GOLF

Over the weekend, the talk of the sports world was Tiger Woods return to The Masters.  Many thought he would slump coming out of the gate, but he was amazing his first day out.  From that point on, he struggled a bit, hitting a double-bogey here and there.  This Masters would not belong to Tiger.  Instead, it followed a much more touching story.  Phil Mickelson won his third Green Jacket with a dazzling performance over the weekend.  It was as if he couldn’t make a mistake.  And to top it off, his wife, who was suffering from cancer, was able to watch his victory from the sidelines.  It was quite an emotional story — one that was good for the game of gold, which has been shadowed by all the negative Tiger Woods coverage.  The uplifting Mickelson story was sorely needed by the sport.

BASKETBALL

In the NBA, the declining Chicago Bulls sorely needed a win.  They were tied with the Toronto Raptors for the 8th and final playoff spot, and Toronto held the tiebreaker.  Meaning, essentially, that the Bulls would need to beat the Raptors at home to get into the playoffs.  Well, finally they came to play.  Derrick Rose went off for 26 points for the Bulls to give them the win and move them into the 8th playoff spot.  If the playoffs started today, they would face the Cleveland Cavaliers (and that’s what will probably happen).  Chicago 104, Toronto 88.

FOOTBALL

And in the NFL, the Pittsburgh Steelers have been plagued by legal trouble this off-season. First, quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was accused of assaulting a woman.  Then, a week ago, a woman brought charges against their Super Bowl MVP wide-receiver Santonio Holmes.  Well, the Steelers are now starting to react.  They decided to ship Holmes and his character issues out of town.  Where did he land?  The New York Jets.  Sure, it’s a salary dump for Pittsburgh, and they received a 5th round draft pick in exchange, but they have a big vacancy at the receiver position.

As for the Jets, they are fully loaded.  They have a hot young quarterback in Mark Sanchez, and now they have a full arsenal of star receivers for him to throw to.  Jerricho Cotchery, Braylon Edwards, and now Santonio Holmes.  And to top that all off, they have second year stud running back Shonn Greene.  Oh, and guess who’s the other head of the running attack.  That’s right, superstar LaDainian Tomlinson.  On paper, these guys look like a Super Bowl lock.  But, we have to play the games anyway.