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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December 29, Week in Sports

:: NFL POST-SEASON SET (Pro. Football)

:: YANKEES ACQUIRE MARK TEIXEIRA (Pro. Baseball)

:: LAKERS SNAP CELTICS’ WIN STREAK (Pro Basketball)

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PIGSKIN PLAYOFFS

The NFL regular season ended this weekend and the playoff teams were finalized. The playoffs begin next weekend and culminate weeks later with the Super Bowl, the biggest event in American sports.

Twelve teams make it to the playoffs in the NFL. This year, the following teams made the cut: Arizona Cardinals, San Diego Chargers, Indianapolis Colts, Miami Dolphins, Philadelphia Eagles, Atlanta Falcons, New York Giants, Carolina Panthers, Baltimore Ravens, Pittsburgh Steelers, Tennessee Titans, and Minnesota Vikings. If there is a favorite at this point, it is probably the New York Giants, who won the Super Bowl last year and had a very strong season. However, maybe even bigger news was the list of teams that did not make the playoffs, and the Dallas Cowboys are at the top of that list. Before the season, many NFL experts predicted that the Cowboys would make it to the Super Bowl. However, after a mediocre season and a devastating loss on Sunday, the ‘Boys are out of the running yet again.

The Detroit Lions finished the season 0-16 after their loss to the Green Bay Packers on Sunday. After completing the worst season in the history of the NFL, the Lions fired their head coach.

Quote of the Week: “Week 17 had it all. And for so much of it, there was really no way to see it coming. It happens every year that way, and still we’re surprised by the surprise of it all.” — Don Banks, Sports Illustrated

Further Reading: ”NFC Preview” — Jeffri Chadiha, ESPN ; “AFC Preview” — John Clayton, ESPN

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BRONX BOMBERS DROP ANOTHER BUNDLE

Star first baseman Mark Teixeira signed with the New York Yankees last Tuesday for $180 million over 8 years. Teixeira was one of the most coveted free agents this off-season.

Teixeira is one of the best hitters in the game, as well as a Gold Glove-winning fielder, but his tremendous abilities were overshadowed this week by the amount of money that the Yankees spent in order to sign him. So far, the Yankees have spent more than $400 million dollars this off-season–by far the most in the league. The Yankees, of course, have a well-deserved reputation for big spending. During the 2008 season, they had a payroll over $200 million, ten times the payroll of the Florida Marlins and $70 million more than the next highest team, the New York Mets.

Major League Baseball has no salary cap, which allows for that kind of disparity in spending, but the Yankees’ outrageous spending has been highly criticized this year. Expect the criticism to heat up in the coming weeks, when the Yankees are expected to sign even more free agents, including star pitcher Andy Pettitte.

Quote of the Week: “As of 4 p.m. today, the Yankees have spent $423 million on free agents this offseason…. Six months ago, the Yankees asked the city of New York for an additional $480 million to fund [their new] stadium. They bulldozed parks that used to be playgrounds for the children of the South Bronx…. Put that in your pipe and smoke it, NYC taxpayers.” — Rick Chandler, Deadspin

Further Reading: “Buying an umbrella in New York” — Joe Posnanski

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Stocking Full of Kobe

On Christmas Day, the Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Boston Celtics by a score of 92-83. Before the loss, the Celtics had won 19 games in a row–the longest streak in franchise history.

The victory over the Celtics served as a small measure of revenge for the Lakers, who were badly beaten by Boston in last season’s NBA Finals. Kobe Bryant, the superstar Lakers guard, led all scorers with 27 points. Lakers coach Phil Jackson, who made a name for himself with Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls, reached a truly impressive milestone on Thursday, as well, notching his 1,000th career victory.

The Lakers and the Celtics were the two best teams in the NBA last year, and this year, the two teams look poised to meet again in the Finals. As of Sunday, the Lakers had a record of 24-5 and the Celtics had a record of 27-4. Other than those two teams, only the Cleveland Cavaliers (25-4) and the Orlando Magic (24-6) had winning percentages over .800.

Quote of the Week: “Last year, they won the championship. This year, it’s our year, we want to take it all the way.” — Sasha Vujacic, Lakers guard

Further Reading:  ”Lakers put end to Celtics’ 19-game win streak” — Associated Press, via ESPN

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WHAT TO WATCH THIS WEEK

:: COLLEGE FOOTBALL: The Bowl Games, already underway, continue this week. New Year’s Day is a huge day for college football, since the Rose Bowl is almost always played on January 1st. The Rose Bowl is the oldest bowl game in the nation, and always features two of the best teams in the country. This year, the game will be played between the USC Trojans and the Penn State Nittany Lions. The Rose Bowl is played in Pasadena, California.

:: HOCKEY: The “Winter Classic,” an annual NHL game played outdoors, is scheduled to take place on New Year’s Day. This year, the Classic will be played at Wrigley Field in Chicago, between the Chicago Blackhawks and arch-rival Detroit Red Wings.

:: PRO. FOOTBALL: The NFL playoffs begin next week, when the AFC and NFC wildcard playoffs are played on Saturday and Sunday. Click here to see the game schedule.

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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 is currently underway and runs through “the Tournament,” which takes place in March. [CBS Sports]

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:: FOOTBALL

NFL (Pro. Football): The playoffs begin this week and culminate in the Super Bowl, which takes place later in January. [Official NFL Website]

NCAA FOOTBALL (College): The regular season is over and the bowl games have already started. 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]