Baily's Sports & Stuff

Spurs vs. Mavericks Tim Duncan may not have had a very good reputation for forcing turnovers and being a passer. But tonight he scored 17, grabbed 10 rebounds, had 5 assists, 3 steals, and 3 blocks. When he got 26 from Manu Ginobli and 21 from George Hill, San Antonio was good to go. San Antonio ousted 2nd seeded Dallas and Dirk Nowitzki from the playoffs with a 97-87 Game 6 victory. The Spurs won 4 of the last 5 games, including a crucial Game 2 102-88, which was the turning point in the series. San Antonio plays Phoenix Monday night at 7:00 PM PT. Suns vs. Trail Blazers Steve Nash was keyed on. Amare Stoudemire was keyed on. Who is the Phoenix Suns' third man? Think forward who can shoot the jump shot. Jason Richardson. Richardson nailed 5 3's, scored 28, and helped Phoenix oust Portland 99-90 in 6 games. The Blazers made fantastic efforts in Games 1 and 4, but Richardson scored 28+ in 3 of the 4 games Phoenix won, including a playoff high 42 in the Suns' 108-89...

Bucks vs. Hawks The Milwaukee Bucks were never favored to beat the Atlanta Hawks, and when they fell in a 2-0 hole they were predicted to be done. But they never gave up and won games 3 and 4. 5, too. Brandon Jennings scored 25, Carlos Delfino hit a key 3 late as the Bucks beat the Hawks 91-87. Milwaukee now leads the series 3-2. Jennings hit 2 threes in the first and scored 12 straight Milwaukee points, and he scored 14 in the first. After Delfino and Ersan Ilyasova hit a 3, Milwaukee led 32-29. But Jennings was shut down, and he only had 2 points in the second. He hit a j early in the third, but his team was struggling. John Salmons scored 7 straight to keep Milwaukee in the game, but the Bucks ran out of power for a while after that. They were trailing 67-54 before Jennings hit a layup and Ersan Iylasova scored. After three quarters it was 69-61 Atlanta. Luke Ridnour scored 7 early fourth quarter points, including a 3 that cut the Hawks lead to 77-73. But Jamal Craw...

Today a new Mr. Irrelevant was found, and some possible future stars were found. Which team won and which teams lost? The New England Patriots were phenomenal. They picked up tight end Aaron Hernandez in the fourth, and then upgraded their O-line by taking Ted Larsen in the sixth and Thomas Welch in the seventh. They topped that off with Zac Robinson of Oklahoma State. Great job Patriots. The Philadelphia Eagles made a few trades in the second round of the draft that helped them get a lot of picks, which they used wisely. They got a great cornerback in Trevard Lindley, then they picked star Northwestern QB Mike Kafka. A few picks later, they got star Missouri State and Missouri Valley (conference) tight end Clay Harbor. They got DE Ricky Sapp out of Clemson and Florida's Riley Cooper (a steal) and LSU's Charles Scott. They topped that off with Kurt Coleman, a good Ohio State safety. The Eagles did the best job in Day 3. The Carolina Panthers continued what they starte...

On ESPN's sports science, I learned that John Skelton, from Fordham University, had a better completion percentage in his last 2 years of college than Peyton Manning (62.9%-62.2%). He had a 90% percent accuracy rate and he has a quicker release than Manning. He is 6 foot 5. 270 milliseconds to get his eyes on the target, and 540 milliseconds later, his throwing motion begins. He also has an angular velocity of 2200 degrees! More than 370 RPM's, which is faster than a chainsaw! He has a spiral at almost 600 RPM, and a ball velocity of almost 61 miles per hour. Skelton was drafted 155th by the Arizona Cardinals, where he should compete with Matt Leinart for the starting job. Starting QB Kurt Warner retired February 12. I predict Leinart to have the starting job for 9 games, then for Skelton to take over at Kansas City and win that, and have a 3-4 record as a starter. It may take a while, but I have Skelton as the quarterback of the future. Noticeable picks: Panthers take To...

