THE BLACK & BLUE EASTERN CONFERENCE SHOWCASED ANOTHER BATTLE FOR THE AGES. IT WILL BE SAFE TO ASSUME THAT NEW YORK AND MIAMI WILL NOT BE EXCHANGING CHRISTMAS CARDS THIS HOLIDAY SEASON. 

TENSION FILLED THE AIR EVEN DURING THE OPENING GAME WARM-UPS WHEN PLAYERS EXCHANGED SOME WORDS WHICH CREATED A FRENZY AMONGST THE MIAMI CROWD. 

WITHOUT THEIR POWER-BACK KIKI TOOMBS WHO SHATTERED THE LFL RUSHING MARK LAST WEEK WITH 163YDS, MIAMI HEAD COACH AND FORMER FLORIDA GATORS QUARTERBACK BOB HEWKO UNLEASHED THE LEAGUE’S MOST IMPRESSIVE AIR ASSAULT. MIAMI’S FIRST DRIVE SET THE TONE WITH A 25YD SPIRAL ANONKA DIXON BOMB THAT HIT TINA CACCAVALE IN STRIDE IN THE BACK OF THE ENDZONE. THE CROWD’S REACTION WAS SUMMARIZED BY SPECTATOR AND MIAMI FAN JENNA CAMPBELL FROM FORT LAUDERDALE, FL “ONE WORD...SIMPLY, WOW”. NEW YORK COUNTERED AT TIMES WITH IMPRESSIVE DRIVES IN THE 1ST HALF ONLY TO COMMIT KEY TURNOVERS IN THE RED ZONE, WHICH HAS BEEN THE ACHILLES HEEL FOR THE MAJESTY THIS SEASON. 

DESPITE A DOMINATING 22 - 0 LEAD WITH 7:09 LEFT IN THE 1ST HALF, COACH HEWKO KEPT HIS FOOT TO THE FLOOR TAKING SEVERAL MORE SHOTS  DOWN THE FIELD WITH DIXON AND LFL ALL-FANTASY WIDE RECEIVER TINA CACCAVALE COMBINING FOR A 47YD TOUCHDOWN PASS. THE HALF MERCIFULLY ENDED WITH MAMI LEADING 29-0 WITH THE REAL FIREWORKS LOOMING IN THE 2ND HALF. 

AFTER BEING EMBARASSED IN THE FIRST HALF, NEW YORK FINALLY SCORED BEHIND THE PLAY OF FRANCHISE QUARTERBACK KRYSTAL GRAY AND STANDOUT WIDE RECEIVER NICOLE STANLEY. NEW YORK’S SCORE WOULD BE THE ONLY SHIMMER OF LIGHT AS MIAMI CONTINUED THEIR ATTACK CHEWING UP ANOTHER 139YDS THROUGH THE AIR. QUARTERBACK DIXON LED A HIGHLY-CONFIDENT BUNCH THAT SPENT MORE TIME IN THE STANDS ENGAGING THEIR CROWD WITH ‘LAMBEAU LEAPS’ FOLLOWING SCORES THEN HAVING TO PLAY NEW YORK. MIAMI’S DOMINANCE NOT ONLY CAME ON OFFENSE BUT DEFENSIVELY AS THEIR ALL-FANTASY MIDDLE LINEBACKER AND GAME MVP FINISHED WITH 7 SOLO TACKLES, 5 ASSISTED TACKLES AND 2 SACKS. 

AS THE GAP IN THE SCORE GREW WIDER AND THE OUTCOME WAS DETERMINED, NEW YORK FRUSTERATION GREW AS NEW YORK’S KRYSTAL GRAY AGGRESSIVELY PERSUED SEVERAL MIAMI PLAYERS. TAUNTING GREW INTO SHOVING MATCHES WHICH ULTIMATELY TURNED INTO FULL-SCALE PUNCHES BEING THROWN. THE ALTERCATIONS WHICH LASTED FOR A LONG PERIOD OF TIME RESULTED IN MULTIPLE PLAYERS BEING EJECTED AND A STRONG-WORDED STATEMENT FROM COMMISSIONER MITCHELL MORTAZA’S OFFICE, “THERE IS NO PLACE IN OUR GAME FOR ACTIONS THAT CAN RESULT IN SERIOUS INJURY AND ULTIMATELY TAKE AWAY FROM THE INCREDIBLE PLAY ON THE FIELD. PLAYERS CHOSING TO ENGAGE IN SUCH ACTIONS WILL BE SEVERLY DEALT WITH”. 

WHILE THE LEAGUE FROWNED UPON THE ALTERCATIONS THE FANS IN ATTENDNANCE LOVED EVERY MINUTE AS THE ‘OHS’ AND ‘AUGHS’ REIGNED DOWN FROM THE STANDS. WHEN THE DUST SETTLED, MIAMI ADVANCED TO A 2-1 RECORD WITH SIMPLY ONE WIN AWAY FROM A PLAYOFF BERTH WHILE NEW YORK FELL TO 0-2. 

MIAMI WILL CONTROL THEIR OWN DESTINY WITH A PLAYOFF-LIKE SHOWDOWN AT BANKATLANTICE CENTER ON JANUARY 22ND WITH RIVAL TAMPA BREEZE. BEHIND CHICAGO, MIAMI AND PHILADELPHIA ARE BATTLING FOR THE SECOND PLAYOFF SPOT IN THE EAST. MIAMI HOLDS THE TIE-BREAKER ADVANTAGE AGAINST PHILADELPHIA BECAUSE OF THEIR EARLIER 37-26 WIN OVER PHILADELPHIA.