More college football predictions

Don't worry, I'll have an update on the World Champion San Francisco Giants (73-65) and their big series this weekend against the Arizona Diamondbacks (78-60) either tomorrow or Monday. But now, I'm going to break down the other Utah I-A schools. Let's start with that school down south, BYU:

-- Sat. 9/3: at Ole Miss -- Loss. I think BYU probably has more talent, but I think traveling all the way across the country to play in heat and humidity in front of a hostile SEC crowd will take its toll. I think Ole Miss pulls it out at home by 4.
-- Sat. 9/10: at Texas: -- Loss. Not an easy place to play at all and the Longhorns are typically pretty tough. Texas by 10 or 14.
-- Sat. 9/17: vs. Utah: -- Win. Not easy for me to type, but being objective, that's my pick. BYU appears to have a distinct edge at quarterback, plus will be at home and attempting to avenge last year's last-second defeat. I think the Cougars win it, but it will be close, as it usually seems to be.
-- Fri. 9/23: vs. UCF: -- Win. BYU should win this one by I'll say 14. UCF might be a little tougher than people think, but BYU should be able to handle them in Provo.
-- Fri. 9/30: vs. Utah State -- Win. The Cougars should be motivated to avenge the embarrassing loss last year in Logan and I think will win by a couple of scores.
-- Sat. 10/8: vs. San Jose State -- Win. BYU should win this one by at least 28 points, San Jose State's program has been awful for some time now.
-- Sat. 10/15: at Oregon State -- Win. I think Jake Heaps will be the difference in this one as the Cougars pull out a squeaker on the road.
-- Sat. 10/22: vs. Idaho State -- Win. Just a mere walk-over. Shouldn't be remotely close.
-- Fri. 10/28: at TCU -- Loss. Game played at Cowboys Stadium. The Horned Frogs will be playing in front of largely a home crowd and always seem to get up for BYU. Plus, TCU is pretty good. I think the Frogs win by 7.
-- Sat. 11/12: vs. Idaho -- Win. This should be a win by at least three scores, particularly at home.
-- Sat. 11/19: vs. New Mexico State -- Win. Should be a very lopsided victory as NMSU has been really bad for quite a while.
-- Sat. 12/3: at Hawaii -- Win. I think Hawaii will be up for this game and the Warriors always seem to play BYU tough on the islands, but I don't think Hawaii has enough talent to pull the upset, although it will be a close game. BYU by a field goal.

There you have it, 9-3 and a bowl game in their first season as an Independent. I'll be interested to see how it plays out.

Now I know Utah State is already underway, but to be fair I had already chalked up today as a loss for them. Here's the breakdown for the Aggies:

-- Sat. 9/3: at Auburn -- Loss. I'm surprised USU is up at halftime as I had them pegged to lose this game big, but I still don't think they pull off the upset.
-- Sat. 9/10: vs. Weber State -- Win. Should be relatively easy against an in-state I-AA school.
-- Sat. 9/24: vs. Colorado State -- Win. I'm a little iffy on this one, but I think the Aggies can pull out a close one at home.
-- Fri. 9/30: at BYU -- Loss. BYU has to be really upset about last year's stunning loss in Logan and I think the Cougars win this one by a couple of touchdowns.
-- Sat. 10/8: vs. Wyoming -- Win. The Pokes just aren't that good and I think Utah State wins by 10 or 14 at home.
-- Sat. 10/15: at Fresno State -- Loss. Fresno State is a solid program and although I think Utah State will be better this year, I don't think they will be good enough to win this one on the road.
-- Sat. 10/22: vs. Louisiana Tech -- Win. Utah State should handle a mediocre Louisana Tech squad at home.
-- Sat. 11/5: at Hawaii -- Loss. Hawaii is traditionally quite tough at home and I just don't see the Aggies flying all the way out to the islands and coming back with a win.
-- Sat. 11/12: vs. San Jose State -- Win. The Spartans have been one of the worst teams in I-A in recent years, Utah State should win this one easily.
-- Sat. 11/19: at Idaho -- Loss. I think the Vandals win this one close at home; Idaho has shown signs of improvement in recent years.
-- Sat. 11/26: vs. Nevada -- Loss. The Wolfpack just have more talent than the Aggies and will win in Logan by about 10.
-- Sat. 12/3: at New Mexico State -- Win. Same story as SJSU, New Mexico State has been terrible in recent years. Utah State wins by a couple of touchdowns.

That comes out as 6-6, 3-4 in the WAC and possibly a bowl bid in the first time in what feels like forever for USU. I think they would take that at this point.

Utes top Montana State

Utah (1-0) topped Montana State (0-1) tonight at Rice-Eccles Stadium by a score of 27-10. The Utes raced out to a 24-0 lead in the 2nd quarter before slowing up.

The running game for the Utes was pretty solid, but Jordan Wynn didn't look very impressive. Wynn needs to step it up in a hurry if the Utes are going to be anywhere near the 9-3 I picked them to finish.

I thought the defense played pretty well, despite giving up a couple of big plays. Montana State could move the ball a little here and there, but Utah was able to stop them from having too many sustained drives.

The game seemed a bit underwhelming to be honest. Give Montana State credit for playing hard and sticking around to the extent they did, but Utah needs to figure out how to keep its foot down. Hopefully the Utes will be able to look more sharp when they face tougher opponents later in the season. Sorry again for the lack of tweets during the game, the cell phone reception in the stadium wasn't working too well.

Utah Utes predictions

The Utah Utes open up their season tonight at 6 p.m. MDT against Montana State, an FCS or I-AA opponent. The game will be televised over-the-air in the Salt Lake area on KJZZ. The game really should serve as a walk-over of sorts for the Utes, who are heavily favored. The main thing I will be anxious to see tonight is how quarterback Jordan Wynn looks after having a shoulder injury last season. However, it will be tough to get a good read on this team based solely on tonight's game.

Here's a look at my predictions for the Utes this year:

-- Thurs. Sept. 1st: vs. Montana State -- Win. Just a tune-up.
-- Sat., Sept. 10th: at USC -- Loss. Tough place to play, against a good team. Not a good fit for the first road game.
-- Sat., Sept. 17th: at BYU -- Loss. Another tough road environment, against a team with a good quarterback in Jake Heaps. Plus the Cougars will be motivated to avenge last year's loss. Believe me, this pick is not what I'm rooting for.
--Sat., Oct. 1st: vs. Washington -- Win. UW is a proud program, but they haven't been that strong lately, the Utes should win at home.
--Sat., Oct. 8th: vs. Arizona State -- Win. ASU is down, Utes should handle them.
--Sat., Oct. 15th: at Pittsburgh -- Loss. It's tough to travel across the country for a college team, I think the Utes lose in a close one.
--Sat., Oct. 22nd: at California -- Win. Played at AT&T Park, home of the World Champion San Francisco Giants. Toss-up, really, but I think the Utes will be motivated and pull it out in a close one.
--Sat., Oct. 29th: vs. Oregon State -- Win. Decent opponent, but the home field will help the Utes win close.
--Sat., Nov. 5th: at Arizona -- Win. Could be dicey on the road, but I believe Utah has the better team.
--Sat., Nov. 12th: vs. UCLA -- Win. Utes should handle the Bruins pretty easily at home.
--Sat., Nov. 19th: at Washington State -- Win. This shouldn't be close, Washington State isn't very good.
--Fri., Nov. 25th: vs. Colorado -- Win. Utes by a couple of touchdowns I think.

There you have it, 9-3 overall and 8-1 in the Pac-12. Perhaps a bit optimistic, but if Wynn is healthy I believe this team can do good things, maybe even a berth in the Pac-12 title game if USC stumbles a couple of times.

I'll be on the scene, tweeting updates tonight and I'll be back on here after the game. Go Utes!

Giants fall to Astros again

The San Francisco Giants (71-63) just fell 4-3 in 11 innings to the Houston Astros (44-90), meaning they lost four out of seven to the worst team in baseball. And I mean by far the worst team in baseball. No other team even has 80 losses. The Astros have 90. In August. So, needless to say it's been a pretty sorry performance for the Giants lately. Two of the three they did win against Houston came in extra innings.

The Giants are now four back of the Arizona Diamondbacks (75-59) in the NL West. The D-Backs lost six in a row about a week ago to the Phillies (83-46) and Braves (79-54), but don't seem to lose at all to anyone else. They just completed a sweep of the San Diego Padres (60-74), meaning that Arizona has now won six in a row. The Giants will have to hope the Snakes cool off a bit or there may be no return trip to October. The big head-to-head series between the two is next weekend in San Francisco and it looks like the Giants will have to at least take two of three and probably sweep in order to feel good about things. The odds of that right now don't look so great.

Vin Scully to return for another season

I know I am a Giants fan, but I was pleased to hear that legendary Dodgers broadcaster Vin Scully will return to the booth for at least one more season. I often enjoy watching the Dodgers feed of games (even though I'm cheering for the other team) because I truly enjoy listening to Scully. He has a unique delivery and it is apparent through his broadcasting that he is a big fan of the game.

Scully is always dispensing knowledge about the game, along with unique and insightful stories. Plus his voice is a great fit for calling games. In a season where a lot of things are going wrong for the Dodgers, Scully is something they have going right.

NFL shouldn't suspend Pryor

The NFL has allowed former Ohio State quarterback Terrelle Pryor to enter the NFL via its supplemental draft, but has decreed that Pryor will be suspended for the first five games of the season. Pryor was forced to leave Ohio State before this season due to NCAA rules violations. The NCAA had suspended Pryor for the first five games of the season before his departure. Pryor had somehow been allowed to participate in last season's Sugar Bowl despite having been found being worthy of suspension by the NCAA.

However, this blog post is about the NFL. Pryor is no longer in the NCAA. And as far as I can tell, he hasn't violated any NFL rules, particularly since he declared himself eligible. So, in my view, the NFL has no business suspending him. Look, the guy messed up. Big time. But the NFL's job isn't too enforce NCAA rules. Pryor isn't eligible for the NCAA, I get it. But the NFL doesn't have to and shouldn't concern itself with cleaning up the NCAA's business. I get the NFL doesn't want to set an example that is a great escape from the NCAA.

But ask yourself this: wouldn't Pryor be better off if he was still in college? He undoubtedly would be. He would be able to showcase his skills on the national stage; plus he would be able to repair his damaged public image. As it is, NFL teams are going to be wary of drafting Pryor in the supplemental draft, and would be even if he wasn't suspended. Just being in the supplemental draft is plenty enough of a red flag for teams; it's not as if he declared for the original 2011 NFL Draft under his own free will. The punishment should be from his actions and that punishment is already significant. The NFL doesn't need to add on to something that wasn't a violation of its rules.