Pierce hits fadeaway 21 foot jumper at buzzer as Celtics put Heat in 3-0 hole with 100-98 win. Deron Williams scored 24, Paul Millsap 22 as the Jazz beat the Nuggets 105-93. Tim Duncan scored 27, the Spurs were able to keep Dallas in check as they defeated the Mavs 94-90. Notable second and third round selections Kansas City-Dexter McCluster, RB, Ole Miss Tampa Bay-Arrelious Benn, WR, Illinois Baltimore-Sergio Kindle, LB, Texas Carolina-Jimmy Clausen, QB, Notre Dame 49ers-Taylor Mays, S, USC Vikings-Toby Gerhart, RB, Stanford Bengals-Carlos Dunlap, DE, Florida Seahawks-Golden Tate, WR, Notre Dame Round 3 Ravens-Ed Dickson, TE, Oregon Titans-Damian Williams, WR, USC Carolina-Brandon LaFell, WR, LSU Bengals-Jordan Shipley, WR, Texas Browns-Colt McCoy, QB, Texas Broncos-Eric Decker, WR, Minnesota Panthers-Armanti Edwards, QB/WR, Appalachian State Best draft: Kansas City Chiefs: They got Eric Berry in the first round, a hard-hitting safety, and Dexter McCluster, a RB ...

The 2010 NFL Draft had some big-name players getting picked, and many surprises, and some trades. Let's run through all the picks then finish up with some analysis. 1 Rams-Sam Bradford, QB 2 Lions-Ndamukong Suh, DT 3 Buccaneers-Gerald McCoy, DT 4 Redskins-Trent Williams, OT 5 Chiefs-Eric Berry, S 6 Seahawks, Russell Oung, OT 7 Browns-Joe Haden, CB 8 Raiders-Rolando McClain, LB 9 Bills-C.J Spiller, RB 10 Jaguars-Tyson Alualu, DT 11 49ers (Broncos)-Anthony Davis, OT 12 Chargers (Dolphins)-Ryan Mathews, RB 13 Eagles (Broncos)-Brandon Graham, DE 14 Seahawks-Earl Thomas, S 15 Giants-Jason Pierre-Paul, DE 16 Titans-Derrick Morgan, DE 17 49ers-Mike Iupati, G 18 Steelers-Maurkice Pouncey, C 19 Falcons-Sean Weatherspoon, LB 20 Texans-Kareem Jackson, CB 21 Bengals-Jermaine Gresham, TE 22 Broncos (Patriots)-Demaryius Thomas, WR 23 Packers-Bryan Bulaga, OT 24 Cowboys (Patriots)-Dez Bryant, WR 25 Broncos (Ravens)-Tim Tebow, QB 26 Caridnals-Dan Williams, DT 27 Patriot...

Well, tomorrow in primetime the NFL Draft 7:30 PM ET. Let's run through the draft and make a pick for each team. Rams-Sam Bradford Lions-Ndamukong Suh Bucs-Gerald McCoy Redskins-Russell Okung Chiefs-Eric Berry Seahawks-Trent Williams Browns-Joe Haden Raiders-C.J Spiller Bills-Bryan Bulaga Jaguars-Derrick Morgan Broncos-Rolando McClain Dolphins-Jason Pierre-Paul 49ers-Anthony Davis Seahawks-Dan Williams Giants-Mike Iupati Titans-Everson Griffen 49ers-Jimmy Clausen Steelers-Maurkice Pouncey Falcons-Sergio Kindle Texans-Earl Thomas Bengals-Dez Bryant Patriots-Golden Tate Packers-Brian Price Eagles-Kyle Wilson Ravens-Demaryius Thomas Cardinals-Bruce Campbell Cowboys-Brandon Graham Chargers-Ryan Mathews Jets-Charles Brown Vikings-Terrence Cody Colts-Mike Johnson Saints-Sean Weatherspoon Other big names-Jahvid Best-Seahawks, Round 2 Dexter McCluster-49ers, Round 2 Colt McCoy-Browns, Round 2 Jerry Hughes, Bucs, Round...

NHL Craig Anderson made 51 saves, and the Sharks scored on themselves as Anderson's monster nighth helped the Avalanche beat the Sharks 1-0 to take a 2-1 series lead. Daniel Carcillo scored the game-winning goal 3:35 into overtime as the Flyers took a 2-1 series lead over the New Jersey Devils with a 3-2 lead. NBA Ron Artest held Kevin Durant to 24 points and the LA Lakers beat the Thunder 87-79. Jameer Neslon scored 32 as the Orlando Magic beat the Charlotte Bobcats 98-89 in Game 1. Dirk Nowitzki scored 36 as the Dallas Mavericks took control of the Spurs late in the fourth to win a 100-94 decision in Game 1. Portland Trail Blazers vs. Phoenix Suns Once Brandon Roy was yanked from the lineup because of an injury, most people had Phoenix in 5 or 6 games. Portland didn't give in, however. Good choice, Blazers. Andre Miller scored 31, LaMarcus Aldridge scored 22 and the Trail Blazers beat the Phoenix Suns 105-100. The Blazers lead the series 1-0. Miller and Aldridge...

