April 28, Week in Sports
:: 2008 NFL DRAFT HELD IN NYC (Pro. Football)
:: LAKERS DOMINATE IN FIRST ROUND OF PLAYOFFS (Pro. Basketball)
:: STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS ADVANCE TO CONFERENCE SEMI-FINALS (Pro. Hockey)
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GO LONG!: JAKE LONG AND CHRIS LONG PICKED FIRST AND SECOND IN NFL DRAFT
The NFL Draft was held on Saturday and Sunday in New York City, and hundreds of last year’s elite college players were selected by the nation’s professional teams. The draft is the most important event of the NFL off-season.
The Miami Dolphins had the first overall pick in the draft, and they used it to select Jake Long, an offensive tackle from the University of Michigan. The Dolphins signed Long to a 5-year, $57.75 million contract, making him the highest-paid Offensive Tackle in the league.
The St. Louis Rams used the second overall pick of the draft on Chris Long, a defensive end from Virginia. Chris Long is the son of Howie Long, a Hall of Fame defensive end and TV personality.
Only time will tell which teams were the winners in this year’s draft and which teams were the losers. However, most football experts agree that the Kansas City Chiefs had an excellent draft, managing to get both Glenn Dorsey and Branden Albert in the first round.
Quote of the Week: “The league has been inviting a handful of the top players to the draft for the past 21 years. This was the first time the entire group of invitees was selected, from the top, in consecutive order.” — Thomas George, NFL.com
Further Reading: “Six-pack of prospects avoid NFL Draft’s wild trade-up” – Jeff Zillgitt, USA Today
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JUST HOOPIN’: FIRST ROUND OF NBA PLAYOFFS CONTINUE
The first round of the NBA playoffs will be completed this week, as eight of sixteen teams will advance to the second round of the playoffs.
Only one team, the Los Angeles Lakers, have made it through the playoffs totally unscathed so far. The Los Angeles Lakers, led by MVP-candidate Kobe Bryant, currently lead the Denver Nuggets 3 games to 0. With a victory on Monday night, the Lakers will advance to the second round of the playoffs.
Four other teams lead their series 3-1: Orlando, Utah, San Antonio, and Cleveland. The San Antonio Spurs, despite losing one game to the Phoenix Suns, have also continued to impress basketball analysts around the league.
Quote of the Week: “Close-out games are always very, very tough. They play loose and they tend to fight a lot more. It’s going to be tough.” — Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers
Further Reading: “Lakers 102, Nuggets 84” — Associated Press, via ESPN
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NHL PLAYOFFS CONTINUE: PITTSBURGH PENGUINS PLAYING WITH ICE IN THEIR VEINS
The NHL Stanley Cup playoffs continue this week, with the eight remaining teams vying for four spots in the conference finals. The Stanley Cup playoffs mark the climax of the NHL season.
The first round of the playoffs was loaded with excitement, with three of the series coming down to a final, seventh game. The exciting, close games have continued into the second round as well. Only one team, the Pittsburgh Penguins, is unbeaten in the playoffs so far. The Pens are led by Sid “The Kid” Crosby, a young superstar who many consider the Lebron James of the NHL. The Penguins plowed through the Ottawa Senators in the first round, and thus far they remain unbeaten in the second round against the New York Rangers. After beating the Rangers on Sunday, the Penguins only need two more victories to advance to the conference finals.
In addition to dominating the playoffs thus far, the Penguins have been at the center of one of the biggest subplots of the playoffs: complaints that Crosby and other star players are getting special treatment from the referees. Whether or not it has influenced the Penguins’ success is up for debate. But one thing is for sure: it has sparked a war of words between the Rangers and the Penguins away from the ice.
Quote of the Week: “If [the Rangers] lose the series, this one will be very hard for [them] to forget. Especially losing to a Kid some of them believe is as good an actor as he is a hockey player, and that must mean Sidney Crosby is the Brad Pitt of Pittsburgh.” — Associated Press
Further Reading: “Embellished or not, Rangers must bounce back” — Associated Press, via ESPN
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WHAT TO WATCH THIS WEEK
:: BASKETBALL – The first round of the NBA playoffs will be completed this week. The Lakers have a chance to clinch their spot in the second round with a victory over the Denver Nuggets on Monday night.
:: HOCKEY – The second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs continue this week. A complete schedule of games is available at www.nhl.com.
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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 first round of the playoffs continues this week. Sixteen teams qualified for the playoffs, with the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics sitting at the top of the Western and Eastern conferences, respectively. The first round will be over by the end of the week, and eight teams will have advanced to the second round. [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 Stanley Cup Playoffs continue this week. Eight teams are currently competing in the second round of the playoffs: the Montreal Canadiens, Philadelphia Flyers, Pittsburgh Penguins, New York Rangers, Detroit Red Wings, Colorado Avalanche, San Jose Sharks, and Dallas Stars. [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 Australian Open took place in January. The French Open, which is held in May, is the next Grand Slam event. [USTA Website]
NOTABLE PLAYERS: Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Justine Henin
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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]