OH.....Tiger!

One of my favorite athletes is Tiger Woods, so I figured I would express what I think about the things that have gone on over the past several days. As we all know, Tiger was alleged of having an affair and he came out and apologized for the things that have taken place in the past, with him saying, "I have not been true to my values." Tiger as we know is by far the best golfer in the world and could be debated as the best golfer ever to play. So how does what has happened affect Tiger and his future, if it will? There was a poll on ESPN as to whether or not people would cheer more, less, or the same for him in the coming year and 63% said the SAME.

I think the poll says many things and the main thing is that we are looking past his mistakes to what he really is. How can we hold him to such a high standard that we ourselves cannot live up to? Tiger is indeed human and makes mistakes just like all of us. We cannot expect Tiger to do everything perfect because he is not. So if we think he is a bad person because of this then we must reevaluate our own lives and the way that we are living. Do I agree with what he did, of course not, but that doesn't mean I cant still cheer for him. Tiger had set the bar so high that even he was bound to fall.

Tiger Woods is an incredible athlete/golfer and for that he will always have my respect. If I were to now dislike him for what has happened then I am no better than he is. I hope this series of events comes quickly to a close, because after all it is none of our business what he does on his own time. We should not force anything out of him, it is his problem to deal with, so let him do it.

Around the Horn!!!

I decided to take a different route with this post. Everyday I watch the TV show around the horn at 3:00 before I go to work. For those who have never heard of the show it is a panel of 4 sports writers that debate the most current sports topics and they get points and as the show goes on they get voted off until there is a winner. Two of the writers that are on the most often are Jay Mariotti and Woody Paige. Mariotti is a writing for the Chicago Sun Times and Paige for the Denver Post.

However these two have a huge rivalry. You can always sense ill feelings between the two especially when they are the last two standing facing off in the showdown. This is a great rivalry and it is very interesting to watch and funny at times. They always just try to out do each other and I think they dont mind losing as long as the other doesn't win. I think Mariotti takes things a little more serious and gets mad when he loses.

It is amazing to me how a TV show of sports writers can be so competitive when they don't play for anything. The winner is granted 30 seconds at the end to talk about whatever he wants without interruption. If you like sports and have not checked out this show, then you should definately do so and chances are you will get hooked.

Give Credit Where Its Due!!!

The 2009 college football has officially begun. As always there were many exciting moments and some moments that make us stop and say, Did that really just happen? Like when Oregon's star running back Legarrette Blount threw the infamous punch that not only got him suspended for the year but put the big defensive lineman on his knees. There were some incredible games that had to seen, for example the Miami vs. Florida St. game. That was an incredible ending with 3 lead changes in the fourth quarter and a goaline stand by Miami when Florida St. had four plays to score.

However, I would like to discuss a game that I appreciated very much and that is the BYU-Oklahoma game. I thought that both teams played very and that either team could have won the game. The only downfall was that BYU is still not getting any credit for having beat the third ranked team at the time. They are putting the excuse that Sam Bradford was hurt. Even with Bradford in the game OU had only scored 10 points to BYU's 7, not much of a difference. We could say that BYU didnt have Harvey Unga, but that doesnt matter, because whoever plays has to step up. Then after in the post game all Coach Stoops was saying was it was penalties and not saying anything about BYU. OU had 12 penalties to BYU's 10 and only had 6 more yards in penalties, again, not much of a difference. On the other hand, BYU had four turnovers to OU's 2 and one happened to be on the one yardline and BYU would have at least scored a field goal.

OU had the game handed to them and they didnt take advantage, it is their fault and only theirs that they lost this game. One sign of a sore loser is that they put excuses, that is the only thing people have done since this game. BYU deserves a ton of credit for basically playing on the road and going home winners. There is no reason why OU should have lost. BYU played hard for 60 minutes and OU did not. BYU deserves all the credit in the world, and they won fair and square.

Now, to all of those that are mad at Coleby Clawson for injuring Bradford. Injuries, if you havent noticed are part of football. Football is a contact sport and evry player on the field risks getting hurt every single game. It was a clean hit and Clawson was just playing his position and trying to help his team win. There was no reason for Clawson to apologize but he did, yet OU fans cant get over the fact that Bradford is still hurt.

