Hot 5 Topics of the Week – 4/15
Star wide receivers traded to AFC East – Troubled Steelers wide-out Santonio Holmes was traded to the New York Jets this past Sunday for a 5th round pick in this year’s draft. He will miss the first 4 games after being suspended for violating the league’s drug policy. Of course Holmes’ former teammate, Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger, is facing some issues of his own as well, although he was just cleared of all charges. Despite his past and current troubles, I think the Jets got a steal for Holmes, who was the Super Bowl MVP just two years ago and had his best overall season as a pro last year. If there is any coach in the NFL who can handle players such as Holmes and Jets new defensive back Antonio Cromartie who have had troubled pasts, it’s Jets head coach Rex Ryan. The move also gives the Jets another deep threat to go along with Braylon Edwards and puts Jerricho Cotchery into a slot receiver role which is where he really excels. It also gives the Jets a legitimate passing game to go along with the best running game in football.
The Jets weren’t the only AFC East team to make a move for a talented, but troubled wide receiver. Division rivals the Miami Dolphins gave up this year’s and next year’s second round pick for Denver Broncos star receiver Brandon Marshall. He has had over 100 receptions and 1000 yards each of the last 3 seasons and gives the Dolphins the big time receiver they have been missing lately. Miami now also has a threat in the passing game to go along with their strong rushing offense and wildcat formation. The Jets are still the favorites to win the division in my opinion, but Miami is certainly a worthy opponent with the Marshall acquisition and could be in line to win one of the wild cards.
Lefty wins the Masters – While Tiger Woods grabbed all the headlines, it was Phil Mickelson who took home his third green jacket and fourth major overall. This 4th major win also puts Phil in a different class as he and Woods are now the only active golfers to have 4 or more majors. It was a fitting end to a week surrounded by so much commotion and media coverage of Woods returning for his first tournament since November. Mickelson ended up winning rather convincingly as he pretty much wrapped it up after moving 3 up with 3 holes to go. The final images were that of Mickelson embracing his children and wife, who along with Phil’s mother was recently diagnosed with breast cancer. Despite the lack of drama in the final holes, the lasting image of Phil and his wife provided a memory that nobody can overshadow.
The final images were a major departure of what we had heard from the media coming into the tournament. It was nice, however, to see Tiger getting back to playing golf. Whatever you may think of him, you have to give the man credit for the amazing athlete he truly is. Woods is the only golfer I can think of who can go about 6 months without playing in a tournament and finish 11 under par at Augusta. He ended up coming in 4th place which for Woods isn’t great, but it certainly is an incredible accomplishment given what he has gone through the last 6 months, although it was by his own doing. Woods has already confirmed he is playing at the US Open at Pebble Beach, where he won back in 2000 by a staggering 15 shots. Although it will never be the same, it is a relief to see that at least some of the focus is back on Tiger’s golf game and not on all of his extracurricular activities.
Yankees get their rings – The 2009 World Series champions had their home opener on Tuesday where they received their new jewelry. The crowd was the largest the Yankees have had since they opened their new stadium last season. It was great to see some of the first time winners get their rings and show them off like they were kids again. A really touching moment came when Yankees longtime trainer, Gene Monahan, received his ring after making his first appearance with New York this season. He recently received a positive diagnosis of neck and throat cancer and even had radiation therapy the day of the home opener. Monahan received a standing ovation from the crowd and the rest of the proceedings were delayed. Yankees catcher Jorge Posada led the team out to the top of the dugout where they too gave Monahan a standing applause. The 65 year old was visibly moved by the gesture of the fans and the team and it was certainly a wonderful image to witness.
Another great moment came when former Yankee and last year’s World Series MVP Hideki Matsui, who now plays for the Yanks home opener opponent the Angels, received his ring from manager Joe Girardi. Matsui was soon mobbed by his former teammates who came over one by one to see the man who was a clubhouse favorite. He was also given a standing ovation from the crowd who clearly appreciated all the work Hideki had done for them over the past 7 seasons. Led by captain Derek Jeter, the Yankees also played a prank on Matsui who they first gave a fake ring. When the lineups were being announced, Girardi ran over and gave Matsui the real ring, which he then went on to show his Angel teammates. For the game itself, the Yankees would go on to win 7-5.
Flyers beat out Rangers for final playoff spot – In what was the best hockey game I have seen since the USA v. Canada Olympic gold medal match, the Philadelphia Flyers defeated the New York Rangers in a shootout on the last day of the regular season. The winner would earn the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. The Rangers were badly out shot and if it wasn’t for the remarkable play of goalie Henrik Lundqvist, the game wouldn’t have been nearly as close. Philly fell down early, but kept missing chance after chance as Lundqvist made a number of big saves. They finally broke through about halfway through the 3rd period to tie the score. The game remained tied and would go to a shootout. Ultimately, it would come down to Olli Jokinen needing to score a shootout goal in order to keep the Rangers season alive. He was halted by Flyers goalie Brian Boucher who was subsequently mobbed by his teammates. The Rangers season was over while Philadelphia clinched the 7th seed in the East where they would meet the New Jersey Devils.
The NHL playoffs started last night and the Flyers continued their momentum after that big win and took game 1 over the Devils in New Jersey by a 2-1 score. I expect the Devils to bounce back, however, the NHL playoffs seem to have an unusual amount of lower seeds advancing over top seeds more than any other sport. I think the NHL playoffs are the best in professional sports and each year there is always some kind of upset or incredible multiple overtime game that ends at two in the morning. Even last night we saw the Avalanche, an 8 seed, beat the San Jose Sharks, a 1 seed, with a goal in the final seconds. Also coming away with wins last night were the Phoenix Coyotes, the best story in the NHL this season and the only home team to win last night, and the Ottawa Senators, who knocked off the defending champion Pittsburgh Penguins in game one. The Penguins also lost game 1 in the first round last year and that worked out pretty well for them. This year’s playoffs will surely be another postseason filled with incredible games and game winning moments.
NBA playoffs set to begin Saturday – In a similar situation to the Rangers v. Flyers game in terms of its influence on the playoffs, the Chicago Bulls beat the Toronto Raptors when the two teams were tied for 8th place in the Eastern Conference. Although the Bulls still had two games remaining and the Raptors had one, this game would prove to be the difference as Chicago would earn the final playoff spot after both teams won their remaining games. The Bulls will move on to face the Cleveland Cavaliers, who are probably the favorites to win it all right now. In my opinion, the Eastern Conference will come down to the Cavs and the Magic to see who gets to the NBA finals. It will be a rematch of last year’s East Finals, however, I think the result will be different this time around. LeBron James is playing on his best team and on a team which had the league’s best record in the regular season. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Magic can pull off a second straight NBA Finals appearance, but any other match up in the Eastern Conference Finals would be a shock.
The Western Conference seemed like it was the defending NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers’ to lose, however, they have struggled as of late and there are several teams behind them who can give them a hard time. The Denver Nuggets took them to 6 games last year, but they have also struggled recently. The Lakers have an interesting match up with the up and coming Oklahoma City Thunder in the first round, who are led by NBA scoring leader Kevin Durant. The Thunder will be a team to be reckoned with in years to come, but I think the Lakers will take advantage of their inexperience and come out on top in the end. Other teams the Lakers can face down the road include the Nuggets, Dallas Mavericks, and Utah Jazz. The Mavs and Jazz can also be a threat to the Lakers, but I think Los Angeles will come out on top again. Picking the Lakers in the West certainly comes which much less confidence than picking the Cavs in the East, however, I think the NBA will get its dream match up of LeBron v. Kobe in the NBA Finals this season.
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