You hopefully know what the “R” stands for. Kobe Bryant will be named the NBA’s Most Valuable Player in about an hour, an honor that he frankly doesn’t deserve. Among the five candidates for the award (Kobe, Kevin Garnett, Chris Paul, LeBron James, and Manu Ginobili) I can make the argument that Kobe is the least valuable of the 5. While Kobe is the most outstanding player in the NBA and the game’s best pure scorer, he doesn’t provide very much else. The case for the other four:

Kevin Garnett:
-No player better exemplifies value than KG. The Celtics won approximately 3 games last year without Garnett and played about as much defense as the Cincinnati Bengals did in Week 2 of this past NFL season. Garnett shows up (along with Tom Thibodeau) and he transforms this team into the NBA’s best defensive club. His passion and fire were apparent in Game 1. He changed the face of this franchise. It was like walking into a room looking like Starr Jones and walking out looking like Gabrielle Union. Anytime you go from the worst team in the league to the best in one year, after adding a superstar, there’s some obvious examples of value.

Manu Ginobili:
-I’m biased, a little, I guess because I’m a big fan of Ginobili’s game. He’s the best ugly player in the NBA. He plays like a 17 year old kid with marginal talent, until, of course, he scores 20 points a game coming off the bench and energizes and entire team. While Tim Duncan is probably the NBA’s greatest all-time Power Forward, I don’t think the Spurs would have been a playoff team this year without Ginobili, who was somehow not an All-Star. His ability to shoot from outside, and drive left are unlike anyone else’s in the game. No one does it like Manu (who was smart to shorten from Emmanuel to Manu a few years ago…he wouldn’t have the aura if he was called Emmanuel Ginobili). He has never been afraid of contact in the lane and proved his slasher ability this year.

LeBron James:
-This is simple: LeBron James averaged 30 PTS, 8 REB, 7 AST this year. Without LeBron James, the Cleveland Cavs would start Boobie Gibson, Delonte West, Sideshow Bob, Ben Wallace, and Zydrunas Illgauskus and would have won 16 games this year. LeBron is more valuable to his team than any other non-point guard.

Chris Paul:
-In only his 3rd season, Paul averaged 21 PPG and nearly 12 APG. He’s 23 years old only because today is his birthday. He did all of this as a 22 year old. Running the show for a vagabond team. He’s barely 6’0” tall. He still averaged 4 RPG. He also led the NBA in Steals Per Game. Watch New Orleans play and tell me that he isn’t the most valuable player in the NBA to his team. The Hornets won 56 freakin’ games this year! Chris Paul turned the talented David West into an All-Star. Tyson Chandler, a castoff from the Bulls and a “bust” a few years ago, is a stud on the defensive side still, but no longer a liability offensively. Peja Stojakovich revived his career this year. Look no further than last night’s blowout victory over the Spurs. Morris Peterson starts for this team. If I’m starting a team today, CP3 is my first pick. Call me foolish. Then continue to watch the Hornets’ run towards their first NBA World Championship.

If it came down to it, this would be my ranking for the MVP Award:

5. Manu Ginobili (You have to remember, he still plays with at least 1 future Hall of Famer and possibly another)
4. Kobe Bryant (He averaged 28, 6, and 5 this year. LeBron averaged 30, 8, and 7. I don’t get it).
3. Kevin Garnett (He plays with 2 other all-stars. That has to decrease his value slightly).
2. LeBron James (Look at the guys he plays with. Now look at his stats. Add that together. Thank you).
1. Chris Paul (I’m biased as hell, but the kid is extraordinary. And to argue that “his time will come” is just stupid, foolish garbage that old-time writers say. His time HAS come. Kobe Bryant is an enigmatic headcase and a selfish teammate.

And then there’s this whole thing (Kobe Bryant’s statement following the settlement of his civil case in Eagle Country Colorado):

“First, I want to apologize directly to the young woman involved in this incident. I want to apologize to her for my behavior that night and for the consequences she has suffered in the past year. Although this year has been incredibly difficult for me personally, I can only imagine the pain she has had to endure. I also want to apologize to her parents and family members, and to my family and friends and supporters, and to the citizens of Eagle, Colo.

I also want to make it clear that I do not question the motives of this young woman. No money has been paid to this woman. She has agreed that this statement will not be used against me in the civil case. Although I truly believe this encounter between us was consensual, I recognize now that she did not and does not view this incident the same way I did. After months of reviewing discovery, listening to her attorney, and even her testimony in person, I now understand how she feels that she did not consent to this encounter.

I issue this statement today fully aware that while one part of this case ends today, another remains. I understand that the civil case against me will go forward. That part of this case will be decided by and between the parties directly involved in the incident and will no longer be a financial or emotional drain on the citizens of the state of Colorado.”–Kobe Bryant Sept. 2, 2004

Game O’ The Day: Cleveland @ Boston (Game 1). Cleveland wins tonight by 8. We all know I don’t want this to happen (much like how I didn’t want the Spurs to win last night…I was, accordingly, very happy that they did not). I just have to imagine that Boston is tired.

The Rocket announced today that he is sorry for his “personal mistakes.” Nice touch. We’re sorry too.

We had a huge weekend in sports. I didn’t actually watch any, besides the first three quarters of the Celtics/Hawks game on Friday. My thought regarding each day:

Friday:
I’ll leave this simple: I, as well as the rest of my readers who watch/enjoy NBA Basketball won’t feel too great until the Celtics win a playoff road game because you’re probably not going to go undefeated at home in the next 3 rounds. And that’s that for Friday.

Saturday:
-To me, the biggest (best) story from Saturday was MY New Orleans Hornets winning game one over the San Antonio Spurs. Mid-Atlantic Bias has been the undisputed home of the Hornets’ bandwagon since I moved to D.C. and started this blog. The Hornets are like my child at this point. I’m just so happy for them when they win. And really, my child is better than yours at this point. I said a few months ago that they were title bound. I’m looking more and more clairvoyant as the days progress.

-The saddest story from Saturday came when Eight Belles (Place in the Kentucky Derby) was euthanized after she broke both of her front ankles at the finish line. Horse racing is one of those sports that people pay attention to once a year minimum, and 3 times a year maximum, depending on the chance that a horse is going to win the Triple Crown. It’s similar to auto racing on a much smaller scale. Everyone pays attention to the Daytona 500 or for open-wheeled racing, the Indianapolis 500, but only the real fans care about the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series 500 at Pocono presented by Cheez-It. Today, everyone is going to be very sad about Eight Belles, as they were last year with Barbaro and come two Saturdays from now, they’ll only care about Big Brown (the Derby Winner) at the Preakness (just up the road from me). What I guess is really unfortunate is that this horse’s entire life ultimately lead to its early death. When you raise a thoroughbred horse, you don’t do it to send it to the glue factory. You do it to win the Kentucky Derby. Eight Belles came up just short and sadly lost the life it probably never really had.

