Finishing Strong

Nine of the Heat's final 12 points were scored by LeBron James and that was difference as the Miami Heat used a 12-2 closing run to knock off the Chicago Bulls in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals, and take home court back to South Beach in this best of 7 series.

LeBron James has 29 points and 10 rebounds as the Heat won a hard fought fourth quarter 14-10 which untilmately won them the game. Dwayne Wade had 24 points and 9 rebounds. The combination of James and Wade had 53 points compared to their 33 in game 1. Chris Bosh, the third of the big 3 had 10 points with 8 rebounds. Udonis Haslem, playing his first real dosage of minutes after missing most of the season with a foot injury, had 13 points and 5 rebounds.

Derek Rose struggled from the field as he 7-23 for 21 points. Joakim Noah and Carlos Boozer could never really get it going offensively as they had only 16 points combined. A pivotal game 3 is slated for Sunday in Miami.

Ennis Helps Sabres Steal 3-2 Series Lead

The Buffalo Sabres showed tonight that no lead, no matter how big is safe in the NHL playoffs. Regardless, they will take the win and move on to game 6 with a chance to close out the series at home. Buffalo scored three goals in the opening period to take a 3-0 lead into the first intermission.

The first period goals were scored by Tyler Ennis, Thomas Vanek, and Marc-Andre Gragnani. The goals scored by Ennis and Vanek were from almost impossible angles behind the red line. The Flyers were lucky to be down only three. A goalie change was made after the third goal as 2010 playoff hero Michael Leighton replaced Brian Boucher.

The roles reversed in the second period as the Flyers came out with more energy and determination. They got two second period goals from James van Riemsdyk and Andrej Meszaros. Michael Leighton didn't have to work too hard in the period as Philadelphia out shot Buffalo 15-5.

In the third, Philadelphia was able to tie the game on a goal by ex-Sabre Daniel Briere. Philadelphia relentlessly applied the pressure the rest of the period. The Flyers had a powerplay and all of the momentum with just under 2:30 remaining in regulation but Ryan Miller made many key saves to get the game into overtime.

In the overtime period, the Sabres didn't waste time in making sure they took the series lead. A Mike Weber slap shot from the point was saved by Leighton but the rebound came right out to a streaking Tyler Ennis who became only the fourth rookie in the post-lockout era to score a game winning overtime goal in the postseason. With the win, the Sabres have won two straight and take a 3-2 series lead back to HSBC Arena where on Sunday night they will look to close out the series and upset the Flyers.

The win didn't come without a cost. It looks as if the Sabres have lost key forward Jason Pominville for an extended amount of time with a lower body injury. Pominville was seen dropping his gloves and stick and skating on one leg to the bench with what was described as a "bad cut to the back of the leg." Sabres coach Lindy Ruff said that they will know more tomorrow but that it "doesn't look good."

For the Flyers, all odds point to Michael Leighton starting game 6 as he came in to stop 20 of 21 shots tonight. Ryan Miller on the other side made 36 saves and was constantly working the entire night.

March Maddness; Why a Big East Team will Win

No conference in any collegiate sport has ever been as dominate as the Big East. I mean the St. Johns v. Syracuse quarterfinal game the other day was worthy of being a championship in any conference in the country! Top to bottom, no conference even compares. The conference is looking at eleven teams this year in the tournament... no that is not a mistake, i really said eleven. The reasons why a Big East team will win this year's tournament are almost endless.

1.) Eleven Teams: I've said it before but with eleven teams in the tournament that means the Big East will take up 16% of the field. Pretty good odds.

2.) Number one seeds: The Big East is looking at at least one, possibly two seeds. Two teams if not more are deserving of one. Notre Dame and Pittsburgh being the first two that come to mind. Louisville and Syracuse, as their bodies of work aren't as strong, are definitely capable of being and beating a number one seed as well.

3.) Star Players: When there is a big moment in a big game, star players need to step up and the Big East has plenty of those. Kemba Walker (Connecticut), Dwight Hardy (St. Johns), Ashton Gibbs (Pittsburgh), Kris Joseph (Syracuse), Corey Fisher (Villanova), Austin Freeman (Georgetown), Ben Hansbrough (Notre Dame), Preston Knowles (Louisville)... get my point?

4.) Other teams are pretenders: Ohio State, Kansas, Texas, Duke, sure those teams are good and will be in contention come tournament time, but none of those teams can match up to the physicality that the Big East team's bring night in and night out. Not taking anything away from those teams or their respective conferences but the teams in the Big East go to war every game while the other teams are just fighting small battles.

5.) Anyone can beat anyone: Anyone in the Big East can beat anyone in the Big East. We saw it all year. St. Johns repeatedly took down top ten teams inside and outside of conference. South Florida upset Villanova in the opening round of the Big East Tournament. DePaul gave Villanova a run for their money earlier in the year. Even only a few days removed, Rutgers had a game snatched from their hands against St. Johns. That game should be still going on. Ref, put 1.7 seconds on the game clock please...

MAC Basketball Tournament Preview

The men's MAC basketball tournament is finally upon us with the first round of games slated for today. The top four teams in the MAC, Kent St., Western Michigan, Miami (OH.), and Ball St. all have first round byes and have guaranteed themselves a trip to Cleveland, Ohio for at least a quarterfinal match-up. The other eight teams are playing today where seeds five through eight will host the game. All the games are scheduled for a seven o'clock tip off.

The first game is Northern Illinois vs. Bowling Green. Bowling Green has a 13-18 record overall but is .500 in the MAC at 8-8. The Huskies on the other hand are 9-20 overall and are a dismal 5-11 in conference play. BGSU has hit a rough patch in the season as they have lost six of their last seven. NIU has won 2 of their past 3 but hasn't had many good wins in conference. Bowling Green won the earlier match-up between these two 73-70 in overtime back on February 2nd, a game played in Northern Illinois.

