Undying Hatred = Bandwagon Hornets Fans

On Tuesday night, the playoff hopes of the Phoenix Suns, and the hopes of NBA playoffs fans spanning 49 states, died. The San Antonio Spurs defeated the Suns in game five of their first round series in the Western Conference playoffs.

I haven't seen this much hatred towards a particular team since the Yankees were actually good. Wait a minute, people still hate the Yankees. No matter, the Spurs flipped the 'most despised team in the NBA' switch after the win tonight. Polls coast to coast of sports fans have suddenly become enormous Chris Paul fans, and who can blame them? It's not hard to like a team lead by the great Byron Scott, who knows exactly what its like to make a push through the playoffs and win an NBA title.

Something that will definitely start to be talked about, is the Tony Parker vs. CP3 matchup. Third to King James and Kobe 'I've decided to change my number' Bryant, Parker is right in the thick of things when it comes to points per game. Whoopity Do. Now that Nowitzki is gone, Paul is in the top five as well. All the more reason for him to step up on defense and shut down Mr. Eva Longoria.

The Spurs and Hornets will hit the hardwood and start their semi-final series to get to the Western Conference Championship. I think it's pretty clear who the nation is rooting for. But my question to you is who will win it, and in how many games?

On another note: There are two possible game seven's lurking. Detroit leads Philadelphia three games to two, but game six is in Philly, and my boy Iggy is heating up for the Sixers. I like this series going to a game seven. The other is the refusing to say die Houston Rockets vs. the Utah Jazz. Utah leads the series, and game six heads back to Utah. I like Utah closing out the series back in SLC.

One more note: a city softball team in Alameda, CA called "Boom Goes The Dynamite" is playing Thursday night, hoping to get a win streak going, after coming back last week in the top of the seventh inning to beat Otaez 9-7. Wish them luck.

Here comes the...Nope.

So far, for the most part, the NBA playoffs have been better than expected. There's been some games that show some heart: the 76'ers up two games to one on the Pistons and the Raptors refusing to get thrown around by the Magic. And there's been the series of no surprise: the Celtics up two games to none on the Hawks, and the Lakers up two games to none on the Nuggets. Then to the series that just sits deep in your stomach like bad chinese food that you can't take back eating:

The matchup between the San Antonio Spurs and the Phoenix Suns.



I don't even know where to begin. Maybe it's Tim Duncan's lack of personality and whiny attitude when it comes to being fouled. Maybe it's the fact that they "hack Shaq" so that they send the worst free-throw shooter in history to the line every .2 seconds. Or maybe it's the fact that Manu Ginobli's field goal percentage is higher than that perfect score I got on my test last week. Spurs fans obviously are happy, but for those of us who don't live in Texas (thank the man upstairs) we can't stand it.

Question is, can the Suns come back from being down three games to none? NBA Playoff history will tell you that accomplishing the feat is highly unlikely. What do you think?

Cason Point

With the NFL Draft coming up on Saturday, it makes me think about which teams the players you have seen play at the college level will go to, and if they will be successful at the NFL level. Now that the number one pick has been chosen, (Jake Long, OL/T Michigan) it will be interesting to see who will step up in the draft and who will fall.

I am most interested in where this guy is going to go. Antoine Cason, (#5 in the red jersey) had a stellar career at the University of Arizona. He finished with 15 career interceptions, and averaged just over 23 yards per interception return, which set a new school record. Cason didn't leave the NFL combine with scouts very happy though, finishing with a 40-yard dash time of 4.52. The top time for defensive backs was 4.31. Speed is important as a defensive back, and some scouts don't think Cason can compete with the speed of players at the next level. Nevertheless, #5 did walk away with a prestigious award this year:

The Jim Thrope Award. It goes to the best defensive back in the nation. Cason played a big role in the Arizona vs. #2 Oregon game where the Wildcats upset the Ducks 34-24. Cason finished the game with 2 TD's, one an interception 42-yard return, and the other a 56-yard punt return. The game was on a national stage, and I don't think there was any doubt that Cason was the player of the game. Best of luck Antoine in the 2008 NFL Draft.

Hoping For a Miracle On Ice

Part of being a journalist is to write to your audience. Although most of you that read this blog are nowhere near the bay area, indulge me on this one. The San Jose Sharks are heading to a deciding game 7 against the Calgary Flames on Tuesday night in the Western Conference playoffs in the NHL.

