It's All Competitive Now, Chicago

I don't believe what has happened with Chicago sports.  I'll put it out there now: All of our teams are good!  I think about this often.  Where are the best sports cities this year?  In the fall of 2007, for instance, I thought the defending AL champion Detroit Tigers, surprising Detroit 
Lions (6-2 through 8 games), and the two teams that never lose in that town (Pistons, Red Wings) made up maybe the best sports city in the country back then.  Chicago has always competed, but the Blackhawks have held the city back, especially when combined with another bad team (2006 Cubs, 2007 White Sox, 2007-08 Bulls).  New York always thinks they're the best at everything anyway, but that's because they have double the teams.  Two football franchises, in the same stadium?  Are you kidding me?  This isn't the Staples Center.  Anyway, the playoff warriors on the Bulls and Blackhawks have vaulted Chicago to leads in the first round of their respective playoff series.  

An amazing note for Bulls fans from the Game 1 OT win over Boston: Derrick Rose has done something Michael Jordan didn't.  He did something Magic Johnson didn't.  He also did something Wilt Chamberlain didn't.  He scored 36 points as a rookie in his first playoff game, tying Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.  Throw in 11 assists, and he's got ESPN raving about the Bulls and not the Celtics who were supposedly dominating at home.  So dominating, in fact, that coach Doc Rivers got really angry after the game.  "Guys, Kevin is not playing in these playoffs.  I'm not answering any Kevin Garnett questions," he barked.  I think the Bulls have to be the favorites to win the series now.  After getting the one necessary road win to win the series (assuming they win all of the games at home), the Bulls have a lot of confidence built up.  The experts were saying the series would go 6 or 7 anyway, but they didn't expect this.  I predict the Bulls will lose Game 2, win Games 3 and 4, lose Game 5 on the road, and then take the series at home in Game 6.

The Blackhawks are alive and well.  Another big home win has Comcast SportsNet Chicago drawing comparisons to Chicago Stadium.  The place was crazy in Game 1, with Martin Havlat being the big hero.  You'd think this was the 1970's, because everyone is absolutely insane with hockey.  Is this Detroit?  Is this Pittsburgh?  It's bigger than that.  Game 2 saw a big comeback led by the captain Jonathon Toews.  I love this Blackhawks team because of the youth, faith, passion, and dedication in what they do.

Aramis Ramirez, thank you.  Ramirez is helping me stay competitive in my league despite an absolutely terrible week on my fantasy team.  Ramirez hit a 2-run walk-off homer, making it three years in a row he has hit one.  Down, dumb Redbirds.  The Cardinals are slipping with the division lead after the Cubs have taken 2 of 3 thus far heading into Sunday night's ESPN finale.  

So, New York, move over.  It's our time to shine.  Let's hope that a Chicago team the majority of the city actually likes gets the championship this time.

 

ESPNChicago.com, Chicago Sports News

For all sports fans, a first has been made. ESPN has launched the website espnchicago.com, the first local sports website ever made by them. I was just on the website, it's great. That's right, we got it first, not New York. I was really surprised because ESPN is severely biased for the East Coast teams, like the only hockey games they ever show involve the New York Rangers, Philadelphia Flyers, or the Boston Bruins. Some headlines you might read from ESPN:

All of the NBA playoffs spots have been clinched. The Bulls and the Pistons are both in while shaking off Charlotte. The Bulls play tonight at Detroit and can clinch at least the 7th seed with a win. That's really good because the 8th seed has to play Cleveland, and they have only lost once at home this season. In the 7th seed you will likely play Boston, and 6th will play Orlando. I'm not really sure why, but I would think the Bulls would do better as the 7th seed against Boston. Kevin Garnett is banged up and we could stop him, like we did earlier in the season in our home victory over them. Meanwhile, we have no answer for the young Dwight Howard. Our perimeter D is not good enough to keep up with their three-point snipers J.J Reddick and Hedo Torkoglu. We might get the 6th seed anyway, because we're now tied with the 76ers for the 6th seed. They have lost 5 in a row, and the Bulls have won 4 in a row to tie them at 40-40. The Bulls are at .500 again!!! Philly plays Boston at home and then they are the last chance to stop Cleveland from going 40-1 at home. I think they might lose both games, and so the Bulls could walk into 6th place.

Another death has taken place in baseball, this time a broadcaster. Harry Kalas, the longtime voice of the Phillies, passed away at 12:20 PM CT in a hospital after collapsing in the press booth before the Phillies-Nationals game. Cause of death has not yet been released. He was known for uniting Philly and his slow talking style was remarkable. He was also known for going, "Outta Here!" after a Phillies home run. He was a fan and an amazing broadcaster, RIP.

