What a busy week. Two major stories in the sporting world.

1) This week saw the quarter, semi, and finals of the UEFA cup -- a soccer tournament held every 4 years to see who is the most dominant team in Europe. Well, it was all SPAIN, a team normally cursed with a loss in the quarterfinals, finally broke out of their shell and won the entire competition. They weren't favored by any means at the beginning of the tournament, but going into the championship game on Sunday, they were expected to topple the normally dominant GERMANY team. And that's exactly what they did -- capping off a excruciating road to success with a 1-0 win.

2) THE 2008 NBA DRAFT. Considering the event doesn't have much action, it's still packed full of drama. The most skilled players in college hoops, combined with the potential superstars of the international market -- all with no idea of where they will spend their NBA careers. If you're a sports fan, half the fun is imagining how X player will jell with X player, and how your favorite team will improve because of it. The Draft sends your imagination spinning. And on top of all this, there's the trades. Numerous teams trading up or down to get the player they want. In the blink of an eye, your favorite player could switch uniforms just so your team can move up one draft spot. Plus, even when they make their draft selections, it's not final, because you don't know if they are drafting for another team, or intend to trade that selection before night's end. (And yes, this happened several times on Draft Night).

There was a lot of debate who would go #1 on Thursday night, but those questions were answered. The Chicago Bulls selected Point Guard Derrick Rose with the No. 1 pick, and the Miami Heat, expected by experts to trade the No. 2 pick... didn't -- selecting Forward Michael Beasley at No. 2. And they're keeping it. He's just too good to let go.

Rounding out the Top 5 -- USC's OJ Mayo at No.3 to the Minnesota Timberwolves (then traded to the Memphis Grizzlies) UCLA's Russell Westbrook to the Seattle Supersonics at No. 4 (who are moving to Oklahoma City in the next year or two) and another UCLA star, Kevin Love, to the Memphis Grizzlies. And in a blockbuster draft day trade, the Grizzlies sent Love and sharp-shooter Mike Miller to the Minnesota Timberwolves in exchange for OJ Mayo.
One more item of note: This year set the record for most freshman taken in the first round; a fact that's wholly attributed to the rule NBA Commissioner David Stern implemented 2 years ago forcing aspiring NBA High School hopefuls to spend at least 1 year in college (or just be 19). This resulted in a plethora of "one and dones" in college. Do your year, and then depart for the NBA. It has made college basketball more fun to which (on account of the talent increase), but many people have complained that this rule makes a mockery of the "student athlete", considering these kids only have to be enrolled in one class in order to play basketball at the university. We can only wait and see if the rule sticks.

Watercooler Discussion: What do you think of the one year in college rule?

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