It’s Cinco de Mayo! Snap out of it! Time to hit the ground running.
In the NBA, the first round of playoffs were anything but predictable, except for the Miami Heat sweeping their series with the Charlotte Bobcats. The Indiana Pacers squeaked by the Atlanta Hawks, the Brooklyn Nets just got past the Toronto Raptors, and the Washington Wizards eliminated the Chicago Bulls in five games. In the West, only the Portland Trailblazers won in less than seven games, disposing of the Houston Rockets in six contests. The San Antonio Spurs, Oklahoma City Thunder, and the Los Angeles Clippers all needed the full seven games to defeat the Dallas Mavericks, Memphis Grizzlies, and Golden State Warriors, respectively. Six of the eight first round series went to a seventh game. I expect more of the same in the conference semifinals that tip off today.
Tonight, we have game one between the Washington Wizards and the Indiana Pacers in the East, and the LA Clippers traveling to Oklahoma City to take on the Thunder. The other series have Portland visiting San Antonio and the Miami Heat hosting the Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday in the openers of their respective series.
The games tonight and tomorrow start at 7:00 pm and 9:30 pm, and will be televised nationally by TNT on your cable or satellite system.
Although there were some surprises in the first round, I really don't expect any shockers in the East. Even though Miami struggled mightily against Brooklyn in the regular season, losing all four contests against the Nets, we’re in the playoffs now. Different story. Ditto for the helter-skelter Indiana Pacers against the Wizards.
In the West, it is a little different. The LA Clippers can give the Oklahoma City Thunder a run for their money, and the Portland Trailblazers will be a formidable foe for the San Antonio Spurs. I believe the Clippers will defeat OkC, and San Antonio will just get past Portland, although it wouldn't surprise me in the least if either or both of those results are reversed.
Let’s go to MLB:
TODAY’S TRIVIA QUESTION: Nolan Arenado of the Colorado Rockies extended his hitting streak to 24 consecutive games yesterday. Who has the longest hitting streak in Colorado Rockies history? The answer comes later, alligator.
The Marlins are on a nice roll once again, having won five of their last six games, sweeping a three-game series against the Atlanta Braves and taking two out of three against the LA Dodgers over the weekend. Yesterday, it was Giancarlo Stanton leading the way, with two home runs and three RBI as the Fish beat the Dodgers 5-4 in walk-off fashion. Surprisingly, every team in the NL East is playing better than .500 baseball, and the Marlins host the NY Mets for a three-game series before they leave on a long west-coast trip, beginning Thursday in San Diego against the Padres. Here are the probable pitching match ups against the Metropolitans:
Monday Jon Niese vs Nathan Eovaldi 7:10 pm
Tuesday Bartolo Colon vs Henderson Alvarez 7:10 pm
Wednesday Zach Wheeler vs Tom Koehler 12:40 pm
The Tampa Bay Rays enjoyed their weekend in the Bronx, taking two out of three against my Yankees over the weekend. The only highlight for the Yanks was the effort by rookie Masahiro Tanaka on Saturday, as he won his fourth game of the young season without a loss. The Rays are home at the Trop as they host the Orioles for three games, starting on Tuesday. Here are the probable pitchers for the series against the O’s:
Tuesday Chris Tillman vs Chris Archer 7:10 pm
Wednesday Bud Norris vs Cesar Ramos 7:10 pm
Thursday Ubaldo Jimenez vs David Price 7:10 pm
Click below for yesterday’s recaps and results in the major leagues:
Click below for today’s complete schedule in the major leagues:
Some little things I’m keeping my eye on around the diamonds:
I really am surprised to see that all the teams in the National League East are playing better than .500 baseball. The Mets and the Phillies have been better than I expected, and the Marlins are keeping their heads above water, winning and losing almost equally. The Fish are 14-5 at home. That’s impressive. The Atlanta Braves have lost six games in a row, and they are just not clicking offensively. Their pitching has them still in first place in the division, but it is very difficult to consistently win all your 1-0, 2-1, and 3-2 games.