Sunday:
-At least the Celtics can win at home.

-The Mets/Diamondbacks series, a possible NLCS preview, came to an end with the Mets taking 2 of the 3 games in Phoenix. The Mets only loss came with Mike Pelfrey on the mound, but as we Metropolitan fans know, that is to be expected. The key stat is that the Mets rarely lose at Chase Field (formerly Bank One Ballpark). They’ve lost only twice in their last 17 games there. So if these teams face in the playoffs, remember that stat. The Mets and D’Backs are completely dissimilar beyond the fact that they are both pennant contenders. The Mets are experienced; The Diamondbacks have only one regular starter over the age of 25. The Mets have a big-name closer. You have no idea who the D’Backs‘ closer is (Brandon Lyon). The only thing that they have in common is front-of-the-rotation aces in Brandon Webb (Arizona) and Johan Santana (Queens). Time will tell whether they are the two best teams in the National League. Right now, I would say that they are.

-The boring round of the NHL playoffs came to an end. Hallelujah!

Here are my previews (more like predications for the next rounds in the NBA and NHL, beginning with the latter:

Eastern Conference Finals
Pittsburgh over Philadelphia in 5.
-In the battle of the Keystone State, the more talented team from the west end beats the team with the hot goalie from the east end. Pretty handily too.

Western Conference Finals
Dallas over Detroit in 7
-Should be a great series. The Wings are rested after dismissing the Avalanche in Round 2. The Stars are not after playing a 4 OT game last night/this morning en route to beating the San Jose Sharks in 6 games. However, I picked the Stars to come out of the West. So I’ll stick to my guns.

NBA Conference Semi-Finals (and yes, I realize that this round has already begun, but I haven’t actually watched any of the games yet, so there’s that):

Eastern Conference
Cleveland over Boston in 6
Detroit over Orlando in 4

Western Conference
Los Angeles over Utah in 5
New Orleans over San Antonio in 7

Two of those series are easy to pick. Utah has no one (Their head coach Jerry Sloan’s own words) that can defend Kobe Bryant. Utah might win one at home. Detroit is just so much better than Orlando. I can’t see the Magic winning a game unless Dwight Howard has a 30/25 game.

I’m going with my heart with the Hornets and against it with the Cavs. I’ve explained New Orleans already, so I’ll stick with the Cleveland/Boston series. I don’t think the Celtics can stop LeBron James. As I told Matt this morning, I think Zydrunus Illgauskus is the key to this series. If he can average 15 points a game, that’ll be all Cleveland needs to outscore Boston. And frighteningly enough, I think the Celtics might be emotionally drained enough to lose Game 1 at home tomorrow night.

Game O’ The Day: San Antonio @ New Orleans (Game 2…9:30 TNT). San Antonio wins this game. I don’t want that to happen.

Continue below for a special post from reader Matthew regarding the University of New Hampshire Wildcats’ Spring Football game.

Guest Post alert! (That likely means you should be averting your eyes to this lengthy post, unless your Jim, Ryan or Jason)

The UNH spring game was yesterday in rainy Cowell Stadium, and the fighting R.J. Toman’s defeated the fighting Kevin Decker’s 17-14, even though Decker scored touchdowns for both teams. It was really nothing more than a glorified practice, as Toman went up against the first team defense and Decker the second team defense. What is noteworthy, however, is that Toman was named the heir apparent to Ricky Santos despite being outplayed by Decker for most of the game. Don’t get me wrong, I like R.J. He was the backup to USC’s Mark Sanchez for three years, he was a highly regarded recruit, and he is the best candidate to make something out of nothing with his legs. In an ideal situation, however, where our offensive line is competent (admittedly, this is unlikely, despite the fact UNH will start four seniors and a junior on the line), the best QB deserves the job, and that has been Decker to this point. I understand Coach McDonnell’s thoughts on this one, because we’ll likely need R.J’s legs, but it does not send a good message to the rest of the team if the inferior player is being chosen for a questionable reason. As Jim’s sources have mentioned, McDonnell tends to favor the older player (Toman’s a RS SO, Decker a RS FR), so this undoubtedly played a role, as well.

As for the game, there were a good deal of players out for the game, including projected starters Chad Kackert (RB), Mike Boyle (#1 WR), Josh Droesch (LT), Andrew Elwell (RT), Terrance Klein (OLB/S), Kevin Peters (DE), Hugo Souza (S), John Clements (CB) and Dino Vasso (CB), so it was hard to get much of a reading on the performance of the players playing. There were some encouraging notes, however, and I’ll lay them out in numbered form below:

1. Sean Jellison. Jellison is currently the third RB on the depth chart, behind the aforementioned Kackert and Bobby “B-Simp” Simpson, but he was easily the best back on the field yesterday. He found the holes, ran hard and looked very shifty. He is an Amherst, NH legend and I think he could have a strangle hold on the starting job in a reasonable amount of time. Don’t get me wrong, I like Kackert’s abilities, but unfortunately, those likes are compounded by the fact that the only thing he does well is run directly at the first defender he sees. I don’t note any difference between the shiftiness of Kackert and say, I don’t know, a cement block. Bobby Simpson is not Chris Fuamatu Ma’afala, as much as I’d like him to be.

2. Depth at the wideout and TE position. UNH played four competent TE’s in the spring game (All-American Candidate Scott Sicko, Ronnie Strand, Kamal Mohammed and Chris Jeannot), and a fifth, Sean Cullen, missed the game but has had a good spring. These guys are all athletic, talented and versatile. I think Sicko, Jeannot and Cullen are the most highly regarded, but Strand has always impressed me and I’d like to see more of him, as well. As for wideouts, even with Boyle and Chris Chandler out, I thought Terrance Fox and J.T. Wright looked pretty solid. Mike Greene, Travis Negron and Kevon Mason were also not invisible. There is a lot of depth at that position, and look for J.T. Wright to steal the #1 spotlight from Boyle in a fair amount of time.

3. Interior defensive line size. Jordan Long, T.J. Taylor and Steve Young are all over 280 lbs, as is Tim Steele. John Murray also has some size. The ability to rotate with those five inside will give UNH their best chance at stopping the run in, well, their history. Lance Mailloux, Brian McNally, Kyle Maroney and Kevin Peters have their work cut out for them at DE, but at the very least, they are bigger and more athletic than the marionettes we had playing their last season, with the exception of Marvin Wright, who never played as well as he should have.

