SportSpectator Blog

May 18, Week in Sports

:: Lakers Top Rockets in Seven; Celtics Fall to Magic (Pro. Basketball)

:: Detroit Red Wings Beat Anaheim Ducks to Face Blackhawks (Hockey)

:: Rachel Alexandra Wins Preakness (Horse Racing)

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L.A. CONFIDENT: LAKERS ADVANCE TO CONFERENCE FINALS

On Sunday afternoon, the Los Angeles Lakers pummeled the Houston Rockets 89-70 in Game 7 of their playoff series. The Lakers now advance to the Conference Finals, where they will play the red hot Denver Nuggets.

Going into the 2009 post-season, the Lakers were expected to cruise to the Finals, especially after the Rockets lost their star center, Yao Ming, to injury. However, that perception changed significantly as the Rockets fought back, forcing the series to seven games and raising questions about the strength and heart of the Lakers team–especially after Lakers star guard Kobe Bryant and coach Phil Jackson appeared to be indifferent after an ugly Game 6 loss in Houston. Now the Lakers face an extremely tough opponent in the Denver Nuggets, who are appearing in the Conference Finals for the first time in over two decades.

Meanwhile, on the East Coast, the Boston Celtics fell to the Orlando Magic in Game 7. The Celtics won the NBA Finals last year, and while nobody expected them to repeat that achievement given the injury to Kevin Garnett, it was still a bit of a surprise to see them defeated at home. The Orlando Magic are now slated to play the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Conference Finals. The Cavs are the best team in the playoffs this year, and NBA analysts have all but penciled them in as this year’s champions. If the Magic were to knock them off, it would be a huge upset.

Quote of the Week: “We just had to come home, put the last game behind us, and play well…. We’ve got our hands full with [the Denver Nuggets]–we know they’re rested, we know they’re ready…but we will be too.” — Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers

Further Reading: “Gasol, Lakers overwhelm Rockets in Game 7 ” — Associated Press, via ESPN

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HAWKS AND RED WINGS DROP THE GLOVES

The Detroit Red Wings pulled off a Game 7 victory over the Anaheim Ducks on Thursday, advancing to play their arch-rivals, the Chicago Blackhawks, in the next round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Red Wings beat the Blackhawks in Game 1 of that series by a score of 5-2.

The Red Wings, who won the Stanley Cup last year, have been one of the most dominant teams in professional sports over the last decade, and they are just as good as ever. Led by veteran stars Pavel Datsyuk, Henrik Zetterberg, and Nicklas Lidstrom, the Red Wings are a well-oiled machine, one of the deepest teams in the league, and a perennial favorite to win the Cup. The Blackhawks, on the other hand, have had a very different path to this series. After fading into irrelevance in Chicago during the past 15 years, the Blackhawks, led by young stars Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane, have resurrected the franchise this year. Since the arrival of Toews and Kane a year ago, the Hawks have gone from being one of the worst teams in the league to being one of the fastest, most explosive teams in the country. The last time the Blackhawks made it this deep in the playoffs was in 1995, when they lost to the Red Wings.

The Blackhawks and Red Wings are two of the “Original Six” teams in the NHL. The other four teams from the “Original Six” are the Boston Bruins, New York Rangers, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Montreal Canadiens.

Quote of the Week: ”Hockeytown USA? Some would argue that’s on the West Side of Chicago now, even if the Red Wings have hilariously trademarked the phrase.” — Jon Greenberg, ESPN Chicago

Further Reading: ”Chi-town and Motown, facing off again ” — Jon Greenberg, ESPN Chicago

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BOYS CLUB? NOT AT PREAKNESS

On Saturday afternoon, Rachel Alexandra won the Preakness, edging out Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird. The Preakness is the second leg of the Triple Crown of horse racing.

Rachel Alexandra was the favorite to win the Preakness, so in that sense, her victory was the expected result. However, it was still an unusual day in Baltimore for a few reasons. First of all, though Rachel Alexandra was not the first filly to win the Preakness, the last time it happened was 85 years ago. Rachel Alexandra was also the first horse in 134 years to start in the 13th position and win the race.

However, the strangest part of the race had to do with the jockey. The jockey that guided Rachel Alexandra to victory today was none other than Calvin Borel, who won the Kentucky Derby with Mine That Bird. Never before has a Derby-winning jockey switched horses for the Preakness. In this case, the decision paid off handsomely for Borel. Meanwhile, Mine That Bird finished in second place.

