Weekend Primer (4/30-5/2)

Let's take a gander at sports for the weekend. Rated from 1 to 5 in "must-watch-ability". Yes, I made that word up. 1 being the equivalent to The Apprentice: Celebrity Edition and 5 being a Mel Kiper draft analysis. I'll focus on things that's either National or at the very least New England viewable.

Friday April 30th

Los Angeles Lakers @ Oklahoma City Thunder (3-2 LAL)
Game 6 ESPN 9:30

The Lakers will look to close out the young Thunder on Friday night. Last year the Lakers were pushed by pretty much every team in the playoffs, so the fact that the young, athletic Thunder is presenting them problems shouldn't be a real surprise. The Thunder won both of the first two in OKC; should be very entertaining. Go Durantula.
Rating: 4 out of 5

Denver Nuggets @ Utah Jazz (3-2 UT)
Game 6 ESPN 2 10:00 PM

The Jazz will likely bring the Nuggets season to a crashing halt. If only the Nuggets knew how to play defense they might be able to win this series. Despite all the injuries Utah has, they are much tougher than the Nuggets and I don't see them being able to win in Salt Lake.
Rating 2 out of 5 (can't stand to see my Nugs go home)

Saturday May 1st

Philadelphia Flyers @ Boston Bruins
Game 1 NBC 12:30 PM

The Bruins magically lucked into getting home-ice when all but Pittsburgh of the higher seeds lost. The poor NHL needed to do what the NBA does and fix it so Ovechkin and Crosby met in the conference finals. Instead we are now stuck with the #4 seed as the high-seed remaining. This is a rematch of the winter classic at Fenway that saw the Bruins knock off the Flyers in OT. People (biased Dennis) tell me this should be a good series.
Rating 3.5 ouf ot 5

136th Kentucky Derby
NBC 6:25 PM

Now I don't know jack about horse racing, all I know is this is a big-time deal down in the south. As I am the most complete sports fan on this blog, I will be watching this and rooting for whoever's name I like best. I'm stuck between Sidney's Candy (Sidney was Jennifer Garner's name in Alias) or Ice Box. Ok, it's not the Ice Box from Little Giants but any horse that is comparable to her must have a great shot to win.
Rating 5 out of 5

Boston Celtics @ Cleveland Cavaliers
Game 1 TNT 8:00

LeBron is supposedly hurt thus making this series more interesting than it should be. The Celtics looked good against a Heat team that gave D-Wade less help than Bush gave the Bayou region after Katrina. The Cavaliers have much more firepower but if the Celtics can keep LeBron out of the lane and turn him into a jump-shooter, and maybe even a left-handed jump shooter, they have a shot. However, with Rasheed Wallace averaging 6 pts/gm on his own basket, the chances are low.
Rating 4.5 out of 5

Sunday May 2nd

There will likely be NBA Game 7's which would be must-watch, but nothing as of now so....

New York Mets @ Philadelphia Phillies
ESPN 8:00

This is not a great baseball weekend but the Mets and Phillies usually play some quality games. This has turned into the modern day Yankee-Redsox rivalry in the sense that the Mets cannot beat the Phillies and much like Redsox fans thought, maybe this year will be different! This game will feature 89-year-old Jamie Moyer against Johan Santana.
Rating: 2.5 out of 5

Enjoy the weekend!

BREAKING NEWS: Eric Del Buono Makes His Hollywood Debut!

Check out this special sneak-peek (starting at :35seconds into the video) of Westfield-native Eric Del Buono! Brilliant call on Nomar my friend... bravo!

The Answer to Our Problems

Is it ok for me to speak from the heart a little when talking about the Sox? I mean how many people can say they had to stand on the seats to see the Hit Dogs homers go out at age 7? I wasn't there for the heartbreaks in '75 and '86, but I might as well have been. Besides the fact that I know this game better than Gammons, and almost three times as much as Dennis, I think this is my opportunity to fill everyone in on what the solution to Boston’s problems are.

