The week also provided us with some exciting NBA action. LeBron's Cleveland Cavaliers finally got past the Washington Wizards, and the Utah Jazz put away the Houston Rockets to take on the Lakers in Round 2. Most notable, however, was the surprisingly close battle at the op of the Eastern Conference. The No. 1 seed Boston Celtics were pushed to 7 games by the No. 8 seed Atlanta Hawks. Keep in mind, the Hawks only won 37 games this season, and here they are pushing the dominant Celtics to the brink. But, in anti-climax, the Celtics destroyed the Hawks in Game 7, and the Hawks went back to looking like... well... the Hawks. They played sloppy, committed a nasty technical foul, and even shot a few air balls. The game almost looked like a scrimmage, and the Celtics ran away 99-65. The good news: Atlanta has a great young team, and basketball might be alive again in the South.

Now... onto the second round. The Lakers stayed perfect, defeating the Jazz 109-98. The New Orleans Hornets edged the defending champion San Antonio Spurs in Game 1, 101-82. And the Detroit Pistons got the first step on Orlando, 91-72. However, the NBA playoffs are anything but predictable, and each and every one of these series could go 7 games. Keep watching!

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The Miami Dolphins had myriad options at the #1 pick, but decided that the most important need was'protecting the quarterback'. They selected Offensive Tackle Jake Long from the University of Michigan. Perhaps a little QB protection, they will win a few more games next year.

Other notable picks: Running Back Darren McFadden, the most talented player in the draft according to college football experts, was passed up by 3 teams and was finally selected by the Oakland Raiders. A good pick, but they already have 4 RUNNING BACKS competing for the position. Seemed like they had holes to fill elsewhere, but when you have the opportunity to take the best player in the draft -- you take it!

The Atlanta Falcons took Matt Ryan, the highly touted Boston College quarterback, off the board with the 3rd pick. Now, they finally have someone who can actually throw the ball (sorry Joey Harrington). That is... until Michael Vick gets out of jail.

The other prodigal QB, Louisville's Brian Brohm, slipped to the 2nd Round. However, not so bad -- he fell into the lap of the Green Bay Packers, and could potentially be the heir apparent to Brett Favre. To be a king in Green Bay -- he could do worse.

The NBA playoffs have been a bit lopsided -- only one of the series (Detroit v. Philadelphia is tied at 2). Most of the other matches will seemingly end in around 5 games. However, many thought the Suns would get swept by a strong San Antonio team, but Phoenix absolutely crushed the Spurs in Game 4. So... ya never know... maybe there is hope for all underdogs.

And, hey for all you Steeler fans, check out this Steeler site....cool/unique gifts!

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The NBA playoffs have begun, and have been nothing short of dramatic and exciting.

Two notorious basketball franchises are back in the spotlight again:  The Lakers and Celtics, and they both got off to strong starts in their respective series.  The Celts pummeled the Atlanta Hawks in Game 1 104-81, while the Lakers were all over the Allen Iverson and the Denver Nuggets 128-114.  However, Denver star Carmelo Anthony said, ‘The Lakers better get used to us, cause we playing 6 more game’, insinuating that the Nuggets will not roll over and die, and the series could stretch to 7 games.  Is this wishful thinking, or could the Nuggets actually give the Lakers a run.

Elsewhere around the league, LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers downed the Washington Wizards 93-86 in what seems like a perfunctory April playoff matchup.  The Wizards always play the Cavs, and the Cavs always win.  Does the NBA plan this at the beginning of the season?
Additionally, we saw some first round surprises this weekend.  The red-hot #7 seed Philadelphia 76ers upset the #2 Detroit Pistons in a triumphant comeback, taking Game 1 90-86.  Additionally, some experts thought that the Utah Jazz tanked their last few games of the season in order to get an easier playoff match-up against the Houston Rockets.  Well, if this is true… it’s working, as the Jazz marched into Houston and took care of business 93-82.

The most exciting game took place in San Antonio, as the Spurs barely got past the new ‘Shaq-i-fied’ Phoenix Suns in Double OT 117-115.  But, rest assured, this series will go to 7 games.  These teams have an extensive amount of playoff history, and the Suns have lost every time.  Will Shaq finally get the Suns over the hump that is San Antonio?
Anyway, this year’s playoffs will be one of the best in years.  Keep watching!

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Baseball is roughly 12 games deep now, and there have been surprises in the standings.  The Baltimore Orioles and Kansas City Royals were predicted to finish dead last in their divisions, but both teams jumped and held onto first place for the first 2 weeks.  Both teams have cooled slightly, but still linger in 2nd place above higher rated teams (i.e. NY Yankees, Boston Red Sox, etc...).   In the National League, the ArizonaDiamondbacks and St. Louis Cardinals are the teams to beat -- both performing strong at 9 wins each.

