Between the Masters and the Diamond ‘Dawgs series win over Arkansas, I would have to say that this weekend was one of the most exciting weekends in a while. The Mississippi State baseball team took on SEC Western Division foe Arkansas at Dudy Noble Field this weekend and managed to take two of the three games. The most impressive stat of the series, however, was the 17 runs that the Bulldogs put up on Friday night–17 runs that included a grand slam by Bulldog catcher Jason Burkley.
Speaking of Burkley, he is my Bulldog MVP of the week. Burkley drove in five runs this weekend, including the grand slam in Friday night’s win over the Razorbacks. Burkley, who hails from Nicholasville, Ky., is batting .261 on the year, with six homers and 29 RBI. Burkley is one of eight seniors on the Bulldog squad and was drafted in the 37th round by the Toronto Blue Jays in 1998.
The Masters concluded Sunday, and there was no surprise in terms of deciding a winner. Tiger Woods won his third green jacket Sunday, finishing three shots ahead of 2001 United States Open champion Retief Goosen.
Woods got off to a hot start early in his final round, not to mention the fact that players such as Goosen, 2000 Masters champion Vijay Singh, Ernie Els and Phil Mickelson never got on track with their games during the final round.
The win by Tiger is his sixth major championship in only 10 major tournament appearances, and his seventh major title overall, tying him with the legendary Arnold Palmer, who, by the way, made his 48th and last appearance in the Masters this weekend. I thought the storyline this weekend surrounding the Masters was only fitting. I saw the weekend’s events as a kind of torch-passing ceremony from one legend to another. Whether he wants to admit it or not, Tiger Woods is now a golf legend. His only challenge now? Break Jack Nicklaus’ record of 18 major championships and six Masters titles.
OK, the NBA and NHL playoffs will begin this weekend, and in the championship hunt in both leagues, there will be new faces–some of which you’re not used to seeing and some you haven’t seen in a long time. Let’s start with the NBA. The New Jersey Nets are the top seed in the Eastern Conference. The Nets have finished either dead last or next to it in the East for the last couple of seasons, and now they are the favorite to win the Eastern Conference. The Detroit Pistons are the other favorite in the East.
The Pistons have been to the playoffs a couple of times in the past few years but lately have been at the bottom. Now there has been a resurgence in Motown, and the Pistons are poised and ready to return to the NBA Finals for the first time since winning it in 1990.
The Western Conference in the NBA is without question the toughest. You could almost make a case for all eight teams winning the West and making the Finals, but there are a couple in particular that I think you should watch.
First, you have to keep an eye on the two-time defending champions, the Los Angeles Lakers. I can give you three quick reasons as why you should pick them to not only win the West, but the NBA title as well: Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O’Neal and Phil Jackson. Ever since Jackson arrived in L.A., the Lakers have been almost unbeatable. This year however, the “Lake Show” has shown a few dents in their armor. They’re not unbeatable anymore, but they still have what it takes to bring home a third straight title.
The other team to watch is the Dallas Mavericks. Dallas has one of the best offensive teams in the league, and could make a strong run at the title. The Mavs are going to more than likely have to deal with the top-seeded Sacramento Kings in the second round, but it’s a matchup they could very well win. So my predictions for the NBA playoffs–Detroit over Dallas in the NBA Finals.
Picking the Stanley Cup champion in the NHL is going to be just as tough as picking the NBA playoff winners. Both conferences are wide open in my mind despite the season standings. On paper, the Detroit Red Wings are the favorite to bring home Lord Stanley’s Cup for the first time since 1997, but I disagree. No one is playing better hockey in the Western Conference, or even the NHL as a whole than the Los Angeles Kings. The only bad thing is that the Kings somehow only finished seventh, and for their trouble they are matched up with defending champion Colorado in the first round. The Kings and Avalanche matched up in the Western semifinals last season before falling late. But it is hard to go against Patrick Roy, Joe Sakic and the defending champs, so I won’t. Colorado will overtake Boston in the Stanley Cup Finals.
My mind is made up, my predictions are final and if anyone is brave enough to take those seriously, then maybe they should be my next Bulldog MVP of the week.