SportSpectator Blog

May 4, Week in Sports

:: Boston Celtics Top Bulls in Game Seven  (Pro. Basketball)

:: ‘Mine That Bird’ Surprise Winner at Kentucky Derby (Horse Racing)

:: Manny Pacquiao Destroys Ricky Hatton in Two Rounds (Boxing)

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BULL FIGHTERS: CELTICS ADVANCE TO ROUND TWO

The Boston Celtics defeated the Chicago Bulls by a score of 109-99 in Game 7 of the first-round playoff series. Sports writers and fans alike are calling it the greatest first-round playoff series of all-time.

The series was incredibly close, with seven overtime periods played in the first six games. Game 7 was not nearly as tight, though it was by no means a blowout. The Celtics took control in the second quarter of the game, at one point going on a 20-2 run against the Bulls. Ray Allen, who dropped 51 points on the Bulls in Game 6 of the series, followed up that deadly performance with 23 points for the Celtics in Game 7. Ben Gordon led all scorers with 33 points, but it wasn’t enough for the young Chicago Bulls.

The Celtics will now advance to play the Orlando Magic in the second round of the playoffs. Though they stand a chance of beating the Magic, even the most die-hard Celtics fans suspect that this team’s days in the post-season are numbered–especially given the looming Conference Finals matchup with the powerhouse Cleveland Cavaliers.

Quote of the Week: “Call it Game 7, call it Round 15, call it whatever you want. Just remember to call it the greatest first-round series ever played.” — Bill Simmons, ESPN.com

Further Reading: “Close not good enough for Chicago Bulls” — Rick Morrissey, Chicago Tribune

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‘MINE THAT BIRD’ OVERCOMES THE ODDS
On Saturday afternoon, Mine That Bird shocked the world by winning the Kentucky Derby. Mine That Bird’s victory was the second-biggest upset in the 135-year history of the Derby, which is the first leg of the Triple Crown of horse racing.

Mine That Bird entered the race as a long-shot, to say the least, with odds at 50-1. The only bigger upset was in 1913, when Donerail won the race. Mine That Bird’s jockey, Calvin Borel, turned in a brilliant performance on Saturday, guiding his underdog gelding to an easy victory over the rest of the field. This is Borel’s second Derby win, having won the race with Street Sense in 2007. While Mine That Bird’s victory inspired the crowds at Churchill Downs, nobody was more excited than the horse’s trainer, Bennie Woolley Jr. This was Woolley Jr.’s first time running a horse in the Kentucky Derby.

While it turned out to be a great day for horse racing, the event got off to a bad start. Earlier in the day, the Derby favorite, I Want Revenge, was scratched from the race after his trainer discovered that the horse had a swollen left ankle. Several other horses had pulled out of the race earlier in the week, as well. In the end, though, no horses were killed in this year’s main race–bringing sighs of relief from horse racing enthusiasts, after last year’s tragic death of filly Eight Belles.

Quote of the Week: ”Really and truly, you’ve got me surprised. But the horse is in the Derby for a reason.” — Calvin Borel, Jockey

Further Reading: “Mine That Bird Uses Shortest Route to Win Derby ” — Joe Drape, New York Times

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PACMAN REMAINS POUND-FOR-POUND KING

Manny Pacquiao annihilated Ricky Hatton on Saturday night at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, in one of the biggest fights so far in 2009. Though Pacquiao was the favorite, it was a highly anticipated fight, and many expected it to be much closer than it was.

With this victory, Pacquiao solidified his reputation as the best pound-for-pound boxer in the world. He dismantled Hatton very early in the fight, knocking “the Hitman” down twice in the first round. In the second round, PacMan delivered a huge, vicious left that knocked Hatton out cold. Hatton, who went to the hospital for brainscans after the fight, later claimed that he never even saw the punch coming. This comes as a devastating loss to Hatton, who is certainly no slouch in the ring and was once considered one of the most feared boxers in the world, before his loss to Floyd Mayweather Jr. in December of 2007. Meanwhile, with Pacquiao’s victory against junior welterweight Hatton, he has now won titles in six weight classes–tying a record set by Oscar de la Hoya.

Earlier on Saturday night, former undisputed pound-for-pound king Floyd Mayweather Jr. announced that he was returning to the ring, after retiring almost a year ago. Mayweather will fight Juan Manuel Marquez on July 18, and should he win, he would face Pacquiao in the fall. If that matchup were to actually take place, it would be, by far, the most anticipated boxing match in recent history.

Quote of the Week: ”I guess I just missed boxing. Somebody’s got to keep the sport up and running. Why not me?” — Floyd Mayweather Jr.

Further Reading: “Dominant Pacquiao drops Hatton in 2nd ” — Associated Press, via ESPN

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WHAT TO WATCH THIS WEEK

:: PRO. BASKETBALL: The NBA playoffs continue this week. Check out the schedule at www.nba.com.

