The Crowning Of The Kings

The Los Angeles Kings finally finished off the New Jersey Devils last night to win the Stanley Cup. This ends one of the most remarkable playoff runs in NHL history, going 16-4, winning 10 of 11 games on the road and led each series 3-0. And this was done by an 8th seed. This once again shows that in the NHL, all that matters is that you get in the playoffs and anything can happen (though low seeds don't tend to win the Cup, this year a low seed was winning it regardless). I'll have more thoughts on this later, but for now, let's watch how the Kings were crowned.

Playoff Time

Tonight is the start of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, the best playoffs in sports BY FAR. This will be pretty short as there will be tons of reaction every night of the playoffs. There is plenty to look forward to for any puck head; Flyers-Pens, every game airing on TV (NBC, NBCSN, CNBC, NHL Network), the Bruins quest to repeat, playoff beards, the Rangers trying to grab the latest New York bandwagon, the Canucks to avenge last year (especially if it's against Boston), and plenty more to when that Cup is presented.

As for my series picks, I'm going with Rangers in 6, Bruins in 5, Panthers in 7 and Flyers in 7 for the East. In the West, I have Canucks in 6, Sharks in 6, Blackhawks in 7 and the Red Wings in 7. The puck drops tonight and I can't wait. Enjoy the hockey, everyone.

First Round Preview

Time to start growing your playoff beard as the fight to win the greatest trophy in sports resumes. That's right, the Stanley Cup Playoffs begin tonight with first round action. Instead of the typical preview, I decided to rank the 16 most important players, one for each team, before giving my 1st round picks. This isn't necessarily the best players (I don't have Sidney Crosby), but the players who are the keys for teams if they want to advance a round or two. Let's get started.

16. Tomas Plekanec- Thought I'd go with Jaroslav Halak here, eh? Well while we all know that Halak has a tough chore facing him with the Caps snipers, the Habs need the Plekanec from October-December, not the one from January through the end of the season. He scored 46 points in his first 43 games, but only 24 in his last 39. The Montreal offense will go through him and a good Plekanec will help Scott Gomez, Brian Gionta and the rest of Les Smufs.

15. Paul Stastny- One of the few Avs players with both playoff experience, while not being too old to impact the series (Adam Foote, we're looking at you). Stastny needs to show the pedigree of his family in this series. Plus, as the team's leading scorer this year, he can help make Matt Duchene and Ryan O'Reilly's jobs easier.

14. Pekka Rinne- Our first goalie on this list as he will have to be as strong as ever to help the Predators upset Chicago. Nashville has little scoring, a solid defense and they need Rinne to reward Shea Weber, Ryan Suter and the rest of that blueline with a stellar performance. I.e. no more that two goals allowed a game.

13. Chris Pronger- Somebody needs to make Brian Boucher look good and that guy will have to be Pronger. He needs to show the Flyers why they paid him until he's 42. He truly can never do that, but if they can beat the Devils, it could lessen the sting of a bad year for him. Remember, he does show up for the playoffs (see Oilers, 2006 and Ducks, 2007).

12. Tuukka Rask- The feature of my first hockey-related article, (still among my favorites), Rask had better stats than his counterpart and American hero Ryan Miller, with a 1.97 GAA and a .931 save percentage. Now, he needs to enter the playoffs the way Simeon Varlamov did last year, with no fear of his first playoff run. Of course, it would help of the Bruins can score some goals.

11. Jonathan Quick- The taxi squad USA goaltender needs to shake off the struggles post-Olympics. He lost seven of his last 8 games, with the ninth game being his last win not involving a shootout. The Kings chance of winning in the first round come down to if Quick can play well or we might see Erik Ersberg before long.

10. Jason Spezza- The obvious choice for the Senators most important player as Ottawa goes as he goes. They can't have the Spezza from the beginning who couldn't score a goal in warmups. We know Daniel Alfredsson will show up (considering he was hurt the last time the Sens played in the playoffs), Spezza needs to step up, since Alex Kovalev is done for the year.