Prediction: Bowling Green

The next game features the Ohio Bobcats playing host to the Toledo Rockets. This one shouldn't be too much of a contest. It wasn't too long ago that the Bobcats knocked off the Hoyas of Georgetown in the first round of the NCAA Tournament and they look poised for another deep MAC tournament run. They have won five of their past six and are 9-3 in their last 12. They are lead by standout sophomore point guard D.J. Cooper who is averaging 16.5 ppg and and 7.4 apg. Toledo is 4-27 on the year with only one conference win. They are year after year the weak team in the MAC and this year was no different.

Prediction: Ohio

The next game features Eastern Michigan visiting The Akron Zips. Akron had both a winning overall record, 19-12, and a winning conference record, at 9-7. Eastern Michigan on the other hand was the complete opposite. They went 9-21 overall and 5-11 in conference. Akron is always a tough opponent at home as they went 13-2 this season on the home floor. Eastern Michigan was 2-12 on the road, but regardless of that stat, they are still a tough opponent. They have beaten Central Michigan and Buffalo this year as well as Akron on February 2nd, 60-56. However I think home court advantage will play a key role in this match-up.

Prediction: Akron

The last game of the first round is Central Michigan against Buffalo. CMU comes in 9th in the MAC, just missing out on a home game while UB squeaked into the eight seed and stole this home game. CMU has a overall record of 10-20 but has a 7-9 conference record which includes wins over Bowling Green, Ohio, and two wins over Northern Illinois. They are coming in off a loss to Western Michigan. Buffalo, started the season off hot but has tailed off as of late. They were poised for a top seed in the MAC earlier in the year but that has tampered off quickly as they have lost 6 of their past 9. However, they still enter the tournament with a 17-12 record which includes an 8-8 conference record and a bracket buster win over Horizon number one seed Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

Prediction: Buffalo

Harsh Reality Sabre Fans; He's Just not that Good

There comes a time where past achievements just do not cut it anymore. There comes a time where fan's have to stop making excuses for players' poor play. There comes a time where someone just isn't good enough. The time to keep making excuses for Ryan Miller is over.

I'll admit Ryan Miller played well during the 09-10 campaign and during the Olympics. Yes, he is talented, but not as talented as most think. This year, Ryan Miller is 30th in the league in goals against average (2.78) and 25th in save percentage (.909). These numbers are not what most of you expect from a goalie who started for team USA and won the Venza trophy just less than a year ago. These numbers are what you expect from a rookie, or a washed up veteran.

For those who say the reason for Millers' struggles are because of the rest of his team, lets explore that thought. The only people that were lost over the off season were Henrik Tallinder, Tony Lydman, Adam Mair, and Clarke MacArthur, and if I'm not mistaken, most Buffalo fans were complaining about how weak MacArthur was and how bad Adam Mair was and how Tallinder needed to go and how Lydman always gave the puck away. So if that's the case, then wouldn't dumping those players make your team better?

The fact that Ryan Miller played well during the Olympics and almost won a gold medal, or that he played well last year and almost won a playoff series just doesn't cut it. Ryan Miller is the king of almost. There's an argument I've made about him for years now and that I am sticking by now more than ever. Miller cannot win your team a game but he can lose it for you, and if last night's embarrassing loss to the Islanders doesn't prove that, then I don't know what does. Attached below is an article and audio clip from last night's post-game press conference. What you hear from Ryan Miller is what you would expect from a 16 year old pee-wee goalie, not of a grown man that is supposed the be the "face of your franchise." The way he acted, and how he made excuses for 6 out of the 7 goals is an act of a coward. Your team scores six goals and you still cant win it for them. Its not only shameful, its a disgrace. I can only give this guy so much slack. If the team scores 4 goals, he has to let in three or take it to overtime. If they are up 2-0, he will make sure to let in a goal within the last two minutes, just to make it interesting. In order for the Sabres to win a game, they have to score at least two or three goals because Miller is incapable of going into shutdown mode and completely dominating the opponent. That's what Dominik Hasek could do. If the Sabres scored only a single goal, he would make sure not a single puck crossed the goal line. He would grind out wins for those teams and that's why they were successful. In no way shape or form am I comparing Ryan Miller to the greatest goalie in the history of the sport, but you the fans definitely are, and have been for years, and it's time to stop.

http://www.weck1230.com/2011/02/ryan-miller-vs-mostly-john-vogl/

Eastern Conference
EASTERN		GP	W	L	OTL	PTS	HOME	ROAD	GF	GA	DIFF	L10	STRK
1	Philadelphia	55	36	14	5	77	19-8-2	17-6-3	182	139	+43	7-3-0	Lost 1
2	Tampa Bay	56	34	17	5	73	19-6-2	15-11-3	172	172	0	8-2-0	Won 1
3	Boston	56	31	18	7	69	15-11-3	16-7-4	172	135	+37	5-5-0	Lost 2
4	Pittsburgh	58	35	19	4	74	20-10-1	15-9-3	173	141	+32	6-4-0	Lost 2
5	Washington	56	29	17	10	68	17-7-7	12-10-3	151	140	+11	4-3-3	Lost 2
6	Montreal	57	31	20	6	68	19-7-5	12-13-1	151	143	+8	5-3-2	Won 1
7	NY Rangers	58	30	24	4	64	13-12-3	17-12-1	162	144	+18	3-6-1	Won 1
8	Carolina	57	27	22	8	62	14-9-2	13-13-6	168	175	-7	4-4-2	Won 1
	Atlanta	58	25	23	10	60	13-12-5	12-11-5	167	188	-21	2-5-3	Lost 1
	Buffalo	54	26	22	6	58	12-12-2	14-10-4	161	162	-1	7-2-1	Lost 1
	Florida	55	24	24	7	55	12-9-6	12-15-1	146	148	-2	3-4-3	Won 1
	Toronto	56	23	27	6	52	13-11-5	10-16-1	144	174	-30	4-5-1	Lost 2
	New Jersey	56	22	30	4	48	12-13-3	10-17-1	120	158	-38	8-1-1	Won 4
	NY Islanders	56	20	29	7	47	10-13-4	10-16-3	151	186	-35	5-5-0	Won 3
	Ottawa	56	18	30	8	44	9-15-4	9-15-4	126	186	-60	1-7-2	Won 1

Second Half Surge Pushes Duke Past UNC

On Wednesday night, the Duke Blue Devils (22-2, 9-1) went into the locker room at halftime down 14?... At home? The Tar Heels of North Carolina (17-6, 7-2) came out firing in the first half as they scored 43 points against a pesky Duke defense. The home crowd at Cameron Indoor was far from happy as they were watching their long time rival just run up and down their floor.