In the short season there is only one player batting over .300: Adrian Beltre. And its safe to safe he's going to cool off by seasons end. I figured I would make my introduction blog pretty short and sweet to give you a feel of where I stand as a devout fan, a Boston citizen, and your daddy for Red Sox information. If Nomar Garciaparra is not wearing number 5 within the next couple weeks in the DH slot, I’m putting my fan-hood up for auction on eBay. Yeah, Daddy has spoken. If I don't see Nomar's ridiculously conditioned hair (probably Herbal Essences) blowing in the wind after a curtain call by June, I don't know exactly what Ill do. Ill Probably be at Dennis' dorm room listening to his awful Jimmy Buffet filled iTunes drinking boxed wine.

Stay tuned losers.

Bruins-Flyers Match Up

The Boston Bruins will enjoy home-ice advantage in the second round of the NHL playoffs thanks to the valiant efforts of their bitter rivals Montreal and now the Bruins are hosting Game 1 against the No. 7 seed Flyers on Saturday.

Of course this was the match up all Bruins fans preferred (compared to the alternative of the defending Stanley Cup Champion Penguins), but the Bruins know that the Flyers are not to be taken lightly… especially given their improbable win over the No. 2 seed NJ Devils in just 5 games.

The Bruins and Flyers split their regular season meetings, 2-2. It doesn’t scare me for one second but it is worth noting that Boucher was in net in only one of these meetings. Philly’s goaltending is about as solid as Rex Ryan’s stomach (yes that’s a fat joke towards Sexy Rexy). Boucher, while having a purely remarkable series against what should have been a prolific offense with allowing just eight goals on 134 shots, a 1.59 goals-against average, and a percentage of .940 (which is just ridiculous) is NOT as solid as the numbers suggest.

Goaltending was the strongpoint for the Flyers, but it could just as quickly become their double edged sword especially given Philly’s willingness to take penalties. Ah the powerplay. This is where the Bruins can keep this series at or under 5 games if they really want to.

The Savvy Factor… It is easy to forget what a true gamer this guy is with his absence, but he is one of the under-publicized guys in the league with his talent of opening lanes and setting up plays, especially on the powerplay. Savvy had six goals and 13 points in 11 playoff games last season. Now being completely realistic I wouldn’t expect these numbers if for no other reason other than he won’t have the kind of playing time need to get there. BUT, this kind of spark added to what already is an offense churning some serious firepower is dangerous for the Flyers and that piece of Swiss Cheese Boucher. By the way, anything less than facing Ryan Miller is a step up in the Bruins favor!

Philly is battling some major injuries as well with no Simon Gagne and no Lapierrier are big losses. Chara will eat Richards in front of the net.

Look for the Bruins to continue their physical presence to continue right through the way it did in the Buffalo series, take advantage of the powerplays, and for Tuukka Rask (yes, that’s spell 2 u’s and 2 k’s) to keep standing on his head.

Top 10 Heisman Hopefuls (6-10)

Here at Double Play Sports Blog, we will try to put out a top ten list each week. This week's topic is Heisman hopefuls...

10. Ryan Williams Soph. RB Virginia Tech- The ACC First-Team running back and Rookie of the Year winner burst onto the scene as a redshirt freshman running for almost 1700 yards and 21 TDs. The Hokies should be in contention for a BCS game and if they find themselves in National Title conversation, Williams may be walking away with some more hardware.

9. Jake Locker Sr. QB Washington- Locker is considered the number one player on Mel Kiper's Big Board (stare, squint, nod) and would have likely contended with Bradford for being drafted #1 overall had he entered the draft. He threw for 2,800 yards and 21 TDs a season ago. If he was on a better team he may be the front-runner but for now he'll have to settle with being the probable #1 pick in the 2011 draft.

8. Jacory Harris Jr. QB Miami (FL)- This is not a biased pick. If it was biased he'd be #1. Harris showed his mettle in an early-season gauntlet for the 'Canes last season including an astounding 384 yards against Florida State. It will be year two under coordinator Mark Whipple and if he can improve on his 3,352 passing yards and cut down on his ugly 17 interceptions, he and the 'Canes will be a top ten team.


