FC Porto Looking To Complete An Undefeated Season In The Portuguese Liga

In the 1972-1973 season, Benfica became the first team in Portuguese Liga history to finish a season undefeated. They completed their campaign with a record of 28 wins and 2 ties. FC Porto is looking to become the second team in Portuguese Liga history to finish their season with no defeats. They have 25 wins and 2 ties and are just 3 matches away from an undefeated season. This FC Porto team also needs to win their final three games to tie the record for most points obtained in a season with 86, as the FC Porto team in 2002-2003 accomplished.

It has been an unbelievable season for Porto in the Portuguese Liga. Their only two hits in the Portuguese Liga all season have been a tie on the road against Guimaraes and another tie on the road against Sporting Lisbon.

Porto has also seen a tremendous amount of success outside of the Portuguese Liga. Porto began their season with a 2-0 victory over Benfica to win the Portuguese Super Cup. Porto beat Sevilla, CSKA Moscow, and Spartak Moscow in root to a spot in the Europa League semifinals. In the first leg of their semifinal tie with Villarreal, they destroyed the Spanish club 5-1. Porto looks poised to advance to the Europa League final in Dublin and maybe even play their rival Benfica in the final.

Porto jumped out to a great start in their Europa League semifinal against Villarreal with a 5-1 victory at home

Porto is lead by Hulk, who has 22 goals in 25 league games for the Portuguese side. The Brazilian striker scored the title-winning goal for Porto against Benfica on April 3rd in a 2-1 victory. Hulk said after the match, "Winning in the home of our closest rival is always something to enjoy a bit more. I already talked about what happened here last year, but thank God I managed to come back well from that." Porto midfielder Fernando Belluschi added about the victory, "It was the first time in many years that Benfica got the title instead of us last year. The whole group deserves this. We worked so hard this year. For me, it's the best moment of my career. I won the title in Argentina but winning the title here, against the team that is always our rival, has a different taste." Porto's outstanding defense should also not be understated. Their back line has allowed a total of 13 goals all season including only 5 goals on the road. 

Porto will round out their season in league play against Vitoria Setubal on the road, Pacos de Ferreira at home, and Maritimo on the road looking to finish unbeaten.

Prince Amukamara Going To The New York Giants Was The Steal Of The Draft

Prince Amukamara was projected to be a top 10 to 15 pick in the NFL draft. When it came around to the Giants pick at number 19, they were happily surprised he was still available. The Giants director of college scouting Marc Ross said, "It was a shock. It was a shock. It was a shock. I know we come in and say, We picked the best player, and we were surprised. This one truly was a shock. Because you go through scenarios leading up to the draft where you kind of have realistic scenarios, somewhat unrealistic scenarios, of what could happen. And this one was just completely out of left field. We never thought this kid would have been still on the board at 19." Although the Giants weren't one of the teams coming into the draft that desperately needed help in the secondary, they couldn’t pass on a talent like Amukamara. Giants head coach Tom Coughlin said about the pick, "The value of this pick, where he was ranked, there wasn't any question about the fact that this player should be on the New York Giants."

Amukamara is an NFL ready cornerback. He is quick but is also physical and strong. Prince says about himself, "I use my hands a lot with the wide receivers. And I really like to get after the ball." Marc Ross added about Prince, "He is kind of unique in that a guy with this size – and he is fast, fast – he is strong and plays with great instinct. And he has tossed the guys in the gunner on special teams clean off the field. And he is kind of unique." Tom Coughlin described Prince as "physical, he's fast, he has very good size, he's confident, which you have to be as a corner in this league. Sometimes when you look at him you say Jeez, he comes under control a little bit at the break point area. You say Wow, you better continue to give yourself a little bit of a cushion there, young man but then all of a sudden he makes a break on the ball and picks one off. He's physical. They bring him off the corner a lot. He's played in a division where there's all kind of wide open passing attacks, so you know he's defended a lot over the years."

Prince Amukamara will add to a defense that ranked 9th last season in opposing passing yards at 209.5 per game. Amukamara will join Corey Webster, Aaron Ross, and Terrell Thomas as the cover corners for the Giants. When asked if the Giants had to many cornerbacks, Tom Coughlin said, "You can never have enough cover guys because if you watch the way people play today with the addition of the receivers, they go one, two, three, four, until they figure out what you're going to cover some of these third, fourth receivers with. The more cover people you have, the better off you're going to be."

NBA Playoffs Conference Semifinals Predictions

Eastern Conference Semifinals:
1. Chiacgo Bulls over 4. Atlanta Hawks in 6 games
2. Miami Heat over 3. Boston Celtics in 7 games

Western Conference Semifinals:
4. Oklahoma City Thunder over 8. Memphis Grizzlies in 6 games
2. Los Angeles Lakers over 3. Dallas Mavericks in 6 games

NHL Playoffs Conference Semifinals Predictions

Eastern Conference Semifinals:

1. Wahington Capitals over 5. Tampa Bay Lightning in 6 games

3. Boston Bruins over 2. Philadelphia Flyers in 7 games

Western Conference Semifinals:

1. Vancouver Canucks over 5. Nashville Predators in 6 games

3. Detroit Red Wings over 2. San Jose Sharks in 7 games

Da'Quan Bowers Is Worth The Risk For The Buccanners

Before Nick Fairley was considered to be the leading candidate to be selected with the number one overall pick, that position was held by Clemson defensive end Da'Quan Bowers. Teams were very impressed with Bowers athleticism and top 10 level talent as well as his relentlessness to get into the opposing backfield. However, concerns began to arise about a worsening knee problem that Bowers has had since January of 2011. The questions began when Bowers had to miss the NFL combine as a result of having knee surgery on a torn meniscus. It got even worse for Bowers when teams learned that he may need additional surgery on the knee. Bowers stock began to plummet from out of the top 10 to out of the first round.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers got a steal by selecting Bowers with the 51st pick in the NFL draft. They got a top 10 talent 19 picks into the second round. Tampa Bay Buccaneers General Manager Mark Dominik saw too much potential in Bowers to pass on him despite the questions over his knee. He said about Bowers, "Bowers has a good combination of speed to power, natural strength and length, and he’s physical. He’s the kind of guy that was obviously voted as team captain, so leadership was part of it. I know we’ve had a lot of texts the last five to ten minutes from former guys and players that we have on this football team that are fired up... We feel that the value of this pick is too strong for me and this organization to pass up. I think everybody felt the same way. Everybody thought that he was obviously a top 10 talent.”

Da'Quan's agent Joseph Flanagan said that there are absolutely no signs of arthritis in Bowers knee and that he will not need another surgery. Bowers said, “My health is fine, my knee is fine. It’s 100 percent. I’m still rehabbing every day just to make sure everything’s on time and on point, but there are no further issues with my knee." Dominik is hopeful that Da’Quan’s knee will continue to heal. He said, “Well right now, the idea behind it is ideally rehabbing and continuing to rehab, like he’s been doing. That’s what he’s done since he had his surgery and he had his pro day. He’s been rehabbing since then and is going to continue the rehab process until we’re comfortable putting him on the football field. When that day comes, we will absolutely put him on the football field.” Bowers led college football last season with 15.5 sacks and will be looking to continue to get to the quarterback in Tampa Bay.

Ndamukong Suh and Nick Fairley Will Provide A Dynamic Duo in Detroit

Ndamukong Suh had a dominant rookie season. After being selected with the second overall pick, Suh won the defensive rookie of the year award and was a first team All-Pro selection. With the Lions 13th pick in this years NFL draft, they selected a defensive tackle in the first round for the second year in a row. They took Nick Fairley out of Auburn, who will create a dominant tandem with Suh in the trenches.

At the beginning of the draft process, Nick Fairley was considered to be the leading candidate to be selected with the number one overall pick. Fairley's explosiveness and quickness were very appealing. However, Fairley only had one really good season with Auburn, so his inconsistency and tendency to take plays off concerned some teams. Therefore, Marcell Dareus from Alabama became the first defensive tackle selected with the third pick by the Bills. Much to the Lions delight, Fairley fell to 13th, where they selected him. Detroit Lions coach Jim Schwartz said about the pick, "The philosophy here was we're drafting to our strength. Defensive line is a strength of what we do. We won our last four last year and you can have probably a quiz show to find out who our corners were in those games, but we were good up front. Being good up front is what drives our defense. We have players that could be an impact player for us at a position. We didn't worry too much about what his [Fairley] playtime was going to be. We knew where he was on the board for us, how much we liked him and he fit really well, so we didn't hesitate to make the pick." Instead of drafting an area of concern, such as the cornerback position, the Lions drafted to the team's strengths and the best player available on their board.

