April 6, Week in Sports
April 6, Week in Sports
:: Michigan State and North Carolina in NCAA Championship Game (College Basketball)
:: Jay Cutler Traded to Chicago Bears (Pro. Football)
:: Opening Day, MLB Season Begins (Pro. Baseball)
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MOTOR CITY MAYHEM
The NCAA tournament is down to the championship game, the final match-up between Michigan State and the University of North Carolina. This game is the culmination of “March Madness,” and the biggest event of the men’s college basketball season.
Before this year’s season started, the North Carolina Tar Heels were widely expected to be the best team in the country, and though there have been a couple of bumps in the road, they have certainly lived up to those expectations. They have looked especially good during the tournament, so UNC, led by forward Tyler Hansbrough, will be favorites to win the game. However, Michigan State is an extremely good defensive team that will put up a fight against North Carolina’s high-powered offense. That being said, these two teams played once earlier this year, and during that December game, the Tar Heels embarrassed Michigan State, winning the game by 35 points.
However, there is one more important factor in the match-up. The championship game is being played in Detroit, which means that the stadium will essentially be loaded with Michigan State fans. The energy from a home crowd might just be the thing that will help this Michigan State team rise to the top.
Quote of the Week: “Michigan State is just playing so well, you almost wonder if they’re a team of destiny or are they destined to crash back to earth?” — Seth Davis, CBS analyst
Further Reading: “Higher stakes this time around in UNC-Michigan State final ” — Associated Press, via USA Today
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A CUT(LER) ABOVE THE REST
Last week, the Denver Broncos traded disgruntled quarterback Jay Cutler to the Chicago Bears. When Cutler demanded a trade, he became one of the most coveted young quarterbacks in the league.
Even though tension had been building between the Broncos and Cutler for weeks, and even though Cutler had demanded a trade, it was still relatively surprising that the Broncos pulled the trigger on the trade. After all, it is almost unheard of for a young, Pro Bowl quarterback to be traded to another team. In the end, though, the relationship between Cutler and the Broncos was too bad to repair. Of course, since Cutler was a valuable commodity, the Broncos received a lot of talent from the Bears in exchange for him–quarterback Kyle Orton, two first-round draft picks, and a third-round draft pick. It is rare to see so much talent exchanged in an NFL trade.
Not only was it surprising to see Cutler traded, but it was also a huge surprise to see him go to the Chicago Bears, who have not made a comparable trade in decades. The Bears, who have not had a stable quarterback for years, are hoping that Cutler will be the franchise quarterback they have been waiting for.
Quote of the Week: ”The Bears on Thursday traded their first- and third-round picks this year, their first-round pick next year and Kyle Orton to the Broncos in exchange for Cutler, a 2009 fifth-round pick and a six-pack of baby formula.” — Rick Morrissey, Chicago Tribune
Further Reading: “Chicago Bears take the plunge in acquiring Jay Cutler ” — David Haugh, Chicago Tribune
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PLAY BALL!
While the MLB regular season officially began last night, when the Atlanta Braves played the Philadelphia Phillies, today is Opening Day for baseball teams across the country–a kind of holiday for baseball lovers that marks the beginning of the MLB year.
With the excitement of Opening Day comes the optimism of fans across the country that this year will be the year that their team wins the World Series. But since the baseball season is roughly six months long, there is a lot of baseball yet to be played.
While every team in the country has its own set of storylines at the beginning of the season, the biggest national stories, as always, revolve around the New York Yankees. Two Yankees stories in particular will get a lot of attention in the coming weeks. First of all, the Yankees just moved into their new stadium–a huge palace in the Bronx. While almost everyone who has visited the stadium has agreed that it is absolutely beautiful, ticket prices to Yankees games are by far the highest in baseball history. Almost every story about the new stadium mentions the fact that it is also absurdly expensive, especially during a bad economy.
The other issue with the Yankees is, of course, the team’s controversial third baseman Alex “A-Rod” Rodriguez. A-Rod is currently injured, so he is not expected to join the team for several weeks. However, once he re-joins the Yankees, the former steroid user’s performance will be scrutinized by every analyst in the country.
Quote of the Week: ”Economy or not, that gets thrown the Yankees’ way every year regardless…. That’s part of the Yankees having the highest payroll in the game for a long time.” — Brian Cashmann, Yankees GM
Further Reading: “Strange Times ” — Tom Verducci, SI.com
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WHAT TO WATCH THIS WEEK
:: COLLEGE BASKETBALL: The NCAA Tournament comes to a close on Monday night, when Michigan State and North Carolina face off for the national championship.
:: BASEBALL: Monday marks Opening Day of the MLB season. There are only 162 games in the season, so now’s the time to get on board!
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ALL-SPORTS UPDATE
ACTIVE SEASON
:: BASEBALL
MLB (Pro. Baseball): The 2009 season begins on Monday, and runs through October. [Official MLB Website]
:: BASKETBALL
NBA (Pro. Basketball): The 2008-09 season is currently underway. It runs from late October to April of 2009, when the playoffs commence. [Official NBA Website]
NCAA MEN’S BASKETBALL (College): “The Tournament” will end on Monday night, when Michigan State and North Carolina face off for the national championship. [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 Masters is scheduled for the first week of April. [Official PGA Website]
NOTABLE PLAYERS: Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson
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:: HOCKEY
NHL (Pro. Hockey): The hockey season is currently underway and runs through April of 2009. [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