched by Brady and the Patriots’ high-powered offense during their 41-23 loss at Mile High Stadium.  But don’t let that stop you from enjoying the following clip.