DETROIT RED WINGS 3, PITTSBURGH PENGUINS 1 (Detroit leads series 1-0) No Pavel Datsyuk, no problem. Surprise scorers Brad Stuart and Justin Abdelkader netted goals for Detroit. Johan Franzen also scored his 11th in the 2nd period. Chris Osgood was also solid in net, stopping 31 of 32 shots faced.
I used to hate Alex Ovechkin more than Sidney Crosby, until last night. Crosby is portrayed as the NHL's Golden Boy, an old school classy and quiet player from Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia. He's not, and this is further proof of that.
I still hate Ovechkin, but now I hate Crosby the most. Just get off the ice and take the loss like a man.
Should be interesting tonight, with a rare back-to-back in the Stanley Cup Finals. Tonight, 8 PM, NBC. Fuck Pittsburgh, and fuck the Penguins.
Kind of not interested, but at least it isn't Tampa Bay vs. Anaheim or something anti-hockey like that. Both these teams boast good history, and good performances lately. Think about Pittsburgh, they've won 6 of their last 7 playoff series.
That being said, Detroit has won their last 7 straight playoff series, and 9 of their last 10.
One wild card is the injury situation. Potential MVP Pavel Datsyuk missed the end of Detroit's victory over Chicago. He'll miss at least Game 1. Detroit's greatest strength is their depth at forward, but Datsyuk is the tip of the arrowhead. Remove him, and that depth doesn't mean so much.
The TV situation favors Pittsburgh due to Detroit's injuries. Game 1 is tonight, Game 2 is tomorrow night. NBC didn't want a potential overtime game to interrupt Conan O'Brien's debut on the Tonight Show this week. But hey, at least the games aren't on Versus. Until Games 3 and 4, of course.
Neither goalie impresses me, but Chris Osgood is much more solid than Marc-Andre Fleury. Neither goalie will steal a game, but Fleury might give one away. He overcommitts to the side of the crease, and Detroit's unparalleled passing game will exploit this weakness.
Sidney Crosby is getting all the publicity for Pittsburgh, but Evgeni Malkin has fueled Pittsburgh's playoff run. If the Penguins win the series, Malkin will (or should) win the Conn Smythe.
Despite the injuries, I think Detroit wins this one in 6. Cup #12 for the Wings.
Game schedule: Game 1: PIT @ DET - Sat 5/30 - 8:00 PM - NBC Game 2: PIT @ DET - Sun 5/31 - 8:00 PM - NBC Game 3: DET @ PIT - Tue 6/2 - 8:00 PM - Vs Game 4: DET @ PIT - Thu 6/4 - 8:00 PM - Vs Game 5: PIT @ DET - Sat 6/6 - 8:00 PM - NBC Game 6: DET @ PIT - Tue 6/9 - 8:00 PM - NBC Game 7: PIT @ DET - Fri 6/12 - 8:oo PM - NBC
The Sox will try to build off the 3-1 win over the Twins yesterday, but if they are to do that they are going to need to get their offense going. For that to happen they are going to need players like Jason Bay (who is only hitting .167 over the last 7 days) to get it going. The good news is that the Jays have just been horrible lately losing 9 straight games, and look to be heading to the cellar of the AL East.
Boston will try to continue the Jays losing streak as Wakefield takes the hill. He has been the surprise of the year going 6-2 with an impressive 3.99 era. Last time Wake faced the Jays he went 8 strong innings allowing only 1 run.
The Jays will counter with Casey Janssen. Janssen (0-1, 4.50) appeared in 70 games as a reliever in 2007 and missed all of last year with a torn labrum, but Saturday at Atlanta he became the 10th different pitcher to start a game in Toronto's banged-up rotation. The right-hander allowed three runs in six innings of a 4-3 loss. The Sox need to jump on a guy like this. He could be an easy target for the Sox to get their offense going.