:: HOCKEY: The Stanley Cup playoffs continue this week. The most anticipated series of round 2 is between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Washington Capitals. 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 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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December 8, Week in Sports

 

:: FLORIDA TOPS NO. 1 ALABAMA (College Football)

:: MANNY PACQUIAO POUNDS OSCAR DE LA HOYA (Boxing)

:: PLAXICO BURRESS SUSPENDED, DONE FOR YEAR (Pro. Football)

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FLORIDA, OKLAHOMA, TO PLAY IN NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP

The Florida Gators knocked off top-ranked Alabama on Saturday, effectively de-throning Alabama and earning the Gators a ticket to the national championship game. The national championship game is the culmination of the college football season.

The Oklahoma Sooners, who also won their game on Saturday, moved up in the rankings, as well. The result is that Florida and Oklahoma are the top two teams in the country, which means that they will face off in the national championship game. The game is part of a series of “Bowl Games,” the end-of-year contests between the best teams in college football. The matchup between Florida and Alabame will take place in January of the new year.

After Oklahoma and Alabama, the next top-ranked team is the University of Texas. There will likely be grumbling across the country that Oklahoma is unjustly ranked ahead of Texas, especially since Texas beat Oklahoma earlier in the year. It is yet another controversy in the hotly-contested ranking system in college football.

Quote of the Week: “Although there is plenty of room to decry [Oklahoma outranking Texas] as another example of BCS illogic, this cannot be disputed: Oklahoma’s fight-or-flight reflex was astonishingly powerful.” — Pat Forde, ESPN

Further Reading: ”Florida, Oklahoma runaway trains primed for collision” — Pat Forde, ESPN

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THE POUND-FOR-POUND KING

 

Manny Pacquiao defeated Oscar de la Hoya on Saturday night in Las Vegas. Pacquiao’s victory will gain him a worldwide reputation as one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world, and it will also almost certainly be the last fight of De la Hoya’s career.

 

Oscar de la Hoya is one of the most famous boxers alive, and still probably the most popular. However, the “Golden Boy” is getting older and slower, and while he has been a competitive boxer up until this point, he is clearly no longer the boxer he once was. De la Hoya has already established hiimself as one of the biggest promoters in boxing, and that is likely where he will focus his efforts from now on.

 

On the other hand, Pacquiao’s star is rising. Among boxing afficionados, he is already one of the most respected fighters in the sport. With this victory and the fights that are sure to come in the future, he is quickly becoming a household name among sports enthusiasts.

Quote of the Week: “So this is how it ends. It is the way it almost always does, even for the best of them. It is the way it ended for Muhammad Ali. It remains, over a long, drawn-out period, the way it is ending for Roy Jones. And now it is the way it ends for Oscar de la Hoya.” — Kieran Mulvaney, ESPN

 

Further Reading: “Trigger? What Trigger?” — Kieran Mulvaney

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THEY SHOOT GIANTS, DON’T THEY?

The New York Giants have suspended their star wide receiver Plaxico Burress for the remainder of the regular season. Burress accidentally shot himself in the thigh at a night club last weekend.

 

Burress has a history of being a problem child in a league full of loose cannons, but this incident is by far the biggest indiscretion of his career. He has been charged with possession of an illegal weapon after authorities found that he was not licensed to carry the gun in question. If convicted, Burress could be imprisoned from 3 1/2 to 15 years.

 

Incidentally, because of Burress’ injury and the way the Giants classified it, he will also be unable to rejoin the Giants in the playoffs this year.

Quote of the Week: “There is nothing good that will come of it and there isn’t much to say.” — Amani Toomer, Giants receiver

Further Reading:  “Giants suspend Burress four games in wake of weapons charge” — Associated Press, via ESPN

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WHAT TO WATCH THIS WEEK

:: COLLEGE FOOTBALL: The Heisman Trophy, the most prestigious award in college football, will be announced next Monday. That means that this week there will be all sorts of chatter about who deserves the award. Last year’s winner, Tim Tebow, put himself in a good position to win it again, after leading Florida to the national championship game.

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ALL-SPORTS UPDATE

ACTIVE SEASON

 

:: 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 college basketball season started last week and runs through “the Tournament,” which takes place in March. [CBS Sports]

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:: FOOTBALL

NFL (Pro. Football): The regular season is now underway. The Tennessee Titans and the New York Giants are currently the best teams in the league. [Official NFL Website]

NCAA FOOTBALL (College): The college football season is now in full swing. Florida and Oklahoma will play each other 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. Now that the PGA Championship is over, mainstream golf news will most likely revolve around Tiger Woods’ return from injury and preparation for next year’s Majors. [Official PGA Website]

NOTABLE PLAYERS: Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson

 

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:: HOCKEY

NHL (Pro. Hockey): The hockey season runs through April of 2009. By the new year, the league power rankings should be pretty well set. [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. [USTA Website]

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

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OFFSEASON

 

:: BASEBALL

MLB (Pro. Baseball): The Philadelphia Phillies defeated the Tampa Bay Rays in this year’s World Series. During the off-season, baseball news will focus on major trades and player signings. [Official MLB Website]