June 15th update

It all comes down to this, Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals

- The two remaining teams in the NHL playoffs play for all the marbles as the final game of the season is tonight in Vancouver. Despite only scoring 8 goals in the 6 games so far, Vancouver has been buoyed at home by the fantastic play of Roberto Luongo.
- Luongo’s Mr Hyde side showed up on the road however, as he has been awful in Boston. Vancouver fans are hoping for Dr. Jekyll to show up and deliver them a cup.
- Boston is searching for their first Cup since 1972, while Vancouver is looking for their first Cup ever.

- The home team has won all 6 games in the series so far.

Golf’s US Open Starts Thursday in Maryland

- The second of golf's four majors (Along with the Masters, British Open and the PGA Championships) tees off at Congressional Country Club in Bethesda Maryland.
- Tiger Woods is not playing in this tournament due to injury, leaving this tournament without major star power.
- Since Woods' fall from grace in late 2009, there has been a lack of superstar talent to fill his shoes. Ten different players have won the past ten major tournaments and only 2 players in the current top 10 have even won any major at all. This seems to make this year's tournament wide open.

June 13th update

Mavericks defeat Heat 105-95 to win First Title

- Their leader and best player Dirk Nowitzki struggled in the first half, when he missed 11 of his 12 shots and only scored 3 points, but came through in the end as he has so often in this series, finishing with 21 points and a number of key, last-second shots. Nowitzki was blamed by many for losing the 2006 NBA Finals, also to the Heat, but this title should quell that criticism for good.

- Jason Terry, who had a game high 27 points in the clincher (tied for the most ever for a player coming off the bench in a title-clinching game) looks like he could be Mrs. Cleo's protege.

- It was also the first title for Jason Kidd who is #2 all-time in assists, #3 all-time in 3-pointers made and was 0 for 2 in previous trips to the NBA Finals (both with the New Jersey Nets).

- The Mavericks are now one of only 8 franchises to have won a title since 1984.


Canucks within one game of first Stanley Cup

- Friday night the Canucks won 1-0 as Luongo posted his second shut-out of the finals (Game 1 being the other) to give Vancouver a 3-2 series lead.

- Game 6 is tonight, with Vancouver looking to win the first Stanley Cup in their 41 year history.

- The Boston Bruins, who have scored 12 goals in the two games they have won while only scoring 2 in the three games they have lost, are back home hoping to avoid elimination and force a game 7.

June 10th update

Roberto Luongo shaky for a second straight game

- Boston ties up the Stanley Cup finals 2-2 with a 4-0 win behind a strong performance by star goaltender Tim Thomas.

- Both teams' goaltenders have won the Vezina Trophy, given annually to Hockey's best goalie, but over the past two games Vancouver Goalie Roberto Luongo has allowed 12 goals, a massive number for any two game span, let alone two in the finals.

- Luongo brought back memories of the Canucks first round series in which, after being up 3-0 to the Chicago Blackhawks, Luongo forgot how to stop the puck allowing in 11 goals over the next 2 games. He did not play an entire game again until game 7 which Vancouver won 2-1.


Mavs close to within 1 win of NBA title

- The Mavericks were on fire from the 3 point line, making 68% (13-19), which was one short of the record for 3 pointers made in the NBA Finals. Dirk Nowitzki only made 1 3 pointer but led the team with 29 points overall.

- Lebron James had a triple double (at least 10 points, rebounds and assists) but only scored 17. It was the second straight subpar scoring game for James, who has only 25 combined in his last 2 games, despite averaging 28 points per game in his playoff career. He hasn't scored more than 2 points in the 4th quarter since Game 1, when he scored 5.

- Dwayne Wade scored 23 points but suffered a hip injury in the first half that may make him less effective for the remainder of the series. Earlier Thursday afternoon, Wade and James poked fun at reports that Dirk Nowitzki had been sick during game 4.


Final Leg of Horse Racing Triple Crown to be held Saturday

- The race will be held at 6:30 EST but will not feature a Triple Crown winner, as different horses have already been victorious in the first 2 legs. There has not been a Triple Crown winner since 1978 when Affirmed won all 3.

- Animal Kingdom, the Kentucky Derby winner is listed as the favorite at 2-1. Nehro and Shackleford, the Preakness winner, are among the other front runners.

- Also called the "Run for Carnations," because the winning horse is blanketed in white carnations, the Belmont is among the biggest gambling events in the United States annually.

June 8th update

Pryor to drop out of Ohio State
- Terrelle Pryor, the highly touted Ohio State Quarterback, has declared he will not return to school for his senior season as fallout over an NCAA investigation (and to a lesser extent badly timed traffic violations) continues to ravage one of the top collegiate football programs in the country

- The scandal, in which several OSU players used their popularity to get cheap or free goods and services from area businesses, has already led to the resignation of popular and successful coach Jim Tressel, who lied about knowledge of these incidents. Additionally, Pryor and 4 other teammates were already suspended for the first 5 games of the 2011-12 season.

- Pryor is expected to try and enter the NFL through its supplemental draft, a rarely-used secondary player selection process where players with sketchy histories have historically made their way into the professional football ranks.

- Despite being the quarterback at a major college program, a lot of NFL scouts feel that he will be a Wide Receiver in the NFL due to his athleticism and size.


Mavs tie NBA Finals 2-2 in another thriller
- The Dallas Mavericks tied the NBA Finals 2-2 with an 86-83 victory in what has become one of the most tightly contested series in recent memory.

- Dirk Nowitzki scored 21 points including 10 in the 4th quarter despite having a high fever. He's drawing comparisons to Michael Jordan, who scored 37 points and led the Bulls to a win in Game 5 of the 1997 NBA Finals despite playing with a 103 degree fever.

- Dwayne Wade came through with another big game but missed a potential game tying free throw with under a minute left and fumbled the inbounds pass on the final play of the game which led to a wild, missed 3 pointer by Mike Miller.

- Lebron James only scored 8 points, the first time he has failed to score in double digits in his playoff career.

- The last 26 times the NBA Finals has been tied at 2-2, the winner of game 5 has won the series 19 times.


Bruins crush Canucks to get on the board in Stanley Cup
- The Boston Bruins finally broke through the Vancouver Canucks defense and continued to pound the back of the net, winning game 3 of the NHL Stanley Cup Finals, 8-1, but in the process, they lost one of their best players for the rest of the series.

- A vicious, blindside hit on Bruins right wing Nathan Horton, the Bruins 4th leading scorer in the regular season, left him with a concussion and out of the rest of the Finals. Vancouver's Aaron Rome, who laid the hit, was suspended for 4 games which would cover the extent of the Finals as well. It's the first time a player has been suspended for more than 1 Stanley Cup Finals game.

- The Bruins finally broke through the Vancouver defense and continued to pound the back of the net, winning game 3 of the NHL Stanley Cup Finals, 8-1. Vancouver still holds a series lead of 2-1, but this win was desperately needed by the Bruins as 3-0 series deficits are rarely overcome.

- In their past 5 Stanley Cup appearances, the Bruins have only won a total of 5 games, never winning more than 2 games in any one series.