(Because of some technical issues I'm posting this for Bandit...Should have teh problem cleared up today)

Greetings from the Hoodwood, where as much as we want to see justice for our people in Boston we all want to see justice work the way it supposed to.

First off…our national anthem

http://youtu.be/ZzMsagY7oRs

If you don’t have either a tear or goosebumps you have no pulse.

NBA: Handicapping the playoffs

Well the chaff is gone, and as close as they came to folding the Lakers recovered enough to not only make the playoffs on the final day of the season but scramble to a 7^th seed in the west avoiding the defending conference champ and #1 seed Thunder. Without Kobe Bryant one has to wonder how much a force the Lakers would be against the Spurs who stumbled badly down the stretch but still have the #2 seed. The Lakers found that they had made the playoffs before taking the court for their season finale against the Rockets as the Jazz played an absolute dog of a finale ekeing out a paltry 70 points in Memphis and getting hammered by the playoff bound Grizzlies who were nailing a franchise best 56 wins in an failed effort to snatch the #4 seed away from the Clippers. With the playoff berth secured, the Lake Show dawdled through most of the game rallied late to pull ahead get tied on a buzzer beater but pull out the win in OT. The NBA and the media conglomerate are quite happy. You have both teams from the NYC area both teams from LA as well as Chicago, Miami, Atlanta and Houston (all huge markets) in the postseason and the little guy franchise markets are well represented with Indy, San Antonio and OKC with strong playoff teams. Now who does your humble scribe have meeting in June? Same as I said in October, I see a finals rematch but this time Kevin Durant brings the trophy home this time to create a real rivalry and give the Heat some pause on their dynasty talk.

NHL: Is the end?

Where were you in 1990? Me? I was a smartass senior at Mt. Healthy Senior High School. I had just made my selection of colleges (You don’t know how close I came to being a Bowling Green student) and was marking time till high school was done. I liked Hockey but my team of choice was the Los Angeles Kings, they had Gretzky. I knew of the Detroit Red Wings but they weren’t that good, in fact they were a last place team. At 28-38-14 they had the third worst point total in the NHL at 70 and were one of only 5 teams NOT to make the playoffs in the NHL that year. Fast forward 23 years. Me, two kids the building that I went to High school in is gone and is a parking lot for the football field (the school is now about a mile drive away but 500 yards behind where the old school is.) The NHL saw teams in Hartford and Quebec disappear, teams in Dallas, Phoenix, Nashville, Miami, Tampa, San Jose, Carolina, Columbus, Denver and Anaheim appear and teams in Winnipeg and Minnesota disappear and reappear. But the one constant has been the Red Wings with the longest current playoff streak in professional sports. That streak is in the most jeopardy as it has been in a very long time as the Wings as of this morning sit in 9^th place. They still control their own destiny as they have three games left to play and if they win out would make the playoffs but for this Wings that is the only thing of 1990 that he doesn’t want to be reminded of.

NBA: Is Kobe a fan not wanted?

For the first time in his career, Kobe Bryant is a spectator to a Laker playoff game. 220 Laker playoff games, Bryant wasn’t even in the building to watch the Spurs and Lakers tangle in game 1 in the AT&T center in San Antonio, but he was watching the game and tweeting. His rapid fire comments to the Lakers more or less lackluster play got everyones attention. The Lakers played like they were an overmatched 7 seed not the team that had handled the Spurs less than a week previous during their dash to the playoffs. Bryant was sounding like a fan, imploring the Lakers to get the ball inside to Dwight Howard who was playing like the invisible man. The Lakers played poorly and the Spurs took the game 1 by the easy count of 91-79. Lakers coach Mike D’Antoni looked visibily irritated when asked postgame about Bryants critical tweets during the game.  D’Antoni called Bryant “a fan” Was Bryant throwing his team…and coach under the bus. Well it seems that the tweeter named Mamba wont be offering insight any time soon. Bryant hastily (and huffily) said that he wouldn’t make anymore tweets during games. You have to wonder how much of that game from the coach or front office. I for one thought Bryant’s insight refreshing. Dwight Howard did need to use his ass down low…

Phat Dap/Head Slap

Phat Dap to Manchester United who won their 20^thEnglish League Soccer title The win with four matches left in the season was clinched with a natural hat trick by Robin Van Persie. Folks hate Man U like MLB fans hate the Yanks… but you got to give them credit. They just bloody win…

Head Slap

In two cases where the F word was used appropriately and inappropriately.