4. Athleticism/Depth at LB/CB. The three primary candidates to play LB, Devon Jackson, Sean Ware and Matt Parent, are all very good athletes. I am particularly enamored with Ware, who is coming off an injury and looks very lean, but I think all three will be very useful next season. While graduated LB Husain Karim made a lot of tackles, I thought his lack of size hurt the interior defense. Ware and Jackson are much better. In the backfield, expect Terrance Klein, Hugo Souza, Ryan McGuiness, John Clements and Dino Vasso to start, with Maurice Duper, Ryan Hinds and Anthony Gorrell to see a lot of time. Hinds had a super camp, and I was very impressed with what I saw from Gorrell.

5. Special Teams. Tom Manning and Tom Bishop are likely the best returning ST duo in the CAA. These two should help UNH to win a number of close games during their tenure. Chad Kackert and Terrance Fox are very dangerous in the return game, as well.

If Toman (or Decker) can be solid, this is a playoff team and a potential championship contender. Remember, UNH plays only three teams that were over .500 last season (Hofstra, who UNH beat by an ungodly amount on the road last season, Villanova and UMass). VERY EXCITED!

LSU’s offseason full of departures continued today when they kicked their starting quarterback, the supremely talented and supremely stupid Ryan Perrilloux, off the squad. And so begins the throng of phone calls to Ryan from Arkansas State, Alabama State, Furman, etc. about coming to their school to “get an education” (see: Play Football…Major in Ceramics). I don’t really understand what is so difficult about staying out of trouble. I don’t understand how someone with all of the talent that Perrilloux possesses has to: use someone else’s ID to get into a casino, get into a fight outside of a bar, fail a drug test, skip classes, skip workout sessions, and skip film sessions. To say that Perrilloux did this because of entitlement issues is off-base. There is a large body of evidence to support the theory that if you are a talented football player with head issues, you will not be allowed to use your talents for very long in football. See: Adrian McPherson, Lawrence Phillips, Peter Warrick, et al. The last two were early first round picks who were out of the NFL before they did anything. The first was a supremely talented quarterback who because of issues like stealing blank checks, played behind Drew Weatherford and Wyatt Sexton before eventually being kicked off the team. The New Orleans Saints drafted him and soon after released him. He’s now a backup in the Arena Football League. This story frustrates me because I really like the Bayou Bengals (LSU). I love their insane head coach, Les Miles. I love that they play in a stadium called “Death Valley.” I love that their mascot is actually a real Bengal Tiger. There’s a mystique about them. A mystique that will very likely find them finishing in 3rd in the SEC West next year thanks in large part to a talented, immature quarterback who will soon try to re-make his name at a lower level of college football.

On the flip side of the coin, you have Troy Tulowitzki, a young player who I absolutely love. Tulo is the Colorado Rockies Shortstop. He finished second in the National League’s Rookie of the Year voting last year, and should have finished in first, not because I have a gripe with the award’s winner, Ryan Braun, but because when you consider his impact on a franchise that had been a circus side-show for years, you get his real importance. In the MLB Season Preview Issue of Sports Illustrated there was a great story about Tulo and how his arrival in Denver changed the mentality of an entire franchise, catapulting it to the World Series. Tulowitzki’s impact was first felt last May 21. The Rockies were 18-27 and had just lost to the Diamondbacks. Tulowitzki, a rookie, awoke his teammates by throwing equipment off the walls and screaming, “This team is too good to be playing this shit.” His teammates awoke and followed the declaration of Tulo, going 72-46 from that point on. Tulowitzki, like many athletes, has thrust himself into the Denver community through charitable work. The first thing he did with his newly minted contract was not buy an Escalade, some cocaine, and a prostitute. No, he bought his mother a house.

The reason why I chose to begin today’s post with the very different stories of Ryan Perrilloux and Troy Tulowitzki was because of the similarity (supremely talented athletes) and the differences (obvious). The Rockies announced yesterday that Tulo, who has struggled at the plate this year, will be out until at least the All-Star Break with a torn tendon in his quad muscle, a rare injury in baseball. One of two things will result from this injury: 1.) The time away from the game will allow Troy to get his head right when he steps into the batter’s box and he will continue to lead the Rockies franchise for years to come or 2.) The time away from the game will ruin him psychologically and he’ll never recover. Remember the name Bud Smith. Smith was a pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals who threw a no-hitter in his rookie season and finished the year with a 6-3 record and a sub-4.00 ERA. Smith never made it out of his second season. He struggled in the spring and has not pitched in the Major Leagues since. So no matter what team you side with, in the case of Troy Tulowitzki, please root for the first scenario.

Reader Jim gave me a very good idea for a feature of today’s post: My All-Love/All-Hate NBA Teams. The idea behind this is simple: Assemble a starting five (and a 6th man) of my favorite players and my least favorite player, not based on skill level, but based on that “something” that attracts or detracts me to that entity. Here, are those teams (remember, skill level is not a requirement for either team):

All-Love Team

PG: Chris Paul (New Orleans Hornets)
SG: Manu Ginobili (San Antonio Spurs)
SF: Kevin Durant (Oklahoma City Bombers…er…Sonics)
PF: Joakim Noah (Chicago Bulls)
C: Shaquille O’Neal (Phoenix Suns)
Sixth Man: Delonte West (Cleveland Cavs)

Breakdown: If I wanted to win games, my sixth man should probably be a center, but I love Delonte West too much to leave him off of the All-Love Team. I love Shaq too much to leave him off as well. Yes, he has no discernible skills left. However, he’s still a hilarious interview. Can you tell that I love young players?

All-Hate Team

PG: Stephon Marbury (New York Knicks)
SG: Kobe Bryant (Los Angeles Lakers)
SF: Carmelo Anthony (Denver Nuggets)
PF: Kenyon Martin (Denver Nuggets)
C: Ben Wallace (Cleveland Cavs)
Sixth Man: The Next NBA Player to Be Arrested

Breakdown: The point guard went on TV and talked about how great it was to kiss his sister and sells 12 pound cheap shoes at Steve and Barrys (for the kids), the SG is a rapist, the SF hates snitchin’ but loves drinking and driving, the PF has a tattoo on his chest that says “Bad Ass Yellow Boy” and is injured more than he plays, and the center, like Shaq has no discernible skills and couldn’t give a good interview or be a good teammate if his life depended on it. But hey, he’s good for a few rebounds!

Game O’ The Weekend: Going with the NBA would be easy here. And I will, however, I do want to bring light to Sunday’s Mets/Diamondbacks game because Johan Santana will oppose Dan Haren in the pitching matchup. That’s quality, kids. If you live in Arizona and read my blog, make sure you go to this game. And also, why do you read my blog if you live in Arizona?

