The Greatest Series Ever?

Can a first round NBA playoff series ever go down as the best series ever? Two weeks ago I would have said no. There is no way it would have the drama, excitement, aggressiveness, passion and adrenaline that we often see if the NBA finals. I mean, sure its the playoffs, but its the first round so there is no way a team will go all out because they are still 3 rounds away from "tasting the championship."

Suddenly, I find my thoughts being challenged by the Celtics-Bulls first round playoff series. Currently, the series is tied at 3 games apiece. Boston is the defending NBA champs, they are the #2 seed in the East and have many savvy veterans. The Bulls are an up and coming 7 seed that many think may just be a few years off from becoming and playoff mainstay. That whole "few years away" talk appears to be nonsense because the Bulls are for real and have pushed the Celtics to a game 7.

But the idea of this post is that this may be the best series ever (and its not even over). Chew on these facts:

- Of the 6 games, 4 have gone to overtime (2 single OT games, 1 2OT game and 1 3OT game).

- Of the 6 games, 5 have been decided by 3 points or less (read that again, it might just blow your mind).

- There have been 7 overtime periods played in the first 6 games, the most ever (ironically, the 2nd most is 4 overtime periods and has been done twice, and both also involved the Celtics).

- In 6 games, there have been 5 different players that have scored the game high in points (Rose, Gordon, Pierce (2 times), Rondo and Allen).

- There have been 12 double-doubles and 2 triple doubles in the series thus far.


So whats the point with all this? Lets just say I suggest tuning in to Game 7 between the Celtics and Bulls at 5:00 PM on Saturday night, because you may just be watching the final saga of the greatest NBA playoff series ever.

This is What Al Davis Missed Out On

Michael Crabtree's Game Winning Touchdown Against Texas

Al Davis is CRAZY

In the First Round of the 2009 NFL Draft, many teams made great pickups. The Jets traded up and got what they hope is their new franchise quarterback. The Packers shored up a young defense with two great first round picks, B.J. Raji and Clay Matthews III.

Then there was Al Davis and the Oakland Raiders. Davis has been known to like speed over anything else and yesterday, with the 7th overall pick, Davis made perhaps one of the worst selections ever taking Maryland speedster Darrius Heyward-Bey over the only two-time Biletnikoff winner, Michael Crabtree. Heyward-Bey is smokin fast running a 4.30 40-time at the combine and he has good size. So those are two things you can't teach and he posses them. The issue is hands and route running. Heyward-Bey is unpolished and needs time and good coaching to help him mature into a valuable NFL receiver.

The issue that I have, along with many other sports fans who followed the draft yesterday is that Michael Crabtree was on the board (along with Jeremy Maclin who I am not even really addressing). Crabtree is polished, talented, good speed, excellent hands and has played big when it counts. The Raiders need instant help from a polished player considering their former Top Overall draft pick Jamarcus Russell is still working on his game. So to bring in another player that needs time to learn and perfect his game doesn't make sense to me. I think its time for Al Davis to retire...PLEASE!

Gilbert "the Pool Jumper" Goes to Chicago

Jarron Gilbert, the Defensive End from San Jose State was drafted today in the 3rd round by the Chicago Bears. So what, it was the 4th pick of the 3rd round, who cares? No one really...except it gives me a reason to tie in the NFL draft and an amazing YouTube video.

Watch the video and be amazed at the raw strength of Gilbert. Then go try it yourself!

Which College Produces the Best NFL Offense?

On the eve of the 2009 NFL draft, I started wondering which college currently has the best 4 person offensive unit using only a list of current NFL players. For no reason other than to make my research easier, by offensive unit I mean a quarterback (QB), a running back (RB) and two receivers (either wide receivers (WR) or tight ends (TE)). There are hundreds of colleges/ universities out there, so there could be an oversight on my part, but here are some thoughts on schools that could be nominated for producing the top offensive unit.