Tough times for the World Champion Giants

When I last posted, the World Champion San Francisco Giants were 61-44 and coming off taking 2 out of 3 from the Phillies (78-42) in Philadelphia. And the Giants had just acquired slugger Carlos Beltran, the premier piece on the trade market, from the New York Mets (59-62). The Giants led the Arizona Diamondbacks in the National League West by 4 games. Things were looking up.

Now, Beltran is on the Disabled List and the Giants have gone 5-13 since my last post. Their record is 66-57 and they trail Arizona (69-53) by 3.5 games in the West. It doesn't help that the Diamondbacks never seem to lose anymore. The Giants are struggling and need to turn it around soon. Real soon. The schedule is approaching September, and the Giants don't want to be too far out of striking distance.

Beltran is far from the only one hurting right now. Stellar set-up man Sergio Romo is also on the DL, and starting pitcher Jonathan Sanchez left tonight's game at the Braves (72-51) with an apparent injury. Nate Schierholtz and Jeff Keppinger also have suffered injuries of some sort and their prognosis for return isn't totally certain. Not to mention, Buster Posey and Freddy Sanchez are sidelined for the season. It seems the Giants have had more than their share of bad luck.

Still, all is not lost. It stands to reason that the Diamondbacks have to lose a few games and let's not forget, the Giants were even farther behind the Padres around this time last year. So, there's still hope, even if things are looking bleak right now and it kind of feels like this might not be the year. I'll keep paying attention and hoping for the best.

Charlie Manuel's sour grapes

Philadelphia Phillies (65-39) manager Charlie Manuel insists the World Champion San Francisco Giants (61-44) aren't in his team's heads after the Giants took two out of three from the Phillies in Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia this week. To me, his comments sounded like he was insecure. Additionally, he said that Giants pitchers Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain were good, but not great pitchers. Perhaps he thought both men throwing six and seven innings without giving up an earned run to his vaunted lineup was an abberation. Or maybe he's forgotten Cain's seven shutout innings against the Phils in Game 3 of the NLCS last year or Lincecum's Game 1 victory in the same series.

Manuel's statement that greatness comes with consistency (and his assertion that Lincecum and Cain have not yet achieved this) is almost laughable. Lincecum won back-to-back Cy Young Awards and the following year was the MVP of the Postseason while pitching his team to a World Series victory. If that's not consistent, I don't know what is. Cain, on the other hand, didn't surrender even one earned run the entire postseason and has a 3.39 career ERA in five full seasons, including 2.89 in 2009 and 3.14 last year. Cain's ERA is 2.91 this year, Lincecum's is 2.78. Both seem pretty consistent to me. All I'm hearing from Manuel's comments is sour grapes.

The blogging and tweeting will be limited at best until August 7th, when I return from vacation with a flourish.

Beltran looks to be headed to SF

Very sorry about the lack of blogging this month, it has been a crazy month for me (in a good way). Anyway, I thought I would just note that I'm happy to hear that the World Champion San Francisco Giants appear to be close to acquiring right fielder Carlos Beltran from the Mets in exchange for minor league pitcher Zach Wheeler. Wheeler is considered one of the Giants' top prospects. However, I think it's a good deal because Beltran gives the Giants a very realistic chance to repeat as champions -- at that's what it's all about.

Pirates in first in July

Well, it's the first place Pittsburgh Pirates (48-43). On July 15th. This is the latest the Bucs have been in first place in over a dozen years. It's truly remarkable how the Pirates are doing this, as they don't have a lot of players of note. Joel Hanrahan is having a nice season as closer, but even he wouldn't be considered a name outside of Pittsburgh. I think a lot of this success has to be attributed to new manager Clint Hurdle. It has been neat to check out a few Pirates games here and there and see larger crowds at PNC Park; there were times I wondered when I would ever see that. It's a great story and I can only hope for the sake of Pirates fans that it continues -- it has been a long time coming for the Steel City.

National League wins second straight All-Star Game

The National League defeated the American League tonight 5-1 in the Major League Baseball All-Star Game in Phoenix. It was the second straight All-Star win for the NL after a long winless streak. Prince Fielder of the Milwaukee Brewers (49-43) had the decisive blow with a 3-run home run in the 4th inning. Fielder was a deserving recipient of the game's MVP Award.

I have long felt that baseball has the best of all the All-Star Games in professional sports. The players are competitive and look like they are actually trying to win. This year was no different, with the exception of a few players like Derek Jeter who claimed to be injured and didn't show up despite playing in his team's most recent game. Stuff like that just isn't acceptable; I know I wrote my last blog about Jeter's 3000th hit and what a moment was -- I stand by that, but it doesn't make it right for him to stiff the All-Star Game.

Anyway, the All-Star Game was an impressive display of pitching by the National League. It was cool to see Brian Wilson of the World Champion San Francisco Giants (52-40) get the save and look pretty impressive in doing it. I also enjoyed Pablo Sandoval's RBI double in his first All-Star appearance.

I'm glad the National League won to give it home field advantage for the World Series, particularly for the possibility of my World Champion Giants reaching the Fall Classic for the second straight year. It's dumb that the All-Star Game decides home field advantage, but it will be a plus that I'll be happy to see the Giants have should they advance to the World Series again.

Jeter picks up 3,000th hit

Derek Jeter picked up his 3,000th career hit today on a home run to left field in the bottom of the 3rd inning at Yankee Stadium. Jeter is only the second player to ever record his iconic 3,000th hit with a home run, and the first to record all 3,000 of his hits with the New York Yankees. Jeter is now surely headed to the Hall of Fame, if he wasn't already assured of that. The Yankees (52-35) defeated the Tampa Bay Rays (49-40) 5-4 thanks to a 5-for-5 effort from Jeter, including the game-winning hit in the bottom of the 8th. I'm not a Yankees fan at all, but it was kind of cool to see Jeter have a big moment like this and have a nice day because he's always seemed like a class act and a good guy to me.

You really couldn't script it any better for Jeter. He has come under a lot of scrutiny lately for his numbers being down. However, I didn't think his numbers were always exactly eye-popping, but they were consistent. And Jeter has always had the it factor. Whatever it is, Jeter has it. He's always been clutch and a leader. And perhaps most importantly, he's just a winner. He's the kind of guy you'd want on your team. I think a lot of the criticism he's taken has been unwarranted. He may not always have been a pure numbers guy, but he has what it takes to be a great baseball player. Now he has the big number that will ensure his place in the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown.

Notes on the World Champs, MLB

The World Champion San Francisco Giants (48-39) lost tonight for the second straight day to the San Diego Padres (40-47) at AT&T Park. Tonight's game was by a 5-3 score. The Giants have now lost three straight overall, but still hold a one game lead over the Arizona Diamondbacks (47-40) in the National League West.

Miguel Tejada seems to be cranking it up for the Giants, having raised his average by roughly 40 points over where it was a couple of months ago. It may not be much to look at statistically right now, but he seems to be playing well. Hopefully Pat Burrell can get over this foot ailment that has been plaguing him the last few days; he's had successful pinch-hit at-bats off the bench in the last two games anyway.

Padres reliever Chad Qualls spiked the ball after tagging out Giants outfielder Andres Torres to end the 7th inning; Torres was attempting to score on a wild pitch. In my book, Qualls made a total bush league move and I hope the Giants can make him pay for it before too long.

It looks like the Diamondbacks may be sticking around for a while, after all. I'm still skeptical of their bullpen, but the longer they stay in the race, the more confidence they will have. They have won in Milwaukee the last two days, which is remarkably the first time the Brewers (45-42) have lost consecutive home games all season. It's an impressive achievement for the Diamondbacks, here's to hoping the Brewers end that losing streak tomorrow.

Speaking of the NL Central, how about the Pittsburgh Pirates (45-41)? They are only 1.5 games behind the division-leading St. Louis Cardinals (47-40). It looks like the Bucs may be over the .500 mark at the All-Star Break for the first time in almost as long as I can remember. Andrew McCutchen is having another strong year and if you ask me, belongs on the All-Star team. I still like the Brewers in that division, but they need to play better on the road, where they are 16-29 (they are a very impressive 29-13 at home).

Utah basketball may not play Utah State

Utah is all set to join the Pac-12 in just another day or two. There are plans for a Pac-12 Day celebration. However, I find it unfortunate that Athletic Director Chris Hill has apparently decided to put plans on hold to play Utah State regularly in basketball. The two teams have met annually for over a half-century and to me, it's a great rivalry. I know Utah has usually lost up in Logan, but it sure has been a fun atmosphere to play in. I hate to lose that. The home team has usually won and I think Utah could still use the Aggies as a great game on an annual basis. It means a lot to people here and I don't think it would really hurt the Runnin' Utes in the RPI department too much if they lost. I'll still always cheer for Utah. I just hate to see a rivalry like that diminish.

Dirk Nowitzki soaking it all in

Dirk Nowitzki sure seems to be taking well to the role of being an NBA Champion. He and the rest of the Dallas Mavericks made an appearance on David Letterman's Top Ten List which was rather funny, particularly Nowitzki at number one. Then at the championship parade, Nowitzki belted out "We Are the Champions!" by Queen very loudly. And tonight at the Texas Rangers (41-36) game against the New York Mets (37-39), Nowitzki threw out the first pitch, which had a bit too much arm behind it. Undeterred, Nowitzki flexed his muscles for the crowd in Arlington.

The man can do no wrong. He finally captured his first NBA Title and he looks like it. He looks like he is walking on air every time I see him and I really can't blame him. To me, with this playoff run and championship, Nowitzki cemented himself as one of the all-time greats. I like that he is so willing to share himself with public. It's good that he is soaking it all in. He deserves to.

The difficult issue of MLB realignment

Baseball has been considering the issue of realignment, chiefly because there are 6 teams in the National League Central and 4 teams in the American League West. All the other divisions have 5 teams. So if you go strictly by odds, a team in the AL West has a 1 in 4 shot to make the playoffs, while a team in the NL Central has a 1 in 6 shot to make the playoffs. I get that it doesn't seem fair. However, there is a lot more to it than just moving a team from the NL Central to the AL West.

First, the team that would make the most sense is the Houston Astros (28-48). If they moved to the AL West, no other teams would have to move around. Plus, it would still make some geographic sense, since they would then be in the same division as the Texas Rangers (40-36). Plus, it would clean up a lot of scheduling in interleague play, since divisions could simply be pitted against each other (although there are other issues realignment in general would bring up). Any other scenario, such as the Arizona Diamondbacks (42-34) moving to the American League, would likely require multiple teams switching divisions as a team from the NL Central would have to be shifted to the NL West to get all the divisions to 5 teams each.

