SportSpectator Blog

April 27, Week in Sports

:: Lions Take Stafford in NFL Draft  (Pro. Football)

:: Cavs Sweep Pistons; Rose Wins Rookie of the Year (Pro. Basketball)

:: San Jose Stays Alive in Stanley Cup Playoffs (Pro. Hockey)

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YOUNG LIONS

On Saturday afternoon, the Detroit Lions announced that they had reached an agreement with quarterback Matthew Stafford, ultimately making him the first overall pick of the NFL Draft on Sunday. Stafford and the Lions inked a 6-year, $72 million deal. Of that money, $41.7 million is guaranteed, which is an NFL record.

The Lions are an extremely troubled franchise with numerous holes on both offense and defense, and Stafford alone will not be able to save it. Detroit finished the 2008 season with an 0-16 record–the first time that an NFL team had finished a 16-game season winless. Although many Lions fans and critics argued that the team should have spent less money on the first overall pick by drafting a position other than quarterback, it is also undeniable that the Lions are desperately in need someone with even a little bit of young talent running the offense. Of course, it is no guarantee that Stafford will work out. For every first-round quarterback success story, such as Peyton Manning, there have been numerous players who completely flopped–such as Tim Couch and Alex Smith.

The other big news from the draft came when the New York Jets traded up to get quarterback Mark Sanchez. Jets fans have a reputation for vehemently opposing their team’s draft picks, but surprisingly, the vast majority were very pleased with the Sanchez pick.

Quote of the Week: “He’s 21. Let’s start with that. How finished a product were you at 21? Matthew Stafford is now the future of the Lions, he has been guaranteed more money than any NFL player ever, and he just reached the drinking age.” — Mitch Albom, Detroit Free Press

Further Reading: “New QB Stafford ready to accept challenge 0-16 brings ” — Nicholas J. Cotsonika, Detroit Free Press

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ROYAL FLUSH: “KING” JAMES AND CAVS SWEEP PISTONS

The Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Detroit Pistons on Sunday afternoon to advance to the second round of the playoffs. The Cavs, one of the favorites to go all the way this year, swept the series.

Going into the playoffs, everyone fully expected LeBron James and company to cruise to the championship. That being said, their performance against the Pistons, a veteran postseason team, was still very impressive. James was especially impressive, scoring 36 points in Game 4 and averaging over 30 points per game in the series. The Cavs will now have time to rest up before round 2, where they will play either the Miami Heat or the Atlanta Hawks.

In other NBA news, last Wednesday, Derrick Rose of the Chicago Bulls was named Rookie of the Year. Rose and the Bulls are currently locked up 2-2 with the Boston Celtics in the first round of the playoffs. That series, which everyon is already calling an “instant classic,” continues on Tuesday in Boston.

Quote of the Week: ”This is where legends are born, and this is where teams make history.” — LeBron James

Further Reading: “LeBron takes control as Cavaliers sweep up Pistons ” — Associated Press, via ESPN

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SHARKS FIGHT BACK, BUT STILL ON THIN ICE

The Stanley Cup playoffs heated up this week, with two of the first round series headed toward a decisive Game 7, and the top-seed San Jose Sharks clawing their way back into their series with the Anaheim Ducks.

The Sharks entered the playoffs as the one-seed in the Western Conference after proving themselves to be totally dominant in the regular season. However, they have had the misfortune to draw a first-round matchup against the Ducks, who were arguably the hottest team in the league during the last month of the regular season. After dropping the first two games against Anaheim, San Jose battled their way to two victories (and one additional loss), bringing the series to 3-2. Game 6 of the series will be played tonight in Anaheim.

Two of the first-round series already have Game 7 matchups scheduled for this week: the New York Rangers vs. the Washington Capitals, and the Carolina Hurricanes vs. the New Jersey Devils. Fans are particularly excited about the Rangers-Capitals matchup, since the Rangers have a huge, passionate fanbase, and the Caps have league superstar Alexander Ovechkin on their side. Game 7 of that series, which should be electric, will be played on Tuesday night.