9. Shane Doan- The old veteran all the way back when the Coyotes made the playoffs regularly and even back to the days of the Winnipeg Jets, must lead by example if these Yotes have a chance against the Red Wings. Ilya Bryzgalov should play well, but Phoenix will need to get timely scoring, and Doan needs to prove that he is a leader in the mold of Jarome Iginla or Alfredsson.

8. Jimmy Howard- The Red Wings have given the keys to their playoff car to the Calder candidate and he needs to continue to play with the confidence that he showed throughout the season. Just remember, Mike Babcock would be hard pressed to leave Chris Osgood on the bench if Howard struggles, especially if the rest of the team continues their hot streak since the Olympics.

7. Evgeni Malkin- He proved last year that he can play through the entire playoffs. This year, he needs to return from injuries and give Pittsburgh's opponents someone else to worry about, aside from Crosby. Also, the added bonus of making them more formidable on the power play.

6. Thomas Vanek- Ryan Miller can handle the job in net. Vanek needs to recapture the scoring touch of last season after struggling for much of the year. He certainly appears to get out of the doldrums as he scored four goals Saturday against Ottawa. Him scoring only makes the Sabres more dangerous offensively and that much tougher to beat four times.

5. Roberto Luongo- The team Canada goaltender has struggled much of the season. Fortunately for Vancouver, the Sedin twins masked this problem by turning in their best years and the rest of the team followed suit. It seems like it should be easy for Bobby Lou to win, but last year proved he can turn into a sieve at any point. For someone considered among the best goalies in the world, he must show it this year.

4. Ilya Kovalchuk- The midseason acquisition for the Devils is only playing in his second playoff series and is in need for his first win. He was awful in his first go around, getting into more fights than goals. With big bucks awaiting him, this postseason could determine how much he'll end up getting and finally allows us to see him in the pressure spot. Plus, New Jersey hasn't made it past the second round since their last Cup in 2003, so they have pressure to do some damage for a change.

3. Marian Hossa- Two years in a row, Hossa's made the finals. Two years, he lost. Now he joined the team he last beat a year ago and needs to end this Cup jinx on a team that hasn't won a Cup in 49 years. Either Hossa's a reverse jinx or just some more bad vibes for the Blackhawks. Look out for any possible injuries.

2. Alex Ovechkin- Bad news Ovie, Sidney's ahead of you again. With the Cup win, the Rocket Richard trophy and his Gold Medal winning goal, he's starting to earn the hype he's received. Ovechkin has to now bring this Caps team, who can score with anyone and better, to at least the East finals. No excuses, this is the year we finally judge the Caps on their playoff record, not their regular season one. Speaking of that...

1. The entire San Jose Sharks- Yes, I cheated. Honestly, I can write a column on the 16 most important Sharks who need to step up for a playoff run. Evgeni Nabakov is a free agent and so is Patrick Marleau, both men need big postseasons. Meanwhile, Joe Thornton continues to be Tony Romo-like in the clutch, coming up small in the playoffs. He needs a year like A-Rod had in '09 to help the Sharks win. Lastly, Dany Heatley was picked up specifically to help in the playoffs. As wrong as it is to ask a former Senator for a dominating playoff performance, that's what the Sharks need from him. San Jose absolutely must reach the Western Finals at least, or the Stanley Cup Final if they don't face Chicago, or this team could face many changes next year.

My first round predictions: Caps in 4, Flyers in 7, Sabres in 6, Pens in 5, Sharks in 5, Hawks in 6, Canucks in 6, Wings in 5.

The Biggest Hockey Game in 15 Years

Game 7. No two words in all of sport due more to raise the hair on you neck, as been said too many times before. No matter what sport it is, whether baseball, basketball or hockey, Game 7 matters because it's winner take all, which most other sports have because it's one game.


