May 7 Thoughts....

Just a little thing I like to do every so often to catch up on some recent topics.....

1. NBA Playoffs- The NBA Playoffs are moving along, and we are seeing some good basketball. No Derrick Rose? No Dwight Howard?  Yeah tough days for the Bulls and Magic.  The 76ers are all over the Bulls and for good reason.  Rose and now Joakim Noah off the Bulls roster can really close the gap between top seed and eight seed.  The Boston Celtics look poised for a potential date with the Miami Heat in the conference finals. The Pacers are quietly taking down the Magic, although its hard to notice when all of their games are on NBATV. The East is likely looking at a Celtics-76ers and Heat-Pacers semi-finals, so like I said probably the Heat-Celtics. LeBron, the world's most scrutinized athlete may finally get his ring.  Out in the wild, wild West. The Thunder look to be the top dogs. They have swept the defending champs and looked very impressive doing so. Durant vs. LeBron finals is far away, but very likely.  The Spurs are looking good now, but its the Utah Jazz, big whoop. The Clippers and Lakers are reaching for second round berths and keeping the dream of an all Staples Center Western Conference Finals possible. The West is looking more competitive and they have better teams. The Western Champ may not have enough gas to dispel the Heat. King James is getting that first ring this year, but who knows I may be feeling totally different next week.  I guess that is why they actually play the games? Hmm

2. A star is born-The much anticipated debut of Baseball's future has come and went. The 19 year old phenom is here, and will be a player for a very long time.  Do anointed superstars always work out? Well some do, most don't. This guy is for real, and its easy to tell right away.  He is perhaps the smartest 19 year old baseball player in a long time, maybe ever. He is polished,competitive, and really easy to dislike.  Maybe I am in the minority, but I like him. Stealing home? Knocking the ball away from the catcher? 5 Doubles in 8 games?  Are you kidding me?  This guy has such a wealth of talent and arrogance, he is the perfect superstar for years to come. The Nationals would be doing him an injustice if thy kept him in the minors any longer, he had nothing more to gain. He was born to do this and watching his career develop will be must see TV.

3. The "Franchise QB"- The Colts and Redskins have the two players from the 2012 draft that will always be compared and contrasted against each other. The drafting of two quarterbacks 1-2 overall does not usually happen, but when it does....Only one seems to have a worthy career, the other never really has a career.  Right, Tim Couch and Ryan Leaf? The Colts have the guy everyone knew would be the first pick for years. The Redskins have the hotshot Heisman winner that put together a top pick resume the past season alone. Luck is like Peyton Manning, RGIII is a right handed Michael Vick. Whose career will actually follow suit with their comparisons? The Redskins have better current assets, but always under achieve.  Washington always made a curious move drafting another QB in Kirk Cousins. Will that cause tension?  The Colts are awful, but have proven that they can build a Super Bowl around a Quarterback. Moving along, its hard to say who will be better, or Hell maybe they both will be equally as good. Oh yeah, Ryan Tannehill is in Miami with the 8th pick.  He is nowhere near the level of Luck and Griffin.  He has time to grow and could be a good NFL Quarterback down the line. The 2012 draft has three top 10 QB's, they will always be compared. Just ask Roethlisberger,Rivers, and Eli Manning.

4. NHL Playoffs-The two favorites went down in the first round. The bottom seed is in the Final 4. No this isn't March Madness, but it is May Mayhem.  These playoffs are grueling, heated, and really hard to predict.  All 16 participants have an equal chance to win, its unlike any other playoff. The 8th seeded LA Kings are 8-1 in the playoffs against the Western Conference's top two teams. Dustin Brown is on fire and may take his underdog Kings the whole way. They sit and wait for either the Phoenix Coyotes or Nashville Predators.  Hockey hotbeds, eh?  I just know the NHL are loving these ratings.......  The Eastern Conference saw three first round series reach a game 7.  This round the Rangers and Caps are locked in a 2-2 split, and the Flyers are certainly down but not out against the Devils. These playoffs are great TV, and truly under appreciated  These guys are dueling it off for three months and it is an absolute race to 16 wins. Do yourself a favor and tune into the double header tonight on NBC Sports for some heated and intense Hockey.

5. Vote for Pedro-Patience is a very big thing in Baseball. Without patience we would have people running around screaming over nothing. The Pirates should be commended for their patience with Pedro Alvarez. In an era where sport fans suddenly have a better opinion than management (Hey Look I have a Blog!!) things like that get put to rest. Alvarez didn't need to go to AAA. He just needed some confidence, and he wasn't going to find it back in the Minor Leagues, he needed confidence from his team.  He got it.  He stayed with it, and his batting average has jumped 200 points in two weeks. He is second in the National league in Home Runs, and it starting to look like the number 2 draft pick he was. He is starting to look like the long coveted cleanup hitter the Pirates needed. We have seen glimpses of good from Pedro Alvarez and long stretches of bad also.  It is hard to say the guy is completely on board and back, but he might be.  The guy just needs to be that constant threat in the middle of the lineup.  He is not an average or contact guy, but has some of the best power in baseball. It will be real fun to see this guy, be the guy he is supposed to be.