However, the biggest issue with this sort of proposed realignment is that it would push both the American and National Leagues to 15 teams each. Since the start of interleague play in the late 1990s, it has been done only for a few weeks of the year. Since baseball is an everyday game, it follows that there would have to be interleague play throughout the season in this format.

There are multiple issues with this. First and foremost to me is the tradition of the game. I don't want my team, the World Champion San Francisco Giants (41-34), playing American League teams in the final week of the season while in the chase for a National League West Division title. It just doesn't seem right. Baseball has always been primarily about league play. When the games are magnified at the end of the regular season they should be at least be played within the same league, preferably within the same division (although this clearly isn't possible for every team in every game with most divisions having 5 teams).

And then there is the issue of the designated hitter. First off, I think the DH is a bad rule. It takes out a lot of strategy from baseball that I feel was meant to be in the game. Everyone in the field should have to hit (or be pinch-hit for) when his spot in the batting order comes up and everyone that hits should have to play the field (or be taken out of the game for a defensive replacement). Baseball should require an all around game, not just a one-dimensional game. Furthermore, it creates more strategic questions for managers, particularly late in close games, which benefits the integrity of the game.

Former Oakland Athletics (34-42) manager Bob Geren, who was recently fired, looked like he had never managed a National League style game before when the A's visited the Giants earlier this season, and yet this rarely would come up in a typical American League game. Like I said, this all should be part of the game, managers should be forced to make big decisions on a nightly basis. Former Chicago Cubs (30-44) and Diamondbacks first baseman and current D-Backs broadcaster Mark Grace put it well when he said the National League is where they play real baseball. I realize the DH may be hard to get rid of since there is a lot of money in that position and a lot of productive players, but it's something that should be done.

But I digress, although it was a fun digression. Not only is the tradition of playing within your league when the games take on more importance a huge deal, there is also the issue of having games being played under different rules down the stretch. What if an AL team had a division title on the line and had to clinch it in an NL park with no DH or vice versa? It just wouldn't seem right to not be playing under ordinary rules. There would likely have to be some uniformity with the rules if interleague play was to be spread out like this or it could cause some chaos. I'd just prefer it if the teams kept to their own leagues late in the season (as well as around the time of Opening Day) as I feel it would benefit the integrity of the game.

As you can see, it's not as simple as some would have you believe it would be to realign. I realize that mathematically, the current system isn't exactly fair to teams in the NL Central. But to fix it would require a major overhaul. I don't know how exactly that would be done or if it should even be attempted.

Alternate jerseys too prevalent in day games

One thing I'm tired of in baseball is teams that always wear their alternate uniforms during day games. I don't get it. I've only noticed two teams that almost always do this and they are the Cincinnati Reds (home only) and Kansas City Royals (home and away with different color jerseys). Both teams have alternate jerseys that look pretty cool if you ask me, but the whole idea of it wrong.

Day baseball is traditional, it what they played when baseball began. And when baseball began, there were no alternate jerseys. It was home whites and road grays. Now, I'm okay with wearing alternate jerseys from time-to-time, and even occasionally during day games, but I think during matinee contests teams should stick to the traditional jerseys most of the time. Alternate jerseys are more of a modern invention and so it follows that they should go more often with the also more modern invention of night games. I just don't get that classic feel from teams when they are always wearing alternate jerseys during day games.

Catching up

Apologies for the lack of blogging the last week and a half. I will be more consistent. As it has been some time since I was on here, I would like to catch up on the developments in sports during that time period.

First off, I was happy to see the Dallas Mavericks win the NBA Finals. Their zone defense seemed to be a riddle that the Heat couldn't solve with enough consistency throughout the series. Dirk Nowitzki was clutch down the stretch of the last few games and put up solid numbers the entire Finals. Jason Terry and the rest of the supporting cast really stepped it up the last three games of the series. I thought that was the key when Miami was up 2-1 and I thought it really swayed the series in Dallas' favor.

Dwyane Wade played outstanding the first three games of the series and played well the rest of the series, but not as well as he did in the 2006 NBA Finals. LeBron James had a poor series, particularly in the fourth quarters of games. He simply was not assertive enough when he had the ball. Chris Bosh played pretty well, but needed more from Wade and James. I think the Heat will be back next year and be a Finals contender again.

The Boston Bruins won the Stanley Cup Final 4 games to 3 over the Vancouver Canucks, taking Game 7 by a 4-0 score in Vancouver. Before the series, I kind of wanted the Canucks to win, but the biting incident plus the Aaron Rome hit on Nathan Horton kind of pushed me more to the Bruins. Canucks fans booing during the U.S. National Anthem prior to Game 7 didn't help either. I realize there were some cheap plays on the part of the Bruins as well, but it didn't seem nearly as flagrant to me.

Roberto Luongo didn't measure up consistently enough in the Final as goaltender for the Canucks. He was absolutely destroyed all three games in Boston, which put too much pressure on the Canucks going back to home ice in Game 7. It's typically not a recipe for success if you just fall back on the attitude that you play well at home. The Bruins were in every game and looked like they wanted it more. Luongo said he would have made the save on the lone goal scored in Game 5 which was allowed by Bruins goalie Tim Thomas. Maybe he should have been more focused on the three he allowed in the first nine minutes of Game 6 or the three he allowed at home in Game 7.

It was a fun series to watch, but I do wish that Alex Burrows had been punished for his bite. The NHL has sent conflicting messages about these types of matters and needs to make sure this type of unsportsmanlike behavior is outlawed. I did think it was funny that Bruins players were taunting the Burrows and other Canucks by sticking fingers in their faces and asking if they wanted to bite them again.

The World Champion San Francisco Giants (39-30) just took two of three in Phoenix from the Arizona Diamondbacks (38-32) this week and hold a 1.5 game lead over the Snakes in the National League West. I think the Giants have the better team and will win the division. Remember when everyone said the Colorado Rockies (33-35) were going to run away with the division? Looks like that one's not going to happen. The Giants pitching staff will keep them in the race all season long and I believe will be enough to take the division crown for the second consecutive year.

Burrows takes bite out of Bruins

At left: Vancouver's Alex Burrows bites Boston's Patrice Bergeron during Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final. Burrows was not suspended for his actions.

The Vancouver Canucks and Boston Bruins resume the Stanley Cup Final tonight at 6 p.m. MT on Versus. The Canucks lead the series 2 games to none. The series has not been a good showing for the NHL so far. During a scrum in Game 1, Canucks forward Alex Burrows bit Bruins forward Patrice Bergeron. It was clearly a bite, I could see that on television. To back that up, it was plain to see that there was blood seeping through Bergeron's glove.

Worst of all, the NHL didn't suspend Burrows, saying there was not conclusive evidence to do so. That whole notion is ridiculous, the entire world could tell it was a bite. Worse yet for the NHL, Burrows scored 2 goals in Game 2, including the game-winner just seconds into overtime. This magnifies the problem. Burrows should not have been out there, he probably should have been suspended for at least the remainder of the series.

People have often considered the NHL less civilized than other sports. Normally, I don't quite buy those arguments because I believe some clean contact is part of the game and that guys typically aren't trying to seriously injure someone else. However, biting is frowned on in every sport. It has no place in hockey, or at least it shouldn't. The NHL failing to take action opens the door for other incidents such as this to occur. It's disgraceful to hockey and the league needs to work on cleaning up its image if it wants to grow in popularity. For an incident like this to be seen on national television and go unpunished is bad news for the NHL.

In fact, in Game 2, Canucks forward Maxim Lapierre taunted Bergeron by sticking his glove in his face, likely asking him if he wanted to take a bite out of it. Also in the game, Bruins defenseman Adam McQuaid appeared to ask Burrows during a scrum "You gonna bite me?" The Canucks' image is tarnished, but it also appears that the Bruins may be letting that get into their heads. Even if the Canucks are making light of the situation, the Bruins need to focus on Game 3, which is a must-win game for them. I kind of hope that Boston can pull it out, I was sort of cheering for Vancouver, but the biting incident makes it harder to do so.

Nadal captures French Open

Rafael Nadal defeated Roger Federer in four sets yesterday to capture the French Open championship. Federer played excellent tennis and was right there in the first two sets before winning the third. If he had won either of those, he may have been able to carry that momentum to win the match. As it is, Nadal continued his domination of Federer on clay court. It was fun watching such a great rivalry be renewed, but I was sad Federer couldn't pull this one out.

I stand by what I wrote a couple of days ago, though, in saying that Federer is the greatest tennis player of all time. He has captured the career Grand Slam and has won more major tournaments than anyone in history. I understand that he has an overall losing record to Nadal, but Nadal doesn't have the career numbers that Federer does, at least not yet. Nadal's game has come a long way in recent years, jumping from primarily a clay court specialist to a more complete player on multiple surfaces. I will be open to revisiting this debate if Nadal catches Federer in number of total majors, but for now Federer is still the all-time king in my book.

Wade leads Heat to win in Game 3

Dwyane Wade scored 29 points on 12-21 shooting from the field and grabbed 11 rebounds as the Heat defeated the Mavericks 88-86 last night in Game 3 of the NBA Finals in Dallas. The Heat now lead the series 2 games to 1. LeBron James chipped in 17 points and 9 assists and Chris Bosh had 18 points, including the game-winning jumper with under a minute to go. Dirk Nowitzki of the Mavericks had 34 points to lead all scorers, but his jumper at the buzzer that would have tied it hit the back rim.

Through the first three games of the NBA Finals, Wade looks like the best player on the floor to me. Having not had the opportunity to watch the 2006 NBA Finals, this is the best basketball I have ever seen Wade play. He looks downright unstoppable most of the time out there and his jump shot is going in at an extraordinary rate. James has done a good job facilitating and I think his presence allows Wade to have a little more freedom.

Right now, Wade is playing too well for the Mavericks to give him space, they probably need to double team him and force someone else to shoot it. That's what happened on the last play when Bosh knocked down the game-winner. The defense was good in forcing the ball out of Wade's hands but needed to be a little better closing on Bosh. Even so, it's better if Bosh is open than Wade, so the only problem is there should have been a little better rotation defensively.

