NBA Finals

The San Antonio Spurs have home court advantage this year against the Miami Heat in a rematch of last years NBA Finals. The Heat are the clear favorite statistically, but many people think that if any team in the NBA could beat the Heat, it is the Spurs.

The Spurs have a lot of talent on their team,but one of the main concerns is can they keep up with the Heat. A very experienced lineup including Tony Parker, Manu Ginobli, and possibly the best power forward to ever play Tim Duncan.They have been playing great basketball this postseason, most impressively when they lost Tony Parker in the Western Conference Finals. 

The Heat are by far the best and most athletic team. Since the big three era of James, Wade, and Bosh, the Heat have been to 3 straight NBA Finals and have won the last 2. LeBron James was referred to by Pacers head coach Frank Vogel as "the Michael Jordan of our time". Although he is a dominating presence, the Spurs did a great job last year at stopping him from driving and forcing him to shoot. 

Overall, this is going to be a great series. This could be the last time we see Tony Parker and Tim Duncan play together. Playing for a championship is a great honor and the Spurs organization want to be the team to stop the Heat from getting the 3-peat.

Struggling Bogaerts

Bogaerts had a 10-game hitting streak, the longest by any Sox player to date, but in seven games since then he is batting .200 with one extra-base hit, 11 strikeouts and 5 walks. He has had two 3-K games in his last five starts, the first coming in last Thursday's doubleheader against the Rays. 

Sox manager John Farrell wouldn't call Bogaerts' absence from the lineup a benching, noting that Herrera hasn't started in eight games. His only appearance in that time was Sunday against Oakland, when he pinch-ran for Mike Carp and was thrown out attempting to steal. 

"A day off and a chance to get another left-handed bat in the lineup," Farrell called it. "Leake has been very tough on right-handers, and some other alignments in the lineup kind of reflect that as well."

He is one of the keys to the success of the Red Sox future. Bogaerts is going to be a very good player as he matures and gets more experience, but as of right now he is struggling to get his bat on the ball.

Pine Tar Scandal

Pine tar or dirt? We might never know.

Pineda took a two-hit shutout into the seventh inning, and Jacoby Ellsbury an RBI single off old roommate Clay Bucholtz in his first game against the Red Sox. The Yankees' win left a bit of a mystery, Were Pineda's pitches plain old nasty, or was something more sinister involved?

"It's dirt," Pineda said. "Between the innings, I'm sweating too much, my hand. I'm putting dirt, I'm grasping the dirt, I'm not using pine tar."

Ellsbury drew all the pregame attention after switching sides in the rivalry during the offseason. But it was the dark brown, seemingly tacky substance on the lower palm of Pineda's right hand that became the focus.

Close-up camera shots showed Pineda pitching during the early innings with something on his hand, and there was speculation it was pine tar to help him get a better grip on a chilly night. The game was never stopped for an umpire to examine him, and it whatever it was, it was gone by the fifth.

"I became aware of it in the fourth inning through the video that someone had seen," Red Sox manager John Farrell said. "And then, when he came back out for the fifth inning, it looked, based on where it was told to me it was located, it looked like the palm of his right hand was clean."

Johnny Football's Pro Day

The 2012 Heisman Trophy winner threw for 75 officials from 30 teams on the Texas A&M campus on Thursday.

He was with former president George H.W. Bush and his wife, who came to his workout on their golf cart 10 minutes into his workout. 

The always flashy Manziel was true to his over-the-top Johnny Football persona on Thursday, trotting into the facility with his receivers as a tune by his buddy Drake blasted through the building. He wore camouflage shorts, a black Nike jersey with his white No. 2 and caused a stir by wearing shoulder pads and a helmet.

He was very impressive at his pro day and is proving all the non believers that he has what it takes to make it big in the NFL

Busted Brackets

This year was full of upsets and bracket- busting games this year that no one could have predicted. Teams like Duke, who many predicted to win the whole tournament, lost very early in the tournament. Another big upset was Wichita State losing to Kentucky. I had them winning the whole thing and they lost early. Up to Friday there were still 6 perfect brackets left.

Creighton was in my opinion the biggest upset of the tournament. Led by the best scorer in the league, they got blown out by Baylor. Losing by 20, especially to end his career, Doug McDermott showed a lot of emotion as he hugged his dad and coach after being subbed out for the final time in his college career.

Another large upset was Kansas losing early. A favorite by many to make it to the championship game, failed to make it past the 3^rd round. They are always a favorite especially at this time of year when it gets important. They always have the best recruiting class and are always a top team that can do big things at the tournament. 

Opening Day

Opening day for the MLB is approaching fast, and many Boston fans can't wait to see how the Red Sox respond after winning a World Series championship. The Red Sox had a dominating post-season and are bringing back many of the key components of that championship. They had some people last year who had injuries that affected the season, but are coming back healthy and better than ever.

Clay Buchholz is the biggest name that comes to mind. After a dominating start to his season he suffered an injury that affected his play throughout the whole year. He is an important part to the Red Sox pitching staff this year. He is in the prime of his career right now and is expected to do big things with the Red Sox. Many thought he was doing steroids due to the controversial movement he did in one game last year tapping his wrist in between pitches. Clay is in the 5^th spot of the Red Sox rotation to help keep him healthy at the beginning of the year. His goal for the season is to have season of full health which is always a big problem with him.

Another big part of the team is David Ortiz. After being criticized for his poor performance two seasons ago, he came out last year on fire. His postseason stats were some of the best ever posted. He batted .353 with 5 home runs and a .706 slugging percentage. Entering the final year of his contract the Red Sox are expecting to sing him to an extension. “Why should the Sox extend David Ortiz? Because it makes good business sense” reports ESPN’s Gordon Edes. David Ortiz brings so much to the table. His performance in clutch situations separates him from many. Just his influence on the team to do better is enough to earn him a contract extension. 

March Madness

March Madness

March is a very fun and crazy month for college basketball. The 64 best teams are selected to a tournament to play for the best team in Division 1 basketball. Separated into 4 divisions, the tournament is one of the most anticipated events through the whole year. Full of upsets and remarkable comebacks, everyone has a shot to win the whole thing.

Top seeds this year are Arizona, Kansas, Wichita State, and Florida. Wichita State completed the season undefeated and are my favorite to win the whole thing. They are a surging team with a lot of momentum going into the tournament. Many people claim they are not as good because of their schedule, but they still have proven they don’t lose even against top teams like St Louis and Bringham Young, both top 50 teams.

Other high seeds like Syracuse are at a low point. Losing many games towards the end of the season, and are coming into the tournament on a cold streak and are one of my top seeds to be upset early in the tournament. After starting the season off at record pace, they have struggled towards the end of the year.

My Final Four predictions are Creighton, Wichita State, Iowa State, and Kentucky. Big upsets early in the tournament include Syracuse, Texas, and Ohio State. My winner for the tournament is Wichita State.