"An alert pizza deliveryman tipped police who rescued a Georgia woman who was abducted while jogging in Atlanta, taken to a remote rental cabin in the Smoky Mountains and raped. Sevier County Sheriff Ron Seals said deputies freed the woman Tuesday and arrested 46-year-old David J. Jansen of Snellville, Ga. on charges of aggravated kidnapping and rape. Deliveryman Chris Turner told WVLT-TV and WBIR-TV he spotted the victim while delivering a pizza to the cabin. She was on a couch, her hands were bound and she was mouthing the words, "Please call 911." He did so from a nearby house (FoxNews)."
First off obviously great job by the pizza guy, but how fucking dumb is this rapist? Maybe I am wrong, but this is how I read the story...
Basically there is this dude who saw a woman jogging and decided to rape her in some creepy ass cabin. Ok perfect this guy obviously has seen like 1,000 horror movies, and seems to be following the general plot, but this is when you know this guy is a fucking moron (we already knew he is a sick bastard, just didn't know he was also dumb).
Anyways, so he rapes this poor woman then decides...hmmmmmmm all this raping sure made me hungry. So, instead of hiding the woman in a back room or something he leaves her on the couch which is right near the front door. The pizza guy gets there, and it really doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that a girl who is tied up (and probably crying/hurt) is not like that because she wants to be.
So a little time goes by and the cops arrive and arrest this creep. My only question is do you think he did like a classic Scooby Doo exit????
"And I would have gotten away with it if it weren't for you meddling "pizza men"!!!"
I am sure every Tampa Bay fan is laughing there ass off at this, but I was wondering what is really wrong with Balldelli. The Sox say he has a tight hamstring, and they are saving him for this weekend, since they are going against some lefties, but something still seems off about him. We all know he has that disease where is gets tired very easily, so I was not shocked when I read this....
"The Providence Journal reports that Rocco Baldelli's hamstring issues may be related to his rare cellular disorder. He has not played since he was taken out of Monday night's game after awkwardly running to first base (Sportsline)."
If you were watching that game it looked like he was galloping like a horse. Maybe he is just tired? Is his hamstring acting up? Whatever it is I was really expecting more from Rocco when he does play. I knew he would be a part time player, but he isn't even effective when he does play (.232 BA, 1 HR, 4 RBI, 2 BB, 15 Ks, 0 SB). Sorry those numbers aren't going to cut it, since we really can't rely on Drew playing all the time...
I think the biggest frustration for me was the complete lack of outside shooting off the bench, save for Eddie House. and I'm not just talking 3-pointers, I'm talking about any shot a step from the basket and out.
Tony Allen needs to go. His defense (which apparently is his calling card) is made moot by his total inadequacy on the offensive end. He can't shoot a lick, doesn't have a solid enough reputation to draw fouls on a consistent basis, and repeatedly turns the ball over. He is fucking worthless and if he is in the rotation again I think we are in for another long season.
We need someone...ANYONE...to spell both Pierce and Ray. Posey was perfect for that role. Can guard multiple positions and can hit the long ball, especially in clutch situations. I definitely think Skywalker has the skills to play a big role, he just needs to shore up that jumpshot.
Personally, I don't think Giddens should be given a shot before Gabe Pruitt. Here is a guy who has put in 2 long years of benchwarming, but he has a knockdown jumper. I'm tired of these cagey veterans being brought in mid-season who then need to adapt to the Celtics schemes. Gabe has shown glimpses of promise in minimal PT. I don't understand Doc's reluctance to play Gabe, especially during a season when our bench BLEW. Eddie House cannot create his own shot come playoff time, and he can't consistently back-up Ray Ray.
I think our frontcourt is all set (given we resign either BBD or Powe, preferably both) with those 2 and Scals. We could use a true backup center, and ideally I would love to see the Birdman in Celtics green. But backcourt reserves is where we have a glaring weakness that certainly needs to be addressed this offseason.
"Green Bay Packers receiver Donald Driver isn't happy with his current contract and wants a reworked deal, according to the Wisconsin State Journal of Madison. The three-time Pro Bowler missed a voluntary practice on Thursday. The newspaper report, citing two NFL sources and a team source, said Driver missed the organized team activity -- the first open to the media this offseason -- as he seeks an upgrade to a contract that will pay him $3.9 million this season and $4 million in 2010 (ESPN)."
