Tennessee Teams Doing Well in NCAA Baseball Regionals

Now I'm not too smart when it comes to college baseball, but I do know that there are some strong Tennessee schools who are in contention for the College World Series this year.

There are three Tennessee teams currently battling in their respective regional brackets to continue their journey to the College World Series:

Vanderbilt ( Louisville Regional)

Vanderbilt is no stranger to postseason action in college baseball. This team made it to the College World Series just a couple seasons ago. However, this isn't the same team that was ranked #1 nationally. They lost their opening round game to MTSU 5-4, but almost came back to win. They had a respective runner-up finish in the SEC tournament to get them this far.

Vandy won an elimination game today over Indiana in convincing fashion 10-0 today. They'll now get the loser of tonight's matchup between MTSU and Louisville.

Vanderbilt is a very resilient team and I wouldn't count them out of this regional just yet. If anyone is capable of winning three-straight elimination games it's Vandy.

MTSU (Louisville Regional)

Vandy isn't the only local team competing in the Louisville regional bracket. MTSU now has a remarkable 44-16 record overall after winning their first game of the regional over Vanderbilt in dramatic fashion. They have another tough test tonight that could put them in the regional final game if they can defeat #1 seed Louisville, which is ranked No. 12 nationally with a 45-15 record. Not to mention they're playing on Louisville's home field.

Tonight's matchup will definitely be the toughest test of the season for the Blue Raiders.

Tennessee Tech (Clemson Regional)

I really feel for what the Golden Eagles went through Friday night after losing a tough game to Clemson to open up the regional. Clemson needed two runs in the 9th inning to steal the win from the Golden Eagles. You still can't under-estimate Tennessee Tech.

Facing elimation in Saturday's game, Tech got their first NCAA regional win since 2001 by eliminating the #2 seed Alabama. Now Tech will either get another shot at Clemson, which I'm sure they would love, or the Cowboys of Oklahoma State. Either way, great win for the Golden Eagles! They're now 32-24 overall, which may not jump off the screen at you, but when the postseason rolls around the regualr season absolutely means nothing.

Titans Offseason Status Report #2

Recently the Titans were looking even further at changing up their look at the wide receiver position by talking with former Titans receiver Drew Bennett.

Bennett had his ups and downs with the Titans but I really don't think he would be of much help. Sorry, Drew. If we were to sign him he would hardly get any playing time and his role would be nowhere near what it was last time he was here. We're better off with what we have and putting that money into another position.

The rookies have finally come in and started running some team activities. This is vital time for rookies like Kenny Britt and Jared Cook to get a feel for the team and start getting ready for training camp which is still about two months away.

Another huge question that's still looming in every Titans fan's mind is what is the status of Vince Young? As of right now there are many reports saying he's working hard at being more mature and understanding the way the NFL works.

Young might have more work to be done in the offseason than any other player on the roster, even the rookies. He might not have the pressure of being the starting quarterback on week 1, but a lot is still expected of him. Young is one injury or one major set-back of Kerry Collins to being thrown back into action again. With as old as Collins is, those things aren't really that unlikely.

The bottom line is, Young has to prepare this offseason like he is going to be the starting quarterback, and as of right now, he seems to be doing that mentally. He hasn't missed a day of the offseason and that's great to know. That's a positive step in the right direction and when training camp starts, the physical part of his game will have to improve greatly as well.

Career Stats at Quarterback for Titans

1. Kerry Collins: 178 games, 186 Pass Td, 179 Int, 73.8 QB Rating
2. Vince Young: 33 games, 22 Pass Td, 32 Int, 68.8 QB Rating
3. Patrick Ramsey: 37 games, 35 Pass Td, 30 Int, 74.9 QB Rating
   

Detroit and Pittsburgh Set for Stanley Cup Finals Rematch

The odds were not good for the Penguins coming into this past season being the Stanley Cup losers from last season, but they prevailed nonetheless.

This year's team is much better than last year's team which lost to Detroit in six games. Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin will be way more prepared coming into this year's Stanley Cup finals.

The Red Wings will also be well prepared, as always. Nicklas Lidstrom is expected to be back for Game 1 after missing two games and well know what he can do all the defensive side. You also can't deny how vital Pavel Datsyuk is to this squad. There also still waiting on Kris Draper's return.

This will be a great series and it will most likely go seven games. The Penguins are the better offensive team but the Red Wings are a better defensive team.

I think the Penguins will ultimately win this series. They just have too much offensive firepower and the Red Wings may be a little too old for the speedy skaters of the Pittsburgh. This is Crosby's time to shine, and having key role players like Evgeni Malkin, Gary Roberts, and Jordan Staal will just be too much for the Red Wings to handle in a seven game series.

