Thursday Morning Wake Up Call

Good morning peoples! Rainy day here, but we aren't going to let it keep us down. We have a pair of matchups to look at tonight, but before we get ahead of ourselves, we had a "thrilling" playoff game last night in the Association. 

Cleveland Crushes Toronto's Will to Live

Good Lord! Cleveland continued their home dominance last night as they walloped Toronto, 116-78. The Cavs' Big Three combined for 71 while Toronto's Twosome went for a mere 27. Toronto looked lost all game. It also didn't help them any that the Cavs shot 57% for the game. The Cavs also won the rebound battle 57 to 38. Kevin Love led all scorers with 25 while LeBron and Kyrie added 23 each. It's a devastating loss for the Raptors. One bright spot is that Game 6 moves back to Toronto. The Raptors will hope to force yet another Game 7 when the two meet again on Friday night. 

Melo Trimble to Return

Late yesterday evening, Melo Trimble announced that he would return to school for his junior year. Maryland lost four players from the team that was a Darkhorse Pick in last year's tournament. Trimble was expected to be a first round pick in this draft, but after a shaky finish to last season, he had slipped into the late second round.

Looking to tonight, we have some playoff action. The Tampa Bay Lightning travel to Pittsburgh for the decisive Game 7 with the winner squaring off against those rotten Sharks for Lord Stanley's Cup. The Sharks sealed their invitation last night when they defeated St Louis 5-2 in Game 6. Puck drops at 8:00. 

Golden State limps home to attempt to head back out on the road as they face elimination tonight in Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals. Fresh off back-to-back beat downs, it's do or die. OKC will be going for the throat tonight to eliminate the defending champs and their MVP. Hurt or not, if you can't get up for a game like this, you need to just pack it in. However, I don't think OKC will clinch until the series returns back to their home court. Expect Steph & Company to show up tonight, and let people know how hard it is to beat the Champs on their own home court. Tip is at 9:00. 

That's all that I have this morning. Look for updates throughout the day. 

-Dug

@chansm1th

DeMar DeRozan/Kyle Lowry's Bromance Wake Up

Good Morning! It's a beautiful sunny morning here, and we're going to look at what happened while you were asleep. 

Toronto tied up their series with Cleveland last night as the Raptors took Game 4 105-99. The combo of Lowry and DeRozan, pictured above, continued to carry the weight of their country as the two combined for 67 points last night. Although the Cavs controlled nearly every statistical category, they forgot that the score was the most important one. LeBron James went for 29 points and 9 rebounds while his faithful sidekick Kyrie Irving chipped in 26. With the series being tied, the question now is who win win a road game. I think that for Torontp to win the series, Game 5 tomorrow night in Cleveland is a must win. The winner of that game will take the series, in my opinion. 

Let's take a look at what happened on the diamond last night. Baseball is possibly my favorite sport, but we don't talk near as much about it as we should. Last night, we were treated to a few good pitching performances. Our beloved Reds were on the Left Coast last night to pay a visit to the Dodgers. When you see Clayton Kershaw on the lineup card, you can be safe saying that one run will win the game. Last night saw that. Not Kershaw and Reds' starter Brandon Finnegan turned in complete games. Finnegan's line was 8 innings, 5 hits, and one earned in the losing effort. It was by far the rookie's best start. Kershaw, on the other hand, threw 9 scoreless innings while allowing three base runners and striking out 7. Hard one to lose, but if you like pitching, this was a beautiful sight. 

Elsewhere around baseball, Johnny Cueto threw a complete game shutout. Cueto improved to 7-1 on the season while blanking the Padres. No walks and only two hits allowed, he struck out 6 en route to a 1-0 win. 

Breathe a Sigh of Relief, Scumbag

Looking forward to tonight, we have Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals in Oklahoma City. As Corbeech noted yesterday, Draymond Green will be able to play for whatever reason. Punishment for his nut kick heard 'round the world wasn't enough to keep this prick off the court. $25,000 and an upgrade to a flagrant two is about as horribly wrong of a decision that could be made. However, Green now has three flagrant points meaning one more and he will automatically be suspended. Who has the betting odds on whether he will get one tonight? Take the no. 

Game 4 is at 9:00 tonight. If Karma is real, OKC will roll the Warriors again, and Draymond Green will get hit by an airplane. 

That's all that I have. Check back later for more news and updates. 

-Dug

@chansm1th

Steven Adams' Nuts Memorial Wake Up

YIKES!