Duke did not take long to kick it into gear in the second half as during the first eight minutes they had outscored UNC 16-6 and shrunk the lead to four. Not long after that, UNC pushed their edge back up to ten and a third loss might be looming for the Blue Devils... and the Nolan Smith happened.

Nolan Smith was outstanding in this one and he showed why he is one of the best point guards in the ACC if not the country in the second half. Smith had a career high 34 points, 22 of which came in the second half. Seth Curry was also big in this one for Duke as he had 22 points off the bench. Kyle Singler definitely didn't have his best game as he had only 10 points on a horrific 3 of 17 shooting. He did however hit two clutch free throws at the end of the game which put the game to two possessions only to be capped off by a Nolan Smith Dunk with 17 seconds remaining.

"It wasn't an X-and-O adjustment. ... They were too excited," Coach Mike Krzyzewski said. "''Nuts' is the word. 'What are you guys doing?' It's not like, 'You know, you guys aren't playing hard.' They're playing hard. ... When you go like that, you're not coordinated, and it was more to get a coordinated effort on the offensive and defensive ends."

For the Tar Heels, Tyler Zeller lead the team with 24 points and a career high 13 rebounds. This team looked destined to finally knock off Duke, something they haven't done in over two years. It would have been even more impressive to do it on Coach K Court. "To say it's extremely disappointing would be an understatement," North Carolina coach Roy Williams said.

Atlantic Coast Conference Standings

TEAM	CONF W-L	TOTAL W-L
#5 Duke	9-1	22-2
#21 North Carolina	7-2	17-6
Florida State	6-3	16-7
Clemson	6-4	17-7
Virginia Tech	5-4	15-7
Maryland	5-4	16-8
Boston College	5-5	15-9
Miami (FL)	4-6	15-9
Virginia	3-6	12-11
Georgia Tech	3-6	10-12
North Carolina State	2-7	12-11
Wake Forest	1-8	8-16

LeBron Comes up Big in Miami Come from Behind Win

A little over a week after posting a 51 point outburst against the Orlando Magic, LeBron James came out firing again and put up 41 to steal a victory against the Indiana Pacers.

The Pacers dominated most of the game and lead by as many as 14 points, until LeBron did what he did best and that was take over the fourth quarter. James ended the night with 41 points, 13 rebounds, 8 assists, 3 steals, and a block. "The best player in the world played at his best in his own building," said Pacers interim coach Frank Vogel, who fell to 4-1 since taking over on the Indiana sideline. "It's tough to beat."

The rest of the heat didn't have their best game, but they did just enough to squeak by Indiana. Dwayne Wade had just 17 and Mario Chalmers had 16. Chris Bosh added 19 points along with 7 rebounds. "You don't have to be awesome every night," Wade said. "You have to find a way to help your ball club win and we were able to do that."

James, the two time reigning league MVP showed why he should be considered for the award again even if the team he is playing on is better. "We would have been up by 40 if it wasn't for him," Pacers guard Danny Granger said. "He was unconscious." Granger had 19 points for the Pacers. Indiana was lead by Roy Hibbert who notched a double double with 20 points and 10 rebounds.

"I'll tell you what, he's playing MVP-like basketball on both ends of the court," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. "He had a motor tonight that did not fatigue. It was amazing."

The Heat extend their winning streak to seven with this win and have four games left before the all star break, all on the road. They will start those games Friday night in Detroit. The Pacers fall to 21-28 and will play host to Charlotte Tonight.

Woodson Show's Cutler How it's Done

If Jay Cutler, his coaches, and his teammates were upset with the comments that were made about him "quitting" on his team, maybe he should taken a look at how Charles Woodson acted this weekend in Super Bowl XLV.

In the second quarter of the Super Bowl, Packers star safety Charles Woodson went down with an apparent shoulder injury. He was taken to the locker room only to return in a a Green Bay Packers sweatsuit and sling around his left arm. Woodson suffered a broken collarbone when he dove to break up a potential touchdown pass.

As most of you remember, Jay Cutler was hurt in the NFC Championship game against the Packers in the second quarter. It was later revealed he had a grade two sprain of the MCL (torn). No one is questioning Cutler's toughness anymore after finding out the seriousness of his injury but they questioning his character. As Woodson came out of the locker room at halftime, his emotion never let up. "Our head captain goes down, emotional in the locker room," said wide receiver Greg Jennings. When the Packers stopped the Steelers on a 3rd down late in the third quarter, Woodson, up on the sideline like he had been the whole second half cheering his team on, let out a gasp and raised his right hand only immediately to begin to grab his left shoulder and grimace in pain. Ya know what Cutler was doing in Chicago... moping on the sideline, not even involved in the game. Charles Woodson is a leader and did what he had to do to keep his teams' spirits up.

It's very simple, there's a reason Jay Cutler is being talked about like this. He has put it on himself. Charles Woodson is a leader... Jay Cutler just simply isn't.

Syracuse gets Much Needed Win

Jim Boeheim has never lost five consecutive games in his illustrious Hall of Fame Career. On Wednesday night, he entered unfamiliar territory.

Syracuse came into Connecticut on a four game losing streak and desperate for a win. After starting 18-0, the Cuse' hadn't won in 18 days. They did play well enough to snap that streak and beat (7) UConn 66-58. Rick Jackson lead the way for the Orange racking up 13 points and 13 rebounds to drop the Huskies to 17-4 (5-4).

