MLB

The ChiSox continued their winning streak as they won their 7th in a row behind 2 homers by Jermaine Dye, and another one by Thome, who swinging the bat way better now. A-Rod looks pretty good as he homered and had another one robbed by the umps from him (instant replay on homers and plays at the plate anyone????) as the Yanks rebounded to win 8-0. The Red Sox won their 6th straight against the Royals 6-3.
Others scores from the day... Hotlanta beat the Mets for the third straight time, 11-4, Brandon Webb failed to get to 10-0 in his first ten starts as he and his team lost 3-1. Detroit responded to Leylands rant and got the victory 9-4 over Seatown.

Game 1 thoughts

There was a time last night when the Lakers were down 20 halfway through the 3rd and I almost wanted to fast forward on my dvr to see if they eventually got it close. Boy I'm glad I didn't do that! Kobe brought the Lakers back from the dead, and had an incredible second half after only scoring 4 points in the first half. Tim Duncan played a hellava a game with 30 and 18, but GINOBILI had an awful game, scoring 10 on 3-13 shooting. This game was all about the MAMBA putting his team on his back in the final 17 mins of the game, and willing them to win. Even with Kobe's great performance the Spurs had a chance to win the game late with a GINOBILI three, but it was not meant to be. Lakers took game 1 89-85, I was one point off on the spread, hooray for me.

Champions League Final

HOLY SHITBALLS, what a final. Sure the second half had no goals, but the drama was their the whole time. When it got to penalty kicks it was up in the air. When Cristiano Ronaldo missed his kick, the third attempt for United, it surely looked like Chelsea would taste UEFA gold. But then tied 4-4 with a chance to clinch the cup, John Terry (bless his heart) missed the clincher for Chelsea leaving the door open for United. After a series of back and forth Pks, Anelka had to hit for Chelsea, but was stopped by a focused Edwin Van der Sar that stopped Chelsea of its Champion's League run and clinched the DOUBLE for Manchester United and Sir Alex... WOWWWWWWWWWWWW

Lakers Spurs Game 1 Preview

We've been here before, sure the faces have changed, but when two teams have won 8 of the last 9 championships, it's a big enchilada. Can Derek Fischer stop Tony Parker from getting into the lane? Is Bruce Bowen still capable of guarding the MAMBA in a best of 7 series? Has Gregg Popovich surpassed Phil Jackson as the best coach in the NBA? These are just some of the questions surrounding this huge series. All I do know is that the people who hate the Spurs obviously do not like basketball, or have no idea what the hell it's all about. With that said, I like the Lakers tonight in a nail bitter, 101-98. For the best of seven series prediction, well its defiantly going 7, who wins... flip a coin.

MLB Roundup

The White Sox continued their streak, winning 5-1 against the Indians. Carlos Quentin homered for this 12th, and Big Bad Thome looks to be getting out of his slump as also homered for his 8th, as the Sox won their 6th straight.
Boston's two sport success story continues as the Red Sox held off the Royals 2-1. Interesting game in the Bronx as the Orioles pounded the Yanks with 7 runs in the first with only one earned. The later innings got testy after Jeter was plunked in the 6th, leading to benches clearing as Latroy Hawkins played head hunter in the 8th.
Other winners included the Marlins, Astros, Rays, and the Braves sweeping a double header against the Metropolitans.

NBA Lottery

More thoughts on the lottery strictly from a Bulls fan perspective. When the draft order got mixed up, and Mark Jones announced the Bulls would be in the top 3, I was giddy. Sure I was still a little anxious because the top 2 are defiantly what teams and fans wanted. When the T'Wolves were third, my excitement was reaching the peak. When I saw the flaming ball being released from the second envelope, it was the most joy I've felt since the 2005 series. Now, the debate begins, Rose and Beasley who to take. Right now, no definitive answer on my part since I'm still shocked at the fact, but the early leader to me is Rose, not only because of the hometown connection, but because of the way he played in the Tourney.

Champions League Preview

Some soccer (football) fans would argue that the UEFA Champions League is the best soccer competition, even better than the World Cup. While I will not go that far, the Champions League is defiantly a yearly event on par with the Super Bowl, at least in Europe. (Forgive me Mr. Hunt) This year there is the first year EVER, where two English teams (from the Premier League) will be battling it out. On one hand, Manchester United, the Premier League Champs lead by the incomparable Cristiano Ronaldo, the new #7. Then there's Chelsea, the ever contentious group lead by their captain Jon Terry. I would give a synopsis of their league games, but throw that out of the window when it comes to the Champions League, and especially the final. No prediction here, I'm just excited at the possibility ESPN2 will have the game in HD, making the beautiful game oh so much more beautiful.