The real game of the weekend is Game 1 between the San Antonio Spurs and the New Orleans Hornets. I’m excited for this series because the bandwagon I’ve been driving will face the team of the decade in the Western Conference Semi-Finals. New Orleans wins Game 1.

Back on Monday. Have a great weekend, all.

Today is literally so slow that I couldn’t muster the strength to compose a joke title poking fun at the misfortune of others. There’s nothing I can make a list about. Here’s what I’ve got for you today:

-Roger Clemens has apparently also had a relationship with John Daley’s wife, which makes my head spin. So now we have a 15 year old aspiring country singer, his wife’s fake boobs, and the wife of a chain smoking, alcoholic, hack professional golfer all mixed up with perhaps the greatest pitcher since Walter Johnson. Yesterday, Tim Kurkjian of ESPN fame, was on the Tony Kornheiser Show and said, essentially, “Roger Clemens thinks that he is an American hero and can do no wrong.” Well, Roger, I’m sorry, but you’re not a hero. And you’ve done plenty of wrong. Now please, admit that you’re flawed like everybody else and go away.

-The Washington Wizards Without Gilbert Arenas > The Washington Wizards With Gilbert Arenas. The Wiz pulled off a big win in Cleveland (a wretched city) last night without their “star” in the lineup. Gilbert is out for the remainder of the season. His coach, Eddie Jordan, found that out by watching TV. Not from the trainer. Not from Gilbert or another player. Nope, he turned on the TV. My head continues to spin. So we can just keep on waving our hands in our faces along with the supremely untalented DeSean Stevenson all the way to tomorrow night at the Verizon Center. I really want the Wizards to go away.

-I’m very happy that I was wrong with my Game O’ The Day prediction. I said the C’s would win by 20. They won by 25. Ray Allen was fantastic last night in many forms. My favorite Ray moment was not one of his 5 3’s. It was, in fact, when he approached an angry lion in the form of Kevin Garnett, put his arm around his back, and calmed down an incensed Garnett (after he “got into it” with Joe Johnson). Great leadership by Ray. The kind of leadership we would never expect from Paul Pierce.

-I sometimes forget that Joe Johnson was a member of the Boston Celtics. He was traded in his rookie season with a first round pick and the immortal Randy Brown and Milt Palacio for Rodney Rogers and Tony Delk. That’s looking like a great trade, huh?

-I still want Doc to be fired.

-I have two ideas that I think will greatly improve the NBA’s and Major League Baseball’s all-star games. For MLB, invite Diamondbacks pitcher Micah Owings to participate in the Home Run Derby. For the NBA, and I love this idea, scrap the terrible skills competition that involved the WNBA, move up the 3-point contest and the dunk contest, and have an 8 man, single elimination 1-on-1 tournament. Kobe Bryant, Dwayne Wade, LeBron James, Manu Ginobili, Chris Paul, Deron Williams, Gilbert Arenas, and Tracy McGrady in a one-on-one tournament. You don’t think that wouldn’t get people watching? The chance to see Kobe go up against Arenas (nevermind Wade and James) would be far more exciting than Dwight Howard putting on a Superman costume and beating Gerald Green in a dunk contest.

-Carmelo Anthony’s BAC was above the legal limit. His scoring average in the playoffs…was not.

-Troy Aikman and Lou Holtz will be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. No word on whether or not Holtz will be inducted into the Wads of Dripping Saliva Cascading Out of His Mouth Whenever He Speaks Hall of Fame.

Game O’ The Day: Detroit @ Philadelphia (NBA). I’m not at all excited about this game and will not watch it. But it’s going up against early May baseball (with no great pitching matchups…unless you’re excited about the return of Sidney Ponson) and two 3-0 hockey games. Detroit wins tonight by 17 and advances to face the Orlando Magic in Round 2.

I hope to be back tomorrow with something more expansive than this. Make sure your tanks are full before you leave the house, kids.

I’m not a big fan of now former Dallas Mavericks head coach Avery Johnson. I don’t think the fact that he has the highest winning percentage among Head Coaches in NBA history (min. 250 games coached) is a reflection of his coaching skills or lack thereof. That said, the Dallas Mavericks were a 4 or 5 seed before the Jason Kidd/Everyone trade and a quickly eliminated 7 seed afterward. Avery Johnson did not make that move. Most reports say that Johnson was opposed to the Kidd trade; he had groomed Devin Harris into a mold similar to Johnson’s when he was a point guard for the San Antonio Spurs in the 90’s and didn’t want to give up on him. However, today, Avery Johnson sits with recently ousted Charlotte Bobcats coach Sam Vincent and former Bucks coach Larry Krystowiak. And really, one of those people doesn’t belong there. Avery Johnson will get work. And he’ll get it soon.

Reader (and Lord) Ryan had a few questions in his comments from yesterday. I loved that. So here are your answers Ryan (If any other readers have any questions, please ask them).

1.) If the Celtics fire Doc Rivers, who do you hire?
– Avery Johnson would be on my short list. He’d have a young point guard (Rajon) to continue to mold. I think he would do a better job than Doc, because Avery isn’t concerned with smiling during playoff games like Doc apparently is. Avery does coach. If Avery doesn’t want to come to Boston, Tom Thibodeau would also be on my short list. The things that Thib did (and yes, I’ve given him a nickname) with this defense, along with Kevin Garnett, are really miraculous by basketball standards. Last year, this team couldn’t defend a plastic bag in a light breeze. They allowed inferior players to look exceptional offensively. This year, they buckled down and played D. Thibodeau has never been a head coach in the NBA, but he’s proven his mettle with the Celtics this year and with the Rockets in the last 4 seasons. Beyond those two, if I was to go dark horse, I might make a call to a certain front office guy in Indianapolis named Larry Legend. Look at his coaching record in his 3 years with Indiana. He’s certainly not the best candidate in terms of ability, but in terms of raising excitement about the Celtics to an asinine level, that would do it.

2.) Why is Sam Cassell allowed on the basketball court?
-Because Doc Rivers doesn’t know what he’s doing. Because Doc apparently read Sam Cassell’s wikipedia page and thought, “Wow, he’s played in a lot of places. And he’s a veteran. And I understand that come playoff time, you should play veterans. Therefore, even though I have a team full of vets, I’m going to bench the more valuable and, at this point, talented, Eddie House in favor of a veteran whose best days are so far behind him that you can’t even see them.