The Orange have dropped from number three to 17 in a matter of two weeks in the polls. The saying "must win games" really came into play this time. Kris Joseph and Brandon Triche were also in double figures with 11 and 16 points. Freshman stud C.J. Fair had 6 points and 4 rebounds and another freshman Baye Moussa Keita had 4 points to go along with a more important 11 rebounds and 6 steals.

Leading player of the year candidate Kemba Walker definitely didn't bring his best effort to the floor last night as he had is lowest scoring output of the season with 8 points on 3-14 shooting. Freshman Jeremy Lamb kept Connecticut in the game as he had 22 points.

"This was a game we had to find a way to win," Boeheim said. "We made the plays we had to. We played well but we also played well at Marquette. That's the league. You have to do that every night. This league is very, very difficult." This is not an understatement from Coach Boeheim. The Big East is just a mess right now, and I mean mess in the best way possible. All but three teams in the conference have winning records and eleven teams have legitimate resumes to show the NCAA selection committee.

"We did a lot of dumb things," UConn Coach Jim Calhoun said. "It was a lack of mental effort more than physical effort." Kemba Walker, the nation's leading scorer at 24.2 points per knew he didn't have his best. "I was just off. I just can't make a shot. It happens. It happens to the best players in the world. I just have to get through it. "Tonight, I definitely didn't get any good shots. They did a great job taking away my opportunities."

There is no doubt Syracuse needed this win but it seems like every night, all the Big East teams need a win.

Next 5 Games

SYR

CONN

02/05 @USF 2:00pm 02/09 GTWN 7:00pm 02/12 @LOU 12:00pm 02/14 WVU 7:00pm 02/19 RUTG 4:00pm Big East Conference Standings TEAM CONF W-L TOTAL W-L #4 Pittsburgh 8-1 20-2 #12 Villanova 6-3 18-4 #13 Louisville 6-3 17-5 #8 Notre Dame 6-3 17-4 West Virginia 6-3 15-6 #17 Syracuse 6-4 19-4 #14 Georgetown 6-4 17-5 Cincinnati 5-4 18-4 #7 Connecticut 5-4 17-4 St. John's 5-5 13-8 Marquette 5-5 14-9 Seton Hall 4-7 10-13 Rutgers 3-7 12-10 Providence 3-7 14-9 South Florida 2-8 8-15 DePaul 0-8 6-14

02/05 @HALL 7:00pm 02/10 @SJU 7:00pm 02/13 PROV 7:00pm 02/16 GTWN 7:00pm 02/18 @LOU 9:00pm

Yanks Continue to add Arms

They didn't get Cliff Lee. They didnt get Zach Greinke. They watched Carl Crawford and Adrian Gonzalez go to the division rival Boston Red Sox. They couldnt even get Carl Pavano back. But the Yankees still have been active this offseason, just the way no one would have expected.

They have a very quiet off-season but have added some names that everyone will recognize. As most of these guys' arent the players they were in their primes, there is still something left in the tank that the Yankees see.

Early in the off season they signed catcher Russell Martin to a one year deal worth four million dollars. Martin is a two-time All-Star and a Gold Glove and Silver Slugger winner (2007).

After that they went and signed an array of pitchers. They first signed Mark Prior. Prior pitched for the Chicago Cubs from 2002-2006. He was very good and known for his effortless delivery. He has suffered a number of shoulder injuries and has pitched very little over the past four plus years. The contract is a very small risk one. It is a one year minor league deal. During his time in Chicago, Prior went 42-29 with a 3.51 ERA and 1.23 WHIP. They also signed an ex-all-star, Bartolo Colon. Colon was also signed to a one year minor league contract. In his career he is 153-103 with a 4.10 ERA and 1.34 WHIP.

They did however sign a young pitcher to a major league contract. Maybe the biggest relief pitcher on the market this off season will be in pinstripes. The Yankees landed Rafael Soriano. Brian Cashman, Yankees GM publicly commented on the situation, "There's no dispute what this player brings to the Yankee Franchise and how it elevates our ability. The dispute was obviously regarding the efficient way to spend remaining dollars... this move was not my recommendation." Last year with the Rays, Soriano was named the American League Relief man of the year, racking up 45 saves with a 1.73 ERA and 0.80 WHIP.

The Yankees' last signing came this week as they signed free agent and ex all-star Freddy Garcia to a minor league contract. Garcia throughout his career has played for the Seattle Mariners, Detroit Tigers, Phildelphia Phillies, and Chicago White Sox. He won a World Series in 2005 with Chicago. In his career he is 133-87 with a 4.13 ERA and 1.30 WHIP.

It will be interesting to see if the Yankees are done this offseason or if they will continue to sign different guys. With the Rays signing Johnny Damon and Manny Ramirez yesterday, it gives New York even more of a reason not to finish just yet.

NFL Draft Prospect: A.J. Green

Prospect: A.J. Green

Position: Wide Receiver

School: Georgia

Class: Junior
Height: 6-4
Weight: 205

Strengths: A.J. Green is the best wide receiver in this years' class by far. Green is 6'4" so he has good size at the wide receiver position. To go along with that size, he has great athleticism as he has shown throughout his time at Georgia. He can go up and get most any ball from any cornerback. He has good hands and great quickness and agility off the line. He also has played in a pro style offense at Georgia so he is off to a head start.

Weaknesses: Green is 6'4" but he definitely needs to bulk up a little. He only weighs 205 pounds and expert scouts predict he will have to put on at least another ten pounds. The toughest part of that will be keeping his quickness. He shouldn't have a problem with that though as he has extreme athleticism. His route running ability could also be a little better. He can work on being a little quicker in and out of cuts in the routes.

Overall Analysis: It's a tough call to take a wide receiver early in the first round and pay him such high money. Some have him going as early as one or two overall or as late as 10 or 11. I believe he will go right around the middle of those numbers at pick number four or six. His athleticism to go along with his offensive knowledge is proof he can succeed right away in the NFL.