The Lions also have defensive tackle Corey Williams, who will be apart of the Lions interior linemen rotation. Detroit Lions coach Jim Schwartz said, "We play 130 defensive tackle snaps in a game. So, if we're rotating three guys through and they're playing 45 snaps apiece... No. 1, there'll be a little bit of pressure. We can keep rolling waves and waves. We probably -- even Ndamukong Suh -- probably played a little too much for us last year. Not that he wore down, but it was too many snaps in there. You're taking on 700 pounds of man every time you take on a double team and things like that." 

The Detroit Lions defensive linemen have already embraced the pick. Defensive end Kyle Vanden Bosch said, “I don’t care how many sacks I get. I want us as a group to get a ton of sacks. I don’t necessarily care about being the best defensive end in the league. I want to be a part of the best defensive line in the league. He’s going to be a part of that and he’s going to step in and be able to add to us and we welcome him.”

Ryan Mallett Falls Out Of the Top Two Rounds Of The NFL Draft

Ryan Mallett's free fall in the NFL Draft has continued into the third round. Mallett was projected by some to be the third quarterback taken in the draft and was even as high as number 12 in some projections. Through 2 rounds, there have been 6 quarterback taken and none of them have been the big 6'6, 253 pound Mallett. Character concerns have caused Mallett's stock to plummet.

The questions began when Mallett was asked at the NFL combine about allegations that he used drugs. Mallett said, “I said I’m not going to talk about it here.” After he was asked about the drug allegations for a third time, Mallett walked out of the media room and didn't answer any more questions. Mallett still hasn't squashed the rumors of the allegations in the media. He said in response a day later, "7,00-plus yards and 60 touchdowns in two season. That's how I respond to that." It was reported that during one of Mallett's pre-draft interviews that he admitted to using drugs. Mallett had previously been arrested in March of 2009 for public intoxication.

The questions continued when Mallett missed an interview with the Carolina Panthers because he said he was too sick to go. However, sources said Mallett was seen walking around town late the night before. Even though Mallett's agent denied the claim, it still raised questions about the character issues surrounding Mallett. 

The gunslinger from Arkansas has a big arm and his passing accuary at the combine and his pro day at Arkansas were even better than expected. However, teams began to shy away from taking Mallett because of the off the field issues. Although it has come as a surprise to many fans that Mallett wasn’t taken in the first two rounds, NFL executives were not nearly as surprised. One source said, "I'm telling you right now, he could slip right out of the second round, entirely."

What team will draft Ryan Mallett despite his character concerns

NFL First Round Mock Draft

1. Carolina Panthers - Cam Newton, Quarterback, Auburn

2. Denver Broncos - Von Miller, Linebacker, Texas A and M

3. Buffalo Bills - Marcell Dareus, Defensive Tackle, Alabama

4. Cincinnati Bengals - A.J. Green, Wide Receiver, Georgia

5. Arizona Cardinals - Blaine Gabbert, Quaterback, Missouri

6. Cleveland Browns - Julio Jones, Wide Receiver, Alabama

7. San Francisco 49ers - Patrick Peterson, Cornerback, LSU

8. Tennessee Titans - Nick Fairley, Defensive Tackle, Auburn

9. Dallas Cowboys - Tyron Smith, Offensive Tackle, USC

10. Washington Redskins - Robert Quinn, Linebacker, North Carolina

11. Houston Texans - Aldon Smith, Defensive End, Missouri

12. Minnesota Vikings - Jake Locker, Quarterback, Washington

13. Detroit Lions - Prince Amukamara, Cornerback, Nebraska

14. St. Louis Rams - Corey Liuget, Defensive Tackle, Illinois

15. Miami Dolphins - Mike Pouncey, Center, Floirda

16. Jacksonville Jaguars - Ryan Kerrigan, Defensive End, Purdue

17. New England Patriots - Cameron Jordan, Defensive End, California 

18. San Diego Chargers - J.J. Watt, Defensive End, Wisconsin

19. New York Giants - Anthony Castonzo, Offesnive Tackle, Boston College

20. Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Da'Quan Bowers, Defensive End, Clemson

21. Kansas City Chiefs - Nate Solder, Offensive Tackle, Colorado

22. Indianapolis Colts - Gabe Carimi, Offensive Tackle, Wisconsin

23. Philadelphia Eagles - Jimmy Smith, Cornerback, Colorado

24. New Orleans Saints - Muhammad Wilkerson, Defensive End, Temple

25. Seattle Seahawks - Andy Dalton, Quarterback, TCU

26. Baltimore Ravens - Adrian Clayborn, Defensive End, Iowa

27. Atlanta Falcons - Akeen Ayers, Linebacker, UCLA

28. New England Patriots - Mark Ingram, Running Back, Alabama

29. Chiacgo Bears - Derek Sherrod, Offensive Tackle, Mississippi State

30. New York Jets - Phil Taylor, Nose Tackle, Baylor

31. Pittsburgh Steelers - Aaron Williams, Cornerback, Texas

32. Green Bay Packers - Danny Watkins, Guard, Baylor

Memphis Grizzlies vs San Antonio Spurs Game 4 Reaction

• The Spurs were burned in game 4 with the Grizzlies mid-range jump shot. Tony Parker continued to go under the screens that the Grizzlies set for their point guards Mike Conley and Greivis Vasquez. Conley and Vasquez hit a combined 10 jump shots and had 24 points. 
• The Grizzlies had 5 players in double figures and 9 players scoring at least 9 points. Memphis's bench had 49 points including Darrell Arthur, who scored 14 points and O.J. Mayo, who added 11. Although the Grizzlies had no player score more than 15 points, their balance attack was very effective.
• The story of the game may have been the 17 turnovers from the Spurs including 7 from Tony Parker. The Grizzlies led the NBA in forced turnovers during the season at 16.5 per game and steals at 9.40 and they once again caused havoc on the defensive end of the court. The Grizzlies scored 20 points off the Spurs turnovers. 
• Before game 4, Tony Allen said about Manu Ginobili's injury,"He ain't playing like his arm is hurt. I think that's all for the birds right there. I don't think nothing is wrong with him." Allen made Manu look like he was still suffering from the injury with his defense on Ginobili in game 4. Manu had just 14 points on 5 of 13 shooting and never looked totally comfortable on the offense end.
• The game remained close with the Spurs even leading at halftime 50 to 48 but the Grizzlies ran away with the game in the third quarter. The Grizzlies came right out of halftime with much more energy than the Spurs, feeding off of the sellout crowd at FedEx Forum. They had a 12-0 run coming out of halftime and never surrendered the lead agan. They outscored the Spurs 30 to 15 in the frame.
• The quickness of Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol have caused Tim Duncan trouble down in the post. They had a combined 20 points and 18 rebounds in game 4. The Memphis big men also caused Duncan trouble on the other end of the floor. They had 2 steals and 2 blocked shots, while limiting Duncan to just 6 points on his birthday.

Story of the series for the Spurs

Kentucky's Recruiting Class Highlighted by Anthony Davis and Michael Gilchrist

John Calipari has done it again bringing yet another top recruiting class to the Bluegrass State. For the third year in a row he has had the best recruiting class in the country. This one though, might be his best composing of four-highly touted McDonalds All American's.

