NBA Playoff Predictions - Conference Semifinals

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-Digger's Daily-

Ready. Set. Go. Great Semifinal games on deck. The first round of NBA Playoffs produced one huge upset. Memphis knocked off #1 seed San Antonio for their first ever playoff series victory. How far can they go?
Time for round two. Great match-ups will produce thrilling games. Prediction time...

EAST
Boston vs Miami - Much anticipated series will not disappoint... unless you live in South Florida. Miami's big 3 up against one of the best defenses. Boston has more than 3 big time players including one of the leagues deepest benches. Celtics in 5.

Chicago vs Atlanta - #1 seed Chicago dominated Atlanta in regular season action. Chicago is destined for East Conference Finals. Atlanta is a great team but no match for Bulls defense. Chicago sweep.

WEST
Los Angeles vs Dallas - By far the best semi's match-up. How far can the Lakers go? Can Dallas finally shake their playoff failures? Mavs are one of NBA's best teams. Deep & talented but always seem to find new ways to blow playoff series. Lakers are one of the best taking advantage of opponents weaknesses. Lakers bend but don't break D snarls opponents in late game situations. This one will go the distance. Lakers big game pressure wins vs Mavs big game pressure chokes. Lakers in 7.

Oklahoma City vs Memphis - OKC had no problem sending Denver packing in 5. Memphis stunned top seeded San Antonio. Memphis beat OKC in 3 of 4 regular season games. Each game of this series will come down to the final possession. Grizzlies hungry, determined, win in 6.

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NHL Playoff Predictions: Conference Semifinals

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-Digger's Daily-

NHL players, coaches & teams treated us to a sensational opening quarterfinal round of playoff hockey. Boston and Montreal went Mano-a-Mano in classic Bruins vs Canadiens fashion. Boston dropped the first two games before rallying back and winning game 7 in overtime.

Semifinal action up next. Series match-ups couldn't be better.

EAST
(1) Washington vs (5) Tampa Bay. Caps won 4 of 6 regular season meetings and are well rested after besting Rangers in 5. Tampa needed 7 in their opening round stunner over Pittsburgh. Two hot teams. This one will go the distance. Washington in 7.

(2) Philadelphia vs (3) Boston. Another great match-up featuring two old rivals. Boston vs Philly 70's hockey usually led to plenty of gashes, stitches, bruises, high sticks... basically, something resembling the movie "Slap Shot". Nowadays, they play great hockey minus goons-manlike actions. Boston has a score to settle after chocking last year. Bruins led the series 3-0. Then, after Philly forced a game 7, Boston led the deciding game 3-0. Guess what? A monster sized choke and the Flyers were soon celebrating on center ice.
Boston gets redeemed. Bruins prevail in a classic hard fought 7 game series victory.

WEST
(1) Vancouver vs (5) Nashville. Canucks nearly gave away their opening round series vs arch rival Chicago. Nashville recorded playoff series victory number one. Who wants it more? I'd bet most eyes are focused on other series. This one will be just as great. Vancouver in 6.

(2) San Jose vs (3) Detroit. Detroit's the most well rested team standing in the playoffs right now. They're exceptional in post-season play. San Jose took 3 of 4 regular season games. However, this is playoff hockey. SJ bested Detroit last year. Detroit will not let it happen again. Red Wings in 5.


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Baseball Power Rankings

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-Digger's Daily-

The 2011 Major League Baseball season is well underway. The calendar will soon ring in a new month. April showers delivered a little relief for teams battling early season injury bugs. What's in store for May?
Plenty of baseball news from slow starting clubs expected to excel (Boston, Tampa Bay) to a few surprise teams attempting to resurrect flailing franchises (Kansas City, Washington). Injury bug biting hard. AL MVP Hamilton leads the list consisting of Aaron Hill, Scott Rolen, Chase Utley, Ryan Zimmerman, Angel Pagan, Joe Mauer, Evan Longoria, Neftali Feliz, Phil Hughes and Andrew Bailey. So how have teams fared dealing with distractions?

