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In the Bleachers: Blog #50
Greetings, sports fans. Time for another blog for my show, "In the Bleachers," the TV show for the world's most passionate sports fans, which can be seen tomorrow at 2:00 PM on Staten Island Community TV's Channel 57 in Staten Island, NY. Here's what's happening.
The first round of the NFL Draft came and went last night, with no drama and little surprises. As expected, Oklahoma QB Sam Bradford was drafted number one overall by the Rams. His selection unwittingly started a trend in the first round. Of the first six picks in the draft, five of them came from the Big 12 Conference. After Bradford, Nebraska defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh was taken second by the Lions. Bradford's teammate, defensive tackle Gerald McCoy, was picked third by the Buccaneers. Another Sooner, offensive tackle Trent Williams, was taken fourth by the Redskins. Russell Okong, an offensive tackle from Oklahoma State, was picked sixth by the Seahawks. Overall, nine players from the Big 12 Conference were picked in the first round. The Southeastern Conference may have produced Alabama as the national champion, but the Big 12 produced the better quality of players.
A pair of mild surprises took place in the first round. California defensive tackle Tyson Alualu, who was not projected to be a first rounder, was taken 10th overall by the Jaguars. Florida QB Tim Tebow wound up being drafted in the first round ahead of Notre Dame QB Jimmy Clausen. Tebow was picked 25th by the Broncos. Denver is going to regret drafting him this high. It also shows that their confidence in current starter Kyle Orton may be declining.
On the local front, the Giants made a risky pick of their own by selecting South Florida defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul at number 15. Pierre-Paul began playing organized football in his senior year of high school, and spent two years in junior college before playing only seven games at USF. Pierre Paul is best known for doing 13 consecutive back flips during practice for the International Bowl in Toronto, a trick that scored him over 500,000 hits on You Tube. His athleticism is unquestioned, but his lack of football experience is very concerning. He's a coachable young man who needs to learn how to play at the big time.
The Jets drafted Boise State defensive back Kyle Wilson, a New Jersey native, at number 29. Wilson is a playmaker (11 interceptions, two returned for touchdowns, three punt return touchdowns in four years) with a lot of quickness; he's also undersized (5'10", 194 pounds) and has quite a bit of swagger to him. He'll fit in very nicely as a nickelback in Rex Ryan's defense.
The unthinkable became reality: the Mets won a series! The Amazins took three out of four from the Cubs and go into their weekend series with the Braves with some momentum. Call it coincidence, but why do I get the feeling that things finally swung their way from the moment that Ike Davis was called up from the minors?
The Yankees face the Angels for the second time in as many weeks, with the scene shifting to Southern California. Angels Stadium has long been a house of horrors for the Yanks, but after taking a regular season series last September before beating the Angels in the American League Championship Series, the Yanks now have confidence playing on the Angels' home field.
Alex Rodriguez is very disliked around baseball. Oakland A's pitcher Dallas Braden is the next player to make derogatory comments about him. Braden bristled when A-Rod stepped on the mound and the pitching rubber when he returned to first base after a foul ball was hit during yesterday's Yankees-A's game. I didn't know there was an unwritten rule about position players not being allowed to step on the pitcher's mound during a game. A-Rod is a lightning rod for controversy, but that was just too bizarre.
The season is officially over for the Devils. The Flyers only needed five games to beat the Devils in the first round of the NHL Playoffs. Look no further than the Devils' awful power play (4-of-32) as their downfall. The Flyers imposed their will and were more physical than the Devils, who've been eliminated in the first round each of the last three seasons. Brian Boucher totally outplayed Martin Brodeur in goal. Ilya Kovalchuk (one goal), who was acquired by the Devils from Atlanta to add scoring, disappeared. There's your story.
The best game of the first round so far was last night's triple overtime thriller won by the Senators against the Penguins. The way the two teams buckled down in the extra sessions shows how great a sport hockey is; it also shows why the league has to get rid of that ill-advised shootout rule.
The Capitals and Bruins can wrap up their respective series with Game Five victories tonight. The Caps lead the Canadiens, 3-1, while the Bruins lead the Sabres, 3-1. The other series will go at least six games. The Sharks now lead the Avalanche, 3-2, after a San Jose win last night. The Black Hawks won last night to tie the Predators, 2-2. The Kings and Canucks are tied 2-2, as are the Coyotes and Red Wings. Both series have fifth games tonight.
The Oklahoma City Thunder will not go away easily. The Thunder got a 29-point, 19-rebound game from Kevin Durant to beat the Lakers and cut their series lead to 2-1. The Bulls cut the Cavaliers lead at just 2-1 thanks to a combined 58 points from Derrick Rose and Kirk Hinrich. The Suns put the young but injured Blazers in their place and grabbed a 2-1 lead after a blowout win. Three series resume tonight: Celtics vs. Heat (Boston leads 2-0), Mavericks vs. Spurs (tied 1-1), and Nuggets vs. Jazz (tied 1-1).
The NCAA basketball tournament will expand next season, but not to 96 teams. The NCAA signed a new 14-year, $10.8 billion television deal with CBS, which will have Turner Networks as a partner. As part of the new deal, the NCAA basketball tournament will expand from 65 teams to 68, meaning there will be three extra play-in games. The tournament will now be broadcast on CBS, TBS, TNT, and Tru TV, with CBS and TBS alternating broadcast rights to the Final Four and the national title game starting in 2016.
That's all for now. For those of you living in Staten Island, NY, watch "In the Bleachers" every Saturday at 2:00 PM on Staten Island Community TV's Channel 57. For all others, read my blogs on Facebook (www.facebook.com/inthebleachers), Twitter (www.twitter.com/midnightblue72), and My Staten Island Life (www.mystatenislandlife.com) and watch my video archives on You Tube (screen name midnightblue1272). Thanks again. Peace & love!
