Karma hits you in the face, like an 18-pound sledge...

Ever since LeBron James "karma" blast on his former team, his Miami Heat have gone 0-4.  God is indeed watching, self-proclaimed Chosen 1.

ESPN SoccerNet looks at the potential moves to be made this month by EPL sides Chelsea, Tottenham, Arsenal and Liverpool.  Apparently, all is quiet in Manchester as far as they're concerned.

Will there be an NBA lockout next season?  Carmelo Anthony says "without a doubt".  Imagine a stretch next fall with potentially no NFL or NBA? 

Since losing to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the Super Bowl in 2003, the Oakland Raiders are 37-91.  And why can't the NFL get over the Roman numeral thing and just call it "Super Bowl 2011", for example?

Now that is a Lego project at right, a replica of Ohio State's Horseshoe.   Thanks for the hook up, Bukakke.

Sports Illustrated has a piece in an issue next week that ties Lance Armstrong to a doctor connected to performance enhancing drugsand blood doping.  If true, baseball has to be thrilled.  After all, nobody has more vehemently denied usage, or profited from his image and story than Livealie "Livestrong" Lance.  Not surprisingly, Lance is denying.  If there's one thing SI is great at, it is getting its story in line every year around this time on a drug case.

The NFL Players Association has filed collusion charges against the NFL, because if there's one thing a union knows about, it is collusion.  SI's Peter King says, however, that there are some owners that would rather lose the entire 2011 season than to continue under the current system.  I'll believe that when I see it.  Besides, if NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has time to think about defining what is over the line in trash talk, then all must be well, right?

Milwaukee Buck Andrew Bogut has put together a hell of an auction to benefit Australian flooding relief on eBay.  This is as good a package as a sports fan with a pile of cash will ever win.

10 must-see sporting venues. 

Green Bay Packer Ryan Grant is telling Packers fans to book their flights to Dallas in early February for the Super Bowl.  Of course, said fans will have as much impact on the game as Grant, who has been sidelined since Week 1 with an injury, so not sure why he's talking so much.

Sergio Ramos, about as good a defender as there is in the world, wants out of Real Madrid after a bust-up with Cristiano Ronaldo and Jose Mourinho.

The Indianapolis Colts are set to make Peyton Manning the highest paid player in the NFL.  Not sure why, given he'd rank below Tom Brady, Ben Roethlesberger and probably Drew Brees and Aaron Rodgers on most people's lists of best QB's right now, and certainly not going forward in his mid-30's.

A little food for thought as you contemplate the NFL Conference Championships this weekend:

only three teams have won three straight road games to get to the Super Bowl: the 1985 New England Patriots, 2005 Pittsburgh Steelers and the 2007 New York Giants.  Seems plenty are thinking that total will grow by two this weekend with Green Bay and New York Jets wins.