San Jose had a stellar season to obtain the (2) seed in the playoff bracket, and is matched up the (7) seed Flames. Game 7 heads back to San Jose (about 15 minutes south of me). If fans like the ones below show up to the game, I'm calling the Sharks to win. The west coast doesn't have a strong following when it comes to the NHL. But that doesn't mean the game isn't popular. I still remember when the Kings were the team to beat. Mostly because of Gretzky and the hype of "the great one" but lately the attention is drawn to Pittsburgh's young gun center Sidney Crosby.

Fans here love the Sharks. They weren't too shabby when the Kings were the team on top of the Western Conference. It may be just me, but NHL playoff games seem to always go to a game 7. At least game 6. Bay area sports are just so-so, with the Warriors failing to make the playoffs, the Giants without Bonds, and the A's completely up and down. Who knows what will happen when the NFL draft shows us which players will join the 49ers and Raiders squads.

The Sharks are what's hot right now. People know the Cup (as in Stanley) is up for grabs now that defending champion Anaheim Ducks are knocked out of contention. Could the Cup end up in the city of San Jose? To tell you the truth, I don't have enough knowledge to back up any sort of argument that it is a possibility. But to see guys like this, that's just awesome.

No Game Clock in MLB

This post may lose it's validity after I post it, but currently, the Padres and the Rockies are deadlocked in a 1-1 tie heading into the bottom of the 21st inning.

The first runs of the game weren't scored until the 14th.

This made me get to thinking about the longest documented games that have been played in major league baseball. Here's what I found.

1. On April 18, 1981, a 33 inning game played between the Rochester Red Wings and the Pawtucket Red Sox who play in the triple-A International league. The game took 8 hours and 25 minutes to play over 2 days. The game was halted at 4:09 a.m. by the league's president.

2. On May 1, 1920, the Brooklyn Dodgers and Boston Braves played a 26 inning game that was eventually called due to darkness.

3. On May 9, 1984, the Chicago White Sox and Milwaukee Brewers played a 25 inning game that took 8 hours and six minutes that finally ended with a White Sox win 7-6.

Then it got me to thinking, what has to happen for the game to be suspended? Here's your answer.

According to the rules of major league baseball, the game can be suspended for a number of reasons:
1. A curfew imposed by law
2. A time limit permissible under league rules
3. Light failure or malfunction
4. Darkness, when a law prevents the lights from being turned on
5. Weather, if the bottom half of the inning can't be played
6. It is a regulation game, called with the score tied

These answers come straight from the rule book of major league baseball.

During my post, the game between the Rockies and Padres was completed in the 22nd inning, with a double to deep left center on his eighth at bat of the game by Troy Tulowitzki, scoring Willy Taveras. The Padres didn't respond in the bottom of the inning, and the Rockies won 2-1. The game took 6 hours and 16 minutes to play.

Now, put yourself in the seat of a loyal Padres fan. You come out to the game merely hoping for a Padres win, decked out in all the gear you can find in your closet. You witness nine long scoreless innings, and don't see any real action until the opposing team puts up one in the top of the 14th. Luckily, a score gets knocked in in the bottom of the inning to tie the game once again, and the winning run is on 3rd base. But he never reaches home. You wait another 8 innings to see the Rockies score once again, and witness the Padres put up a 0 in the bottom of the 22nd. That is one long drive home.

The last game that went more than 20 innings was played in 1993. What teams were involved?

Fiery Felix

I'm really pullin' for the M's this year. Signing Bedard will hopefully complete the rotation. But this post is dedicated to Felix. He's off to a great start.

He picked up his second win of the season tonight against Oakland. Currently, Oakland is off to the best start in the A.L. West, so every win against a team in the division is crucial.

Here's his stats: (2-0) 30.2 IP, 1.47 ERA, 24Ks

Felix is only 22 years old and this has been his best start since the M's brought him up 3 years ago. He struggled with injuries the last couple years, and this year he looks as fresh as ever. The great thing is that he can be a nine inning guy. He showed that tonight against the A's throwing a CG and only 115 pitches. That's what manager John McLaren likes to see.

Of course behind every good pitcher there has to be stellar defense, as well as a powerful offense. Luckily, both are picking up, and they can put something together to get the win. The wonderful word momentum comes back again. The M's are on a 2 game win streak with momentum going their way. It should be an interesting week. The M's face Oakland again tomorrow, then head south to face the other divisional leader, the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.

Now That's Fast

1000 words

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