SportSpectator Blog

June 15, Week in Sports

:: Lakers Win NBA Finals (Pro. Basketball)

:: Pittsburgh Penguins Win Stanley Cup (Pro. Hockey)

:: Tiger Prepares for U.S. Open (Golf)

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VALIDATION: KOBE, LAKERS WIN TITLE

On Sunday night, the Los Angeles Lakers won the NBA championship over the Orlando Magic after winning Game 5 of the Finals by a score of 99-86. This is the Lakers’ first championship title in seven years.

The Lakers are a powerhouse franchise, so their championship can hardly be considered surprising–especially since, at the beginning of the year, analysts across the board picked them as one of the favorites to win the Finals. And yet, this championship is just as much about Lakers guard Kobe Bryant as it is about the Lakers organization. Bryant has been criticized by many for never winning a championship without Shaq. Now, Bryant has silenced those critics by winning a championship ring “on his own,” and being named Finals MVP in the process.

This Finals series could have gone very differently, had the Orlando Magic executed better. The Magic will have a long off-season as they reflect on all the missed opportunities they during the championship. Missed shots, missed free throws, sloppy defense, and turnovers doomed this Orlando team, and made for a relatively easy victory for the Lakers.

Quote of the Week: “Kobe Bryant has the NBA title he needed most–the one without Shaq.” — Associated Press

Further Reading: “Seven Year Itch” — Associated Press, via ESPN

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PANIC IN DETROIT: PENGUINS TOPPLE RED WINGS IN GAME SEVEN

On Friday night, the Pittsburgh Penguins stunned the league by beating the Detroit Red Wings in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals. The Pens came back from an 0-2 series deficit, and ultimately finished off the Red Wings in Detroit.

The Red Wings were favored in Game 7, mainly because they have been virtually unstoppable at home during the 2009 post-season. However, after a tightly played first period, Max Talbot of the Penguins scored two goals in the second period, and Detroit was in desperation mode for the rest of the game. Jonathan Ericsson of the Red Wings cut the Penguins’ lead to 2-1 with just 6 minutes left in the game, and as the final seconds ticked away, Detroit had an opportunity to tie the game. But Pittsburgh goalie Marc-Andre Fleury made a diving save as time expired, and the Penguins became the Stanley Cup champions for the first time since 1992.

Since Friday’s victory, the main storyline has been the behavior of Penguins superstar Sidney Crosby after the game. Red Wing Kris Draper accused Crosby of “snubbing” Detroit captain Nick Lidstrom. Crosby, who shook hands with many of the Red Wings after he finished an on-ice celebration following the game, denied the insinuation that he had been a sore winner. The story is sure to fade quickly, though it certainly adds fuel to the fire for those within the league who already dislike Crosby.

Quote of the Week: ”The torch has been passed. From Mario Lemieux, the heart and soul of this franchise, to a new generation of wondrous talent. Let the dynasty talk begin. And, yes, a dynasty is in the offing.” — Bob Smizik, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Further Reading: “Well-dressed, clean-shaven no way to end it” — Mitch Albom, Detroit Free Press

TIGER, TIGER BURNING BRIGHT

This week marks the start of the U.S. Open, the second of the four major championships in professional golf. As with every year, the final round of the U.S. Open will be played on Father’s Day Sunday.

Of course, going into any major championship, the focus is on Tiger Woods. Tiger’s performance this year is especially anticipated since last year, his victory over Rocco Mediate at the U.S. Open was one of the greatest golf performances of all time. Now Woods is after his 15th major championship at Bethpage in New York. The last time they held the U.S. Open at Bethpage in 2002, Woods was the winner.

The media will also be focused on Phil Mickelson, the closest thing that Woods has to a rival. Mickelson recently announced that his wife Amy is suffering from breast cancer. His family’s plight has been highly publicized, so he is expected to be a fan favorite this weekend.

Quote of the Week: ”Woods is preparing to defend his title this week at Bethpage Black on Long Island…but he’ll forever be asked about the week in Southern California when he hobbled to victory on two stress fractures in his tibia and a knee that just more than a week later would be surgically reconstructed.” — Bob Hariq, ESPN.com

Further Reading: ”The Torrey Story ” — Bob Hariq, ESPN.com

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WHAT TO WATCH THIS WEEK

:: GOLF: The U.S. Open begins on Thursday of this week. The final round of the tournament will be played on Father’s Day Sunday.