The NHL is going to have its fifth Game 7 in the Stanley Cup Final this decade tonight, but it hasn't been since 1994 when the league was in such good shape. The playoffs this season have been the best since the aforementioned '94 Playoffs and it's fitting that the NHL's renaissance would have the Pittsburgh Penguins, home of the face of the league in Sidney Crosby, a superstar in Evegni Malkin who's made the leap and a former first-pick goaltender in Marc-Andre Fleury reaching his potential in this game, facing the most recognizable and successful American team and current dynasty, the Detroit Red Wings. The Red Wings with Nick Lidstrom, Chris Osgood, Pavel Datsyuk, Henrik Zetterberg and Johan Franzen, players who have been among the best at their positions for as long as the early 90s (Lidstrom) to as recent as last year (Franzen and Osgood).


And there is the factor of Marian Hossa, who chose to sign a one-year deal with the Wings after losing last year with the Pens, thinking he would have a better chance winning in Detroit, now enters this game playing a terrible series without a goal and really hasn't done much this postseason except a couple particularly good games. This game will determine if his decision was wise or foolish. It would be an embarassment for him if the Penguins skate around with the Cup and the ultimate egg-on-the-face moment in sports history.


Home-ice has been everything in this series, particularly in Detroit as Fleury has had trouble with the live boards the Joe Louis Arena has. Crosby has been unable to avoid Zetterberg in Motown and has been held scoreless on the road. I guess you might think this is a bad omen for Pittsburgh, but here's a good one. The Penguins get to win the Cup in the same city as the Steelers won their first Super Bowl in 26 years as Bill Cowher shed his choker label and Jerome Bettis won at home.


Another thing to consider, the Conn Smythe Trophy (Playoff MVP) is still up for grabs. If Pittsburgh wins, Malkin, Crosby or Fleury could each win. As for Detroit, Zetterberg, Osgood, Franzen and Datsyuk (despite missing six games) have a chance. Could Malkin steal the Conn Smythe in a loss? He does have 35 points, most in sixteen years, and a three-point night in a losing effort could get the vote to go to him. Remember, this award is for playoff achievement, not just Final and it's gone to a losing player five times before.


So get ready for the biggest NHL game since 1994, hopefully you won't be too indifferent to care about this. I know the Yankees and Mets play each other tonight, but after watching them flame out against their rivals, you should instead watch two teams who have come to play every night (except Pittsburgh's Game 5 stinkfest). I know it's Friday night and there's always a movie to see or a club to dance at, but instead watch this game, either at home or at a bar. And make sure that bar doesn't splash all their TV's with Yanks-Mets. Enjoy.

Stanley Cup Finals Preview: Marian Hossa's Worst Nightmare

For the first time since 1984, and the first in any sport since 1998, the Stanley Cup Finals will have a rematch as the Pittsburgh Penguins and Detroit Red Wings will do battle once again. This matchup was the last one on people's minds back in February when they last met. Back then, the Penguins were struggling to even make the playoffs and fired coach Michel Therrien and hired Dan Bylsma. Since then, and after they traded for Chris Kunitz and Bill Guerin and got Sergei Gonchar back from injury, the Pens have been arguably the hottest team in the league.

The defending champs also had an inconsistent stretch toward the end of the season as they played a bunch of games where they lost 8-0 or in that neighborhood. They still finished as a 2-seed in the Western Conference but were only going to go as far as Chris Osgood could take them, according to the experts. Well Osgood has been great in net and the Wings are on the cusp of their fifth title in thirteen years. So who wins the series between the a team that trying to learn how to win against a proud champion that's not willing to giving up the Cup. It's time that I give a complete breakdown.

Offense: When you think of offense and the Pens, obviously Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin come to mind. And with good reason, they both have 28 points to lead all scorers and almost certainly will be the first players to score 30 in a playoff season since Joe Sakic in 1996. It's more than just that their scoring, but they have been dominant almost every night. Their dominance in turn is giving guys like Guerin, Kunitz and Ruslan Fedotenko the ability to have big postseasons. As for Detroit, what can you say, when the Datsyuk is hurt, someone else always steps up. Johan Franzen is now a proven go-to-scorer, Dan Cleary and Darren Helm have been scoring out of nowhere. Add Marian Hossa, Henrik Zetterberg and the Red Wings have the most balance scoring attack of all the playoff teams this postseason. Advantage: Detroit