7. John Clay Jr. RB Wisconsin- Wisconsin comes into this season flying high after upsetting Miami in the Champs Sports Bowl. The Ron Dayne clone ran for 1,517 yards last season in the tough Big Ten. With a full offseason to get healthy and even stronger it's scary to think what he might do behind a revamped Badger offensive line. There should be a lot of jumping around in Madison this fall.

6. Dion Lewis Soph. RB Pitt- Lewis came from out of nowhere last season rushing for nearly 1,800 yards. Pitt was the only BCS school to offer the Albany, New York star. It's a season of high expectation at Pitt, if Lewis can carry the load again, he could carry the Panthers to their first BCS game since 2005.

Top 10 Heisman Hopefuls (1-5)

     

    

Here's the Top 5

5. LaMichael James Soph. RB Oregon- The 5'9 180lb speedster torched the Pac-10 in split duty last season with an eye-popping 6.9 yards/carry which led BCS schools. This season he will have to do it without star QB Jeremiah Masoli who has been suspended for the year. James will be suspended for the opener after pleading guilty to a misdemeanor. James is the most explosive player in the country and is very comparable to former Cal RB Jahvid Best.

4. Case Keenum Sr. QB Houston- Keenum became just the second QB in college football history to throw for back-to-back 5,000 yard seasons. If he can do it a third time he will have some awards flying his way as well. He was a Heisman candidate up until Houston lost a chance at a BCS game by losing to UCF (really?). But the pass happy Cougars offense puts it up as much as the Mad Pirate did at Texas Tech. 60 attempts a game means a ton of yards and a ton of points.

3. Kellen Moore Jr. QB Boise State- For the first time Boise State is a legitimate National Title contender. Moore was passed on by all the Pac-10 schools despite being the Gatorade State Player of the Year as a senior. Last season he set a school-record throwing for 39 TDs and just 3 INTs. The efficient Moore may not blow you away with his arm but he does a good job getting the ball to Pettis and Young on the outside. If they can knock of Virginia Tech Labor Day night, Moore becomes a leading contender.

2. Terrelle Pryor Jr. QB Ohio State- Pryor's maturation has been a slow one for Buckeye fans, but it seemed like he finally realized it all in a whooping of Oregon at the Rose Bowl. Pryor finally stayed within himself and the results were an unstoppable offense. It doesn't hurt he has great skill around him (Boom Herron, Brandon Saine, DeVier Posey), but Pryor makes that offense go. If they can avoid an early season slip-up to Miami and win the Big Ten from Wisconsin, Pryor and the Buckeyes could be in Glendale for the title game.

1. Mark Ingram Jr. RB Alabama- Ingram became Alabama's first ever Heisman Trophy winner last season and he has his eyes set on another. The Tide is still loaded on the offensive line so finding places to run will be no problem. He probably will not improve on his 1,658 yards of last season with heavy competition from Sophomore stud Trent Richardson, but Ingram will still have a solid year and he should be the favorite to repeat as the Heisman winner.


Youtube of the Day (Woof, Woof)

Bruins-Flyers Series Preview Coming Soon!

in the mean time....

The Best Receiver in Football

As this being my first post I figured I’d start strong. Being a Texans fan in New England you could say I get a lot of strange looks and “The Texans really?” Even ESPN and the NFL network gives the Texans no respect by going to commercial every time they made a pick in the 2010 NFL draft or completely disregarding the pick we make. I’m used to it, its fine with me we can’t expect respect until we earn it by either winning our division or making the playoffs for the first time.

The one thing that I just can’t stand is no one acknowledging Andre Johnson as the best receiver in the NFL. I’m not crazy nor is this a bold statement. Andre is 6’3 225lbs he went to a great college called The University of Miami and has not gotten the respect he deserves. I don’t care that he hasn’t had a chance to prove himself in the playoffs; he is the best receiver in football. Just look at the numbers; his rookie year he had just under a thousand yards and 4 TD’s and it just keeps getting better from there. The last 2 years he has had over 1500 yards receiving and over 100 catches. He had 9 Touchdown catches last year and 8 the year before. Seven years in the league and he is just under 8,000 yards and 42 touchdowns.