Anthony Davis leads Kentucky stellar recruiting class. If I asked you a year ago about Anthony Davis you would of said, "Who the heck is that?" When Davis was a in his sophmore year in high school, he was a 6'3 point guard and he hadn't played club basketball since junior high. He sprouted 7 inches and the 6'10 Davis is now already being called the potential first overall pick in the 2012 NBA draft. For Perspectives Charter School in Illinos, Davis averaged 32 points, 22 rebounds, and 7 blocks a game. Davis is already a star but coaches love that he has a tremendous upside. Anthony is a big threat of the defensive end of the floor. He is very versatile, as he can defend multiple positions from the quicker, speedy guard to the big men inside. Davis is great on the offensive boards and blocking shots in the paint. John Calipari said about Davis's defense, "Anthony brings a skill level, a Camby-esqueness to him where we can press more and run the lanes more. All I know is this, he probably will per minute [played] lead the nation in blocked shots. That is good for your defense. We will also probably press a lot more next year [because of Davis]. With Josh Harrelson graduating and Terrence Jones declaring for the draft (with no agent yet however), Davis will have to step up and be a huge factor for the Kentucky Wildcats is they want to get back to the final four next year. There will no doubt be a lot of pressure on Davis coming out of high school as the number 1 recruit and the last number one recruit out of the Chiacgo area since 2001. As well as a great post up game, Anthony can also shot. He said, "I get a lot of offensive rebounds and put the ball in. But I also have a good jump shot and I can shoot the 3-point shot well. I didn't have to show an outside shot a lot in high school, but I have one. I can do more than just dunk." Anthony Davis is a monster that will only continue to get better.

For the next Kentucky freshmen, we go to my hometown state of New Jersey, which is filled with tremendous high school basketball players. Michael Gilchrist is definitely one of them. He played for the national powerhouse St. Patrick high school. Gilchrist was very well been coached by Kevin Boyle and has a high basketball IQ. Gilchriist was lucky enough to play with star point guard Kyrie Irving for three years in high school. Gilchrist said, "Kyrie was a huge help for me, on the court and off the court. It was a real honor to play with such a high quality player." The best way to describe Michael Gilchrist is a WINNER. He is a fighter, competitor, and WINNER. Gilchrist was 50-4 since his junior year in high school, leading his team to top 10 finishes two years in a row. Calipari said, "When you look up the definition of 'warrior' in the dictionary, there is a picture of Michael there. No one plays harder or is more competitive. He has a tremendous burning desire to win that will drive practice and elevate everyone within the program." Gilchrist is extremely versatile and does a little bit of everything, as he average 19.4 points, 14.3 rebounds, 6.3 assists, 5.2 blocks, and 3.5 steals per game in high school as a senior. He is a consistent producer that lead his team in points, rebounds and blocked shots. What stands out about Gilchrist is his ability to rebound the ball and defend. Some superstars are content to put up big scoring numbers and leave the heavy lifting on the other end of the floor to the supporting cast. Gilchrist unbelievable athleticism helps him be a monster on the defensive end. He is so good at blocking shots and can also rebound. The only concern with Gilchrist is his unability to make the three point jump shot consistently but he will definitely continue to improve from behind the arc with hard work.

In a news release John Calipari said, "I'm jacked. These are not just terrific basketball players, but they're terrific students and terrific people, as well. Most importantly, they all have an unbelievable attitude about winning; they all wanted to play together, knowing they're going to have to sacrifice a little bit of their game for their teammates. With this group, it adds to what we already have within our program. These are four of the best, which is what we want to recruit here."

Kings Lose Lead and Momentum In Series With Sharks

2 minutes and 26 seconds into the first period Willie Mitchell scored for the Los Angeles Kings to give them a 1-0 lead. 13 seconds later Kyle Clifford scored to give the Kings a 2-0 lead. They added another goal in the first period and another goal 44 seconds into the second period. A 4-0 lead for the Kings and the fans are going wild.

No way the Sharks could come back from four goals down, right? As Lee Corso says, "Not so fast my friend." Not only did the Kings blow their lead, but they did it in one period. The Sharks scored 5 goals in the second fame. Patrick Marleau, Ryane Clowe, and Logan Couture all scored to bring the game to 4-3. Ryane Clowe said, "Once we got one, momentum is a strong thing. You might not believe [this] bbut even 3-0 and 4-0, we felt good. It was totally different from last game. It was all positive, to be honest. Guys were upbeat. We felt good about our game." Even a fifth goal from the Kings didn't stop the Sharks surge. Ryane Clowe's second goal and Joe Pavelski's first of the game tied the game at 5 at the end of the second period. The crowd, died quite in disbelief. The Sharks capped off their stunning comeback with a Devin Setoguchi wrist shot for a goal in overtime. Devin Setoguchi said, "We got that goal in the second period and all of a sudden the light turned on that we can do it, we can get pucks past this guy. We got it deep, worked hard, we beat guys off the wall. We got the second and third opportunities that led to the goals. This will definitely go down as one of the biggest wins we've ever had. Still kind of a surreal feeling that we came back from 4-0."

Sharks coach Todd McLellan said, "This is a game that you don't expect to happen. I don't think it will repeat itself. We were very fortunate to come back from that deficit. We're excited about it, but we also know the mulligan we used won't be available to us again." Not only did the Sharks take a 2-1 lead in the series, they took all of the momentum with their astonishing comeback. The Sharks joined only three other teams to have come back from a four-goal deficit to win a playoff game. Only one of the three teams who lost the game after leading by four goals overcame the collapse to win the series.

Top 10 NFL Matchups (Let's Hope We Have A Season)

1. New Orleans Saints at Green Bay Packers in Week 1: The last two Super Bowl Champions should provide a show on the opening night of the NFL. The Saints had a very disappointing end to their season last year when they were ousted in the NFC Wild Card Game, as they allowed 41 points to the Seahawks. They will look to sure up their defense this year when they play the defending champion Green Bay Packers. It will be one of the best quarterback matchups of the year when the two former Super Bowl MVP's, Aaron Rodgers and Drew Brees, met up at Lambeau Field on September 8th.

2. New York Giants at Washington Redskins/ Dallas Cowboys at New York Jets in Week 1: The two cities that were directly affected by the terrorist attacks on September 11 will be hosting games on the 10th anniversary of those attacks. Giant’s spokesman Pat Hanlon said, "For nearly 10 years, we have felt an obligation to use our platform to make sure none of us ever forget the tragedy and heartbreak and courage and heroism of Sept. 11. That responsibility becomes even greater." The always shy Rex Ryan said, "That stadium is going to be full of emotion, not only the people from the area but in the entire country. [It's] The fact that it's the 10th anniversary of 9/11."

3. Philadelphia Eagles at Atlanta Falcons in Week 2: The Falcons home opener will be against a very interesting opponent, the Philadelphia Eagles. Oh yes, Michael Vick will return to Atlanta for the first time as a starter. Emotions will obviously be high especially with the game being on at primetime on Sunday night. Vick had 6 very memorable seasons with the Falcons before was implicated in an illegal dog fighting ring. The Eagles open the regular season for the first time since 2002 with two road games.

4. Indianapolis Colts at New Orleans Saints in Week 7: The Sunday Night primetime game on October 23rd will feature a Super Bowl rematch from 2010 when the Saints beat the Colts 31-17. It will also feature a great quarterback battle between Drew Bress and Peyton Manning. Bress isn't the only one who sees New Orleans as special in this match up as well. Peyton's dad Archie played for the Saints and Peyton was born, grew up, and played high school football in New Orleans. The last time Peyton was playing in New Orleans against the Saints was in 2003 when the Colts beat the Saints 55 to 21 and he tied his career high throwing 6 touchdowns in one game. 

5. San Diego Chargers at Kansas City Chiefs in Week 8: Many people including myself were very surprised that Norv Turner retained his job after the Chargers failed to make the playoffs and were only 9-7 with all the talent that they had in their team last year. Although they scored the second most points in the league with 441 and were in the top 10 in points allowed, they missed out on the playoffs. The Chargers will try to take back the division title from the very surprising Kansas City Chiefs, who after a 4-12 season in 2009, won the AFC West at 10-6 last year. The Monday Night Football Game will be the second meeting between the teams and will be critical in the division race.

6. Baltimore Ravens at Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 9: Since 2002, the Pittsburgh Steelers or the Baltimore Ravens have won the AFC North 7 out of the last 9 years. They have dominated the AFC North. Whenever the Ravens and Steelers met you can always expect great defense, extremely hard-hitting, and the two teams playing to get on top of the division. Steelers nose tackle Casey Hampton said, "The last few times we've played them [the Ravens] it always comes down to close games, and when you're in games like that, it's very emotional. You learn to start disliking a team even more." The Ravens will have even more incentive to knock off their rivals, as the Steelers ended their season last year in the Divisional Playoffs.