Defense: In a normal situation, the Red Wings win hands down, but with Nick Lidstrom banged up, it makes the matchup closer to even. However, Detroit can still come out with Brian Rafalski, Niklas Kronwall, Brad Stuart and Brett Lebda. Pittsburgh counters with Gonchar, Mark Eaton, Rob Scudari, Brooks Orpik and Kris Letang. Even though the Red Wings allowed more regular season goals, in the playoffs, it's not even close. Advantage: Detroit

Goaltending: Osgood has played very well during the playoffs, but Marc-Andre Fleury has as well. Both goalies basically have to play well enough and not necessarily stand on their heads to win. I have to say though that Fleury has been impressing me, particularly against two of the better offensive teams in the league in the Flyers and the Caps. Osgood should be in the Hall of Fame when his career ends, but Fleury is showing everyone why the Pens drafted him at number 1 in 2003. Advantage: Pittsburgh

Wings Power Play vs Pens Penalty Kill: One one hand, you have a PK that is above average and the other you have a PP that can be as good as Derek Jeter's batting average. There was a time the Red Wings were at a 30% clip on the power play, now they are a solid 25%. Big advantage: Detroit

Pens PP vs Wings PK: As good as the Red Wings PP is, their PK is just as bad. Only Columbus and Calgary did worse than Detroit's 74% kill. The Pens PP is at about 20%, should increase during the series. Advantage: Pittsburgh

Coaching: Mike Babcock is making his third Finals appearance and is looking for his second Cup win. Dan Bylsma has only coached in the NHL since February. Babcock even handles the press conference well; he said that everyone talks like the Pens won last year. Advantage: Detroit

Schedule: It matters this year as the first two games are tonight and tomorrow (thanks Conan) and Game 3 is on Tuesday. If either Conference Final went six, the Finals would of started Friday and the Red Wings would of had more time to rest. The fact is, Lidstrom's banged up, Datsyuk and Kris Draper are missing games and the Penguins are relatively healthy. Big advantage: Pittsburgh

Superstition: Last year both teams followed the silly superstition and didn't touch the Wales and Campbell trophies for winning their conference. Since the Pens lost, Crosby decided to switch it up and and carry the Wales trophy. Hey, carrying it didn't stop Mario Lemeiux from winning Stanley Cups. Advantage: Even

History: If you're Pittsburgh, you look back to 1984 when two emerging stars faced a venerable dynasty on its Drive for Five and won in five, which is in a way what the Penguins are attempting to do. The Red Wings are looking back at their February meeting when they dominated them at the Igloo. However, that Pittsburgh team is a lot different than they are now. Advantage: Pittsburgh

Maggie the Monkey: On of TSN's gimmicks is to have a monkey named Maggie make picks using a spinning wheel. Her pick for the Stanley Cup Finals is Pittsburgh. Maggie is 0-5 in Stanley Cup Final picks. On the bright side, she's retiring and she's due to be right. Right? Advantage: No one.

Final Prediction: A more spaced out series would help the Red Wings and if they can make it through the first four games with a split, they will be hard to beat once the extra off days take place for the sixth and seventh games. However, I think the Pens will steal one of the games at the Joe and will take a 3-1 lead in the series. Detroit will win Game 5 at home, but Pittsburgh wins the Cup at home and take this series in 6 games.

Randomness while hoping to get my Wash "Natinals" jersey

- You know you're team is having a bad season when you not only misspell the team name on your jersey, but play in it and embarass yourself further.

- Meanwhile, the Caps are resorting to Ovie acting like Belichick and doing a bad job of it to try to rattle my Rangers. As I'm writing this, the Rangers are just about to play Game 3. They could put the series away with a win tonight. And for one of the few times, I will be very happy to be wrong and might cause me to never pick my teams rationally again.

- While the Washington sports scene is at worst a joke and at best terrible, the Chicago sports scene is looking great. The Hawks look great against the Flames, the Bulls have found their next star (unlike some of the phony stars like Elton Brand, Eddy Curry, etc.), the Bears actually have a QB, and baseball just started and both the Cubs and White Sox can be in the playoffs. Times weren't this good since MJ.