Baseball Power Rankings

1 - Phillies (15-6). MLB's top rotation will keep Phil's #1 all year long unless injuries take over. Utley's been missed but team is responding.
2 - Rangers (14-7). Rangers lost Hamilton. Now closer Feliz is gone. Rangers rotation got off to a flying start. How will they hold up during scorching 100+ degree Texas summer? Time will tell. For now, all systems go on offense.
3 - Rockies (14-7). Colorado's trying something new, 1st place in April. Maybe they've figured out winning in April is every bit as important as winning in September. Rockies getting the job done without much from staff ace Jiminez.
4 - Yankees (12-6). Yankees taking advantage of slow starts by Boston & Tampa. Surviving a less than stellar starting rotation which has impressed during season's opening few weeks. Lineup is one of most feared in the game.
5 - Marlins (13-7). Not many expected Florida to be this high up on the list. Hanley Ramirez hasn't been his usual self. Marlins doing what Marlins to best... playing "team" baseball. Keep an eye on these guys.
6 - Indians (13-8). Here's a team completely surprising us. Team defense has much to do with their success. Outfielders thwarting opposing base-runners. Pitchers getting it done. Timely hitting too. Can it last? Doubt it but fans in Cleveland having fun for now.
7 - Tigers (12-10). Detroit riding a mild 4 game win streak. Does this mean they've shaken off early season blues? Injuries to key players have forced different lineups nearly every night. Pitchers finally beginning to perform.
8 - Cardinals (12-10). It's been the Lance Berkman show. Pujols might miss a few days with a sore hammy. Bullpen is biggest question mark at the moment.
9 - Royals (12-10). Kansas City has a nucleus of fine young players. It's all about pitching for these guys. If starters can finally deliver then good days await. If not, then these guys will sink. There's not middle ground here.
10- Angels (12-10). Weaver will most likely finish April as Pitcher of the Month. Streaky LA came out of the gates on fire. Now riding a 4 game slide. Vern Wells has been an early season bust. Angels counting on big things when Morales finally returns from his grand slam celebratory broken ankle.

Keep an eye on... Brewers, Dodgers, A's & Rays.

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Dodger Blues

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-Digger's Daily-

Major League Baseball has taken over day to day operations of the Los Angeles Dodgers. An ugly divorce battle between owners Frank and Jamie McCourt have fueled speculation the team was in financial crisis. McCourt reportedly borrowed $50million recently from Fox Sports to meet payroll and was seeking $200million advance payment on television royalties which was subsequently rejected by Commissioner Selig.
There's been plenty of turmoil in LA. McCourt's divorce. A Giants fan critically beaten in the Dodger Stadium parking lot. Payroll concerns. Dwindling attendance. Selig thought it was time to step in as this once proud franchise teeters with doom.

"Pursuant to my authority as Commissioner, I informed Los Angeles Dodgers owner Frank McCourt today that I will appoint a representative to oversee all aspects of the business and the day-to-day operations of the Club," Selig said in a statement. (mlb.com)

So what becomes of the Dodgers? LA is a lucrative franchise in a prominent city. Buyers should be lining up at the door. Speaking of buyers, all's quiet in New York these days. Mets brass may soon fall under the direction of MLB too if they're not careful. Mets are in steep financial decline rocked by ownerships Madoff association.
Dodger Blues haven't sang this loud since Walter O'Malley & Robert Moses stomped on thousands of Brooklyn hearts many years ago.

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2011 NBA Playoff Predictions

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-Digger's Daily-

NBA Playoff basketball is about to begin. Grab a seat and catch all the action. Some great opening round series set to thrill. Don't get overly excited expecting upsets. Then again, over confident teams beware.

EAST
Chicago (62-20) vs Indiana (37-45). The new era of Chicago Bulls basketball has arrived. Bulls own NBA's best record. No let up here. Indiana outclassed. Bulls in 4
Orlando (52-30) vs Atlanta (44-38). Atlanta won the season series 3-1. Expect more of the same as Orlando's playoff misfortunes soon to be highlighted once again. Atlanta in 6.
Miami (58-24) vs Philadelphia (41-41). Is Miami deep enough to win playoff games? Much publicity surrounding this group. Wade, LeBron & Bosh answered the challenge once. Can they do it again. 76ers lucky to be here. Miami rolls in 4.
Boston (556-26) vs New York (42-40). It's been a long time coming. Boston vs New York playoff basketball resumes as the Knicks earned their first post-season trip since '03-04. This was also NY's first winning season in 10 years. Boston is struggling. Can NY pull off a big 1st round upset? Time will tell. Boston in 7.

WEST
San Antonio (61-21) vs Memphis (46-36). Spurs too good to think Memphis has any chance. Spurs sweep.
Los Angeles (57-25) vs New Orleans (46-36). Lakers team is aged, tired and banged up. NO is hungry. The stage is set for an early round upset. Don't bet on it. Lakers own Hornets. LA in 5.
Dallas (57-25) vs Portland (48-34). No team wanted to open up against a hot Portland club. Dallas/Portland split their season series 2 apiece. They match up evenly. Dallas' playoff failures well documented. Get ready to add another chapter. Portland in 7.
Oklahoma City (56-27) vs Denver (50-32). Pick'em. This series matches up evenly on paper. One of the most over looked series outside of respective home cities. Don't miss the action. These teams will thrill. OKC in 7.

