4/30: Spurs/Mavs, Blazers/Suns, etc.

Lots to get to... First, the Headlines...

• The Spurs move on... behind 47 points combined from Manu and George Hill, some throwback play from Tim Duncan on both ends, and Rick Carlisle's shocking refusal to re-enter Beaubois into the game... lol.... Dallas got virtually nothing from the Marion/Haywood/Kidd/Terry combo (combining for 13 points total, yikes), and despite Dirk's best efforts to keep them in it late, they didn't have enough... Beaubois was unguardable while he was in there, but Carlisle buried him in favor of Terry in the 4th and by the time he got back in, it was all but over... I wouldn't say I'm surprised by the Spurs winning, but the relative ease at which they won this series kind of surprises me... Ah well...
• The Spurs 2nd round opponent? Phoenix... Jason Richardson was again, awesome (averaging over 25 ppg in the series) and the Suns managed to overcome subpar play from Nash (6 first half turnovers, etc.) because of great bench production from Dudley and Dragic, and Amare's most efficient game of the series... for Portland.. their bench kept them in it (check out the +/- for the game if you don't believe me), but they got nothing from Andre Miller (2/10) and Brandon Roy clearly isn't himself (4/16, 1/8 threes)... a valiant effort from an undermanned team (all year really)....
• Hey, Brett Favre needs ankle surgery... and for some reason this is news...
• In the biggest no-brainer in the history of Earth, Lebron (reportedly) named MVP again... you mean 30, 9, and 7 on the best team in the league qualifies you? laughter...
• Former All-pro LT Walter Jones retires from the Seahawks... at his peak, Jones was one of the most dominant tackles I can remember watching... but injuries/age derailed him late and he couldn't stay on the field... helluva career though...

To baseball...

• Pitching Line of the Day - AJ Burnett (NYY) - 8 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 4 Ks.... Kind of weird to see a performance like this from Burnett without alot of strikeouts... but alas, he was dominant here
• Batting Line of the Day - John Buck (TOR) - who you say? the Blue Jay catcher tallied 3-4 with 3 homers, and 5 RBI... that'll do
• 9 straight losses for the Braves... I'm almost out of things to write... but I was weirdly encouraged by a 10-4 loss... yes, Jurrjens only lasted 1 inning due to injury, but it seems minor, and it's not exactly a typical pitching performance... here's the positive part... Heyward put together very good ABs, the offense scored a respectable 4 runs, and I'm grasping for straws... you win

What to watch for tonight

• Hawks/Bucks 7:00 ESPN... Obviously the biggest game of the year for the Hawks... let me rant a little... 6:00 Central time tip-off on a Friday night? That's absurd ESPN... do better... As a rational fan, the Hawks are the more talented team... but they've been outcoached and out-efforted all series... it'll continue... Bucks close it out tonight... (and I'm still rooting for the Hawks before everyone loses their mind)
• Lakers/Thunder 9:30 ESPN... I like OKC in this game... they haven't gotten an explosion from Durant yet... that crowd will be absurd, and I think KD gets 35-40... they'll lose Game 7 in LA... but they'll be a game 7
• Nuggets/Jazz 10:00 ESPN2... I don't trust Denver... never have, never will... Utah is a hostile environment and Utah has 2 of the best 3 players in the series... I like Utah
• Braves/Astros - 7:30 SportSouth... Hanson vs. Myers.... Houston is putrid, Tommy Hanson is good... Braves end the skid

4/29: Jazz/Nuggs, Tiger Returns, Loserville USA

I'll save the Atlanta-based non-sense to the end....

• Nuggets get back in it... 116-102 win for Denver behind 26 and 11 from Melo and the best game from Kenyon Martin since he was injured late in the year (18 and 9)... they pushed on the glass (an accomplishment) and got positive contributions from JR Smith (5 of 9) and Afflalo (5 of 5)... Utah was in it until the 4th but they can't sustain allowing Denver to shoot 51%... Critical Game 6 in Utah... I like the Jazz to close it out due to one final implosion by Denver...

Baseball...

• Pitching Line of the Day - Jon Lester - 7 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 11 K... pretty dominant and nice to see if you're a Red Sox fan after the way he started the year...
• Batting Line of the Day - Andrew McCutcheon - 4 for 7, 2 HR, 2 RBI... If you don't know this kid's name, you should... best player on the Pirates already... but he plays for the Pirates...
• Trevor Hoffman has blown saves on consecutive days... and Ryan Doumit homers have done him in both times...first time in the career of a top-3 closer of all-time where that's happened... worth noting
• Tampa Bay is really, really good... 16-5 record... and getting unbelievable pitching from guys like David Price and Matt Garza... if they pitch like this, it's scary

Loserville USA.... That's the state of what we live in... Of course, I'm being purposefully over-dramatic on this one... I understand the sky isn't falling... and I understand it's April for the Braves... but it doesn't mean I can't be angry/frustrated over here... so here we are....

• Bucks 91, Hawks 87... I honestly can't talk about it rationally so I'll just give you some concrete things... 14-0 from Milwaukee to end the game... 18-0 free throw disparity in the 4th quarter in favor of the lower-seeded road team (what!?)... Joe Johnson fouls out for the first time all season with 4 minutes to go... in a home game... and the first possession after his disqualification is a legitimate Josh Smith 3-point attempt (he didn't make one in the entire regular season)... Josh Smith had a -13 +/- for the game (worst on either team), the Hawks wasted pretty much the best game Marvin Williams can play (, and newly crowned 6th man of the year Jamal Crawford shot 4-18.... I'll let you take over from here... please don't let me keep going on Mike Bibby...
• Braves lose their 8th in a row... Not a whole lot to say... 13 runs in 8 games.... 13 runs in 8 games... add that in with honestly putrid defense, and you lose 8 straight games... I'm not nearly as "off the ledge" here... it's April and they're 4.5 games back... deep breaths

What to watch for tonight...

• Braves/Cardinals 1:40 SportSouth... Jurrjens/Wainwright in a battle of top-10 NL starters from 2009...
• Mavs/Spurs 8:00 TNT... Must win for both times even though it's game 6... Can't see San Antonio dropping this one and winning in Dallas, especially with the early removal of all the Spurs starters in Game 5... Pop is angling for this one
• Blazers/Suns 10:30 TNT... Another elimination game... I like Portland to stave off elimination tonight... that crowd will be bonkers and if Roy can give them anything, I like Portland at home...