I have to admit I was really surprised by this. I always thought that Driver was one of those guys who kept his mouth shut and just played, but apparently he did this in 2006 and 2007. I don't think this will be a big deal. Driver is 34 years old and isn't even the #1 WR on the Packers anymore. He is getting paid what he is worth, and I just don't see the Packers caving.
"I don't know what he's doing," an NFL source told the State Journal. "It makes no sense (ESPN)."
I also don't see Driver missing any mandatory camp. After a tough year last year this is the last thing the Packers need. Still I think if the Packers defense can hold up they will be in the playoffs next season.
"The Boston Celtics were honored as the 2009 Professional Sports Team of the Year by the SportsBusiness Journal and SportsBusiness Daily. The award was presented live at a special ceremony held Thursday, May 28th at the New York Marriott Marquis in Manhattan (Boston.com)."
This is basically for the 2008 season, and the Celtics definitely deserve this. Playing to 100 percent capacity at the 18,624-seat TD Banknorth Garden, the Boston Celtics set a record for attendance. The team also doubled its full-season ticket base to more than 10,000 in one of the country’s most competitive sports markets. All of this, plus the addition of Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen, culminated in a return to glory, and the Celtics’ 17th NBA championship.
A part of me says that the Sox would be up for this award every year, since they sell out every game, and are always in the playoff hunt. Anyways, last year the Celtics were unreal (and really up until the playoffs this year). So, good for them they have done a hell of a job bringing this franchise back into the light.
"We're interviewing anywhere from 22 to 25 people," said Danny Ainge, who downplayed the Celtics trading up for a higher pick. "And because we only have a second round pick, we're not exactly going to be tops on anyone's list. There's 30 teams doing these interviews, so we all have to wait our turn."
There is also a good chance that the Celts don't even use the pick.
"We might have to use that slot on a free agent this summer," said Ainge. -- Boston Herald
This puts a lot of pressure on Billy Walker and J.R. Giddens to step it up. I think Walker is more of an impact player than Giddens, but only time will tell. Walker is a physical player who could possibly take some minutes from Pierce or Allen(which would be a good thing) and if Giddens can be a scorer off the bench that would be very helpful for him, but I'm not sure he is quite ready.
CHICAGO -- Chicago Cubs pitcher Carlos Zambrano was suspended for six games by Major League Baseball on Thursday for his tirade this week during a game against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Zambrano's agent, Barry Praver, said the penalty, which included a $3,000 fine, a source told ESPNChicago.com, will not be appealed. The suspension began Thursday night and barring rainouts Zambrano will be eligible to pitch next Thursday at Atlanta.
I guess that is reasonable for throwing a tantrum, bumping an umpire, throwing a ball in the bleachers and beating up a gatorade machine. I actually am on Carlos Zambrano's side here and think that the Ump should be disciplined too, but whatever. This won't hurt the Cubs too much, but still 6 games is reasonable.
In a crazy game the Sox were able to split the series. The difference makers were Josh Beckett, and Jason Varitek. 4 people were kicked out of this game, Tek was hitting bombs like it was 2003, and Beckett finally is looking like the ace we have been waiting to see since the end of the 2007 season.
The game was relatively quiet, as Beckett and Swarzak had little trouble getting outs. The game was tied 1-1 after Tek hit a HR in the 5th. Then in the 7th things started to get crazy. Tek hit a leadoff HR to start the inning, then Pedroia hit sacrifice fly to right, Bailey came sliding home. The ump called him safe, but Twins' catcher Redmond did not agree. He threw a fit (and may have been right). Umpire Todd Tichenor from Triple-A Pacific Coast League threw Redmond out of the game, and when the Twins coach came out to defend his player he threw him out too.
Things only got worse in the bottom of the inning Beckett threw a pitch that Varitek tried to frame for strike three on Brendan Harris (it was outside). Beckett got pissed, and Varitek tried to intervene, but then the ump threw Tek out. So Francona comes out, and of course he is ejected to. So in a matter of 1 inning 4 people were ejected. This might be this umps first and last game in the MLB.