In the NBA, the Lakers are for real, crushing the reigning champ San Antonio Spurs on Sunday.  Now, the Lakers have sole possession of 1st place in the competitive Western Conference.  If the Lakers do finish the season as the #1 seed -- this should secure Kobe Bryant as the MVP for the season.  However, while you can start crossing your fingers for the historic yellow and green jerseys in the championship game (Lakers v. Celtics) -- don't count on too much; these playoffs are wide open, and will be a pure thrill to watch!

And finally, just 15 hours after winning her second NCAA Championship with the University of Tennessee, Candace Parker was drafted as the No. 1 pick overall pick in the WNBA draft by the Los Angeles Sparks.  This LITERALLY took place on back-to-back nights (Tuesday & Wednesday).  Now that's an exciting week!

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First Half Part II: -- Kansas starts playing the better ball, and heads into halftime with a one point lead.

Second Half Part I: -- Kansas keeps the game steady, maintaining a 3 point lead for most of the way.

Second Half Part II: -- Memphis goes on a 12-2 run, led by freshman phenom Derrick Rose. Memphis looked like the had it in the bag.

Second Half Part III: Memphis is up by 9 POINTS with only 2:12 to go. Then, the unthinkable happens. Kansas makes an 'unbelievable' comeback -- stealing inbound passes and hitting open threes, AND, Kansas' coach, Bill Self, makes a brilliant coaching decision -- opting to foul the heck out Memphis, a team that shoots only 59% from the free-throw line, and see if they can hit their foul shots... when it counts. Well, this worked, as Memphis' Chris Douglas-Roberts made only 1 of 5 free throws during the last 1:12. Had he hit even one more, Memphis would have closed the door.

With 10 seconds left on the clock, Douglas-Roberts missed a crucial free throw that would have put them up by four. This gave Kansas one last chance, and Mario Chalmers hit a miracle three (with two Memphis players in his face) to tie the game at 63, and send it to overtime. THE PLACE ERUPTED, and Chalmers will now be part of college basketball lore. Prepare to see this highlight alongside the famous Christian Laettner highlight for many years to come.

Kansas had all the momentum going into overtime, and couldn't be stopped. They won their first National Championship in 20 years, coming back from a 9 point deficit in only 2 minutes (mostly attributed to Memphis' atrocious free-throw shooting, and a bit of luck for Chalmers to hit that insane 3-pointer). Memphis' coach John Calipari said it best -- "Ten seconds to go, we're thinking we're national champs, all of a sudden a kid makes a shot, and we're not".

This game was truly... 'unbelievable'.

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UCLA has played some close games in the tournament thus far. UCLA seems to play to the level of their opponent. They barely beat Texas A & M in the second, and played a close one against the #12 seed Western Kentucky -- begging the question, “Is UCLA actually that good?" Could they raise their level of play against a tougher Xavier opponent? The answer: Yes, as they routed a fierce Xavier team 76-57. Their stars, Kevin Love and Darren Collison each had 19 points.

Concurrently, many people thought Memphis was the weakest number #1 seed. 4 out of 5 experts on cbssportsline.com picked them to lose against Texas in the elite 8, mostly because the game would be played in Houston. Furthermore, over the course of the season, there was hefty argument about who was the best point guard in the nation. Texas’ DJ Augustin, or Memphis’ freshman, Derrick Rose. Well, we received conclusive proof, as Derrick Rose and the Memphis Tigers slaughtered Texas 85-67. Derrick Rose put up 21 points, and 9 assists, while Augustin went a paltry 4 for 18 from the field. 

UNC continued to dominate the East Region, manhandling Washington State in the Sweet 16, and destroying  Louisville in the Elite Eight to   advance to the Final Four. Tyler Hansbrough proved that he is, in fact, the best player in the country putting up 28 points against Louisville. This guy literally gritted his teeth throughout the ball game. This guy is tough, and not to be messed with. Watch out.

Davidson continued its Cinderella run against Wisconsin in the Sweet 16, winning 73-56 behind Stephan Curry’s 33 points. After this, Davidson was confident that they could beat the Kansas Jayhawk Goliath (in an Elilte 8 game dubbed David(son) vs. Goliath). And they came oh so close, even having the opportunity to win the game on their last position. However, Kansas double-teamed Stephan Curry, he had to give up the ball to Jason Richards, who launched a long three that bounced off the backboard. This sent Kansas to their first final four appearance since 2003. And for the first time in history, all four #1 seeds advanced to the Final Four. Who will win? It’s anybody’s guess.

