DG Quickie Commentary: Plaxico Reaction

I just saw the Plaxico Burress interview clip from E:60 that was shown on SportsCenter. He seemed very calm, and his explanation of the events of the night seemed very reasonable. Now I understand that there have been many stories of late that my not portray athlete's in the most positive and trusting light, but I see this situation as different. Granted, I have not seen the evidence presented in the actual trial that led to the 2-year prison sentence given to Plax, however from what I heard from Plax in this interview that sentence seems a bit harsh. Yes...he had a weapon in a club, which could have been dangerous. However, look at the circumstances surrounding this--no one was hurt (with the exception of his own injury), and he was just in feeling he needed the protection after Sean Taylor's murder.... take from this what you will. I apologize for the brevity of this article on such an important issue. I'm writing late at night, and just felt like jotting down a quick reaction to the ESPN interview. (By the way, way to listen Jeremy Schaap...Plax already told you he was in the club for about five minutes.)

DG Quickie: The Fight- 'Nucks v Hawks

Quote: "Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Duncan Keith is still rather stunned that Alex Burrows of the Vancouver Canucks pulled his hair last night like they were fighting over Bret Michaels on the Rock of Love Bus: "That's not something I've ever had happen to me ... My little sister never even pulled my hair when I was a kid. It's kind of comical when you have a grown man trying to pull your hair on the ice." Adam Burish, meanwhile, lamented the fact that no player should have to endure that, "especially a nice haircut like Duncan has." [Chicago Tribune] -per Yahoo! Sports Puck Daddy Blog

Two subtle highlights of the fight: One, I loved the fact that the United Center sound guy played U2's "Sunday Bloody Sunday," amidst the ruckus. Also, when the camera was showing Burish exiting the ice on his way to the locker room, Coach Quenneville could be seen yelling at the opposing bench/head coach and appearing to say "You started it!"

Pictures:

The aftermath (right) after the fighting subsided, while the above--no, that's not the bench, that's the penalty box (it should be pointed out that Havlat and Kane were serving the penalties of their unavailable teammates).

YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sQ9nVbp_0U0

DG Quickie Commentary: Sears Tower Name Change

As of now, the story making rounds is that the Sears Tower will be renamed Willis Tower after a London-based company moves in occupying around 20 floors of the Chicago icon. Now, I'm all for making money, but it is my understanding that the building's owners are getting no extra money to rename the Sears Tower the Willis Tower. A lot of people are saying that this change is fine because Sears-Roebuck no longer owns the Sears Tower. To all those people, I say that's a bogus argument. So you're a Chicagoan, right? The building is just changing the name for no reason (and possibley painting it silver?) and you think because Sears-Roebuck no longer owns it, that's fine. Well check this---Wrigley Field is no longer owned by the Wrigley family so I guess by your logic you don't mind if they change the name of that Chicago iconic landmark, too?........OOOhhhhh! What?....You do care?....Exactly, so apply that logic to the Sears Tower name change and you see where all the hullabaloo is coming from.

DG Quickie: Friday the 13th

• Apple earlier this week released a new iPod shuffle. This version is about half the size of the last version, has 4 GB of storage, has no buttons (they're on the headphone cord), and...talks to you! (Apple.com-iPod Shuffle).

• Last night in the Big East Tournament from legendary Madison Square Garden, Syracuse and UConn went to 6 overtimes before the Orange came out victorius 127-117 to advance to play West Virginia tonight on ESPN. In a game for the ages, sophmore PG Johnny Flynn led the Orange with 34 pts/11 ast in 67 minutes (leading all players), with 29/22 reb coming from Paul Harris. Huskies' big man star, Hasheem Thabeet had 19/14 reb with 6 blocks, as senior G A.J. Price had 33/10 ast to lead Connecticut. Junior UConn forward Stanley Robinson also put on a show with 28pts/14 reb.

• Last night on the Daily Show, the entire episode featured the much-publicized interview between Jon Stewart and CNBC's Jim Cramer. Stewart nailed Cramer on the irresponsibility of financial reporters...the interview can be viewed here.

• Finally, some thoughts regarding the the Cubs and Spring Training rosters. Today, it was annouced that the Cubs added IF Esteban Germán to compete for a backup infielder role, as well as veteran Canadian Corey Koskie. The Cubs do need some depth behind Aramis Ramirez, and for that I'm keeping a close eye on Juan Uribe's status with the San Francisco Giants. Uribe was given and Minor League contract with a spring training invitation by the Giants in the offseason, and is currently in a race for their backup utility job. However, he is not a lock. If the Giants decide to let Uribe go at some point in the spring, he would be a good addition for the Cubs. Anyone who watched the White Sox World Series run in 2005 knows how good Uribe is defensively. Last season Uribe filled in at the hot corner when Joe Crede went down, and showcased good range, and an extremely strong throwing arm. In addition, he's shown some pop in the past, hitting 20+ HR in 2004, 2006, and 2007.