4/28: NBA Status Report and More

Greetings... 4 NBA Games last night... let's get to them immediately...

• Goodbye Miami... 96-86 despite a near triple-double from Wade... Kind of a microcosm of the year for Miami... Wade heroics and little else (though Mario Chalmers was surprisingly good off the bench)... Boston isn't scaring anyone (at least they shouldn't at this point), but they have more than enough to fight off the corpse of Jermaine O'Neal, and 14 minute, 2 point Michael Beasley as the "2nd option"...
• Goodbye Chicago... A semi-shockingly tight game last night in Cleveland... 57 points from Deng and Rose will do that... especially when you hold Lebron under 20... that said, this was about as "slam-dunk" as a series gets when you have Lebron making jumpers throughout the series, and Chicago selling off assets (re: John Salmons) to play for next year... Done and done...
• Dallas 103, SA 81... Maybe a little more of a blowout than I had imagined... but you gotta think Dallas is going to be able to hold them off at home... Pop abandoned ship early (Ginobili 18 minutes, Duncan 24, Parker 25) in a very "Pop-like" move... the real game is Game 6....
• LAL 111, OKC 87... I was unmoved by this... there was alot of chatter in the media about OKC stealing this one in LA... meh... Phil finally mandated repeated entry passes and the results showed it... Bynum 21 and 11, and Gasol 25 and 11.... they have no answer for those guys down low... and I'm gonna say shooting sub-40% from the field as a team isn't the recipe for beating the Champs on the road... Oh yeah... and Kobe agreeing/mandating that he'd guard Westbrook happened 4 games too late... but it still happened... and Russell ended with 4-13 shooting...

Others...

• Pitching Line of the Day - Francisco Liriano (MIN) - 8 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 10 K... the dominant Cy Young-like guy seems to be returning...
• Batting Line of the Day - Ryan Doumit (PIT) - 3-5, HR, 4 RBI... Okay, so the HR and RBI were on one swing... but it was in the 9th off Trevor Hoffman to take the 4 run lead... that matters
• 6 in a row.... That's the # of losses for the Braves... I have nothing else to say... we're loserville USA... and the reverse jinx is on
• Ubaldo Jimenez is filthy... the league's only 5-0 pitcher went 6 innings of 2 hit-shutout ball again... and even Roy Halladay lost this week...
• If I was Dez Bryant, I would've hit Jeff Ireland in the face...

What to watch for tonight...

• Hawks/Bucks Game 5... 8:00 TNT or SportSouth.... I don't even know anymore... I'm reasonably sure the Hawks win by 15 because they haven't lost a home game since February and Milwaukee features Dan Gadzuric on the front line...
• Jazz/Nuggets Game 5... 10:30 TNT... Win or go home for Denver.. they are a different team at home... this is going back to Utah...
• If you like pain... Braves/Cardinals... Kawakami vs. red-hot Jaime Garcia... 8:15 Peachtree TV
• And if you somehow don't like the Braves or the NBA.... Twins/Tigers 7:00 ESPN... Scott Baker vs. Max Scherzer (who's been awesome so far)

4/27: NBA Heating Up, Braves Slow Death, etc.

Greetings everyone... Been a few days... To the headlines...

• Orlando sweeps... What do you say? Better team wins every game... Showing how to take care of business (even despite Howard's foul trouble throughout)...should be a model for....
• The lowly Hawks... who somehow are 2-2 with the Bogut-less Bucks... A closer loss than Game 3..forgive me if I don't take solace in that though, as I believe the Bucks minus Bogut are the worst team of the 16 playoff teams... and 2-2 just isn't acceptable... I'm not worried about losing the series... but I am at an all-time low in confidence against Orlando in Round 2...
• Phoenix takes it to Portland... leads 3-2... The Suns got 39 total points from Dudley and Frye off the bench... shot 29-32 free throws (unbelievably good) and dominated the glass... sounds like a recipe for success in your home building... Brandon Roy didn't have the same impact in this game and other than an unexpected 11 points in 12 minutes from Dante Cunningham, it was fairly "meh" for Portland... I think this goes 7 though...
• Ryan Howard signs for 5 years/125 million.... wow... that's a ton of money for a guy who can't hit .280.... But he's a certified power source and they overpaid to keep that nucleus in tact... the only caveat? Guys that big don't seem to age gracefully....

To Baseball and other stuff...

• Pitching Line of the Day - Josh Johnson (FLA) - CG, 3 H, 1 ER, 12 Ks... dominant
• Batting Line of the Day - Gregg Zaun (MIL) - 4-4, 5 RBI, 3 runs... there it is
• Anti-batting Line of the Day - Cameron Maybin - 0-5... and no, I'm not bitter that the Marlins scored 10 runs and Maybin was the only guy who didn't get a hit... and he's on my fantasy team... not bitter at all....
• Roy Halladay is human after all... the complete game machine got roughed up a bit... going "only" 7 innings and allowing 5 runs... thank God for Philly actually losing.... because...

Hold on while I rant.... 6 straight losses for the Braves... and it's the fashion that it's happened in... Scoring 9 measly runs in a 6 game period... committing 7 errors over a 21 inning stretch against the Mets.... getting swept by those same Mets... Yunel Escobar doing his best to make the city of Atlanta hate him.... and a soul-crushing blown 3-0 lead last night to a team that's just flat-out better than you... It's still April.... It's still April... It's still April... breathe...

What to watch for tonight...

• Heat/Celtics Game 5 NBA-TV 7:00... this should be the end of Miami...
• Bulls/Cavs Game 5 TNT 8:00... this should be the end of Chicago....
• Spurs/Mavs Game 5 NBA-TV 9:30... Enormous for Dallas (obviously) but I think they win here and take it back to SA for Game 6...
• Thunder/Lakers Game 5 TNT 10:30... Must win for LA... Best series as far as intrigue goes nationally, but I think LA pounds it inside, takes like 45 free throws and wins by 10
• Braves/Cards 8:15 Peachtree TV... watch this if you like carwrecks... Derek Lowe vs. Chris Carpenter

4/22: Spurs, NFL Draft, NCAA Tourney, etc.

Aloha... To the headlines...