The Draft: '09 Version

So the NBA draft has come and gone and now we must wait all offseason long to see how the results will play out. Blake Griffin went number 1 which was nothing unexpected. He was by far the best player in the draft and still has tons of potential. The Timberwolves had quite a few picks and spent their first 3 on point guards. However, they have already sent Ty Lawson to the Nuggets and now there is talk that they might send Rubio to the Knicks, because it is unsure as to whether or not Rubio will play in the NBA this season or go back to Spain. Tyler Hansbrough went 13th to the Pacers, many think that it is a little high. I think that as good as he is, he is still underappreciated and will have a great NBA career.

Some of the trades that took place before the trade took some of the hype off of the draft itself. What I think to be the biggest trade was Shaq to Cleveland. Cleveland didnt really lose anyone big as Wallace is getting older and was plagued by injuries and they will do fine without Sasha. Adding Shaq to that line-up means bad news for the east and the rest of the league. They were the best team last year and adding Shaq will only help. Another big trade was Vince Carter to Orlando. I think that the Nets got the better end of the deal on this one and especially now that Hedo is opting out. The magic gave up their promising rookie for Vince who is getting older, but still should have a few good years left in him.

Also a big trade that means bad news for the west is Richard Jefferson to the Spurs. I think that the Spurs got the better end of the deal even though they lost 3 players. They shipped off some of their veterans that are running out of gas and in turn they get Jefferson who is a great one on one player and can finish at the rim. The Lakers did away with their only draft pick and that only indicates that they are wanting to keep intact the same team that just won the Championship.

It is going to be very interesting to see how the rest of the offseason turns out, especially with teams like the Jazz, Rockets and Suns that are awaiting answers as to who is going to optout or who are wanting to trade some high profile players.

Welcome Welcome!!

With me being a Giants fan, I could not resist to mention the milestone that Randy Johnson hit tonight. He is the newest and probably tallest member of the 300 win club. Congratulations to him on that. It is a milestone that is very difficult to reach and one that doesnt happen too often. Randy Johnson has been a consistent pitcher throughout his lenghty career that has taken him to a few teams and to a World Series win with the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Who knows when this milestone will be hit again. It is extremely difficult in todays era to get even 15 wins in a season and at that rate it would take 20 years to comlete 300 wins. I am glad that he was able to accomplish that feat and to do it in a Giants uniform is even better. I believe next closest pitcher is Roy Halladay and he is sitting at 140 wins, but he also carries the age of 32.

Baseball has some of sports most difficult records to beat or milestones to reach. The 300 win club, 3,000 hit club, and 500 Homerun club. Those three milestones are goals that every baseball player has and it may be a while before we see anyone enter into one of the three. Once again CONGRATS to Randy Johnson on his 300th win.

What Should We Expect?

This postseason has been one to remember with some of the series that we have had. The Celtics-Bulls was one for the ages. The Celtics-Magic was a good one as well. The Cavs swept their first two series to get run out of the gym by Orlando in 6 games. The Lakers-Rockets was an up and down series that ended in 7 games. The Nuggets-Lakers was an intense series with the better team coming out on top. To go along with the games that were played, it seemed to me that there was a lot of dirty play. There were a lot of flagrant fouls as well as technicals that were given out, and that even led to a few suspensions.

The Finals are finally here and it consists of two teams no one thought would meet in the Finals. A lot of people expected the Cavs or Celtics out of the East, but no one the Magic. Almost everyone expected to see the Lakers and thats what they get. So it comes down to two teams. The best in the West and the beasts in the East. If we base this series off what happened in the regular season then the Magic win in a 4 game sweep as they were 2-0 during the season. Not so fast, the Magic are good, but the Lakers are better.

The Magic are a team that live and die by the three. It seems to me that if they dont make more than ten a game then they dont win. Clevelands downfall was their defense and lack of scoring. The Lakers do both of those things better. The Lakers are taller and have a way of guarding Lewis and Pietrus. The Magic are going to struggle to make the threes like they have been. Also the Magic dont really have anyone that can guard Kobe. If they couldnt guard LeBron, then they are not going to be able to guard Kobe as well.