Possible Destinations: Cincinnati Bengals/ Cleveland Browns

Probable Pick: Top 10 pick

Bubba edges Lefty at Farmers

Bubba Watson rolled in a 15 foot birdie put on the 72nd hole in Sunday's Farmers Insurance Open that ultimately won the tournament for him.

Watson shot a final round 67(-5) and finished one shot clear of the field at 16 under. Mickelson entered the final round tied for the lead at 12 under before firing a 69 on Sunday and finishing at 15 under. It was a much better week for Phil than it was for Tiger... that's his name right, Tiger? Well, that's at least what people tell me. What happened to the guy that could fire 65 on any given day at any given course in any given conditions? What happened to the guy who dominated tournaments? What happened to the former number one player in the world?

Tigers' game is going straight downhill and his personal struggles are all too far in the past to be used as an excuse. The hard truth is that he needs to just go back to what got him 14 majors and all of his past memorable performances. Tiger shot back to back 69's on Thursday but played the weekend at five over par including a final round 75, to finish at one under and tied for 44th.

The year of the young player seems to be carrying over as well from last year. Eight of the top ten finishers are all younger than 30. In that group includes Anthony Kim, Nick Watney, Bill Haas, Jhonattan Vegas, Hunter Mahan, Marc Leishman, and Dustin Johnson who finished in a tie for third and continued his success from last year. He shot a final round 66 to finish 13 under.

The next PGA Tournament is at Pebble Beach for the Pebble Beach Pro-Am. Dustin Johnson is the defending champion.

Farmers Insurance Open - Final
$	POS	START		NAME	SCORE	1	2	3	4	TOTAL	EARNINGS
	1	T3		Bubba Watson	-16	71	65	69	67	272	$1,044,000
	2	T1		Phil Mickelson	-15	67	69	68	69	273	$626,400
	T3	6		Jhonattan Vegas	-13	69	69	69	68	275	$336,400
	T3	T7		Dustin Johnson	-13	69	69	71	66	275	$336,400
	5	T7		D.A. Points	-12	73	68	68	67	276	$232,000
	T6	T3		Hunter Mahan	-10	69	67	69	73	278	$194,300
	T6	T56		Nick Watney	-10	70	73	72	63	278	$194,300
	T6	5		Anthony Kim	-10	68	67	71	72	278	$194,300
	T9	T13		Marc Leishman	-9	67	72	71	69	279	$150,800
	T9	T1		Bill Haas	-9	67	66	71	75	279	$150,800
	T9	T24		Troy Matteson	-9	74	68	70	67	279	$150,800
	T9	T7		Brandt Snedeker	-9	70	69	70	70	279	$150,800

NFL Draft Prospect: Da'Quan Bowers

Prospect: Da'Quan Bowers

Position: Defensive End

School: Clemson

Class: Junior

Height: 6-4

Weight: 280

Strengths: Bowers is another prospect that has number one overall pick potential. He is a naturally athletic kid with good size and speed for a defensive end. He is a great pass rusher and has very quick moves to go through and around offensive linemen. He has incredible burst off the line. He also, unlike some of the other prospects I have outlined, has no character issues. He is a hard worker and a great leader. He has a great work ethic and drive to preform.

Weaknesses: Bowers is a freak athlete but he has been plagued by injuries during his time at Clemson. He also has only had one really dominating season at Clemson so some people have questioned his consistency.

Overall Analysis: Da'Quan Bowers is a top 5 prospect on anyone's big board and can be justified at any pick in the top 5. He is my second ranked defensive linemen on the board and will be taken off the board at no later than the fifth pick. This draft doesn't feature any clear number one but it does have about six or seven guys that can easily go number one, and Bowers is definitely one of those.

Possible Destinations: Carolina Panthers/ Denver Broncos/ Buffalo Bills/ Cincinnati Bengals/ Arizona Cardinals

Probable Pick: Top 5 pick

Daemen Men vs. Cedarvile LIVE Game Log

5:51- FINAL 75-59. Jim Regan's technical foul lead to a double technical on coach Don Silveri and an ejection. Cedarville had a slight advantage in rebounding 44-42. They shot 44.3 % from the floor, 53.6 in the second half. Daemen had four players in double figures. Khorri Silcott lead the way with 12 and 11 rebounds. Casey Sheehan also had 11 as did Dom Mazzachi. M.J. Oridami had 10. With the loss Daemen falls to 12-11(7-5) and with the win Cedarville improves to 11-10(7-4)

5:37- 65-54 Cedarville, 2:25 left.

5:34- Daemen seems to be showing some life going on a 6-0 run. They are down 63-52 with 3:08 remaining.

5:28- Don Silveri calls a timeout but nothing seems to be working for the Wildcats. They are just trading buckets with the Yellow Jackets. Cedarville up 57-43. 6:11 left.

5:26- Media Timeout. It has been back and forth but neither team has gotten into a flow. Cedarville is just keeping the lead that they had from the first half but havent been able to expand on it.

5:10- Media Timeout. Cedarville leads 39-28 with 14:33 left... that's about all there is to say about this one.

4:45- At halftime, Cedarville leads Daemen 30-22. Neither of the teams' best efforts of the season. Daemen shot 30% from the field but Cedarville didnt get much better as they shot 36%.

4:30- Back and forth game thus far as Cedarville holds a 22-15 lead. 6:59 left in half.

4:24- Cedarville is controling the pace of play thus far and therefore have a 5 point lead at 19-14.
4:17- Daemen went with an irregular lineup to start this game as Aaron Davis and Jim Regan were inserted in the places of Dom Mazzochi and Moustapha Baidy. !4:25 left in the half, Cedarville leads 9-8.

