After one of the busiest stretches of the sporting year, I need a moment to collect my thoughts. The last few weeks have seen everything from the start of the baseball season to the intensity of the NHL and NBA playoff chases, to say nothing of the yearly phenomenon that is March Madness. And don’t forget about the NFL offseason (Really, Brett? Really?) and pre-draft preparation. With that in mind, here’s a collection of my thoughts on a variety of sports topics.
Rock, chalk, championship. March Madness was capped with a thrilling title game, with the Kansas Jayhawks beating the Memphis Tigers 75-68 in overtime. The teams battled for the entire game, and the final two minutes of regulation – when Kansas came back from a seven-point deficit with relentless defensive pressure and fast-breaking – was the climax of a very entertaining NCAA Tournament. Mario Chalmers’ game-tying three-pointer with 2.1 seconds left was a historic basket, one that’ll show up on future NCAA highlight reels and tournament previews for years.
Going into the tournament, Kansas was clearly a title contender (they were a No. 1 seed, after all), but they weren’t the most popular pick to win the crown (ULCA and North Carolina were, and neither made the title game), but they did finish the year with the second-most victories (37) in NCAA basketball history, as well as the deepest roster in college hoops this year. Particularly poignant was the sight of former Kansas star Danny Manning cutting down the nets after the win, marking 20 years since he led the team to its last NCAA title. For a team as continually stacked with talent as Kansas, that’s surprising, and it makes this win all the sweeter for KU’s blue-clad fans.
Ice it. The NHL wrapped up its regular season last weekend, and there are a slew of compelling matchups waiting in the playoffs. In the East, the Rangers and Devils are renewing their postseason rivalry, the resurgent Capitals will try to take down the hard-nosed Philadelphia Flyers and the presumptive favorites (the Penguins and Canadiens) have their hands full with the Senators and Bruins, respectively. Out West, it’s even tighter – upsets are a real possibility in all four first-round series, even though the real contenders (the Ducks, Red Wings and Sharks) seem primed for deep runs.
This has been a season of offensive firepower for the NHL, which saw Washington winger Alexander Ovechkin set a left wing record for goals (65) and lead the league in points (112), six more than star Pittsburgh winger Evgeni Malkin. But the playoff atmosphere tends to dry up offensive production, meaning that teams often do better with a grinding defensive style, one that may not always translate well to television but usually makes for compelling hockey. Now if we could only do something about the length of the postseason …
Playoff push. And speaking of long postseasons (the NBA’s is stretched out into the fall, it seems), basketball’s regular season is nearing its end, and as usual, there’s no shortage of drama. On paper, East vs. West looks like a titanic mismatch (to compare, the No. 8-seed in the East, Atlanta, is currently 36-41, while the West’s eight-seed, Denver, is 46-31). But the best team in the league, Boston, resides in the East, as do experienced contenders Detroit and Cleveland. None of those teams will be an easy out for any of the West’s top squads.
But make no mistake – much of the excitement of this year’s postseason is going to come out of the West, with any number of compelling matchups still possible and final seedings yet to be determined. Upstart New Orleans has ridden MVP favorite Chris Paul to the top of standings, although the Spurs and Lakers are nipping at their heels, and further down the ladder, the Suns and Mavericks are still two of most dangerous teams in the league. I’m not picking a title favorite yet, but when I do, it’s almost definitely going to be a squad from out West.
NFL: No shortage of storylines. The NFL Draft is coming up in a few weeks (April 26 and 27), but recent news from the league has been dominated by the comings and goings of veterans rather than discussion about league prospects. Brett Favre’s retirement ceremony was a fitting send-off for one of the best quarterbacks ever, but the news last week that his agent was approaching teams about a comeback (which he denied) must have left a bad taste in the mouths of many Packers fans.
And I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention Chad Johnson, who is literally holding the Bengals hostage as he tries to get the team to trade him to a contender – Dallas, most likely. He’s called team executives and coach Marvin Lewis out in the media and made it clear that he’s done with the city of Cincinnati. By turning his back on the fans and team who embraced him despite some questionable on-field decisions (he’s the model of an ego-driven wide receiver), he’s shown just what kind of person – and player – he is.
As far as draft prospects go, no one is really sure how the top of this year’s draft will turn out. The Dolphins currently own the first pick, but new team president Bill Parcells has been known to favor trading top picks rather than using them, and the general consensus is that there’s no standout player at the top of this year’s draft board. The best quarterback, Boston College’s Matt Ryan, is no sure thing and probably won’t be picked first. The best running back, Arkansas’ Darren McFadden, may end up as the best player in the Class of 2008, but the Dolphins don’t need him. That leaves them to shore up their offensive and defensive lines, and I’m guessing they go with offense, choosing tackle Jake Long from Michigan University.
As for the local teams, the Jets are probably going to focus on the defensive side of the ball, while the Super Bowl champion New York Giants continue to have secondary needs. If defensive end Vernon Gholston (a terrific athlete) slips to No. 6, the Jets would be ecstatic to grab him. If he’s gone, they may take defensive tackle Sedric Ellis from USC. The Giants, with the last pick in the first round, may be eying Domique Rodgers-Cromartie, a talented cornerback from Tennessee State, or Virginia Tech corner Brandon Flowers. Either way, they need a playmaker.