Wednesday, April 06, 2005

Quick Sports Round-Up

Just a few quick notes:

It seems that because of injury and durability problems, Erasamus James may fall to the Packers at 24 according to Mel Kiper Jr Draft Expert. If this is a likely scenario then I would doubt the Pack making a move to trade up because James would give them that speed rusher to take pressure off of Kabeer and allow the linebackers to play more traditional defense instead of scheming unusual blitzes and forcing Barnett into pass coverage.

The Packers need someone to complement end Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila and James would do just that. He can play the run and pass equally well

Additionally, the Swing Kings are in first place tied atop the division with the Cincinnati Reds. While I doubt the Reds can keep up this pace it seems obvious this is the year the Crew will go undefeated...okay fine, a .500 year and a JJ Hardy Rookie of the Year would be great too.

In somewhat shocking news, foxsports.com has the Crew at #19 in their Power Rankings, just 5 spots behind ChiTown and a spot above The Stros.

To be honest, it's great to see them playing well in PNC Park, where they were atrocious last year, and to see them putting up runs. I hope this carries over into Miller Park where the balls should be flying out for Carlos Lee!

Next game is Friday at Wrigley.

For those that don't know, the Frozen Four starts tomorrow, with an all WCHA final four. I would like to take this opportunity to say stick it to all you snooty east coasters...looks like the power shift is complete and Western Hockey is it!

I know families for both three of the four teams but I will definitely be rooting for whoever wins the Denver - CC game to beat whoever comes out of the UND - Gopher game. Sorry everyone, but you know how I feel about the Gophers, and UND ain't much better. I do wish all the players luck and hope for some great games.

In somewhat surprising news, Tyler Hirsch will be back on the ice which is a relief for me, and means I no longer need to feel guilty for hosting his video.

In other news, the Masters is supposed to start tomorrow, but with a 90% chance of rain in Augusta it might get postponed til later in the day or delayed til Friday, we shall see. As it is, my pick is Paddy Harrington, but I will be rooting for Lefty. (The Masters.org site has live video from the practice tees, something pretty cool you might want to check out).