Anyways, other then the ump loosing his cool the game went smoothly. Beckett pitched 7 innings allowing only 1 run on 3 hits with 8 Ks. Papelbon came in for the 9th and locked down his 13th save of the season, as the Sox went on to win 3-1. The only bad thing to come out of this game was that Ellsbury's hitting streak ended at 22 games.
With the win the Sox are now 1/2 game up on the Yankees who had the day off yesterday.
This was another easily winnable game by the Magic who were up by 7 at one point, but LeBron James willed his way, and his teammates actually did something. LeBron finished with a triple double with 37 points, 12 assists and 14 rebounds. But it was his role players that really made this game difficult for Orlando as Mo Williams, Boobie Gibson, Delonte West, and Big Z all had double figures in points.
The Magic overcame a 22-point deficit but missed their first opportunity to close out the Cavaliers, who are trying to become just the ninth team since 1947 to rally and win a series after being down 3-1. But the Magic now have 2 more games to close out the Cavs, with the next being at home.
James scored 21 points in the second half -- 17 in the fourth quarter -- and had a hand in Cleveland's first 29 points in the final 12 minutes. The last player to post at least 37-14-12 in a playoff game was Oscar Robertson in 1963.
But on another note I hate the way the refs have been really shitty this series and not letting the players and getting technical and flagrant happy.
Nothing too exciting here, but from what I am reading he looked good out there. He was a little rusty and missed some passes he would usually make, but this was no discomfort. For now he is wearing a brace, and it will be interesting to see if he has to wear one when the season comes around. My thinking he is probably will. Still it is good to see him back out there.
For those of you who watch what you eat, here's the final word on nutrition and health. It's a relief to know the truth after all those conflicting nutritional studies.
FACTS:
1. The Japanese eat very little fat and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.
2. The Mexicans eat a lot of fat and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.
3. The Chinese drink very little red wine and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.
4. The Italians drink a lot of red wine and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.
5. The Germans drink a lot of beers and eat lots of sausages and fats and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.
CONCLUSION:
Eat and drink what you like. Speaking English is apparently what kills you.
"The Delaware Supreme Court has ruled that a law allowing sports betting does not conflict with the state constitution, paving the way for Delaware to become the only state east of the Rocky Mountains to allow wagering on the outcome of games (ESPN)."
Wow the first time ever the state of Delaware has done anything news worthy. Personally I think this is awesome, and I wish Mass would do this. I love betting on sports. I just wish I could be more open about it and not have to traffic it through a bunch of off shore websites...
There could be a serious problem growing in New England, and shockingly it has nothing to do with Tom Brady. While all the eyes are on Brady during camp, there is another player that people should be looking at (if you can find him). Wilfork is in the last year of his deal, and he wants a new contract. After seeing what Haynesworth got from the Redskins the patriots are going to have a real tough tiem resigning this guy. Wilfork is arguably the 2nd best DT in the game. Belichick once said he is the best player he has ever coached, which is amazing with the players the Patriots have had over the past 7-9 years.
So the question is, will Wilfork show up to camp? The Patriots are reports that over 80 of the 91 players on the roster are at camp. Is Wilfork one of the guys that decided not to show? My thinking is that he will show up, because he is going to want to have a monster year if he is going to want to get paid like a premier player. Anyways, this is just something Patriots fans should keep an eye on, because Wilfork means more to that defense then anyone else on the roster.
**UPDATE**
Vince Wilfork was not on the field during the media part of todays workouts. Here is a look at who else was not there:
DE Ty Warren
DL Jarvis Green
OL Mark LeVoir
C Al Johnson
LB Tedy Bruschi
LB Jerod Mayo
LB Tyrone McKenzie
S Ray Ventrone
CB Mike Richardson
RB Sammy Morris
S Brandon Meriweather
WR Brandon Tate
WR Shun White
WR Tyree Barnes
I am not very worried yet, since Bruschi, Warren, and Mayo were also not on the field.