3.) Who would you have taken with the Pats Pick in Round 1 (Pick 10)?
-I loved this question. It makes me feel more important than I really am. I liked the Mayo pick. And Bill Belichick, judging by the enormous tent he now sports, liked the pick a lot too. However, I really would have looked at the offensive line. Look, the Pats O-Line was also the Pro Bowl line last year, but that was more of an anomaly than anything else. We saw in the playoffs that they weren’t as good as we thought. I would have drafted Branden Albert (OT/OG) with the tenth pick or perhaps Boise State LT Ryan Clady. As another note, I was saddened that the Patriots did not draft LSU RB/FB Jacob Hester. I watched and loved Hester so much in college. He was the ideal Patriots guy. Except now he’s a San Diego Charger (along with Antoine Cason). I should really start loving the Chargers. You know, once they do something about their smug quarterback. Like kick him to the curb.

So as you see, you ask questions…you (probably) get answers here. For example, reader Kristen wanted to know what I thought about the Big Brother finale. I take occasional divergences in my writings, away from the world of sports (such as my Oscar Preview), however, I’m not going to do that for Big Brother as more people read this for sports than read this for my analysis of a really bad last two weeks of a show I enjoy and a boring winner only outdone by an even more boring final two.

3 of the 4 2nd Round NHL Playoff Series are currently at 3-0 (Detroit, Dallas, and Pittsburgh all lead). The other series features the two teams who eliminated the two teams I was rooting for the most. Hence, I will start talking about hockey again when the Red Wings and Stars and Penguins and Flyers begin play in their respective conference finals.

Game O’ The Day: Hawks @ Celtics. Boston wins by 20. 20! I won’t care if they win by 2 or 20, really. As long as they win.

That’s “Doc” Rivers. I could talk about how upsetting last night’s game was, but if you watched it (Ryan and Matt) you know how you felt when the game was over. I felt/feel the same way. I still think the Celtics will win the series (at least I hope they will). I, as well as the readers, am nervous for the Celtics.

Fire Doc Rivers!

Today’s post may be typed very poorly. I apologize in advance for this. I have a puffy piece of gauze on my thumb. Needless to say, sticking your hand in the trash to compress it is a really dumb idea, especially when there is razor sharp aluminum in there. I’m a moron. As well, I’m still functioning on minimal sleep (about 8 hours in the last four days). However, this is a sports blog, not a blog about my life. There’s clearly less demand for that.

Going to hit the meat of post now, with my breakdown of the first round of the NFL Draft.

I was 6/31 in my Round 1 Mock Draft (V.2). Mel Kiper was 5/31. I’m just saying. Full disclosure, I only hit one of my second round picks (Donnie Avery).

But lets move past my self-glorification. Here’s how the breakdown will work for Round 1 analysis. I’ll tell you the pick. I’ll grade the pick (1=Beyond injury, this guy can’t miss with this team, 2=This guy will need some work, but could be very good with this team, or just mediocre (most of the guys will be this), or 3=This team’s GM is mentally retarded and doesn’t know the difference between the NFL Draft and an NFL Fantasy League). And I’ll have some sort of insightful and/or witty comment. Let’s go:

1. Miami Dolphins-Jake Long (OT)
Grade=1
Great pick. So rarely do teams actually take the guy they should in this situation. They go for name or skill. Great pick by the Dolphins. They take the best guy for their team.

2. St. Louis Rams-Chris Long (DE)
Grade=2
It’s an okay pick, really. Long might be very good, but he was not a powerhouse defensive player at Virginia. He was very good. But no one in the middle of the year said, “Wow, no one can stop that kid.” They, instead said, “Holy shit I’m old. Howie Long’s son is a college senior!?!?”

3. Atlanta Falcons-Matt Ryan (QB)
Grade=3
Matt Ryan might be an okay quarterback in his career. But this team is terrible. And thinking a quarterback will solve that problem is foolish. They should have drafted Glenn Dorsey.

4. Oakland Raiders-Darren McFadden (RB)
Grade=2
This was almost a 3. They didn’t need a running back. Are you going to tell me that moving down for an OT or drafting Gholston would not have been more of a help. That said, McFadden is still very skilled.

5. Kansas City Chiefs-Glenn Dorsey (DT)
Grade=1
Great pick. This is the definition of a “1” grade. Barring injury, this is a can’t miss.

6. New York Jets-Vernon Gholston (DE/OLB)
Grade=2
Gholston apparently lacks the motor that Chris Long possesses. What he does have is more skill than Long. So if he finds the motivation, he could be Mario Williams in a few years.

7. New Orleans Saints-Sedrick Ellis (DT)
Grade=3
Great pick. Their defense was terrible. They improved it with this pick. Let’s just hope for New Orleans sake that Sedrick Ellis doesn’t have any Jonathan Sullivan in him.

8. Jacksonville Jaguars-Derrick Harvey (DE)
Grade=2
I almost went with a 1 here. Look, everyone complained at how much they gave up to get here. They didn’t need that much in terms of draft pieces to be great next year. They’re, on paper, the AFC’s best team. So they add some depth on the D-Line. Really not that much of a reach. Unlike another team a few picks down the line.

9. Cincinnati Bengals-Keith Rivers (OLB)
Grade=1
This is a borderline 1/2 grade. However, Rivers is a great character guy with a great motor coming to a porous defense. Seems like a good equation to me.

10- New England Patriots-Jerod Mayo (OLB)
Grade=2
Good pick, not mind blowing by any means. As usual, the Patriots draft a guy that no one had them picking.

11. Buffalo Bills-Leodis McKelvin (CB)
Grade=2
Eh. This pick doesn’t make me sexually excited as it did ESPN’s entire crew on Saturday. McKelvin did not play at the highest of levels in college. We’ll see how he fares in the NFL. I’m giving this pick time. Leodis McKelvin…like wine.

12. Denver Broncos-Ryan Clady (OT)
Grade=1
When you need an OL and you draft the best OL and it’s 4 months until people start, you know, playing, this pick has to be a 1.

13. Carolina Panthers-Jonathan Stewart (RB)
Grade=3…no, a 4…perhaps a 72?
This was the worst pick of the first round in my opinion. The biggest head scratcher by far. Most prognosticators had Rashard Mendenhall (bigger back, quicker, less wear and tear) ranked higher than Stewart. And Carolina didn’t need a running back in Round 1. But the Panthers laugh in the face of common sense. They needed an OT? And Brandon Albert, Chris Williams, and Jeff Otah were still available? So what! Let’s draft a running back!

14. Chicago Bears-Chris Williams (OT)
Grade=2
A sound pick by the Bears.

15. Kansas City Chiefs-Brandon Albert (OT/OG)
Grade=1
I loved their first three picks (Brandon Flowers (CB) in Round 2 was their 3rd). But who didn’t? On paper, the best draft. And then they go out and sign a stud undrafted QB. Much like with the Broncos, the Chiefs needed an OT and took the top prospect at said position.

