HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY!

ENJOY THIS CUTE PICTURE OF GIANTS QB, ELI MANNING WITH HIS NEW BRIDE, ABBY MCGREW

(Photo by Paul Hiffmeyer / Disneyland, People magazine)

It was the weekend of the 134th Kentucky Derby — and whoa, was it one to remember. Big Brown, the favorite, took the race and reports show that he earned roughly 1.2 million dollars. Pretty good for 2 minutes, huh? But this Kentucky Derby will be remembered for the tragedy just minutes after the race. In an unprecedented moment and freak accident, the 2nd place runner-up, filly Eight Bells, broke both of its ankles, collapsed, and had to be euthanized on the track. Fans turned away, some shed tears, and the horse was honorably taken off the course with tact.

The week also provided us with some exciting NBA action. LeBron’s Cleveland Cavaliers finally got past the Washington Wizards, and the Utah Jazz put away the Houston Rockets to take on the Lakers in Round 2. Most notable, however, was the surprisingly close battle at the op of the Eastern Conference. The No. 1 seed Boston Celtics were pushed to 7 games by the No. 8 seed Atlanta Hawks. Keep in mind, the Hawks only won 37 games this season, and here they are pushing the dominant Celtics to the brink. But, in anti-climax, the Celtics destroyed the Hawks in Game 7, and the Hawks went back to looking like… well… the Hawks. They played sloppy, committed a nasty technical foul, and even shot a few air balls. The game almost looked like a scrimmage, and the Celtics ran away 99-65. The good news: Atlanta has a great young team, and basketball might be alive again in the South.

Now… onto the second round. The Lakers stayed perfect, defeating the Jazz 109-98. The New Orleans Hornets edged the defending champion San Antonio Spurs in Game 1, 101-82. And the Detroit Pistons got the first step on Orlando, 91-72. However, the NBA playoffs are anything but predictable, and each and every one of these series could go 7 games. Keep watching!

This weekend played host to the eagerly anticipated NFL DRAFT. In the months leading up to the draft, the experts make their predictions of who will go where. They speak with such confidence, almost certain that their assumptions will prove correct. And always… they are wrong. Here’s how it played out.

The Miami Dolphins had myriad options at the #1 pick, but decided that the most important need was’protecting the quarterback’. They selected Offensive Tackle Jake Long from the University of Michigan. Perhaps a little QB protection, they will win a few more games next year.

Other notable picks: Running Back Darren McFadden, the most talented player in the draft according to college football experts, was passed up by 3 teams and was finally selected by the Oakland Raiders. A good pick, but they already have 4 RUNNING BACKS competing for the position. Seemed like they had holes to fill elsewhere, but when you have the opportunity to take the best player in the draft — you take it!

The Atlanta Falcons took Matt Ryan, the highly touted Boston College quarterback, off the board with the 3rd pick. Now, they finally have someone who can actually throw the ball (sorry Joey Harrington). That is… until Michael Vick gets out of jail.

The other prodigal QB, Louisville’s Brian Brohm, slipped to the 2nd Round. However, not so bad — he fell into the lap of the Green Bay Packers, and could potentially be the heir apparent to Brett Favre. To be a king in Green Bay — he could do worse.

The NBA playoffs have been a bit lopsided — only one of the series (Detroit v. Philadelphia is tied at 2). Most of the other matches will seemingly end in around 5 games. However, many thought the Suns would get swept by a strong San Antonio team, but Phoenix absolutely crushed the Spurs in Game 4. So… ya never know… maybe there is hope for all underdogs.

And, hey for all you Steeler fans, check out this Steeler site….cool/unique gifts!

Before we jump into the NBA playoffs, let’s give a shout out to Danica Patrick who won first place at the Japan 300 in Motegi, Japan. She can now lay claim to being the first female winner of an IndyCar race.

On to the Playoffs…and they’ve been nothing short of dramatic and exciting.

Two notorious basketball franchises are back in the spotlight again: The Lakers and Celtics, and they both got off to strong starts in their respective series. The Celts pummeled the Atlanta Hawks in Game 1 104-81, while the Lakers were all over the Allen Iverson and the Denver Nuggets 128-114. However, Denver star Carmelo Anthony said, ‘The Lakers better get used to us, cause we playing 6 more game’, insinuating that the Nuggets will not roll over and die, and the series could stretch to 7 games. Is this wishful thinking, or could the Nuggets actually give the Lakers a run.

Elsewhere around the league, LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers downed the Washington Wizards 93-86 in what seems like a perfunctory April playoff matchup. The Wizards always play the Cavs, and the Cavs always win. Does the NBA plan this at the beginning of the season?
Additionally, we saw some first round surprises this weekend. The red-hot #7 seed Philadelphia 76ers upset the #2 Detroit Pistons in a triumphant comeback, taking Game 1 90-86. Additionally, some experts thought that the Utah Jazz tanked their last few games of the season in order to get an easier playoff match-up against the Houston Rockets. Well, if this is true… it’s working, as the Jazz marched into Houston and took care of business 93-82.

The most exciting game took place in San Antonio, as the Spurs barely got past the new ‘Shaq-i-fied’ Phoenix Suns in Double OT 117-115. But, rest assured, this series will go to 7 games. These teams have an extensive amount of playoff history, and the Suns have lost every time. Will Shaq finally get the Suns over the hump that is San Antonio?
Anyway, this year’s playoffs will be one of the best in years. Keep watching!