• Spurs over Mavs... I feel like a proud Dad this morning... Tim Duncan is alive and well (25 and 17 last night) and the Spurs are 1-1... Richard Jefferson emerged from his slumber as well with 19 points, and they held Dirk to a respectable 24 (on 9-24 shooting), while winning the glass handily and holding Dallas under 40% as a team... It's a series...
• Orlando and Charlotte however? Not so much... 92-77 and all 5 starters in double figures for Orlando... Weirdest stat of the night (courtesy of my confidant Ryan)... No Bobcat other than S-Jax attempted more than 7 shots.... SEVEN!... Be more aggressive fellas.... or it'll be over in 4
• CBS and Turner win the NCAA Tourney rights bidding with $10.8 BILLION as the winning bid... and apparently the NCAA has agreed to expand the tourney to 68 teams... NOT 96... I like this alot better to be sure.... and now there will be 4 networks (CBS, TNT, TBS, truTV) showing games on the first weekend... I love it...
• The NFL Draft is tonight... it's over covered by everyone so I'll put this on the record... Unless you don't like basketball (or even baseball), I don't understand why you'd watch the coverage of this intently... there are real, live NBA playoff games going on at the same time, and the Draft isn't something you need to watch because, well, nothing really happens... I enjoy the NFL as much or more as the next guy... but follow the draft on your computer or your phone... even flip during commercials... but please watch the NBA playoffs tonight... it's just more important.... that said, if Brandon Graham is on the board at 19, and the Falcons pass... I'm going to be inconsolable for weeks...

To baseball and other stuff...

• Pitching Line of the Day - Roy Halladay... CG shutout, 5 hits, 7 Ks
• Batting Line of the Day - Colby Rasmus - 3 for 4, 2 HR, 3 RBI, 3 runs... I like this kid
• Roy Halladay is an animal... what else do you say as a Braves fan? Best pitcher on Earth eats you up... Hudson actually pitched quite well... but I feel like there's advantage with Lowe against Moyer tonight... 2 of 3 would be fantastic when you have to see Halladay in the series

What to Watch for...

• First and foremost... NBA triple-header.... Cleveland/Chicago (7:00 TNT), LA/OKC (9:30 TNT) and Phoenix/Portland (10:00 NBATV).... Once again, these are real, live games... in the playoffs....
• Braves/Phillies - Moyer/Lowe... 7:10 on Peachtree TV
• And if you must... NFL Draft Round 1... 7:30 ESPN and/or NFL Network

4/21: Quick NBA, Big Ben, Baseball, etc....

Shortened today... some quick-hitters...

• Ben Roethlisberger suspended 6 games... could be as little as 4 with "good behavior" (whatever that means in this case) and could be more if he doesn't cooperate... my issue with the suspension is a general one in that I think Goodell has entirely too much leeway on these things... but after reading the police report on this case, 6 games seems like a bargain for Ben... His reported behavior was pretty despicable... at any rate, looks like alot of Byron Leftwich/Dennis Dixon....
• Hawks/Bucks... Meh, not alot to discuss... monster near-triple-double from Josh Smith and a big game from Horford... Bucks woefully undermanned... only interesting to see how Hawks play on road...
• Celtics pound the Heat... no KG, no problem... they had separate runs of 18-0 and 21-0 in the game... Miami's supporting cast is dreadful...
• Phoenix evens it up... Too much tempo for Portland... especially when Phoenix shoots 52% to Portland's 38%, Phoenix wins the boards and the assists, Grant Hill shoots 10-10 to start the game... etc.... not a whole lot to take from it... Portland won on the road so advantage them
• LA/OKC... didn't see much of this regrettably... the Thunder got better efficiency from Durant (which they need) but as a team shot sub-40% from the field, and I don't think they can handle 2-13 combined shooting from Green and Harden... I'd actually be weirdly encouraged that they were in both games despite sub-standard contributions from alot of their guys... Kobe was fantastic and the real advantage for LA is that no one seems to be able to contain Gasol...

Baseball...

• Pitching Line of the Day - Jonathan Sanchez (SF) - 7 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 10 Ks.... he has dominant stuff and is one of the best strikeout guys in the league now...
• Batting Line of the Day - Ryan Ludwick... 3-4, 2 HR, 3 RBI... shocking that this wasn't a Ranger with how they ran wild on the bases against Boston, there just wasn't anyone who hit that well
• The Braves had their wildest win of the year so far... back-to-back homers from Troy Glaus (the unlikeliest guy to see hit a fastball a long way) and Jason Heyward (aka the Kraken from here on out)... followed be the rebirth of Nate McLouth on a walkoff in the 10th... alot of fanfare in this win, but it's just that... one win... and Heyward can't possibly carry this offense much longer... he's going to slump, and guys like Chipper, Escobar, Glaus, and McLouth have to pick it up...
• Hey the NFL schedule is out... everyone run to your printer.. print the stupid thing out and mark Wins and Losses... because the NFL is so predictable and steady year to year... oh....

What to watch for tonight....

• NBA Doubleheader on TNT... Magic/Bobcats at 7:00 followed by the headliner.. Spurs/Mavs at 9:30 in a huge game for that series...
• Braves/Phillies at 7:00 on ESPN or Peachtree TV... Halladay vs. Hudson in a big time pitching matchup... anytime you can see Halladay it's a must-see... except if you're a Braves fan and want an advantage... Huddy has to be awesome...

4/20: A Huge Jazz Win, the Lebron Show, etc.

Straight in...

• Utah 114, Denver 111.... If that score didn't surprise you, I certainly didn't hear from you pre-game... Couldn't find one person that thought Utah would win that game, and most didn't think they'd compete... They got 30 points from Korver and Miles (a big win), a ridiculous game from Deron Williams (33 and 14) and they got away with the Millsap/Boozer frontcourt because Denver stopped giving Nene the ball.... This is the reason I don't trust Denver and would've instantly picked a healthy Utah... they just make dumb mistakes... they have an alpha-dog issue in Billups who thinks he's the man still, and have guys like JR Smith, etc. that are capable of meltdowns.... At any rate, big time win for Utah... and let me just say... I wouldn't get into an altercation with Jerry Sloan for any amount of money...
• Cleveland over Chicago... The Lebron show was in full effect... I had kind of brushed off the talk that Lebron is the greatest closer (with a lead) that anyone has ever seen... uhh.. he was certainly that last night... hitting JUMPERS... not even going to the rim with that head of steam... there was just no answer (to the tune of 40, 8, and 8) and the Bulls paid for it... An encouraging effort from Noah and Deng for Chicago... but they have to feel like they are in trouble getting 20+ from all of their big 3 and still getting blown off the face of the Earth late... They better get game 3....

