Well, the draw for the French Open came out today, and I have to admit that I'm a bit surprised about the Men's draw. The women's draw wasn't very important to me; I have a lot of confidence that Serena is going to destroy everyone on her path to the title.
The Men's draw was interesting to see because the top seeds could have been placed anywhere. With Andy Murray & Juan Martin Del Potro both out, I was hoping for something unexpected.
That's exactly what we got.
For what looks like the first time since 2010, we could possibly get a Novak Djokovic v. Rafa Nadal SEMI final rather than a final. They are in the same half of the draw as the #1 and #3 seeds, and that would be crazy. It would definitely feel like the final right there, since they are the two best clay court players right now.
As for the other side of the draw, Federer and Ferrer take up that half. They both have slightly tricky draws, but should be able to meet each other in their semi. This is a good draw particularly for Federer, who has (in my opinion) had the toughest draws in the last 4 majors played. So, now with a draw that's considerably easier, we'll see how he holds up.
Check out the draw in the hyperlink above, and check out this little video ESPN made. Coverage begins Sunday!
Friday, May 24, 2013
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
NBA Playoffs: Grizzlies Finish Off Thunder
The Heat weren't the only team to advance to a Conference Final today. The Memphis Grizzlies did so as well by beating the Oklahoma City Thunder 88-84. They won the series 4 games to 1.
Oklahoma City had a chance to tie the game at 86 late in the 4th quarter, but Kevin Durant missed a jumper which basically ended the game for them. Durant had a disappointing game, going 5 for 21 when his team needed him the most.
And although KD deserves some blame, you have to give a ton of credit to Memphis. Their brand of basketball was just too much for the Thunder, and now they're 4 games away to a spot in the NBA Finals.
Check the highlights here:
HP Byron Nelson Championship POTW: Keegan Bradley vs. Jason Day
Welcome to our Picks of the Week game! Rules are simple: Each week Bernardo and I will select one golfer entered in the current tournament. Whichever golfer finishes highest earns one of us a point. Exceptions: 3 points if our golfer wins the whole thing, Major Championships are doubled (so that's a possibility of 6 points), and tied finishes result in 0 points. Oh, and once we use a golfer, we can't use him for the rest of year. We're doing this until the TOUR Championship. Bernardo has won this 2 times in a row, so let's see if he can go for the three peat!
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JJ: After a very controversial but memorable tournament that was the PLAYERS Championship, we now head to Texas for the HP Byron Nelson tournament. We probably won't get the drama of what happened last week, but I do expect to see some high quality golf. Teenage sensation Guan Tianlang will make his 3rd ever PGA Tour start here, and he'll be competing against a throng of major champions. One of those major champions is going to be my pick for this week: Keegan Bradley. I know he missed the cut last week, but I fully expect Keegan to bounce back and have a solid 4 days. He's too much of a competitor to not want to make up for his disappointing appearance at the PLAYERS, so I have the utmost confidence in him.
Bernardo: This week I'm going with one of my favorite Aussies, Jason Day. This has been a great year for Day, finishing solo 3rd at The Masters along with a few top 10s. Not to mention Day won this event back in 2010 for his first PGA Tour victory.
JJ's used: Brandt Snedeker, Jason Dufner, Padraig Harrington, Luke Donald, Rory McIlroy, Billy Horschel, Retief Goosen, Jason Day, Charles Howell III, Ian Poulter, Justin Rose, David Toms
Bernardo's used: Keegan Bradley, Brandt Snedeker, Phil Mickelson, Aaron Baddeley, Tiger Woods, Graeme McDowell, Sergio Garcia, Ian Poulter, Steve Stricker, Brian Davis, Adam Scott, Justin Rose
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NBA Playoffs: Heat Beat Bulls
The Miami Heat took another step closer to a title defense tonight, by beating and finishing off the Chicago Bulls, 94-91. They won the series 3-2.
Dwyane Wade, who has been hurt for a majority of the season, stepped up and finished off a Bulls team with a ton of heart. He did so with a 4th quarter that showed us why he's still one of the best players in the NBA. And even though he's still hurting, he's looking better and better, which won't look good for their Eastern Conference Final opponent.
Carlos Boozer led all scorers with 26, but even that couldn't stop a very team-oriented Heat game plan.
Miami will now await for the winner of the Pacers/Knicks series to see who they face next.
Check out the highlights:
Dwyane Wade, who has been hurt for a majority of the season, stepped up and finished off a Bulls team with a ton of heart. He did so with a 4th quarter that showed us why he's still one of the best players in the NBA. And even though he's still hurting, he's looking better and better, which won't look good for their Eastern Conference Final opponent.
Carlos Boozer led all scorers with 26, but even that couldn't stop a very team-oriented Heat game plan.
Miami will now await for the winner of the Pacers/Knicks series to see who they face next.
Check out the highlights:
Europa League: Chelsea defeat SL Benfica
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| Getty Images |
Current UEFA Champions League title holders Chelsea FC defeated SL Benfica in the Europa League final today, by a score of 2-1.
Both teams were knocked out of the Champions League group stage and had to settle for the Europa League. After navigating through some close contests, both sides managed to meet up in the final with a chance to grab a trophy this season.
In the first half, Chelsea was quiet, while Benfica dominated but couldn't score. The second half was where all of the action began, starting in the 59th minute with a Fernando Torres goal against the run of play. Torres scored on a counter so quick that the television crew almost missed out on it. After rounding the keeper in a goal that looked similar to his effort vs. Barcelona last year in the UCL semi-finals, El Nino put CFC up 1-0.
Less than 10 minutes later, Benfica equalized. They kept pressing for a goal, and were rewarded with a penalty after a Cesar Azpilicueta handball in the box. Oscar Cardozo then beat Cech to tie it up 1-1.
Both teams were battling back and forth for the winner, but it seemed like they were headed for extra time. That was until about 30 seconds left in stoppage time, where Branislav Ivanovic got his head on the end of a corner kick to send CFC fans in Amsterdam into a frenzy.
Soon after that, the final whistle was blown and Chelsea were crowned Europa League champions.
Chelsea became the first team ever to hold the UEFA Champions League title & the Europa League title in the same year, although they'll be giving up their UCL trophy next week when the 2013 final is held.
With a Champions League spot guaranteed and a new trophy to celebrate, the "lost season" for Chelsea seemed to get a little bit better. We don't know what next season will hold with the new manager, but for now, they can just celebrate what's going on for them until then.
Congratulations Chelsea FC!
Check the highlights of this game here:
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