The Lakers are by far the better team and more experienced. The Magic are young and this year is just not their turn. Give them a few years and they will be a dynamite team in the NBA on a year to year basis. I grew up a Magic fan, but when Shaq left, so did my love for them. I was a huge Dwight Howard fan, but he has lost some of my respect for the way that he plays. I am not much of a Lakers fan, but I hope that they can pull it out. I dont think that this series is going to be as close as people think. My prediction is that the Lakers win in 5 games. It is kind of a stretch, but they do have Kobe and experience and someone that can guard Howard.

Good luck to both teams and may the best team win.

Let's Have a Rematch!!

It is not very often that there is a rematch in a championship game and the last time it happened in the NHL was in 1983 and 1984 where the teams split the Stanley Cup with the Islanders winning it one year and the Oilers the other. Last year, Detroit handled the Pens winning 4-2 and during the offseason received one of the Pens' forwards.

This year is going to be a great series. Both teams are playing great hockey and working as a team. The Wings are a little banged up with some injuries and have been complaining that they didn't get enough rest before the start of the finals. The Wings do have home ice advantge and that will play a big role as they are dynamite in Joe Louis Arena.

I think that as of right now the Pens are playing better hockey. They outplayed the Canes in every game of their last series. Crosby and Malkin have this team on the right path to come away as Stanley Cup Champions this year. It is going to be a great series. The Wings are one of the best teams that hockey has seen and they have a few players that are going for their fifth Stanley Cup. The Wings by far are the veterans, but the Pens do have the experience of last year and are playing better.

It is going to be fun to see how this series rolls out and don't be surprised if it goes to 7 games. My prediction is 4-3 for the Pens. These are my two favorite teams in the NHL, but I hope that Pittsburgh wins because Detroit wins it too often. I just hope for a good series.

Are the Cavs' in Trouble?

Who would have thought that the cavs would be down 3-1 against the Magic in the Conference Finals. At most we thought 2-2, since the Cavs' were so good at home during the regular season only losing twice. The Magic have just outplayed them and out hustled them. The Cavs' have not been rebounding nor playing defense and late in the game they stand around on offense and watch LeBron do his thing.

There are a few reasons why I think the Cavs' still have a legitimate chance at winning this series. The odds are definately against them as only 8 teams have come back from a 3-1 deficit to win the series., but who better than LeBron and the Cavs' to be the 9th team. It is going to be an uphill battle but it is not impossible. When you have MVP on your team and arguably the best player in the league, there is always a chance.

As for the Magic, they live and die by the three and that showed yesterday as they made 11 more three-pointers than the Cavs'. The Magic went 17-38 from three-point range shooting 44%. However, the Magic are not going shoot that well every night and that is when they lose. They are not smart enough to constantly feed Dwight Howard the ball and continue to shoot the three whether or not they are feeling it. If the Cavs' can capitalize when the Magic are not shooting well, then they could have a blowout win.

Another reason, of course is LeBron James. He has not played his best in this series so far, yeah he is scoring a lot but has had many costly turnovers late in the game. Also his teammates have not been helping him like they were during the season and their first two playoff series.

I would not count out the Cavs' just yet, all they need is one decent victory that is not on a last second shot to get their confidence back and when that happens, look out Magic. The Magic are a young team and the Cavs' have been to the Finals before, so they know what it takes to pull it out. May the best team win!!

How Sweep It Is

The Pittsburgh Penguins have been playing excellent Hockey and that shows with the sweep of the Carolina Hurricanes that was completed last night. The Pens outplayed them in every single game. This series really wasn't that close. The Pens outscored the Canes 20-9 on the series, with three wins by a margin of at least three goals.

There was a time this year that everyone lost hope in the Pens. They were out of the playoff race sitting in tenth place and they switched coaches about mid-way through the season. However, since then they have been playing incredible hockey and it has paid off as they now await to see who they will face in the Stanley Cup Finals.