16. Arizona Cardinals-Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie (CB)
Grade=1
They could have drafted a scarecrow to play CB and it would have been a “2.” Rodgers-Cromartie, to the best of my knowledge, is not a scarecrow.

17. Detroit Lions-Gosder Cherilus (OT)
Grade=2
A bit of a reach and I would have taken Jeff Otah. But, whatever.

18. Baltimore Ravens-Joseph Flacco (QB)
Grade=2
Where Cerilus was a bit of reach, this was some Stretch Armstrong stuff. No team below them until they picked again was going to draft a QB in Round 1. It wasn’t even a question. That said, I think Flacco is the best prospect in this draft.

19. Carolina Panthers-Jeff Otah (OT)
Grade=2
They move up to take a guy they should have taken at 13 and give up this draft’s 2nd and 4th round picks AAAAANNNNNNNNNNNNDDDDD next year’s 1st rounder. But at least they didn’t draft a running back.

20. Tampa Bay Buccaneers-Aqib Talib (CB)
Grade=2
I like the pick a lot. Almost enough to make it a 1. Nice cajones by the Bucs for taking Talib despite “character concerns.” He should fit in pretty well.

21. Atlanta Falcons-Sam Baker (OT)
Grade=3
This is just a moronic reach. Just stupid.

22. Dallas Cowboys-Felix Jones (RB)
Grade=1
A great mix with Marion “The Barbarian.” And he’s a Hog. And I was calling for this pick. The only problem I kind of have with this pick is that Rashard Mendenhall is still available.

23. Pittsburgh Steelers-Rashard Mendenhall (RB)
Grade=2
This is almost a 3, only because I don’t see the actual need. You look at the rest of Round 1 and who was available, are you going to tell me that Antoine Cason or Mike Jenkins wouldn’t make more sense? Mendenhall might end up being a very good feature back in his career, but in the short term, I still don’t understand.

24. Tennessee Titans- Chris Johnson (RB)
Grade=3
This competes with Carolina’s first pick as the single dumbest decision in World History. They needed (and still DO!) a wide receiver. All of them were available (including former Vince Young teammate Limas Sweed). So they took the dynamic speedster running back when they already have 2 decent to mediocre running backs on the roster.

25. Dallas Cowboys-Mike Jenkins (CB)
Grade=2
Very good first round for the ‘Boys.

26. Houston Texans-Duane Brown (OT)
Grade=2
Most people give this a 3 or their equivalent. However, I think if we give it time, it might not be such a terrible pick.

27. San Diego Charger-Antoine Cason (CB)
Grade=1
I love it more than I love driving on a sunny day with the window down listening to 6 year old pop-punk music. Defensive rookie of the year.

28. Seattle Seahawks-Lawrence Jackson (DE)
Grade=2
This really isn’t a bad pick, because like Jacksonville, what do the Seahawks really need to address in round 1? Tight end was a weakness for this team, but really, Fred Davis and Dustin Keller are not surefire first rounders. So they bolster up the D-Line. Can’t hurt, right?

29. San Francisco 49ers-Kentwan Balmer (DT)
Grade=2
This is a really good pick. Time will tell if Balmer’s game can translate to the NFL, but the 49ers at least made a smart pick. Sure they would have loved to have had the 7th pick, to take Sedrick Ellis, but that’s the price you pay for Joe Staley.

30. New York Jets-Dustin Keller (TE)
Grade=3
I don’t get it. Someone explain it to me. They needed a tight end that badly?

31. New England Patriots- Pick forfeited (Head Coach)
Grade=3
It would have been nice to have had this pick…

32. New York Giants-Kenny Phillips (S)
Grade=2
This is neither a great pick or a terrible one. Phillips should be a nice addition to their secondary. Nice. Not fantastic.

Game O’ The Day: Phoenix @ San Antonio (Game 5). This is a must win game for the Suns. If they don’t win this game, their coach will be fired and whatever system they’ve established there goes absolutely kaput. With it will go Steve Nash’s career, sadly. He was designed to run this offense. Or perhaps this offensive system was designed for Steve Nash to run it. Whatever it is, the Suns need to win tonight and the next two games. They cannot be eliminated by the Spurs again in the playoffs or we will lose the most entertaining offense since Showtime.

Two-time former Miami Heat coach Pat Riley announced today that he won’t be back as Heat head coach next year, because, as one ESPN.com commenter put it, “When the going gets tough, Pat Riley quits.” A few years back, the Heat were underachieving, so Pat decided to get hip surgery, handed the team over to Stan Van Gundy, and then when they started playing better, came back, took the team from Van Gundy, and won a title with them, taking full credit for the job. Class act, Pat Riley. Of course, this year the Miami Heat would not have won the NBDL title, so Pat Riley decided he didn’t have anything more to teach and quit on the Heat. I despise Pat Riley.

I was going to do a full grade out the first round of the NFL Draft today, but I’m very tired and very spacey today (not the Kevin variety) and don’t really want to write a 1,500 word post. However, I would be remiss if I didn’t have some draft comments:

1.) The Kansas City Chiefs somehow got the two players they valued most in the first round (DT Glenn Dorsey and OT/OG Brandon Albert). They also signed undrafted free agent QB Ricky Santos, so they’re obviously making the playoffs in the 2008-09 season.

2.) The Atlanta Falcons, who were previously enamored with Dorsey, decided instead to handcuff their franchise for a few years by reaching for OT Sam Baker in the middle of Round 1 and drafting QB Matt Ryan with the 3rd overall pick. I’ve made it very apparent before, but Matt Ryan’s best characteristic as a quarterback is that he’s built like a quarterback, which is foolish. Ryan did not play with top notch talent in Chestnut Hill, but he also personally choked in his only primetime National TV performance, at home, against an underachieving Florida State team. So there’s that.

3.) The Carolina Panthers had the single worst pick of the first round however, but we’ll discuss that nonsense tomorrow.

Switching gears to baseball, these are the teams that are currently leading their respective divisions (ties go to the more unexpected team):

Baltimore Orioles
Chicago White Sox
LA Angels
Florida Marlins
Chicago Cubs
Arizona Diamondbacks

Our current wild card teams are the St. Louis Cardinals and the Oakland Atheltics. These would be the playoff matchups today (with the Tampa Bay Rays just missing out):

Los Angeles vs. Baltimore
Chicago vs. Oakland

Arizona vs. St. Louis
Chicago vs. Florida

I do this only for reference sake in 5 months when very few of these teams are in the hunt for the playoffs. I expect only the Cubs, Diamondbacks, and Angels to be a factor in September, but if I had to pick one other team, from this group of 8, I’m just saying, look out for the Florida Marlins.

