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.