The Final Countdown

NBA Finals: (2) Heat vs (3) Mavericks
It all comes down to this. After weeks months of playoff basketball, the NBA Finals mercifully tip-off tonight in the Sunshine State. Miami hosts Dallas in what should be an epic series for the Larry O'Brian trophy. The Heat rolled over the 76ers, Celtics, and Bulls en route to the Finals, while the Mavs knocked off the Trailblazer, Lakers, and Thunder to get there. The stars have really aligned for this one as three of the sport's top 10 stars will be on the court. On paper, you couldn't really ask for a better series. There are story lines galore and the NBA should be ecstatic with the match up. Let's break down the championship chances for the Heat and Mavericks.

Indy 500 Finishes With Fireworks

It will go down as one of the wildest finishes in IndyCar history. In a fitting end to the 100th anniversary of the Indy 500, Dan Wheldon took the checkered flag in dramatic fashion at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. It didn't look good for Wheldon heading into the final lap. The British driver trailed American rookie JR Hildebrand by a fairly wide margin with the finish line in sight. What happened next stunned not only the hundreds of thousands of fans in attendance, but the scores of people watching the event at home on TV.

Stanley Cup Finals Preview

Stanley Cup Finals: (1) Canucks vs (3) Bruins
The world's greatest trophy is up for grabs. On Wednesday, the Stanley Cup Finals will get underway with a very intriguing match up taking center stage. Two teams that haven't had a shot at the title (let alone brought home the trophy) in over 15 years. Vancouver will be the site of Game 1, between the Western Conference Champion Canucks and the Eastern Conference's Boston Bruins. While the Bruins haven't tasted a title in 37 years, the Canucks have never experienced the glory of winning it all. If you're the NHL, you couldn't ask for a more compelling series.

Don't Call It A Comeback

In an absolutely stunning sequence of events, the Miami Heat made an incredible turnaround to eliminate the Chicago Bulls tonight. With the win, the Heat have reached their first NBA Title Game since 2005 where they will coincidentally have a rematch with the Dallas Mavericks. Miami looked to be down and out in their Game 5 meeting in Chicago, but thanks to an amazing run late in the 4th quarter, they were able to send the Bulls packing and punch their own ticket in the process. The Heat scored 18 points down the stretch compared to the Bull's three points to shock the United Center crowd. So was this an incredible comeback by Miami or an astounding choke job by Chicago?

Bonds Gives Back

No more boos for Barry Bonds. One of baseball's biggest villains has turned into a hero overnight. Prior to today, Bonds was the poster boy for the steroid era in baseball. Although he has continuously denied using performance enhancing drugs during his career, pictures don't lie. The evidence is clear. Take a look at his slim physique when he was stealing 40 bases for Pittsburgh in the 1990's to his hot air balloon-sized head while setting the single season (and eventually all-time) home run records with the San Francisco Giants in the early 2000's. In addition to the asterisks on his marks, Bonds was known as a prima donna with a vendetta against the media. Still, all of that needs to be put aside after Barry did one of the most unselfish things in his entire life on Wednesday.

Should Nadal Be Nervous?

He's known as the most dominant tennis player on clay courts, not just now, but maybe ever. Rafael Nadal is hard to beat no matter where he plays, but he's basically unstoppable on clay. The world's #1 ranked player rolled to his 5th French Open title last year (on clay of course) which gave him the 2nd most titles at Roland Garros since 1925. Even more impressive, Nadal won his latest Grand Slam event without dropping a set the entire tournament. It would onlly make sense that he would be the heavy favorite to defend his title this year, but after today the "King of Clay" could be in for a quick dethronement.

NBA Western Conference Finals Preview

It's hard to believe that through nearly two rounds of NBA playoff action, there hadn't been a Game 7...that is until Sunday night. The Oklahoma City Thunder overcame the feisty 8th seeded Memphis Grizzlies to advance to their first conference finals appearance since moving to OKC (R.I.P. Seattle Super Sonics). That sets up what is a moderately surprising, but still very intriguing showdown for the Eastern Conference crown.

NBA Eastern Conference Finals Preview

Eastern Conference Finals
(1) Bulls vs (2) Heat
It's the face off everyone wanted to see. This year's MVP Derrick Rose against the 2009 & 2010 MVP Lebron James. The star power (and ratings) will be through the roof. It's a best case scenario for the NBA with two of the two bigger markets and more popular teams matching up. Let's break it down.

NHL Conference Finals Preview

What a thrilling month of playoff hockey we've experienced this season. The NHL is known for ratcheting up the intensity in the post-season and this year is no different. There have been surprises along the way, but with the dust settling in the Conference Finals, I think we're left with the best final four teams. Let's take a peek into the matchups.