NFL OWNERS OPT OUT

Way earlier this morning, as first reported by the AP, and later as I as waking up to Mike and Mike in the morning, the NFL owners decided to opt out of the current collective bargaining agreement. Warning opinion looming, now... I'm a young pup, only 21, but I have a distinct memory of this same exact scenario happening in 2006. The owners opted out and all hell was suppose to break loose, but the option of having an uncapped season in 2008 proved way to dangerous, and the owners and the players agreed to the current agreement. Hearing a lot of Media people today say that there will be a lockout in 2011 frankly is absurd. We all heard it before in '06 and the years before that, but players and owners came to their senses. This is a league of billionaires and millionaires, and no one, ESPECIALLY Roger Goodell wants to kill the gold goose. Expect a lot of hot air from both sides in the months and years to come, but when shiznit hits the fan, there will be another agreement.

Celtics and Hyde

The C's Jekyll and Hyde routine continues. KG came out inspired, the Truth distributed the rock, and the Celts continued their lock down D at home. No one can explain the disparity of this team from the road and home, but clearly there is a difference in these playoffs. KG had 26 and boards, while Pierce and Rondo chipped in with 22 and 11 respectively. The story of the series for the C's still remains the disappearance of Ray Ray as he only had 9 points, all from layups and free-throws. If I'm the Pistons the only thing to be concerned with is Chauncey, is he injured, or was he just a little rusty and non-aggressive. To me it seemed like he played a little passive, but did not show and lingering effects from the hamstring, so breath a sigh of relief Detroit fans. Game numero dos coming Thursday on ESPN.

NFL NEWS

Yeah its probably a little late to be spewing the NFL stories of the day, but I caught up to the TIVO of the Celts, Pistons game and i hate commercials so heres at it...
Ryan, Newman, Barber hit jackpot...

All of these three players signed major contracts with their respected teams, Newman signed a 6 year extension worth a reportedly 50.2 million, with 22.5 guaranteed, so at the most 35 mil, while Marion "the BARBARIAN" got a 7 year 45 mil contract with 16 guaranteed, and 21 over the first three years. Matt Ryan officially put an end to all Micheal Vick sightings in Hotlanta with a 6 year year 72 mil contract with 34.75 mil guaranteed. And to think, the owners opted out of a deal that they thought was unfair. A lot more opinion on that later, but congrats to the three that hit the jackpot on this day, because for sure two of them deserved it, and one of them needed to be singed before training camp.

Lottery

A SHOCKER in the lottery, as my hometown Chicago Bulls pulled off the stunner of the night landing the top pick. The Bulls had a 1.7% chance of winning the top pick, and somehow got their ball picked. Now lets see what Paxson has in store, hopefully he doesn't screw the pooch on this one. Complete Draft order below.

1. Chicago Bulls
2. Miami Heat
3. Minnesota Timberwolves
4. Seattle SuperSonics (probably Oklahoma City)
5. Memphis Grizzles
6. New York Knicks
7. L.A. Clippers (making their familiar appearance in the lottery)
8. Milwaukee Bucks
9. Charlotte Bobcats
10. New Jersey Nets (Jay-Z was Blueprint 2 THE CURSE)
11. Indiana Pacers
12. Sacramento Kings (Malouf brothers prove again why they are great owners)
13. Portland Trailblazers
14. Golden State Warriors

No real shockers other then the Bulls, how do you think Mr. D'Antoni feels now. Poor guy.

Game 1 Preview

Today Boston tries to recapture the moment of game 7 Sunday, into Game 1 today. Detroit has had plenty of rest to get healthy, (B-B-B-Billups) but the rust factor could be an issue early on. KG has to step it up for the whole series if Beantown wants to get back to its glory days. He's been shirnking in the big moment worse than George Kastanza after leaving the swimming pool. Ray Allen has turned into Jesus Shuttleworthless, and Pierce's back has to be sore from carrying his team on Sunday. I look for a Detroit win tonight, but itll still be close. Look for the series to go 6 or 7 games depending if Boston can win in Detroit, which who the hell knows.