-As for the rest of the Stanley Cup playoffs, the Flyers finally sent their message to the Pens; they beat them. Of all this talk I'm hearing about stopping players from sending messages, it don't work when the other team don't bite and you keep losing. At the same time, Colin Campbell has been too inconsistent, as either you don't suspend Daniel Carillo or suspend Mike Cammalleri for the same cheap shot attempt. Also, if Milan Lucic was suspended for using the stick on Maxim Lapierre, that's fair but if suspend him for throw a punch with his glove on, that's ridiculous. Elsewhere, the Sharks are living up to their postseason reputation, but Jonas Hiller is playing great and unfortunately, the Blues can't find the answer to Roberto Luongo.

- Too little time to make broad generalization about the NBA playoffs, though the Lakers and Cavs are who we think they are. I caught only the 4th quarter of Mavs-Spurs, but it seemed like San Antonio had no answer for J.J. Barea, who looked like Tony Parker out there. I'm not too worried about Miami and New Orleans; Blazers and Magic I am a little more worried. Magic lack a real go-to-guy and if they play the Celtics or even the Bulls, I'm not conviced that they beat either team as they have two guys they can go to.

- The Yankees better hope that this is a weird coincidence that the ball is flying out of new Yankee Stadium. The long-term implications on having a bandbox is enormous as the Yankees couldn't buy anymore pitchers and from the lessons of the Rockies and the Rangers, you don't win by mashing them out of the park, unless it's a fantasy title. The weird thing is it seems like left field doesn't seem to keep the ball out as easily. Saturday's game had a few instances where left field can carry the ball out. As for Chien-Ming Wang, I mean 23 runs in 6 innings pitched can't be defended. I heard the Dizzy Dean's career was over after getting hit with a line drive. I won't say it over, but the Yankees should find a way to fake an injury so he can go to the minors on rehab.

- Just finished watching the 1st period of the Caps-Rangers, they look like they went on a two night bender and are hungover watching the Caps put the puck in the net. They're lucky it's not 5-0.

- What else can I say, Johan Santana is by far the best pitcher in the game and the only reason the Mets could make the playoffs are currently constructed. Also, Zack Greinke is leading my sleeper pick the Royals and more importantly my fantasy team to a good start with 20 scoreless innings and 34 since last year.

-Finally, I make my first appearance to Yankee Stadium tomorrow and am eagerly looking forward to it. As for CitiField, I'm hoping to go next week when the Marlins come to town. Now Doc Gooden signed the wall in the bar in CitiField and now the Mets are going to erase it because they don't want "graffiti". I'm sorry but if you consider a tribute to one of the best Mets (despite his troubles) of all-time graffiti, then I guess you must think it's vandalism when movie stars put their hand prints in Hollywood. Seems like the Mets will do everything to avoid putting up anything to do with the franchise.

Stanley Cup preview extravaganza

The Stanley Cup playoffs begin tonight and it's time to have the official NHL playoff preview. No teaser today as the games begin in an hour and I want to finish this before the opening games. Let's start in the West:

Western Conference

#1 San Jose vs #8 Anaheim- The worst possible matchup for the Sharks as this team who needs to get rid of the choker label in the playoffs has to play the 07 Cup champ Ducks. The Ducks still have a lot of the same guys who won and could use that experience in this series. For the Sharks, they have to have a big series from Joe Thornton, who needs to shed his label of being the A-Rod of hockey and failing to show up. One of these years, the Sharks have to win and I'm not big on Jonas Hiller. Sharks in 6.

#2 Detroit vs #7 Columbus- Welcome to the Stanley Cup Playoffs Blue Jackets, your reward, the defending champ Red Wings. However, the Jackets have the advantage at goal with rookie Steve Mason against the struggling Chris Osgood (or Ty Conklin). The Wings are better in every other way so it comes down to Mason standing on his head. That being said, I think he will and the Wings tend to lose early every few years so I have the Jackets in 6.