Perhaps someone should introduce Roger Clemens to Miley Cyrus. Or perhaps, not, based on Roger’s apparent interest in younger ladies. If you don’t get the joke, in short, Roger allegedly had a sexual relationship with a 15 year old country start when he was in his mid-20’s with the Red Sox. Don’t worry though, Rusty Hardin said nothing sexual happened. And really, if anyone was to know that, Rusty Hardin would. I’m voting for Roger Clemens to be voted off the island. Which is to say that I want someone to smash him upside the head with a snow shovel.

I’m going to cut today short. I’m hoping that I get some much needed sleep tonight so that I can be back tomorrow with a real post for you all, the loyal readers. Before I go though…

Game O’ The Day: Boston Celtics @ Atlanta Hawks. It’s not even close to an actual must win game for the Celtics and I’m almost certain that they’ll win tonight. However, there’s one thing you don’t want to give a young team in the playoffs: Hope. If the Hawks win tonight, they’ll have lots of that. I’m just saying, I’m a little nervous for the C’s.

Also tonight, the Magic will close out the Raptors and the Lakers will put the final bullet into the proverbial skulls of the Denver Nuggets, whose head coach will be fired before the end of the week.

Back tomorrow, minions.

College basketball’s player of the year, North Carolina’s Tyler Hansborough, announced today that he will be returning to Chapel Hill for his senior year. As a hater of North Carolina, this upsets me. As a college basketball fan, this excites me. The biggest of all kudos to Hansborough for realizing that it doesn’t get much better (I would presume) than being a college player. Ask Kevin Durant if he would have preferred playing on an 18 win Oklahoma City Sonics team this year or for a National Title contending Texas Longhorns club. Yes, there was money, but that money isn’t going anywhere. As I’ve said before in this spot, how many guys have gone back to school only to lose the rest of their career to an injury? Name one please. Hansborough’s return to the game will only make for a more exciting season in 2008-09.

I got no comments about Round 2 of the Mock Draft, which leads me to believe that most of you just skipped over that. As I’ve said before, tell me what you want to read about and I will make it happen. There’s really no sense in you reading this blog if it’s full of stuff you don’t want to read.

I did receive a comment from Ryan in regards to my not mentioning the Boston Celtics’ easy victory over the Atlanta Hawks. There were two reasons for this: 1.) I didn’t see any of the game, as I was at National’s Park and 2.) The Celtics are about 464X better than the Hawks. The only reason I see I should talk about them this round, is if they lose the series to Atlanta. Next round, when they are facing the Cleveland LeBrons, the Celtics will have my attention. Call me a fairweather fan. It doesn’t bother me.

Playing off of that subject, I haven’t watched any of the NBA Playoffs. Beyond the Sixers/Pistons and Suns/Spurs, there really isn’t one series that is going to be in question. Yes, the Raptors, Cavs, and Rockets won last night. They’re still going to lose their respective series. I will start paying more attention in Round 2, when we have the Lakers playing the Jazz and the Spurs playing the Hornets our west, with the Celtics and Cavs and two other teams playing in the East. The NBA is a league of matchups. And there aren’t any great ones here. For reference sake, remember when I realigned the NBA a few months back? Under that system, these would be your first round playoff matchups:

1.) Boston
8.) Sacramento
(okay, not very good)

4.) Houston
5.) Orlando

3.) San Antonio
6.) Dallas

2.) Los Angeles
7.) Denver
(ironically enough)

-Okay, so that conference sucks. Two good matchups, one we’ve already seen, and a typical 1-8 stinker. HOWEVER, in our other conference:

1.) Detroit
8.) Portland

4.) Utah
5.) Cleveland

3.) Phoenix
6.) Washington

2.) New Orleans
7.) Golden State

That’s 4 intriguing matchups, including the insane Vengeance Series between Utah and Cleveland (remember when Carlos Boozer screwed over the Cavs to go to Utah?) You also have the upstart Blazers playing the Pistons. A “First one to 120” series between Phoenix and the Wizards, and an entertaining New Orleans/Golden State matchup. I’m sorry, I like these better.

With today being a slow news day and a Friday, I’ll spare you all any more. But before we part for the weekend, here’s the Top 5 Sporting Events (Big Brother Finale on Sunday night not included) you need to watch this weekend:

5. Padres/Diamondbacks (Sunday…Peavy vs. Webb-The game’s two best pitchers square off)
4. San Jose/Dallas (Game 1-Tonight…Intriguing series gets started in Silicon Valley)
3. Pittsburgh/New York (Game 2-Sunday…Sid The Kid on National TV in the Playoffs)
2.. Phoenix/San Antonio (Game 3-Tonight…The Suns need to win. If they don’t, they’re done.)
1. NFL Draft (Tomorrow-Sunday…Self-Explanatory)

Before we all go crazy and talk about how dumb the Cowboys are for trading a fourth round pick for Adam Jones, bear in mind that if the PacMan isn’t reinstated, the Cowboys get the pick back next year from the Titans. So really, everybody wins. Including us, because now we get to enjoy the sights and sounds of PacMan in a new city.

Last night I attended my first game at Nationals Park. In case Jon Miller hadn’t come to your home to tell you already, the Washington Nationals have a new Ballpark, which they’re touting as “The House That Zim Built,” in honor of third baseman Ryan Zimmerman, who is hitting .215, .240, .333 2 HR, 9 RBI, 8R this year. In case you’re not a baseball fan, Ryan Zimmerman’s numbers are terrible whether you prefer so-called “Small Ball” (like me) or prefer a Sabermetric approach to the game (like long-time reader and God-Lord Matthew). This is due in large part to the fact that he is, what baseball experts call, “not good.” Regardless, the Ballpark is aesthetically pleasing inside, like a larger Citizens Bank Park (Philadelphia Phillies). When you’re inside of CBP, you can feel the tightness of the park. The power alleys are not terribly deep, there’s not a ton of room in foul play, etc. Nationals Park has much deeper power alleys (about 380 to left and right) and more foul room on the field. The hot dogs, while not the best I’ve had (that nod goes to Oakland’s Whatever They’re Calling It This Season Colosseum) were quite good and cooked in front of your face. My main gripe with the park, besides the less than charming aesthetics of Southeast D.C. outside of the park, was and is the pricing. The Park was publicly financed and caused a lot of controversy because, frankly, there are more important economic issues in this city than giving a baseball team some new digs. The city’s public school system ranks as one of the lowest achieving in the country due in the most part to not being as publicly supported as they should be. So when a $611 million park opens up and is primarily financed by the tax payers of the District, the least the new ownership can do is make the tickets cheap enough so that the people who will soon lose their home to gentrification in and around the ball yard, will actually get to see why they’re soon to be homeless. However, despite the fact that the Nationals are putrid on the field, with little hope of being good any time soon, you pay prices at the gate similar to those at Fenway Park and Yankee Stadium to see a 6-16 team. Maybe this is why the Nationals set a modern baseball record for the smallest crowd to attend the second game of a new Ballpark.