Nowitzki is playing stellar basketball and I honestly thought his shot was going to go in and force overtime, but I guess the percentages say they can't all go in. Nowitzki needs better play around him, particularly from Jason Terry who has faltered somewhat in the Finals after having an outstanding playoffs. It wouldn't hurt for J.J. Barea to be more productive either. The Mavericks have to accomplish these things if they want to have a realistic shot at winning the series. Game 4 is tomorrow night at 7 p.m. MT on ABC.

Time for NBC to move out of the Dark Ages

Roger Federer defeated Novak Djokovic yesterday in the semifinals of the French Open, marking the end of Djokovic's near-record 40 plus match winning streak. The problem was, much of the United States was unable to see the match live on television. NBC decided to start its coverage at 11 a.m. throughout the nation, which was great for people in the Eastern Time Zone because that's right about the time the match started. As for the rest of us? Well, enjoy it on tape delay.

Tape delay may have been okay in years past (although I still can't remember ever thinking highly of it), but in today's technology-savvy age it is a downright archaic idea. If tennis wants to generate interest, it needs to ensure that its top matches are available live throughout the entire USA. Likewise with NBC, if it wants to get the best ratings, it stands to reason that more people would want to watch live tennis. NBC has also done its tape delay business with the Olympics for many years. It makes a little more sense there, but I still think everyone would be better off if those events were shown live as well.

Federer-Djokovic was one of those big-time matches with lots of anticipation that just don't come along every day. It's a shame that the entire country wasn't able to see it live on television. I had the foresight to be able to watch the match live online on nbcsports.com, but I don't think that the casual fan would go to such lengths to plan to watch such a match, just as I think they wouldn't want to watch a match on television they already knew the result of.

Another thing I'm not too fond of is that it is often ridiculously hard to find out when on earth these matches are scheduled to start. After five or ten minutes of poking around varying websites, I found that the Federer-Djokovic and Rafael Nadal-Andy Murray matches were going to be played on the same court, accompanied by a start time. Nadal-Murray was first, but there was no timetable given for when the second match would start, nor a time between matches given. Furthermore, I'm still not sure if Nadal-Murray was on television or streaming online at all, which is ridiculous for a Grand Slam semifinal. Tennis and NBC need to fix this if they both want to be considered major players among their competitors.

It's a shame that I feel compelled to spend so much time talking about this rather than the actual tennis, but I feel that all helps illustrate my point. If NBC can't show the entire matches live, they should have them start on another network and pick up the coverage throughout the nation at 11. This is still not ideal, but in this scenario, at least the entire country would be able to have the option of watching live on television.

Anyway, Federer looked like a blast from the past on Friday, knocking out Djokovic in four sets. Federer showed once again that he is the greatest tennis player of all time. He's still playing some good tennis, even if he is a bit past his prime. Early tomorrow morning, he faces his long-time rival Nadal for the French Open title. I can tell you with a surety that this match is scheduled to start at 7 a.m. MT and will be available live nationwide on NBC. At least they are doing something sensible for the final, if not for the semis. I, for one, can tell you that I will be getting up to watch.

Big Mavericks comeback ties NBA Finals

The Dallas Mavericks defeated the Miami Heat 95-93 tonight in Game 2 of the NBA Finals from Miami. The Mavericks overcame a 15 point 4th quarter deficit to capture the win. Dirk Nowitzki was clutch again, scoring the final 9 points for Dallas. With some of the celebrating that was going on, I think the Heat thought they had the game won. Dwyane Wade was outstanding and LeBron James was very good. Wade look completely unstoppable at times to be honest. I think there definitely was a mental lapse on the part of the Heat.

However, credit has to be given to the Mavericks for refusing to quit. They looked terrible for much of the second half -- it just seemed like they were completely out of sync, turning the ball over and making poor decisions that led to a lot of easy baskets by the Heat. The Mavericks seemed to take better care of the basketball down the stretch and to calm down when they needed to. Without the turnovers, they were able to defend Miami in more half court sets, allowing their defense to be more effective.

The Mavericks will need to show better focus throughout entire games if they expect to win the series and the Heat will need to maintain the focus they showed throughout the 3rd quarter and first half of the 4th quarter if they expect to win the series. It could very well be a good, long series. It looks like Nowitzki's left hand is healthy enough and that should mean the Mavericks are able to stay competitive in the series. I think this game was a must-win for the Mavericks with the 2-3-2 format of the NBA Finals. It would have been a tall order to ask Dallas to win all three games at home, but now if they take two of the three they can go back to Miami needing just one win to capture the title. Game 3 is Sunday night in Dallas at 6 p.m. MT on ABC.

Buster Posey's injury

Buster Posey, catcher for the World Champion San Francisco Giants (27-22), was injured in an ugly collision in the 12th inning of last night's game with the Florida Marlins (29-19). Scott Cousins of the Marlins was attempting to score on a sacrifice fly ahead of the throw from Giants right fielder Nate Schierholtz. Posey couldn't handle the throw on a hop, and Cousins ran over him. Posey suffered a broken fibula as well as strained ligaments in his left ankle. It is estimated he will be out six to eight weeks, and possibly longer.

Posey, the reigning National League Rookie of the Year, would be a huge loss for the Giants on a number of different levels. He is a great hitter who is smart and hits for average and has a little pop in his bat. He is also a great catcher, doing a great job of calling pitches and knowing the tendencies of hitters. And as if that wasn't enough, he is a great clubhouse presence and a leader on the team at a young age.

Posey should be able to spend time with the team as he rehabilitates and still contribute in leadership roles, but he will be immensely missed on the field, especially as he was just starting to find his groove offensively and was in the midst of a double digit game hitting streak. Eli Whiteside will take over behind the plate in the interim. Whiteside is a solid catcher defensively and can hit occasionally, but his offensive skills are not that of Posey.

Hopefully the Giants can ride out this injury and stay in the race; I think they are capable of doing this for at least a little while. Despite the Marlins finishing off the three game sweep this afternoon at AT&T Park, the Giants still lead the National League West by 2 games over the Arizona Diamondbacks (25-24) and 2.5 games over the Colorado Rockies (24-24), who are playing right now (the Diamondbacks lead 3-1 in the top of the 6th inning in Denver).

A lot of people were proclaiming that the Rockies were going to run away with the division after they got off to such a hot start, but they have cooled off considerably since then and recently lost starting pitcher Jorge De La Rosa for the season to an injury. The Diamondbacks have been playing very well lately, but I still think they lack the pitching depth to stay in the race all year. The Posey injury hurts the Giants' chances, no question about it, but I still think it could be a close race in the West. Hopefully he isn't out for too long. The Giants travel to Milwaukee to face the Brewers (27-23), who are riding a six game winning streak, for three games this weekend.

Mavericks make big comeback, take 3-1 series lead

The Dallas Mavericks defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder 112-105 in overtime tonight in Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals in Oklahoma City. The Thunder led by 15 points with under five minutes to go in regulation, but the Mavericks, who never led in regulation, came back to force overtime. The Mavericks now lead the series 3 games to 1.

Dirk Nowitzki led the charge down the stretch, proving again that he is a big-time, clutch player. He hit some seemingly impossible shots and did so a couple of times despite the Thunder committing to me what looked like blatant fouls (which were not called). Nowitzki was big-time and is starting to cement his legendary status. Nowitzki ended up with 40 points and again had a strong shooting percentage, going 12 for 20 (60 percent).

You just don't see comebacks like the one tonight. When a team is up by 15 points with under five minutes to go, especially at home, it's game over. That's what made all this so impressive. On top of that, this was a game the Thunder absolutely had to have; they should have been the more desperate team. In fact, they looked like their spirit was crushed even before the game ended. After Jason Kidd knocked down a 3 to put Dallas up by 3 late in overtime, Kevin Durant looked like the Thunder had already lost; he looked completely despondent in the time-out huddle. This game is a back-breaker; I don't see the series going back to Oklahoma City. Game 5 is Wednesday night at 7 p.m. in Dallas and can be seen on ESPN and espn3.com.

Lincecum pitches a gem

The World Champion San Francisco Giants (26-19) defeated the Oakland Athletics (22-24) by a score of 3-0 on Saturday afternoon at AT&T Park in San Francisco. Tim Lincecum pitched his fifth career complete-game shutout. Lincecum showed again why he is among the best in the game and why he has won two Cy Young awards. The Giants lead the Colorado Rockies (23-21) by 2.5 games in the National League West.

The Giants are looking good and are playing like the first-place team I expected them to be before the season started. The Rockies have a good team and particularly a couple of really good hitters, but I think the Giants are the better team overall based on their pitching staff from top to bottom. I expect it to be a relatively close race all summer, but I think the Giants will take the division. The Giants wrap up the bay-bridge series at 2:05 p.m. MT on MLB Extra Innings and mlb.tv.

The amazing Dirk Nowitzki

At left: Dirk Nowitzki of the Mavericks (left) goes up for a shot against the Thunder's Kendrick Perkins in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals. Nowitzki had 48 points.

If you missed Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals last night, well, you missed quite a show. The Dallas Mavericks defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder, 121-112. Dirk Nowitzki of the Mavericks dropped an incredible 48 points on the Thunder. The most amazing part of the whole thing is that he did it on 12-15 shooting from the field, an incredible 80 percent. And these were not only dunks and layups, but also a number of jumpshots, including those of the turnaround, fade-away variety. From the free-throw line, Nowitzki was 24-24, setting an NBA Playoffs record for number of free-throw attempts in a game without a miss.

Usually when a guy approaches 50 points, he takes a lot more than 15 shots from the field, which makes Nowitzki's performance truly one for the ages. I hope people recognize how dialed in he really was last night. Jason Terry continued his torrid postseason with 24 points on 50 percent shooting, including four 3-pointers, the last of which in the final minute put the game out of reach for good. Terry is a clutch player who has a knack for knocking down the big shot and has been referred to by Nowitzki as the team's "closer." Credit Terry for being big, but also Nowitzki for facilitating his teammates. J.J. Barea continued his strong play as well, chipping in 21 points of his own. Jason Kidd had 11 assists.

Kevin Durant led the Thunder with 40 points and had it not been for Nowitzki, he would have been the story of the game. Durant had an outstanding game, shooting 10-18 from the field and 18-19 from the foul line. Russell Westbrook, on the other hand, had a tough night, scoring 20 points, but doing so on just 3-15 shooting from the field. He had only 3 assists as the point guard. The Thunder are going to need improved play from Westbrook if they are going to win this series. The Mavericks guardline was significantly better than the Thunder's in Game 1.

Game 2 of this series is in Dallas tomorrow night at 7 p.m. MT and can be seen on ESPN and espn3.com. Meanwhile, Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals is tonight in Chicago at 6:30 p.m. MT and can be seen on TNT. The Bulls lead the Heat in that series, 1-0.