Quote of the Week: ”Sharks center Joe Thornton found a heart, the Ducks lost a chance to pull off an upset and the teams’ playoff series became a lot more interesting — and at least one game longer.” — Helene Elliot, L.A. Times

Further Reading: “Sharks force Game 6 with OT after Ducks rally in third period ” — Associated Press, via ESPN

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WHAT TO WATCH THIS WEEK

:: HORSE RACING: The Kentucky Derby, perhaps the biggest event in horse racing, takes place next Saturday.

:: PRO. BASKETBALL: The NBA playoffs continue this week. The defending champion Boston Celtics and Chicago Bulls have a huge game on Tuesday night. Check out the rest of the schedule at www.nba.com.

:: HOCKEY: The Stanley Cup playoffs continue this week. The New York Rangers and Washington Capitals play Game 7 on Tuesday night. The rest of the schedule is available at www.nhl.com.

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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 NBA playoffs are currently underway.  [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 NFL Draft is over, things will be relatively quiet until training camp begins in the middle of July. [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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April 20, Week in Sports

:: NBA Playoffs Begin  (Pro. Basketball)

:: John Madden Retires (Pro. Football)

:: NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs Begin (Pro. Hockey)

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THIS RUNS THROUGH JUNE? THAT IS AMAZING.

The first round of the NBA playoffs started over the weekend. The NBA post-season is a marathon, not a sprint, and all of it leads to the NBA Finals, which will be played in the middle of June.

Almost every analyst in the country has predicted that this year’s Finals matchup will be between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Cleveland Cavaliers. However, those championship games are a long way off. With that in mind, perhaps the most exciting first round matchup is between the Boston Celtics (who won the championship last year) and the upstart Chicago Bulls. The Celtics, though one of the strongest teams in the league, lost superstar Kevin Garnett to a knee injury. That injury looks to be opening the door for a huge upset by the Bulls, who are led by rookie superstar Derrick Rose. Rose’s Bulls stunned the Celtics with a 105-103 victory in Boston on Saturday afternoon.

Rose led the game in scoring with 36 points. That ties the all-time record for most points by a rookie in his playoff debut, set by NBA legend Kareem Abdul-Jabaar in 1970.
Quote of the Week: “Monday is the 23rd anniversary of Larry Bird comparing Michael Jordan to God after Jordan’s NBA playoff record 63-point effort at the old Boston Garden. Don’t bet against Rose doing something spectacular again.” — K.C. Johnson, Chicago Tribune

Further Reading: “Chicago Bulls upset Boston Celtics 105-103 in overtime ” — K.C. Johnson, Chicago Tribune

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BOOM! MADDEN RETIRES

John Madden, the former Super Bowl-winning coach and NFL staple, announced his retirement from the broadcast booth on Thursday. Madden is considered by many to be the most famous NFL announcer ever.

Though John Madden was regarded as one of the best (and dirtiest) coaches of his time, to many people, he is probably more famous for the second half of his career. After Madden left the coaching game, he moved to the booth, where his bizarre segues, dumbstruck wonder at the beauty of the game, and wild rants charmed football fans across the country. During that time, he also scored some high-profile corporate sponsorships, including Outback Steakhouse, Miller Lite, and Tinactin.

For younger fans, John Madden is synonymous with the Madden football video game series–the most popular series of football games ever. EA Sports, of course, will continue the series with the Madden name despite his retirement.

Quote of the Week: ”I don’t think there’s been a more important figure in the history of the National Football League.” — Al Michaels, Madden’s broadcast partner

Further Reading: “Madden puts end to career in booth ” — Richard Sandomir, New York Times

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START GROWING YOUR PLAYOFF BEARDS

The first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs continues this week, as sixteen teams fight for a place in the Conference Semifinals.

There have already been a few surprises in the post-season, with the second-seed Washington Capitals and their superstar Alexander Ovechkin dropping their first two games against the New York Rangers, and the one-seed San Jose Sharks showing some chinks in the armor against the Anaheim Ducks. That being said, the strongest teams have been playing outstanding hockey for the most part, with the Detroit Red Wings, Chicago Blackhawks, Vancouver Canucks, Pittsburgh Penguins, and Boston Bruins all jumping out to 2-0 leads in their first round series. Those first-round matchups continue this week.