To those who were hyper critical of Boston slugger David Ortiz for his off the cuff speech before the Red Sox first game back in Boston after last weeks Marathon Bombing

http://youtu.be/ZzMsagY7oRs

I would only correct Papi on this is our country. We are all strong right along with Boston.

But here is where it wasn’t appropriate…rookie weekend anchor was less than 10 seconds in his first broadcast when this happened

http://youtu.be/P_uX1RczgQA

I can understand being nervous but you never curse in a studio, all the years I was in broadcasting you always assume a mic is hot…

That’s the view from the Hoodwood until next post fellow sports fans!

Occasionally the world of sports takes an unfortunate journey into the world of real news and public tragedy.  When that happens like it did this week in Boston, it is sometimes difficult to focus on the task at hand of writing a sports blog.  In the aftermath of a truly horrible event, however, sports can be an important outlet for emotional relief and expression of a response.  In this case, the first home game of the Boston Bruins provided such an opportunity for the people of Boston.  Their rendition of the Star Spangled Banner easily becomes the best of all time in my book.  To the people of Boston, I commend you for your resiliency and for your strength in the face of adversity.  We all offer our prayers to the families of the victims of the bombing and our thanks for helping the police capture the bombers.

This issue's theme originally was to take a look at some of the numbers that are part of the fabric of the game of baseball - I think I'll save that for next week.  However, I do want to give you a few numbers to consider as Americans in the wake of the bombings, because we need to do more.  Did you know that each year 32,000 people die in automobile accidents in the U.S.?  Yes, the bombings were a senseless tragedy, but consider that about 100 of our brothers and sisters are taken each day and 1/3 of those deaths are due to drunk drivers.  Be an advocate for safe driving...in Europe, one aspect we can all admire is there absolute adherence to any drink = don't drive.

A second number that should equally get our attention, 31,076.  That is the number of deaths due to gun violence in 2010.  That is 85 people a day that were shot to death.  Twice a many were treated for non-fatal gunshot wounds in hospitals.  I don't think anyone would advocate separating Americans from their beloved guns, but our Society needs to be aware that things need to be different.  Tragedy is a part of a couple of hundred families' lives every day across this great land.  I advocate doing whatever we can to make sure it does not touch any of our lives or the lives of our friends and loved ones.  Don't be a spectator in life...get into the game.

OK...statement over...onto sports.

A Final Word on the Masters.

A lot of people in the World of Golf have been so anxious to have Tiger back on top, that they took any sign of success as proof that he is truly the Best Golfer in the World.  Once again, Tiger came up short on Sunday at a major championship extending his title drought from 2008 through this year's Masters.  One aspect of Tiger's career success that I find curious is that he has NEVER won a major championship without going into the final round with the lead.  What part of Tiger's game, particularly his mental game, has prevented that from happening even one time?  For everyone who thinks Tiger is the best ever, and I would say he may be the most talented ever, I ask the question as to why this is so?  He may yet pass Jack Nicklaus' record of 18 major championships, but as the best all time, I would take Jack for a variety of reasons.  Maybe Tiger will grow on me as he ages...nahhhhh.

Other story lines...Steve Williams, Tiger's former caddie, getting to the winners circle before Tiger, then true to form, rips Tiger over the foul.  Stevie baby, just carry the clubs and shut up....A 14 year old kid finishes the Masters as low amateur.  Think about that - what were you doing when you were 14?  OK, sorry I asked...and finally, was there any greater show of sportsmanship than that of Angel Cabrera after Scott sank his putt?  Walking off the green with his arm around the young champion - that is how it is supposed to be done.

NHL Hockey Moves Into the Final 4 Games and the Dash for the Playoffs

In the East, the Winnipeg Jets sit 2 points out a playoff spot and 3 points out of the SE Division Lead with 4 games to go.  I don't know exactly what is going on in the 'Peg, but maybe based on the last couple of images I'ver turned up, it would not be so bad to have them in the playoffs..and yes, I know it is the old logo, thanks for noticing.

In the West, Detroit and Dallas sit 2 points behind Columbus with game(s) in hand.  The Red Wings are not really playing that well, but it would be a surprise to see the Blue Jackets hold on to the 8th Spot.  Nobody really wants to play the 'Hawks, but a Red Wing - Blackhawk series would be a fun one to watch.

The Playoffs Start on April 30, which happens to be my birthday.  Hopefully the Caps won't choke off the rest of the season and give me something to root for over a piece of birthday cake...then again, there's Winnipeg.