7. San Francisco 49ers at Baltimore Ravens in Week 12: Thanksgiving commemorates a feast that the pilgrims shared with their "brothers" the Native Americans. On Thanksgiving, Jim Harbaugh and his San Francisco 49ers will met his brother John Harbaugh and his Baltimore Ravens. They will become the first pair of brothers to meet as head coaches in NFL history. The game has allowed the Harabuagh family to have a little bit of fun. The brothers dad Jack Harbaugh said when asked if he was going to attend the game, “No way. And Jackie [Harbaugh, his wife] and I have talked about it, and we will not be within two time zones of that venue, I promise you. We’re going to stay as far away from that as we can. We’ve seen these two guys compete for about 47 years, so… we’ll allow other people to enjoy it with us here in Milwaukee, [where we will be] watching on television.” John Harbaugh said though, "My dad and mom said they're not going to be within three time zones of the game, but we'll get them there somehow. What we're going to do is try to get Jim over to the house, get him some turkey, get some of that tryptophan working and get him a little bit tired for later."

8. Indianapolis Colts at New England Patriots in Week 13: Many people consider this game the biggest rivalry in the NFL even through the teams aren't in the same division. The Pats have won more than 10 games ever year since 2003 and the Colts have won more than 10 games every year since 2002. These two teams have been the models of consistency in the NFL and they are lead by two of the best quarterbacks to ever play the game, Peyton Manning and Tom Brady. Brady and Manning have won 6 of the last 8 MVP's including the last 4. 

9. Chicago Bears at Denver Broncos in Week 14: While the Colts and Patriots rivalry has been going on for the last ten years, a new rivalry will have its first square off in Denver on December 11th. Bears quarterback Jay Cutler will finally return to the scene of the crime. Before the 2009 season, Cutler requested to leave Denver saying, "Really, it's best for me to move on. "Broncos owner Pat Bowlen said after they dealt Cutler to the Bears, "Obviously, the trade went through with another team. We moved on. I'm very disappointed. I'm very disappointed." Cutler will definitely face a very hostile crowd in Denver, as emotions are still very high over his departure. 

10. Chicago Bears at Green Bay Packers in Week 16: The Packers-Bears rivalry dates all the way back to 1921 and they have played each other in the regular season and playoffs a record 182 times. Jay Cutler will return to Green Bay for the first time since he had to leave the NFC Championship game with a knee injury, which he has heavily criticized over. The Week 16 game that is primetime on Christmas will certainly have a big impact on the NFC North division crown.

Celtics vs Knicks Game 2 Reaction

Injuries for the Knicks: Injuries really hurt the Knicks in game two. Chauncey Billups had a strained left knee and had to miss game two. Billup's replacement at point guard, Toney Douglas, struggled shooting during the game. He was just 5 for 16 from the floor and finished the game with 14 points. The Knicks also lost their star power forward Amar'e Stoudemire in the second quarter due to back spasms. Stoudemire said, "I could hardly move. I was trying to play through it. Once I felt that sharp pain, I couldn't take it... I felt it really get tight one me. I've never had back spasms before."

Doc Rivers does it again: Doc Rivers has pressed all the right buttons at the end of the Celtic's first two playoff games. In game 2, with his team down by 1 point with 19 seconds remaining in the game, Doc drew up a play to get KG the ball down in the post. Although Garnett had struggled up to that point in the game, only making 5 of his 15 shot attempts, Rivers thought that the 6'11 Garnett could shot over Jared Jeffries. Kevin hit a hook shot over his left shoulder to give the Celtics a one point lead with 13 seconds left in the fourth quarter. Jeffries said, "It was a tough shot. We wanted to send him middle and not give him his baseline shot, which is his bread-and-butter shot, and he made it. When he went middle, he made a tough, contested shot." Celtics coach Doc Rivers said, "KG struggled a little bit offensively, but like I said the other day with Ray, we trust all of our guys," coach Doc Rivers said. "We drew up the play and it was for Kevin or Paul. If they tried to deny the ball to Paul, I told Rondo that means that Kevin has to be open because there's only a certain amount of bodies on the floor.
"And they did try to deny Paul, which allowed us to get a deep post for Kevin. Rondo made a great cut so they couldn't double team; he was the only guy under the basket. They double-teamed and he was sitting there by himself. And we put Delonte [West] on the floor so we had more shooting. And it was a great shot for [Garnett]." Paul Pierce said about the decisive offensive play, "I think Kevin is the first option when he comes and down-screens for me. If he's open, Coach wants me to give it to him. And then, if not, that's where I get the ball up top for a pick-and-roll. The execution was key. Fortunately that was a play we drew up this morning. That's all about paying attention to the X's and O's and concentrating on executing down the stretch." 

Knicks final possession: In a possession where the Knicks needed to score, they left Jared Jeffries on the floor, who is not very skilled on the offensive side of the ball. Carmelo Anthony got the ball on the right wing with 9 seconds left in the fourth quarter. Big Baby Glen Davis once again left Jeffries, as he was constantly doing during the fourth quarter, to double team Melo. Melo gave the ball to Jeffries who was wide open under the hoop. However, instead of laying the ball up. Jeffries turned the other way to try and make a pass to Bill Walker but the ball was stolen. Jeffries said about the play, "Looking at the tape, I should have shot it. I felt like KG was coming down. I tried to dump the ball off to Bill [Walker], and KG had his hand down. So when I tried to pass the ball to Bill cutting to the rim, he got a hand on it."

Last few seconds of the game: After the madness with the Jeffries play, many people forget the let down on the other end of the floor by the Knicks. With 4.1 seconds remaining in the game, the Knicks let the Celtics kill the clock until there was only 0.6 seconds remaining in the game. Although Anthony had a spectacular game with 42 points, he had a mental lapse on the final play. Delonte West pushed off Anthony and then sprinted into the backcourt. However, Anthony didn't follow him and West was in the backcourt all alone and was able to burn nearly the entire clock. Melo said, “I couldn’t get out there, I couldn’t get out there. I don’t want to fall flat now. I think Doc Rivers drew up a hell of a play though, man. A lot of us thought that the ball was coming in the front court, he threw it in the back court, it took a lot of time off the clock. You’ve got to take your hat off to Doc for drawing up a hell of a play like that.” Mike D'Antoni said that, "He [Anthony] was tired," which is no excuse for not running after your men to foul him as quickly as possible, so you have more time for a final shot. Also, the Knicks couldn't bring their final shot up to half court because D'Antoni didn't save any timeouts. 

The Key To The Cleveland Indians Quick Start: Pitching

The Cleveland Indians don't by any stretch of the imagination have any big name pitchers on their staff. Their rotation of Fausto Carmona, Carlos Carrasco, Justin Masterson, Josh Tomlin, and Mitch Talbot isn't exactly eye popping. The Indians, one year removed from a 93 loss season, have begun their 2011 campaign winning 12 of their first 16 games, largely due to the consistency of their pitching.

The Indians lead the league with 13 quality starts. They rank 1st in WHIP at 1.10 and in opponents batting average at .214. The Indians also rank 5th in ERA at 3.13. Justin Masterson and Josh Tomlin have been the pleasant surprises of the staff.

Justin Masterson is 3-0 with a 1.33 ERA in three starts this year. He didn't get his third win last season until July 1st on his 16th start of the season. A big reason behind Masterson's early season success is his control. Justin has 12 strikeouts and has only allowed 4 walks, which is the fewest of any starter on the Indians staff, through three starts. Indians pitching coach Tim Belcher told Masterson "to throw that little white thing over that larger white thing as much as you can." He added, "If he [Justin] does that, his stuff is so sick. If he throws strikes over the plate, he's going to give us a chance to win." In his first two starts combined, Justin threw 137 of 209 pitches for strikes. After Masterson's first start of the season against the White Sox, where he let up 1 run in 7 innings, his manager Manny Acta said when asked what he liked about Justin's performance, "Strike one. He threw plenty of them. I believe 17 of 29 first-pitch strikes." In his third start against the Orioles, Masterson threw 66 of 90 pitches for strikes. That includes throwing first pitch strikes to 20 of the 26 batters. Justin said, "Throwing that first pitch in there allows you to expand the zone a little, which is great with the stuff that I have. It's been very simple, subtle stuff but I've done it enough to just go out and pitch and gain confidence with what I have." Masterson's improved slider and change-up have been able to compliment his fastball and his nasty slider. Masterson got 12 of 21 hitters on the Orioles out on ground balls, mainly using his off speed pitches. After the Indians played the Orioles, Indiana manager Manny Acta said, "Justin had good velocity and a good sinker. All they could do was beat the ball into the ground."