3:53- 10 minutes until tip-off. Daemen is coming off of a huge win last night against Mount Vernon Nazerene and are looking to continue that success today in another AMC match-up against Cedarville. Daemen is 12-10(7-4) and Cedarville is 11-10(6-4)

#9 Daemen Women vs. #15 Cedarville LIVE Game Blog

3:41- Cedarville's half court heave falls short and Daemen knocks off 15th ranked Cedarville 68-66. Aubrey Siemon lead Cedarville with 20 points and 9 rebounds. Sarah Soroka had only 16 points but had 10 boards as well. Cedarville held her in check all day and she was almost invisible until the last shot. Alanna Laguerre had 14 points for Daemen and Bridgette Burke added 11. With the win Daemen improves to 20-4(10-1) and Cedarville with the loss, falls to 17-6(7-2).

3:38- Lindsay Stoddard gives Daemen a 2 point lead with 1.8 second left and 1 free throw attempt left. Cedarville timeout.

3:36- Sarah Soroka give the Wildcats a 1 point lead, 67-66 with 11.7 second left on a layup. Cedarville's Caitlyn Brooks commits an offensive foul to foul out and give the ball back to Daemen with 2.6 second remaining.

3:30- Two free throws by Siemon have Cedarville up 2 with 1:14 left in regulation.

3:29- A Bridgette Burke offensive rebound a put pack has tied this game at 64.

3:24- The crowd has came back to life as a 5-0 Daemen run has cut the Cedarville lead to 2 at 64-62, with 3:48 left to go in regulation.

3:16- Daemen finds themselves trailing by 5 at 58-53.

3:04- Bridgette Burke will be heading to the line to try and complete a 3 point play after the media timeout. Daemen trails by 1, 39-40. Soroka for the first time in a long time is getting outplayed on the post. Amber Siemon who has 16 points and 6 rebounds.

3:01- The teams are trading buckets right now as they are both shooting better. Wildcats lead by 1 37-36.

2:42- A great coaching decision by Dave Skolen at the end of the half, by putting in Lindsay Stoddard to catch the inbounds pass and drive 70 feet to the bucket to send the game to halftime tied at 25. Soroka leads Daemen with 8 points and 6 rebounds and Aubrey leads Cedarville with 10 points. Both teams have turned the ball over 8 times with Daemen leading rebounding 22-20.

2:34- With 3:02 left in the first half, the hangover of yesterday's loss seems to be lingering as the Wildcats find themselves trailing 21-20 and committing many turnovers and shooting poorly from the field.

2:24- Sloppy playing by both teams have lead to this game being tied at 17 with 7:52 to go in the first half.

2:11- Sarah Soroka completes the three point play to give Daemen a 10-5 lead at the first media timeout. 14:44 remaining in first half.

1:55- Five minutes until tip 0ff. Daemen comes into this one, just 18 hours after a crushing home loss to Mount Vernon Nazerene, 86-81. Cedarville is 17-5(7-1) and are lead by Aubrey Siemon at 13.5 ppg and 11.9 rpg. Daemen is continues to lead by their senior core which includes the nation's leading scorer Sarah Soroka who is averaging 24.7 ppg and just under 9 rebound.

Daemen Men's Basketball vs. Mount Vernon Nazerene LIVE Game Blog

9:31- Daemen got a huge win tonight against a conference opponent 79-63. The Wildcats played with passion and determination right from the tip off. Dom Mazzochi lead the team in scoring with 18. Casey Sheehan had 18 to go along with M.J. Oridami's 13 and Moustapha Baidy's 10. With this win Daemen moves to 12-10(7-4) overall and will play host to Cedarville at 4:00pm. The Cougars fall below .500 at 10-11(6-4).

9:19- A 7-0 Daemen run with 5 Mazzochi points and 2 from Sheehan has all but iced this game for the Wildcats.

9:14- This is a ten point game as Daemen leads 64-54. Daemen doesn't seem like they can pull away but MVN doesn't seem to capitalize on mistakes; Makes for a wild finish

9:01- A Don Silveri technical foul has seemed to bring some life to MVN. They trail 55-42 with 9:16 remaining but they look re-energized. We will see what they can make of this.

8:51- Daemen continues to roll as Oridami just completed a three point play. They lead 50-35.

8:42- Media Timeout. Daemen continues but some missed opportunities have paved way for MVN as they only trail by ten at 38-28.

8:16- At halftime Daemen leads MVN 34-20. Daemen has had balanced scoring buy Casey Sheehan leads the team with 10. MVN has no scorer over 6 points as they Wildcats have played stellar defense and have rebounded quite well. Coach Silveri has to be happy with his teams performances.

8:00- Coach Silveri is ten players deep just 12 minutes into this game and it has him a 24-11 lead. The team looks in sync and in the flow of the game. MVN seems to be chasing and out of position. Let's see what trend continues.

7:51- Highest energy of the year I have seen from the Wildcats all year. A MJ Oridami steal and lay-in has Daemen up 14-3. with 13:07 remaining in the half.

7:47- Daemen's high energy has propelled them to an early 10-2 lead.

7:38- Record time for Coach Silveri to argue a call... one second.

7:23- Daemen comes into this contest at 11-10(6-4). They will take on Mount Vernon Nazerene 13-8(6-3). This looks to be an interesting matchup but more importantly a huge conference matchup as the season winds down. If Moustapha Baidy can dominate the post in this contest, Daemen has a good chance to get the victory. But if Brandon Short gets going, the leading scorer for MVN averaging 15 a game he will be hard to stop. Earlier in the year, MVN took this context in their place 87-72.

#9 Daemen Women vs. Mt. Vernon Nazerene LIVE Game Blog

7:13- MVN defeats the ninth ranked team in the country by a score of 86-81. Sarah Soroka lead all scorers with 34 points to go along with 9 rebounds. MVN had five players in double figures and were lead by Amanda Himes with 23 and Sierra Fletcher with 18. This is the Wildcats first conference loss. They fall to 19-4(9-1) and play next tomorrow at home against another ranked team Cedarville at 2pm. With this huge win, Mount Vernon Nazerene improves to 15-5(6-3).