There is a chance that we could see a repeat of last year, if Detroit were to make it. The Pens await the winner of the Detroit-Chicago series and that currently sits at 3-1 in favor of Detroit. The Pens have one of the best if not the best player in the NHL in Sidney Crosby and he has been stellar this postseason, not only scoring, but invovling his teammates. MY prediction is that the Pens win the Stanley Cup, beating the Red Wings in seven games. The Finals is going to be a great series to watch.

T R I V I A Did You Know??

As we are deep into the NBA playoffs, I have decided to do the trivia and question on the playoffs!

PLAYOFF RECORDS

Michael Jordan scored 63 points in a 2 OT game against Boston in 1986. An NBA record.

Michael Jordan had 60 consecutive games of 20 or more points. Three better than Kareem who was in second.

Elgin Baylor with 11, holds the record more most consecutive 30 point games.

Karl Malone holds the record for most made free-throws in a game without a miss at 18.

Wilt Chamberlain grabbed 41 rebounds against Boston in 1967 to set the NBA record for most in one game.

John Stockton and Magic Johnson are tied at 24 for most assists in one game.

Allen Iverson holds the record for most steals in a single game at 10.


Did you know that Robert Horry holds the record for most playoff games played at 244 and the Michael Jordan scored 10 or more points in every playoff game of his career which has the total of 179.

Who are the oldest and youngest players in NBA history(not just playoffs) to record a triple-double?

MLB Interleague

MLB interleague play has begun. I have always enjoyed interleague play because there are usually more exciting games and we get to see different teams play ecah other instead of being stuck watching the same teams play over and over. There are a few interesting matchups. The Mets versus the Red Sox as well as the Phillies against the Yanks.

There are a few things that can be learned from interleague play. We get to see the teams who are really contenders and know how teams will fare if they make the playoffs. Baseball plays a lot of games, but most of them are against the same old teams. Within a division the teams play one another on average of 18 times. So in the AL East the five teams will on average play their division in 90 games, that is more than half of their games. For me as a baseball fan, I get tired of seeing the same teams play over and over. Interleague is a nice break to see some good action with teams that don't know each other very well.

The baseball season has had some surprises this year. The Jays are looking good and after 45 games are in first in the AL East. The Dodgers have done rather well since the departure of Ramirez and started the season out by setting a new record for consecutive home wins to start a season with 13 and still currently hold the MLB best home record at 17-3.

There have been a few disappointments especially with the Indians they are currently in last in their division. The Rays have not started like they finished last season and are going to have an extremely hard uphill battle just to make the playoffs. The Braves were said to be better than they are showing as well as the Cubbies. However, it is still early and there is a lot of baseball to be played. May the best team win! Go Giants!!

All Knotted Up

The Lakers-Nuggets series is shaping up to be a great one and it is even better with players like Kobe and Carmelo going at it one on one. We all knew that this was going to be a great series and that it has been after two games. Thursday night, the Nuggets shifted roles and came back from a double-digit deficit to win the game. After making their way back into the game and eventually taking a big lead they let the Lakers back in, but they held their cool and were able to sneak out of the Staples Center with a win.

The Lakers are a team that plays when they want to and when they do, they are almost unbeatable. The problem is that they don't play that way every night. That is how they played against Houston. When they wanted to, they destroyed them and other nights got destroyed. If they do that in this series then they will find themselves going home after 5 maybe 6 games. The Nuggets are playing really great ball right now and are firing on all cylinders. The Lakers can't afford to take a night off against this team and if they do, they will surely pay.

It is going to be exciting to see how the Lakers react after their loss and being in Denver, where the Nuggets have played great basketball this postseason. I think that the Lakers will gain back home court advantage but look for it in game 4. I think that the Lakers will win the series in 7 games, but it will be a dogfight and a battle.

Denver can't get full of themselves for winning a game in L.A. and that could be a problem because they are a young team, but with a veteran leader like Billups, I don't see that happening. The Lakers are good at humbling people after losing a game. We saw that in both of their first two series against the Jazz and the Rockets. May the best team win and as a fan I can only hope for a great series and for it to come down to the wire in a game 7.

Anything Carolina can do, Pittsburgh can do better!