Kings of the Comeback

They may have the most championships in NHL history, but the Detroit Red Wings quest for Stanley Cup #12 looked pretty bleak as recently as a week ago. Down 3-0 in their second round series against the San Jose Sharks following an OT loss at Joe Louis Arena last Wednesday, it looked like the Wings were basically finished. Fast forward to today. Three wins later, and Detroit is all square with San Jose at three games a piece after a thrilling 3-1 victory on Tuesday night. Upon first take, you'd think this rally by the Wings would be extremely improbable. Think again. This is the NHL we're talking about. Comebacks are the name of the game.

End Of An Era?

We may have seen a changing of the guards in the NBA playoffs. The past 3 years have featured the same two teams, Los Angeles and Boston. The Celtics won in 2008 followed by back-to-back championships from the Lakers. Not only are they two of the most prolific franchises of the 2000's, but they are also the most successful franchises of all-time (17 rings for Boston and 16 for LA). The only other team that can be put in the argument for team of the last decade are the San Antonio Spurs. The Spurs chalked up an incredible four finals victories from 1999-2007. Did you know that only one team besides the Lakers and Spurs have made the finals since 1999 (the Dallas Mavericks in 2005). It looked like the Lakers, Spurs, and Celtics would continue to cruise after all three earned top three seeds in the playoffs this year.However, it looks like none will live up to lofty title expectations. Could we be witnessing the collapse of all three dynasties.

Think Pink

My favorite Mother's Day tradition is MLB's pink revolution. Every Mother's Day, baseball's best wield pink bats, batting gloves, etc. in support of breast cancer awareness. As the son of a breast cancer survivor, I know personally how devastating the disease can be. It seems that in present times, almost every guy knows a woman who has had to deal with breast cancer. Professional athletes are no exception. It's great to see role models and sports stars in visible positions taking a stand and show they care. Happy Mother's Day to all the mom's out there and just know that we are all thinking of you on your special day.

Why The Heat Can Win It All

Many people think that if you cheer for the Miami Heat, you are rooting for pure evil. Ever since Lebron James made his infamous "announcement" that he was "taking his talents to South Beach", the Heatles have been basketball's new evil empire. Despite the hate, experts still originally predicted that Miami would win as many as 70 games in the regular season and cruise to a championship. Then the actual season began and reality set in. After an 8-9 start, expectations came crashing down. Armchair critics cheerfully cheered the b-word. Busts! As the season went on and the Heat got comfortable, the team started to gel. Although they didn't reach the lofty original expecatations, they finished strong with a respectable 58-24 record. They haven't let up in the playoffs and right now, they're my pick to win it all.

Boxing Needs Pacquiao-Mayweather

In it's heyday, boxing was one of the premier sporting events in the US. Those days are long gone. Not only has boxing been distanced by the main sports, it's now well behind main competitor Mixed Martial Arts in popularity. The problem? There are very few stars, zero quality heavyweights, and no legit rivalries. Way back when, you had Ali-Frazier and Ward-Gotti. Even Mike Tyson had memorable bouts with Evander Holyfield. Right now, the casual sports fan could care less about boxing, because there's no big bouts to hype. A matchup between the two biggest names in the game would change all that. That's why Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather must face off for the good of the sport.

The Next Big HBO Thing

When you want to escape from the same tired cop and courtroom dramas, HBO is the place to go. Don't get me wrong, there are plenty of addictive network shows out there that are well worth a watch. You can see my top five active favorites here. Following in a successful long line of fresh programming comes the newest offering from the network that brought us True Blood, Entourage, and The Sopranos. It's called Game of Thrones and it's off to a promising start that completely sets it apart from anything else on TV right now.

Score One For Team USA

I was in high school when it happened. It was 10 years ago, but I'll never forget where I was on September 11th. Like the JFK assassination for my parent's generation, it was one of those "remember where you were when..." moments. I was just coming back from the bathroom during my FST class when I saw our classroom TV tuned to Fox News showing footage of a plane crashing into the World Trade Centers. I couldn't understand the magnitude of that moment at the time. Looking back, it was a defining moment for our country. Party lines converged and our country came together in a moment of unifying patriotism. 10 years later, that patriotism has returned. 

Best MLB Ballparks

In my opinion, there's no better sport to watch live than baseball. The sights and sounds are something that can only be experienced in person. I try to hit up at least one Major League Baseball game a year, especially if it involves my favorite team the Detroit Tigers. On Friday, I got my first chance this season as I made my debut trip to Cleveland to watch the Indians host the Tigers. The  night was a blast, since we upgraded to first row seats near the 1st base dugout. The actual game...well that's another story. After leading most of the evening, Detroit allowed Cleveland to tie it in the 8th and load the bases with no outs in the 9th. Carlos Santana proceeded to smash a walk-off grand slam and the rest was history. Despite the unhappy ending, it got me to thinking about my favorite MLB ballparks. I've seen my fair share over the years, and here's a list of my Top 5 current stadiums.