Perhaps more than any other sport, the hockey post-season is full of all sorts of bizarre traditions. One of those traditions is that players do not shave as long as their team remains in contention. So if you happen to see some scruffy Canadians wandering around town the next few weeks, you’ll know the reason why.

Quote of the Week: ”We need to score goals. We just have to score goals. That’s a big key for us right now, we have to score goals.” — Alexander Ovechkin

Further Reading: “ESPN’s Stanley Cup Playoffs Blog ” — Pierre LeBrun

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WHAT TO WATCH THIS WEEK

:: PRO. BASKETBALL: The NBA playoffs continue this week. The defending champion Boston Celtics get another crack at the Bulls on Monday night. Check out the rest of the schedule at www.nba.com .

:: PRO. FOOTBALL: The NFL Draft takes place on April 25-26. Those two days will provide enough fodder for sports radio hosts across the country that they will be able to talk about it until the NFL season begins in the fall.

:: HOCKEY: The Stanley Cup playoffs continue this week. The schedule is available at www.nhl.com .

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ALL-SPORTS UPDATE

:: BASEBALL

MLB (Pro. Baseball): The 2009 season is underway, and it runs through October. [Official MLB Website]

:: BASKETBALL

NBA (Pro. Basketball): The 2008-09 NBA playoffs are currently underway.  [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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June 30, Week in Sports

:: DERRICK ROSE, NO. 1 PICK IN NBA DRAFT (Pro. Basketball)

:: SPAIN WINS EURO 2008 (Int’l Soccer)

:: WILLIAMS SISTERS ADVANCE AT WIMBLEDON (Tennis)

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ROSE-Y FUTURE FOR CHICAGO BULLS

The Chicago Bulls selected Derrick Rose with the no. 1 pick in the NBA Draft on Thursday night. With the pick, the Bulls put to an end the weeks of speculation about whether they would take Rose or Michael Beasley with the first overall draft pick.

Rose, a native Chicagoan, will return to his home town to play for the team he grew up watching. Home probably feels a bit different for Rose, who returned to Chicago on Friday $10 million richer, throwing out the first pitch at the Cubs-Sox game.

As expected Michael Beasley went to the Miami Heat with the second pick of the draft. There were also a number of draft day trades. The most notable trade involved the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Memphis Grizzlies, who engineered a trade to swap draft picks O.J. Mayo and Kevin Love, respectively.

Quote of the Week: “It feels great to go in and compete. I’m just blessed to be in that position right now, because a lot of people aren’t. And just knowing that we are a few pieces away from really contending as a team, it just makes me happy.” — Derrick Rose

Further Reading: “Chicago Bulls pick Derrick Rose with first pick in NBA draft” — K.C. Johnson, Chicago Tribune

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¡VIVA ESPANA!

Spain defeated Germany 1-0 in the Euro 2008 Finals, a soccer tournament between European countries played once every four years.

While Spain attracts some of the top soccer talent in the world for the Spanish league, their national team also has a reputation for collapsing on the international stage. Before Sunday’s win, Spain had not won a major international tournament in 44 years. Spain’s one goal came from Fernando Torres, who normally plays in the English Premier League for Liverpool. Torres’ goal came in the middle of the first half, and that was all the Spanish team needed to outlast the powerful German squad.

Quote of the Week: “Torres was taken off in the 78th minute, with his job already done in waking the sleeping giants of European football.”

Further Reading: “Party On, Spain!” — ESPN

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SISTER, SISTER

Sisters Venus and Serena Williams both advanced to the second round of competition at Wimbledon. Wimbledon, the third of the four Grand Slam events, is one of the most important tournaments of the year.

The Williams sisters’ success this year has brought a great deal of attention, in part because they are two of the biggest names in tennis, but also because Americans have struggled greatly at the tournament thus far. All of the American men in singles, including Andy Roddick, have been knocked out of the competition. Other big name players who were upset early in the tournament include Novak Djokovic, Ana Ivanovic, and Maria Sharapova. The Williams sisters are both favored in their upcoming matches.