Another position battle taking place in Cubs' camp is that of the 5th starter. Known candidates include Sean Marshall, Aaron Heilman, and Jeff Samardzija, but my solution is...none of the three. I believe that all three of them are best suited in bullpen roles. Marshall was very good last year when used as a spot starter and lefty out of the pen (to go with Neal Cotts). Aaron Heilman as had most of his success as a reliever, and Jeff Samardzija was electric out of the pen last year (his stuff could turn him in to the bridge between SP and late inning relievers Kevin Gregg and Carlos Marmól). So, who goes into the 5th rotation spot? One widely publicized solution is the possible acquisition of Padres' ace Jake Peavy. During a recent telecast of the World Baseball Classic on ESPN, Rick Sutcliffe could be heard saying that the Peavy-Cubs rumor was "more than a rumor"...we'll see what comes of this interesting insight. However another intriguing option could be Pedro Martinez. He looked great in the WBC pitching for the Dominican, and could come at a rather reasonable price. At his prime, Pedro was a Cy Young-caliber pitcher, dominating every hitter he faced. A look at the career WHIP (BB + H per IP) leaders, and Pedro is the only player there (along with Mariano Rivera) to pitch after 1920! His "2004 Red Sox idiot" personality would also be a welcome addition to the Cubs' clubhouse.

DG Photo Quickie-Your Sports Update in a "Flash"

This week was a fun week in sports, and that fun is only just beginning.  Let's recap some of the big events in photos.  Starting with Tuesday's big news out of the NBA Draft Lottery:

With this pick, the Bulls have gained the potential to improve drastically next year.  They can now draft one of the two elite players in the June's draft: Derrick Rose, PG out of Memphis, or Michael Beasley, PF out of Kansas State.  Then, the pick would give them flexibility to trade a couple of guards/forwards they already have for other key pieces.  It is still early, but at this point I would choose Rose; the Chicago kid looks poised to follow in Chris Paul's and Deron Williams' footsteps as the next elite, NBA point-guard to lead his team to big things.

Next, we had Wednesday's UEFA Champions League Final, which pitted the two English clubs against each other for the title:

Late into the Moscow night, Manchester United and Chelsea FC battled for the crown in the pouring rain.  During regulation, Christiano Ronaldo headed in the goal for Man U, but after over 120 minutes, the teams were locked in a 1-1 tie.  For the fourth time in eight years, the UEFA final went to a shootout, as Manchester United took the crown after seven rounds.

Next up during the week, we started the Conference Finals in the NBA, as both the Lakers and the Celtics took leads over their opponents.  The Lakers, dominating the Spurs with good team play led by Kobe Bryant are 2-0 and will play Game 3 on Sunday.  While the Celtics, after losing their first game at home in Game 2, came right back to win on the road in Game 3 to go up 2-1 in their series.  They'll challenge the Pistons in Game 4 Monday night on ESPN.

In the other playoffs underway right now, the Pittsburgh Penguins and Detroit Red Wings started their final journey to hoisting the Stanley Cup on Saturday night.  The Pens came into Hockeytown and took a 4-0 loss to the Wings, as the 2008 Stanley Cup Finals started with authority.  The star power was also on hand for the ceremonial puck drop, as past Pen and Wing captains Super Mario Lemieux and Stevie Yzerman kicked off the festivities by dropping the pucks to current captains (and former teammates) Sidney Crosby and Niklas Lidstrom.

And finally, tomorrow it's time for ladies and gentlemen to "start their engines" as the 92nd running of the Indy 500 starts.  Danica Patrick, Tony Kanaan, Marco Andretti, and Helio Castroneves are all positioned to start towards the front, as a thrilling day of racing should be expected.

DG Quickie: Sergio Wins! Cubs Sweep!

In a great Sunday of sports, two events stood out.  At the iconic TPC Sawgrass, for one, Sergio Garcia captured this years Player's Championship, as he also got his first win in three years.  He played extremely well the entire tournament, placing 1st in Driving Accuracy and GIR.  It was a much deserved, and emotional win for the Spaniard, whose opening comment to NBC's Bob Costas was, "First I'd like to thank Tiger for not being here."...comical Sergio as always.  Congrats to him.  You can check out Sergio's scorecard here, and the tournament leaderboard here.

Also, over at 1060 W. Addison, the Cubs completed a three-game sweep of the Arizona D'Backs, exacting some revenge from last years early, playoff exit.  In the three games, the pitching was solid, paired with clutch, late-inning rallies of runs.  Derrek Lee had a nice weekend with 2 HR, while Alfonso Soriano started to pick it up going 5-9 with 2 RBI, 2 R, and an IBB in a PH-appearance on Sunday.  Kosuke Fukudome also clubbed his 2nd HR of the season with a 2-run shot on Saturday.  The Cubs, at 23-16, are now tied atop the NL Central Division with the Cardinals, and are about to go into a 4-game series vs. the Padres at Wrigley this week, followed by another home series vs. the Pirates going into next Sunday.  They are set to face Greg Maddux on Thursday's contest.

Oh, yeah...Happy Mother's Day!