The NBA Playoffs Start Tomorrow

NBA basketball is not my favorite thing in the world of sports.  It is not a fair league - but that is a subject for another day.  For now, I will just briefly comment on the first round matchups.  In the last 10 years in the first round, the favorites are 58-3.  Think abou that and compare it to any other league...oops, there I go.  So in the first round, you have to go Heat, Knicks and Pacers.  I like the Bulls to add to the upset list.  

In the West, the Kobe-less Lakers would be a good story and in the fix'em up world of the NBA (there you go again, Bill)...nevermind.  I'll take the OKC, Denver, LA Clippers and San Antonio.

Until next week, fellow Gabbers...when you're Man About Town will report from Chicago...have a great week.

Im sorry, I couldnt remove Robby...Hes still making it possible

Greetings from the Hoodwood, where the locals are praying and sending their love for the folks in Boston

Good Morning all as it’s Thursday and April is moving along in a fast pace motion. It has been acrazy busy week so far with practices and break up events.More on that later.

Hey John,Larry , Tom where is everybody?

Baseball is in full swing and it is crazy the Fenway sellout shame has finally came to end. We don’t have hear about it and you can actually get a ticket at face value or below for a Red Sox game. Off course them not sellout is no big deal they will still go over 2 million fansand not selling out is 33, 000 in a 38,000 seat stadium. Unlike Tampa where it's easier to count who is in attendance then it is to count empty seats.

The Red Sox started out pretty hot 4-2 road trip and then winning again on opening day. The Baltimore Orioles came back late in the 9^th last night and hammered new closer Joel Hanrehan welcome to the American League Joel. The Orioles scored 5 in the Ninth including one ona Wild Pitch a 20 year old Manny Machado hit a 3 run blast to cap it off. Chris Davis also had a ninth inning home run. I’m suspecting the 2013 may have afew of these nights but that’s baseball.

John Lackey is back on the  DL with a right bicep strain. It looked like his damn arm was falling off when it happened . he should be fine. Jackie Bradley JR. seems to be struggling a bit his this kid was the hot story in camp and after watching him a few times I bought in. However, I think he may end up going down and then coming back up later in the year.

Rob Gronkowski looks like he will be going under the knife again due to infection in his surgically repaired arm. They may have to take the plate out. Is Gronk one of those guys that will end up being he could have been great but injuries killed his career? Who are the guys that fall in that category on your list?

NHL UPDATE

The Penguins have clinched the Atlantic Divison. They will be the number one seed in the East. I have to ask did the Rangers upset their own Applecart by trading Marian Grabonik? The Rangers are sitting in the eigth seed after a win last night . Thet are two points a head of Winnipeg. Take notice the third place Capitials have had the hot hand lately they are 8-1-1 in their last ten including a 5 game win streak. The Bruins got spanked a little last Saturday against the Canadiens but has shown some much needed offense beating the Canes 6-2 on Monday and The Devils 5-4 last night.

LIL Warrior Update

The boys season came to a crushing end on Saturday. They lost to ahot Nashua team 5-0. The boys skated there Butts off and just couldn’t get it going. They went down 1-0 and the got behind 2-0 on power play. Nashua played well. This was the most fun group of kids I have ever been lucky enough to coach. They were fun and they all wanted the play all the time.

One of the really coolest things happened after the game. A kid from the Nashua team all sweaty after changing out of his uniform. He came into our locker room myself and the guy I coach with were the last two all the kids had cleared out. He came up to us shy and timid and said hey coach can you tell Caleb thank you for me. This kid and Caleb had a lot of back and forth and pushing in all 4 games we played them this season.

The kid went down in the playoff game and Caleb was the kid who gave him in encouragement. I talked to the kid from Nashua’s parents afterward they were as proud as peacocks of the kid. They said that Caleb fustrated this kid tono end all year. That’s the class of Hockey at a young age. We told Caleb’s parents what happened  as well. Mrs Lanz did a very cool thing for the coaching staff she had all the kids sign a team picture for each of the coaches. The season ended with a Banquet on Tuesday turned in Lil Lanz’s #44 Jersey and it’s time to move into baseball and lax. One last lil Lanz story he some how conned teenage anti sport daughter Lanz to play NHL on the XBOX with him. She came out and said he had  his guy and whole bunch of guys with funny names that I couldn’t prounce.He apparently loaded the team with Superstars with Russian and Swedish last names.

On Sunday Middle Lanz had his first Lax game in the 7/8 grade divison understanding for the past 3 or 4 years there have been 3 teams in this group since 4^th grade and they have only lost 2 regular season games combined in that time frame both by 1 goal. The field narrowed to two teams this season both lost and I’m not sure the kids knew how to handle it. Middle Lanz’s team came off with the deer in the head light look. To their credit they played a great first half not so good in the second half.

