BASKETBALL

In college basketball, the #2 Kansas Jayhawks are coming off an embarrassing defeat to Oklahoma State.  They were hoping to turn it around immediately, but that turn around would need to come against in-state rival and #5 in the nation Kansas State.  This was not going to be easy.  Then again, they are the same dominant Jayhawk team and they were ready to prove it.  Their star Xavier Henry gave them an awesome night with 19 points, and senior guard Sherron Collins had 17 points of his own.  And with that, they would cruise past the Kansas State Wildcats, and nab the Big 12 outright title.  Kansas 82, Kansas State 65.

Elsewhere in college basketball, the Maryland Terrapins are back baby!  They have been average the past few seasons (although they made the tourney last year), but they are making a late season name for themselves.  Currently, they’re ranked #23, so it’s no surprise that a home game against visiting #4 Duke was, um, pretty important to them.  This season, Maryland’s senior point guard Greivis Vasquez is having an amazing year.  He has meant so much to this school that they will probably retire his jersey.  Well, last night, Vasquez didn’t disappoint, and put on a show against Duke — scoring 20 points and dishing 5 gorgeous assists.  Maryland could get a lot further than people think during March Madness.  Maryland 79, Duke 72.

FOOTBALL

And in the NFL, the Denver Broncos have put first round pick tender on star wide-receiver Brandon Marshall.  What this means is that if another team decides to sign him, all they would need to do is give up a #1 draft pick.  But, here’s where it gets interesting.  Everyone knows the Broncos were looking to unload Marshall, but they thought it was going to be for a first AND third round pick.  The fact that they took the third round draft pick OFF the table makes it seem like they really want to get rid of the guy.  So if a team is really hurting at wide-receiver, they might think twice about jumping on Marshall.  Apparently, he might be a major headcase.  We’ll see how this transpires.

GOLF

After all the drama, it looks like Tiger Woods is finally ready to focus on his golf game again.  Woods finished his sex rehab sessions in Mississippi, and is reportedly home and practicing his swing.  He was spotted on a golf course by Charles Howell III, and Howell said of Woods, “Honestly, he looked as good as he ever has.  Seriously, he seemed like he was hitting it the same as he ever did.”  Love him or hate him, it’s nice to hear that such an amazing athlete is focusing on what he truly does best.

BASKETBALL

In college basketball, after locking up the #1 spot this week, the Syracuse Orange needed just one win to grab the Big East title.  They would need to beat St. Johns, hoping to avoid being the first #1 team to lose to St. Johns in 25 years. Well, fear not, it didn’t happen.  Syracuse rolled over St. Johns behind a terrific night from Arinze Onuaku.  He had 21 points and 8 rebounds.  Question is — can Syracuse win the Big East tournament and grab a #1 seed in the tourney.  Most likely.  Syracuse 85, St. Johns 66.

FOOTBALL

Finally, in some sad but just news — a ruling came down in the trial of famed Iowa High School football coach Ed Thomas.  Thomas won NFL High School coach of the year, and four of his players made it to the NFL.  Thomas was fatally shot by  Mark Becker last year, and Becker had pleaded insanity in his defense.  Well, yesterday the court ruled that Becker was NOT insane at the time of the murder, and will thus carry out a life sentence by Iowa law.  This is still a very tragic state of affairs, but at least justice was served.

BASKETBALL

In the NBA, LeBron may not have decided if he’s staying or leaving Cleveland yet, but he has made up his mind on one thing:  He’s changing uniform numbers.  Up until this point, James has worn #23.  However, everybody knows that #23 belongs to the infamous Michael Jordan.  LeBron said that he wants to let MJ keep the #23 legacy, and he will go with #6 — the number he adorned in the Olympics.  Remember, MJ was LeBron’s hero growing up, and this gesture is out of respect to Jordan.  Then again, LeBron also knows that he could potentially brand the #6 without any MJ references if he went to a big market, endorsement city like New York.

In women’s college basketball, the dominant UCONN Huskies have won their last 69 games.  That goes back to last season, when they finished the season undefeated.  Well, they haven’t lost this season either, and they plan to do the same this time around.  Coach Geno Auriemma has set his mark on finishing undefeated two seasons in a row, but… all the players feel it’s irrelevant if they don’t win a National Championship.

FOOTBALL

Finally, for all you Dancing With the Stars fans out there — you have a treat coming your way.  The show has consistently had a major sports figure on, and the Cowboys’ Emmitt Smith even won the entire contest a few years ago.  Well, now they will have a new NFL star to deal with:  Loudmouth showman Chad Ochocinco of the Cincinnati Bengals.  It’s fitting that the always spontaneous Ochocinco should add ballroom and tango dancing to his resume.  This should be fun to watch.