Elsewhere....

• Pitching Line of the Day - Brandon Morrow (legendary former Mariner) 7 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 8 Ks... hilarious in so many ways, but in reality, the kid has a great arm and could be dominant at some point
• Battling Line of the Day - Mike McCoy (of Blue Jay fame) - 3-4, 2 runs, 2 stolen bases
• I'd like to thank every fantasy analyst (namely Tristan Cockroft, etc.) for recommending I start Aaron Cook in fantasy baseball this week... No, I'm not bitter...
• The NFL schedule comes out tonight and this is apparently a televised event... somebody kill me.... why does this matter?
• Dwight Howard announced as Defensive Player of the Year this morning.... exactly no one was surprised by this... but he was deserving and a monster
• Kyle Singler is returning to Duke... in my mind it makes them preseason #1 when you think about who they return (Both Plumlees, Singler, Smith, Dawkins) and who they are bringing in (Seth Curry who everyone seems to have forgotten about even though he was an all-conference player as a freshman elsewhere), Kyrie Irving (top 5 recruit at the point to take some of Scheyer's minutes), and Joshua Hairston (a 6'9 high post forward to play alongside the Plumlees)

What to watch for tonight (it's a busy one...)

• All the NBA you can handle... Hawks/Bucks (7:00 on NBATV or SportSouth), Celtics/Heat (8:00 on TNT), Blazers/Suns (10:00 on NBATV), and Lakers/Thunder (10:30 on TNT)
• Braves/Phillies - 7:00 on Peachtree TV... the defending NL Champs come to town.... and Tommy Hanson is pitching for the Braves... done and done

Enjoy the day...

4/19: NBA Playoffs 1st weekend, etc.

Greetings... alot to get to...

The NBA playoffs are underway... all 8 series kicked off this weekend... and here are my scatterbrained thoughts on what I saw and heard...

• Hawks over Bucks... Probably the most "meh" of all the games... Hawks get early lead, Jennings goes nuts... Hawks hold on... the talent spread is pretty large in this series without Bogut in there, and Jennings probably won't put up 34 again... Kind of what we thought we'd see... better team wins
• Orlando over Charlotte... Another early lead/late comeback sort of game... Howard didn't hit double-digits in either boards or points (although he had 9 blocks, wow) and Orlando still wins? Yikes... Jameer was as good as he can be though with 32, 6, and 4... Charlotte has to get something out of their frontline (sans Wallace) to contend in the series and they didn't....
• Lakers over Thunder... 1st quarter score... 27-13 LA.... and that was the game... OKC played them better than even the rest of the way but you can't give the champs a 14-point lead that quick... Durant was un-Durant-like (7-24 FG, 1-8 threes) and was clearly pressing... An indicator that it could be a series though? How bout Russell Westbrook torching Fisher (as we knew he would) with 23 and 8 on only 16 shots... that's a good/great matchup for OKC....
• Dallas over SA... The Spurs could've won this game and that's a very good sign IMO... Dirk was masterful (12/14 FG, 12/12 FT and 34 points) and Butler/Kidd were fairly effective for Dallas.... Dallas also won the rebounding battle.... and the Spurs got 4 TOTAL points from Jefferson and Hill... and this was a game to the final minutes... I'd be oddly encouraged if I was a Spurs fan... and for all that "Tim Duncan is done" talk... he was pretty much unguardable at times... at least by the guys Dallas can throw at him
• Blazers over Suns... in the effort of full disclosure, I didn't see much of the 2nd half... sigh... but I have seen enough to know that I'm wildly impressed by Portland's gumption here... Andre Miller was as good as he gets (an efficient 31 and 8), they got a career night from Nic Batum (18, 5 and 5 with lockdown D) and Camby kept them in the game on the glass... and to win that game despite the breakdowns late (Camby's missed dunk, Bayless missed FTs, etc.) is a testament to them without Roy... For Phoenix? That's kind of a big/bad loss... They won the glass... got decent bench production, 25 points from Nash, and still lost a home game to a team without their best player.... I think we may see a 7-game classic here...
• Cavs over Bulls... Another throttling early and stagnant play late... Derrick Rose was fairly awesome (28, 10, 7) but he got underwhelming help from his fellow Bulls, and they need top-level performances from pretty much everyone to compete with Cleveland in Cleveland... Lebron was on mini-cruise control and finished with under his averages in each category... just an across-the-board team effort from them.. and Shaq played well and looked to be in surprisingly good shape....
• Celtics over Heat... Ugliest game of the weekend... Miami absolutely died late, especially offensively, in scoring 10 4th quarter points and blowing a double-digit lead... Wade was efficient and good, but 6 for 28 shooting from O'Neal/Wright/Chalmers leads to ineptness.... Boston wasn't impressive either, but Paul Pierce woke them up in the 3rd quarter, and Tony Allen may have the best game I've ever seen him play on both ends...
• Nuggets over Jazz... Can somebody get a hand up on JR Smith? lol... That was a text I sent to my friend Ryan mid-2nd half when he was going nuts... and uncontested nuts... if there's anything I know about JR, it's that he's unguardable when he has it going... and he was... but Melo was unguardable from the tip... they just had no answer... 42 points on 25 shots... and they don't have anyone long enough to handle him without AK47... CJ Miles actually was fairly good defensively, he's just not long enough, and Melo is dominant when he can shoot 15 footers over guys... Even bigger trouble for Utah now without Okur for the rest of the way... Nuggets should win this thing by 6 I think....

Baseball and other stuff....

• Pitching Line of the weekend - Ubaldo Jimenez (duh)... the 6-walk no-hitter with 7 k's... really weird game.. he couldn't find the strikezone for 5 innings.. goes to the stretch and is absolutely flawless after that... well done
• Batting Line of the weekend - Alberto Callaspo - 3-5, 2 HR, 6 RBI in Sunday's win for Kansas City... raking son...
• The Braves take the series with Colorado behind a Sunday walk-off hit from Jason Heyward and some pretty good pitching... Win series... Win series... Win series... that's the name of the game....
• Here's a Braves theory I heard this morning... Hear me out here.... Chipper Jones should hit lead-off for the Braves... I scoffed initially... but think about it... takes a ton of walks (career .400+ OBP), doesn't have alot of power anymore (sorry to burst everyone's bubble here), and a switch hitter to matchup against anyone.... yes, I know this isn't an ideal situation... but this is a team without a capable lead-off hitter, especially now that Prado has settled into the 2 spot, and the McLouth/Cabrera being your most speedy guys even though neither guy has high OBPs (Melky career . 329 and McLouth .342)... Maybe I'm crazy and so is the guy who I read saying this... but it's an idea...
• Boston is quietly not good right now... 4-8 to start the year, and they are down 8-0 as I type this to go to 4-9... For all the pitching/defense talk, they've allowed 61 runs in 12 games... not very impressive...
• Livan Hernandez hasn't allowed an earned run this year.... and I really want someone... anyone... to write me back on twitter (@browismyhero) or comment this blog if they know what I'm talking about when I mention Livan Hernandez and Eric Gregg in the same sentence... come on, somebody come through....
• What to watch for tonight: TNT Playoff Doubleheader... 8:00 - Bulls/Cavs and 10:30 - Jazz/Nuggs...