Has anyone checked the price of a baseball lately. Middle lanz has moved into Sr Little League which is the equivilent of Babe Ruth. I bought him a nice bat for Christmas that he can't use. They have to use BBCore (Ball to Bat Co efficent resolution) Bats  these are composite and aluminum bats that act like wood bats more or less. It takes the pop out of the bat so the ball does come off s fast. The prices on them are crazy. Finally found a discontinued model. It was still expensive but not has bad as some of the others.

Well, I've gotten the flat screens installed on the walls, but something is missing.  Perhaps paying the electric bill would help.  The Tavern has been back in business for a week now and the first goon looking for "protection money" just left the room, courtesy of one of our favorite locals...seems ADF thought the dude was macking on his lady friend.  Congrats AverageDetFan, the best of everything to you. And here, have a coupon for 25% off your next Duffs after you purchase 5 at the regular price. On another, but related note,  As of yesterday, I celebrated by 12th anniversary.  Our man BOB celebrated 25 years last week, so we're really running the gamut here.  

I was pretty sure the opening of the baseball season would be a referendum of the entirety of the season.  I mean, when was the last time the Red Sox and Yankees were slated to compete for LAST in the division?  So, the beginning of the season turned out okay for the good guys, and by good guys I mean the guys wearing the Red Sox uniform.  Because, let’s face it, for me it’s all about the local laundry.

I was at a client this week and their office overlooks the Charles River in Boston.  Site of the Head of the Charles Regatta…in the near distance was the MIT dome.  To the left was the Citgo sign that lights up Kenmore Square in all of those Sox replays on ESPN.  Simply amazing…and they were embarrassed the terrace wasn’t open yet.  How many of us should have such working conditions as to have to bear not being able to people watch for during lunch hour from the terrace?  I work with a similarly situated company in Atlanta – they actually get a discount on their lease because their view is “obstructed.” How?  There’s a railing that obstructs their view of the skyline.  I wonder if I should call Bank of America and complain they should reduce my mortgage interest rate because if I sit on my deck, the neighbors pass judgment on my pajamas.

My least junior Mo has been entertaining college acceptances.  Truly, it’s been a hard time for me – accepting that my oldest was a high school student has taken me 4-years, now I have to accept that she’s going to college come the fall.  There’s always a lot to consider when choosing schools.  Like, say, who leads the school basketball program – especially when the school you’re choosing really only has a basketball team.  I’m sure there are fathers all over this great land weighing the same issues this one is – where to go, majors, financial aid…and well, how the AD is going to handle a student bullying issue.

So we find ourselves at Rutgers this week, where Mike Rice was shown the door after a video surfaced of him berating  players (oh, by the way, when I say player I do mean “student”) with homophobic slurs and kicking them.   Oh, and by the way, this behavior had been investigated earlier where Rice was fined and suspended.  I’m all for second chances – truly – but when we’re talking about kids, and certainly when we’re talking about people  in whom we entrust leadership positions to our kids, there has to be a high standard.  Bob Knight coached at Indiana for close to 30 years – I suspect largely because 1) he was a winner and 2) cell phone cameras were still in the future.  Rice had no such advantage…on either count. 

Don’t get me wrong – I LOVE football.  Really.  But, as I made clear a few weeks back, I think the NFL has a credibility problem.  Specifically, they’re mitigating liability through deliberately slow research and holding back what the public and scientific community knows and understands about head injury.  They make adjustments to the game on the basis of sponsorships and rule changes.  The latest announcement from the No Fun League is that they’ll start allowing cameras in the locker room.  The XFL remains only in our memories (“HE HATE ME”), but at least one vestage remains: in locker room cameras.  They nibble around the edges instead of dealing with the issues of import to the game.  That’s what cheeses me off.  Seriously?  Let’s have an authentic game, and we won’t have to worry about the crap in the locker rooms.

A parting shot:  The Bruins acquired Jaromir Jagr this week…only about 20 years too late.  I was going to grad school in Pittsburgh in the early 90’s when the Pens were hot and Jagr was winning Stanley Cups.  To acquire a guy that’s officially protected under the Age Discrimination in Employment Act as being over 40 to fill a need is a scary proposition.  God bless the man that he’s playing professional hockey after the age of 40 (good god, I can barely climb a flight of stairs), but this isn’t exactly a move that’ll put the B’s over the top.  Of course, in his first game, he scored the games lone goal to give the B's 3-points, so I could be wrong, but...it's risky putting your hopes on old guys.