I’d like to welcome aboard James, a recent discoverer of Mid-Atlantic Bias and also send a Kudos to Sylwia for sticking with “The Bias” despite her obvious despondency over the elimination of her beloved NJ Devils from the Stanley Cup Playoffs, at the hands of the hated Midtown Manhattan Rangers, no less.

No hockey games to talk about today, however, my Second Round predictions just came out of the oven and are fresh for consumption:

Eastern Conference:
Philadelphia over Montreal in 6 games
Pittsburgh over Midtown Manhattan in 6 games

Western Conference:
Detroit over Colorado in 7 games
Dallas over San Jose in 6 games

In case you missed yesterday’s post (and care to know who the Lions are going to take with the 46th pick in Saturday’s NFL Draft (and Sunday too)), you should go to yesterday’s post and find out (it’s USC Tackle Sam Baker). For those of you who already know, proceed below for the finale of my Round 2 Mock Draft.

49. Atlanta Falcons
THE PICK:Roy Schuening (OG Oregon State)
This is one of those “As Sexy as Rhea Perlman” picks, but Schuening is the best guard available and for a team with a below average O-Line (and everything else) this isn’t such a bad pick.

50. Philadelphia Eagles
THE PICK: Curtis Lofton (OLB Oklahoma)
The Eagles’ linebacker corp is not as deep as Jim Johnson, their defensive coordinator would like it to be. Lofton only had one year of solid time at Oklahoma, but he was also coached by Bob Stoops, who is no slouch. It may take him a year or so, but he has potential to be a starter at OLB.

51. Arizona Cardinals
THE PICK: Mike McGlynn (OG Pittsburgh)
The primary issue with this team has been their porous OL. They would love, if they had a brain, for Schuening to fall to them at this pick. McGlynn is a notoriously hard worker with a mind for the game and a passion. The Cardinals don’t have a lot of those guys.

52. Washington Redskins
THE PICK: Tom Zibikowski (S Notre Dame)
Unlike most teams who lose players to injury, the Redskins lost their top defensive player to gun shot wound last year. Zibikowski is by no means anywhere near Sean Taylor in skill, but what he is an upgrade over Reed Doughty (the Skins’ current FS) in skill, and a smart defensive player, with the hitting ability similar to Taylor. He’s a bit of a reach late in the 2nd round, but I like this pick for the Redskins.

53. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
THE PICK: Mario Manningham (WR Michigan)
Manningham has a reputation for being a bit of a jerk. Okay, a big jerk. However the Bucs don’t exactly jump out at you as having a real deep receiving corp, and there’s a big drop off after Manningham at this position. As long as he gets thrown to once in a while, he might make it through training camp.

54. Pittsburgh Steelers
THE PICK: DaJuan Morgan (S North Carolina State)
As we saw last year, the Steelers need help in the secondary for Troy Polamalu. In Round 1, they passed on the more talented Aqib Talib for Brandon Flowers. They’re not passing on the best available safety here to line up opposite Polamalu. Morgan’s flaws remind me a lot of a certain Steelers safety with a big mouth. However, there’s not much need anywhere else on this team.

55. Tennessee Titans
THE PICK: Tavares Gooden (OLB Miami (FL))
He’s a linebacker.

56. Seattle Seahawks
THE PICK: Trevor Laws (DT Notre Dame)
The Seahawks are set next year at nearly every starting position, so the draft becomes a tool for them to build depth at positions where they aren’t as strong. Laws projects as a 4-3 DT in the NFL with a lot of raw talent. This is a guy the Colts would love to draft.

57. Green Bay Packers
THE PICK: Chad Henne (QB Michigan)
Just in case Brett doesn’t come back.

58. Miami Dolphins
THE PICK: Mike Pollack (C Arizona State)
This is the most boring pick in the history of Mock Drafts. It’s a good thing the Dolphins didn’t wait to draft a QB when their pick rolled around at the start of this Round, because Henne is off the board (and I operate under the assumption that Flacco would have been as well). The Dolphins get the draft’s best Center, a positional need and have now begun to build their OL for the future with Jake Long and Pollack.

59. Jacksonville Jaguars
THE PICK: Anthony Collins (OT Kansas)
Just more depth for a team with plenty of it. The Jags would probably like to build up their linebacker corp, but the next best available player here is Cliff Avril of Purude, who projects in the late 3rd/early 4th.

60. Indianapolis Colts
THE PICK: Pat Sims (DT Auburn)
As mentioned above, they’d love to draft Trevor Laws with their first pick in the draft. With him unavailable, I feel they need to go to the next best D-Tackle, which is Pat Sims.

61. Green Bay Packers
THE PICK: Reggie Smith (CB/S Oklahoma)
Most teams project Smith as a safety at the next level and the Packers are thin beyond Atari Bigby at that position. So they draft Smith and turn him into a conversion project.

62. Dallas Cowboys
THE PICK: Kendall Langford (DE Hampton)
Langford may be the one player who I’ve read a lot about that I think could be a great pickup by someone who is already solid on defense and can develop him. He dominated at Hampton in FCS and may also dominate down the line in the NFL, especially working with Wade Phillips and operating on the same rush edge as DeMarcus Ware.

63. New England Patriots
THE PICK: Cliff Avril (LB Purdue)
I would love for the Patriots to take East Carolina’s Chris Johnson here, as he would be a great addition to an already dynamic offense. Imagine Reggie Bush playing on this team, with great receivers. Despite that, the Patriots are more likely to reach for a 3-4 linebacker (if they pass on Keith Rivers in Round 1) here. Avril fits that bill.

64. New York Giants
THE PICK: Justin King (CB Penn State)
King has coachability issues and perhaps came out of school too soon. Tom Coughlin will attempt to make him more coachable. He has skill, though there’s a significant drop off from Brandon Flowers, I feel. The Giants have enough talent right now at corner that King doesn’t have to be anything more than a nickelback.

Game O’ The Day: Game 1, Western Conference Semi-Finals. A late 1990’s rivalry gets renewed. The series doesn’t have the luster it would have had in 1999, but it should be a great matchup. Detroit jumps out to a 1-0 lead in the series tonight with a 3-1 victory in Hockeytown. In the other NHL game tonight, the Canadiens beat the Flyers 4-3.