While many of the world’s top players have already been knocked out, rivals Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal remain in the competition. Nadal recently defeated Federer at the French Open, but Wimbledon is a grass court, and defending champion Federer is the world’s best player on grass.

Quote of the Week: “The epidemic of upset fever at Wimbledon this year has yet to prove contagious to the Williams sisters.” — Christopher Clarey, New York Times

Further Reading: “Williams Sisters Find the Grass Is Greener” — Christopher Clarey, New York Times

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WHAT TO WATCH THIS WEEK

:: TENNIS – Wimbledon, one of the biggest tournaments in professional tennis, is currently underway. It goes through July 6th.

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ALL-SPORTS UPDATE

ACTIVE SEASON

:: BASEBALL

MLB (Pro. Baseball): Baseball season is in full swing, but it is a long season, and teams tend to measure their success month by month. The All-Star break takes place the second week of July. By then, teams’ records will be a good indicator of how well they are performing this season. [Official MLB Website]

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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. Now that the U.S. Open is over, the next event is the Open (also known as the British Open), which is played in July. [Official PGA Website]

NOTABLE PLAYERS: Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson

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:: TENNIS

MEN’S AND WOMEN’S TENNIS: While there are professional tournaments throughout the year, the most important tournaments of the year are the four Grand Slam tournaments: the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, and US Open. Wimbledon is currently underway, running through July 6th. [USTA Website]

NOTABLE PLAYERS: Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Maria Sharapova, Ana Ivanovic

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OFFSEASON

:: BASKETBALL

NCAA MEN’S BASKETBALL (College): Now that the tournament is over, college basketball news will focus on which players leave their schools for the NBA, and which college teams land the premier high-school players for next season. [CBS Sports]

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:: FOOTBALL

NFL (Pro. Football): The pre-season begins in August, and the regular season begins in September. [Official NFL Website]

NCAA FOOTBALL (College): Practice sessions for college football begin in summer, and the regular season begins in August. [NCAA Football, ESPN]

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:: HOCKEY

NHL (Pro. Hockey): The Detroit Red Wings defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins in the Stanley Cup Finals, completing the 2007-08 season. [Official NHL Website]

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:: BASKETBALL

NBA (Pro. Basketball): The Celtics defeated the Lakers to win the NBA Finals, ending the 2008 season. [Official NBA Website]

May 26, Week in Sports

:: SCOTT DIXON WINS INDY 500 (Auto Racing)

:: CHICAGO BULLS WIN FIRST DRAFT PICK (Pro. Basketball)

:: PITTSBURGH PENGUINS PLAY DETROIT RED WINGS FOR STANLEY CUP (Pro. Hockey)

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GOT MILK? DIXON WINS INDY 500

On Sunday afternoon, driver Scott Dixon won the Indianapolis 500–one of the most historical and important races of the year for motorsports enthusiasts.

Dixon started out the race in pole position (first), but he was losing to Vitor Meira with fewer than 30 laps left to go. However, Dixon beat Meira out of the final pit stop and was able to hold on for his first Indianapolis 500 victory. Following his victory, Dixon drank a bottle of milk on the track, as is customary for winners of the Indy 500.

The day was full of accidents, and tempers flared as reckless driving knocked some of the sport’s top drivers out of contention. About halfway through the race, Marco Andretti accidentally forced his own teammate, Tony Kanaan, into a wall. Late in the race, Ryan Briscoe hit Danica Patrick in pit row, and Patrick was seen fuming along the track until track personnel guided her away. Helio Castroneves finished the race in fourth place.

Quote of the Week: “He’d better be [sorry]. That was a very stupid move. Me being a good teammate, I didn’t want to turn into him and take out two cars. So I give up today.” — Tony Kanaan, on Andretti apologizing after knocking him out of the race

Further Reading: “Pole sitter Dixon races to first Indianapolis 500 victory” — Associated Press, via ESPN

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LUCKY LOTTO: BULLS TAKE FIRST OVERALL PICK

On May 20th, the NBA held their annual lottery to determine the order of picks for this year’s draft. The Chicago Bulls, who only had a 1.7 percent chance of winning the NBA lottery, were the surprise winners, taking home the first overall pick in the draft.