Done and done...

2009-2010 NBA Playoff Preview

Aloha... "Part 1" with the awards went up earlier... and here we are with the Playoff Preview... What I'll do is go a little more in-depth series-by-series in the 1st round and drop an overall "quick-hitters" preview at the end... then I'll go round-by-round when we get there with more in-depth stuff... Wow that was long... here we go....

Eastern Conference

• #1 Cleveland vs. #8 Chicago - This could get ugly and quick... Cleveland has the best player on Earth, better front-court depth, and an exceeding experience advantage... the one x-factor for Chicago is that I don't think Cleveland has anyone that can consistently stay in front of Derrick Rose... but when you have help defenders like Lebron and Varejao and a very good overall team defense you can overcome that... I think Cleveland would MUCH rather have seen Toronto in this spot because Chicago has significant talent, but Cleveland should cruise rather easily... Cavs in 5


• #4 Boston vs. #5 Miami - Probably the most interesting of the series' in the East simply because of how poorly Boston has played (losing 7 of their last 10) and how hot Miami is (winners of 9 of last 10)... Let's get this out of the way... there's no way on Earth that Boston SHOULD lose this series... they have the talent edge at every single spot except for whoever is opposing Wade, plus they are deeper and more experienced... that said, they seem wholly underwhelmed down the stretch, Rasheed is wretched, and Garnett isn't Garnett.... If Miami had another piece or 2 to go with Wade and Beasley, I'd be picking the upset... I just can't, in good conscience, take a team that features the Chalmers/Arroyo/Alston pu pu platter at the point and Joel Anthony playing extended minutes.... Wade will keep them in games though... Celtics in 6


• #3 Atlanta vs. #6 Milwaukee - This is the series that experts were clamoring for a month ago... and it would've been the best matchup by far in the 1st round had Bogut not gone down... without him, they are forced to give Kurt Thomas, Dan Gadzuric, etc. those minutes and that's too much of a drop-off... factor in Jennings' shooting woes and lack of experience coupled with this Hawks team having played playoff basketball the last 2 years and playing at the highest level in 20+ years... I don't see this lasting thing... but a shame for the NBA fan that Bogut went down, because they were very dangerous... Horford has a field day, Joe does enough, and the Hawks win... Hawks in 5


• #2 Orlando vs. #7 Charlotte - On paper, I think this is the strongest sweep opportunity on either side... The Magic have the talent advantage, the beast in the middle, and depth that can't be rivaled by anyone in the league... For Charlotte, they will absolutely lock you down defensively, they're exceedingly well coached (don't forget how good Larry Brown is when he's actually coaching, not leaving), and there's talent there (Wallace, Jackson, etc.)... SVG won't let them take it lightly, but Vince Carter is still alive and kicking (lol).... Because of Larry Brown and that defense, they'll definitely win one or 2 but Orlando should have no problem moving on even if VC and company don't produce to their full level... Magic in 6

Western Conference

• #1 LAL vs. #8 Oklahoma City - I love the Western conference... let's just say that... This is a fantastic series from a fan prospective... the young up-and-comers against the old-guard favorites... For LA, Kobe isn't playing well (by his standards) and Bynum is a question mark... they still have absolutely no bench (and it's worsened by having to start Lamar) and Derek Fisher vs. Russell Westbrook could turn ugly for LA... but at the same time, Pau Gasol should have his way, Kobe is still Kobe, and they have Phil Jackson and all the experience.... For OKC, Kevin Durant will get 30 on anyone, they have the PG advantage, and Sefolosha to throw at Kobe... I think they make this very compelling, and I would've considered picking the Thunder against Dallas or Phoenix... but I can't do it here... Lakers in 6


• #4 Denver vs. #5 Utah - Along with Phoenix/Portland, I've had to re-write this section due to injury... Kirilenko has been ruled out for a couple weeks with a calf issue, and that greatly affects my feelings on the series... he likely would've been the primary guy to throw at Carmelo, and really is always their X-factor... I still think Deron Williams will give Chauncey fits and that Utah has the considerable advantage up-front with Kenyon Martin limping around... and I still think Jerry Sloan will pound Adrian Dantley in the coaching department.. but without Kirilenko and already short-handed on the wing, I don't think they can handle Carmelo in any way, and you know JR Smith has one blow-up game in him where he's capable of dropping 30.... Gun to my head I'll go with... Denver in 7


• #3 Phoenix vs. #6 Portland - Note: Brandon Roy was just announced via Yahoo to be missing this series... and accordingly I've re-written this paragraph... Crushing blow for Portland who I originally was strongly considering picking in 6... Without Roy this is a totally different series obviously, and Portland is forced to play alot of Bayless/Miller together... I don't like the matchups from the beginning for Portland without homecourt, but now, I don't see how Portland can take more than 1 or 2 games while missing their best player/leader.... Aldridge and Camby should control the glass with Robin Lopez out for Phoenix to start the series, and that gives them some hope, but I like for Nash to get this thing over quickly if Roy truly is out for the entire series... Phoenix in 5 provided Roy doesn't play, Phoenix in 7 if this report is unfounded


• #2 Dallas vs. #7 San Antonio - The Season series says 3-1 Dallas, but that's a little misleading since they played last night and the Spurs weren't exactly at full-steam... George Hill and Tony Parker aren't at 100% right now and that could hamper San Antonio in a big way going forward... For Dallas, you have to like the depth they've put together, and they now have Haywood to throw at Duncan with an experienced big who can really defend... This is really the series that most experts that I've seen are really split on... Frankly, the X-factors player wise (to me) are Manu and Caron Butler... If Manu is the SuperStar that he's been for the last 5-6 weeks, San Antonio is scary good... and if Butler can be an efficient 2nd/3rd option for Dallas, they can come at you from 100 different angles... I'm really torn on this one so I'm kind of flipping a coin, but I'll take the experience, and when all else fails, I'm taking Duncan and Popovich... Spurs in 7

Full Playoff Quick-hitters

Okay, while we're here, I'll go ahead and give my quick predictions for the rest of the way....