Two men are playing tennis, one man falls and hits his elbow and decides to go to the doctors, the other man says "Don't waste any money on the doctors, just go inside the store at the corner down the street, put $10 in the machine in the corner, piss in the cup, let it do its thing and a slip of paper will come out that tells you what you have".
So he goes to the store puts ten dollars in the machine, pisses in the cup and out comes a piece of paper it says "You have tennis elbow take this ointment cream and apply it on your elbow 3-4 times a daily".
So goes home wondering how it know what was wrong, and wanted to see if this machine is a real miracle worker, so he goes home and gets his sisters piss, brothers piss, dogs piss, and jacks-off in the cup goes back to the store, puts ten dollars in the machine and places the cup in the machine.
The paper comes out and says "Your sister has gonorrhea, your brother is gay, your dog has worms, and if you keep jacking-off like that you'll never lose that tennis elbow.
There have been many rumors about where Peavy might go after turning down the chance to be traded to the White Sox. The thinking now is that it might be the Phillies. In my eyes there are only a couple of teams that have a chance (Phillies, Cubs, Dodgers, Giants). Well lets look at the checklist to why Peavy might go to Philly.
1. Play for a contender - CHECK 2. Play in the NL - CHECK 3. Being able to pay his contract - CHECK
Yet there are still some concerns. One is that his family is on the West Coast, so he would have to be willing to move across the country. The other concern is if the Phillies have money to spend, but after reading this quote from Phillies General Manager Ruben Amaro, I think they are willing to make such a move...
"We will not have unlimited spending - that's not how we operate, and I don't think we need it," Amaro said. "[But] the fact of the matter is, every year around trade-deadline time, it's been a rare moment that we have not been allowed to do what we felt is necessary to make our team better. How much flexibility, I could not tell you, but I do know that if we can improve the team, we think we will have a chance to do that (ESPN)."
Philly also has a very deep bullpen, so they could deal some prospects, and a reliever to get the deal done. If Philly can somehow pull this off they would be a real threat to make another World Series title run.
Well after the previous round saw three series go the full 7, this round wrapped up fairly quickly. The Penguins swept the Hurricanes. And the Red Wings made short work of Chicago.
DETROIT RED WINGS 2, CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS 1 (OT) ***Detroit wins series 4-1*** The Blackhawks had to replace the Bulin Wall in net with Cristobal Huet, who split time in net this season. Huet was amazing last night, but like Pedro Martinez in 2001, he got no offensive support. Huet stopped 44 of 46 shots. Meanwhile, Chicago had 0 shots in the 4 minutes of overtime that was played.
The Wings went after Martin Havlat in this series, and they hit him enough to literally knock him out. Without Havlat, Chicago's offense lost its teeth, and Detroit only needed 2 or 3 goals a night to close out the series.
To be fair, the Wings won this without Lidstrom, without Datsyuk, and without Draper. Not too shabby.
When I think of an Ace I think of a guy who when his team isn't playing well and needs a good outing he is always there to stepup for his teammates. Today the Sox need a good outing from Beckett. There are some signs that Beckett has turned the corner this season, and could be back on track to becoming the pitcher he was in 2007. Last time out Beckett pitched 8 scoreless innings against the Mets only to be let down by a Papelbon blown save.
On the other side of things the Sox will be going against Twins younster Anthony Swarzak. Swarzak sprinkled five singles over seven shutout innings, walking two and striking out three, which was good enough to get his first win in his MLB debut. It will be interesting to see how the Sox do against this guy. On one hand he is inexperienced, and if the Sox get on him early this game could get ungly quick. On the other hand the Sox really don't know much about him, which could really work in Swarzak's favor.
The Red Sox have had a tough time solving opposing pitchers over the last week, scoring 3 runs or fewer in 4 of their last 6 games. Ortiz has batted sixth in the order the last two games, going 1 for 7 to drop his average to .193. Boston is really going to need to get at least Ortiz or JD Drew going, so that the offense can get it going.
Game is at 1:10 on NESN.
