News Makers, Rumors, Champs & More Chumps

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-Digger's Daily-

Another week of sports news made headlines. Plenty to talk about from new ballparks to retiring legends.

GoodNew Yorkers were treated to the unveiling of new baseball stadiums. Yankee Stadium and Citi Field officially opened to tremendous fanfare. Unfortunately, both Yanks & Mets lost their inaugural regular season games.

Florida Marlins (10-1) hot start is turning heads. Florida has baseball's lowest payroll ($36,834,000 vs #1 Yankees $201,449,189). They're a great young team. This organization keeps rolling out baseball's brighest young stars. I've always admired how the Marlins were able to keep winning games year after year considering how they normally trade away star players due to tight budgets.

NBA & NHL Playoffs have begun. Early favorites in hoops seem to be Cleveland and Los Angeles Lakers. On the ice, Boston and San Jose try duplicating their regular season dominance. I'm thinking it'll be Lakers & Bruins as champs.

Rumors
NFL Draft begins this weekend (April 25). Rumors flying on what Detroit (0-16) will do with the leagues first pick? I wouldn't be surprised to see them deal off #1 for more picks which is exactly what this team needs. If they decide to go first, then their front office needs to get it right. Detroit has a young nucleus of players. 0-16 will be etched into the record books forever but these guys are only a couple of players away from becoming playoff challengers. All sorts of fantasy leagues are open for fans to guess how the draft unfolds.

Is it already hot seat time for Yankees Manager Joe Girardi? 2008 was his first year at the helm (replaced Joe Torre) and Yanks failed to make playoffs for the first time since 1994. Baseball's biggest payroll, new stadium, new monster free agents... if it doesn't fall into place soon, he could be MLB's first managing casualty of '09. 22-4 scalping by Indians couldn't have helped.

New York Giants shopping for a wide receiver. Rumors swirling around Cleveland's Blaylon Edwards. Giants need 2 speedsters for Manning. The coming days leading up to the NFL draft will be very interesting for many teams.

Boston Celtics star Kevin Garnett is considering risking returning prematurely from his knee injury. Injuries suck, but KG would be foolish to risk his future. His injury is a great test for the C's to regroup. Many Championships have been won with stars injured on the sidelines.

Champs
The Masters handed out another Green Jacket. Angel Cabrera withstood a furious surge then fadaway by Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson to win his first Masters.

NASCAR's Mark Martin won the Subway Fresh Fit 500 in Phoenix (1st win of the season).

Hall of Fame former Oakland Raiders NFL Head Coach turned game commentator John Madden has called it a career after 30 years in the booth. As Raiders head coach, he became the youngest to win 100 regular season games. Retired from coaching due to ulcers after 7 division titles & 1976 Super Bowl victory. One of the most noted broadcasters and launched best selling video game (Madden NFL, EA Sports). I've always been a Madden fan. I'm going to miss is goofy in game comments and 8 legged Thanksgiving Day turkeys.

Chumps
New York Yankees, in their Stadium opening weekend, were embarrassed 22-4 by the Cleveland Indians. The Tribe's 14 run second inning was the most ever scored against the Yanks in a single inning. I'm betting the Joe Girardi stop watch has been set. If things don't get better in a hurry, he'll be gone (soon to be followed by GM Cashman). Their new $1.5-billion Stadium unleashed an MLB record 20 home runs (the most ever during an opening homestand at a new park). Apparent routine fly balls to right kept going and going and going... This can't be what the Yanks brass had in mind. Then again, maybe it was just their horrid pitching staff tossing up meatball after meatball.

New York Mets organization deserves chump status for failing to pay any sort of tribute to team history in new Citi Field. Most fan complaints have been how this new park seems more like a tribute to the Dodgers instead of the home team. Exec GM was lured onto local sports talk radio to field questions of fan concerns only to dig a deeper hole. Tax funded field fails to recognize the team for which it was supposed to be built. It's a mind boggling blunder.

RIP
Harry Kalas, a people's champion, died on April 13th. Kalas was a legend in the Philadelphia area, calling Phillies games since 1971. He was also known as the voice of NFL Films since 1977. There was never mistaking his voice for another.