The Kentucky Derby has a reputation for being the race that’s good for the longshots. With it’s 20-horse field—roughly double of what will run in the Preakness and Belmont in the coming weeks, the potential for unpredictability is much higher. That reputation was solidified in a stretch from 2001-05 when four of five winners had […]
The Minnesota Twins have been as difficult to figure out as any team in baseball in the three-plus years of Paul Molitor’s tenure. Nothing was expected in 2015, but the Twins won 83 games and contended to the very end for a wild-card spot. With expectations up in 2016, the Twins had a disastrous April […]
The Oklahoma City Thunder’s season ended on Friday night when they lost a six-game series to the Utah Jazz. The defeat wasn’t a huge shock, given the teams had identical 48-34 records in the regular season, but it put the finishing touches on a disappointing year in OkC and sent the franchise—along with its individual […]
The Los Angeles Dodgers have dug themselves an early hole in the NL West race, with a record of 12-15 and sitting seven games back of the frontrunning Arizona Diamondbacks. It goes without saying that it’s too early to panic, but it’s not to early to feel some modest urgency. Particularly with Los Angeles visiting […]
We’ve rounded the corner into the second round of the NHL Playoffs, while the first round of the NBA postseason hits a fever pitch this weekend. That’s the focus of TheSportsNotebook’s weekend report… GREAT 1980s SPORTS MOMENTS Start reading today. FRIDAY NIGHT HOOPS Three series go to a sixth game tonight. Toronto and Cleveland will look […]
The class of defensive backs was the story I found most intriguing going into this year’s NFL draft. If that calculation pans out, Cleveland will be rewarded with their selection of Ohio State’s Denzel Ward at #4, and Miami got tremendous value at #11 with Alabama’s Minkah Fitzpatrick. Another player who fell to far was […]
It’s time for the annual spring battle between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Washington Capitals. For the third straight year, these Metropolitan Division rivals meet in the second round of the playoffs. And whether or not the Caps can finally overcome their nemesis is the best story in sports for the next couple weeks. GREAT 1980s […]
The Philadelphia 76ers are on their way to the second round of the NBA playoffs after dismantling the Miami Heat in five games. The Sixers dominated a series that was expected to be competitive. They have the look of a team that should at least make the conference finals and maybe even the NBA Finals. […]
Ever since the New Orleans Pelicans won the NBA draft lottery in the spring of 2012 and got the right to draft Anthony Davis out of Kentucky, the league has been primed for this moment. The time when the Pelicans would emerge from the playoff fringe and into the limelight. With a devastating playoff sweep […]
The Winnipeg Jets aren’t at the forefront of anyone’s radar in the race for the Stanley Cup. They have no playoff pedigree—the first-round win over the Minnesota Wild was the first in franchise history. They don’t have recognizable names and aren’t in a media hub—even if they were inside the U.S., that area on the […]
Spring Madness starts tonight. The NHL playoffs combine the length of the NBA postseason with the anything-goes feel of the NCAA Tournament. A lot of leagues talk about their playoffs being a “second season”, but the NHL truly lives it.
At the end of Monday night’s NCAA final, with Villanova’s thumping of Michigan beyond a reasonable doubt, Jim Nantz informed the viewing audience that the city of Philadelphia had pulled off an unprecedented parlay—to win the Super Bowl and Final Four in the same calendar year, within a couple months of each other. That’s true, […]