Josh Tomlin is also 3-0 and has an ERA of 2.75. Tomlin has the best WHIP of any Indians starter at .92 and he has only allowed 12 hits in 19.2 innings. Tomlin doesn't strike out many guys, as he doesn't have overpowering stuff. However, Manny Acta has praised Tomlin for "making pitches he has to" and for having good "damage control" skills. Josh has minimized the damage in all of his starts, not allowing more than 3 runs in any games he has pitched thus far. After Tomlin's first start against the Red Sox, where he pitched 7 innings and allowed only 1 run, Manny Acta described his pitcher best when he said, “Tomlin did a fantastic job out there tonight. He especially did good against left-handed batters, getting 13-of-15 out. He used his change-up to keep them off balance, then when they were looking for the change-up he would sneak in that cutter... and that pitch gets in on the batters quickly.” Acta continued by saying, "He throws a lot of strikes. They are either going to him him or he's going to get them out. He'll be out [of the game] after 70 to 80 pitches because he pitches to contact." Tomlin uttered his manager's words by saying, "I try to get the ball in play. Those guys behind me get paid millions of dollars to do what they do... and they do a great job."

Will Tyler Hansbrough Have A Repeat Performance in Game Two?

Tyler Hansbrough had a stretch during the season where he scored over 13 points in 13 straight games. He had his best stretch of games in that span since he was drafted in 2009.

In Tyler's first playoff game of his two year NBA career, Hansbrough may have had his best game in a Pacers uniform. Hansbrough scored 22 points on 10 of 19 shooting in 36 minutes of play. Tyler hit 8 jump shots all from about 20 foot and he was usually relentless self on the offensive end. When the Pacers were leading 91 to 88 with 4:35 remaining in the fourth quarter, Hansbrough scored 7 unanswered points on his own to give the Pacers a 98-88 lead. The Pacers were looking for him in the post in the final minutes of the fourth quarter.

Hansbrough anticipates that the Bulls will pay more attention to him after he torched them for 22 points in Game One. He said, "I think they'll put a little more pressure on me. I'm not sure what they will do, but they probably won't give me as many open looks. I think they're going to make some adjustments. I can't really tell you what it's going to be. I think they'll try to get Boozer move involved, to be honest with you. But they are going to change things up. Whenever you are playing a team like this, they are going to try to take advantage of their weapon." When Tyler was asked if he will repeat his Game One performance, Hansbrough said, "I don't know, I had a pretty good game. I would like to, but we will see what happens. Just going to come out here and try to win."

Boozer will definitely step out on Hansbrough and not let him take open jump shots from 20 feet. He will make Tyler put the ball on the floor rather than spot up for jumpers, which Tyler is so good at hitting.

The Atlanta Hawks Game Plan Was Worked to Perfection in Game 1: Play Dwight Howard One-On-One And Stop The Rest

In the first half alone, Dwight Howard scored 31 points, which broke the Magic postseason franchise record for most points in a half. Dwight was dominant down in the post. Howard was 11 for 15 from the floor and although he was a 59.8 percent free throw shooter during the regular season, he was 8 for 9 from the strike during the first half. However, the Magic were trailing at half time 55-48 to the Atlanta Hawks. 

Atlanta was constantly changing the defender on Howard. Jason Collins, Josh Powell, Zaza Pachulla, and Etan Thomas all had chances to defend Howard. The Hawks risky game plan of not doubling Howard in the post proved to be very effective. The Magic, who led the league in 3 pointers made during the season, struggled to get anybody going from behind the arc, as they weren't getting any up looks. Hawks coach Larry Drew said, “He [Dwight] was scoring but the other guys weren’t getting as many touches. That was just a decision I made to stay with that particular coverage. I did not want to open up any type of opportunities with their 3-point shooters.” No other Magic beside Dwight Howard scored until there was 1 minute and 20 seconds remaining in the first quarter and they only added 7 points in the whole quarter. The Magic supporting cast only had 1 point in the final 6:54 of the second quarter. In the first half, the rest of the Magic players beside Howard only scored 17 points. No player other than Howard had more than 6 points at half time. Jameer Nelson, who averaged 13 points a game during the season, had 1 point at halftime and Jason Richardson, who averaged 15.6 points a game during the season, had 2 points. Jason Collins said, “We came in at halftime and we knew that one player was not going to beat us. Dwight can go out there and have 60 points. As long as we have 61, we will take that.”

During the second half, Jameer Nelson joined Dwight Howard in scoring but no other Magic players could get themself going. No Magic player other than Howard and Nelson scored in the third quarter and they didn't get on the board until 8:07 remaining in the fourth quarter. These guys had a total of 4 points in the entire second half. No Magic other than Howard and Nelson had more than 6 points in the game. Starting forward Brandon Bass was 0 for 4 from the floor and finished the game with 0 points. Jason Richardson was 2 for 8 and only had 4 points. Hedo Turkoglu was 2 for 9 from the floor and only had 6 points. The Magic players other than Howad and Nelson were 8 of 34 (23.5 percent) from the floor and 2 of 15 (13.3 percent) from three-point land. Jameer Nelson said after the game, “Offensively we have to get better, move the ball, whatever. I don’t know. I really can’t put a finger on it right now.” Howard, finished the game with 46 points, which tied the Magic playoff record for points. Atlanta Hawks forward Josh Smith said about Jason Collins, “He got in his head a little bit. Even though Dwight had an explosive game I think he did a pretty good job on him, especially in that second half.”

Magic fans have to wonder about their team's game plan. In games where Howard has taken at least 16 shot attempts like yesterday, the Magic are only 10-13. When Howard takes 10 or less shots and the rest of the Magic are getting involved and scoring, the Magic are 17-3. Orlando Magic coach Stan Van Gundy said, "I'm not coming in here angry at players who had bad games. My focus right now is on me and my game plan. I've got to do a better job... and we've got to find some answers on the offensive end of the floor to get some of these other guys going, too. I want to get to the film as soon as I can and get back to work."

Are The Bulls Too Reliant On Derrick Rose?

Bulls’ fans are pretty happy to have escaped from game one of their first round eastern conference playoff series with a win. The Pacers lead the Bulls on the road in Chicago for nearly the entire game. They were leading by 10 points with only 3:38 left in the fourth quarter. The Bulls took their first lead with 48 seconds left in the game at 102 to 99 and never relinquished it. However, the Bulls may have shown a chink in their armor despite the late victory.

Indiana Pacers forward Danny Ganger said before the playoffs that he would rather play the Bulls in the postseason than the Celtics because the Celtics have a variety of weapons, while the Bulls are very reliant on Derrick Rose. He said, "Chicago, they go as Derrick Rose goes. If you make a concerted effort to stop Derrick Rose, you have a better chance of beating them." Rose defended his teammates by saying, "My teammates, they're around me. I think we play good together. That's his opinion. I've got winners on my team and winners know how to win."

However, the Bulls looked very reliant on Derrick Rose to create the bulk of their offense in game one against the Pacers. Outside of Rose, who scored 39 points, the Bulls struggled to score. Boozer was 4 of 11 from the field and only had 12 points, as he was limited with 5 fouls. Joakim Noah was 5 of 12 from the field and only had 10 points. Keith Bogans was 0 of 3 from the floor and didn't score. Luol Deng may have been the only bright spot outside of Rose, as he scored 18 points. In the third quarter, Derrick Rose scored 12 points, while the rest of the Bulls only added 8 points.

Derrick Rose is confident however that his team will play a much better game on Monday at home. He said, “We came out sluggish, they got the lead and we couldn’t get it back till the end of the game. But we’re going to learn from this, watch film, come together and try to control the next game.” 

Cory Tell All Sports Statistics

I would like to thank everybody for viewing my blog since I began writing on March 7. It has been a very fun month plus writing for you guys. I hope that my blog is living up to its motto, as being good enough to deserve to win the Heisman Trophy.