OLYMPICS

After three exciting weeks, the Olympics finally came to an end.  The main event yesterday was easily the highly anticipated United States v. Canada Gold Medal Hockey Game.  This was an amazing deal for both sides.  Here’s why:  Canada is the best Hockey country in the world.  Playing home to the Olympics was their chance to shine and let the country celebrate.  However, they suffered a surprising loss to the United States last week, which made their route to the Gold much tougher.  They had to beat some strong teams just to get in this match.  For the U.S., it’s a gigantic honor just to be in the game.  The U.S. isn’t even ranked in the top 4 Hockey countries in the world. They had no business (1) beating Canada, and (2) competing for a Gold medal on the Olympics’ final day. To win the game would be absolutely astonishing.  Remember, the US is playing with amateurs essentially and a lot of retired players.

Well, Canada got on the board first with a goal from Jonathan Toews.  In the second period, they got up 2-0 from a goal by Corey Perry and it looked like it would be another Canada blow-out.  But then, USA’s Ryan Kesler put in a goal.  2-1.  And in the third period, with the game winding down to a Canada victory, out of the blue, USA’s Zach Parise scored a goal with just 25 seconds left.  It was simply amazing, and the crowd went nuts.  We were in the middle of the greatest Olympic hockey game ever played, and it was headed to sudden death overtime.  OT went a strong 12 minutes without a score, but then, guess who, Sidney Crosby, the best player in the NHL and Stanley Cup champion hit a beautiful shot for Canada to take home the gold.  How fitting.  Canada got their top spot… and they deserved it.  Canada 3, USA 2.

BASKETBALL

In college basketball, it was a rough weekend for the top teams.  #1 Kansas went into Oklahoma State and got trounced.  OK St. just had their number.  And #2 Kentucky, after avenging their only loss of the season to South Carolina on Thursday, making a statement that the loss was a fluke and they didn’t plan to lose again… got beat by #17 Tennessee.  What happened there? And finally, #3 Purdue got beat on their home floor by #14 Michigan State.  Predicting this year’s NCAA Tournament is going to be quite difficult.  The Top 3 teams in the nation lost to very average teams this weekend.  You can’t rely on them to win anything with ease.  It should be a chaotically fun time.

OLYMPICS

Last night was essentially the main event of the Winter Olympics:  Women’s Figure Skating.  This event has always had a kind of royal mystique to it.  We get to know the profiles of the women involved, and there’s a soap opera to it.  Remember the Nancy Kerrigan?  Remember Tanya Harding?  Kristi Yamaguchi?  Michelle Kwan?  Tara Lipinski?  These skaters become National celebrities for a few weeks.  Well, last night we were treated to yet another chapter.

This year, the American’s had Rachel Flatt and Mirai Nagasu to root for.  Very young, and not exactly very well known, but they were still our heroes for a night.  With that said, those two gave great performances, but the U.S. failed to medal in the event for the first time since 1968.  The Gold Medalist this year was South Korea’s Kim Yu-Na.  She gave a beautiful, dazzling performance, and shattered the World Record — putting up an amazing 228.56 points.  To top this off, this was South Korea’s only other medal in the Olympics other than speed skating.  And it’s a great one to win.  Congratulations to Kim Yu-Na!

BASKETBALL

In the NBA, a much anticipated match-up between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Boston Celtics. This is possibly a preview of the Eastern Conference Finals, and it would be interesting to see how these two teams match-up as we approach the playoffs.  Well, the Celtics came out strong, and got up to a big lead at the half.  However, in the second half, it was ALL Cavs.  It was like they were practicing out there.  Headed into the half, the Cavs were down 8, and they won the game by 20.  This team is truly dominant, and the addition of the Antawn Jamison only makes them stronger.  Cleveland 108, Boston 88.

Finally, some other interesting news out of the NBA.  The Memphis Grizzlies had the #2 overall pick in this year’s draft.  They took big man Hasheem Thabeet from UCONN over other strong rookies (i.e. Tyreke Evans and Stephen Curry — two rookie of the year candidates.).  Now, they are sending Thabeet down to the D-League for a stint.  He just hasn’t adjusted to the rigors of the NBA game, and they’re hoping some time spent developing his skills will prove valuable in case they need him to play some minutes in the playoffs.  We will see how this pans out.  Either way, Thabeet is the highest draft pick ever to be demoted to the D-League.

OLYMPICS

In the Olympics, Lindsay Vonn was back in action in the Giant Slalom event.  She was favored in the event (as she is the best skier in the world), but with her injury you never know.  Well, unfortunately Vonn had a serious off day.  With very bad weather in Whistler, Vonn spun out of control and crashed into the blue netting on the side of the course.  Additionally, Vonn broke her pinkie in the process.  It’s uncertain if she will be able to ski in her final event, but, needless to say, Vonn has experienced quite a bit of bad luck in these games.