National FOX MLB broadcasts; World Champion Giants win in rain

The World Champion San Francisco Giants (22-17) defeated the Chicago Cubs (17-21) Saturday night at Wrigley Field by a score of 3-0 in a rain-shortened game that only got a few pitches into the top of the 7th inning.

Friday and Saturday night games are not allowed at Wrigley Field unless they are requested to be on national TV, as this one was by FOX Sports (allowing for it to be what is being reported as the first Saturday night game at Wrigley Field in 9 years). National TV being relative of course, since I, along with most of the country was force-fed the Red Sox (19-20)-Yankees (20-17) game. And since FOX has exclusive broadcast rights on Saturday, I was forbidden to watch the game live because of where I live. It didn't matter that I subscribe to MLB Extra Innings and mlb.tv. It seems really ridiculous to me, FOX and MLB should work out a way to let the games be seen out-of-market via subscription services. Anyway, enough of that for now.

In an ironic statistic, Ryan Vogelsong (3-0, 2.36 ERA) picked up his first career complete game shutout in the victory, even though he only pitched six innings. Vogelsong has been very, very solid for the Giants since coming up from Triple-A Fresno and has really been a good story to this point. I'm just glad the Giants got out of this game with a win as the conditions looked absolutely miserable for players and fans alike and clearly affected the fielding in particular on a number of plays. The Giants and Cubs close out this three game weekend series Sunday at 12:20 p.m. MT. The game will be televised nationally on WGN and can also be seen via MLB Extra Innings and mlb.tv.

Thunder, Grizz headed for Game 7

The (4) Oklahoma City Thunder and (8) Memphis Grizzlies are headed for a winner-take-all Game 7 tomorrow afternoon in the second round of the NBA Playoffs. The game is scheduled to tip off at 1:30 p.m. MT in Oklahoma City and will be televised nationally on ABC. This has been the most exciting series of the playoffs thus far, particularly the triple-overtime thriller in Game 4.

As I stated a few days ago, the first couple rounds of the NBA and NHL Playoffs are too drawn out for me, but when there is a Game 7 with everything on the line, it sure does make for an exciting game. We saw that on Thursday night in the NHL when the Sharks topped the Red Wings to advance to the Western Conference Finals. I believe we will see more of the same tomorrow in the NBA.

Kevin Durant had a poor Game 6, but I think he will bounce back at home in Game 7 and lift the Thunder to victory. That is, if his team remembers to get him the ball in key situations. That has been a problem at times in this series for the Thunder and I think it could hurt them in a decisive Game 7. When you have a superstar like Durant, get him the ball in the key spots and let him decide what to do with it from there. If they do that, I think the Thunder win.

The key for the Grizzlies will be Zach Randolph. Who would have thought he would have been the best low post presence in the playoffs so far? Certainly not me. However, that's exactly what he has been and he came up huge for Memphis last night in Game 6. The Thunder need to double-team him more and force the other guys on the floor to make plays because Randolph really has been playing that well. How Randolph performs will be a key for both teams. However, I think the Thunder having Durant and the home-court advantage will be enough to earn them a date with the (3) Dallas Mavericks in the Western Conference Finals. Check me out on Twitter for updates throughout the game tomorrow and I'll have some post-game analysis on here as well.

Sharks-Red Wings Game 7 tonight

Tonight in the second round of the NHL Playoffs, it's Game 7 between the (2) San Jose Sharks and the (3) Detroit Red Wings at 7 p.m. MT. The game will be televised on Versus. The Sharks captured the first three games of the series, but the Red Wings have come back to force a decisive Game 7. I'm not too big on the early rounds of the NHL or the NBA Playoffs because I think they are way too drawn out and that too many teams qualify. However, when you get a Game 7, it does peak my interest, particularly when it's between two good teams in a winner-take-all scenario. The winner moves on to the Western Conference Finals to face the (1) Vancouver Canucks.

It is clear that the Red Wings have all the momentum in the series right now and from all accounts I've heard, they played with a lot more heart and energy than the Sharks did in Game 6 in Detroit. However, the Sharks can look to the Canucks in the first round to know that it is possible to pull out a Game 7 at home. The Canucks had similarly blown a 3-0 series lead to the (8) Chicago Blackhawks. The Red Wings have been one of the premier teams in the NHL for some time now and I think they will come out hard. I think the Sharks will play better than they did in Game 6, but I think the Red Wings have momentum on their side and will pull it out tonight. Should be a fun one.

LeBron James comes up big and silences critics

What a night it was last night for LeBron James. His (2) Miami Heat closed out the (3) Boston Celtics in the second round of the NBA Playoffs, 4 games to 1, winning Game 5, 97-87. James had 33 points, but more importantly than that, hit two huge three-pointers down the stretch to cement the win.

James has taken a lot of criticism this year, particularly for how he handled his decision to leave Cleveland last summer. He was also critiqued for not coming through in the clutch, although I don't think that was an entirely fair rap on him.

I think the doubters can be silenced for now, though, as James hit all the big shots down the stretch in a key playoff game for the Heat. He was the guy they needed him to be. I also thought it was classy that he apologized to Cleveland for how everything went down last summer. James really is a great player and we'll see if he is able to obtain that elusive first championship this year.

I was hoping the Celtics would take this series, but the Heat simply look like a better team right now, particularly looking more poised down the stretch of Games 4 and 5 of the series. The Heat now await the winner of the (1) Bulls and (5) Hawks series, which the Bulls lead 3 games to 2. Game 6 of that series is tonight in Atlanta at 6 p.m. MT and can be seen on ESPN.

MLB and DUIs

There have been six Major League Baseball players this year that have been arrested for DUIs. The latest two have been pitcher Derek Lowe of the Atlanta Braves (20-16) and right fielder Shin-Soo Choo of the Cleveland Indians (22-11). Both were not held for lengthy periods of time. Lowe was allowed by the Braves to make his next start without missing any time. Choo was in the starting line-up for the Indians in their next game.

Both teams said they do not condone these type of actions, but said something like they were waiting for legal decisions before they take any further action. However, it seems to me that getting arrested is enough of a sign that someone is in the wrong. I find it disgraceful that neither of these players missed any time for their foolish and dangerous decisions. The message that is being sent is that winning is more important than public safety and that is just sad.

Sandoval out with fractured hamate bone

The World Champion San Francisco Giants (13-13) beat the Washington Nationals (12-14) today at Nationals Park 2-1, but that was not the story of the day. Third baseman Pablo Sandoval (.313 avg., 5 hr, 14 rbi) will be out 4 to 6 weeks with a fractured hamate bone in his right hand. This is really a tough break because Sandoval was off to a great start after working hard in the offseason to get into better shape.

The Giants have been rather putrid on offense lately and this only makes matters more difficult. It's actually pretty remarkable that the Giants are at .500 right now as well as 3-2 on this current road trip with how poorly they have been playing on offense at times. That is once again a testament to the pitching staff. I don't think everyone will stay cold forever, though. Andres Torres will hopefully be off the disabled list before long and Mark DeRosa shouldn't be out too long either. I think the team will be in the race throughout the summer.

Jonathan Sanchez was all over the place today, but only gave up one unearned run in five innings of work. Sanchez surrendered six walks, including four in the first inning, and hit two batters. He only gave up two hits, once again proving that his stuff is electric but that control is the central issue. Hopefully he works on that and is able to more consistently locate pitches.

Brian Wilson sure made things interesting in the bottom of the 9th, walking two and hitting another batter to load the bases. Wilson struck out Adam LaRoche on a 3-2 pitch to end the game. Just another day at the office, I suppose.

Darren Ford uses his wheels to give Giants a win

Darren Ford had a good night tonight. Since I'm tired, here's a link to read about his trip around the bases that may just become legendary.

Canucks beat Blackhawks in thrilling fashion

The (1) Vancouver Canucks defeated the (8) Chicago Blackhawks 2-1 in overtime tonight in Game 7 of their first round playoff series. Alex Burrows scored the game-winner less than six minutes into the sudden death overtime period. This series was particularly exciting because the Canucks jumped out to a 3 games to none lead before the Blackhawks won Games 4 and 5 by five goals apiece and Game 6 in Chicago in an overtime thriller.

The Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup last year and had defeated the Canucks in the playoffs the last two years. It would have been easy for the Canucks to think it was deja vu when the Blackhawks forced Game 7. However, they played hard and showed a lot of grit in getting the win.

The Blackhawks were not without grit themselves as they didn't seem interested in the series at all during the first three games before ratcheting things up and nearly coming up with an incredible series comeback. The Canucks led virtually the entire game tonight as Burrows scored not even three minutes into the game. The Blackhawks netted a pressure-packed goal from captain Jonathan Toews with under two minutes left in regulation to tie it and force overtime. Making it even more remarkable was that the goal was scored shorthanded. Toews' goal was one of the more spectacular hockey plays I've seen in a while, particularly considering the pressure of the circumstances as well as his team being down a man at the time.

This game and this series had everything if you ask me. Seeing how excited the Blackhawks were to tie the game showed how much it meant to them. And then seeing the elation from the Canucks and the entire arena in Vancouver when Burrows' second goal went in was something special. The Canucks had a great regular season but needed to get the Blackhawks monkey off their backs. The Hawks showed a lot of heart in attempting to defend their title. One of the Sedin brothers on the Canucks was asked after the game if it meant more that the win came against the Blackhawks and he admitted it did and that it was big for the team. I was happy to see a player acknowledge that there was a rivalry that had been brewing and that beating a particular team meant a lot to his team. I also enjoyed seeing that a bunch of the Blackhawks players were immediately consoling goalie Corey Crawford after the game-winning goal was scored (although Crawford shouldn't be expected to shoulder a lot of blame for that goal). Those guys showed a lot of character there. Just good stuff all around in Vancouver, really enjoyed watching it go down tonight.

The Canucks take on the (5) Nashville Predators in the second round. Elsewhere in the west the (2) San Jose Sharks will take on the (3) Detroit Red Wings in second round action. In the east, the (2) Philadelphia Flyers (defending Eastern Conference Champions) defeated the (7) Buffalo Sabres tonight 5-2 in Game 7 of their series. The (1) Washington Capitals have already dispatched the (8) New York Rangers 4 games to 1. The (3) Boston Bruins and (6) Montreal Canadiens go to Game 7 tomorrow night at 5 p.m. MT on Versus as do the (4) Pittsburgh Penguins and (5) Tampa Bay Lightning at 6 p.m. MT. I imagine Versus will have some bonus coverage of the Pens and Lightning as well. However, I'd be surprised if either of those Game 7s tops the excitement that was there with the Canucks and Blackhawks tonight.