(In Alphabetical Order)
California: Aaron Rodgers (QB), Marshawn Lynch (RB), Tony Gonzalez (TE), Desean Jackson (WR)
Florida: Rex Grossman (QB), Fred Taylor (RB), Jabar Gaffney (WR), Andre Caldwell (WR)
LSU: JaMarcus Russell (QB), Joseph Addai (RB), Dwayne Bowe (WR), Michael Clayton (WR)
Marshall: Chad Pennington (QB), Ahmad Bradshaw (RB), Randy Moss (WR), Jason Rader (TE)
Miami (FL): Brock Berlin (QB), Clinton Portis (RB), Jeremy Shockey (TE), Andre Johnson(WR)
Michigan: Tom Brady (QB), Mike Hart (RB), Braylon Edwards (WR), Steve Breaston (WR)
Michigan St: Drew Stanton (QB), T.J. Duckett (RB), Muhsin Muhammad (WR), Derrick Mason (WR)
Notre Dame: Brady Quinn (QB), Ryan Grant (RB), Maurice Stovall (WR), John Carlson (TE)
Ohio St: Troy Smith (QB), Anotonio Pittman (RB), Santonio Holmes (WR), Michael Jenkins (WR)
Oregon St Derek Anderson (QB), Steven jackson (RB), Chad Ochocinco (WR), T.J. Houshmandzadeh (WR)
Penn St: Kerry Collins (QB), Larry Johnson (RB), Joe Jurevicius (WR), Bobby Engram (WR)
Tennessee: Peyton Manning (QB), Jamal Lewis (RB), Donte Stallworth (WR), Jason Witten (TE)
Texas: Vince Young (QB), Ricky Williams (RB), Roy Williams (WR), Bo Scaife (TE)
USC: Matt Cassel (QB), LenDale White (RB), Steve Smith (WR), Billy Miller (TE)
Virginia: Matt Schaub (QB), Thomas Jones (RB), Heath Miller (TE), Billy McMullen (WR)
Wisconsin: Brooks Bollinger (QB), Michael Bennett (RB), Chris Chambers (WR), Lee Evans (WR)

So, there you have it, the top 16 (really these were the only 16 colleges that could field a team with the required 4 positions). Obviously some schools have players that didn't make the "team" but are very talented. If this is the case (i.e. Kellen Winslow, Reggie Bush, Carson Palmer, Cedric Benson, etc.), I tried to go with the player I felt was the most productive. With that said, here is my personal Top 5:

1) Miami (QB is very weak, but you can't argue with the other spots which have some of the top players at their respective positions)
2) Oregon State (QB is average, but the running back is a perennial all-star and they have 2 wideouts that are excellent (despite being headcases))
3) LSU (Overrated QB, but very solid skill players highlighted by the up-and-coming Bowe)
4) Tennessee (Manning behind center, enough said. Also, an excellent TE with a pretty good WR and RB to go with him)
5) Cal (Arguably the best TE ever, decent quarterback and one of the top young RB in the league)

JUST MISSED:
USC (good players, but no one on their list jumps off as a year in and year out star and they all are young with a lot to prove
Michigan (I went back and forth with them, but 2 positions are solid and 2 are rather weak. I felt other teams just had more all around talent)
Marshall (maybe the biggest surprise on this list [along with Oregon St.], but when you have a player that I have never heard of [Rader] you are docked a lot of points.)

23 Years Ago Today, #23 Went Off Against the Celtics

Happy 4/20... and in celebration of the day when so many people light up, I figured I would post a video from April 20th, 1986 when Michael Jordan lite up the Boston Celtics for 63 points in the playoffs.

Despite the Bulls getting swept by the Celtics in the series, this still remains one of the greatest single game playoff performances of all time. Enjoy and who knows, maybe Derrick Rose will celebrate this anniversary tonight in Boston for Game 2...wouldn't that be something special?