#3 Vancouver vs #6 St. Louis- The most surprising team in the playoffs are the Blues who are a year ahead of schedule by making this year's playoffs. John Davidson has done a great job turning around this franchise from doormat to playoffs. They get to play the Canucks who had a great second half to win their division and a lot of pressure to go far in the playoffs with the Sedin twins and Mats Sundin. I would love to take JD's team here and they will make this a long series, but I think the Blues won't have an answer for Roberto Luongo and the Canucks win in 7.

#4 Chicago vs #5 Calgary- The Hawks are back in the playoffs for the first time since 2002 and will play a struggling Flames team. They have been hurt and lost their chance to have home-ice in the first round and now start on the road. The Flames are one of my favorite teams, Jarome Iginla is the best example of a Mark Messier in the NHL that we currently have, and that is ALWAYS a good thing. That said, the Hawks win in 5. They are playing well and the Flames aren't, plus Nikolai Khabibulin knows how to beat the Flames, going back to the 04 Cup Finals.

Now to the East:

#1 Boston vs #8 Montreal- The hatred between the Habs and B's runs deep and these two Original Six foes gave us a preview of things to come last Thursday. The Canadiens have enjoyed a 24-7 series advantage and in 2002 and 2004 have beaten the Bruins as an 8th seed and 7th seed. However, the Bruins are better in every way against the Habs and it will be the B's in 5.

#2 Washington vs #7 NY Rangers- We have come to my team, the Rangers, who played their best week of the year last week after beating the Habs and sweeping Philly to make the playoffs. They now get to play Ovie and the Caps who have Stanley Cup buzz. Like our other 2-7 matchup, the only edge the Rangers have is in net with Henrik Lundqvist. He needs to be absolutely great and hope Jose Theodore is poor in net since the Rags can't score with consistency. Anyone who thinks the Caps will win in 4 or 5 are nuts, but unfortunately I don't pick with my heart in this blog. Caps in 7 and let's move on.

#3 New Jersey vs #6 Carolina- The best goalie battle is here as MAAAAAAAAARRTY Brodeur and the Devils take on Cam Ward and the Canes. Sometimes, like with the Rangers, I have to go against my heart and pick against my team; other times, my heart and brain are in sync and I'm picking the Canes in 5. They have outplayed the Devils all year and only lost the last game to them when they sat out Ward. They have been one of the hottest teams in the East since March 1 and could be a sleeper Cup contender.

#4 Pittsburgh vs #5 Philadelphia- The rematch of last year's East finals will start in the same city as it did last year after the Flyers blew a 3-2 lead Sunday to the Rangers. Now they have to go to the Igloo to face Crosby, Malkin and the Pens. The Flyers had been my sleeper in the East all year since they can score with anyone, but they are maddening inconsistent and the Pens having Game 7 home is the difference, plus they are the other hot team in the East. Pens in 7.

Stanley Cup prediction:

The Sharks will find a way to finally get to the Stanley Cup finals and they will take on the Penguins, as much as it pains me to say. The Sharks win the Cup in 7 as Crosby must wait yet again for his championship. Now watch the Red Wings and Devils go to the finals.

Randomness while growing my playoff beard

- April is the best sports month of the year because it seems like every sport has a major event going on. Baseball begins, the NBA and NHL start playoffs, the Final Four takes place in the month, the NFL Draft is this month and this is the month when golf matters as the Masters takes place

- I love the Masters because there is a drama that you don't see in any other golf tournament. If you look at the other majors, the US Open is always too tough that it's about making pars, the British Open is too effected by weather and the PGA Championship is the clear No. 4. The Masters is the best major because of the setting at Augusta and the fact that the players have more control of how they play than most events. You can score low at Augusta or play awful, whereas most US and British Opens you can be +3 and still be alive on Sunday. You try to survive those Opens; you can't survive Augusta, you win the green jacket.