Thoughts on Ryan Braun's new deal

I am pleased to hear that Buster Posey and Tim Lincecum agree with me in that baseball shouldn't expand the playoffs. Good stuff there, worth a read. Expansion just serves to water down the regular season and a play-in round makes the early scheduling of the playoffs weird and if you ask me isn't exactly the true nature of the game because the division winners would be sitting for a long time in between games.

Anyway, I wanted to comment on leftfielder Ryan Braun of the Milwaukee Brewers (11-10) signing a five-year contract extension to keep him in Milwaukee through the 2020 season. Braun really is a superstar right now and it is very good for baseball that he will be staying in a smaller market like Milwaukee long-term. I was happy that Joe Mauer signed a long deal with the Twins last year, and I'm glad to see that team loyalty isn't dead. It's just not good when teams like the Yankees and Red Sox soak up all the best players as soon as they're eligible for free agency (or close to it via trade). Braun has always seemed to me like he has a good head on his shoulders and this is just further evidence of that.

Of course, on the other end of the spectrum is Braun's teammate, first baseman Prince Fielder who is in the last year of his contract and unlikely to re-sign with Milwaukee. Fielder is a great player, but he seems to be the type to try and exploit the free agent market and attempt to get a huge contract. Fielder's agent is Scott Boras, who is notorious for getting every last penny he can from the highest bidder for his clients. Boras is not good for baseball, just more of a money guy. Not that I think guys shouldn't get paid, but I think loyalty should play at least some role. Braun is still making more money than he can probably ever spend, but he is also showing loyalty and that he is content and happy in Milwaukee. I like that.

Baseball shouldn't expand playoffs

Major League Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig stated this week that it is likely that the playoffs will expand from 8 to 10 teams starting next season. The new format would add an additional Wild Card team to each league. The two Wild Cards in each league would then duke it out for the right to advance on to play one of the division winners in the Division Series. It is unknown how long these play-in series would be.

I am fully against any expansion of the baseball playoffs. I think that expanded playoffs tend to water down the regular season. Just look at the NBA where roughly half the teams qualify, many without any realistic chance of winning the title. Even so, a team should not be able to have mediocre regular season and still have a chance to win it all.

Now, detractors could point to the fact that the St. Louis Cardinals were 83-78 in 2006 and won the World Series. However, they still had to win their division to get in and only eight teams were allowed into the playoffs. The unbalanced schedule with roughly 18 games being played against each divisional opponent is one of the strengths of Major League Baseball. Winning a division title means something in baseball -- particularly as you have to play a great deal of games against teams in your division. It is also hard to accomplish as they are typically more than four good teams in both the AL and NL. Having it be hard to accomplish is also one of the strengths of baseball. I like that good teams are left out, it means that the regular season is relevant.

Last year when the Giants won the World Series, they didn't clinch their division or a playoff spot until the final day of the 162 game regular season. The San Diego Padres had a good season and were a good team, a real rivalry developed throughout the season. To me, that is part of what baseball is all about. You could tell it mattered when the Giants went nuts after the game and celebrated with champagne and loud music in the clubhouse. When is the last time you saw an NBA team do that after clinching a division? That's what I thought. If you're half-decent in the NBA, you're pretty much guaranteed to make the playoffs before the season starts.

Now, do I think this new 10 team proposed playoff format will completely compromise the regular season? Certainly not. But it will devalue it some. And a play-in round would force the division winners to sit it out for a few days before their series started, which I think would hurt the integrity of the game. Baseball is meant to be played every day. That's part of the beauty of it. Managers should have to adjust to pitchers and players fatiguing and getting banged up and then having to play the next day. Even if this change happens, baseball will still have the best regular season out there and qualifying for the playoffs will still be a big deal. It would just be better if it was a more exclusive club.

World Champion Giants take 2 of 3 in Denver

The World Champion San Francisco Giants (10-8) took 2 of 3 from the Colorado Rockies (13-5) at Coors Field in Denver this week. I was impressed with the way the Giants won the first two games. I still feel good about the series overall, even though they got hammered today -- can't win them all. Matt Cain had an off day today it seemed, but Tim Lincecum and Jonathan Sanchez were lights out in their starts. Pablo Sandoval seems to be reverting to his 2009 form, which is a good omen of things to come. I'm excited about this team and still think the Giants should be considered favorites to win the National League West this year.

Musings on the World Champion Giants' recent play

Hasn't been a good month for me on the blogging circuit. Apologies to those of you who check it on a regular basis. I will be better about this in the future. Anyway, the World Champion San Francisco Giants (8-7) lost in 12 innings today to the Arizona Diamondbacks (6-8). It was a tough loss to swallow as the Giants really should have won the game. I'm pleased they won 2 of 3 in the series, but it feels like they let the finale slip away.

Next up is a big series with the Colorado Rockies (12-3). Big for April, anyway. Still, it could kind of serve as a measuring stick for the Giants. The Rockies have been red hot to start the year and look like a very dangerous team, particularly on offense. Troy Tulowitzki has particularly had a strong start and could very well have an MVP caliber season. Fortunately for the Giants, they have the front end of their rotation lined up for the series with Lincecum, Sanchez and Cain schedule to pitch. Game times are 6:40, 6:40 and 1:10 p.m. MT Monday through Wednesday and can be seen on Root Sports in the rocky mountain region. Outside of my region, it's MLB Extra Innings or mlb.tv.

I think the Giants have been playing much better since that first road trip of the year, as is evidenced by having a four game winning streak that was snapped today. I think they will be fine, but I sure hope the Rockies cool down a little bit before too long. I'm excited to see how the Giants handle this road series and I'll be tweeting updates throughout it.

World Champion Giants update

At left: A look at what the rings look like that were received by the World Champion San Francisco Giants on Saturday night.

The World Champion San Francisco Giants (5-6) have opened up their home schedule by winning 3 of the first 5 games. I was glad they were able to win Friday and Saturday in dramatic fashion against the Cardinals (4-7). It would have been a shame to lose on Opening Day at home after the Giants raised the World Championship banner, it likewise would have been a shame to drop the second game when the players got their rings, which by the way look awesome. Tough loss Monday against the Dodgers (6-5), but I was impressed with their resiliency in overcoming a 3-0 deficit last night to win 5-4.

Aaron Rowand has had a very good start to the year and got a triple in the late innings last night and then scored on a wild pitch to provide for the final margin. If Rowand keeps this up, he could be working himself into the mix for more playing time even when Cody Ross and Andres Torres are fully healthy. Those two are expected back in the near future, which is certainly good news.

Brian Wilson got his first save of the year last night in a lock-down 1-2-3 9th inning. Wilson had been struggling with an injury and it was good to see him look like he was at the top of his game last night. I think he's going to have another good year. I think the Giants will be fine also, hopefully they get back to .500 tonight against the Dodgers (8:15 p.m. MT, MLB Extra Innings and mlb.tv).

World Champion Giants to raise banner

The World Champion San Francisco Giants (2-4) will host the St. Louis Cardinals (2-4) Friday afternoon at 2:35 p.m. MT on MLB Extra Innings and mlb.tv. It will be the home opener for the World Champions and the first time they have played a meaningful game at AT&T Park since the 2010 World Series last fall. I'm told there will be a number of awesome festivities before the game even starts, including the raising of the Giants' World Championship banner, which will be an awesome thing to see.

The game is almost secondary to me at this point, but I do think it would be a real shame if they were to lose their home opener. Jonathan Sanchez (0-1) will start for the World Champions and Jake Westbrook (0-1) will go for the Cardinals. It seems to me that the Giants got hosed by the scheduling process. I don't think they should have had to start out on the road against two division rivals that each were having their home openers. Oh well, I guess. Even Commissioner Bud Selig can't ruin what should be a great Friday in San Francisco. The Giants have started a little slow, but there is a lot of baseball left to be played and I think they will be just fine and be right there when the season winds down. And I think they definitely will benefit from playing at home. Go Giants!

UConn wins National Championship

Connecticut defeated Butler last night to win the National Championship for men's college basketball. It was a pretty ugly game. Here's an article with some thoughts on the whole UConn thing including thoughts on head coach Jim Calhoun.

MLB predictions

It's that time of the year. Thursday is Opening Day for Major League Baseball, one of the best days of the entire year if you ask me. There's something about baseball that just makes it seem like it's going to be a good summer. Check out ESPN for three games tomorrow and of course MLB Extra Innings and mlb.tv all season long. The World Champion San Francisco Giants open up at the hated Los Angeles Dodgers at 6 p.m. MT on ESPN, should be exciting. Okay, so now it's time to give you my picks for the upcoming season, starting with the American League:

AL East:
1. Boston Red Sox
2. New York Yankees
3. Tampa Bay Rays
4. Toronto Blue Jays
5. Baltimore Orioles

AL Central:
1. Minnesota Twins
2. Chicago White Sox
3. Detroit Tigers
4. Kansas City Royals
5. Cleveland Indians

AL West:
1. Oakland Athletics
2. Texas Rangers
3. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
4. Seattle Mariners

AL Wild Card:
1. New York Yankees
2. Texas Rangers
3. Tampa Bay Rays
4. Chicago White Sox
5. Detroit Tigers

And now for the National League:

NL East:
1. Philadelphia Phillies
2. Atlanta Braves
3. Florida Marlins
4. New York Mets
5. Washington Nationals

NL Central:
1. Milwaukee Brewers
2. Cincinnati Reds
3. St. Louis Cardinals
4. Chicago Cubs
5. Houston Astros
6. Pittsburgh Pirates

NL West:
1. San Francisco Giants
2. Colorado Rockies
3. San Diego Padres
4. Los Angeles Dodgers
5. Arizona Diamondbacks

NL Wild Card:
1. Colorado Rockies
2. Cincinnati Reds
3. Atlanta Braves
4. St. Louis Cardinals
5. Florida Marlins

In the AL seeding, I predict 1. Red Sox 2. Twins 3. Athletics 4. Yankees and in the NL 1. Phillies 2. Giants 3. Brewers 4. Rockies

And now for the round-by-round playoff predictions (NL winning the All-Star Game to give them home field advantage for World Series):

Division Series:
Red Sox over Athletics
Yankees over Twins
Philies over Rockies
Giants over Brewers

League Championship Series:
Red Sox over Yankees
Giants over Phillies

World Series:
Giants over Red Sox

There you have it, I'm picking my World Champion San Francisco Giants to repeat. How could I not? They do have pretty much the whole team back and the chemistry with this group is unlike just about anything I've ever seen in professional baseball, and there is something to be said about that.