**UPDATE**
Jason Bay is getting a scheduled day off Thursday at Minnesota. Jeff Bailey replaced him in the lineup instead of Rocco Baldelli (hamstring)
"My goal is to get six or seven innings in (during one of the rehab starts) so that they can count on me for that, and not just hope that they can get five innings out of me. This, amongst anything else that I've ever done in my career, is going to take a lot of mental toughness to be patient. I want to come out and set the world on fire, but it's going to be patience that's going to allow me to get to that point (Sportsline)."
I really don't have a lot to say about this, but Smoltz is a badass and I can't wait till he comes out and "sets the world on fire".
Kentucky Wildcats recruit John Wall has pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor and entered a program for first offenders which could lead to having his record cleared.
Wall, 18, pleaded guilty Wednesday to breaking and entering.
Wake County Assistant District Attorney Phillip Cowan said that under the terms of the plea, Wall must complete 75 hours of community service, pay court costs and program fees and stay out of trouble for the next six months.
This is probably the last thing Calipari needs figuring the media shit storm that is about to hit him. However, Wall is going to be nasty and most likely be in the NBA next year.
In Zambrano's defense, the batter was out and the ump did initiate the contact. Also, it was a first to see a player throw an ump out of the game. The Gatoraid machine however, was completely innocent.
This is one of the more crazy stories I have read...
"Dr. Yuri Labvin, president of the Tunguska Spatial Phenomenon Foundation, insists that an alien spacecraft sacrificed itself to prevent a gigantic meteor from slamming into the planet above Siberia on June 30, 1908. The result was was the Tunguska event, a massive blast estimated at 15 megatons that downed 80 million trees over nearly 100 square miles. Labvin thinks quartz slabs with strange markings found at the site are remnants of an alien control panel, which fell to the ground after the UFO slammed into the giant rock. "We don't have any technologies that can print such kind of drawings on crystals," Labvin told the Macedonian International News Agency. "We also found ferrum silicate that can not be produced anywhere, except in space (FoxNews)."
Do I believe this? Probably not, but I do believe there are Aliens out there. I just don't see them caring enough to save our planet. Anyways this dude is making some really bold claims without much proof of anything. My theory is that this guy has been in Siberia too long and his brain has frost bite...
The Memphis men's basketball program has been charged by the NCAA with major violations during the 2007-08 season under former coach John Calipari.
The Memphis Commercial Appeal first reported the story on Wednesday after obtaining a letter detailing the allegations through the Freedom of Information Act.
The allegations include "knowing fraudulence or misconduct" on an SAT exam by a player on the 2007-08 team.
The wording of the letter to Memphis indicates that the player in question only competed during the 2007-08 season and the 2008 NCAA tournament. The player's name was redacted in the letter due to privacy laws.
Sources told ESPN.com Wednesday night that Derrick Rose was the player in question. He only played one year for Memphis before being selected No. 1 in the 2008 draft by the Chicago Bulls. ESPN
This seems pretty obvious to me. i was waiting for Memphis to eventually get busted and Calipari to get busted. I mean the guy was getting recruits Blue Chips style for a while and there is no way that program could have been clean. Calipari has been involved with NCAA violations in the past. After his 1995-96 Final Four season at UMass, it was discovered center Marcus Camby had accepted money and gifts from two sports agents. The NCAA made UMass forfeit all 35 wins and vacate its Final Four appearance and banner. Well hopefully, that doesn't affect his time at Kentucky, which i already predicted a final four next year.
The really need to find a way to win on the road. The Sox offense struggled once again last night, and it was made worse by the fact that Red Sox pitchers kept throwing wild pitches. Dice- K tied a franchise record set 80 years ago with 4 wild pitches. If that wasn't bad enough Masterson and Delcarmen each threw one, which tied a modern-day record with 6 wild pitches. On the other side of things Slowey showed great control going 6 innings allowing only 2 runs.