Quote of the Week: ”Like I told everybody up front, she’s the best horse in the country right now, bar none. I can’t go back on my word. I won’t go back on my word.” — Calvin Borel

Further Reading: ”Rachel Alexandra holds off Mine That Bird, wins Preakness ” — Bob Velin, USA Today

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WHAT TO WATCH THIS WEEK

:: PRO. BASKETBALL: The Conference Finals of the NBA playoffs begin this week. Check out the schedule at www.nba.com.

:: HOCKEY: The Conference Finals of the Stanley Cup playoffs continue this week. The most anticipated matchup of this round is between the Detroit Red Wings and Chicago Blackhawks. Check out the rest of the schedule at www.nhl.com.

:: TENNIS: The French Open, the second of the four Grand Slam tournaments, begins this week. It runs from May 24 to June 7.

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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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June 23, Week in Sports

:: CELTICS WIN NBA FINALS (Pro. Basketball)

:: TIGER WOODS INJURED, OUT FOR YEAR (Golf)

:: METS MANAGER WILLIE RANDOLPH FIRED (Pro. Baseball)

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WICKED AWESOME: CELTICS WIN CHAMPIONSHIP

Last week, the Boston Celtics became this year’s NBA champions, defeating the Los Angeles Lakers in five games. It was the first time in 22 years that the Celtics have won the championship.

The Celtics, who acquired superstar Kevin Garnett in the off-season, were the league’s biggest story of the 2007 season, even before winning the championship. Just a year earlier, they had posted a miserable 24-58 record during the regular season, missing the playoffs. To bounce back from that season to win the championship is truly remarkable. The Lakers had an incredible season in their own right. But now, after getting blown out during the Finals, the questions surrounding the future of league MVP Kobe Bryant are sure to start up again.

Paul Pierce of the Celtics was the series MVP. This is the Celtics’ 17th championship in franchise history.

Quote of the Week: “They don’t hang up any other banners but championship banners here.” — Paul Pierce

Further Reading: “Celtics get NBA title No. 17” — Chris Sheridan, ESPN

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WOE IS WOODS: TIGER HURT, DONE FOR SEASON

Tiger Woods, coming off his epic victory at the U.S. Open, revealed last week that he was playing with a torn ligament in his left knee and a double stress fracture to boot. As a result, Woods will undergo surgery and miss the remaining tournaments this year.

It was no surprise that Woods was injured, especially given his grimacing and limping during the U.S. Open. However, the severity of Woods’ injury was not known before his announcement.

Woods’ absence will greatly affect the remainder of this year’s golf season. First off, the absence of the world’s top-ranked and most famous player will certainly negatively influence public interest in the game this year. But also, with Tiger off the course, there will be plenty of golfers looking to take advantage of a more level playing field.

Quote of the Week: “He’s been playing way less than 100 percent for a long, long, time.” — Hank Haney, Woods’ Coach

Further Reading: “For rest of 2008, possibilities are endless for players not named Tiger” — Jason Sobel, ESPN

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SO LONG, IT’S BEEN GOOD TO KNOW YA…

New York Mets manager Willie Randolph was fired late Monday night by Mets general manager Omar Minaya. The Seattle Mariners and Toronto Blue Jays also fired their skippers last week.

Randolph’s firing made sports headlines across the nation, in part because the New York Mets are one of the most popular teams in the country, but also because Randolph was dismissed in what seemed to be a particularly rude way. The Mets had just flown out to Los Angeles, where they won their game, when later that night Mets GM Minaya fired him, as well as the team’s pitching coach and first base coach. News of the firing became public after midnight, which is also unusual. In the end, Minaya was widely criticized for firing a coach who just set out on West coast trip and then announcing it in the dead of night.

However impolite the firing may have been, Randolph’s departure is not terribly surprising to anyone. While he has had some major success with the Mets organization, he was also at the helm during their historic collapse last year. This year, the Mets have struggled as well, sealing Randolph’s fate.

Quote of the Week: “Not the way I would have handled it. Bottom line, it is what it is.” — Willie Randolph, in reference to the way in which he was fired

Further Reading: “Mets End the Suspense for Randolph” — Ben Shpigel, New York Times

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WHAT TO WATCH THIS WEEK

:: BASKETBALL — The NBA Draft takes place on Wednesday. The big question is who the Chicago Bulls will take with the first overall pick–Derrick Rose or Michael Beasley.

