Walking in Memphis

The Spurs and the Grizzlies will take the floor tonight in Memphis. After the Spurs' OT win on Wednesday, the Grizzlies hope to close the series. This is a crucial game for Memphis to win because if they lose the series moves to San Antonio. Mike Conley Jr. will be huge for Memphis. Zach Randolph will continue to put up big numbers and lead his team to the 2nd round. Memphis will be rocking tonight for one of the biggest games in the Grizzlies' history.

Draft Day

Yesterday could have been the craziest 1st round in the NFL draft history. Nobody knew beforehand who would go #1. The Panthers selected Cam Newton for the 1st pick. Von Miller went 2nd to the Broncos. Marcell Dareus was taken by the Bills. Three Quarterbacks were picked in the top 10. Blaine Gabbert went 10th to the Jaguars and Jake Locker surprisingly, went 8th to the Titans. The big surprise was how Christian Ponder went 12th to Vikings. ESPN had a poll on what you would grade each pick, the Vikings got an F. Twelve defensive lineman got picked, but Da'Quan Bowers, who at one point was #1 on people's big boards, did not get selected in the 1st round. A steal for the Giants was getting Prince Amukamara. They did miss out on a great player in Akeem Ayers who would have been good for them because they are weak at the Linebacker spot. There are lots of surprises still ahead. With all the craziness in Round 1, who knows what Round 2 has in store for us.

Playoff Tough

There are three NBA Playoff games today. The Hawks can close out the series with a win tonight. However, the Magic have other plans. Richard Jefferson will come out firing after his Game 4 suspension. Expect it to be chippy tonight with Jefferson and Zaza Pachulia. In the end, the Magic will get the win. Chicago will end their series with the Pacers tonight. Boozer will lead the way. This series has also been a little rough. The Bulls are saying that the Pacers' fouls have been dirty, while others say their fouls are hard Playoff fouls. Out west, the Hornets will top the defending champs. The Lakers will fall in the series 3-2 going back to LA. These NBA Playoffs have been and will continue to be exciting with all the upsets and scuffles. There are still lots of questions. What will happen next?

Going, Going, Gone!

The NFL Draft is not the only draft that people are talking about. The NBA Draft is also in the news. There are lots of questions. Who is going? and who is staying? Kyrie Irving is expected to go #1. Demetri McCamey is also entering the draft. Another player who is expected to go but has not hired an agent was Georgetown's Hollis Thompson. He started 22 of 32 games his Sophmore year, but in January, Coach John Thompson put Nate Lubick in to give them a defensive edge. Thompson then was their go-to-guy off the bench. Thompson still has a chance come back to Georgetown. Jared Sullinger announced that he was staying another year the day after OSU lost to Kentucky. Kemba, Jimmer, and Derrick Williams are supposed to be in the middle to the end of the first round. Out of all those three, I think Derrick Williams will be the most affective. Alec Burks is also supposed to go but has yet to hire an agent. Burks has the potential to be a star. I really like this kid's ability to score. The NBA Draft looks to be good this year with all the talent. Scouts should definitely be excited this year.

Fire on the Ice

The NHL Playoffs have been great so far and will continue to be exciting. The Blackhawks won three straight to force a Game 7 versus the Canucks. The Blackhawks' experience will help Chicago move on and have one of the best comebacks ever in NHL history. The Canadiens will bounce back and force the Bruins into a Game 7. The Sabres will upset the Flyers and move on to Round 2 to face the winner of the Bruins/Canadiens series. Steven Stamkos and his Lightning will get their third straight victory to the Penguins. The NHL Playoffs are really heating up.

Feel The Heat

After a three day layoff, I am back and ready to pick winners. The Heat are up 3 games over the 76ers and really looking good. The Bulls have had some struggles but Rose has done it himself in the end to get the wins. After the Spurs took Game 2 over the Grizzlies, Memphis will come out firing and get the win. The Hornets and Lakers will battle but Chris Paul and his Hornets will go on a late surge to take Game 3. The Hawks and Magic will go at it in Atlanta. The Hawks will come out on top. The Knicks and Celtics will battle in the Big Apple. The Knicks are desperate for a win and that is what they will get. On Saturday, the Nuggets will get a much needed win over the Thunder. The Playoffs are really starting to heat up from LA to New York.

Where Amazing Happens

After Saturday and Sunday's excellent games, it will be hard to match it. The Bulls survived Game 1 but the Pacers will come out motivated and get their first win in the 2011 Playoffs, and their only win. The Heat will really come out on fire and take Game 2 from the 76ers. The Mavericks and Trail Blazers will battle. After Saturday's defensive battle, Portland will get the win. The Magic and Hawks will be tight but the Magic will get the win at home. The Lakers will bounce back from Sunday's loss and get the victory. However, there is some controversy in the Lakers locker room after Kobe called Pau Gasol out. The Spurs will redeem themselves after their Game 1 loss. New York will come firing out of the gates and get the win over Boston. The Thunder and Nuggets will battle but in the end, Kenyon Martin will step up for Denver. It will be hard to match Game 1 but Game 2 looks to be very exciting.

The Race is On

The race is on in the NBA Playoffs. Yesterday, the Pacers showed that they could hang with the Bulls, but in the end, Derrick Rose led his team to victory. The Heat got tested by the 76ers but came out on top. The Hawks redeemed themselves after they got swept by the Magic last year. The final score was 103-93. The Mavericks got a big win over the Trail Blazers. A lot of people thought that Portland could sneak up on them, of course it is only Game 1. At 1:00 is when the Spurs and Grizzlies tip. I actually have to go with Memphis in this one. Manu Ginobli may not play. I think Marc Gasol will step up for Memphis. At 3:30, I like the Lakers to escape with some help over the Hornets. The Knicks will square off with Boston. Chauncey Billups will be the key for New York. He will outplay Rondo, which will give them the edge over the defending Eastern Conference Champions. In the final game of the night, the Nuggets and Thunder will battle it out at the Oklahoma City Arena. The Thunder will get the win in the hard fought battle. Thabo Sefolosha will be the factor for the Thunder. The NBA Playoffs are in full swing!