The Phillies are going to miss Chase Utley I think, but they do have that pitching staff. But the Giants have the pitching, too, plus they have all the intangibles. The Red Sox I think are the team to beat in the American League. Carl Crawford is a big addition for them. I think the Athletics are going to make a run in the West this year with their young, talented pitching staff. In another pick that might surprise, I've picked the Brewers to win the NL Central. They've acquired some pitching to go along with that offense, notably Zack Greinke from the Kansas City Royals. Alright, that's all for now. It's time for baseball. All hail the World Champion San Francisco Giants!

Final Four on Saturday

The Final Four gets under way on Saturday at 4 p.m. MT on CBS with (8) Butler vs. (11) VCU in one of the more improbable match-ups ever. It's the one I'm the most excited to see of the two. VCU is playing lights out and I don't know that I see them losing. It should be a good one, though. In the other match-up, it's (3) Connecticut vs. (4) Kentucky. I'll take Kentucky in that one as they have the deeper roster. And then I'll take VCU over Kentucky in the title game on Monday as the Rams have all the momentum in the world right now. I'm excited to check it all out.

Unprofessional media; Sweet 16 gets under way tonight

Some really ridiculous questions were asked at Wednesday's press conference in New Orleans, regarding BYU's honor code, etc. Gary Parrish has some nice thoughts on it. It really is rather ridiculous that the journalists asking these questions are considered professionals. Again, even though I'm not a BYU fan, it makes me very happy to be LDS when I know the school that my church sponsors is willing to stick by its values. And major props to Florida star Chandler Parsons for not taking the bait from the media when asked about the situation.

The Sweet Sixteen gets under way tonight on CBS and TBS. In Anaheim we have (2) San Diego State vs. (3) Connecticut in the early game and (1) Duke vs. (5) Arizona in the night cap. In New Orleans it's (2) Florida vs. (3) BYU in the early game and (4) Wisconsin vs. (8) Butler in the night cap. I anticipate all being good games and I'm excited to see how they turn out. The two early games in particular I anticipate being very close and very exciting all the way down to the closing minutes. In the Florida-BYU game I really don't have a good feel on who will win, so I'll just have to watch and find out.

Opening weekend of Madness

What a weekend of madness it was. I enjoyed it and I guess I enjoyed it so much that I didn't have much time for blogging. Here are some quick hits from the weekend that was in college hoops:

- BYU looked very impressive Saturday and will be tough to beat if they keep shooting like that.
- Butler is at it again, pulling another improbable upset and looking like they could do some more damage. The finish to that game has to be one of the most bizarre I have ever seen; I feel really bad for Pittsburgh, but I'm still happy Butler won.
- Kansas State senior Jacob Pullen was unconscious in the Wildcats' loss to Wisconsin on Saturday, pouring in 38 points and shooting an outstanding percentage. It truly was difficult to see him get very emotional as the game wound down and again during the post-game press conference. I'm a big fan of Pullen's and love watching him play. Him showing so much emotion just says to me that he has a big heart and really does care. I liked that he said he didn't care that he got the K-State scoring record but just wishes they had won. He has nothing to hang his head about and had a great career.
- Ohio State looked very impressive in their blow out of George Mason yesterday. The Buckeyes look to me like the most complete team in the country and if they play like that, I don't think anybody will be able to beat them.
-VCU has looked dominant in their three wins so far and is going to be a tough out. I couldn't believe how easily they handled Purdue yesterday and how many points they were able to put up.
- San Diego State has its first two Tournament wins under its belt and is on to its first Sweet Sixteen. They topped Temple in double overtime on Saturday; I thought the Owls did a really good job of controlling the pace of the game and nearly pulled the upset. The Aztecs should be be playing in front of supportive crowds as their next two games would potentially be in Anaheim.
- Arizona's Derrick Williams is having a huge Tournament so far, getting a game-saving block in the first round against Memphis and following that with a three-point play in the closing seconds against Texas to give the Wildcats a one-point win. Williams is displaying on a national stage that he is one of the best players in the country -- an athletic big man with great low-post moves who is also a tremendous shot-blocker on the defensive end.

NCAA Tournament under way, thoughts on Utah coaching

The NCAA Tournament gets under way in full force starting tomorrow morning at around 10 a.m. MT. It will be televised on CBS, TBS, TNT and TruTV and is available to watch online at ncaa.com. I've filled out my bracket and starting at 10 a.m. MT tomorrow you can check it out. Let's just call it the winning bracket. You're welcome. My Final Four is Ohio State, Texas, Kansas and Pittsburgh, with Ohio State topping Kansas in the title game.

There is no other time of year quite like the NCAA Tournament, and the best part if you ask me is the first two full days with upsets, exciting finishes and the like. I like how everyone has a chance to win and to prove it on the floor which is not always the case with college football. It's a great time of year. I'll be tweeting updates throughout the day tomorrow and throughout the Tournament as well. I will attempt to do better with the blogging than I have the last week, especially since it is Spring Break for me at the University of Utah this coming week.

Speaking of the U., basketball coach Jim Boylen was dismissed last Saturday. It wasn't too big of a surprise. I feel bad for the guy, he was classy, passionate and poured his heart into the job. I would have liked to see what he would do with another year at the helm. However, I am anxious to see who Utah will hire as their next basketball coach. I was hoping for Billy Gillespie, but reports have surfaced that he has interviewed at Texas Tech. I think Utah is a better job than Tech, but it looks quite possible that Gillespie will take the job as head coach of the Red Raiders this week. I'm a big fan of Colorado State's Tim Miles who built the Rams into an MWC contender from nothing. However, I think it wouldn't hurt to try and go after some bigger names first.

espn.com's Andy Katz had this to say about the Utah job: "Utah is still a very good basketball job. Rick Majerus wasn't the first to prove this point and he won't be the last. The fan base is extremely passionate about the team, and as the football program has proved, it can compete at a high level for a sustained period." It made me happy to read that and see that someone from the national media recognizes what we are all about at Utah, in particular with our basketball program. It's been a rough week and a rough season, especially with the success of our biggest rival, so it was just something nice to read.

Too tired

I'm too tired to give a full breakdown of the day's action in the MWC Tournament. Far and away the best game was New Mexico-CSU. The whole thing just reminded me why I love college basketball and why I love the month of March. Both teams played well and played their hearts out with their NCAA Tournament hopes on the line. The Lobos pulled it out and will face BYU Friday night at 7 p.m. MT on CBS College Sports. BYU edged TCU in the day's first game. UNLV topped Air Force and my Runnin' Utes lost to San Diego State. The Aztecs and Rebels play at 9:30 p.m. MT on CBS College Sports.

I'm disappointed Utah lost, but, hey, SDSU is a great team. I'm not one calling for coach Jim Boylen's head; I wouldn't think it was the end of the world if he was brought back for another year. I'm anxious to see how this group of players develops with a full year of playing together now behind them. Anyway, that's all for now.

MWC Quarters tomorrow

(9) TCU (11-21, 2-15 MWC) topped (8) Wyoming (11-21, 3-14 MWC) in the play-in game today, so the quarterfinals for the Mountain West Tournament are now all set. It will be (1) BYU vs. (9) TCU at 1 p.m. MT, (4) Colorado State vs. (5) New Mexico at 3:30 p.m. MT, (2) San Diego State vs. (7) Utah at 7 p.m. MT and (3) UNLV vs. (6) Air Force at 9:30 p.m. MT. All the games will be televised on The Mtn, with the second and fourth games being simulcast on CBS College Sports. I'll be on the scene in Las Vegas and you can follow me on Twitter throughout the day tomorrow as well as throughout the MWC Tournament. I'll be back on the blog tomorrow night with recap and analysis of the first full day as well as to preview the second day of the proceedings.

Runnin' Utes blown out by UNLV in home finale

Utah (13-17, 6-10 MWC) dropped their final regular season Mountain West Conference game on Saturday at home to UNLV (23-7, 11-5 MWC) by a score of 78-58. The Rebels jumped out to a huge lead early and never looked back. Utah trailed 47-22 at halftime in what was probably the worst half the Runnin' Utes have played all season. Tre'Von Willis, Oscar Bellfield and Quintrell Thomas all had 12 points for UNLV. Jiggy Watkins of Utah led all scorers with 18 points while Jason Washburn had 12 and Chris Hines 10.

It was a disappointing home finale and I don't exactly have a reason for it. Utah just looked bad in all phases of the game for the opening 20 minutes. At least in the first meeting in Las Vegas, both teams seemed to struggle in an ugly game. UNLV came out sharp in this one, shooting well, playing strong defense and doing a good job on the defensive glass. They looked like a team very ready for the NCAA Tournament.

For whatever reason, the Utes just haven't been able to play many complete games this year. I will say they kept playing hard and didn't appear to quit, but UNLV is just too good of a team to give a 27 point lead (they were able to cut it to as low as 16) and expect to win against. I do think it says something about the character of the guys for continuing to play hard, it's just frustrating that they didn't play better to start the game. Again, I think Utah could have given them a competitive game, but the first half doomed the Utes. Utah just didn't come out with the right energy and attitude. It was very frustrating. Utah's loss ensures them the 7-seed in the MWC Tournament in Las Vegas starting Thursday, meaning they get a first round match-up with #9 San Diego State.

Jay Watkins dressed for the game and was able to play one possession toward the end of the game. I went into detail in my post last night about how great J-Wat has been for the program, so I was glad that he was able to get into the game despite his lingering back injury. He was a guy who really got it and was in touch with the fan base. I was among the students he gave a high-five to after the game -- a really classy move after such a tough loss. He also took a sign that said "The MUSS loves Jay Watkins" with him and seemed genuinely touched by it. Really cool stuff.

In other MWC games on Saturday, #3 BYU (28-3, 14-2 MWC) and #9 San Diego State (29-2, 14-2 MWC) both won at home to earn a share of the conference title. The conference tournament field is all set now, with tie-breakers being taken into account. Here's how it sets up for the first round on Thursday, with seedings noted (BYU gets the winner of the play-in game Wednesday):

(1) BYU (28-3, 14-2 MWC) vs. (8) Wyoming (10-20, 3-13 MWC)/(9) TCU (10-21, 1-15 MWC), 1 p.m. MT
(4) Colorado State (19-11, 9-7 MWC) vs. (5) New Mexico (20-11, 8-8 MWC), 3:30 p.m. MT
(2) San Diego State (29-2, 14-2 MWC) vs. (7) Utah (13-17, 6-10 MWC), 7 p.m. MT
(3) UNLV (23-7, 11-5 MWC) vs. (6) Air Force (15-14, 6-10 MWC), 9:30 p.m. MT

The semis are at 7 and 9:30 p.m. MT on Friday and the title game is at 5 p.m. MT on Saturday. Should be an entertaining tournament. Hopefully my Runnin' Utes can at least show decently down there.