-Now that its said, last Sunday's final round was the best day of golf I've watched in my life. It was 5 and half hours of drama that left you feeling satisfied. Tiger and Phil were playing who can top whom and for once in his career, Phil outplayed Tiger. We have waited all these years to see if Phil can play with Tiger and do well when it counts, and he did. The second shot from the 7th rough that Mickelson stuck close to the pin was one of the best ever. The galleries at Augusta entirely followed Tiger and Phil while the leaders had almost no one around. Unfortunately, we were robbed out of perhaps the best final round in Masters history when both men ran out of gas and Phil made some dumb decisions, such as going with the 9 iron at 12 and hitting the water and overthinking his 5 foot eagle after Tiger missed his. As for Tiger, he didn't putt Tiger-like as putts he always makes he missed on Sunday.

- It almost was ruined until Kenny Perry bogeyed his last 2 holes setting up a three-man playoff with Angel Cabrera and Chad Campbell. I was surprised Cabrera made it as it seemed he had nothing going up until the 13th hole. Meanwhile, Perry seemed to wrap it up on 16 when he birdied, but he came back and we had the playoff. It almost seemed like all three men put themselves in big trouble and nearly all made a great shot to save par. Cabrera hit a tree from the brush and ended up on the fairway, then hit it within 6 feet. Perry chipped it 2 inches from the cup to save par, while Campbell got out of the sand to about 4 feet, but missed his putt and was out. Then on 10, Perry's second shot was back and left and Cabrera hit the green and won. Great drama and saved the tournament as the best in the 00s.

- Unfortunately, The Cycle was not able to gain access to either CitiField or the new Yankee Stadium for the openers. But to my faithful readers, who I hope are still faithful after my week off, I will try to get to both ballparks and give my review.

- It seems like this season of 24 has found a way to go from solved threats to new villians more often than I can remember. Of course, it's been two years since the show has been on. All I know is it's good to have Elisha Cuthbert back in my life without the phrase "sloppy seconds" attached.

- NFL schedules were released today and apparently this is big news seeing as ESPN must devote 3 hours on it. I understand the NFL network trying to make this a big deal, they have to fill programming, but I refused to watch ESPN's coverage out of principle.

- Of course, I had to take a look at the schedule. The Giants have a 3 game road trip after opening with Washington at home which isn't tough aside from the first game at Jerry Jones new palace. After that, the schedule gets easier as they get Dallas and Philly at home late and end with Carolina and at Minnesota just like last year. The Jets have the easiest schedule in the AFC East as they get to avoid Buffalo and play the Bills in Toronto and they close out Giants Stadium playing the Bengals. By the way, shame on you NFL for having the Jets close out Giants Stadium, this is named for the Giants and it's their stadium. They better have the Giants open the new stadium next year. Week 11 looks good as the Giants host Matty Ice and the Falcons, Dallas hosts Washington and the Jets go to New England.

- It's great that the Padres, Mariners and Orioles have had good starts; let's not get carried away. It's not football.

- Sad week in baseball, RIP Nick Adenhart, Harry Kalas and Mark Fidrych

- As we close another NBA season, I just want one thing: for once, I want the Knicks in the bottom 3. Please, just once let me get to the commercial of the NBA Draft Lottery with the Knicks not off the board.

Before the puck drops in Washington and Pittsburgh, I will have my Stanley Cup preview.

UPDATED 11:23 AM: I forgot to make mention of Oscar De La Hoya's retirement and as a boxing fan, I know that Oscar was overrated based only on the amount of attention he got. He was the face of his sport since Mike Tyson tattooed that face. From 1992-1999, he was in the conversation as best pound-for-pound fighter in the world along with Roy Jones Jr. Then he fought Tito Trinidad, led for much of the fight and decided to keep away for the last few rounds, which cost him the fight. He never was the same as the next year he lost the first of two to Sugar Shane Mosley. He still had good fights, particularly his win over Fernando Vargas, but by the end, he was fighting off his name when he stepped in against Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao. So where is his place in history? He will be remembered as the most memorable and polarizing figure in boxing for his era, in an A-Rod sort of way. Very good fighter, but never beat the best of his weight during his or their primes.