:: 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]

June 2, Week in Sports

:: CELTICS, LAKERS ADVANCE TO NBA FINALS (Pro. Basketball)

:: RED WINGS ONE WIN AWAY FROM WINNING STANLEY CUP (Pro. Hockey)

:: MANNY RAMIREZ HITS 500TH HOME RUN (Pro. Baseball)

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I LOVE THE ’80s: CELTICS-LAKERS MATCHUP RENEWS OLD RIVALRY

Last week, the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers secured spots in this year’s NBA Finals. During the 1960s and 1980s, the Celtics-Lakers rivalry was one of the most intense in professional sports. This will be the first time the two teams have faced off in the Finals since 1987.

This match-up will be one of the most hyped NBA Finals in recent history for a number of reasons. Both the Lakers and the Celtics play in huge markets and both franchises are part of long-standing traditions. Both teams feature some of the NBA’s biggest names–the Lakers have league MVP Kobe Bryant, and the Celtics have superstar Kevin Garnett. Both teams have also been part of this year’s biggest story lines in the NBA: The Lakers almost traded Kobe Bryant during the off-season (per Bryant’s request), but the star guard ended up having a career year in Los Angeles; the Celtics acquired Garnett in the off-season, instantly transforming a comatose franchise into a powerhouse. The series begins on Thursday in Boston.

There was another ’80s throwback of sorts this week as well, when it was rumored that Doug Collins would return to his position as the head coach of the Chicago Bulls. Collins coached the Bulls in the ’80s, and many believe that Phil Jackson, who won six championships with Michael Jordan’s Bulls, hijacked the team that Collins built.

Quote of the Week: “I think [the Lakers-Celtics] rivalry really revolutionized the game of basketball, and now I’m a part of it.” — Paul Pierce, Boston Celtics player

Further Reading: “Lakers-Celtics: A rivalry so big it should be on Versus” — Bill Plaschke

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RED HOT RED WINGS POISED TO WIN STANLEY CUP

On Saturday night, the Detroit Red Wings beat the Pittsburgh Penguins in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Finals. Detroit now leads the series 3-1, and will have an opportunity to win it all on Monday night.

Detroit won the first two games of the series, which deflated the high hopes of Pittsburgh fans and league officials who had hoped that this series would be extremely close. When the Penguins responded by winning Game 3, though, it only put them one game away from tying it up. However, Saturday’s loss at home was devastating for the Penguins. The Pens had won their past nine games in Pittsburgh.

Game 4 featured an unbelievable performance by Red Wing Henrik Zetterberg, including an extraordinary minute and a half when he completely shut down the Penguins during a 5-on-3 advantage.

Quote of the Week: “Since the best-of-seven format was introduced in 1939, only one team has come back from a 3-1 series deficit to win the Cup.” — Scott Burnside, ESPN

Further Reading: “Stanley Cusp! Gritty Wings one win away from championship” — Mitch Albom, Detroit Free Press

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GOING, GOING, GONE…MANNY HITS NUMBER 500

Manny Ramirez of the Boston Red Sox hit his 500th career home run on Saturday. Only 23 other players have accomplished the feat.

As is the case with many hitters approaching major milestones, Ramirez seemed to struggle in recent weeks as he neared the 500 mark. He finally ended the wait in the seventh inning of Saturday’s game against Baltimore. “I just wanted to get a good swing on the ball all day,” Ramirez said after the game. “And I did.”

Now that the Ramirez watch is over, all eyes will be on Ken Griffey Jr. Right now, Griffey is sitting on 599 home runs. While Ramirez’s feat was a big deal, Griffey’s will be much more significant: only five other players have hit 600 home runs.

Quote of the Week: “That was the swing, right there. It’s hard to hit home runs. I know — I made a career of not doing it.” — Dave Magadan, Red Sox hitting coach

Further Reading: “Manny Mashes No. 500” — Rob Bradford, Boston Herald

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WHAT TO WATCH THIS WEEK

:: BASKETBALL – The NBA Finals begin on Thursday, when the Lakers play the Celtics in Boston.

:: HOCKEY – The Stanley Cup Finals continue this week. The Red Wings currently lead the Penguins 3-1. Game 5 will be played tonight (Monday) in Detroit.

:: TENNIS – The French Open continues 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]

———-

:: BASKETBALL

NBA (Pro. Basketball): The NBA Finals begin on Thursday, when the Lakers play the Celtics in Boston. [Official NBA Website]

———-

:: 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 from June 9-15. [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. The Red Wings lead the series 3-1. [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]