Pittsburgh in 7

MLB Power Rankings: Week 7

1. Dodgers (32-15): The Dodgers may be without Manny, but they still hold the best record in baseball. When Manny gets back, this team will be the team to beat for sure. Last week: 4

2. Red Sox (27-19): The AL East lead was finally taken over by the Red Sox after the Blue Jays have now lost eight games in a row. It will be interesting to see the how the Red Sox come out of their current 10-game road trip that features the Twins, Blue Jays, and Tigers. Last week: 3

3. Brewers (27-19): The Brew Crew had a rough week that included getting swept by the Mets. They're still right in the thick of things in the NL Central. Last week: 2

4. Cardinals (27-19): The Cardinals have had their peaks and valleys this season but a big division win against the Brewers tonight and a sweep of the Cubs gets them back in the Top 5. Last week: NR

5. Yankees (26-20): The hitting is finally starting to come alive now that A-Rod has stepped back into the lineup. However, the Yankees have to figure out a way to stay consistent. They've lost three of their last five since winning nine in a row. Last week: NR


Amost In:

Phillies (25-19): The Phillies took two of three from the Yankees in interleague play and lead the NL East, but not by much. Ibanez is really helping this team stay alive.

Tigers (25-19): This team just can't seem to stay consistent. They win a few in a row and then drop two or three in a row. Verlander finally seems to be pitching like he did his rookie season and that could be huge for the Tigers down the stretch.

Dropped from the rankings: Cubs (22-22), Blue Jays (27-22)

Mo Williams Doing A Little Too Much Talking.....

After the Cavs' Game 3 loss to the Magic on Sunday night, Mo Williams said they would still win the series and that they were the best team in basketball.

I'm all for having confidence and trying to pump up your teammates, but not when your back is on the ropes like this. Cleveland should be down 3-0 right now and facing an embarrassing sweep tonight if not for a heroic and downright lucky shot by LeBron in Game 2.

Orlando has completely owned this entire series and I look for them to do the same tonight unless LeBron gets some help. That means you Mo Williams! You're shooting 32 percent from the field and now you're putting added pressure on your team. You don't think that Mo's comments won't be sitting in the back of LeBron and the rest of the team's minds? I think so.

The bottom line is the Cavs have not had an answer for Rashard Lewis, Rafer Alston, or Mickael Pietrus. Mo Williams has gotten out-played by Alston this series and that has to change or the Cavs are done for sure.

Game 3 was Cleveland's golden opportunity to steal back home-court advantage and they blew it. They had Dwight Howard in foul trouble for most of the first half and instead got pushed around by Marcin Gortat. Are you kidding me? We're talking about a guy who's averaging 3.7 points per game and 3.3 rebounds per game in the playoffs, and you let him fill the void for Dwight Howard.

As bad as I'm coming down on Cleveland, Orlando still can't afford to get too confident either. They can't forget that LeBron is still on the other team and he is arguably the best player since Michael Jordan.

Tonight is definitely a must-win for Cleveland. I'm sticking with my prediction of Orlando in six games. I think Orland comes out tonight and does exactly what they've been doing the entire series, and that is create matcup problems with Zydrunas Ilgauskas.

Basketball is a team sport and that's why Orlando will win this series and send the Cleveland "LeBrons" home in six games.

Another Sun Belt Championship in Murfreesboro!

The Blue Raiders continued there overall athletic success in the Sun Belt by winning the Sun Belt baseball tournament over Louisiana-Monroe today.

Football may have lacked last season, but both the women's basketball team and the baseball team won Sun Belt championships this season.

The Blue Raiders now have an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament by winning the Sun Belt tournament. The Blue Raiders finished with a remarkable 43-16 record en route to winning their second Sun Belt championship.

MTSU athletics are now going to get even more national exposure thanks to the baseball team by appearing in the NCAA tournament. Simply put, it's a good time to be a Blue Raider! Go Blue!!!!

L.A. In a Dogfight While Magic Look To Go Up 2-0

This year's NBA playoffs have been the most exciting I've seen in a long time. Every conference finalist you can make a good argument for winning it all this season and that means exciting playoff basketball.

The whole world, with the exception of Denver and Orlando fans, wants to see the Lakers meet the Cavaliers in the NBA Finals. Instead of the Lakers versus the Cavaliers, let's just call it Kobe versus LeBron.

No one could be hoping for it more than the NBA itself. Ratings would spike for the NBA Finals to watch the arguably the two best basketball players the world has seen since Michael Jordan himself. It would be a great matchup to see them two go at it, but I'm not so sure it would be a great team matchup.

We've already seen that the Cavaliers are vulnerable past LeBron. The Magic slowly crept their way back to win Game 1 thanks to a balanced scoring attack that LeBron doesn't have. It didn't matter in the first two rounds against Atlanta and Detroit. LeBron could simply beat those teams all alone. The Cavaliers finally have a real test and they flunk the first one in a big way.

We all know the Cavaliers are great at home, but now that home-court has swung to the Magic's advantage.

There's just way too many matchup problems for the Cavaliers in this series. Zydrunas Ilgauskas can't stop Dwight Howard, or any other player on the Magic's roster. They're just too fast for him. LeBron can't cover them all. He's a remarkable player, but he's still human.

When LeBron scores 49 points and you still end up losing at home, then there's something seriously wrong. I'm not ready to count the Cavaliers completely out, but I knew that eventually LeBron would need some help. Until he gets some help from perimeter players like Mo Williams and Delonte West, then the Magic could take this series realistically in six games.

