10 Awesome Things That Happened This Weekend (5/23-5/25)

10. Manny Ramirez Signed as Player Coach For Cubs Minor League Team
            I don’t doubt that Manny Ramirez is a true student of hitting, but his ability to teach younger players his methods is something to keep an eye on. Ramirez was one of the more eccentric players in his day, so we’re not sure a typical minor leaguer will understand his tips.

9. Rory McIlroy Makes Stunning 7-Shot, Final Round Comeback

            “I ditched the bitch, and now I can win golf tournaments.” – Rory McIlroy’s comments after winning the BMW PGA Championship.

            Alright, he didn’t actually say that, but he should’ve.

8. Heat Win Rock Fight Against Pacers
            It literally felt like Ray Allen was the only person in the arena that could properly shoot a basketball. Game 4 is a must win for the Pacers.

7. Nico Rosberg Claims Second Straight Monaco Grand Prix
            Even better, Lewis Hamilton spent the majority of the weekend complaining about his fellow Mercedes driver. One of the most underrated things in all of sports is a Formula One rivalry developing between teammates.

6. Los Angles Kings Take Game 3 Over Defending Champs

            The Kings acquisition of Marion Gaborik at the trade deadline should go down as the transaction of the year, as Los Angles’ offense looks totally different than it did in the regular season. 

5. Josh Beckett Throws First No-Hitter of 2014

            Big news…Beckett cares this year!

4. Serge Ibaka’s Comeback Sparks Game 3 Rout For Oklahoma City

            I guess Ibaka should’ve been the MVP of the league.
        
3. Jimmie Johnson Ends Winless Streak
            Johnson has had multiple chances to get in the win column this season, and was finally able to breakthrough with a late race pass of Matt Kenseth.
         
2. Martin St. Louis Nets Overtime Winner, Gives Rangers 3-1 Series Lead
            St. Louis’ inspired play since the death of his mother has New York on the verge of its first Stanley Cup Finals appearance since 1994.

1. Ryan Hunter-Reay Wins Second Closest Indianapolis 500

            It’s a good thing Hunter-Reay was able to hold off Helio Castroneves, otherwise the world wouldn’t of got to see his young son celebrate with him in a matching fire suit.

10 Awesome Things That Happened This Weekend (5/9-5/11)

10. No Credentials Fantasy Football Hero Josh Gordon Likely Facing a 2014 Suspension
            We’re guessing he’s a pretty big supporter of legalizing marijuana.

9. Strange Indy Car Road Course Race at Indianapolis Was an Awful Idea

            We’re not sure which was worse, running the cars backwards on the road course, or the standing start that nearly killed the mayor of Indianapolis. Either way, less people showed up for this event than the first two Nationwide races at the Brickyard.

8. Nets Batter Miami From 3-Point Line, Claim Game 3

            Not a good sign for Brooklyn when it takes 60% shooting from downtown to win.

7. Michael Sam Lands With St. Louis Rams
            Of all teams he could’ve landed with, ending up in the same state he went to college and with the chance to learn from Robert Quinn and Chris Long was the best destination Sam could’ve asked for.

6. Paul George Goes Bonkers, Leads Pacers to 3-1 Series Lead Over Washington

            There’s the Paul George who looked like an MVP candidate before the calendar turned to 2014.

5. Rangers Push Penguins to Unlikely Game 7

            Kudos to New York for playing inspired hockey in honor of Martin St. Louis’ mother, who just passed away a few days ago.

4. Bruins Dominate Game 5, Up 3-2 on Montreal

            Through two periods, it looks like we’re going to a Game 7 in Boston.
         
3. Jeff Gordon Barely Holds Off Kevin Harvick, Wins at Kansas
            Career win #89 solidifies Gordon’s standing in the playoffs. Harvick has been the most dominant driver this season, but Gordon has been the most consistent.
         
2. 20-Year Old John Gibson Pitches Shutout in NHL Playoff Debut, Helps Ducks Even Series With Kings
            Gibson had only logged three career NHL games before becoming the youngest goalie in the history of THE NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE to pitch a shutout in his playoff debut. Remarkable.

1. Down 16 in the Fourth, Clippers Rally to Even Series With Thunder

            Just when it looked like we could begin discussing the implications of another Spurs-Thunder Western Conference Final, the Clippers rallied to make a series of it.

NHL Conference Finals Preview

            I’ve been a casual Bruins fan since the days of Cam Neely, Adam Oates, and Ray Bourque (that was a killer threesome in NHLPA ’93 for Super Nintendo). When things for Boston were so bad that they traded Bourque to Colorado so he would have a chance to win the Stanley Cup, I cheered for the Avalanche (because that’s what every Bruins fan did). The failure of the Joe Thornton-era Bruins against Montreal before the lockout were devastating to the franchise, ultimately leading the club to trade Thornton a month into the 2005-06 season (the Bruins were pretty solid in NHL ’03, but unfortunately, Byron Dafoe was a much more effective video game goalie than a real life one). Thornton going on to win the MVP the very same year he was traded seemed to doom the Bruins to a decade of futility.

            Which makes where we are today all the more amazing. Boston enters its first Conference Finals since 1992 tomorrow night when they face the Tampa Bay Lightning. Tim Thomas (who is the biggest reason Boston has been able to rebound from the Thornton trade to make the playoffs the past four seasons) is squaring off against fellow old-timer Dwayne Roloson in a battle of two ancient goaltenders that are on a roll. Thomas turned in a masterpiece in Game 3 of the Flyers series, stopping 46 straight shots after surrendering two early goals to help Boston steal the game in double overtime. Roloson has been on fire ever since Tampa fell behind 3 games to 1 against Pittsburgh. Often hockey comes down to which team has the hotter goalie. In this case, both old dudes cancel each other out.

            Where this series will be won is in the match-up between the Boston defensemen against Tampa Bay’s highly skilled forwards. Vinny Lecavalier and Martin St. Louis are playing almost as well as they did during Tampa’s 2004 Stanley Cup Finals run. Steven Stamkos has cemented his status as one of the game’s elite. Journeyman Sean Bergenheim has come out of nowhere to lead the league in playoff goals scored. Boston has a pretty deep defensive unit, but I’m not sure they will be able to contain the Lightning attack for a seven game series.

            This year’s run by the Bruins has been a thrill. I’ve been sucked in since Game 3 of the first round against Montreal. In my heart, I want to see Boston win, but in my head I don’t see it happening. Roloson will give Boston a much tougher test than the revolving door in goal the Flyers were throwing at them. Look for Tampa’s superior firepower to prevail.

PREDICTION = Lightning in 7