This was only Dice-K's 2nd game back from the DL, and he just has not found himself yet. He didn't pitch horrible, but if he was going against a stronger offensive club this could have been a lot uglier. Still I believe (much like how I feel about Lester) that he is not too far off, and there are some positive things we can take out of this outing. Sure the wild pitches sucked, but Dice-K is also not used to throwing to someone other then Tek. I know we all hate Tek, but defensively he does make a difference behind the plate.
On the offensive side of things the Sox didn't do much last night. Bay had a HR, but the Sox really need guys like J.D. Drew to start coming through for them. Drew has been struggling ever since the Sox put him in that 3 spot (yes I know it is only 2-3 games). One good thing that came out of this game (other then a Bay HR) was that Jacoby Ellsbury had two hits to extend his hitting streak to 22 games. He is finally turning into the player we had hoped for and is now batting .307 and already has 21 SB.
With the loss the Sox are now tied with the Yankees for 1st place in the AL East.
Well the Nuggets once again found a way to throw away another game. They were up by 7 points at one point, then decided to not play defense or any good type of defense. The Nuggets simply couldn't take a good shot, or stop any of the role players from the Lakers.
Lamar Odom was the real reason the Lakers won as he had an outstanding game on both sides of the court. he finished with 19 points, 14 rebounds and 4 blocks. This is the first game that he actually produced. Kobe only had 22 points, but his team really stepped it up in crucial situations. Pau Gasol finished with a double double, and Derek Fisher proved to be effective scoring in double figures. The Nuggets were constantly overplaying on defense, leaving someone wide open for a lay up or a jump shot. The Nuggets really lost two winnable games and I'm fearing that they will not be able to go to the finals because of their immaturity and stupid play down the stretch.
J.R. Smith had a terrible game as he was 1-10 from beyond the arc and Melo once again finished with over 30 points, but a lot of his shots were a poor selection.
Hopefully, the Nuggets can fix these problems quick.
This game was reminiscent of the Pats/Giants Super Bowl. Nobody gave the Giants a shot. Then they just came out and executed. That is exactly what Barcelona did today.
Coming into the match, Man U looked unstoppable. They were healthier, had an easier run getting to the final and just flat out had more talented players all over the field. None of this made any difference for Barca. They took the lead in the 10' and put it away with an amazing Messi header somewhere around the 70'
Messi solidified his place at the top of the football world, without question he is the pound for pound king. Amazingly he has yet to turn 22 years old. It seems like he's been playing Spanish League ball forever and I guess he has. Barca found him at age 13 and he's been under their control ever since. He won a gold in this summer's Olympics with Argentina and now has his first Champions League Cup with many more to come.
As for MUFC, they showed exactly why it is impossible to repeat as cup winners. There is a reason it hasn't been done in decades. Their star player also showed why he is so universally disliked. Ronaldo played well early but lost his composure quick. He resorted to cheap shots late in the game and didn't miss an opportunity to piss and moan over perceived missed calls.
The Twins offense has been looking good. A lot of that is due to how well their #3 hitter (Morneau) has been playing. The Sox on the other hand have had to drop their normal #3 hitter (Ortiz) down the lineup.
Tonight the Sox look to avenge the loss from yesterday in which the Twins scored all their runs in 1 inning (5). Boston has had a little bit of trouble when it comes to letting up that one big inning. Tonight Dice-K will look to change all that. This is Dice-K's 2nd game back from the DL. In his first start he got the loss, but didn't look too bad. In his career Dice-K has had success against the Twins with a 2-0 record and a 1.61 ERA in 22 1/3 innings. The main thing for Dice-K will be to limit the walks and not let Morneau and Mauer eat him alive.
For the Twins Kevin Slowey will be on the hill. He is currently sitting at 6-1 with an ERA of 4.23. He has been one of the better surprises for the Twins. Slowey, who is backed by a major league-best 8.62 runs of support, is 2-0 with a 2.14 ERA in his last three starts after posting a 5.50 ERA in his first six. Boston needs to get on him early and often. Players like Ellsbury should make his life hell if he can get on base and apply some pressure.
