April 13, 2009
April 13, Week in Sports
:: Angel Cabrera Wins the Masters (Golf)
:: North Carolina Wins National Championship (College Basketball)
:: Angels Pitcher Murdered by Drunk Driver (Pro. Baseball)
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TOUCHED BY AN ANGEL
On Sunday afternoon, Angel Cabrera won the 2009 Masters at Augusta National. Cabrera is the first person from Argentina to ever win the Masters.
At the end of the final round, three players were tied for the lead–Cabrera, Chad Campbell, and Kenny Perry. Those three players then proceeded to compete in a sudden death playoff. Campbell was eliminated after the first hole, and Cabrera defeated Perry in the second hole to win the tournament. It was especially emotional for Perry, who played an exceptional tournament and led for almost the entire day on Sunday.
As always, on Sunday afternoon everyone was watching closely to see if Tiger Woods could make a comeback. Woods was paired with Phil Mickelson, and the two rivals both had an outstanding round–at one point pulling within one shot of the leader. However, both Woods and Mickelson made key mistakes down the stretch, knocking them out of contention.
Quote of the Week: “I felt that when Tiger and Phil were making a move, I had to make a move myself.” — Angel Cabrera
Further Reading: “Cabrera wins his first green jacket ” — Associated Press, via ESPN
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WELL-HEELED: UNC WINS NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP
The North Carolina Tar Heels won the national championship last Monday, defeating Michigan State by a score of 89-72. Winning the NCAA tournament is the greatest achievement in men’s college basketball.
It was hardly surprising to see the Tar Heels as the victors this year, since going into the season, they were ranked the best team in the country. Moreover, two of their best players, stars Ty Lawson and Tyler Hansbrough, returned to the team instead of going to the NBA. While nobody expects Hansbrough to be anything more than a mediocre player in the NBA, Lawson truly matured as a player during this season, and he is now regarded as one of the best college players in the country. This was evident on Monday night, when Lawson set a first-half record for steals and scored a game-high 21 points. Michigan State seemed overmatched very early on in the game, and they never recovered.
North Carolina has now won the national championship five times, which puts them in a tie for third place with Indiana University. UCLA has had more success than any other program, with 11 national championship titles.
Quote of the Week: ”I think we lost the game in the first 10 minutes. We turned the ball over, and they hit every shot.” — Goran Suton, Michigan State player
Further Reading: “Carolina reign: Heels dominate Mich. State, claim national title ” — Marlen Garcia, USA Today
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TRAGEDY IN LOS ANGELES
Promising young pitcher Nick Adenhart and two of his friends died when their car was struck by a drunk driver on Wednesday night. The alleged drunk driver, Anthony Thomas Gallo, was charged with murder.
Adenhart was just 22 years old and this was going to be his first full year in the major leagues as a pitcher for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. In fact, the rookie had been the starting pitcher for the Angels earlier on the night of the tragedy. It was his first start of the season and the best outing of his young career. Also killed in the crash were two of Adenhart’s friends, Courtney Frances Stewart and Henry Pearson. On Friday, Orange County prosecutors filed three murder charges against Gallo.
Adenhart’s death is the latest in a long string of tragedies for the Angels franchise, going back to the 1970s, when three Angels players were killed in car accidents. In 1978, outfielder Lyman Bostock was shot and killed, and a decade later, reliever Donnie Moore shot his wife (who survived), and then killed himself.
Quote of the Week: ”He felt like a major leaguer. His life’s goal was to be a major league baseball player, and he certainly achieved that standard.” Scott Boras, Adenhart’s agent
Further Reading: “Nick Adenhart, Angels pitcher, killed in Fullerton crash ” — Christopher Goffard and Christine Hanley
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WHAT TO WATCH THIS WEEK
:: PRO. BASKETBALL: The NBA playoffs begin on Saturday. Entering the playoffs, the Cleveland Cavaliers have the best record in the East, and the Los Angeles Lakers have the best record in the West.
:: HOCKEY: The Stanley Cup playoffs begin on Wednesday. The San Jose Sharks have the best record in the Western Conference, and the Boston Bruins have the best record in the Eastern Conference.
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ALL-SPORTS UPDATE
ACTIVE SEASON
:: BASEBALL
MLB (Pro. Baseball): The 2009 season is underway, and it runs through October. [Official MLB Website]
:: BASKETBALL
NBA (Pro. Basketball): The 2008-09 season is currently underway. The playoffs are scheduled to begin next Saturday. [Official NBA Website]
NCAA MEN’S BASKETBALL (College): “The Tournament” is now over. The University of North Carolina won the 2009 national championship over Michigan State. [CBS Sports]
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:: FOOTBALL
NFL (Pro. Football): Now that the Super Bowl is over, the next major NFL event is the draft, which takes place in late April. [Official NFL Website]
NCAA FOOTBALL (College): The college football season is now over, with Florida defeating Oklahoma in the national championship game. [NCAA Football, ESPN]
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:: GOLF
MEN’S GOLF: While there are professional tournaments throughout the year, the most important tournaments are the four Major Championships: The Masters, U.S. Open, The Open (The British Open), and the PGA Championship. The next Major Championship is the U.S. Open. [Official PGA Website]
NOTABLE PLAYERS: Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson
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:: HOCKEY
NHL (Pro. Hockey): The Stanley Cup playoffs are currently underway. [Official NHL Website]
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:: TENNIS
MEN’S AND WOMEN’S TENNIS: While there are professional tournaments throughout the year, the most important tournaments are the four Grand Slam tournaments: the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, and US Open. The next event is the French Open, which takes place in May. [USTA Website]
NOTABLE PLAYERS: Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Maria Sharapova, Ana Ivanovic
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OFFSEASON