Weekly Nickel 3-26-2012

Photo courtesy of zimbio.com. Led by Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Anthony Davis (pictured above), there is little doubt that UK will be cutting down the nets next Monday night.

By Josh Kramer

A Final Four finally emerged.  Tiger Woods did his best Mariano Rivera impression.  Tim Tebow took his talents to Broadway. And South Beach brought the heat in terms of tennis.  Last week was a great one that will not soon be forgotten, but this one is poised to be pretty epic in its own right.  Here are the events to keep an eye on.

5.  Canada’s favorite pastime is still going strong as the regular season nears a close.  There are eight or fewer games remaining for every team in the NHL.  And we all remember last year’s insanely unpredictable playoffs that made Game 7’s seem like a given.  Both Boston and Vancouver are once again heavy contenders to hoist Lord Stanley come June, but New York and St. Louis appear to be in pretty good shape in their own right.  My eyes will be focused on a colossal showdown in the nation’s capital on Tuesday.

Advertisement

Weekly Nickel 3-3-2012

Photo courtesy of zimbio.com. Roger Federer (left) seems to be back to his old ways after defeating Andy Murray (right) to win his second consecutive title. It should be fun to see if the former number one player can continue his hot streak in Indian Wells.

By Josh Kramer

Hoops, hoops, and more hoops.  You thought this week was great in terms of College Basketball and the NBA?  Just wait.  This week was just an appetizer to the main course.  In addition, more scandal came out in the sporting world this for a change (bounty hunting).  Last week was fun.  But this week has the makings of being any better.  Here are the events to keep an eye on.

5.  The NHL’s Eastern Conference has turned into a three-team race.  Go figure that two of the teams are from Boston and New York.  What would professional sports be without the good old Boston/New York hate-fest?  Yesterday, was a treat as we got to witness the Rangers flex their Eastern Conference leading muscles to a 4-3 victory over the defending Stanley Cup Champion Boston Bruins.  I have a feeling that there is a seven-game series in store between these teams in the near future.  As always, here is my matchup of the week.

Florida Panthers at Pittsburgh Penguins:  Two of the East’s finest go to battle at the CONSOL Energy Center.  Pittsburgh’s electric offense led by Evgeni Malkin welcomes into town a Panthers team that just flat-out knows how to win.  If you asked me why Florida has been so successful this season, I couldn’t tell you.  They just have won game at an impressive rate.  Lately though, Pittsburgh has played much better hockey than the Panthers.  I expect this to continue.  Look for the Penguins to handle business at home, where they have been very tough to beat this year.

Weekly Nickel 2-13-2012

Photo courtesy of zimbio.com. Golf took a trip down memory lane this weekend with both Phil Mickelson (left) and Tiger Woods (right) in contention on Sunday. Mickelson ended up going home with the victory.

By Josh Kramer

“Linsanity” has hit a whole new level as the lowly New York Knicks have now won five straight games.  The little-known point guard out of Harvard whom nobody wanted is now both “known” and “wanted” by all.  Though it was weird having no professional or collegiate football games this past week, it still was a great week in the wide world of sports.  As I always like to say though.  On to the next one.  Here are the events to keep an eye on.

5.  The AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am was without question a blast this past weekend.  It was quite refreshing to have some of the “Big” names in golf back around the top of the leaderboard (Mickelson, Woods).  For a short period, it felt as if golf was drifting back into the golden era of five years ago.  Mickelson came out victorious, while Tiger struggled to a 15th place finish (though he was in contention until the final round).  Well the tour does not start and end in Pebble Beach.  Next weekend, all eyes will be on the Riviera Country Club in California.  CBS will be heading up the coverage.  I have a distinct feeling that the Woods/Mickelson Show could return in the very near future.

Weekly Nickel 2-6-2012

Photo courtesy of zimbio.com. Kentucky super freshman Anthony Davis (pictured above) has quickly become the frontrunner for the Naismith National Player of the Year Award.

By Josh Kramer

For the first time since the beginning of September, there will be no organized football games to speak of.  America’s favorite sport will now go into hibernation until training camp and spring ball begins.  After last night’s “Super” spectacle in which Eli Manning outdid Tom Brady, watching the pigskin get tossed around every Saturday and Sunday will be sorely missed.  But on to the next one.  Here are the events to keep an eye on.

5.  Despite much indecision and turmoil in the form of a 130 day lockout leading up to the 92nd NFL season, the 2011/2012 NFL season did not disappoint by any means.  If anything, the sport grew in popularity.  ESPN proclaimed this the “Year of the Quarterback.”  I think without question, next year should be the “Year of the Tight End.”

Weekly Nickel 12-26-2011

Photo courtesy of iamnba.com. Carmelo Anthony (pictured above) put on a show at Madison Square Garden yesterday. Can he lead the Knicks to a deep playoff run for the first time in over a decade?

By Josh Kramer

The NBA is finally back.  NFL action heads to the final week.  MLB off-season moves continue to occur left and right. And bowl season is finally ready to heat up. The New Year is always an exciting time in general, but it is also a great time in sports too.  Here are the events to keep an eye on this week.

5.  As is the norm during this time of the year, the NHL has gotten lost in the shuffle.  Now with the return of the NBA and the recent onslaught of concussions, expect the NHL to fall even further back on the agenda than normal.  Despite the lack of attention, there is still some great hockey to be played.  This week’s matchup to watch takes place down south.