Game 2 in the Pitt-Carolina series started out with a bang. There were 5 goals scored in the first period. The Pens started out with the first goal and not long after the Canes tied it back up and thats how the first period went the the score being 3-2 for the Canes at the break. Early on in the second the Pens tied it up and then took the lead just to have it evened again not much time after that. When the game was tied up at 4-4 Malkin took over scoring two goals within a 4 minute span.

The game ended at 7-4 for the Pens who now have a 2-0 lead as the series makes its way to Carolina's ice. Hockey is thriving right now with the playoffs. The conference finals on both sides have had some great games and exciting action on the ice and most important there have been goals. Goals are what people want to see, too many people think that hockey is boring and that they never see the goals. This postseason has been phenomenal in every series. There have been numerous game 7's and great hockey to watch.

I know that the Stanley Cup Finals is going to be exciting as can be and there is a chance of having a rematch of last year with the Pens and the Red Wings. Congrats to hockey for living up to what so many people enjoy watching and playing. GO Pens and Wings!

Its Part Of The Game! The Hard Part!! RECRUITING

The college basketball season ended about 2 months ago with North Carolina winning the National Championship. The 09-10 season doesn't start until November, but there is always room to talk about college hoops. When Calipari left Memphis for Kentucky we all wondered what would happen with his recruits. Most of them followed him to Kentucky and not long ago he added the best point guard recruit in the nation in John Wall out of North Carolina. Calipari's impact has been immediate and with most of the players returning from last year, Kentucky looks to be dynamite this coming season.

As always North Carolina netted another top 2 recruiting class and will be just as good as anyone next year and has a legit chance of repeating as National Champs. Villanova was looking to be better than last year, but with the departure of Scottie Reynolds they are going to need their top 3 recruiting class to step in and play some big minutes. As usual, Kansas, Duke, Texas and so on all look to be contenders for the '10 championship.

I am already excited for this upcoming season. There are a lot of good players that came back to school and a lot of solid recruits that are going to play bigtime. There are not too many things that are more exciting than college basketball and this season will not dissappoint.

First Test: Failed

There has been much speculation as to how Cleveland was going to respond after another long layover and actually playing some good competition. We all found out that it wasn't going to be good. The Cavs started game one versus the Magic strong and it looked as though they were going to reach the finals with ease, but the Magic fought their way back and snuck out a one point win after a Rashard Lewis 3-pointer with 14 seconds left.

The Cavs have not played anyone that has challenged them until tonight when they found themselves in a second half dogfight, that they eventually lost. The Cavs I think are the team to beat and their loss tonight doesn't change my mind. They were just fatigued and that showed late in the fourth quarter, but as the series goes on they will get back in the groove and we will once again see why they are the number team in the league, with the best player.

There is no need to panic just yet if you are a Cavs fan. They will bounce back, but it will be interesting to see how they respond to adversity which they have not seen in a couple of months as they have scorched the NBA with a record of 29-3 until last night. I am excited for the series to play out and se what happens. I predict that the Cavs win 4-2.

Should Michael Vick be reinstated?

That is a great question and we will all wait to see the answer from the NFL. There are a few reasons why I think that he should be and a few why he shouldn't be. Athletes these days have the mentality that they can do whatever they want and get away with it. In the case of Vick, he didn't get away with it and had to pay like anyone else would of had to. Reinstated Vick would demonstrate that athletes can do things and end up playing again. On the other hand it also shows that if they get their life in order then they should be willing to play again.

Who knows if Vick has truly changed his ways, he has always had trouble with the law. It is only a matter of time. Vick is one of the most exciting players to watch in the NFL and if the league wants to have good ratings and I am sure that they do with the current economy, then they will reinstate Vick. Vick is a great player and was well on schedule for the Hall of Fame when all the legal issues began.

In my opinion I think that he should be reinstated. There are many other players that have more of a history than Vick that get reinstated, for example, the ex-cowboy Adam "Pacman" Jones. I say give Vick another chance, but put serious constraints on the reinstatement and that if he has any other legal issues then he won't get a second chance. I, like most people want to see him play again and it would make for a better NFL season.

The Big Winner!! L.A. Clippers!!

The Los Angeles Clippers walked away Tuesday with the number one pick in the upcoming draft and their eyes set on Blake Griffin out of Oklahoma. Griffin who would have been a top 5 pick last season is the clear favorite to be the number one pick. This years draft is said to be one of the weakest in recent years and that can be credited to the amount of athletes that are spending more years at the college level.