After looking at the schedule for the Texans this year I can see us making the playoffs for the first time in franchise history. The main reason we’ll get there is because of the outstanding play of Andre Johnson. we have three primetime games this year and it will be our chance again to show the NFL world how good the Texans are. Yes, we had a chance to win the Monday night game last year if it wasn’t for our kicker Kris “wide right, wide left, to short, completely miss the ball” Brown. Keep an eye out for the Texans this year folks they are going to be a dangerous team. Especially you Patriots fans who knows if you’ll be facing Bernard “bone crusher” Pollard in the playoffs.


So what’s your opinion? Do you think Andre is the best receiver in football or do you think it’s someone like Fitzgerald, Moss, or someone else? Will the Texans make the playoffs or are they just not there yet, let’s hear your opinion!

CLICK ON THE PICTURE

Cue the Duck-Boats!

The Sox completed their 3 game sweep of the Jays tonight. Their last two wins coming far differently then their first 13-12 win on Monday night.
Tonight, Lester spun his first true beauty (of many to come) by pitching a seven-inning one-hitter and struck out 11 birds in the Sox’s 2-0 win. Ok, relax… I know it’s the fricken Jays for Christ sakes, but Lester looked truly impressive tonight throwing 119 pitches. His stuff was electric. My boy Darnell McDonald led off the sixth with a double to left-center field and Marco Scutaro's single sent him to third. Dustin Pedroia's sacrifice-fly scored McDonald to put Boston up 1-0. “Mr. Ee I Ee I Oh” McDonald struck again with a seventh-inning run with a two-out single to score Adrian Beltre, who had previously doubled and took third on a groundout.
Final notes/ takeaways from the series:

• Lester and Lackey need to be the spark to keep the Sox winning because Beckett clearly is not feeling it yet this year. The Sox cannot afford to fall far behind early because the Rays are for real this year (assuming they stay healthy and the bullpen stays mediocre) and the Yanks are solid as we all expected.
• Thank god Atchison is gone… oh wait… Alan Embree is back at the ripe old age of 43. Awesome.
• I will premise my next statement with the following: I love David Ortiz aka Big Papi as much as the next true Sox fan. We all are fully appreciative of what he’s brought us. BUT, sitting back at 5.5 games of a scorching division is scary… we don’t have time to figure out the DH situation. Lowell needs to be our everyday DH.

Pitching Projections for the Baltimore series:

• Friday: Lackey vs. Daniel Hernandez (Dennis’ sure win of the series)
• Saturday: Dice-K vs. ? (Must-watch)
• Sunday: Beckett vs. Kevin Millwood (Beckett get your shit together here, huh?)

Welcome

Welcome to the Double Play Sports Blog. This fine piece of "sports journalism" will be ran by myself and my old chum Dennis as well as many other guest contributors--although I wouldn't quite call it journalism. Here we will discuss all things sports and some things not.

First let me break down what you can expect from me. First off, it's all about the U. My main focus will be on the U but I will dabble into all other realms as well as being this blog's resident Mel Kiper. In fact, Mel and I watch film together.

Dennis is a bit of nut job. He's all boston sports all the time. If you don't already know; you will discover hes more biased than Tommy Heinsohn. No matter what, Boston sports teams are the best (even when they're clearly not), just don't bother trying to tell him different.

If you mention one of these topics...A) The Scott Walker goal that eliminated the Bruins from the playoffs...B) The David Tyree catch and subsequent Patriots Super Bowl loss (karma from the football gods)...or C) His laugh that resembles sloth from the Goonies--he will erupt in tears and denial.

Try not to take him too seriously, he is, after all just a bad sports fan. You can rely on me for the level-headed and objective knowledge.

Youtube of the Day