In the NL Central, the Brewers have a five-game cushion, with the best record in baseball, at 21-11. The Cardinals and the Reds are right around .500, and neither team is lighting it up offensively. Over in the west, the San Francisco Giants have won five in a row and nine out of their last ten to take a two-game lead over the Colorado Rockies in the division.
In the AL, the Yankees have a slim ½ game lead over the Orioles, with the Rays and Red Sox two games back. Yanks are not pitching well, especially CC Sabathia. In the Central, no surprise, as the Tigers are leading the pack and are in the middle of a five-game winning streak. In the West, it is the Oakland A’s ahead of the pack, with the Rangers two-games back.
After just a little more than a month into the regular season, the Marlins have two legitimate candidates for the Cy Young and MVP awards. Jose Fernandez has been lights out so far this season, with a 4-1 record, a 1.74 ERA, and leading the majors in strikeouts with 65. Giancarlo Stanton is still tearing it up, leading the National League with ten home runs, and his 36 RBI lead the major leagues.
How about Jose Abreu of the White Sox? The rookie leads the majors with his 12 home runs, and leads the AL with 34 RBI.
Nolan Arenado of the Rockies has a 24-game hitting streak going. The young Cuban-American has been equally impressive in the field, and should be winning gold gloves for a long time. Fun to watch him play the hot corner.
More from MLB:
What’s up from the gridiron?
Here’s the latest on the Miami Dolphins from Armando Salguero:
2014 MIAMI DOLPHINS Home schedule: Buffalo, New England, NY Jets, Kansas City, San Diego, Green Bay, Minnesota and Baltimore.
2014 MIAMI DOLPHINS Road schedule: Buffalo, New England, NY Jets, Denver, Chicago, Detroit, Oakland (in London), and Jacksonville.
The NFL Draft is on Thursday. Here is the 2014 draft order. The Houston Texans are on the clock.
Endless coverage on the draft on ESPN and the NFL Network leading up to Thursday.
What are the Dolphins going to do with the 19th pick in the first round? Most people would point to the offensive line, especially after last season. Names to watch along the OL as possibilities in the first round include:
Jake Matthews OT Texas A&M
Taylor Lewan OT Michigan
Zack Martin OT Notre Dame
Morgan Moses OT Virginia
Two names that intrigue me in the first round for the Fins that are not offensive linemen:
CJ Mosley LB Alabama
Eric Ebron TE North Carolina
Regardless of need, if by some miracle, either Mosley or Ebron are available for them at #19, that is the direction I would go. Love Mosley, but Ebron is a physical freak. A tight end of his caliber would make Ryan Tannehill that much better iimediately.
For the latest news from around the NFL, here is NFL NATION:
Of course, we can all continue to sleep at night, knowing full well that Aaron Hernandez remains in jail, where he belongs.
In college news, we are learning that University of Miami offensive tackle Seantrel Henderson failed a drug test (marijuana) at the NFL draft combine. ESPN has the details here:
Manny Navarro and Susan Miller Degnan have more from the University of Miami.
From FIU, David J. Neal of the Herald has the latest in his blog:
Here’s the latest from Tallahassee and the Seminoles:
This needs to be cleared up for last year’s Heisman trophy winner Jameis Winston . . . FSU does not mean Free Seafood University.
From Gainesville and the University of Florida:
The Central Florida Knights are in the house:
In boxing, Floyd Mayweather Jr. is still unbeaten, after a majority decision over Marcos Maldana this weekend.
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THE ANSWER TO TODAY’S TRIVIA QUESTION: Nolan Arenado of the Colorado Rockies extended his hitting streak to 24 consecutive games yesterday. Who has the longest hitting streak in Colorado Rockies history?
Michael Cuddyer had a 27-game hitting streak last season for the Rockies.
Behave yourselves, and always remember that tomorrow will bring us a brand new day.
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