The first round of the NFL Draft came and went last night, with no drama and little surprises. As expected, Oklahoma QB Sam Bradford was drafted number one overall by the Rams. His selection unwittingly started a trend in the first round. Of the first six picks in the draft, five of them came from the Big 12 Conference. After Bradford, Nebraska defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh was taken second by the Lions. Bradford's teammate, defensive tackle Gerald McCoy, was picked third by the Buccaneers. Another Sooner, offensive tackle Trent Williams, was taken fourth by the Redskins. Russell Okong, an offensive tackle from Oklahoma State, was picked sixth by the Seahawks. Overall, nine players from the Big 12 Conference were picked in the first round. The Southeastern Conference may have produced Alabama as the national champion, but the Big 12 produced the better quality of players.
A pair of mild surprises took place in the first round. California defensive tackle Tyson Alualu, who was not projected to be a first rounder, was taken 10th overall by the Jaguars. Florida QB Tim Tebow wound up being drafted in the first round ahead of Notre Dame QB Jimmy Clausen. Tebow was picked 25th by the Broncos. Denver is going to regret drafting him this high. It also shows that their confidence in current starter Kyle Orton may be declining.
On the local front, the Giants made a risky pick of their own by selecting South Florida defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul at number 15. Pierre-Paul began playing organized football in his senior year of high school, and spent two years in junior college before playing only seven games at USF. Pierre Paul is best known for doing 13 consecutive back flips during practice for the International Bowl in Toronto, a trick that scored him over 500,000 hits on You Tube. His athleticism is unquestioned, but his lack of football experience is very concerning. He's a coachable young man who needs to learn how to play at the big time.
The Jets drafted Boise State defensive back Kyle Wilson, a New Jersey native, at number 29. Wilson is a playmaker (11 interceptions, two returned for touchdowns, three punt return touchdowns in four years) with a lot of quickness; he's also undersized (5'10", 194 pounds) and has quite a bit of swagger to him. He'll fit in very nicely as a nickelback in Rex Ryan's defense.
The unthinkable became reality: the Mets won a series! The Amazins took three out of four from the Cubs and go into their weekend series with the Braves with some momentum. Call it coincidence, but why do I get the feeling that things finally swung their way from the moment that Ike Davis was called up from the minors?
The Yankees face the Angels for the second time in as many weeks, with the scene shifting to Southern California. Angels Stadium has long been a house of horrors for the Yanks, but after taking a regular season series last September before beating the Angels in the American League Championship Series, the Yanks now have confidence playing on the Angels' home field.
Alex Rodriguez is very disliked around baseball. Oakland A's pitcher Dallas Braden is the next player to make derogatory comments about him. Braden bristled when A-Rod stepped on the mound and the pitching rubber when he returned to first base after a foul ball was hit during yesterday's Yankees-A's game. I didn't know there was an unwritten rule about position players not being allowed to step on the pitcher's mound during a game. A-Rod is a lightning rod for controversy, but that was just too bizarre.
The season is officially over for the Devils. The Flyers only needed five games to beat the Devils in the first round of the NHL Playoffs. Look no further than the Devils' awful power play (4-of-32) as their downfall. The Flyers imposed their will and were more physical than the Devils, who've been eliminated in the first round each of the last three seasons. Brian Boucher totally outplayed Martin Brodeur in goal. Ilya Kovalchuk (one goal), who was acquired by the Devils from Atlanta to add scoring, disappeared. There's your story.
The best game of the first round so far was last night's triple overtime thriller won by the Senators against the Penguins. The way the two teams buckled down in the extra sessions shows how great a sport hockey is; it also shows why the league has to get rid of that ill-advised shootout rule.
The Capitals and Bruins can wrap up their respective series with Game Five victories tonight. The Caps lead the Canadiens, 3-1, while the Bruins lead the Sabres, 3-1. The other series will go at least six games. The Sharks now lead the Avalanche, 3-2, after a San Jose win last night. The Black Hawks won last night to tie the Predators, 2-2. The Kings and Canucks are tied 2-2, as are the Coyotes and Red Wings. Both series have fifth games tonight.
The Oklahoma City Thunder will not go away easily. The Thunder got a 29-point, 19-rebound game from Kevin Durant to beat the Lakers and cut their series lead to 2-1. The Bulls cut the Cavaliers lead at just 2-1 thanks to a combined 58 points from Derrick Rose and Kirk Hinrich. The Suns put the young but injured Blazers in their place and grabbed a 2-1 lead after a blowout win. Three series resume tonight: Celtics vs. Heat (Boston leads 2-0), Mavericks vs. Spurs (tied 1-1), and Nuggets vs. Jazz (tied 1-1).
The NCAA basketball tournament will expand next season, but not to 96 teams. The NCAA signed a new 14-year, $10.8 billion television deal with CBS, which will have Turner Networks as a partner. As part of the new deal, the NCAA basketball tournament will expand from 65 teams to 68, meaning there will be three extra play-in games. The tournament will now be broadcast on CBS, TBS, TNT, and Tru TV, with CBS and TBS alternating broadcast rights to the Final Four and the national title game starting in 2016.
That's all for now. For those of you living in Staten Island, NY, watch "In the Bleachers" every Saturday at 2:00 PM on Staten Island Community TV's Channel 57. For all others, read my blogs on Facebook (www.facebook.com/inthebleachers), Twitter (www.twitter.com/midnightblue72), and My Staten Island Life (www.mystatenislandlife.com) and watch my video archives on You Tube (screen name midnightblue1272). Thanks again. Peace & love!
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