Blake Griffin was by far the best player in college basketball last season and is going to step in immediately to help the Clippers who struggled mightily this past season. He will most likely be playing with Baron Davis and next to Marcus Camby and Zach Randolph. He is going to be a great player for a franchise that is praying for help to recover and become a contender in the NBA.

The rest of the top 10 is going to be interesting with players like Thabeet, Rubio out of Spain, Harden, Curry, and the trio from the Tar Heels. There are a lot of young players in the draft that most people thought should have stayed at least one more year in college. It will be fun to see how the draft plays out and to predict how those teams will fare next season.

Lakers vs Nuggets, Who Wins??

This is going to be an interestin series. The Lakers are the team that most predicted to win it all, but with all their struggles against Houston things aren't looking as good as they once seemed. The Nuggets are probably the hottest team right now and playing better than everyone, except for maybe LeBron and the Cavs.

The Nuggets have the advantage at the point guard position with Chancey Billups who has been to 7 straight conference finals and he knows what it takes to beat the Lakers as he did that a few years ago to win the title. The Nuggets don't have anyone that can play defense on Kobe like the Rockets did, but Dahntay Jones is probably the best bet to slow him down. The Lakers definatly have the advantage down low with Gasol, Odom and Bynum. Another advantage that the Lakers have is experience. The Nuggets are a young team and have never been as successful as they have been this year.

This is going to be an interesting series and as I imagine will go back and forth and most likely end up with a battle in L.A. for game 7. When all is said, the two teams are pretty evenly matched. However, the Lakers did take the season series 3-1. This should be a great series and I am picking the Lakers in seven games.

LeBron vs. Kobe Who is better?

There are many ways that we can look at this and decide who is the better player between the two. A lot of it just comes down to an opinion as to what someone thinks makes a good basketball player. If we look at them based on statistics then Lebron James is the better player. Over their careers he has averaged more points a game, more steals, more blocks, more rebound and even shoots a better percentage from the field. They both only have one league MVP. We could say that Kobe is more established because he has been in the league a little longer and he has three NBA championships, but dont think he wins all three without the help of Shaq. Kobe has not won a championship since the departure of Shaq.

I think that Kobe is definately the better shooter, but that is all he has on LeBron. LeBron can drive to the basket more effectively and has better ball handling skills. LeBron plays better defense and has more of a desire than Kobe, who rarely plays defense. LeBron is more of a team player and that shows as he averages more assists per game than Kobe. LeBron is a better leader and the proof is that they had the better record this year even though the Lakers may be the team with overall better players.

So who is better? In my opinion, I would say LeBron James. Kobe is a great shooter, but when it comes to all the other aspects of basketball LeBron has an advantage over Kobe.

Why Favre should not return?

Here we go again, it seems that this happens every year where we are either waiting a decision from Favre on whether or not he is calling it quits or whether he has called it quits but then wants to continue playing. The Jets released him a few years back making him eligible to sign with any team who he desires. Within the past week, sources are saying that Favre is thinking about a return to football for the Minnesota Vikings. Why? Why does Favre want to keep playing? Yes, he is one of the best quarterbacks and can claim that with his three league MVP's that he has won.

There are many reasons why Favre should stayed retired. He is 39 years old and currently has a torn biceps tendon and he refuses to have surgery. He only wants to play for minnesota so that he can play against the Green Bay Packers as they did not have a happy parting last year. He has some of his ability and is not as good as he once was. He has always been a great passer, but yet always throws a ton of interceptions. The Vikings have a good quarterback in Tarvaris Jackson and need not spend their time and money on Favre as it may only last one season like it did in New York.

Favre is a great quarterback and a fun player to watch. He has a very stong will to win and be the best, but there is a time in every athletes life where they must face the facts and just retire and that is what Favre needs to do. He needs to move on from his football career and if he wants to be around football so bad, i'm sure that he wouldn't have a problem being hired as a quarterbacks coach somewhere.