As for the Western Conference Finals, this is a seven-game series in the making. However, the Nuggets could easily be up 2-0 going to Denver if not for the collapse in the Game 1.

The Lakers have figure out a way to contain Carmelo Anthony. That means keeping him under 30 points, which they have failed to do for the first two games. These teams are so identical it's almost scary.

I think the Lakers will end up taking Game 7 at home on the back of Kobe Bryant. Bryant has done it so many times in his career, and there's nothing telling me he won't do that again. Either way, it's not going to be easy for either team.

Michael Vick Set for Release Tomorrow

Michael Vick has finally come to the end of his "debt to society", but now even more question are swirling about what his future holds for him.

We know he's already had talks with former Super Bowl winning coach Tony Dungy while in prison, and Roger Gooddell has said he will reinstate Vick to the NFL only if he shows true remorse for his crimes. That seems like a gray area for me. What if Vick is just a good liar?

Either way, Vick will most likely find his way back into the league in two years at the most. There's at least three or four teams who will take a chance on him. Here's my potential teams that may show some interest and might be able to use him:

1. Miami Dolphins: We all know about the "wildcat" offense the Dolphins ran last season. If they could somehow figure out a way to implement Vick into this offense that showed a lot of success last season, then Vick could greatly improve this offense.
   
2. San Francisco 49ers: The Niners are extremely weak at the quarterback position and after some conditioning and hard practice to get his mechanics back, Vick would be an improvement to this team's quarterback situation. Not to mention this team already has some great targets for Vick with Vernon Davis, Arnaz Battle, Isaac Bruce, and Michael Crabtree.
3. Oakland Raiders: When you have an owner like Al Davis anything is possible. Besides, it's not like their quarterback situation is too great. Al Davis has taken big chances on quarterbacks in the past. Daunte Culpepper is a good example here. It's still a long shot of this happening since they have Jeff Garcia now.
4. Dallas Cowboys: You can never count the Cowboys out of making a blockbuster acquisition. Once again, the crazy owner comes into play here. Unless Vick would be satisfied with being a backup to Tony Romo, however, then this will definitely not happen.
   

MLB Power Rankings: Week 6

1. Blue Jays (27-14): The Blue Jays stay on top of the rankings for the second week in a row after getting a four-game sweep of the White Sox. Their division lead has grown to 3.5 games but the Yankees and Red Sox are finally starting to play like we expected. This is going to be a tough division to even finish second in. Last week: 1

2. Brewers (24-14): The Brewers are winners of eight of their last nine games and are currently on a six-game winning streak. They also just got done sweeping the Cardinals and lead the NL Central by two games. They're going to have to continue to play this way all season playing in what might be the best division in baseball. Last week: 5

3. Red Sox (22-16): Their record may not jump off of the screen at you, but we all know this is one of the best teams in baseball. A huge three-game series with the Blue Jays starts tommorow and will really show who's for real between these two teams. Last week: 2

4. Dodgers (27-13): The Dodgers creep back into the Top 5 despite not having Manny. Other key players like Orlando Hudson and Juan Pierre have stepped up so far in Manny's absence. If the Dodgers can just save face while Manny is gone then this team still looks like a valid choice for representing the NL in the World Series. Last week: NR

5. Cubs (21-15): Finally the Cubs have started playing to their potential. Good thing the baseball season is 162 games or these guys would be done for. They still have a lot of work to do in the NL Central, but nonetheless they look a whole lot better than they did a month ago. Last week: NR

Almost In:

Rangers (23-14): I bet the Rangers wish the whole season could be played in the month of May. They're now 13-3 this month and lead the AL West by four games. It's not going to take much to win this division so if the Rangers can just play half this well the rest of the season then you're looking at your AL West champs.

Yankees (21-17): My preseason pick for winning the World Series is finally starting to catch some steam. They're on a six-game winning streak, which included two wins over the Blue Jays. The pitching has gotten a whole lot better and as much as it pains me to mention this, A-Rod has helped this club out in the hitting department. Another strong week and these guys will be back in the Top 5.

Dropped from the rankings: Cardinals (21-15), Tigers (20-17)

Early Season MLB Awards: National League

National League

Biggest Surprise: Reds

I had this team finishing at least second to last coming into the season, but now they're only three games back in a very tough division that features three other very solid teams (Cubs, Cardinals, and Brewers). They've already racked up series wins against every team in their division. They're going to have to keep it up if they want a spot in the postseason for the first time since 1995.

Biggest Disappointment: Mets

It was hard to find a clear-cut disappointment in the National League, but the Mets have been somewhat disappointing given their expectations. They've been playing better as of late, but an extremely slow start has left them with an ordinary 21-16 record. Not so great for a team that many had winning the World Series. I still like the Phillies in the NL East, and the NL's wild card spot will probably go to an NL Central team. The Mets really have to pick up their game and avoid another long drought if they want to avoid another letdown.