Washington Capitals vs. Montreal Canadiens Again, the Washington Capitals put themselves in the hole. They were down 4-1 after 3 periods and down 5-4 with 5:06 left. But again, they dug themselves out of it. Brian Gionta scored a 1 on 1 goal a minute into the game, and Andres Kostitsyn scored an unassisted goal to put Montreal up 2-0 7:58 into the game. Eric Fehn scored to cut it to 2-1, and that's how the period ended. But Kostitsyn was playing amazing. He scored 11:06 into the second, and he then scored a power play goal to put Montreal up 4-1 with only 22:16 left. Washington looked like they would be in the hole. Nicholas Backstrom gave Washington some confidence 39 seconds later with a goal, and the period ended 4-2. Alex Ovechkin scored on the left side, and Backstrom scored again. However, Tomas Plekanec got one by Jose Theodore, and with only 5:06 left Montreal led 5-4. But Washington got the puck on their side with 1:30 left and John Carlson scored through the legs...

Crosby scores goal, makes great save, and crazy skating sets up game-winning goal as the Penguins evened up the series with the Ottawa Senators after a 2-1 win. Daniuis Zubrus scored the go-ahead goal with 4:04 left as the New Jersey Devils beat the Philadelphia Flyers 5-3 to tie the series. J.P Dumont scored 2 third period goals, Nashville scored 2 empty net goals in 34 seconds as the Predators beat the Chicago Blackhawks 4-1 to take a 1-0 series lead. Henrik Zetterburg scored the go-ahead goal 13:54 into the third period, and he had a hat trick (3 goals) as the Detroit Red Wings beat the Phoenix Coyotes 7-4 to even up the series. Colorado Avalanche vs. San Jose Sharks Knowing how the San Jose Sharks do in the playoffs, it wasn't surprising that the Western Conference champion lost Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. But Game 2 had the chance to destroy the San Jose Sharks for a while. Kyle Cumiskey scored 1:10 into the game and had Shark fans thinking bad things, but Man...

     Ryan Miller had 38 saves, Craig Rivet scored the go-ahead goal with 5:50 in the second period as the Buffalo Sabres beat the Boston Bruins 2-1 in game 1 of the NHL Playoffs.      Montreal Canadiens vs. Washington Capitals      Last year, the winner of the President's Cup fell in the first round (San Jose Sharks). The Washington Capitals look like they might be up for downfall, the way the Montreal Canadiens keep playing .      Mike Cammalleri scored a power play goal with 7:24 in the first period to put Montreal up 1-0, but Joe Corvo scored 3:19 later. Jaroslav Halak played amazingly during the game, but the Montreal Canadiens made it easier on him. The third leading goal scorer (50) in the was denied even a shot on goal by Tomas Plekanec.      Nicholas Backstrom scored early in the third period to give Washington a 2-1 lead, but Scott Gomez answered with a goal in the left corner. Montreal w...

     NBA Playoffs      Amare Stoudemire scored 20 as the Phoenix Suns beat the Utah Jazz 100-86 to clinch the third seed in the West and a match-up with the Portland Trail Blazers.      Derrick Rose scored 27, Joakim Noah had 21 points and 13 rebounds as the Chicago Bulls beat the Charlotte Bobcats 98-89 to earn the 8th playoff spot in the East. The Bulls play Cleveland Saturday at 3:00 PM ET on ABC.      Caron Butler had 20 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 steals as the Mavs got the second seed with a 96-89 win over the San Antonio Spurs. They will play the Spurs again in the playoffs.      Michael Beasley scored 25 points and grabbed 13 rebounds as the Miami Heat earned the fifth seed and a match-up with the Boston Celtics in the playoffs after a 94-86 2OT win over the 12-70 New Jersey Nets, who finished the season 5-7.      Playoff match-ups      1 Cleveland    ...

     The Minnesota Twins had high expectations for their home opener, perhaps too high, as the Twins coaching staff thought.       There was no need to worry.      Carl Pavano allowed 1 run in six innings and got the first ever win at Target Field, Jason Kubel homered as the Twins defeated the Red Sox 5-2 in the opener at Target Field in St. Paul, Minnesota. Jon Rauch recorded the first save at Target Field and his fifth of the year.      Marco Scutaro singled, but he was caught stealing second and the Twins allowed no runs. Orlando Hudson had the first Twins hit in stadium history, and Michael Cuddeyer drove in Denard Span for the first run in stadium history. Jason Kubel hit a single over first baseman Kevin Youkillis' head and the Twins took a 2-0 lead.      Pavano struck out David Ortiz and 2 grounders ended the inning, and Nick Punto singled, stole second, then scored on Joe Mauer's double. ...