Manchester United vs. FC Barcelona

As the second semifinal game was played today we now know who Man U plays in the UEFA Champions League final and that would be Bacelona who was down by one goal going in to extra time and netted a goal about 3 minutes into the extra time. The goal was scored by Andreas Iniesta, and what a goal it was. Barcelona played the last 27 mintues with only 10 players as Eric Abidal was awarded a yellow card but because he already had a yellow card from the first leg, it turned into a red card sending him out of the game. That however does not only affect this game, but he will now not be able to play in the final and he was a starter on defense.

Throughout the game Chelsea had many chances to really put away Barcelona and stretch their lead to two goals, but Barcelona played some stellar defense and held their cool just enough to make their way to the final. Now we must wait until May 27th to see the final and it should be a good one. These are two great teams, but I think that Man U has the advantage because of the red card to Eric Abidal and an injury to Thierry Henry. However, Man U might be ripe for an upset as Wayne Rooney is making sure that everybody knows that Man U is the best team in the world, but we will have to wait until May 27th.

Prediction: Manchester 3 Barcelona 1

Manchester positions itself for repeat!

One of my favorite sports to watch is that of the least popularity in the United States. Soccer! Last year's UEFA Champions League final was a great game with Manchester beating Chelsea in a shootout where each teams best players missed their shot in the shootout. Now a year has gone by and we see yet again Manchester United in the final. Now they must wait until tomorrow (05/06) to see who they play. It could be FC Barcelona or we could have a rematch of last year's final with Chelsea. Man U started out strong in the secong leg versus Arsenal with Cristiano Ronaldo putting in the dagger by bulleting a goal from about 30 yards away. As cool as it would be to see a rematch of last year, I think that Barcelona would be a more exciting final as Man U has had their way with Chelsea this year winning their two games with an aggregate of 4-1.

The champions league final should not disappoint no matter who plays. The final usually consists of the two best club soccer teams in the world. That would be no different this year as Man U is at the top of their league and Barcelona is atop in their league, with Chelsea coming in the top 3 of theirs. It should be an exciting game and I am hoping that Barcelona makes it so we can see some of the best players in the world battle it out for the championship. The game could consist of players, Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney, Lionel Messi and Thierry Henry. Good luck to both of the teams that reach the final and as a sports fan I can only hope for a great game.

Pair of Hat-Tricks!!

What a game that was game 2 of the Washington Capitals and Pittsburgh Penguins, especially Alex Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby. These two young players were battling goal for goal and both ended up with a Hat-Trick. Both Ovechkin and Crosby have been battling with each other since they came into the league, as they don't have a strong liking for one another. This however, is what makes sports fun to watch. To see players battling one another and trying to out do the other. Game 2 was an incredible game to watch and witnessing two hat-tricks made it even better.

The NHL is thriving right now with those two players in a seven-game series as well as the other series that are taking place. In the NBA the series haven't been too close, minus the Bulls-Celtics. In the NHL the series and each game individually are more intense. For example, game 7 of the Devils and Hurricanes when the Canes scored to goals in the final two minutes to take game 7 on the road. Conrats to the NHL for outdoing the other sports at this time with great games to watch. Let's hope that games continue to get better as they appear that they will.

Why A-Rod won't make the Hall of Fame if Barry Bonds Doesn't.

How unfortunate that America's pastime has become filled with steriods, allegations and controversy. This was the sport that most Americans enjoyed watching and following. The sports world for some time revolved around baseball with players like Babe Ruth, Yogi Berra Willie Mays, Joe DiMaggio, etc. Baseball truly has been tarnished with things like steriods and other drugs that enhance performance.

Alex Rodriguez has done some major damage to himself in the latest allegations on the use of steriods. A-Rod is the player that most people think has the best chance of breaking Barry Bond's home run record. Let's imagine that he does break the record, what will it mean? Does he deserve to have an asterisk as most people think that Bonds should? If Barry Bonds does not make the Hall of Fame then A-Rod has no chance as well. They are both known for being home run hitters and good, not great fielders.

The difference is that A-Rod has been caught for his use and was caught lying in an interview. I don't doubt that Bonds has taken steriods, but he has never been caught with a positive test and until he is then we must all just sit and wonder and assume whether or not he has used steriods. If Bonds makes the Hall of Fame with his allegations on steriods then A-Rod will make it as well, but if not then A-Rod is out of luck.