And, just for the record. I have North Carolina and UCLA in the Final Four with UCLA winning the whole tournament!

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The big news of the weekend: March Madness. And it sure lived up to that name. The first day didn’t see many upsets, but the second day was full of them. The #12 seed Western Kentucky Hilltoppers literally hit a shot at the buzzer to end #5 seed Drake’s successful season. #13 seed San Diego dropped the mighty UCONN (#4 seed) in a game that went down to the wire. It was one of those games where you say, “There’s no way San Diego can hang on to the end.” But… they did, as De’Jon Jackson hit a jumper with 1.2 seconds remaining to advance to the next round, pitting them against another potential sleeper… Western Kentucky. And in a mighty display, in which Western Kentucky looked like any strong basketball program from a major conference, Western Kentucky prevailed, beating San Diego 72-63. Now — they will have to take on the #1 seed juggernaut UCLA.

Elsewhere in the tournament, another cinderella emerged. The name: Davidson. They are led by Stephen Curry (son of NBA star Del Curry) who scored 40 points (30 in the second half) in an upset win over Gonzaga. While some may have predicted that Davidson would prevail over Gonzaga, nobody could have imagined that they would oust the extremely intimidating Georgetown Hoyas. Georgetown was bigger than Davidson, faster than Davidson, and more experienced than Davidson, but Stephen Curry stepped up yet again, scoring 30 points and dropping the Hoyas 74-70.

So now we can look forward to another weekend of heart pounding college hoops. What will happen?? Can Western Kentucky pull the ultimate upset and defeat UCLA? Can Davidson continue their run with a win over Wisconsin? Is this finally the year that Kansas wins? Or will #1 Memphis silence its naysayers and cut down the nets in April? These are all difficult questions to answer, but there is one question that’s already been answered. Duke… will not win this year.

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Speaking of seeds -- the March Madness brackets were announced today. Everybody's favorite time of year. The No. 1 seeds were rightly allocated to UCLA, Kansas, Memphis, & North Carolina. No. 2 seeds: Georgetown, Tennessee, Texas & (the sometimes disliked but always feared... Duke). This year is a tough one to predict, as their is no clear cut favorite -- and there is definitely room for some unknown team to sneak into the Final Four (Note: George Mason, the most famous Cinderella team of all time, is back in the tournament this year).

The most exciting first round match up pits Kansas St. against USC. This is not just a normal 6-seed v. 11-seed. NO -- this is a grand display of two of the most recruited freshman in the country. Kansas State's Marques Beasley (the projected No. 1 pick in the NBA draft) v. USC's O.J. Mayo (the most highly recruited freshman in the country last year). It will be an intense battle.

Also, watch out for DRAKE. This is just a small school, but don't be fooled, this team can play. Picking them to go far in your office pool will shock co-workers, and subject you to jeers -- but you'll look like the smart one at the end of the day.

Watercooler Discussion: Who's your favorite team in the NCAA tourney?

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Speaking of seeds -- the March Madness brackets were announced today. Everybody's favorite time of year. The No. 1 seeds were rightly allocated to UCLA, Kansas, Memphis, & North Carolina. No. 2 seeds: Georgetown, Tennessee, Texas & (the sometimes disliked but always feared... Duke). This year is a tough one to predict, as their is no clear cut favorite -- and there is definitely room for some unknown team to sneak into the Final Four (Note: George Mason, the most famous Cinderella team of all time, is back in the tournament this year).

The most exciting first round match up pits Kansas St. against USC. This is not just a normal 6-seed v. 11-seed. NO -- this is a grand display of two of the most recruited freshman in the country. Kansas State's Marques Beasley (the projected No. 1 pick in the NBA draft) v. USC's O.J. Mayo (the most highly recruited freshman in the country last year). It will be an intense battle.

Also, watch out for DRAKE. This is just a small school, but don't be fooled, this team can play. Picking them to go far in your office pool will shock co-workers, and subject you to jeers -- but you'll look like the smart one at the end of the day.

Watercooler Discussion: Who's your favorite team in the NCAA tourney?

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In other NBA news, it seemed that the Shaq-to-Phoenix trade was a bust, as the Suns won just one out of their last six games since Shaq joined the team. He just didn't fit in with their fast-paced, run-and-gun offense. However, if you've followed Shaq's career, you know one thing -- he saves it all for the playoffs. This is no hunch either. He literally admits this stuff, saying things like 'I think I'll keep resting until the playoffs' or 'The season doesn't start until the playoffs. Also, last night, the Suns won a convincing game against San Antonio. And San Antonio is the team that the Suns can't seem to get past in the playoffs. So maybe it seems like the Suns may have made a smart move in acquiring Shaq. It will be exciting to watch this scenario play out.