Hockey Central

Tonight is the beginning of the NHL Playoffs. The Rangers are back in the playoffs and ready to go. I like them to take the first game over the Capitals. This is a key game for both teams. Both teams, the Rangers especially, would like the momentum going into Game Two. The Coyotes will go into Detroit and get a big win over the Red Wings. Steven Stamkos will have a great playoff debut as he will lead the Lightning to a victory. The Penguins will fall. Crosby is doubtful for the game. The Blackhawks will battle with the Canucks. The Canucks will get the win but don't bail on the Blackhawks. Take my word, Johnathan Toews will bring them back in Game Two. The Ducks will get an easy win over the Predators. Tomorrow is when the action will get good. The Canadiens will face their arch rivals, the Bruins. The Canadiens will get the win but I predict that there will be at least 3 fights. This could be the biggest bloodbath the NHL has ever seen. The Flyers will get the Game One win over the Sabres in the City of Brotherly Love. In an instate rivalry, the Sharks will get a win over the Kings in San Jose. The whole hockey nation will be watching these next weeks.

Weekend Encore

This weekend was exhilarating. To kick off the weekend, day two of the Masters was in full swing. In other news, the Red Sox got their first win of the season over the hated Yankees in Fenway. Saturday was just as good as Friday. Tiger got right back in the Green Jacket hunt. In the NCAA College Hockey Championship, Minnesota Duluth got their first title victory over Michigan. Duluth had been to the Frozen Four many times but could not seal the deal. Sticking with hockey, the Rangers clinched the #8 seed in the East. Also on Saturday was a lot of college lacrosse. Syracuse escaped with a 7-5 victory over Princeton. Virginia held on in OT over UNC with an 11-10 win. Harvard could not pull off the upset at home versus Cornell with a heartbreaking 13-12 defeat. Sunday was filled with excitement. The Blackhawks lost to the Red Wings. If the Stars won, they would be the #8 seed. The Stars failed to do that though, as they lost to the Wild 5-3. Then the Blackhawks and the city of Chicago could breathe. To finish the Masters, Charl Schwartzel had a late surge to lead him to victory and the Green Jacket. To wrap up the weekend, the Sox blanked the Yanks 4-0 at Fenway.

MLB Now

The baseball season has just started, but there is controversy even this early on. The Red Sox got their first win of the season against the Yankees at Fenway, after their 0-6 start. The Orioles have had one of their best starts in years. The Reds shot out of the gate and are still rolling. The Phillies closer, Brad Lidge, is expected to be out until the All-Star Break. The biggest news is that Manny Ramirez retired. After testing positive for steroids this spring training, he decided to put an end on his career. He has won two World Series and was the series MVP for one of them. He also holds the record for most Playoff home runs. He is tied for 14th on the home run list. His great career will come to an end. This looks to be a great baseball season.

Ladies Night

Tonight, Notre Dame will battle Texas A&M in the NCAAW National Championship. The game will be held at the Canseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. The Aggies fresh off a win over Stanford, will try to take the crown from the Irish. Notre Dame knocked off UCONN in the Final Four and is thirsty for another win. Both teams have beaten two of the #1 seeds in the tourney. Texas A&M will have to shut down Skylar Diggins. She has played remarkable throughout the tourney. It all comes down to this. There will be sparks flying when these two teams take the floor.

Top Dog

UCONN has another title under their belt. After last night's win versus Butler, Jim Calhoun has the most titles since 1999. It was a hard season for Calhoun but he managed to prevail. It was probably the ugliest title game I have ever seen. In a score of 53-41 Butler only shot 18%, which is the lowest ever in a National Championship. Kemba led the way with 16 points, and was awarded with the MVP of the tournament. However, Jeremy Lamb really gave the Huskies a boost with 12 points [all in the second half]. In the end, the Huskies were crowned kings of the college basketball world.

Showdown in Houston

Today is the day that everybody has waited for. From 68 teams to two teams. Only one will win. Butler will try to redeem themselves from last year's title loss. UCONN, led by Kemba Walker, is here to get their third title. Besides Walker, they are not that experienced. In this matchup you have two experienced coaches. Even though Brad Stevens is in his fourth year, in four of his years, he has made it to two National Championships. It will be fun to see how Matt Howard compares to the height of UCONN. In the end, I think Butler will come out on top and hoist the trophy- the one that they were so close to holding last year.

Ending the Drought

Earlier today, India won the Cricket World Cup Championship. It ended a 28 year drought. They had a thrilling come from behind win versus Sri Lanka. When all seemed lost Mahendra Singh Dhoni stepped up for India. India got a taste of greatness. One that they have waited for over 2 and a half decades. Sachin Tendulkar got the title that he had waited for. India fans rejoiced after they watched there team claim the ICC Cricket World Cup title. After all the partying, India will go back to defend their title.

The Fantastic Four

Out of all the 68 teams who played in this tournament, there are the 4 teams left. At 6:09, Butler/VCU will tip. VCU will put up a great fight but in the end, Butler will go back to the place they remember well: the National Championship. This time it is in Houston, and this time they'll win it. In the other matchup Kentucky will battle with UCONN. Kentucky will overpower the Huskies. Terrence Jones will have to be the X Factor. The National Championship is almost set. Who will rise to the occasion? Who will fall?