Best Pitcher: Johan Santana (Mets)

This award came down to Johan Santana and the Dodgers' Chad Billingsley, but in the end Santana has looked great in every game he's appeared in this season, even his two losses. Both of his losses he gave up no earned runs. He's also tied for second in the NL with 67 strikeouts.

Best Hitter: Raul Ibanez (Phillies)

It was very tempting to take Albert Pujols for this award, but Ibanez has just been unstoppable at the plate this season. He's second in the NL in RBI's with 35, second in HR's with 13, and leads the NL in slugging percentage at .714. He also had three more doubles than Pujols with nine.

Early Season MLB Awards: American League

American League

Biggest Surprise: Blue Jays

Very few expected the Blue Jays to be in first place in the stacked AL East coming into this season. Roy Halladay is pitching the lights out and Aaron Hill has provided the sparks with the bat. I think the Blue Jays will be in the postseason equation when October rolls around.

Biggest Disappointment: Rays

The defending AL champs are just 18-20 to start off with and have only provided small glimpses of the team they were last season. There's still plenty of time to get their act together, but they need to pick it up quick otherwise that division lead is just going to grow with the Red Sox and the Blue Jays at the top of the division.

Best Pitcher: Zack Greinke (Royals)

Greinke edged out Roy Halladay thanks to his remarkable 0.60 ERA. He's also 7-1 and has played a huge role in turning the Royals into contenders this season.

Best Hitter: Evan Longoria (Rays)

Longoria already has 46 RBI's and 11 HR's and may be the only reason the Rays still have a chance at getting back into the thick of things. Not to mention he's on pace to hit 199 RBI's. Even though that probably won't happen he still gets the early season award for best hitter in the AL.

Four Teams Remain in NHL Playoffs

And then there were four left in the NHL, and one of those teams are an unfamiliar face.

We all expected to see the Red Wings and the Penguins, last season's Stanley Cup contenders, in the mix, but who saw the Blackhawks going this far? I know I certainly didn't.

The Blackhawks entered the playoffs as the fourth seed, but they're road to the Western Conference Finals hasn't been easy.

They started off with a 4-2 series win against a gritty Calgary Flames team that pushed the Blackhawks to the brink early on the series before fizzling out in games five and six.

The Blackhawks then took another series in six games, this time against the Canucks. They were down 2-1 and on the brink of going down 3-1 in the series before pulling out an overtime win in Game 4. The Blackhawks would go on to score 11 goals in the next two games to close out the series.

A Stanley Cup Finals rematch might be in the works, but the Bruins and the Blackhawks look to stop that scenario. Which team has the better chance?

Both teams won two-straight games to end the season series against their conference finals opponents, but the Blackhawks lost four times to the Red Wings.

As great as the Blackhawks have looked this postseason, I don't see them winning a seven-game series against the Red Wings. The Red Wings just have too much veteran leadership. Trust me, being a Predators fan, I know this personally.

The Hurricanes, on the other hand, might have their own set of problems entering this series. Both of their playoff series have gone to seven games, so fatigue might set in during this series. It's going to be tough to stop the offensive firepower that the Penguins have with Crosby and Malkin, among others.

It looks like a Stanley Cup Final rematch is pretty likely, but if I had to pick on upset I would go with the Blackhawks. They've seen the Red Wings six times this season and we've already seen the Anaheim Ducks push the Red Wings to the brink.

West Finals Prediction: Red Wings over Blackhawks, 4-3
East Finals Prediction: Penguins over Hurricanes, 4-2
Upset Pick: Blackhawks over Red Wings, 4-3

Are the Dodgers Still the Team to Beat in the NL?

Before the suspension of Manny Ramirez it was hard to find a person who didn't have the Dodgers representing the National League in the World Series. Now it's not so clear.

The Dodgers have now played seven games since losing Ramirez and they're 3-4. That's not a very good sign, but one good thing they have going for them is their division they play in.

The NL West is probably the weakest division in the National League and even without Ramirez, the Dodgers still have a great shot at winning that division. Besides the Giants, who they're 5-4 against, no team seems to even have a chance at making it close in the division race.

However, can they take their division crown to the World Series unlike last season? It's still very possible because Manny Ramirez will be back in plenty of time to get back into the thick of things when the postseason rolls around.

The two teams outside of the NL West that could definitely give the Dodgers problems in the postseason are the Cardinals, the Cubs, and the Mets. The Cardinals have looked solid all season and the Cubs are currently in the midst of a four-game winning streak. The Mets have looked average all season but there's still plenty of time for them to get hot.

Dodgers fans shouldn't panic because as bad as the Ramirez suspension looks, it's not the end of the world. All it means is the NL West race will be a little bit more interesting between the Giants and the Dodgers.

The bottom line is the Dodgers are no longer a great team for the next 43 games, they're just a good team. The good part is, the NL West is full of below average teams so a good team will still win that division and earn a spot in the postseason.

The Magic Choke Again

The Orlando Magic have completely choked the past two games of the series. Last night they led by as many as 14 in the 4th quarter before throwing it away, and Dwight Howard wasn't shy of who to blame after the game.