There was a marquee rivalry match-up in college hoops this weekend. Some even consider North Carolina/Duke to be a fiercer rivalry than Yankees/Red Sox. Primarily because of the close proximity between the two schools. These people hate each other, and students have to camp out for months just to get tickets for this showdown. In this battle, #1 North Carolina prevailed over #5 Duke on Saturday 76-68. However, they could meet again in the ACC Tournament (and maybe even the March Madness Tourney). Tournament selection is on Sunday, March 16th. 

And the most notable news of the week -- Brett Favre's retirement. After 17 great years, he's finally had enough. He didn't win a Super Bowl in his final year, but he's certainly going out on a high note, leading the Packers back to elite football status. The suspense of who will draft Favre in your fantasy league (and in what round), has finally come to an end. His presence will be missed in Wisconsin and on Sundays in September.

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But, watch out, there's another team on the rise. Even without their All-Star Center, Yao Ming, the Houston Rockets have won 15 games in a row!!! This is incredible, and they could be the underdog team to beat in the playoffs. The Rockets have made the playoffs over the past few years, but have made early, forgettable exits. Now, they are returning to their glory days of the mid-90s (when Jordan was playing baseball), and when they're good, the city of Houston is electric. Just a fun place to be.

For anybody missing the NFL, here's some news of interesting note:

Michael Turner, the Chargers back-up running back, is finally climbing out of LaDanian Tomlinson's shadow. He signed a six-year contract worth $34.5 million with the Atlanta Falcons. It's time to see if he really is the hidden superstar that Chargers fans saw glimpses of in Tomlinson's absence.

Many would think that Randy Moss would re-sign with the Patriots, and give it one more go at a championship. It seems logical, right? He had perfect chemistry with Tom Brady, and was under the guidance of guru Bill Belichick. Apparently, however, Randy Moss isn't even close to signing with the Patriots yet. He's looking around. And reportedly, he's been talking with his old friend an d Vikings teammate Daunte Culpepper about signing with the same team in free agency. That's nice, but why would he ruin such a great thing in New England. Although, losing the Super Bowl after an undefeated season is quite deflating, and one could probably understand if he wants to... 'try something new'.

Watercooler Discussion: "Is Randy Moss just a complainer like he was on the Oakland Raiders or should he jump ship?"

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And, Finally, Finally, Tiger Woods just keep winning. He polished off his 5th win in the Accenture Match Play Championship. He is now ranked in 4th place on the PGA Tour's all time victories list, surpassing Arnold Palmer and only behind Ben Hogan, Sam Snead and Jack Nicklaus.

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Jason Kapono defended his crown as 3-pt champion, and THE EAST won the All-Star game 134 to 128, with LeBron James being named the MVP. He had 27 points and 9 assists.

But many felt the actual NBA All-Star weekend was overshadowed by all the blockbuster trades. In previous years, it seemed that NBA teams were stocking up their rosters for the future, and not making any big trades. However, it seems that more teams are trying to win NOW, making riskier trades to have their rosters in top shape for the playoffs. Shaq to the Suns. Jason Kidd to the Mavericks. Pau Gasol to the Lakers. Mike Bibby to the Hawks. It will be an exciting 2nd half of the NBA Season!!

Nascar Season got underway this weekend with the 50th running of the Daytona 500. The race did not disappoint with 42 lead changes between 14 drivers. In an exciting finish, Ryan Newman got a push from teammate Kurt Busch to secure their one and two finish.

All eyes were on the most popular driver, Dale Earnhardt Jr who has made headlines by jumping ship to the Hendrick Motorsports Team of Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson. Dale Jr is the son of the legendary Dale Earnhardt who won 7 championships and was probably one of the most popular drivers in the history of the sport.

Ok, anyone as tired as I am of hearing about the HGH media circus with Andy Petite, Roger Clemens, McNamee….how in the world can we possibly believe anyone at this point?

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Other commercials I liked:

Budweiser-The Dog training the Bud Horse to be part of the Clydesdale team (really anything with “Rocky” music gets me teary eyed)

Pepsi “what is Love” commercial.…particularly liked the scene where the Kid is swinging at the playground and swings back to hit his Dad who has fallen asleep (just kind of rang true)

Bud Light-Will Farrell (I just laugh looking at him, but couldn’t remember it was a commercial for Bud Light…can’t wait to see his new movie Semi-Pro though)

Commercials I really disliked:

Planters Peanuts-the unibrow was just too weird

Doritos-I didn’t like it, but my Kids laughed hysterically when the Giant Mouse popped out

Toyota- Just didn’t get it

Career Builder-Heart pulled out really, really freaked me out

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