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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 Finals are now over, with the Lakers defeating the Orlando Magic in win the title.  [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 U.S. Open will be played this week. [Official PGA Website]

NOTABLE PLAYERS: Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson

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:: HOCKEY

NHL (Pro. Hockey): The Pittsburgh Penguins defeated the Detroit Red Wings to win the 20090 Stanley Cup.  [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 Grand Slam tournament is Wimbledon. [USTA Website]

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

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April 13, Week in Sports

:: Angel Cabrera Wins the Masters  (Golf)

:: North Carolina Wins National Championship (College Basketball)

:: Angels Pitcher Murdered by Drunk Driver (Pro. Baseball)

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TOUCHED BY AN ANGEL

 

On Sunday afternoon, Angel Cabrera won the 2009 Masters at Augusta National. Cabrera is the first person from Argentina to ever win the Masters.

At the end of the final round, three players were tied for the lead–Cabrera, Chad Campbell, and Kenny Perry. Those three players then proceeded to compete in a sudden death playoff. Campbell was eliminated after the first hole, and Cabrera defeated Perry in the second hole to win the tournament. It was especially emotional for Perry, who played an exceptional tournament and led for almost the entire day on Sunday.

As always, on Sunday afternoon everyone was watching closely to see if Tiger Woods could make a comeback. Woods was paired with Phil Mickelson, and the two rivals both had an outstanding round–at one point pulling within one shot of the leader. However, both Woods and Mickelson made key mistakes down the stretch, knocking them out of contention.

Quote of the Week: “I felt that when Tiger and Phil were making a move, I had to make a move myself.” — Angel Cabrera

Further Reading: “Cabrera wins his first green jacket ” — Associated Press, via ESPN

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WELL-HEELED: UNC WINS NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP

The North Carolina Tar Heels won the national championship last Monday, defeating Michigan State by a score of 89-72. Winning the NCAA tournament is the greatest achievement in men’s college basketball.

It was hardly surprising to see the Tar Heels as the victors this year, since going into the season, they were ranked the best team in the country. Moreover, two of their best players, stars Ty Lawson and Tyler Hansbrough, returned to the team instead of going to the NBA. While nobody expects Hansbrough to be anything more than a mediocre player in the NBA, Lawson truly matured as a player during this season, and he is now regarded as one of the best college players in the country. This was evident on Monday night, when Lawson set a first-half record for steals and scored a game-high 21 points. Michigan State seemed overmatched very early on in the game, and they never recovered.

North Carolina has now won the national championship five times, which puts them in a tie for third place with Indiana University. UCLA has had more success than any other program, with 11 national championship titles.

Quote of the Week: ”I think we lost the game in the first 10 minutes. We turned the ball over, and they hit every shot.” — Goran Suton, Michigan State player

Further Reading: “Carolina reign: Heels dominate Mich. State, claim national title ” — Marlen Garcia, USA Today

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TRAGEDY IN LOS ANGELES

Promising young pitcher Nick Adenhart and two of his friends died when their car was struck by a drunk driver on Wednesday night. The alleged drunk driver, Anthony Thomas Gallo, was charged with murder.

Adenhart was just 22 years old and this was going to be his first full year in the major leagues as a pitcher for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. In fact, the rookie had been the starting pitcher for the Angels earlier on the night of the tragedy. It was his first start of the season and the best outing of his young career. Also killed in the crash were two of Adenhart’s friends, Courtney Frances Stewart and Henry Pearson. On Friday, Orange County prosecutors filed three murder charges against Gallo.

Adenhart’s death is the latest in a long string of tragedies for the Angels franchise, going back to the 1970s, when three Angels players were killed in car accidents. In 1978, outfielder Lyman Bostock was shot and killed, and a decade later, reliever Donnie Moore shot his wife (who survived), and then killed himself.

Quote of the Week: ”He felt like a major leaguer. His life’s goal was to be a major league baseball player, and he certainly achieved that standard.” Scott Boras, Adenhart’s agent

Further Reading: “Nick Adenhart, Angels pitcher, killed in Fullerton crash ” — Christopher Goffard and Christine Hanley

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WHAT TO WATCH THIS WEEK

:: PRO. BASKETBALL: The NBA playoffs begin on Saturday. Entering the playoffs, the Cleveland Cavaliers have the best record in the East, and the Los Angeles Lakers have the best record in the West.

:: HOCKEY: The Stanley Cup playoffs begin on Wednesday. The San Jose Sharks have the best record in the Western Conference, and the Boston Bruins have the best record in the Eastern Conference.

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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 season is currently underway. The playoffs are scheduled to begin next Saturday.  [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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OFFSEASON