Elsewhere in Olympic news, the Canadians were shocked this weekend losing to the United States in hockey.  It was a major setback, but they are still in the medal hunt — it’s just going to be tougher.  To continue though, they needed to beat Russia.  Remember, Russia is home to some of the best players in the NHL.  If Crosby is the most dominant player in the NHL, Russia’s Alex Ovechkin isn’t far behind.  And these two have a rivalry during the regular season with Crosby on Pittsburgh and Ovechkin on Washington D.C.  With all that said, this game wasn’t even close.  In just two periods of play, the Canadians put up an alarming 7 GOALS!!!  And they wouldn’t need more than that.  We could possibly see a rematch of United States & Canada for the Gold Medal.  Now that would be a match to remember.  Canada 7, Russia 3.

BASKETBALL

Finally, in the NBA, the Dallas Mavericks have been hot lately, especially after acquiring both Caron Butler and Brendan Haywood from the Wizards.  But… could they beat the Lakers?  They would have to do it without Butler last night, who was out sick, but a win against LA is always good for a team’s self-esteem.  Well, Kobe put on a show with 20 points, but the help that the Mavericks got off their bench was truly incredible.  Jason Terry, winner of last year’s 6th man award, gave them 30 points as they hung out to defeat the defending champs.  The Lakers have been struggling lately.  Can we expect them to still be around in June?  Dallas 101, LA Lakers 96.

OLYMPICS

In the Olympics, it was a rough day for Bode Miller.  Miller already has 3 skiing medals in this Olympic Games — a gold, a silver, and bronze, and he was hoping to do what nobody has done in a single Winter Games — win 4 skiing medals.  However, he had a bad run after missing a gate in his first run.  And as soon as you do that, you are essentially out of medal contention.  This Saturday, Bode Miller will have one more chance to nab that 4th medal in the slalom event.  Good luck to Bode.

BASKETBALL

Kobe Bryant returned to action last night against the Memphis Grizzlies.  The Lakers have been “ok” as of late, and have not played the dominating basketball their roster talent typically allows.  They took on the rising Memphis Grizzlies (who could be trouble for a top team in the playoffs).  The Grizzlies led most of the way, but you simply can not count out Kobe & Company.  They rallied back, and with just under 5 seconds to play, the Lakers set up a beautiful play for Kobe at the 3-point line, and…. GOT IT!!!  The Lakers won the game by a nose.  Kobe finished the night with 32 points.  LA Lakers 99, Memphis 98.

FOOTBALL

Finally, out of the NFL, with LaDainian Tomlinson suddenly losing his job on Monday, another running back star was cut just one day later.  The Philadelphia Eagles have decided to release Brian Westbrook. Westbrook turns 31 this year, and has struggled with injuries the past few seasons.  However, when Westbrook plays — he’s GREAT!  Then again, they were committed to pay Westbrook $2.5 million if they kept him, and they thought that this was a time to finally let him go.  The Eagles said that they hope Westbrook will be able to catch on with another team before the season starts.  This makes way for 2nd-year running back LeSean McCoy to take the torch in Philly.

FOOTBALL

The big news yesterday was out of the NFL.  One of the best running backs of all-time has been cut by their team.  That’s right, yesterday the San Diego Chargers released running-back LaDainian Tomlinson.  This isn’t exactly a “surprise” considering that Tomlinson’s performance has been rapidly declining.  But to see a guy who put up amazing numbers for 9 seasons and was the heart and soul of the San Diego Chargers suddenly be out of a job is quite jarring.  The bulk of the reason was that the Chargers needed to cut Tomlinson before a certain date or a huge salary requirement would kick in, and they just couldn’t afford that.  Now the question is… which team will pick him up.  He may not be a star any more, but he can still give you a great offensive option out there.  And you know the Patriots love that.

Elsewhere in the NFL, the Draft Combines are in action.  That’s when the Pro Scouts get a good, up-close look at draft prospects.  Tim Tebow, one of the greatest college players ever, was in attendance, but he has caught a lot of flack about his style.  Apparently, most think Tebow simply won’t hack it in the NFL.  Well, Tebow has taken this to heart and has worked hard at literally changing his game.  For example, he’s practicing day and night holding the ball up by his shoulder rather than his waist.  He is determined to be a star in the NFL, even if the odds are against him, and that starts with doing whatever it takes.