"Our coach has to recognize that when he has a certain group out there and they are getting the job done we have to leave those guys on the floor," Howard said after the game about Coach Stan Van Gundy.

Very rarely do you see a player blame his coach for a loss, but Howard only touched the ball three times on offense in the 4th quarter. Instead you saw Rafer Alston, Hedo Turkoglu, and Rashard Lewis fire up miss after miss. Dwight definitely has a case here.

How does a team not run their offense through a player like Dwight Howard? You feed Howard down low, let him draw in the defense, and then hit your spot up shooter like Turkoglu and Lewis. Instead, the Magic brought the ball down the floor, made two passes at the most, and settled for contested shots.

Stan Van Gundy apologized for his coaching in the Game 4 loss, and he probably should have apologized for Game 5 as well. Now the Magic have went from possibly going up 3-1 in the series, to being down 3-2 to the defending champs.

I don't see the Magic battling back from this. The players clearly are in disagreement with Van Gundy and the Celtics are playing with all of the momentum. The Celtics are playing with a great balanced attack on the offensive end and players like Glen Davis and Eddie House are contibuting more than expected on the offensive end.

Put this one in the bag and let's get ready for the Celtics and the Cavs in the Eastern Conference Finals.

MLB Power Rankings: Week 5

1. Blue Jays (22-12): The Blue Jays have the best record in the American League. If Roy Halladay can start getting some help in the rotation, then this team will definitely go far.Last Week: 4

2. Red Sox (20-12): The month of May has been a little lackluster so far, but they're still only one game back of the Blue Jays and are 13-6 against AL East opponents. A big series with the Blue Jays comes next week. Last Week: 3

3. Cardinals (20-12): The Cardinals have finally come back down to earth a little bit this month, but the season is a marathon, not a sprint. Their next three series are against division opponents. Last Week: 2

4. Tigers (17-13): The Tigers have found their way back into the Top 5 thanks to some solid play from Miguel Cabrera, batting .378, and a balanced pitching rotation which is 2nd in the AL in overall ERA (3.84). Last Week: NR

5. Brewers (18-14): Man did the Brewers start off slow out of the gate. As of late these guys have been playing great with a record of 14-5 since April 22. They also just got done taking two of three from the Cubs. Last Week: NR


Almost In:

Dodgers (22-11): This team took an immediate downgrade when they lost Manny Ramirez to the 50-game suspension. They're 1-3 since losing Manny, with two losses to the Giants and one loss to the Nationals.

Giants (17-14): I'm keeping an eye on this surprise team, but as of right now they're playing excellent and the bats are starting to come alive. Well at least by their standards. The question is will the Giants' stellar pitching rotation be able to carry them to an NL West crown? The Dodgers are still the only team that stands in their way.

Tiger Remains in His Slump After Sluggish Finish to TPC

Tiger Woods entered the final round of The Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass tied for second place on Sunday. The problem was, he was five strokes back. That use to be easy for Tiger to comeback from, but ever since his run at the Masters, Tiger has looked simply ordinary.

He trailed Alex Cejka, a Czech who had never won an event on the PGA Tour in almost 200 attempts. He failed just like Tiger, and Henrik Stenson pulled out only his second career PGA Tour win. He's been on the PGA Tour since 1998.

Many people are starting to wonder what could be wrong with the world's greatest golfer. After all, his stats were pretty ugly on Sunday. Woods only hit 6 of 14 fairways and 10 of 18 greens. He still managed a +1 for the day. Definitely not living up to Tiger's expectations however.

What's funny about this "slump" that people are saying Tiger is in is the fact that many of golfers would love to be in Tiger's "slump". During Tiger's so called slump he's still managed to finish in the top 10 in 16 straight stroke-play events.

Everyone should quickly get out of panic mode because I guarantee you Tiger isn't panicking. He'll be back before we know it sinking those 15-foot birdie putts to win championships, sending us in shock and awe like he has his entire career.

Totals at The Players Championship (4 rounds)

• 13 Bogeys
• 15 Birdies
• 1 Eagle
• 8th place (-7)
  

Titans Offseason Status Report

The Titans and their fans have high expectations for the upcoming 2009-2010 season after going 13-3 last season.

The draft ended up being a good one for the Titans as they addressed their strong need for a wide receiver by picking up Kenny Britt out of Rutgers.

I was ready to give the Titans a C+ for draft day until they snagged Michigan State's Javon Ringer in the 5th round. Ringer could end up being a great backup to Chris Johnson. This pick tells me something may not be panning out with Lendale White.

Recently acquired wide receiver Nate Washington is getting a great reception from fans and players this offseason. We'll have to wait till the regular season to see if he can become that true #1 receiver the Titans have needed for years.

The Titans have already started optional practices this offseason, and the player with the most eyes on him is Vince Young. There's still a huge question mark behind whether or not he will ever start for the Titans again. Something is going to have to happen fast because current started Kerry Collins might have two years at the most before he retires.

Young has been present for every day of the offseason and that says a lot about his desire to start again. For much of last season, Young wasn't even ready emotionally, much less physically.