The Voice of the Florida Panthers Entertains

Randy Moller, the radio voice of the Florida Panthers hockey team might make the most random pop culture references ever after the Panthers score a goal.

The Dan Le Batard Show (which shares a station with Moller) produced a 3 minute segment of some of Moller's best calls synched with the movies/ shows he is referencing. Take a look, it will crack you up.

Dodgers Getting The Most Out of The Starters

The L.A. Dodgers are 9-3 (5-0 at home) and in the midst of a 7 game winning streak. Granted their offense has found a nice rhythm with the O-Dog, Kemp, Ethier and others getting their bat going...and as of yesterday, the long ball finally came for Manny. But the most significant piece for the Blue Crew so far this year has been their starting pitching which was questioned alot during the Spring.

During this current 7 game winning streak here is a look at what the starting pitcher has done:

11-2 win over Arizona: Eric Stults- 5 1/3 innings, 4 hits, 1 ER and 5 strikeouts

3-1 win over Arizona: Randy Wolf- 7 innings, 2 hits, 1 ER and 5 strikeouts

11-1 win over San Fran: Chad Billingsley- 7 innings, 5 hits, 1 ER and 11 strikeouts

5-4 win over San Fran: Clayton Kershaw- 7 innings, 1 hit, 1 ER and 13 strikeouts

7-2 win over San Fran: Eric Stults- 5 innings, 5 hits, 2 ER and 2 strikeouts

4-3 win over Colorado: Randy Wolf- 6 innings, 4 hits, 3 ER and 9 strikeouts

9-5 win over Colorado: Chad Billingsley- 6 innings, 4 hits, 3 ER and 6 strikeouts

So in 7 games, every Dodger starter has gone at least 5 innings with no starter giving up more than 3 runs. This is huge because it allows Los Angeles to keep their bullpen sharp and fresh and also means that the offense never has to dig themselves out of too big of a hole. I think it is unlikley that the Dodger starters can keep this up for the entire season, but only 12 games into the season, we have already caught a glimpse of the potential that L.A. has on the mound.

Champions League Quarters Produce 2 Brillant Goals

If you didn't tune in to ESPN 2 last Tuesday and Weds. at 11:30 a.m., you missed the Champions League Quarterfinals which also means you probably didn't see 2 of the best goals the game will produce this season.

The first was on Tuesday in Chelsea's match against Liverpool. This game was an instant classic and ended in a 4-4 draw meaning Chelsea advanced thanks to their 2-1 win at Anfield a fortnight ago. In the 57th minute, Chelsea was awarded a free kick about 15 yards outside the penalty box. With all the stars lined up over the ball (Ballack, Lampard, etc.) it was the Brazilian Alex that decided to take a rip and his free kick goal would make Beckham blush.

Then on Weds, Manchester United visited FC Porto (where no English team had ever won) and pulled out a 1-Nil victory thanks to an amazing rocket off the foot of the reigning Fifa World Player of the Year, Cristiano Ronaldo. He took his shot over 39 yards out and somehow managed to tuck it in the back of the net. A phenomenal blast from one of the games best.

Alex- Chelsea



Cristiano Ronaldo- Manchester United

Kubel On A Tear

In case you aren't keeping up on your Twins baseball so far this season, you have missed two back-to-back phenomenal games from the Minnesota DH, Jason Kubel.

The Twins are hosting the LAA Angels (last game is today at 11:00 a.m.)and in the first 2 games of this series, Kubel has exploded. In Game One he hit for the cycle, including a Grand Slam BLAST in the 8th inning. The twins held on to win and Kubel went 4 for 5 with 5 RBI's and completed the 3rd cycle already this season (O. Hudson and I. Kinsler). Game Two of the Twins-Angels series was last night and Kubel continued his torrid pace. He again went 4 for 5 with 2 RBI's including a double that broke a 2-2 tie in the 5th inning. We will have to see today if Kubel can keep this blistering pace going against the Halos.