Cavs over Celtics in 5

Magic over Hawks in 7

Suns over Spurs in 7

Lakers over Nuggets in 6

Cavs over Magic in 6

Lakers over Suns in 7

Cavs over Lakers in 6

Undoubtedly... I'll be wrong on every series... but the NBA playoffs from the jump to the end are going to be ridiculously entertaining (with the exception of the East 1st round), and wildly even... I really think Cleveland is the best team in the league... and I'm not in love with LA at all (for example, I think full-strength Utah or Portland would give them fits, etc.)... I think the King gets his title this year... and let the circus begin after that... I'll obviously be checking in throughout... the NBA is fannnn-tastic... I love this game

2009-2010 NBA Awards

Greetings everyone... This is kind of a 2-parter... First, this post with the year's regular-season awards... and then another post later today or tomorrow on the 1st round matchups (and some quick overall playoff picks).... But for now... the awards

• Coach of the Year - Scott Skiles (MIL) - This was a photo finish with Scott Brooks (my runner-up)... I didn't see a single preview having Milwaukee in the playoffs... and that was WITH Michael Redd... Skiles' bad reputation comes from teams quitting on him down the line, but he was spectacular this year... seeing them in person and numerous TV games, I really enjoyed the inbounds plays/offensive sets he runs, and this team killed themselves on defense all year for Skiles, they overachieved by 10-15 wins at least... Brooks comes in 2nd despite doing a great job simply because they have a higher talent level than Milwaukee and didn't have any major injuries
• Most Improved Player - Aaron Brooks (HOU) - The stats speak for themselves here... Brooks averaged 19.6 ppg, and over 5 dimes per for a team that contended for a playoff spot despite the Yao injury and the McGrady ordeal... He increased his averages by over 8 points and 2 dimes per and was a legit x-factor... Let me get this out of the way though... the Most improved player award makes no sense... there's no criteria... it's even worse than the MVP criteria... it's non-existent... bleh.... Runner-up: Corey Brewer of Minnesota
• 6th Man of the Year - Jamal Crawford (ATL) - In the biggest no-brainer of them all (except the MVP), Jamal was the front-runner from the minute Carl Landry was dealt, and in many people's minds, from the beginning of the year... 18 points a game (2nd on the team) in a REAL reserve role (zero starts on the year) is fairly impressive, and there really wasn't another guy who challenged him.... Runner-up (by default): Anderson Varejao of Cleveland
• Defensive Player of the Year - Dwight Howard (ORL) - This really wasn't close either... Dwight's in another league... I tend to discount people that use pure stats (steals and blocks I mean) as indicators for this award... hence, Josh Smith not being in the conversation because he's not good on-the-ball, etc.... but Dwight is a freak... he's elite on the ball in the post, he's elite from the help-side (2.78 blocks per), and teams game-plan to avoid him... he's a beast.... Runner-up (tie): Thabo Sefolosha (OKC) and Gerald Wallace (CHA)
• Rookie of the Year - Tyreke Evans (SAC) - Tyreke gets the nod because of full-year consistency... I've heard the argument for Jennings because of team success... that makes no sense at all... none, this award has nothing to do with that, and Jennings shot 37% from the field and often didn't play crunchtime.... Evans averaged 20,5, and 5 and was his team's best player from the opening tip... If the season started in January? I would've picked Stephen Curry... but because it doesn't, Tyreke is the pick... Runner-up: Stephen Curry of GS
• MVP - Lebron James (CLE) - Biggest no-brainer I can remember in an MVP race... best player alive... has improved his defense by leaps-and-bounds, averaged 30, 9 and 7 while shooting 50% FG and averaging over 1 block and steal per... oh yeah, for the best team in the league... Come on... it's not worth arguing.... Runner-up: Kevin Durant (OKC)

All-NBA Teams (if you vote forwards/guards/center)

• 1st team - Howard/Lebron/Durant/Kobe/Wade
• 2nd team - Bogut/Bosh/Duncan/Deron Williams/Nash
• 3rd team - Kaman/Dirk/Melo/Roy/Joe Johnson

All-NBA (if you pick PG,SG,SF,PF,C)

• 1st - Howard/Bosh/Lebron/Kobe/Deron Williams
• 2nd - Bogut/Duncan/Durant/Wade/Nash
• 3rd - Kaman/Dirk/Melo/Joe/Rondo

All-Defense

• Howard/Varejao/Wallace/Sefolosha/Rondo

All-Rookie

• 1st - Dejuan Blair/Taj Gibson/Evans/Curry/Jennings
• 2nd - Ibaka/Jerebko/Casspi/Thornton/Collison

4/14: Marshall to Miami, Paxson/Vinny, etc.

Straight to it...

• Brandon Marshall dealt to the Dolphins for a 2nd rounder in 2010 and a 2nd in 2011... and immediately is signed to the biggest WR deal in NFL history (reportedly)... pretty crazy to hear this morning... immediately Miami's offense is immensely more dangerous and he'll help Henne develop... for Denver? We knew they were getting rid of him and that's pretty good value especially with how deep this year's draft supposedly is....
• John Paxson and Vinny Del Negro apparently got into it a few weeks ago... fortunately, there's no way Vinny D keeps his job past this year and I have no idea how he hasn't been fired... but reportedly Paxson was the instigator... Stern can't like that...

To baseball....

• Pitching Line of the Day: Doug Fister... of Mariners' fame if you don't know... 8 IP, 3 H, 0 ER and successfully matched Brett Anderson pitch for pitch...
• Battling Line of the Day: Carlos Pena... 3-5, HR, 4 RBI...
• The Braves get back to action tonight in an early "pressure" spot (as much as it could be this early in the year) coming off that embarrassment on Monday...
• Ricky Romero had a no-hitter into the 7th last night... and only allowed 1 hit... it just happened to be a 2-run homer which kept him from line of the night... but he was stellar

Others...

