4/7: The Masters, Kyrie Irving, etc.

Greetings all...

• The Masters kicks off today... It's the biggest golf tournament in the world... Tiger is in the field... the piano is playing... all of it... It's a great event... Do I think Tiger wins it? Eh... I'm on the fence... but if you're giving me one guy and one guy only to pick? Gotta be TW...
  
• NBA Check - Indiana clinches their first playoff appearance since 2006... putting up 136 points on the hapless Wizards... Chris Paul (28 points, 10 dimes) and the Hornets all but eliminated Houston last night with a 101-93 victory at home... good-bye Rockets... Miami played without Dwyane Wade and lost to Milwaukee at home to fall 1/2 game behind Boston for the 2 seed in the East... Oklahoma City wins the division title after a 112-108 victory over LAC... Blake Griffin had 35 and 11 in the loss, but KD managed 29 points, and Perk had 17 boards for OKC... Denver gets yet another road win... this time against undermanned Dallas... 5 guys in double-figures led by JR Smiff (yes, Smiff) with 23... San Antonio clinches the 1 seed with a 32-point blowout over Sacto... but the highlight of the night was a Tyreke Evans facial on Gary Neal.. cover your eyes... and LA drops one in Oakland against GS and cede control of the West...
  
• Kyrie Irving will... declare for the draft... there was a rumbling or two that he was considering staying, but the #1 guy on Chad Ford's big board is headed to the league and with good reason... he's almost assuredly a top-3 pick...
• South Carolina QB Stephen Garcia is suspended... again!... I need someone to justify Spurrier not kicking him off the team by now... 5 suspensions in 3 years?... I guess he's the Quarterback...

Baseball...

• Boston is 0-5... I'm STILL not panicking on the Sox... but 0-5 is a little alarming... Dice-K wasn't horrible, but the long relief (I'm looking at you Dennys Reyes) was abysmal and Cleveland got them again...
  
• Texas is 6-0... the opposite side of the spectrum to Boston... the Rangers are rolling right now... they beat Felix last night (well, it is the Mariners, but still), and they may never lose... 162-0, right? (Shout-out to the TMS)...
• Adam Dunn had a emergency appendectomy on Wednesday morning... and he may play this weekend?... That seems... quick...
• Pitching Line of the day - Tim Lincecum - 7 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 13 Ks - The freak was dominant in their 8-4 win over San Diego...
• Batting Line of the Day - Ryan Howard - 4 for 4, HR, 2 RBI, 2 Runs, BB - This is a rarity... he must have faced all righties (insert random Phillies joke)...

What to watch for on Thursday...

• The Masters - 3:00 ESPN - Guys are on the course all day (can watch at masters.com), but TV starts at 3:00.... Tiger tees off at 10:41... just saying...
• Celtics @ Bulls - 8:00 TNT - Best two teams in the East... that's enough
• Blazers @ Jazz - 10:30 TNT
• Braves @ Brewers - Hanson vs. Marcum - 1:40 SportSouth - Great pitching matchup here... Braves trying to get a split
  

That'll do it... I can hear the piano....