Yes, baseball is returning to our minds and as the weather warms we will be limbering up the golf clubs…and yes the NBA playoffs loom…but for many folks the months of April and May mean playoff hockey. There are few storylines as compelling as the grind that is the chase for Lord Stanley's Cup. The pace and intensity of play increases, players are willing to do things to their bodies that make the average citizen cringe. Injuries are after-thoughts. You can rest all summer. The fans buy into the frenzy as well. In today's binge watching world the best series to chew on for the next few weeks is on the ice in Chicago and New York, St.Louis and St. Paul, and yes even Miami and Anaheim. All the fun starts on Wednesday night Here are the first round pairings:
Florida vs New York Islanders
Pittsburgh vs New York Rangers
Tampa Bay vs Detroit
Washington vs Philadelphia
Dallas vs Minnesota
St. Louis vs Chicago
Anaheim vs Nashville
LA vs San Jose
It was of course hard to watch the Jordan Spieth meltdown at the Masters but as we have heard many times before “sports can show your character” and it did. Spieth was gracious and humble afterwards as he had to sit through the presentation of the green jacket to winner Danny Willet. And he answered the questions in a straight forward way and took responsibility for the loss. Now I know for some It's not a big deal. In the grand scheme of things, losing a golf tournament when you're still making a boatload of cash is not a big deal. We choose to make these things bigger than they are. But for a competitor it is a big deal. Spieth is one of those guys that can chase history. He has the talent to go after the records that few can hope to challenge. So when you let a chance get away, it's going to sting for quite awhile. Just remember…he's only 22…there will be other chances…you just never know when it will be the last chance.
Speaking of records…the Golden State Warriors will tray and break the Bulls record for wins in a season. They have decided to go for it rather than rest their star players for the playoffs. You can argue if it's the right choice (you play all year to win a championship after all) but this Warrior team would also like to be remembered for more than that.
It looks like the weather is finally breaking this week. Local teams should be able to start playing games in decent conditions. I will have East baseball for you Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday on Foxsports Radio
Songs Of The Day (from my I-pod)
Shake Your Body Down To The Ground-Jacksons (1978) the first LP away from Motown included this funky dance classic written by Randy & Michael