7:10- 1.8 remaining. Tara Bailey knocks down a 28 foot 3 point jumper to cut lead to three but too little for the Wildcats it looks like.

7:06- 20.8 remaining. Stoddard drives down the lane and lays it in for two. MVN leads 80-76.

7:03- 40.7 remaining. Daemen down six with the ball. With Stoddard in the game, it gives the Wildcats the ability to down the court to get a quick two.

7:01- 42.7 seconds remaining. Daemen down 78-74. Poorly officiated game to this point. Wildcats will have to foul.

6:56- Full timeout by Daemen only trailing by one. They just grabbed the lead by one but gave it right back with two MVN free throws. MVN has five players in double figures. Soroka leads all scorers with 33. 1:48 remaining in regulation.

6:53- ANOTHER Soroka 3 cuts lead to two!

6:48- Sarah Soroka. Big 3 pointer to cut deficit to 3

6:43- Ellie Allen knocks down a corner three and then connects on a half court shot pass to Soroka to cut lead to four.

6:34- MVN timeout, up 7. Daemen seems to be coming to life going on a 7-0 run to get it to 51-47 but a three pointer by Kelli Pollock silenced the crowd to get the lead back up to seven.

6:31- 5-0 Daemen run has Daemen within 6.

6:24- Daemen still looking sloppy, down 9, 49-40. MVN leading scorer Amanda Himes leaves the game with apparent knee injury.

6:16- Doave Skolen, Daemen coach does not look happy.

6:05- Halftime in Amherst. MVN leads 43-38. Sarah Soroka lead Daemen with 20 points for Daemen to go along with four rebounds. Amanda Hines leads MVN with 14 but they have three others with seven points so the wealth is being shared. MVN controlled the tempo of the first half and after Daemen jumped out to a 21-7 lead, they outscored the Wildcats 36-17. Very unlike Daemen to be outplayed offensively and defensively. Look for more energy out of Daemen come second half.

6:00- Mount Vernon has completely dominated the last 10 minutes and lead by three at 39-36.

5:55- Alexis Harkins of MVN completes three point play off of steal of bad pass by Soroka. Wildcats look out of sync and disorganized.

5:50- Bridgette Burke's layup stops 13-0 Cougar run. 23-22 Wildcats.

5:47- 8-0 Cougar run calls for a Dave Skolen timeout and cuts lead to 21-15.

5:45- Lindsay Stoddard completes the three point play to give Daemen a 21-8 lead.

5:43- Soroka with 10 points on 4 of 5 shooting in eight minutes has Daemen up 15-8.

5:39- Five straight Soroka points makes it a 12-6 Wildcat lead.

5:34- Sloppy ball movement, a Laguerre offensive foul, and poor rebounding have lead to a 4-2 deficit thus far.

5:24- Four minutes until game time. Cougars come in at 14-5 and look like a strong team. Wildcats 9-0 in conference play looking to make it 10-0.

NFL Draft Prospect: Patrick Peterson

Prospect: Patrick Peterson
Position: Cornerback
School: LSU
Class: Junior
Height: 6-1
Weight: 220

Strengths: Peterson has phenomenal athleticism for a cornerback and is the best in this years' class by far at his position. He is a physical corner which can cause disruptions for the receiver, quarterback, and offense as a whole. He is a ball hawk who can come out of anywhere to make an interception and change the game completely. He is the best lockdown corner in the nation and has the potential to be an a Darrelle Revis type player. He is quick off the ball and can change directions at a very high pace, making it very difficult for the receiver to run a good route on him.

Weaknesses: Peterson has the tendency to over pursue or over anticipate on throws and routes. That causes him to get in trouble and allow easy catches for the receiver. It also disrupts the defense because it is forced to over compensate for Peterson's mistake. He sometimes is to physical at points but I am not really sure if that is a bad thing?

Overall Analysis: Bottom line on Peterson is that he may be the best pro prospect since Darrelle Revis. He is going to be a huge difference maker on whatever team he goes to and will most certainly make an immediate impact. He has the ability to play corner or safety at the pro level.

Possible Destinations: Denver Broncos/ Buffalo Bills/ Arizona Cardinals

Probable Pick: Top 5 pick

Farmers Insurance Open Rd.1; Kang Leads, Fowler 1 Back

One Round of the Farmers Insurance Open is complete and it is being lead by a 24 year old rookie... Sunghoon Kang? Yes, it's not a typo or misspelling, he really is leading. Kang shot an eight under 64 in the opening round. He has a one shot lead over Alex Prugh and young star Rickie Fowler. Some highlights of the first round included Tiger Woods firing a three under 69, John Daly in contention with a five under 67, and Phil Mickelson getting his game back with a 5 under round as well.

Farmers Insurance Open - In Progress
$	POS	START		NAME	SCORE	THRU	TODAY	1	2	3	4	TOTAL
	1			Sung-hoon Kang	-8	1:20 PM (ET)		64	-	-	-	64
	T2			Alex Prugh	-7	11:40 AM (ET)		65	-	-	-	65
	T2			Rickie Fowler	-7	12:00 PM (ET)		65	-	-	-	65
	4			Chris Kirk	-6	1:20 PM (ET)		66	-	-	-	66
	T5			Ryuji Imada	-5	11:30 AM (ET)		67	-	-	-	67
	T5			Fredrik Jacobson	-5	11:40 AM (ET)		67	-	-	-	67
	T5			Y.E. Yang	-5	11:50 AM (ET)		67	-	-	-	67
	T5			Marc Leishman	-5	12:00 PM (ET)		67	-	-	-	67
	T5			Phil Mickelson	-5	12:00 PM (ET)		67	-	-	-	67
	T5			John Daly	-5	12:30 PM (ET)		67	-	-	-	67

NFL Draft Prospect: Julio Jones

Prospect: Julio Jones
Position: Wide Receiver
School: Alabama
Class: Junior
Height: 6-4
Weight: 210

Strengths: Julio Jones is my second ranked wide receiver on my big board. At 6-4 he has perfect size for the NFL. He has good speed and strength to complement that size. At Alabama he was able to show off these skills in an offense in which he shined. As much as they were a running team with Mark Ingram and Trent Richardson, when he did get the ball, he was a threat to score. He was a playmaker at Alabama. He also is a great at catching the football close and away from his body. He has great hands and run after catch ability, something all teams look for if they are going to spend a first round pick on a wide receiver. He has also played in a pro style offense at Alabama so it is an easier transition for Jones.