New York Rangers at Florida Panthers:  It is a good thing that style points do not mean much in professional sports.  Because if they did, Florida may no longer be in first place.  The last time the Panthers took the ice, they took an 8 to 0 beating from the defending champion Boston Bruins.  Plus they are now losers of three straight games.  The Rangers on the other hand, are coming off of a big win against rival Philadelphia and have now won four straight games as they get ready for their “Battle of New York” with the Islanders tonight.  The Rangers live on one of the elite defensive units in the League and a very respectable group on offense led by Marian Gaborik.  Florida is not really too strong in any particular facet of the game.  They are typically good at defending their home ice.  The Rangers are not only hot right now, but they also thrive on the road.  Let the good times roll for New York.

Weekly Nickel 12-12-2011

Photo courtesy of zimbio.com. Will Louisville Head Coach Rick Pitino (pictured above) be all smiles next Saturday after Louisville hosts old Conference USA rival Memphis?

By Josh Kramer

Both number one and number two went down in college basketball.  Baylor claimed its first Heisman.  And the NL MVP was apparently taking some sort of illegal performance-enhancing drug (PED).  Last week was absolutely wild, but this week should be fun in its own right. Here are the events to keep an eye on this week.

5.  Bowl season is upon us.  We all were thoroughly impressed by Robert Griffin III on Saturday night in NYC.  The guys is truly a gentlemen and a phenomenal ambassador of the sport.  RGIII truly embodies what it means to be a student athlete.  But there is still more football to be played.  Bowl season gets underway on Saturday with a triple-header of games.  I am not sure any of these lackluster bowls will be of interest to you unless you are dedicated fan of one of the schools.  Here is the rundown though.

Weekly Nickel 12-5-2011

Photo courtesy of Cleveland.com. Can Aaron Craft (pictured above) lead the Buckeyes to a win in their first road test?

By Josh Kramer

At least this past week was not as marred with controversy as the past couple.  Sure developments continue to come out about the recent debauchery, but at least no brand new scandals came to fruition.  That was a victory in itself.  Most of the attention was focused on the gridiron and on the court.  And that is the way it should be.

Here are the events to keep an eye on this week.

5.  So the NHL has already lost some of it’s “brand new car” type of luster.  The NBA is right around the corner, Sid “The Kid” has made his almighty return, and now we are a quarter of the way into the season.  This is typically the time of year where the NHL takes a major backseat to football and basketball.  But I want to make sure you are aware, there is still some great hockey to be played this week.  The marquee matchup of the week will take place in Pittsburgh.

Weekly Nickel 11-28-2011

Photo courtesy of raleighdurham.about.com. Can North Carolina Head Coach Roy Williams (pictured above) rally his team to a huge victory over Kentucky in Lexington Saturday?

By Josh Kramer

What a past week in sports.  Wild NFL action.  Rivalry weekend for College Football.  Big time College Basketball upsets.  A shocking out of thin air NBA Labor agreement.  And a return of the NHL’s biggest star.  It will definitely be tough for this upcoming week to top last week.

Here are the events to keep an eye on.

5.  The Return of the Mack.  Hockey’s biggest star has returned to the ice, and appears ready to pick up right where he left off.  The hockey world got a momentous gift, when Sid “the Kid” Crosby took the ice for the first time in over 11 months.  With Ovechkin’s stardom waning, the NHL has been thirsting a star for the better part of six months.  That void appears to have been filled with the “Return of the Crosby.”  Talk about the strong getting stronger.  Pittsburgh already possessed the best record in hockey.  Now they just added the best player a quarter of the way into the season.

Weekly Nickel 11-21-2011

Photo courtesy of sacbee.com. Thanksgiving will be a family reunion of sorts for the Harbaugh family as Jim Harbaugh (left) leads his 49ers into Baltimore to take on John Harbaugh's (right) Ravens.

By Josh Kramer

It is safe to say that last week was absolutely a wild one in the wide world of sports.  The College Football world was turned upside down, while the NFL was highly entertaining as always.  College Basketball is back in full force, while the MLB off-season awards were doled out.  Plus the NASCAR Sprint for the Cup came to a wild conclusion.

Here are the events to keep an eye on this week.

Weekly Nickel 10-31-2011

Photo courtesy of coacheshotseat.com. Can Les Miles (pictured above) pull a rabbit out of his hat and lead his Tigers over the Crimson Tide in Tuscaloosa on Saturday night?

By Josh Kramer

Halloween is always a wild time for obvious reasons.  It is the one time of year where you can dress however you want and go unnoticed.  This weekend though, was highly noticeable in terms of the wide world of sports.  Saturday night was arguably the best night of College Football we have had all year.  Sunday was full of thrills and surprises.  And the Fall Classic had its first Game 7 since 2002.

Here are the events to keep an eye on this week.

5.  So a month of games are gone.  That is a shame for sure, but at least some progress was temporarily made.  The insanity and chaos that I witnessed at the end of last week into this weekend demonstrated to me that we have a very good shot of at least having a partial season.  Both sides want to make this deal happen.  It is just a matter of getting over the 2% conflict.  If I had to guess, I would say we will be seeing the game’s biggest stars by January.  This is a bummer in that the Christmas lineup was set to be epic.