"The American Football Coaches Association announced Wednesday morning that would it go back to hiding its final ballots in the coaches poll beginning in 2010. This is so wrong on so many levels. We're going back to a secret vote that rewards the participants (and their peers) with millions of dollars in bonus and bowl money. Am I the only one outraged by this? Apparently not. I just bumped into one of last year's voters. "I thought it kept everybody honest," said Steve Spurrier when I asked him about the old system here at the SEC spring meetings. "Now there's a chance for real hanky panky (Sportsline)."
What a fucking joke. Now all these coaches and their stupid alliances will used to make the teams they want in Bowl Games. Eventually you'll find out that TV stations and bowls are paying coaches to vote for certain teams. In the end if college football doesn't get some kind of playoff system then all the top bowls are kind of a joke.
Sorry for not writing these over the weekend, but I was working the lacrosse games at Gillette Stadium. For the record, lacrosse sucks, Syracuse sucks, and I ejected 19 people.
PITTSBURGH PENGUINS 4, CAROLINA HURRICANES 1 ***Pittsburgh wins series 4-0*** Carolina's objective in this game was to shut down Evgeni Malkin. And they did a good job of that. Unfortunately for Carolina, Ruslan Fedotenko, Bill Guerin, Maxime Talbot, and Sidney Crosby also play for Pittsburgh. The Hurricanes had no answer for Pittsburgh's depth and health. More and more, I'm starting to believe that a healthy Bruins squad demolishes this Carolina team, who was fortunate to get this far.
It's looking like a rematch of Pittsburgh and Detroit, this time with Marian Hossa in red.
Wednesday night's game: 7:30 PM - Blackhawks @ Red Wings (Red Wings lead series 3-1) - Vs.
Linebacker Paris Lenon has agreed to contract terms to join the Patriots. This gives the Patriots some flexibility at ILB. We all know that Patriots weakness going into the season looks to be at LB, especially after after 3rd round draft choice Tyrone McKenzie tore his ACL in rookie minicamp, which will sideline him for the season. Then the Patriots had also waived 2008 6th round draft choice Bo Ruud earlier in the offseason.
Lenon was the leading tackler on last year Lions team, but I don't know how much that means since they didn't win a game. Anyways, at worst this at least adds some depth at ILB, and on special teams. Overall I like this signing.
"Hall of Famer Patrick Roy has turned down an offer to coach the Colorado Avalanche. Roy phoned Avalanche president Pierre Lacroix late Tuesday night to tell him he won't accept the team's offer to coach the team because of family reasons, a spokeswoman for the junior league club Roy co-owns and coaches told the Associated Press (Sportsline)."
Basically he doesn't want to leave Canada. Roy wants to eventually take over the Canadiens head coaching job, but there is no news yet if it will be offered to him. For now he will continue to coach the Quebec Remparts of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, where Roy is also general manager. I really wish he would have taken the Avalanche job, because it might have been enough to keep Sakic (on of my favorite players) for another year.
There are actually a lot of Red Sox trade rumors going around. So let's look at each one that I have seen... - Nick Johnson - From what I am reading any deal for this guy is basically dead. I thought he would be a good fit as he is like a poor man's Youk (good OBS, solid contact), but the National's asking price is just too high (Bowden). - Jeff Francoeur - Two of Sportsline's top writers are saying that the Red Sox have had scouts at Atlanta games lately taking a look at Francoeur. For no reason what so ever I have always loved Francoeur and I think he would be nasty again at Fenway.
- Teams expressing interest in Penny - the Phillies, Brewers, Royals, and Twins. Out of that bunch the Phillies have been rumored to be the most likely. Not sure what the Sox would get in return, but if Smoltz, Buchholz or Bowden prove to be up to the challenge of being the Sox 5th starter, then they could deal for minor leaguers. - Jhonny Peralta - If you know me at all then you know I love Peralta. He has not been having a good season, but he is still a major improvement over anything the Sox have at SS. It would also give the Sox a way to fill some of the power void that has been left since Ortiz forgot how to play baseball. With Tek hitting for some power, and Bay/Youk continuing to shine, a guy like Peralta might be enough to put the Sox over the edge. This will become more likely if the Indians keep losing games.