Something has to be figured out this season on Young's future because he's taking up cap room and we can't continue to hold onto a quarterback that's not going to contribute to the team in any way. However, everyone deserves a second chance, and Vince Young will hopefully get his as a Titan.

Titans Depth Chart at Quarterback

1. Kerry Collins-15th season
2. Vince Young-4th season
3. Patrick Ramsey-8th season
4. Alex Mortenson-Rookie
   

Manny Ramirez the Latest to Go Down

Just when we were trying to get over the hangover of Alex Rodriguez, another MLB superstar gets caught up in the steroid scandal. This time it's Manny Ramirez, arguably the best right-handed hitter the sport has seen in decades.

The Dodgers will be without their catalyst for 50 games in the midst of having the league's best record and started 13-0 at home, but that was with Ramirez. Their first game without Ramirez resulted in their first home-loss of the season, and it didn't make it any better that it was to the Nationals.

So every steroid case has a story behind it, and usually every players has a pile of excuses that normally don't add up. Ramirez had one very simple thing to say: "I'm sorry about this whole situation".

Ramirez was clearly torn down by this situation. Ramirez took a female fertility drug called hCG, which is a medication used to help the body naturally create testosterone. Steroid users take hCG after coming off of a cycle to help their body create testosterone again.

Ramirez says he didn't know it was banned and his doctor told him it was OK to take. We've all heard that story before. The primary use of hCG is what makes Ramirez look guilty of using steroids at one time, which he says he never did and that he took hCG for medical purposes. He didn't give anymore information on the subject after that.

The fishy part about this whole thing is that if Ramirez was using hCG purely for medical purposes, then why didn't he go through the MLB to find a medication that wasn't banned? With all of the scandals floating around and with everything that was at stake with Ramirez, I just can't comprehend how you could be so careless. He had to know he was being monitored due to himself being one of the best hitters in the game.

Either way, this will tarnish Ramirez's legacy, as it will do to every player that's been connected to steroids. It's a shame because Ramirez was such a pure hitter that was making a strong case for MVP early this season. He was batting .348 with six home runs and 20 RBI's.

Until all of the facts come out, however, we can't throw Ramirez in the same category as Barry Bonds, Jason Giambi, and Alex Rodriguez. So far he's handled the situation pretty well and he's been upfront about it, unlike Bonds, Rodriguez, and a handful of others.

At one time "Manny being Manny" was funny, but it's not so funny anymore.

Two Games, Two Suspensions, One Great Series

Last night's Conference semi-final action was full of ticked off players and physical basketball, mostly coming from the Rockets-Lakers series. Nonetheless, Stu Jackson probably had a busy night sorting out the mess from last night's two games.

Magic-Celtics

Rafer Alston and Eddie House were involved in the first incident of the night. Alston apparently got sick of getting his butt handed to him after House drained a three right in front of Alston. As House ran past, Alston gave him a slap in the back of the head.

It was more like a slap your mother would give you for saying a bad word at the dinner table than it was a malicious punch. Either way, Alston has to be suspended for this action because the NBA has no tolerance for blows above the shoulder.

Alston made the lamest excuse after the game stating, "He elbowed me and it was a natural reaction". Really? I, along with many others, have looked at the video plenty of time and I'm pretty sure House was just running by and you threw a cheap shot. Fortunately for the Magic, I don't think they'll miss him too much in Game 3.

Rockets-Lakers

Now to the real series that everyone cares about. If you didn't get a chance to watch last night Game 2, then here's a couple simple numbers you should see. Two ejections, five technical fouls, and one flagrant foul. Now that sounds like some turbulent basketball!

The game first got heated up in the third quarter when Lamar Odom and Luis Scola started jawing it up. Pretty soon the entire Lakers squad was bickering with Scola.

The real action started on the next play when Derek Fisher through probably one of the toughest screens I've seen in a long time on Scola. Fisher looks over his shoulder, sees Scola coming, lowers his shoulder and absolutely levels Scola onto the floor.

This seemed to almost ignite the Lakers team and they went on to dominate the rest of the game. However, this is basketball, not hockey, so Fisher has to be suspended. The tension didn't end there.

With about six minutes remaining in the game, Kobe Bryant and Ron Artest were battling for a rebound when Bryant threw a physical blockout on Artest and elbows him in the throat. Shockingly enough, Artest is whistled for the foul.

As we all know, Artest is a very animated player that doesn't put up with much. After being called for the foul, he runs over to the officials to protest the call and eventually sprint down court to Bryant and gets in his face. This gets Artest ejected and as he's leaving the court and makes a gesture of cutting Bryant's throat. This is starting to sound like WWE wrestling.

Even though the Rockets lost last night, the series is still in their hands. Not only do they still have home-court advantage but a physical series will play in their favor. Artest is shooting lights out right now, Aaron Brooks has found his touch behind the arc, and Carl Landry looked like a beast inside the paint scoring 21 points and grabbing ten rebounds off the bench. Now they just have to keep Yao out of foul trouble and they can win this series.