The Cubs have been bitten by the injury bug. Ouch! There goes the $30 million dollar man Milton Bradley, 3B Aramis Ramirez, and Rookie of the Year Geovany Soto. Bradley strained his groin and was replaced by Reed Johnson last night in an 8-5 win over Milwaukee. It turned out to be a good thing, as Johnson might have saved the game when he robbed Prince Fielder of his first career grand slam with a catch over the wall. It would have tied the game at 6. Ramirez showed up to the Cubs home opener with a stiff back, and so he won't play today. Soto had a shoulder injury and will return Wednesday. How will Lou Pinella compensate? He said that he plans to put Fukudome in the 3rd spot, moving Lee to cleanup, and boosting Fontenot up to 5th. A very interesting move, this will give the Cubs a chance to test a little.
Soriano stole into an exclusive club Sunday night, becoming the 19th player in MLB history to have 250 home runs and 250 steals. He assisted their win with a first-pitch homer (which I called, by saying "That's gone" before the pitch was thrown) but it wasn't enough to get 1st place back yet. The Cardinals completed their sweep of the Astros and are 5-2 while the Cubs are 4-2.

NBA Playoffs: Spots Filling Up

Well, the Western Conference is all wrapped up.  As if there was any real competition.  The Suns will miss the playoffs for the first time in a while.  The Mavericks are the 8th seed.  Meanwhile in the East, the Bulls win over the 76ers earlier tonight lowers the Bulls' magic number to 1 for a playoff spot.  A win on Saturday for the Bulls means the playoffs for the 4th time in 5 years.  They could also clinch if the Bobcats lose to the Thunder on Friday night.  My hat is off to John Paxson who went dealing for John Salmons, Brad Miller, and Tim Thomas.  These guys have shaped the postseason berth in a way that Gooden and Nocioni couldn't have, although it was really hard for me to watch Drew Gooden go.  He was an excellent shooter in my opinion and played very well.  With this new lineup, everyone is contributing and the Bulls have been nearly unbeatable at home.  They have been able to beat every team in the Eastern Conference including the Cavaliers, Celtics, and Magic (a good sign for the postseason) as well as the Rockets, Hornets, and Nuggets at the United Center.  There's just another reason to come on down to a Bulls game in the city, along with good food, great seats, music, halftime and timeout entertainment, and more.  

-Loul Deng (Forward) is out for the season for the Bulls.  Rookie guard DeMarcus Nelson was signed for the stretch run.  There is a slight hope Deng could return for the playoffs, but it's unlikely and the way the Bulls have been playing, do we want him back?

-Believe it or not, the Indiana Pacers have hung in there one more night.  They have stayed alive although they are now only eligible for the 8th spot in the East.  The Pistons, sitting at 38-40, are 4 games ahead of Indiana with 4 to go.

-The Bulls have the Eastern Conference's 5th best home record at 27-12.  However, their 12-28 road record ranks 12th.  It all adds up to 39-40.

-Many NBA teams are making active efforts to go green.  The Mavericks held a drive where you could recycle old TV's, PDAs, computers, keyboards, and mice.  The Minnesota T'Wolves are giving an upper level ticket away for free if you ride public transit on April 5th.  The Hornets are giving free parking to the first 100 cars to show up to the game with 4 or more people in the car.  Find more of these examples at nba.com and click on NBA Green Week.

-Michael Jordan was among five elected in the Hall of Fame, although he wasn't too happy about it.  Like his style, he admitted that he always wanted to keep it where he could come back one day.  Now in the Hall, he can't.  "I don't like being up here for the hall of fame because at that time your basketball career is completely over.  I was hoping this day would be 20 more years, or actually go in when I'm dead and gone." -Jordan, courtesy of the Washington Post.  

Baseball is Back! It's Exciting!

It hasn't sunk in yet that the season has begun.  No matter, it is awesome to follow.  The intensity every night and the great thing about it is that all the teams play so often.  Also, it's not written.  No disrespect to MJ's Bulls (a sin, I tell you), but you kind of knew the other team had no chance if they were playing at the United Center unless it was the Lakers or something.  As the Pirates proved by ruining Opening Day at Busch Stadium as rookie closer Jason Motte blew a save, anyone can pull off a win.  I couldn't stop smiling as C.C. Sabathia struggled mightily in the season opener against the Orioles.  Anyway, Cubs fans will be happy with the result thus far.  A hard-fought 4-2 on Opening Day featured Alfonso Soriano (above) with a leadoff homer and Aramis Ramirez added his own a few batters later in Houston.  A tough game on Tuesday night saw the Astros win it on a walk-off single by a brand new Astro, Jeff Keppinger.  A blowout ensued on Wednesday night featuring a Mike Fontenot 3-run homer.  The Braves pulled off two impressive wins over the defending champs before a bullpen disaster got the Phillies their first win.

On a sad note, everyone should keep Angels pitcher Rick Adenhart in their thoughts or prayers after he was killed by a drunk driver early this morning.  The sad thing was that he was only 22, he was the Angels' top prospect, and he had just pitched the last night going six strong innings against the A's.  Just like after the death of Cardinals reliever Josh Hancock, the game Thursday night has been postponed.  