       MLB Update        Strong defense, good run scoring helps A's beat Angels 9-4        Josh Willingham grand slam, 5 RBI's help Nationals beat Mets 5-2.        4 homers (2 from Alex Gonzalez) help Blue Jays sweep Orioles 5-2.        Solo homer helps Phillies keep Astros winless 2-1.        Defense, 7th and 8th help Reds rally by Cubs 3-1.         Defense helps Rangers cream Mariners 9-2.         3 Adrian Beltre RBI's help Red Sox beat Royals 3-1.        Posada, A-Rod 2 RBI's help Yankees beat Rays 7-3.        Andrew Jones' single helps White Sox beat Twins 5-4.        Defense helps Rockies overcome Padres 4-2.         13 run fourth, Kelly Johnson and Chris Young back-to-back homers help D-Backs beat Pirates 15-6.  ...

   This year, the NBA has still been dominated by the LA Lakers and the Cleveland Cavaliers. But a race to play the Cavaliers in the playoffs has fans on their heels; big time.     The Lakers have first place in the West, and the Denver Nuggets and the Dallas Mavericks lead a tight race between 5 teams for second. Dallas (Dirk Nowitzki) and Denver (Carmelo Anthony) are led by stars that have them tied for second. Utah is a half game behind the two, and Phoenix is a half game behind Utah. Oklahoma City is in 6th with a 49-30 record, and Portland and San Antonio are 48-31 each.      Cleveland clinched home-court advantage throughout the playoffs, and the 56-23 Orlando Magic clinched second. Atlanta is third at 50-29, and Boston is fourth at 49-30. John Salmons has led the Bucks to fifth place at 45-34 and a 4 game win streak, and Miami is 44-35 and in sixth. The Charlotte Bobcats made the playoffs for the first time ever at 42-37, and then ...

   When the San Francisco Giants returned the same lineup as the year before and what seemed like no extra talent, it looked like another down year.     Or did it?     Edgar Renteria hit a game-tying homer in the ninth, Aaron Rowand hit a walk-off single in the 13th and the Giants held off the Braves 5-4 in 13 innings. The Giants are now 4-0.      After the Braves got runners on 1st and 2nd, Jonathan Sanchez struck out 2 Braves and a fly out by Troy Glaus ended the inning.  But 3 straight groundouts ended the inning for the Giants. Jonathan Sanchez struck out 2 more and ended the inning scoreless, but 2 flyouts and 1 groundout ended the inning.      Melky Cabrera doubled to center, and soon the Braves had runners on 3rd and second. Troy Glaus hit an infield RBI single, and Matt Diaz got a run in with an infield single. Sanchez ended the inning with his 5th K, but the next 3 Giants went down, as no Gia...

     Looking at the talent level of the Mariners, you would have probably thought that they were a World Series contender.      Oakland didn't.      Mark Ellis hit the walk off single in the 10th inning to power the A's by the Mariners 2-1. Edwar Ramirez took the win while Kanekao Texiara took the loss.       Ichiro Suzuki singled in the first, but was picked off by Dallas Braden at first. Chone Figgins and Milton Bradley struck out, but Oakland didn't do much better. Ian Snell struck Daric Barton out, and 2 A's flied out in foul territory.     In the top of the second 3 Mariner batters grounded or popped out to 3rd, 2nd, and 1st (in order), but Eric Chavez and Mark Ellis got out at shortstop, and Travis Buck grounded out to first. But in the third Dallas Braden struck out 2 more, and Ichiro popped out. But Ian Snell struck one Athletic out and ended th inning without any runs allowed. ...

      O.K, so it's time to leave college hoops and hit the NBA, right? Well, sort of. Be ready for a very exciting season of major league baseball. This year the MLB looks like it will be fantastic, and we have some very talented teams. Let's dive into the action. Steeeerike one!      AL East      O.K, yeah, the AL East is ruled by the Yankees and the Red Sox. But let's face it; other teams have talent. Led by Carlos Pena and Evan Longoria with Matt Garza and James Shields leading the pitching corps, Tampa Bay looks good. Brian Roberts leads the Orioles, who still look like they have enough talent to compete for the spot in the cellar.      Toronto has had a reputation of 3rd place in the AL East, but Vernon Wells and Alex Lind look to lead the big bats of the Jays. Dana Eveland was added to the pitching corps, but Toronto might not have enough defensive talent. But with Jon Lester and Jon Lackey and Jonathan Papelbon...