Runnin' Utes close out regular season vs. UNLV

Utah (13-16, 6-9 MWC) hosts UNLV (22-7, 10-5 MWC) Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m. MT at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City. The game will be televised on Versus. It will be Senior Day for the Runnin' Utes' only senior, forward Jay Watkins. J-Wat has been sidelined with a back injury and is unlikely to play in this contest. However, from my experience, he is a really cool guy and seems to be really good for team chemistry. Not to mention being a good rebounder and low-post presence on both ends of the floor. And on top of all that, he came over to the MUSS and gave me a fist bump before a game once this season. So his coolness is off the charts for that. Hopefully people will show up to support J-Wat and the Utes in the last home game of the season.

Utah lost a tough one Wednesday at Colorado State (19-10, 9-6 MWC) to snap the Utes' three-game winning streak. I was hopeful the Runnin' Utes could win that one and finish out the regular season at .500, but it was not to be, as CSU significantly outplayed them in the 2nd half. However, Utah needs to put that behind them and come out ready to go against the Runnin' Rebels. UNLV is a good team, but, if you ask me, not a great team. If Utah plays well, they should have a chance to win the game.

Utah needs to put it together now with focus and effort for a full 40 minutes, the season is running out. If the Utes win and New Mexico (19-11, 7-8 MWC) defeats Air Force (15-13, 6-9 MWC) in Albuquerque (likely) then Utah would get the six-seed in next week's Mountain West Conference Tournament. Any other combination from the two games and it's the seven-seed and a likely first-round match-up with ninth-ranked San Diego State. Of course, the six most likely means a first round match-up with UNLV on their home court. So, it won't be easy. But if Utah is to salvage what has been a rough season, it has to be done. I'll be on the scene tweeting from the UNLV game and back on the blog afterward for recap and analysis.

Jazz struggles continue

The Utah Jazz (32-30) continue to struggle, losing a rough one Thursday night to the Denver Nuggets (37-26) by a score of 103-101. The Jazz have gone 1-7 since Jerry Sloan stepped down as head coach on February 10th including 1-4 since superstar point guard Deron Williams was traded to the New Jersey Nets (18-43) just after the All-Star Game.

I'm encouraged that the Jazz are being competitive and staying in games, but at the same time I'm tired of losing those games. A win is a win and a loss is a loss. Remarkably, the Jazz are still only 1.5 games back of the final playoff spot -- definitely still within striking distance. However, I just don't see it happening. The team has been slumping big time and seems to find ways to lose games at the end, instead of the other way around. I don't think it will be this bad the rest of the season as the new guys will get accustomed to the team and the play-calling system as well as the rest of the guys getting used to playing without D-Will. However, I still don't think they'll win enough games to make it to the postseason, which of course saddens me. The Jazz take on the Sacramento Kings (15-44) Saturday night at 7 p.m. MT on FSN-Utah.

Arch Madness

I enjoyed checking out some of Arch Madness today -- that is to say the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament from St. Louis. The Valley is one of the most entertaining conferences in America, with longstanding rivalries, exciting finishes, and teams that play the game hard and the right way. Today's quarterfinals lived up to my expectations, with 3 of the 4 games going down to the final possession -- not bad at all in terms of excitement.

Top seed and regular season champion Missouri State overcame a 9-point deficit in the last 3 minutes to beat (8) Southern Illinois. (5) Creighton held off (4) Northern Iowa 60-57. (2) Wichita State easily handled (10) Bradley in the only match-up that didn't come right down to the finish. And in the night cap, (3) Indiana State got a last-second jumper to top (6) Evansville by two. It's a shame this conference is likely to only get one NCAA Tournament bid this year because they play an exciting brand of basketball.

The semi-finals are tomorrow, starting at 12:30 p.m. MT with (1) Missouri State vs. (5) Creighton and continue at 3 p.m. MT with (2) Wichita State vs. (3) Indiana State. Having lived in Wichita for a brief time, I have to say I am cheering for Wichita State to win this thing. The semis aren't available nationally (on Fox Sports Midwest and Comcast SportsNet Chicago), but the final is on Sunday at noon MT on CBS, so you should check that out.

New Mexico upsets #3 BYU

New Mexico (19-11, 7-8 MWC) got a big upset road victory against #3 BYU (27-3, 13-2 MWC) by a score of 82-64. The Lobos jumped on the Cougars early and never really let the game get that close. It was BYU's first game without big man Brandon Davies, who was suspended for an honor code violation (more on that in a moment). BYU just didn't look like they knew what hit them and New Mexico played better and with more energy from start to finish.

Even without Davies, this game is a complete shocker. BYU rarely loses at home and I don't remember the last time they got blown out at home. It's definitely a big win for the Lobos, who are looking to ride this momentum into their home finale against Air Force (15-13, 6-9 MWC) on Saturday and then to the conference tournament next week. I think the win is a huge testament to New Mexico coach Steve Alford, who clearly knows how to get his team up for big games. The Lobos are the only MWC team to beat BYU this year as they swept the Cougars.

This a really tough loss for BYU as it basically ends all conversations about them being a #1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. BYU still will likely get a share of the conference title and the top seed in the conference tournament next week, they only have to beat Wyoming (10-19, 3-12 MWC) to ensure this. However, the loss really has to sting. Jimmer Fredette looked completely disconsolate after the game, like he was going to throw up; so I know he is taking the loss hard. This means the Cougars will have a tougher draw in the NCAA Tournament, but they are still a talented team that can do some damage. I found it interesting that BYU coach Dave Rose had Fredette and Jackson Emery on the bench to the end of the game, maybe he figured it was out of reach? Or was he unhappy with the two? I don't think there is a rift between Coach Rose and his players by any means, it was just an interesting thing to see. If anything, this shows that the Mountain West Tournament in Las Vegas next week could be very entertaining and unpredictable.

I'm not a BYU fan, but definitely identify myself as LDS. I think the whole Brandon Davies situation is rather sad for the team and that Davies didn't act wisely at all. But I am also glad that a school that is owned by the church I belong to has enough moral strength to uphold its self-imposed code of ethics. Pat Forde of espn.com wrote an article on this that I think highlights what an admirable stand BYU is taking. Again, I'm not rejoicing in the whole thing, it's too bad that the whole situation happened, I'm just glad that BYU and the church I belong to are taking a stand on morals even though a lot of schools around the country don't tend to do so.

Runnin' Utes fall to CSU

Utah (13-16, 6-9 MWC) lost at Colorado State (19-10, 9-6 MWC) tonight by a score of 78-65. Utah played well in spurts but just did not have the consistency and mental toughness that are necessary to win on the road. Utah next hosts UNLV (22-7, 10-5 MWC) at the Huntsman Center. A loss there and there would be a good chance that the Utes would have to face #9 San Diego State in the first round of the MWC Tournament next week. A win and there is the possibility that Utah will have to face the Runnin' Rebels again on their home floor in the first round of the MWC Tournament. These scenarios are more likely if New Mexico holds on to their 20 point lead at #3 BYU tonight with under 9 minutes to go in the game. Again, a lot can happen and we'll have to see how things shake out. But it would be really nice to finish out this tough regular season with a home win.

I thought Utah could give CSU a better game than they did tonight; I'm disappointed in a lot of ways. I thought the Runnin' Utes would play with more poise and at least make it a close game. It was disappointing in a lot of ways. Utah just needs to try and right the ship in the last game and then look at how the match-ups shake out for the MWC Tournament and try to make the most of it. Utah needs to figure out how to play with poise all the time and play complete games -- they are running out of time to do this. The modest 3-game win streak was nice, but if they don't win again this season it will still be a disappointment. There is work still left to do.

I don't care for a lot about The Mtn., but I do have to admit I have become rather fond of announcer Dave Bolwinkel, who is currently calling the BYU-New Mexico game. Bolwinkel gives some really great insights and his passion for the game makes him fun to listen to. I can't believe the lead New Mexico has right now, we'll see if this holds up.

Runnin' Utes visit CSU tonight

Utah (13-15, 6-8 MWC) visits Colorado State (18-10, 8-6 MWC) tonight at 7:15 p.m. MT on the CBS College Sports Network. The Runnin' Utes have won three in a row, but a win in this one would help to legitimize the recent turnaround. The game is also crucial in terms of conference positioning as the Utes need to try and avoid falling to the #7 position which would almost certainly mean a match-up with 9th-ranked San Diego State in the first round. I'll be tweeting updates during the game and be back on the blog afterward for recap and analysis. I'm pretty pumped up for this one and rather optimistic that Utah can play well. Go Utes!

Leafs host Pens tonight

My Toronto Maple Leafs (27-27-9, 63 points) host the Pittsburgh Penguins (37-21-6) tonight at 5 p.m. MT on Versus. I had thought that the Leafs were about out of the playoff chase, but a strong February has restored some of my hope and brought the Leafs within 6 points of the 8th place Carolina Hurricanes. Goaltender James Reimer has been particularly solid of late. I'm excited about the possibility of the Maple Leafs making the playoffs and hope they are able to continue their strong play. I'll be checking out the Leafs tonight and you should too.

Davies dismissed for remainder of the season

#3 BYU (27-2, 13-1 MWC) announced yesterday that starting center Brandon Davies has been dismissed from the team for the remainder due to an unspecified honor code violation. Davies was pretty much the only low post threat that the Cougars had and was also a big asset on the defensive end of the floor. His size and athleticism were very valuable for BYU in defending similar types of big men, such as San Diego State's Kawhi Leonard.

Davies will undoubtedly be missed and his loss does put a damper on the Cougars' chances to make a deep run in the NCAA Tournament. However, BYU is still a threat and still has a number of good players, starting with the dynamic Jimmer Fredette. They are still capable of making a strong run, but it will just be more difficult now. BYU has two home games left in the regular season, starting tonight at 8 p.m. MT on The Mtn. against New Mexico (18-11, 6-8 MWC) and then on Saturday against Wyoming (10-19, 3-12 MWC). I don't see any way that the Cougars will lose either of those games, but the real toll could come in the NCAA Tournament.