However, it is not just those two. I am sure that a big chunk of Major Leaguers use steriods and baseball will never be 100% clear with steriods. It is truly saddening that baseball has come to this. Hopefully the sport can move on and increase the amount of tests that players receive year round so that this is not an issue.

Why Rajon Rondo was not suspended!

The Bulls-Celtics first round series has been one of the most exciting series in NBA history. Every game just kept getting better and better and more exciting. With a total of 7 overtimes, what could a baskteball fan enjoy more than this series. Some argue that since no title was on the line then it wasn't important, that may be the case, but that doesnt take away from the excitment of this series. For those of you who watched the series and witnessed the acts of Rajon Rondo would wonder why he was not suspended for at least one game. What he did was worse than Dwight Howard and he was suspended for game 6 in their series with the 76ers. Even if in game 5 his hard foul wasn't deserving of a suspension then his intentional throwing of Bulls guard Kirk Heinrich was. With the two happening two games in a row, something should have been done if anything at least a fine.

So why was Rondo not suspended? The main and possibly only reason were the ratings. The NBA wanted game 6 or 7 to be just as exciting as the rest of the series and without Rondo playing things would have been different. Mr. David Stern was just concerned about ratings, because the first round series usually don't get the best ratings. It was a money making decision that the NBA didn't want to pass up and probably couldn't with the current economic situation.

Why Tiger will win 2 of the last 3 majors!

As you all know Tiger Woods is by far the best golfer in the world and some would say of all-time.(which he will be when it is all said and done) Tiger has the mental toughness of no one else and can scare people to win tournaments. Tiger still is not playing his best golf since his surgery and probably won't be for a couple of tournaments. However, Tiger did show some signs of promise with his opening round a Quail Hollow. As Tiger continues to get back to his old self and as we get towards the middle of the season, he will be playing better than anyone. All Tiger needs to do is to shoot a first round like at Quail and make sure he is in the final group going into Sunday. If he can manage those two things then Tiger has a better shot a winning that anyone else in the field. Other golfers are intimidated by him when they are in the same group and on a final Sunday it is even worse. Now I know that he was in the final group at Quail and struggled and didn't close out, but like I said he is not at his best yet, he is still a little rusty.

Throuhout this season you will see Tiger struggle and also have his amazing shots as he always does. So, when Tiger is in the final group on a Sunday in a major look for him to come out on top. As much as Tiger and every golfer would like to win every tournament Tiger has his eyes specifically set on winner the major championships. Tiger at his best in the final group is unstoppable and part of it is because the other golfers are scared and lose the mental part of the golf game.

Now the reasons why Tiger will win 2 of the last 3 majors.

1. His mental toughness and intimidation.

2. He will be playing his best.

3. He knows how to win close tournaments.

4. His putting ability.

5. His caddie Steve Williams.

K E N T U C K Y D E R B Y

The most excited two minutes in sports took place over the weekend and congratulations to Mine That Bird who took home the prize. This was a horse that most people thought shouldn't even have shown up to race. It was a horse that was bought for $9,500 and took a 21 hour car ride to get to Churchill Downs. This race has a lot of build up to it and it surely deserves it. However, one can't help but wonder if the outcome would have been different if I Want Revenge had raced. I think that the outcome whould have stayed the same. By the length of the victory I don't think that much would have changed. Mine That Bird managed to stay in the middle to end of the pack not running as fast a pace until the final turn. Calvin Borel rode perfectly and seemed as though had things all planned out and stuck to the plan and things worked out well for him. On just a quick note; how about those few lucky people in Las Vegas who bet on this horse to win with a 50-1 odd. For a $2 bet you would walk away with $103. So congrats to someone who bet quite a bit of money on this horse.

Let's just hope that Mine That Bird will run in the Preakness. It would truly be a shame if he did not race in the Preakness and wash away all hopes at the Triple Crown, afterall that is why people watch horse racing. If he doesn't win the Preakness then don't run him at Belmont. There should always be the chance for the Triple Crown and this horse deserves to run.