All I can say about all this is that this has been one of the most memorable playoffs of recent memory, and it's nowhere close to being over with. There's still a lot more physical basketball left in the Rockets-Lakers series.

Minnesota Vikings!! Come on Down...You're The Next Contestant on the Brett Favre Show!!

The media is once again salivating over the Brett Favre saga. Now the Minnesota Vikings want to throw their hat in the ring.

Vikings coach Brad Childress reportedly plans to meet with Favre to discuss Favre's return to the NFL. In a way this story surprises me and in a way it doesn't. I've learned to expect the unexpected regarding this entire situation.

Being a long-time Green Bay Packer fan, it killed me seeing Favre run out of the tunnel in Gang Green last season. As much as it hurt me, I knew Favre still had the itch to play and that he deserved another shot at getting his second Super Bowl ring.

However, Favre no longer seems to be the blue-collar, laid back guy we all thought he was in Green Bay. Last season Favre came off as arrogant and victimized himself in the Green Bay situation when he was clearly the one who couldn't make his mind up over his "retirement".

Not only did he crumble down the stretch had have one of his worst seasons in his storied career, but he also created discomfort in the Jets locker room. Just ask Eric Mangini and Thomas Jones.

Favre obviously has a powerful addiction to playing football, and I'm not criticizing him for that. Many superstars have done this toward the end of their careers like Michael Jordan to the Wizards, Joe Namath to the Rams, and Joe Montana to the Chiefs. If he wants to play, let him play. If anyone has earned it, it's definitely Favre.

But can the Vikings really afford to make this gamble? It's a high risk, high reward proposition for them. You're only going to get Favre for a couple of seasons at the most and can Favre really carry this team to the Super Bowl?

With all due respect to Favre, he's only been to the Super Bowl twice and has had much better talent around him in his career than he will if he plays with the Vikings. Favre turns the Vikings into the New York Jets of last season. They'll show promise early one but crumble down the stretch. The Packers and the Bears have gotten better this offseason so the Vikings should probably get comfortable down in the NFL North cellar with the Lions.

The Vikings are better off sticking with Tavaris Jackson. His accuracy has gotten a lot better since his rookie season and he's a legitimate runner. As odd as this will sound, Jackson is on the rise and Favre is getting older and older.

It pains me to say this because I truly think Favre is one of the best quarterbacks of all-time, but his time came and gone when he took off that Packer uniform in the playoffs.

If Favre does come back to the Vikings, their first game is against Eric Mangini's Browns. If that's not intriguing then I don't know what is. And of course, the bone-chilling scene of watching Brett Favre trot onto Lambeau Field wearing purple and gold. Now that's just down right creepy.

Brett Favre's Stats Last Four Seasons

2008 22 Td, 22 Int, 3,142 yds, 81 QB rating (w/ Jets)
2007 28 Td, 15 Int, 4,155 yds, 95.7 QB rating
2006 18 Td, 18 Int, 3,885 yds, 72.7 QB rating
2005 20 Td, 29 Int, 3,881 yds, 70.9 QB rating

2009 Stanley Cup Playoffs at a Glance....

The 2009 Stanley Cup Playoffs have been very exciting so far with plenty of twists and turns.

Monday night marked another one of those twists and turns as both Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin earned hat tricks. The Capitals still earned the win to take a 2-0 series lead.

Vancouver took care of business in Game 3 against the Blackhawks which may be to surprise for some people. What certainly must be a surprise is the #8 seed Ducks taking a 2-1 series lead over the Red Wings!

Eastern Conference


Penguins vs. Capitals (Was leads 2-0)

The battle of the superstars. Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin. Both are playing extremely well in this series. The only difference is Ovechkin actually has some help. Crosby needs some help from his teammates or the Capitals are going to run away with this series. Crosby has scored four of the five goals for the Penguins.
Leading Goal Scorer: Alex Ovechkin (Was) 4 goals; Sidney Crosby (Pit) 4 goals

Bruins vs. Hurricanes (Tied at 1)

The Bruins looked like one of the best teams in the NHL for much of the regular season but cooled off towards the end. It's been a while since the hockey fans of Boston have seen playoffs success from their Bruins but now the series shifts back to Carolina with the series tied at 1. I see the Hurricanes making the upset behind the great goaltending of Cam Ward who pitched a shutout in Game 2 under a lot of pressure.
Leading Goal Scorer: Marc Savard ( Bos) 2 goals




Western Conference

Canucks vs. Blackhawks (Van leads 2-1)

The Canucks continue to show that they are for real this postseason. They took a crucial game in Chicago on Tuesday to reclaim home-ice for this series. I see a 7-game series in the making, but I like the Blackhawks to still come out on top, but it will take seven games!
Leading Goal Scorer: Henrik Sedin (Van) 3 goals


Red Wings vs. Ducks ( Ana leads 2-1)