• Doc Rivers may step down after this year with the Celtics... not shocking per se when you think about how old that roster is, and how good he is on TV... but this kind of came out of nowhere this morning...
• The NBA stripped Dell Curry of his ROY vote.... because his son is a leading candidate... huh? this is front-page news? Why?
• The NHL playoffs start tonight... and somebody cares... I just know they do... I don't know who these people are though.... Oh yeah, the Thrashers fired their coach and there was barely a blip on LOCAL sports TV/radio... that's a good indicator...

More later including an NBA playoff preview in the next day or 2

4/13: Portland/OKC, Baseball, etc.

Straight to it...

• Portland takes out OKC last night... Marcus Camby was enormous with 30 and 13... his highest point total since December of 2005...yes, 2005... Basically, the big repercussion of this game is that OKC is now locked into the 8th seed and will see LA in round 1... I'm excited about that series, but it's not the best "upset" matchup for OKC because of their lack of pure size up front...
• Ben Roethlisberger not charged... ho-hum... star athlete gets off the hook despite some pretty damning accusations... Should he get suspended? I say no... but I'm not in favor of the personal conduct policy anyway...

To baseball...

• Pitching Line of the Day: Justin Duchscherer.... who, you say?! The Oakland former young stud turned injury risk put up a 7.1 IP, 2 H, 0 ER performance... dominant stuff
• Battling Line of the Day: Andruw Jones.... Jeez, that Andruw Jones?.... 3-4, 2 HR, 4 RBI.... he is alive! lol
• I don't even wanna mention the Braves game but I have to.... Jurrjens doesn't scare me... he just didn't have control last night and that's his main skill... that's an issue.... however, Jo-Jo Reyes shouldn't have a Major league job... I mentioned this in my MLB preview and his debut (3.1 IP, 10 H, 9 ER) may have done the trick... come on Bobby...
• Barry Zito is 2-0... Done and done...

That's all I got for today... NBA will be cranking up as soon as I know the matchups... enjoy

4/12: Phil Wins, Santonio dealt, etc.

Hello everyone... My apologies for the weekend absence, I was traveling and unable to keep up... alas, here we are...

• Phil Mickelson won the Masters... you've heard about it ad nauseum... I've never been a big Phil fan (and that stands) but it's a great story and he's really the only guy who could've won this tournament and prevented everyone leading with "What place did Tiger finish in?".... It's still like that to an extent, but I'm glad the winner gets the story...
• Santonio Holmes traded to the Jets.... for a 5th rounder?!?!!?.... My first reaction was wow in that that's all they got for him... but then I heard Pittsburgh was possibly planning on outright releasing him so it made more sense... really a coup for the Jets who add another playmaker offensively... but there are obvious character concerns.... and why wouldn't there be? This is a guy who actually attended Ohio State.... (laughter)

To baseball...

• Pitching Line of the Weekend: Roy Halladay... CG, 7 H, 0 ER, 9 K, W... The best in the business and he goes deeper into games than anyone...did have an unearned run on his own throwing error though
• Batting Line of the Weekend: Mr. Pujols... 3-5, 2 HR, 4 RBI on Sunday... nothing else I can even say...
• The Braves hit a speed-bump in San Fran... Despite getting to Lincecum early (and a ridiculously impressive 2-run bomb by McCann into monsoon winds), Kawakami and Medlen combined to semi-implode late and there wasn't enough offense... Nothing to take hugely from this b/c Kawakami is what he is... he's not going to be effective past 6 innings (if that), and Medlen made one mistake to a great hitter in Sandoval... the offense is disconcerting a bit though... the power issue is still readily there
• Hot starts that Will continue: Detroit, Tampa, Philly
• Hot starts that are flukes: Oakland, San Fran (to a point)
• Dreadful starts that shouldn't worry you: White Sox, Angels, Dodgers
• Dreadful starts that are indicators of how bad the team is: Astros, Royals, O's

To other stuff...

• The Western Conference playoff race in the NBA is insane... All 8 teams separated by 7 games... and even then LA is struggling mightily right now... 2 through 7 have 4 games betweem total... it's crazy... so crazy that I can't do a playoff preview because I have no idea what the seedings will be...
• Toronto choking away the 8th spot would be fairly epic... even without Bosh.. that team is so much better talent-wise than their record... Blame Hedo, or Calderon... or somebody... but wow
• Kevin Durant is now a significant favorite to win the scoring title... he's 21 years old... that is all

More to come folks, keep checking in.. I very much appreciate it

4/8: Masters!, Early Draft Entries, etc.

Good morning....

• It's Masters week... I can almost smell the azaleas.... lol... But seriously, it's by far my favorite golf tournament and it ranks in the top 5 events worldwide that I'd like to attend... Tiger is the story obviously and he tees off at 1:42... I'll go on record and say that he finishes in the top-10 and mounts a run on Sunday but loses... a dark horse? How bout Stewart Cink....
• Tons of Early NBA Draft Entries.... The entire Kentucky freshman class is going (lol)... You know about Wall and Cousins... but Eric Bledsoe's stock is very high because it's a point guard dead draft... he could go top 10-12... and Daniel Orton is a name you probably don't know, but the big freshman has fans at the NBA level and he could sneak in the top 16-18 as a project big... Oh yeah.. and Evan Turner is in...

To baseball...

• Pitching Line of the Day - Matt Garza... 8 IP, 4 hits, 1 ER, 9 Ks in a win over the Orioles...
• Batting Line of the Day - Kelly Johnson.... 3-3, 2 HR, 3 RBI, 2 R... Our old "friend" from Braves country had a huge night and could possibly be a classic "change of scenery" guy...
• Big win for the Braves led by Chipper's first HR to take the lead late in the game in 4 years (I wish I was kidding)... Liked what I saw from Jurrjens and Wagner especially....
• Did anyone see Umpire Joe West's postgame rant about Yanks/Sox? He basically called them a travesty for how slow they play and how long their games are... and I, for one, loved it... Preach the truth Joe

Other stuff....