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In Case You Missed It...

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-Digger's Daily-

April's been an action packed month of sports news. Highlights and low-lights splashing sports pages throughout our country. Here's a few eye catchers.

GUILTY!
Barry Bonds found guilty of obstruction of justice on Wednesday. Unfortunately, the same jury was unable to reach a verdict on three other counts that the juiced up home run king lied to a grand jury when he denied knowingly using steroids and human growth hormone. Bonds was aided by non-testimony of his sullied friend & trainer Greg Anderson who was in jail for the trial after refusing to testify effectively blocking potentially damaging evidence against Bonds. The judge "... would not let prosecutors present evidence of three alleged positive drug tests by Bonds because his personal trainer and childhood friend, Greg Anderson, refused to testify and there was no one to confirm the samples came from Bonds." (ESPN.com) Barry will forever be tainted and it's about time Major League Baseball recognizes Hank Aaron as the games true home run king.

The Masters
Any viewer lucky enough to watch Sunday's Masters finale witnessed a spectacular finish. Rory McIlroy was in command at -11 heading into final round action. One missed swing after another quickly shattered visions of glory. Before it was over McIlroy limped into the clubhouse after shooting an 80. Eventual champion Charl Schwartzel proceeded to steal the show with 4 consecutive birdies on the final 4 holes to earn his first Green Jacket! Tiger Woods thrilled fans with a super five under front nine. Schwartzel was hottest and walked off the 18th hole with a much deserved victory.

MLB
It didn't take long for injury bugs to swirl around the league. 2010 MVP Josh Hamilton was involved in the dumbest play of 2011. Hamilton was standing on third with one out. Adrian Beltre batting and a red hot Nelson Cruz on deck. Beltre skied one in foul territory near the third base dugout. For some strange reason, Texas 3B coach Dave Anderson instructed Hamilton to tag up and attempt scoring. When all was said and done Hamilton was out by a mile and broke his upper right arm. The AL's reigning MVP is now out for at least 8 weeks and probably longer. What major league coach tells a runner to tag up on a 30 foot foul pop to kill an inning? And... now Texas is without their top threat. Absolutely unbelievable. Hamilton did err on the play too. He dove head first into home plate. Big mistakes all around. Anderson should be demoted on sheer stupidity!

NFL
NFL and NFLPA are no closer to reaching a new collective bargaining agreement. Good news though. Even though a 2011 season seems doomed not to exist... the NFL released a pre-season schedule. Hmm, perhaps it's time owners started thinking of replacement players.

NHL - NBA Playoffs
Will new champions be crowned in the 2010-11 playoff season? If you're a hockey or hoops fan then buckle up for great first round match-ups. NHL Eastern Conference games don't get any better than this: Boston vs Montreal, Rangers vs Washington and Buffalo vs Philadelphia bring back memories of 70's era classic games. The faces may have changed but bet your bottom dollar the intensity hasn't.
NBA regular season ends this evening. Only playoff seeds remain to be determined.

Kobe Bryant Slur
NBA fines Kobe $100,000 for a gay slur. Are you kidding me? Just how overly sensitive has the USA become? Kobe did not rant. He did not storm the court flailing away screaming obscenities. Here's an athlete who muttered one word during the heat of battle. BIG DEAL. Evidently, the NBA though it was a big enough deal to levy a six digit fine. In a world where freedoms are being taken away day by day this one smarts. I do not condone what Kobe said. Not one bit. However, does it warrant a six digit fine? (Or any fine for that matter?). Not a chance. Kobe's apologized and is currently attempting damage control. Had Kobe made an issue or refused an apology or deeper inflamed a situation then "maybe" league intervention could be tolerated. Not like this. No how. No way. "Hey Commissioner Stern... you're....!"

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Power Rankings Movers & Shakers

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-Digger's Daily-

NHL
1 - Vancouver
2 - Washington
3 - San Jose
4 - Detroit
5 - Boston
6 - Pittsburgh
7 - Philadelphia
8 - Anaheim
9 - Nashville
10- Los Angeles

NBA
1 - San Antonio
2 - Chicago
3 - Dallas
4 - Miami
5 - Lakers
6 - Boston
7 - Oklahoma City
8 - Orlando
9 - Denver
10- Portland

MLB
1 - Philadelphia
2 - Texas
3 - Colorado
4 - Cleveland
5 - Baltimore
6 - Cincinnati
7 - White Sox
8 - Dodgers
9 - Yankees
10- Kansas City

NCAA Baseball
1 - Virginia
2 - Vanderbilt
3 - South Carolina
4 - Florida
5 - Texas
6 - Arizona State
7 - Texas A&M
8 - Florida State
9 - Fresno State
10- Oklahoma


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2010-11 Stanley Cup Playoff Predictions

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-Digger's Daily-

Playoff hockey is here. Get set for classic opening round series. No sure bets as teams get ready to lace'em up on the road to the Stanley Cup.