Hopefully you are having a better morning than Mr Adams is. Last night, blows were dealt. The Thunder handed Golden State another defeat, and Draymond Green dealt a low blow as seen in the picture above. OKC won Game 3 133-105 while absolutely crushing the Warriors. Media "experts" claiming the Thunder might not even win a game are still trying to dislodge their feet from their mouths while OKC is halfway to the NBA Finals. Should the NBA suspend Green, it will just make things more difficult for the defending champs. This is the second time that Green and Adams have been tangled up. Head Coach Steve Kerr and Green both claim that it's normal basketball moves. Adams sees it differently though quoted after the game, "It's happened before, mate. He's pretty accurate, that guy". Adams seems like he would be a fun dude to hang out with. He must be a writer's perfect interview. Sit on some ice pal, Game 4 is tomorrow at 9:00. 

On the Eastern side, Toronto hosts Cleveland tonight looking to tie the series. After a 15-point win on Saturday, the Raptors have already done what no other playoff team could do: beat the Cavs. Now that they have broke through, it wouldn't surprise me if they don't even the series tonight in Toronto. Tip is at 8:30 in the frozen north. 

Coming up this week, we'll go over final NBA Draft decisions as the deadline is only a couple of days away. We'll also look at recruiting and how it is ruining college offseasons. Stay tuned!

-Dug

@chansm1th

Exaggerator's Sunday Morning Wakeup

Exaggerator Ends Hope for Triple Crown

Good Morning people! Hope that your weekend is going better than Nyquist's. Let's take a look at what happened yesterday and what we can look forward to today. 

Exaggerator finally caught him. He beat Nyquist for the fist time in his five races. The defeat ends not only the hopes for a Triple Crown, but it is also Nyquist's first defeat. The track, as you can see in the picture, was very sloppy. The conditions favored Exaggerator, who had won three times on such tracks. Exaggerator is the first Preakness winner to win after finishing runner up in the Kentucky Derby since 1993 (Prairie Bayou). The Belmont Stakes will be on June 11th, if anyone still cares. People tend to forget about horse racing once the Triple Crown is out of the way. 

Toronto Knocks Off Cleveland in Game 3

There was plenty of controversy, but Toronto welcomed Cleveland north of the border to a tune of 99-84. The loss for the Cavs makes the first defeat they have suffered in the post season. Their last loss? The Detroit Pistons on April 13th in the regular season finale. Dwayne Casey was very critical of the officials after the game, and he should have been. Looking at the stats, and highlights, you can't hardly blame him. Sure, the NBA officials are very biased towards certain players, but at this point, I'm beginning to believe that it extends to certain teams. Nonetheless, Toronto has cut the series lead into and look to tie it up tomorrow in Game 4.

Looking to tonight, the Western Conference Finals moves to Oklahoma City. After a surprise Game 1 win, OKC will come home with the series tied looking to take an advantage. Tip is at 8 PM.

Sunday Night Baseball should be a good one tonight. Kyle Hendricks faces off against Madison Bumgarner in the Bay Area as two division leading teams face off. The Cubs own the best record in baseball, while the Giants own the second best in the National League. First pitch is at 8:00. 

That is all that I have today. Check back later. Someone might have something else to say. Until then, later!

-Dug

@chansm1th

Thursday Morning Wake Up

 

Almost Through Another Week

And a good Thursday morning to you. This blog is almost a week old, and we are having more fun than you can imagine. Thank you so much to all of the readers who work behind the scenes to make this enjoyable for us. (Hint: Comments are welcomed and appreciated!) Let's check out what happened while you were asleep and what we can look forward to tonight.

St Louis Advances, Finishes off Dallas

St Louis absolutely dominated Dallas on their own ice. After the second period, they led 5-0. Hell, this one was over after the first when the Blues were up 3-0. Dallas played groggy the entire game. One goal in the third period doesn't even help their case. It is one thing to lose in a Game 7, but a completely different one to get pants on your own home ice. St Louis will face the winner of Thursday night's Game 7 between Nashville and San Jose in the Western Conference Finals

Toronto Takes Game 5, Leads 3-2

DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry combined for 59 points as the Raptors take down the Heat in Game 5   No leading at any point, Miami seemed out of sync from the get go. Trailing 28-18 after the first quarter, Miami had been called for more fouls (8) than made shots (6). More bad news, Luol Deng left midway through the third quarter with a wrist injury. X-Rays were inconclusive. Game 6 sees the series headed back to Miami where it's do-or-die for the Heat. 