OLYMPICS

Finally, in the Olympics, a historical night.  It was the always exciting ice dancing event, in what sounds like a soft event, but is actually a beautiful display of athleticism.  Well, North America has never won a gold medal in this event, but they had some hopefuls there last night.  And, when all was said and done, Canadians Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir gave a phenomenal performance and scored the first ever gold medal for the continent.  It was truly amazing.

OLYMPICS

In the Olympics yesterday, it was the much anticipated Hockey match-up between Team USA and the hometown:  Team Canada.  Canada was heavily favored in this game, and the entire city of Vancouver were extremely anxious to finally see it.  Well, unfortunately for Canada, they wouldn’t have much to cheer about.

The U.S. came out strong and outplayed the Canadians.  And remember, Team Canada is home to the NHL’s best player — last year’s Stanley Cup MVP, Sidney Crosby.  But it was Team USA’s Brian Rafalski who shined, putting in two goals on the night.  Moreover, Team USA’s goalie, Ryan Miller (of the Buffalo Sabres), was a beast.  He was truly magnificent with 42 saves on goal.  It was his dominating protection that helped the U.S. oust Canada.  The experts are calling this the biggest Winter Olympics Hockey upset since the “Miracle On Ice” in 1980 (when the supreme underdog Americans beat the Russians during the height of the Cold War).  Congrats to Team USA.  USA 5, Canada 3.

Elsewhere in the Olympics, it was the return of Bode Miller. Four years ago, Bode Miller was the poster boy for America’s Olympics campaign.  We were instructed to root for him at all costs.  But… Miller had a bad-boy side, and turned off a lot of people.  And with all that media attention on him in 2006, he failed nab the gold medal.  Well, this time around, Miller has been under the radar.  And because of this, he was able to focus on what he does best — skiing.  He finally grabbed gold in Sunday’s super-combine event.

BASKETBALL

And in the NBA, the Cavs are easily the hottest team in the NBA right now.  And they are doing everything they can to keep LeBron as happy as possible because they want him around next season.  With several teams making cap room for him in the past few days, it’s imperative that Cleveland Cavaliers WIN this year, and hopefully convince him to stay.  So, they granted LeBron’s wish, and brought the Wizards’ Antawn Jamison to town.  However, he was 0-12 in his debut, and currently the Cavs are on a two-game losing skid.  So they needed to make the most of their game against Orlando.

This game also saw the match-up of the original Superman (Shaq) and the new Superman (Dwight Howard).  Who would be the victor?  Well, Shaq had the edge early, but Dwight Howard took over later in the second half.  He finished the game with 22 points and 16 rebounds.   The Cavs led most of the way, but the Magic would rally for the win.  The Cavs are still the team to beat, but they’ve lost 3 in a row.  Orlando 101, Cleveland 95.

OLYMPICS

Last night in the Olympics, it was men’s figure skating.  The favorite was the Russian:  Evgeni Plushenko.  He came out of retirement attempting to make history and win a second straight gold medal.  However, the U.S. was hoping that their own Evan Lysacek could take the prize.  Well, it was very VERY close, and Plushenko gave an amazing performance, even celebrating at the end suggesting “Yep, I did it”.  But… he was wrong, as the final scores indicated that the United States’ Evan Lysacek had in fact won the gold.  This came as a major upset, and also makes Lysacek the first U.S. men’s skater to win the gold since Brian Boitano in 1988.  Congrats to Evan!!!

And in women’s skiing, Lindsy Vonn was hoping to win yet another gold medal.  Prior to the Olympics, Vonn was injured, but she did surprise everyone by winning a Gold on Wednesday.  Well, yesterday didn’t yield such positive results.  Just about 20 seconds from the finish line,Vonn’s right ski was got on one of the slalom gates and she fell.  Many thought this was due to her injury, but her coach thinks it was just aggressive skiing.  However, Vonn said her ankle is killing her right now.  Vonn still has another event coming up on Saturday, and hopefully she will have a chance to rest up, heal, and give it her best.

BASKETBALL

And in the NBA, there was yet another major 3-team deal.  The Rockets sent Tracy McGrady to New York.  Essentially, McGrady is a salary dump, and the Knicks will probably get rid of him during the summer.  Knicks rookie Jordan Hill and Jared Jeffries will head to Houston.  Meanwhile, the Rockets also acquired the Kings Kevin Martin (a secretly great player).  The Kings will receive Carl Landry from the Rockets and Larry Hughes from the Knicks.  This trade was all about shedding money for the Knicks.  They are going to make a serious push for LeBron James in the off-season (and maybe Dwayne Wade), and they need all the money they can get.  The Rockets however have now reloaded and have a very exciting team.  Their General Manager is quite a crafty guy, and if they get Yao Ming back, they will definitely be super competitive in the West next year.