The drama and surprises in this game are amazing.  Who would have thought that the Orioles would have taken the first two from the Yankees?  Or the Royals taking two from the White Sox?  How about the Blue Jays taking three of four from the Tigers despite fans throwing balls and trash at the Tigers in the opener?  A note on that: Fans in the outfield at the packed Rogers Centre on Opening Day in Toronto threw a baseball at Curtis Granderson playing center field for the Tigers and trash came down, too.  Jim Leyland pulled his team off the field.  Some people thought that it might even have been a Tigers fan who threw the stuff, disgusted on how the team has failed expectations the last two years.  The punishment is on the fans: Rogers Centre is going dry for a few games.

My fantasy team is doing awesome.  Carlos Lee, Carlos Beltran, Carlos Gomez, Miguel Cabrera, Miguel Tejada, Ryan Theriot, Brandon Phillips, Roy Oswalt, Francisco Liriano, Ramon Hernandez, Aramis Ramirez, Magglio Ordonez, Coco Crisp, Joakim Soria, Josh Beckett, Brian Wilson, Manny Corpas, Yovani Gallardo, Javier Vazquez, Melvin Mora, and Garrett Atkins make up my team.  They had a fantastic day on Thursday.

Are you like me and you can't get enough baseball?  Or do you just want to follow a bit?  Either way, make sure you check out the new MLB Network, who aired their first regular season game in channel history tonight in a 7-1 Giants win over the Brewers in San Francisco.  They have a live studio show during all of the games with highlights, press conferences, topics of discussion, whatever.  They are new for the '09 season and it is great.  If you don't know what channel it is at your home, head to mlbnetwork.com to find out.  There is a channel locator on the home page.  

 

Opening Day is Here!!!

It's Opening Day, one of the greatest days in the year for baseball fans!

22 of MLB's 30 teams will kick off the new season today. Two of the eight that aren't started last night, the Braves and the Phillies battled it out in the primetime opener on ESPN2. The Phillies had pregame festivities to celebrate their World Series championship season last year, but the Braves came in and stole their thunder. Two years in a row have the Braves opened the seasonon the road in the big opener game, last year at Washington in their new stadium. Mark Teixiera hit the first homer in the history of the ballpark, called by former President George W. Bush (he was in the booth at the time). With Teixiera no longer in Atlanta, Brian McCann provided ample power with a towering two-run shot into the upper deck in right field. A quieted and frustrated crowd then witnessed Brett Myers allow Jeff Franceour and Jordan Schafer solo homers in the next inning. Schafer, in his first MLB game, hit a homer in his first MLB at-bat. The last Atlanta Braves player to do that was Jermaine Dye in 1996. Derek Lowe shut out the Phillies through eight and sat watching as Mike Gonzalez struck out Raul Ibanez to end the game, despite giving up one run.

Can't get enought Opening Day coverage? Head to ESPN and ESPN2, where you can catch five games today, although I'm not sure what they will do about the PPD Rays at Red Sox game. You can see Johan Santana (right) and the Mets at the Reds, Cubs-Astros, Athletics-Angels, and Yankees-Orioles. To get the best game day studio coverage, tune to the brand new MLB Network, in its first season of coverage.

NBA Playoffs Scenarios and NCAA Tournament Final

But first, a long overdue update on the WBC.

So, the WBC is over. Japan won. A note on that: I don't know about anyone else, but I don't want to see this become a battle between the Far East teams. That's just a thought. It should be the WORLD Baseball Classic, and the event has many issues yet to be worked out.

Now, to the real topic of this blog post. In the NBA, the Suns seem to be lost. At 42-35, a loss will cost them the playoffs. In a 9-team conference (10th place Golden State is 14 games behind Phoenix) the Suns have been struggling to get back into the picture. A Dallas Mavericks win will clinch the final playoff spot while much in the East is yet to be decided. Allowing 140 points to the team you're chasing last night won't help the Suns either.

-The Cavaliers have gotten their home record to 37-1 (the only blip was a loss to the Lakers). I hope that someone can spoil the fun soon (for MJ's 95-96 Bulls, please).

-At the 6th seed in the East, the 76ers have clinched a playoff spot. At 7th is Ben Gordon (above) and the Bulls then 8th is Tayshaun Prince (right) and the Pistons. The Bobcats are 9th and the Pacers are 10th. Playoff scenarios:

-For the Indiana Pacers to get into the playoffs, the Pistons must lose all 5 remaining games while the Pacers win all of theirs. Meanwhile, the Bobcats must lose two of their five remaining games. Basically, a Pistons win can eliminate the Pacers.

-For the Charlotte Bobcats to get into the playoffs, the Pistons must lose three of the next five while the Bobcats win four. If the Pistons win four or the Bobcats lose two, the Pistons seal off the 8th spot.
-The Bulls follow the same scenarios as the Pistons seeing as they have identical records despite the Bulls holding the tiebreaker.
-What happened to the Milwaukee Bucks? The Bucks once held the 8th spot and the Bulls were chasing them and now their record has fallen to 32-46, good for the 12th seed including 2-8 in their last ten games.

The NCAA tourney wraps up with the title game featuring UNC and MSU. I don't really follow college basketball, so in case you're wondering, my bracket is doing bad after I had the Illini make it to the Sweet 16. For this one, I've got Kalin Lucas and MSU.