Since I obviously love statistics, here are some cool ones about by blog. My blog had a total of 640 views in March. I got about 26 views a day in that month. I have already had 778 views in April through just 14 days. That is about 56 views a day, which is up 30 views a day from March. I have had a total of 1,418 views since I began writing a month ago. The most page views I received in one day was on Saturday, March 26, when my blog was viewed 107 times.

My blog has been referenced on Google 447 times, on Facebook 31 times, on pingy 29 times, and even on Google United Kingdom 7 times.

My blog has received 1,316 page views in the United States. It has also received 102 page views from countries other than the United States. This includes 52 page views from the United Kingdom, 14 from Singapore, 6 from Iran, 3 from Denmark, and 3 from Italy. I would also like to tell my viewers in Austria, Belgium, Canada, Germany, Indonesia, and Ireland to continue to continue to look at my blog.

Including this post, I have written 68 articles for my blog in 39 days. I wrote 37 posts last month and I have already written 31 this month. I have written 25 blog posts on games and events for people to watch. 22 of my posts have been about college basketball. I have written 11 blog posts on the MLB. 3 of my posts have been about golf, 2 have been about the NBA, 1 has been about the NHL, 1 has been about soccer, and another post has been about the NFL. Lastly, I also wrote 2 posts about my blog in general.

Thank you for the support and continue to search my blog for new articles.

NBA Playoffs First Round Predictions

Eastern Conference First Round:
1. Chicago Bulls over 8. Indiana Pacers in 5 games
4. Orlando Magic over 5. Atlanta Hawks in 6 games
3. Boston Celtics over 6. New York Knicks in 6 games
2. Miami Heat over 7. Philadelphia 76ers in 5 games

Western Conference First Round:
1. San Antonio Spurs over 8. Memphis Grizzlies in 6 games
4. Oklahoma City Thunder over 5. Denver Nuggets in 7 games
6. Portland Trail Blazers over 3. Dallas Mavericks in 7 games
2. Los Angeles Lakers over 7. New Orleans Hornets in 5 games

The White Sox Can't Find A Closer

Matt Thornton came into the 2011 season as the closer for the Chicago White Sox. It hasn't gone as planned for him. Thornton is 0-2 and has allowed 10 runs on 11 hits in just 5 appearances for the Sox. He has no saves and 4 blown saves to go along with his 7.71 ERA through just 12 games. Chris Sale has been just as bad as Thornton. He has allowed 6 runs in just 7 appearances. Sale has a 7.36 ERA and has blown 1 save for the Sox. The White Sox bullpen have allowed 21 earned runs in just 12 games and only two other bullpens in the league have a higher ERA than the White Sox bullpen. Thornton and Sale have a combined .367 opponents batting average and they have blown a combined 5 saves. The White Sox have lost 5 games this season...

The White Sox bullpen struggles came to a season high yesterday. The White Sox were leading 4 to 1 after 8 innings when Chris Sale came into the game. He allowed 3 runs on 3 hits and couldn't record one out before being pulled by manager Ozzie Guillen. Matt Thornton came into the game in the 10th inning and also allowed 3 runs on 3 hits. The Sox lost to the A's in 10 innings 7 to 4 and wasted a great 8 innings of pitching from starter John Danks.

Ozzie Guillen was obviously very frustrated with his team's bullpen following their third meltdown in less than a week. He said, "The closer situation: I don't have any closer. I don't have any closer. I don't. We will see. Because from this point on, you're just scratching your head and second-guessing yourself what you're doing wrong, bringing people to the mound with a three-run lead for a third time and we can't hold the lead... When you have a bad bullpen, that's what happens. That's what happens."  That's not a good sign... I might call Bobby Thigpen [the former White Sox closer, who had 57 saves in 1990] to help us. I see the same [expletive] you guys see. Exactly the same [expletive]."

Matt Thornton said, "Oh man. There's nothing to even describe it right now. Frustration is pretty high... Confidence isn't the problem. It's my frustration right now. It's the most frustrated I've been in a long time. I can't remember a run of games like this where I haven't gotten the job done that many times in a row." Chris Sale added, "Just location. Leaving balls up and there were too many hittable pitches."

The White Sox may have to turn to their young, 27 year old pitcher Sergio Santos to close games for them. Sergio has pitched 7.2 innings and has been fantastic. Santos has only allowed five hits and he hasn't surrendered a run yet in five appearances. Santos also didn't allow a run in 9.2 innings in Spring Training. "I like where I'm at. With the fastball changeup and slider that I have, I feel confident that if I make my pitch I'm going to get outs. It's not always the case. You can make a great pitch and they get a hit off it and that happens, but I'll take my chances as a pitcher and the way I'm feeling right now." Many White Sox fans hope that Guillen will give the ball to Santos the next time they are leading in the ninth inning and they aren't the only ones. I would really like Santos to become the White Sox closer becuase he is available in my fantasy baseball league and I really need a closer!

What Does Fernando Torres Bring You: No Champions League Title And No Goals

In a competition that Sir Alex Ferguson has said that Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich is "obsessed" with winning, Chelsea bowed out in the quarterfinals to their rivals Manchester United. Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson said, "That is certainly why they signed Fernando Torres in January. There is no question of that in my mind. Abramovich has very much nailed his colours to the mast in that respect; I've felt that for quite a while with him. But to have an obsession with winning the European Cup can stretch you a wee bit. It's a fantastic competition but, at the end of the day, it is also a very difficult competition to win. All the best teams are there."

Chelsea certainly went a long way to sign the 27-year old Torres from Liverpool. His deal with Chelsea was the third-most expensive transfer fee in history and broke the British transfer record at 79.5 million dollars. Torres was extremely disappointing in his first ten games with Chelsea missing countless opportunities in the premier league and champions league. He had 0 goals and 0 assists in his first ten games with his new team. Coming into Chelsea's champion league game against Manchester United, Torres hadn't scored a goal in 648 minutes.

Torres still started for Chelsea however in the second leg of their champions league tie against Manchester United. Ferguson argued, "I think having signed Torres for the money they paid, they had to play him. I wasn't 100 percent sure but I couldn't see how they could leave Torres out." However, Carlo Ancelotti said that he was under no pressure to start Torres in the game. Ancelotti said about playing Torres, "I have to choose the players, not comparing the players with the money the club paid for them.  I have to choose the line-up looking at the training sessions, the condition of the players, and the spirit. Fernando knows this very well.'' 

After another ineffective performance by the Spaniard, Torres was replaced at halftime by fellow forward Didier Drogba, who scored Chelsea’s only goal in the 77th minute. After the game when Ancelotti was asked if it was a mistake to start Torres, he said, "Maybe. Could be. But, I told you a lot of times this season I wanted to start with Fernando for this kind of game, for these type of tactics, but Didier played very well in the second half. He did better than Torres in his 45 minutes." Torres will look to get his first goal in a Chelsea uniform on Saturday against 10th place West Bromwich Albion in the premier league.

Daisuke Matsuzaka Not Out Of The Red Sox Rotation, Yet

I'm not sure what was more painful to watch: Rory McIlroy's horrible collapse on the final day of the Masters or the Red Sox game last night against the Tampa Bay Rays, especially the first two innings. Coming into the game, the Rays had scored a total of 20 runs in 9 nine games, which was the least runs scored in the league at the time. In just two innings, the Rays scored 7 runs off Daisuke Matsuzaka and handed the Sox their largest loss of the season, 16 to 5.

In Matsuzaka's first start of the season, he had trouble throwing first-pitch strikes. Daisuke had to leave the game after 5 innings because he had already thrown 96 pitches. In a huge start for Matsuzaka, as people had already begun to speculate whether Matsuzaka would be replaced in the rotation even before his second start, he was a horrible from the beginning of the game. Although Daisuke wasn't wild and limited his walks, he was tagged for seven runs on eight hits including two home runs. Red Sox manager Terry Francona said, "It looked like he was trying to establish fastball and breaking ball, and he pumped strikes. Then we got into the second and everything went to the middle of the plate. There was one walk and seven balls hit right on the barrel. We love when guys throw strikes, but there were balls middle-middle for seven hitters." Daisuke could only last two plus innings before being pulled by Francona. The Rays scored 6 runs in the second inning before Daisuke could even record an out on a Matt Joyce ground out, which got an extremely loud, sarcastic cheer from the crowd. Terry Francona put it best when he said, “It was a horrendous second inning."