• Don Nelson is your new NBA all-time wins leader.... this has always been somewhat of a non-sensical stat... former leader Lenny Wilkens had more losses than wins for his career... and Nellie isn't much better including become a complete caricature of himself in his later years (coming to a head this year)... but hey, he's got more wins than you
• Manu Ginobili getting an extension from the Spurs... 3 years for 40 million reportedly... I'd be okay with that... it seems a little much for the last year, but that's how these "retire here!" deals work...
• I was going to rant about Mike Woodson in this space... but I actually can't find the strength... he was egregious yet again last night... between the unmitigated disaster that the offense becomes when Joe Johnson isn't on the court... to playing Mario West NBA minutes... to the inability to take advantage of matchups either through refusal or lack of creativity.... to the switching of every screen no matter who is on the court (because Joe Smith and ZaZa can CERTAINLY guard Will Bynum on a switch).... Okay I'm done... I guess that qualifies as a rant

That'll do it for now... I may be on hiatus for the weekend if the internet doesn't cooperate... I'm traveling... just a heads-up

4/7: Durant v. Deron, UConn Women, etc.

Greetings all... To the top stories...

• Utah 140, OKC 139 in OT.... what a game in Salt Lake last night... Deron Williams and Kevin Durant going toe-to-toe... Williams with 42 and 10, Durant with 45 and 7... crazy... Deron's made another mini-leap and although he's already been the clear #2 pg in the world, he's now very close to Chris Paul with the level he's playing at... Yes, Durant got hacked on the last trip...
• The UConn women survive and win... 12 points in a half? yikes... but maybe the biggest support of UConn as a legendarily good team is them holding Stanford to 20 points in the 1st half, and 7 points in the first 11 minutes of the 2nd half... kind of insane... Maya Moore is the truth as well...

To baseball...

• Pitching line of the Day: Barry Zito... 6 IP, 0 ER, 3 H, 5 K... Throwing hooks son!
• Batting line of the Day: Matt Wieters... 2-4, HR, RBI... He gets the nod to let everyone know that he could be an all-star as soon as this year the way the Catcher position is shaping up....
• Both the Yanks and Red Sox are 1-1... Open the door for the Rays!
• I don't think I can justify Conor Jackson hitting leadoff for the D-Backs.... other than to say that they obviously don't have another option...

Other stuff...

• Oh the Hawks.... a fairly encouraging 2nd half comeback, but the lack of depth from guys 9 thru 15 on this team is pretty evident... Mario West somehow managed to post a -18 last night in under 10 minutes of play... thanks for coming Mario...
• Someone get out of Jevale "Epic Vale" McGee's way... 25 points, 15 boards, 3 blocks... off the bench(!)... One of the most purely talented bigs in the league if he ever gets it together consistently
• The Spurs started Garrett Temple at the point last night in Sacramento.... Raise your hand if you've ever seen Garrett Temple play a minute of basketball or if you even know who that is....

What to watch for tonight....

• Braves/Cubs - 7:00 on Peachtree TV... Probably the best pitching matchup of the series because Dempster should be the Cubs #1 and Jurrjens is coming off a 2.60 ERA season...
• Hawks @ Pistons - 7:30 on Fox Sports South... Okay, maybe I'll be the only one watching this...
• ESPN NBA Doubleheader... Jazz/Rockets @ 8 and Spurs @ Suns at 10:30

Enjoy...

4/6: Duke back on Top, Opening Day, etc.

Greetings all.... I'm going to try to return to daily (or at least semi-daily) form here with baseball getting into a groove and the NBA turning it up a few notches pretty soon.... Let's get to it...

• Duke outlasts Butler... Pretty epic game considering the lack of intrigue leading up to it... maybe intrigue is the wrong word, but the "buzz" was down pre-game... Great ending with an almost-historic rim-out by Heyward at the gun, and really high-level play even if the action was devoid of superstars or pro prospects... Nice to see Duke back on top... at least for me, because I know everyone else hates them... The lasting thing for me was the notion that Butler was somehow a Cinderella... I can see that... but at the same time, let's back up and realize this was a top-10 ranked team ALL YEAR who got underseeded by the committee, and has legit talent on the roster... Okay, I'm done
• Quick thoughts on 2011 since everyone else is putting them out there... Duke will be utterly stacked if Singler comes back... One more year from Smith/Singler, an improvement of both Plumlees, incoming freshman stud Kyrie Irving at the point, and don't forget (as most people have), that they have Seth Curry (brother of Stephen) eligible next year after a transfer... I'd have them #1 if Singler comes back... Butler will be preseason top-10 unless Heyward bolts and don't lose much.... factor all of it in with Kentucky/Kansas/Ohio State losing all their big guns....Could legit see both teams ranked in the top 5 preseason

To baseball.... Gonna try a few "running segments"

• Pitching Line of the Day: Tim Lincecum.... 7 innings, 0 ER, 4 hits, 7 Ks... putting to bed some quiet rumblings of his "stuff" being down a little with a dominant effort
• Batting Line of the Day: Albert Pujols... 4-5, 2 HR, 3 RBI, 4 runs... ho-hum for him, but still remarkable
• It's J-Hey fever in Atlanta.... I have to comment on this.... Let's all calm down... I want him to succeed as much as anyone else (seriously, believe me), but it's one game... and he's gonna be a monster, there's little doubt in my mind, but the expectations for 2010 are being blown out of the water, and disappointment will follow if you think he's going to be Ken Griffey Jr. as a 20-year-old who hasn't played about double-A.... breathe... I'll be the voice of reason here!
• Mark Buehrle made an unbelievable fielding play yesterday... if you haven't seen it, hit up mlb.com or espn.com and find it... definitely will be a top-5 play made all year, no hyperbole there
• Dan Haren was the best pitcher in the Majors in the 1st half last year... and he's back to his ways (7 IP, 3 H, 1 ER)... he's the key to the D-Backs more than ever with Webb out...
• Garrett Jones (2 homers for the Pirates) is a legit young power hitter... This isn't a Chris Shelton (of Tigers' fame) situation where he'll fade away... he can hit and is a top-level prospect

Other stuff...

• Joe Johnson out at least 2 more games with sprained thumb... don't panic everyone....
• Tiger Woods will tee off at 1:42 on Thursday with KJ Choi and Matt Kuchar... and somehow I care about this... I'll be on the road Thursday thru Sunday however, so I'm gonna need the new Masters iPhone app to come through for me....
• What to watch for tonight: Women's Title Game (UConn vs. Stanford) as the greatest team maybe ever in any sport (wow) goes for the belt... ESPN... Joe-less Hawks @ Charlotte (7:00 sportsouth)... and the Bogut-less Bucks @ Chicago on WGN....

One sidenote for baseball fans... MLB extra innings is doing a free preview... get the action while you can if you like non-Braves baseball (Jon Lester and Wandy Rodriguez among others tonight)