The Ducks entered the playoffs as nothing but a sitting duck for elimination but keep fighting like they belong in the Stanley Cup Finals as a #8 seed. They stole home-ice advantage from the Red Wings in Game 2 and won their homecoming game to take a 2-1 series lead on Tuesday night, but it wasn't without controversy. The ref blew the play dead when the puck clearly wasn't frozen by the goalie. Needless to say, the Red Wings didn't get credit for the goal. The Red Wings won't go down without a fight, though. Look for them to bounce back in Game 4.
Leading Goal Scorer: Teemu Selanne (Ana) 2 goals; Johan Franzen (Det) 2 goals

MLB Power Rankings: Week 4

1. Dodgers (19-8): The Dodgers had a few tough losses during the past week but still have been the most consistent team in the majors. Last week they had a four-game sweep of the Padres. Last week: 4

2. Cardinals (17-9): The Cardinals haven't gone on a longer losing streak than two in this young season. We'll see if they can continue that Tuesday against the defending champs. Last week: 2

3. Red Sox (16-10): They lost three of four to the Rays which may end up being crucial at the end of the season. On the brighter side of thing, they're 4-0 against the Yankees this season. Last week: 1

4. Blue Jays (18-10): The Blue Jays have seemed to cool off a little bit but they're schedule has been tough during this first month of the season. They'll get plenty of chances to prove themselves playing in the AL East. Last week: 3

5. Royals (15-11): So maybe anything is possible, including the former laughing stock of the league. The Royals have fought their way into the Top 5 after taking three of four from the Blue Jays and they lead the AL Central. Last week: NR

Almost In:

Phillies (13-10): The defending champs were in my Preseason Top 5, but they started off slow. They're finally getting on track winning seven of their last nine.

Mariners (15-11): They Mariners continue to lead the AL West, even though that's really not all that impressive. They're second best in the league in runs against, with only the Athletics giving up less.

Say Hello to King James...Your MVP

It was announced earlier today that LeBron James will be named the NBA's Most Valuable Player for the 2008-2009 season. It was really to no surprise.

Going into this season I felt like LeBron still had a lot to prove to put him on the same level as Kobe Bryant and Dwyane Wade. He's definitely done that this season by carrying the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 66-16 record. There is no other player that is more valuable to his team than LeBron is to the Cavaliers.

LeBron averaged over 28 point per game, seven rebounds per game, and seven assists per game. Oh yeah, he also made a strong case for the Defensive Player of the Year award.

Needless to say, he's earned my up most respect after this season and he's lived up to all of his hype. Now LeBron just needs to work on ESPN's Skip Bayless, who is his biggest critic.

The only other player that had even an argument for MVP was Dwyane Wade, because like LeBron, he had little to work with around him and still carried his team to the playoffs. What puts LeBron ahead of Wade is where he carried his team compared to Wade.

Kobe Bryant is still arguably the best player in the league, but there's no way he is more valuable to the Lakers than LeBron is to the Cavaliers.

As for Dwight Howard, we all know he is a beast inside the paint. However, Howard had his moments in the season where he was less than stellar and his offense still has room for improvement. You can't forget how great the Magic looked without Howard in closing out the Sixers the other night.

The only career accomplishment left for LeBron to really achieve is win an NBA championship, and he's got a great chance this year if he can get past the Lakers. After all, he's only 24.

From top to bottom, the Lakers are the better team, but LeBron has carried this team on his back all season and I can't count him out to do that again.

I can't get ahead of myself because the Nuggets are looking really good in the West and you still can't count out the Celtics if Garnett sneaks his way back into the lineup.

Here's my final list of nominees for this year's MVP running:

1. LeBron James- 28.4 ppg, 7.6 rpg, 7.2 apg, Led team to 66-16 record
2. Dwyane Wade-30.2 ppg, 7.5 apg, 31% 3pt, Lead Heat to 28 win swing from last season
3. Kobe Bryant-26.8 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 4.9 apg, Lead Lakers to best record in Western Conf.
4. Dwight Howard-20.6 ppg, 13,8 rpg, 2.9 bpg, Defensive Player of the Year
   

London Wants The Super Bowl

Can anyone imagine watching this nation's most popular sport play its championship on foreign soil? That crazy possibility is currently being explored by the NFL and the city of London.

London basically wants to make this happen within the next eight years, but this is all coming from speculation and nothing should be considered completely factual. However, this thought still baffles and kind of scares me.

Surely the NFL wouldn't be dumb enough to send their championship game to another country? The NFL has already tried having a couple of regular season games overseas with both games being sellouts.

I still think the television ratings would be just as good if the Super Bowl were played in London, but what about attendance. Are the citizens of London as loyal to NFL football as Americans are?

It would also be a lot more difficult for the average NFL fan to go to the Super Bowl if it were overseas. Not to take anything away from the citizens of London, but fans from the United States should have the easiest path to attending the Super Bowl.

As of right now, Commissioner Goodell is saying that the NFL is not considering a foreign site to play the Super Bowl, so maybe this is just a big rumor. Either way, the big guys from London are remaining hopeful in working up a deal that could bring over an estimated $500 million to London's economy.

If this does somehow happen, which I believe it won't for a very long time, then there will be an enormous amount of upset NFL fans in this country. I don't think the NFL is dumb enough to make that mistake.