Although Daisuke has begun the season with an 0-2 record, a horrific 12.86 ERA, and has only been able to pitch in just seven innings in two starts, the Red Sox don't plan to make any moves with Matsuzaka just yet. Terry Francona said about replacing Daisuke in the rotation, “I think if we do things like that, we’ll set ourselves up for some really bad mistakes. It was tough to watch. Shoot, if you make decisions based on emotion and after [two] bad starts, we wouldn’t have a team left. You can’t do that.’’

NHL Playoffs First Round Predictions

Eastern Conference First Round:
1. Washington Capitals over 8. New York Rangers in five games
5. Tampa Bay Lightning over 4. Pittsburgh Penguins in seven games
3. Boston Bruins over 6. Montreal Canadiens in six games
7. Buffalo Sabres over 2. Philadelphia Flyers in seven games

Western Conference First Round:
1. Vancouver Canucks over 8. Chicago Blackhawks in six games
5. Nashville Predators over 4. Anaheim Ducks in seven games
3. Red Wings over 6. Phoenix Coyotes in six games
2. San Jose Sharks over 7. Los Angeles Kings in five games

Rory McIlroy Shows Class Despite His Meltdown

There are only a few words to describe Rory's McIlroy's final round at Augusta National. It was a collapse. It was a meltdown. He was 7 over par on the back 9 including a triple bogey on 10, a bogey on 11, and a double bogey on 12. McIlroy's final round 80 was the worst of a third round leader at the Masters since Ken Venturi in 1956. The four stroke lead that McIlroy squandered was the biggest of a third round leader at a major since Jean Van de Velde lead by 5 strokes at the 1999 Open Championship. Many people have compared McIlroy's meltdown to Greg Norman when he entered the Masters with a six stroke lead in 1996 but lost by five strokes to Nick Faldo. Since McIlroy turned professional in 2007, he only had one round where he didn't break 80 before his 80 at the Masters on Sunday. Everything that could have gone wrong for the Rory, did go wrong. He went from a comfortable four stroke lead after 54 holes at 12 under to a tied for 15th finish at 4 under. He went from a check of 1,440,000 to a check of 128,000. Although McIlroy's collapse may be remembered more than even Charl Schwartzel's victory, the 21 year old handled himself with outstanding class and maturity amidst the circumstances.

McIlroy didn't dodge any of his post match interview requests. He pulled himself together after his miserable round and handled the loss extremely graciously. McIlroy said after his round, “I thought I hung in pretty well in the front nine, I was leading the tournament going into the back nine. Just hit a poor tee shot on 10 and sort of unraveled from there. Just sort of lost it 10, 11, 12, and couldn’t really get it back. It’s one of those things, I’m very disappointed at the minute and I’m sure I will be for the next few days, but I’ll get over it. I have to take the positives and the positives are I led this golf tournament for 63 holes. I’ll have plenty more chances, I know that. It’s very disappointing what happened today and hopefully it will build a little bit of character in me as well... It was a character-building day. Put it that way." McIlroy definitely showed character and was very candid in defeat. On his twitter page he said, "Found it tough going today, but you have to lose before you can win. This day will make me stronger in the end.... Thank you to everyone for all your kind words and messages of support. I'm a little overwhelmed! Very much appreciated!... Oh and congratulations charl schwartzel!! Great player and even better guy! Very happy for him and his family."

McIlroy received support from his fans and also other players who were impressed by the 21 year old's attitude. Luke Donald said, “It’s tough – my heart goes out to Rory. He’ll bounce back, I’m sure. He’s just got to take the learning experience from this.” Phil Mickelson said, "Rory is one of the nicest guys you can imagine. He's one of the classiest guys out on tour... Rory is as classy a guy as there is. I've been paired with him a bunch, and I really enjoy playing with him." Even Cleveland Brown's quarterback Colt McCoy wrote on his twitter, "Felt terrible for Rory."

However, McIlroy is definitely not the first to blow a lead at a major by having a horrible final round. At the 2010 U.S. Open, Dustin Johnson was -6 and had a three stroke lead at the top of the leaderboard after three rounds. He finished tied for 8th place after shooting an 82 on the final day. At the 2010 PGA Championship, Nick Watney had a three stroke lead going into the final round at 13 under par and ended up finishing tied for 18th place after a fourth round 81. McIlroy, who has finished in third place in three of the last six majors was confident that he has a lot more time to win a major saying, “You know, I’ll have plenty more chances. I know that."

Concerns for the Red Sox

The Red Sox are off to their worst start at 1-7 since 1945 when they lost a team record 8 straight games, as Johnny Pesky, Ted Williams, and others were serving in WWII. The Red Sox came into the season looking as the favorite according to many with their acquisition of all-star left fielder Carl Crawford and first basemen Carl Crawford. Kevin Youkilis said, "It can't get any worse than this. There's only one way to go. That's up." Red Sox manager Terry Francona said, "The slate's not really clean," Boston manager Terry Francona said. "The record is what it is, but I don't want us to have a hangover. We need to pick it up. We're going to play a good team now. We haven't done a very good job to this point. I don't want us to be trying to win for this week because we can't do that." The Red Sox have several issues that they will need to address.

Francona needs to find a spot where Carl Crawford is comfortable in the lineup. Crawford has had a horrible first 8 games with his new team. Carl has batted .152 (5-33) with 2 runs, no extra base hits, and has 1 RBI. Crawford's batting average is the 10th worst in the AL and no other player in the top 10 is being paid over 20 million dollars like Crawford. He also has career lows thus far in on base percentage at .200 and slugging percentage at .152. Crawford's on base percentage is 9th worst in the AL and his slugging percentage is 3rd worst in the AL. Crawford has batted all over the lineup. He began the season batting 3rd for the first two games, then batted 7th for a game, then 2nd for three games, and now has been batting first for the last two games. Crawford hasn't batted lead off since 2007 when he did it for the first seven games of the year before moving to second in the lineup. Crawford said about batting lead off, "I just thought I (stank) at it, to be honest with you. Lou [Piniella, Crawford's manager at the time] put me second. Maybe I could have gotten better at it, but I just wasn't comfortable. It didn't have anything to do with stats. I just don't think I'm a good lead off hitter." However, when the Red Sox returned for their home opener, Crawford was leading off and Jacoby Ellsbury dropped to 8th and then 9th for the second game of the season against the Yankees. Francona said, “When he’s swinging good, I really want him to be hitting lead off. He hasn’t been swinging terribly good, but a lot of guys haven’t. Saying that, it’s not so much a demotion. I don’t want him to start going up there and be somebody who is taking pitches. I want him to be himself and create some havoc." Wherever Crawford is batting, it will be very important for him to hit well, especially with his ability to cause havoc on the base paths, as he had 47 stolen bases last season and 60 the year before that. 

With most of the attention on Carl Crawford, the rest of the Red Sox struggles from the plate have flown a little bit under the radar. Through six games the Red Sox were batting .181 and were even worse with runners in scoring position, as they were batting just .81 (3-37). Dustin Pedroia is the only starting Red Sox batting over .300 and even he was batting .227 over the Sox first six games. The struggles have been all over the lineup from top to bottom. In the middle of the lineup, the always reliable Kevin Youkilis has no home runs, 2 RBI's, and is batting just .125 (3-24). At the bottom of the lineup, the Red Sox catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia is batting just .182 (4-22) and only has 1 extra base hit. The Sox have the 27th worst batting average in the league at .215 and have scored the 5th fewest runs in the AL. Francona isn't as worried as some other Red Sox supporters saying, "It's a long season. If you treat every game like it's the seventh game of the World Series, I think you'll burn your team out. Some people may think differently. But I think there are times when you have to trust these guys. Sometimes there might not be the best match-ups. You might lose the battle but win the war... A lot of times these numbers don't even come into play, but I feel a responsibility to at least know. I feel like if I ask the players to do their best, I just feel like I have a responsibility to do everything I can. And it helps me relax."