Weaknesses: Jones has had some injury problems at Alabama including a broken hand so his past injuries will obviously play a factor. He does have good speed but he lacks that elite explosiveness off the line to get past corners in the NFL. His mental game has to get stronger as well. He drops very catchable balls here and there due to his lack of focus.

Overall Analysis: Julio Jones is a good wide receiver but not a great one yet. He has the potential to be one but he will have to improve. Whatever team he goes to, there will have to be a good, established quarterback in place. He will have the best chance to succeed if the quarterback can help him.

Possible Destinations: Cincinnati Bengals/ Cleveland Browns/ St. Louis Rams

Probable Pick: Mid First Round

2011 PGA Tour Season Kicks off Today

One of the few sports that really doesn't have an off season is golf. Right when you thought the 2010 season was over, the 2011 season comes rolling right on through. With that being said, many of you may have to catch up on the game of golf and re-familiarize yourself with the names and faces of the veterans and young guns. I am going to give you a preview of the 2011 Season and hope it guides you to watching great golf in 2011.

Biggest Headline: Tiger Woods. Coming off of his first winless season since turning pro, Woods has all of the pressure on him to win. This week is a perfect place to start as he is playing at Torrey Pines, a place where he was won seven times, and where he won his last major; a playoff win on a Monday on one good leg over Rocco Mediate. Woods has revamped his swing with new swing coach Sean Foley and says he is 'healthy' and it's 'game time.'

Players on the Rise: Dustin Johnson. Dustin as most of you remember had a chance to win two majors last year. He had a three shot lead in the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach before shooting a final round 82 to obviously play himself out of that, and he had the infamous bunker penalty at the PGA Campionship. Dustin is one the best players on tour and is poised to win a major this year. His power of the tee and iron play make him a superb pick any tournament. If he can sure up his putting, he will be hoisting trophies early in the season.

Rickie Fowler. If any of you know me, Fowler is by far my favorite player on tour but besides the biased standpoint, I really think he will do big things this year. He showed he can play his way to the top last year posting 3 runner-up finishes. He has also shown he can handle pressure as he was 4 down with 4 to play at the Ryder Cup only to win the last four holes to halve his match. A year of experience is under his belt and that can only help him.

Martin Kaymer- Just surpasses Tiger as Worlds' number two and is coming off Major Win in 2010

Rory McIlroy- Kid just continues to impress and is only matter of time before he he's Major champion.

Paul Casey- He is always around the top and is one of the most consistent players on tour.

Matt Kuchar- Casey is very consistent but Kuchar defines consistency.

Adam Scott- Has moved up over 25 spots in World Rankings after being ranked number 2 only four short years ago.

Veterans Still Making a Splash: Lee Westwood. Westwood has gained the number one ranking in the world as of late last year but we all know that is not what he wants. He wants and only wants to be a major champion. If he plays the way he did during the Ryder Cup, I think he will accomplish that. He is intimidating and his swing is simple and compact.

Phil Mickelson: Phil has yes dropped to number six in the World Rankings but he is still a threat to win any tournament he enters. He is not the force he once was but if he is focused and committed to golf this season, he can get back to the top.

Ian Poulter: Outspoken, flashy dresser can strike at any time.

Steve Stricker: Beating Lee Westwood at the Ryder Cup shows he's still got it.

My Dark Horses for 2011: Graeme McDowell. I'm not sure if this is a dark horse but I'm going to put him here. He went from an after thought to the United States Open Champion in a flash. He is ranked fourth in the world but with his play, he has the potential to go up.

Nick Watney: Held the lead at the PGA and can do it again.

Ryo Isikawa: He is finally going to get out of his teens! Loads of talent.

Anthony Kim: Coming off thumb surgery he should be ready to go.

Early Maters Champion Pick: Tiger Woods

NFL Draft Prospect: Nick Fairley

Prospect: Nick Fairley

Position: Defensive Tackle

School: Auburn

Class: Junior
Height: 6-4
Weight: 315

Strengths: I could write an entire article just on this guys' strengths. He is as talented as you will see come out of college at the DT position. I would argue that he is more dominant that Suh. Some of Fairley's key strengths are in fact his actual strength, size, and speed for a man his size. He is extremely athletic and is the definition of a game changer. He is very good at disrupting the quarterback and/or the offensive line. During the national championship game against Oregon, Fairley was very quick off the ball and caused confusion to the Oregon offensive line which created holes for Fairley as well as his teammates because the line was paying so much attention to Fairley. He also can get to the quarterback anytime he wants. His ability to read the quarterbacks eyes and quickness off the spot is tremendous.

Weaknesses: There isn't really anything specific I would put in his weakness area. He has a few questions about his character and work ethic but how I said about Blaine Gabbert, we see that with almost every prospect so it's almost irrelevant. I think the best thing that Fairley can work on is his composure and maturity. He may face a few bumps and struggles adjusting to the NFL game and if he has the mental strength and is mature enough to face the problems head on, he will do nothing but succeed.

Overall Analysis: Nick Fairley is the top prospect on my big board and is worthy of the number one pick. Every expert is high on Fairley including Todd McShay and Mel Kiper Jr. The talent, leadership, and play making ability he will bring to whatever team he goes to will be tremendous. Teams will dare to run against him.

Possible Destinations: Carolina Panthers/ Denver Broncos/ Buffalo Bills

Probable Pick: Top 3