Golden State Advances

The Portland Trailblazers are officially done. Golden State held on for a 125-121 victory last night to advance to the Western Conference Finals for the second straight year. Before the game, Steph Curry was honored as the league's MVP. However, on this night, it was another star who shined the brightest. Klay Thompson went for 33 points while shooting 13-17 from the field. He also connected on six three-pointers to lead all scorers. Golden State now awaits the winner of SA-OKC. 

Max Scherzer K's 20

20 strikeouts, are you kidding me?? That's what Max Scherzer was doing last night while you were asleep. In the first time he faced his former team, Scherzer showed us exactly why the Nats are paying him so much. He tied the nine inning record for strikeouts and now shares it with the likes of Roger Clemens, Kerry Wood, and Randy Johnson. That's pretty good company to share anything with. What might be more impressive is that of the 119 pitches he threw last night, 96 were for strikes. 

Looking toward tonight, there are two playoff matchups that you definitely should keep an eye on. The first is Game 6 between San Antonio and Oklahoma City. The Spurs will look to fight off elimination with hopes of returning the series to San Antonio for a possible winner-take-all Game 7. 

The other match-up is a Game 7 in the NHL between Nashville and San Jose. The home team has won every game throughout the series, and oddsmakers are leaning toward the Sharks tonight by a large margin. Look for complete coverage of this one tonight. 

That's all for now. Check back throughout the day for updates

-Dug

@chansm1th

What to Watch on Saturday

Good morning, Friends! It's bright and early here on the home front, but that doesn't mean that we can't look ahead to see what is on tap for another sports-filled Saturday. Let's take a look at what is on the schedule today.

New York Yankees at Boston Red Sox

1:05 PM

David Price looks to rebound against the Yankees after his last attempt didn't go too well for him. Price gave up six runs on seven hits while working six innings. Inconsistency has been a common problem for Price ever since he came to Boston. Price sports a 4-0 record, but has given up at least 5 runs in half of his starts this season.

The Yankees are off to their worst start in the last 25 years (10-17). They have only won two in their last eight, and hold down the cellar of the AL East. Nathan Eovaldi (1-2, 5.46) was on the other end of the previous match-up with Boston and David Price. Eovaldi took the worst of the exchange by surrendering 10 hits and six runs over five innings of work.

NBA Eastern Conference Semifinals Game 3

Toronto at Miami (Series tied 1-1)

5:00 PM

With Chris Bosh being declared out for the playoffs, the Heat are in a tight spot in this second round match-up with the Raptors. The first two games saw overtime battles in which Miami took one on the road from Toronto. With home court advantage in their favor, Miami looks to take the series back home and set up the potential match-up that Lebron has wanted.

142nd Kentucky Derby

Post Time 6:34PM

The main event on the slate today is without a doubt the Kentucky Derby. The first Saturday in May is where everyone realizes that they love horse racing again. Last year, American Pharoah pulled off the Triple Crown; something I have never witnessed in my life. American Pharoah became the first Triple Crown winner in 37 years (Affirmed was the last in 1978). The last time back-to-back Triple Crown winners? Seattle Slew in 1977 and Affirmed. Can history repeat itself? Well you have to win the first one. Nyquist is currently the favorite at 2-1, but I'm thinking that Gun Runner (9-1) is where you should put your money,

NBA Western Conference Semifinals Game 3

Golden State at Portland (Golden State leads 2-0)

8:30 PM

The Warriors have been business as usual while Steph Curry has missed time in the playoffs with a knee injury. Curry, who before he became Superman, was plagued by ankle injuries that cost him a lot of time early in his career. Now with a bum knee, he is looking at returning to the lineup soon. He is "probable" for Saturday, but Steve Kerr says the reigning MVP is unlikely to play. The Warriors haven't seemed to need Curry, but for a deep run, they will need him healthy in order to repeat as champs.

NHL Western Conference Semifinals Game 5

Nashville at San Jose (Series tied at 2-2)

10:00 PM

Nashville took two clutch wins against San Jose at home to tie the series up before they head west. The Predators are looking to do something that they haven't been able to do in franchise history: Win a road playoff game in San Jose. After a thrilling 3 OT victory late Thursday night, it appears that the momentum has swung into Nashville's favor.

There is nothing like playoff hockey. Even if you do not like hockey, hold your judgement until you watch it in the playoffs. It's on the level of both NBA and MLB playoffs. If you have the time, and you are up that late, you won't regret it.


We'll be back for a recap later, but from me, enjoy this great sports Saturday!

-Dug
@chansm1th