Most people expect the Sox's hitting to come around but the pitching staff is a serious question mark. The Sox have let up the second most runs in the league through their first 8 games with 53. They have the worst ERA in the league at 7.09, have the least quality starts in the league with 1 (they lost that game anyway), are 28th in the league with a 1.56 WHIP, and are 27th in the league in opponents batting average at. 274. To sum it up, the Sox pitching hasn't been too great. John Lackey has looked the worst out of the Sox starting rotation. In two games, he has pitched a total of 8.2 innings, has allowed 17 hits including 3 home runs, and has given up 15 runs. The home run ball has killed the Red Sox pitching. Buchholz has allowed five home runs in two starts, Lester has allowed three in two starts, and the starters have allowed 12 home runs in total. Terry Francona said about the struggles of the rotation, "We're not even two times through. I don't think it's been a very good first time through the rotation, but I don't think we're going to pack it in. We need to try to get better. We all feel that way... We're walking some people and there are a lot of deep counts. All the things that we talk about that we want to do [offensively] is being done to us right now. We're getting a lot of early exits and asking a lot of our bullpen right now, especially early in the season."The bullpen has also struggled for the Red Sox allowing 7 home runs but they have had to pitch a lot of innings with the ineffectiveness of the starters. Out of the Sox first eight games, their starting pitching has only pitched more than 5 innings twice. The Sox rotation is confident that their early season struggles will not continue for much longer. Clay Buchholz said, "Everything’s there. It’s just a matter of throwing pitches in situations when I can throw them. Last year, I threw a lot of off-speed pitches when I was behind in the count and had a lot of success with it. I just haven’t thrown them for strikes, yet. It’s only two starts in and it’s a game of adjustments.”

The Masters Third Round Storylines

1. Will Phil Mickelson make a surge: Phil Mickelson came in to the Masters labeled as the favorite by many after winning last years tournament and the tournament before the Masters in Houston. Mickelson at -2 comes into the third round at the Masters 8 shots behind the leader and is tied for 20th place. Phil looked to be in pretty good position after the first round sitting at -2 with a round of 70 but he only shot a 72 in the second round. Mickelson blamed his struggles in the second round on his short game and putting, saying "I haven't made any putts. I've caught a lot of lips. My speed has been just a fraction off. Just too firm or in a lot of cases just too soft on these greens...Today I left a lot of shots out there that were not hard up-and-downs. You know, they were very doable. I missed a few four or five-footers there, but I expect to get those up-and-down. I didn't, I left a lot out there today. I can't afford this weekend to leave those shots out there." Mickelson only hit four fairways on Thursday but he putted well enough to shot a 70. On Friday Phil had a much better day from the tee hitting nine fairways. He also hit 13 greens in regulation, but he needed 33 putts. Mickelson will have to putt better in order to make a climb on the leaderboard and come within striking distance of the leaders for a chance on Sunday.

2. Will Lee Westwood finally break through at a major: Lee Westwood has finished in the top three of every major including last season when he finished in second at the Masters and the British Open. Westwood is once again in contention for a major, as he is sitting in seventh place and is only 5 shots behind the leader Rory McIlroy. Westwood knows better than anybody that five shots can slip away very quickly, saying, "I had a five shot lead going down 11 on Saturday last year and I was one behind about three quarters of an hour later, so I know better than anybody how quickly leads can evaporate." He is sitting in seventh place and is only 5 shots behind the leader Rory McIlroy. After shooting an even par in the first round, Westwood flew under the radar in the second round shooting a 5 under 67. Westwood said, "I feel like I've played my way right back into it and I was pleased that I didn't let my frustrations over the putting infiltrate my long game." Westwood will have to continue to play very well on the par fives like he did during the second round. Lee was five under on the par 5's including 3 birdies on 2, 5, and 8 and 1 eagle on 15. Westwood will try to shake a tag that Phil Mickelson once held for a while: The best player to not win a major.

3. Will Tiger Woods climb to the top of the leaderboard: Tiger Woods shot a second round 6 under 66 to bring him within three shots of the leader at -7. Woods began the day +1 through three holes. He managed to finish the front 9 with a one under par 35 and his birdies at the 8th, 9th, and 10th holes gave him momentum going into the back nine. Tiger birdied 5 holes including three straight from 13 to 15 to finish with a second round of 66. He said, "I played myself back in the tournament, I'm three back, and we have a long way to go." It has been a long time for Woods that he has played this well. Tiger's 66 was his best score at the Masters since 2005, and since that date he has only shot in the 60's four times. The question for Woods will be if he can maintain this level of play. At Dubai in Febuary, Woods shot a second round 66 but then shot a 72 and 75 over the weekend. At Bay Hill two weeks ago, Woods followed a 68 with a 72 and 74 over the weekend. When Woods was asked if he’s finally where he wants, Tiger replied, “There’s a long way to go.”

4. How will Jason Day follow up his second round: Jason Day is ranked outside of the top 40 and has 1 PGA tour win but his second round at the Masters was record breaking. Day shot an unbelievable 8 under par 64 including 8 birdies and no bogeys in the second round to put himself two strokes behind Masters leader Rory McIlroy in second place. On the 18th hole, Day hit a pitching wedge within 1 foot of the hole to finish the best round of his life. Jason hit 14 greens in regulation and tied 5 other players for the least putts in the round with 25. All 8 of Day’s birdies came within 15 feet including tap-ins on the 9th and 16th holes. Day said about his eight birdies, “Yeah, I have to tell you which holes I birdied the second hole, I hit my drive in the bunker there. I knew I had to lay up to like about 110. So I hit 7 iron out and hit a pretty good wedge shot in there and left it just above the hole to about five, six feet and I holed that putt. Then 7, I hit a really good drive down there and had about 115 yards wind was down off the right and I wanted to play just left of the pin and hit a good shot there. It was just a little bit short but I role in about a 15 foot putt there. 9, I blocked my drive right and was in the pine needles, if you've ever been on pine needles, it's like skating on ice, very, very slippery stuff. Rolled up to two feet which was nice. Then going onto 11, I tried to stay away from that pin because of what happened yesterday. I hit a good drive down the middle. Had 7 iron from about 178 and I just played it right of the hole and rolled it to about 15 foot and holed that putt. 13, 4 wood down the middle. I had 215 yards to that front pin. I just needed to get it in the middle of the green. I just wanted to get it so I could have a putt at it. Hit a hybrid up there and just cleared the water and two putted for birdie. 14, obviously pulled my drive and got lucky, went through the trees and hit a wedge shot to about 15 feet and holed that putt. 16, I shoved my 9 iron right and got lucky. I was just trying to play it ten foot left and I shoved it a little bit. That putt is probably one of the biggest putts I've ever had in my life. I just tapped it and it rolled and went dead center which was good. 18, I just knew I had to hit a good drive and smashed a drive down the middle and had 145 yards to the pin, a little downwind, hit wedge just past it and got lucky and rolled it down the hill and rolled it to about a foot.” Day matched the lowest second round score in Masters history and he shot the lowest second round of any first time participant in Masters history.  Jason said after his great round, “Obviously I had a great round today. I got a little bit of a slow start yesterday, but I came home strong today and I'm just looking forward to the next two days obviously. It's just really good experience.”


5. Will Rory McIlroy surrender his lead: After a first round 7 under 65, Rory McIlroy followed up his great first round with a solid 3 under 69 in the second round. McIlroy hit 10 out of 14 fairways and 15 out of 18 greens in his second round. McIlroy hasn't three putted a hole the entire tournament and only has one bogey through 36 holes. Rory is second in the field with a 302 driving distance at the Masters. Rory said, "I'm picking my spots. I know where to miss it. I'm playing smart. I'm trying to leave myself in the best possible position. Even if I don't like firing at a pin, I'll fire 30 feet away, take my two putts and play for par. That's basically what I've done all week because I've only made one bogey in 36 holes and that's what you need to do in major championships." He is leading the pack at the Masters through two rounds at 10 under par. McIlroy doesn't seem concerned about Tiger Woods or any other player sneaking up on him, saying, "If you start thinking about anyone else here, if you let your mind wander at all, it can cost you a couple of shots. I'll be focusing on my targets and focusing on where I want my ball to go on the greens, and that's all I can do. I don't really care what anyone else does. I don't need to know... It will be a great tournamnet if he's [Tiger Woods] up there. But I'm two shots ahead and I'm in a better position." McIlroy hasn't shown too many jitters thus far and he only had one bogey in his second round. His 10 under 134 is the lowest 36 hole score at the Masters since 2005. It will be McIlroy's first time in the final group during the weekend of the major and the question will be if the pressure will get to the super talented young player.