Here's how the first round will play out.

East
Boston survives a classic series against one of their longest rivals. Bruins 4 games to 3.
Buffalo is hot, Philly is not. Sabres over Flyers in 6.
Capitals finally find their playoff legs. Washington over Rangers in 7.
Penguins vs Tampa Bay will net many goals. Each game a shootout, Penguins prevail in 6.
 
West
Chicago will continue dominating Vancouver. 'Hawks in 5.
Sharks offense clearly outshines LA. San Jose in 5.
Never count Detroit out in playoff hockey. 'Wings in 5.
Every game was a must win down the stretch for Anaheim and they responded by winning 15 of 20. Ducks will not be contained. Anaheim in 6.


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Two Time Loser Manny Ramirez Escapes Sentencing!

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-Digger's Daily-

Manny Ramirez retired in disgrace Friday. Good riddance! Ramirez was facing a record 100 game ban by Major League Baseball after a spring training drug test came up positive for performance-enhancing drugs, again. Another steroids era junky bites the dust.

"Manny being Manny." How many times have we heard that saying during Ramirez conflicted career? Manny was usually being selfish and stupid. His outstanding statistical career officially forever tainted. Be cautioned not to dismiss Boston's World Series curse ending season too quickly. All teams were juicing up. Personally, the entire era should be thrown out. Mark McGwire vs Sammy Sosa chase of Roger Maris single season 61 home run record was a farce. Barry Bonds, farce. Owners and Bud Selig escaping their direct involvement and knowledge of steroids ruling the day for personal greed was criminal.

Manny's actions wore thin on Boston teammates. LA was fed up with Manny's attitude (and 50 game PED suspension). Tampa Bay took a $2million gamble nonetheless. It was a one week strike out. Another bridge burned. Another steroid star bites the dust. Barry Bonds must be relieved focus shifted away for one day.

One can always hope Hall of Fame voters forever banish all artificially juiced players. A scandalous era forever erasing legendary names from all time top lists. Enjoy your retirement on the lam Manny.


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Rays, Red Sox Winless

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-Digger's Daily-

Early season blues biting AL East favorites Tampa Bay and Boston. General managers from both clubs kept busy during the off-season re-arranging their rosters. The pieces are slow to gel.

AL East is on it's head from a year ago. Boston and Tampa dead last (0-5). Baltimore and Toronto tied for first (4-1) as Yanks (3-2) stay close behind. Hometown newspapers buzzing loudly as poor play rules the day.

No need for panic. It's only the first week of a new season. Tell it to the fans. Manny Ramirez already hearing boo-birds. Sox papers calling their heroes woeful. Offenses for both clubs sputtering. Tampa's notched 7 runs in 5 games. B.J. Upton (.333) represents the only starter batting over .176. Boston's plated an unimpressive 16 while pitchers battered for 37 against (8.16 ERA).

Everyone expects winning ways to bless these teams. Good news for Boston. They're about to begin a 10 game home stand against division rivals. New York (3), Tampa (3) & Toronto come to town. Sox pitchers better bring their A games against powerhouse Yanks and Jays. Tampa has a very tough stretch coming up. Four games in Chicago before heading to Boston (3). Things won't get any easier if the Rays keep losing. Minnesota comes to town for four followed by a four game rematch against Chicago.

2011 getting late early? Time will tell.

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Orioles Flying High

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-Digger's Daily-

Buck Showalter has re-invented Baltimore Orioles (4-0) baseball. Hustling, pitching, fielding, working counts and having fun. Buck's no nonsense approach is undefeated.

It's been a generation since Baltimore played respectable baseball before showing a glimmer of hope after Showalter took over late in 2010. Baltimore's surrendered a league low 4 runs through four games (1.00 ERA). Their bats have been doing just enough. Once heavy hitters break out the lumber things will get interesting in a hurry.

Just how good this team is remains to be seen. Lineup and defense are solid. All question marks revolve around O's starting rotation. So far so good. Let's see how they fare against Red Sox and Yankees lineups. Orioles first major litmus test is April 12 in the Bronx.


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