The NBA Draft is more important than the draft in any other sport–sometimes the addition of a single player can entirely change a team’s future, as it did when the Cleveland Cavaliers drafted LeBron James in 2003. The order of the draft is roughly determined in the reverse order of teams’ success the year before. That is to say, the worst teams have the best odds of getting the highest draft picks. But to discourage losing deliberately, the worst teams are not guaranteed the top draft picks. Since the odds were overwhelmingly against the Bulls, though, their winning the NBA lottery was big news.

The Bulls will either take Memphis guard Derrick Rose or Kansas State power forward Michael Beasley with the first pick of the draft. Both players are exceptional, and both could fill major needs for the lucky Bulls organization. The Chicago sports media were also tremendously lucky, since they are now guaranteed to have a topic to debate every day until the June 26th draft takes place.

Quote of the Week: “I understand this was pure luck. Now we have to do our job.” — John Paxon, Bulls GM

Further Reading: “A No. 1-track mind” — K.C. Johnson, Chicago Tribune

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PENGUINS FLOUNDER FIRST NIGHT IN HOCKEYTOWN

The Detroit Red Wings and Pittsburgh Penguins are currently playing in the Stanley Cup Finals, the most important event of the National Hockey League season. The Red Wings won the first game, defeating the Pens by a crushing score of 4-0.

This is considered a high-profile match-up for fans of the sport, since it pits Pittsburgh’s Sidney Crosby, one of the biggest stars of the league, against the Red Wings, one of the most storied franchises in the sport and a perennial contender. The NHL continues to struggle to draw casual fans to the sport, but league officials hope that a championship with this kind of intensity will help to get people to watch the games.

Game One of Stanley Cup Finals was played in Detroit (a.k.a. Hockeytown) on Saturday. Pittsburgh hopes to bounce back from the devastating opening loss when they play Game Two on Monday night.

Quote of the Week: “If a matchup ever was going to capture the attention of the casual sports fan and make the NHL matter during its showcase event, this seems to be the one to do it.” — Associated Press

Further Reading: “First-period power-play failures come back to haunt Penguins” — Dave Molinari, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

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WHAT TO WATCH THIS WEEK

:: BASKETBALL – The Conference Finals match-ups (Boston/Detroit and San Antonio/Los Angeles) continue this week. The full schedules are available at www.nba.com.

:: HOCKEY – The Stanley Cup Finals continue this week, with games scheduled for Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.

:: TENNIS – The French Open, the second Grand Slam event of the year, started this week and runs through June 8th.
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ALL-SPORTS UPDATE

ACTIVE SEASON

:: BASEBALL

MLB (Pro. Baseball): Baseball season is in full swing, but it is a long season, so teams tend to measure their success month by month. The All-Star break takes place the second week of July. By then, teams’ records will be a good indicator of how well they are performing this season. [Official MLB Website]

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:: BASKETBALL

NBA (Pro. Basketball): The NBA conference finals continue this week. The winners of those two best-of-seven series will face off in the NBA playoffs. [Official NBA Website]

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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. Now that the Masters is over, the next event will be the U.S. Open, which is played in the month of June. [Official PGA Website]

NOTABLE PLAYERS: Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Ernie Els

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:: HOCKEY

NHL (Pro. Hockey): The Detroit Red Wings and Pittsburgh Penguins are currently battling in the Stanley Cup Finals. [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 of the year are the four Grand Slam tournaments: the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, and US Open. The French Open is currently underway. The next event is Wimbledon, which runs from June 23rd to July 6th. [USTA Website]

NOTABLE PLAYERS: Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Maria Sharapova

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OFFSEASON

:: BASKETBALL

NCAA MEN’S BASKETBALL (College): Now that the tournament is over, college basketball news will focus on which players leave their schools for the NBA, and which college teams land the premier high-school players for next season. [CBS Sports]

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:: FOOTBALL

NFL (Pro. Football): The pre-season begins in August, and the regular season begins in September. [Official NFL Website]

NCAA FOOTBALL (College): Practice sessions for college football begin in summer, and the regular season begins in August. [NCAA Football, ESPN]