(Top Photo is courtesy of Joe Camporeale-USA Today Sports) Happy Easter! Happy Passover! Happy one week away from Game of Thrones premier! And, of course, Happy Opening Day for us baseball lovers. Sure, not all of our teams are taking the field tonight, but when Jon Lester throws out the first pitch tonight, “wait ‘till next […]
NL Central Preview and Predictions
The last two seasons in the NL Central, we have seen the same basic story line. The Cardinals lean on experience, solid fundamentals and a well-built roster to lead them to the Central division crown while the Pirates rely on youth, potential and athleticism to earn back-to-back Wild Card berths. Will this be the year […]
Rink Report March 24, 2015
As we get ever closer to the NHL Playoffs, the battle for the final few playoffs spots heats up. Depending on the schedule, teams have between eight and ten games remaining, so they can basically be counted as playoffs games for teams like Washington, Ottawa, Boston, Florida, Minnesota, Winnipeg, Los Angeles, Dallas and Colorado. Those are […]
NL East Preview and Predictions
Things were looking pretty good for the Nationals last year. They had the best record in the National League, locking up home field advantage throughout the NL playoffs. After dropping the first game in the NLDS against San Francisco, they held a 1-0 lead with 2 outs and no one on base in the ninth […]
NBA’s Battle of the Best
In what might be a preview of the NBA Finals, the Hawks and the Warriors matched up in Oakland last night (March 18, 2015) sporting the two best records in the league. Each team boasted 53 wins going into the game last night but the Hawks earned bragging rights when they beat the Warriors back […]
Oh, Canada?
Pop quiz. When was the last time a team from Canada won the Stanley Cup? I’ll give you a moment to think long and hard about that while I throw out some weird stats. Teams from California, Florida, Texas and North Carolina have hoisted the Cup more recently than a team from north of the […]
NL West Preview and Predictions
Last season saw a bit of both worlds in the NL West as the Dodgers had the highest payroll in the league and parlayed that into 94 wins and a divisional title and the San Francisco Giants squeaked into the playoffs as the Wild Card, then rode Madison Bumgarner’s left arm to their third World […]
Road to Indianapolis: Pac-12
The Pac-12 season started off with the potential to build upon last season where half of the teams made the NCAA tournament (all with a 10 seed or better), but this season hasn’t gone exactly to plan where it is conceivable, however unlikely, that they will only get 2 teams to the big dance. Let’s […]
The Oh No Series: March 3, 2015
Two seasons removed from winning 57 games under George Karl, the Denver Nuggets missed the playoffs last year and have won only 20 games so far this year. It is all coming to a head as they were in fire sale mode at the trade deadline, which was followed by a report that had the […]
Rink Report: February 26, 2015
Rough week for Chicago sports fans as it was announced that Bulls superstar Derrick Rose needs surgery, followed that night by a devastating injury to Blackhawks star Patrick Kane. Kane suffered a left clavicle fracture, which will require surgery followed by a 12-week absence. That timeline would set his return date at mid to late […]
MLB Offseason Winners and Losers
The offseason sprint for teams to try to catch up to their competitive rivals was fast and furious. More than a few teams made deals to significantly improve their roster, while obscene amounts of money were handed out to players young and old proving I know nothing about economics. We’ll take a look at some […]
2015 NFL Contenders and the Off-Season Needs: PART 2, NFC
It was a weird season for the NFC where 10 win Philadelphia did not make the playoffs, but division winner Carolina went only 7-8-1, made the playoffs, then actually won a game there. Defending champ Seattle got within one yard of being the first back-to-back Super Bowl champions since New England did it, then, well, […]
Rink Report: February 16, 2015
After losing 10 of their previous 12 games, the defending champions Los Angeles Kings have turned it on by winning their last 4 games. The rest of the NHL should have one eye on LA with their postseason track record. As we saw in last year’s playoffs, a hot Jonathan Quick in net coupled with […]