4/14: Masters Wrap, NBA, etc.

Let's get this outta the way...

• Trevor Immelman holds on for dear life and wins the Masters by 3....can't help but think most people didn't care once Tiger was out of it and that's a shame really...Immelman played beautiful golf, especially with his driver and deserved to win...Tiger just couldn't make putts this week...that'll happen...Congrats to Trevor (who is a very good interview btw)

Onto other things...

• The Lakers cruise past the Spurs yesterday by a wide margin....they looked good doing it from what I can see but the Spurs without Manu don't provide much of a challenge I wouldn't think...LAL now leads NO by a half-game for the top seed....
• Every time I see the West standings I chuckle...does anyone NOT want to play Houston in the first round? I can't see them beating anyone in the top 9 outside of maybe Denver...it's funny to me
• That said...Denver beat that same Houston team to all but seal the 8th spot...they now must lose at home to Memphis and have the Warriors win their last 2 to fall out....the field is nearly set
• ESPN finally started covering the East playoff seeds to an extent this weekend including a couple front-page ESPN.com mentions of the seeding position...have seen more than a few people now talk about the Cavs-Wiz series in the opening round....I don't see the appeal really....I guess the Wiz with Gilbert is semi-intriguing but it's really just the right to lose in Round 2 isn't it?

Enough basketball for now....

• Baseball doesn't really get fired up for me until the NBA isn't on all the time...but hey, that'll happen...it's clearly my 3rd sport (and really 5th if you split bball and football into college and pro) so that's that.....
• The Braves get plowed by ANOTHER injury with Glavine going down early yesterday....They had 8 starters going into the season...now it's 5 with Hampton and Glavine down and Chuck James toiling in AAA...hurray beer! Oh yea...they lost the game too snapping the Nats 9-game losing streak
• David Ortiz is 3-43 for the year....and there's still no way you can boo him if youre a Boston fan...I'm sorry...you just can't.....
• The Gabe Kapler comeback story is either getting too much pub or not enough...I don't know which...definitely intriguing though....Baseball always comes with its share of great stories and right now Kapler, Rick Ankiel, and the like are carrying that torch
• Francisco Liriano got roughed up in his return....no reason for alarm...guy hasn't pitched since '06...but anyone with crazily high expectations is likely fooling themselves...

Miscellaneous...

• Michael Beasley's going pro today...even if media outlets are spinning it like it's a mystery...it would probably the biggest shock I've had in a while if he somehow came back...
• Forgot this yesterday...really? We're showing the full Florida spring game on ESPN....I'd kind of understand this if it was the defending champion in LSU or even Ohio State or USC....but Florida? A 4-loss football team last year....hmmmm
• Man I hope that Sonics game last night wasn't the last in Seattle....that would be patently insane
• Lorena Ochoa qualifies for the LPGA hall of game...umm huh? What is she like 25? I can't get behind a HOF system that has a pure formula anyway...and definitely not one that can put you in the hall of fame before your 30th birthday....and by the way, I just talked about Women's golf...I need counseling
• I almost feel bad not even mentioning the NHL playoffs...like...at all...since I'm a huge sports guy and all, but I honestly don't know ONE person in my life that follows the league regularly...I know a few that follow the Thrashers, like whether they won or lost and stuff....but no one that watches them consistently and definitely no one that follows the rest of the league...that seems crazy to me....The pre- season cancelling NHL was at least followable b/c I would catch mega-highlights on SC and formulate some sort of opinion and have a general knowledge of who was good, great players, etc....Now I hear about Alex Ovechkin, maybe Sidney Crosby...that's about it....Sad really