BOSTON COLLEGE EAGLES--NCAA Hockey Champions

                                        (screenshot--ESPN 3 coverage)

LIVE BLOG: NCAA Championship--Boston College/Ferris State (3rd Period)

3rd 00:00 -- I'm tired of the media trying to make FSU into this pathetic team. They are underdogs, yes. But Milner is not in the heads of the Bulldogs, they are playing fine. Third period, here we go.

3rd 1:47 -- Great save again by Nelson for FSU! Penalty to the Bulldogs, but great save on the partial breakaway!

3rd 4:00 -- Ouelette just misses on the 2-on-1 for Ferris! One stickhandle too many...should have shot it!

3rd 7:00 -- Crazy shot goes thru Milner's legs and nearly in. Great chance.

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3rd 8:20 -- Penalty to FSU. Boston College could salt this game away with a goal here.

3rd 10:19 -- Nice long shot by Carey. Ferris has to keep digging deep.

3rd 10:45 -- BC with a backhand shot just over the net!

3rd 12:53 -- Chad Billins makes one of the most talented plays of the night! Great job to step inside his man and send the puck across. Unfortunately for FSU, Milner was there to make the save for BC.

3rd 16:58 -- GOAL BC! Godreau with a beautiful rag and then backhand shot to score for the Eagles! 45th point of the year for the freshmen. That might do it.

3rd 18:20 -- Ferris has pulled goaltender Taylor Nelson. Last chance for the Bulldogs.

3rd 18:57 -- GOAL BC! Empty-netter by Stephen Nelson! Third goal of the Frozen Four, second of the night. Boston College is going to win the NCAA Championship.

END REGULATION.    BOSTON COLLEGE: 4         FERRIS STATE: 1


NCAA CHAMPION: BOSTON COLLEGE EAGLES

LIVE BLOG: NCAA Championship--Boston College/Ferris State (2nd Period)

2nd 00:00 -- Totally just realized I've been calling the BC goaltender "Patrick" Milner all weekend. Sorry, Parker.

2nd 00:56 -- Solid wrist shot from the top of the circle by Ferris. Keep shooting and it'll go in.

2nd 2:25 -- Great stop by Taylor Nelson! Ferris gets a big save from the goalkeeper.

2nd 2:35 -- Matching minors to FSU and BC. Bulldogs would have had a goal, but officials failed to see the puck sat to the side of Milner, rather than under him.

2nd 3:30 -- Ferris getting great chances. Bouncing pucks in front of the net will eventually go in!

2nd 4:38 -- Stupid penalty by the Eagles. Took out Ferris goaltender Taylor Nelson as he played the puck behind the neck. Mindless play might cost Boston College.

2nd 6:42 -- Great poke-check by Ferris State! Good job on defense as they scrambled to prevent a short-handed goal.

2nd 8:04 -- Taylor Nelson doing a great job in goal for Ferris. He keeps finding the puck on those short rebounds in front of the net.

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2nd 10:35 -- How is that NOT a penalty shot? Wide open in the hashmarks was Ferris State, and the BC defender hooked him right in the mid-section! I'm all for not letting refs decide the game, but you have to call something that blatant! Powerplay for Ferris.

2nd 11:40 -- Nelson again with a big save! BC gets these great short handed breaks, but Nelson keeps saving the Bulldogs.

2nd 15:06 -- BC shoots themselves in the foot again. Penalty for too many men on the ice.

2nd 19:37 -- BC is lucky they have such a good penalty kill. Another undisciplined penalty on a high stick off a check to the head of the FSU player. BC is 15/15 on the PK in the tournament.

END SECOND.     BOSTON COLLEGE: 2         FERRIS STATE: 1

LIVE BLOG: NCAA Championship--Boston College/Ferris State (1st Period)

1st 3:18 -- GOAL BC! Well, that didn't take long. Stephen Whitney adds his 15th goal of the season off a rebound from right in front of the net. He opens the scoring, just as he did in the semi-final against Minnesota.

1st 4:11 -- Ferris State goes off the post. Good start to the "comeback" by the Bulldogs.

1st 5:19 -- GOAL FSU! Ferris State's Travis Ouellette makes a great crash to the net and buries a rebound to tie the game! Great job by the Bulldogs. Scoring on Milner hasn't been easy...that's just the second goal on him in the last 215 minutes.

1st 8:42 -- Bulldogs take a penalty, and give that scary BC offense a chance to shine on the powerplay.

1st 10:33 -- GOAL BC! Cary scores on the powerplay! Dumoulin shoots from the point and it goes off the stick of Cary. It is under review for a high stick, but looks like it'll stand.

1st 14:38 -- Great breakaway opportunity for Ferris! Patrick Milner comes up big again for the Eagles.

1st 17:31 -- Ferris State gets a bit lucky with an early whistle before the puck gets behind goaltender Taylor Nelson.

1st 18:38 -- I like that FSU is not afraid to get pushy and physical with BC. That's only going to help the Bulldogs.
1st 19:32 -- Oh, highway robbery! Milner robs the Bulldogs on the doorstep!

END FIRST PERIOD.      BOSTON COLLEGE: 2         FERRIS STATE: 1

NHL Playoff Scenarios a Plenty Coming Into Final Day

Thursday was certainly a big day for the NHL. All sixteen teams locked their place in the playoffs. However, there is still a lot of seeding to be determined in the teams' final games Saturday. All thirty teams will be in action for just the 4th time in NHL history. There are 29 potential first-round playoff series matchups. The talented folks at NHL.com put together this chart, so that you can easily see all of them. I will try and breakdown and explain some of the possible implications of Saturday's games.

The Presidents' Trophy is up for grabs. The St. Louis Blues (107 points) came into Friday trailing the Vancouver Canucks (109 points) and New York Rangers (109 points) for the lead. A win on Friday would make it a three-way tie with all three teams playing decisive games on Saturday. The tiebreaker is total wins, which means the Rangers hold the edge with 51. The winner gets guaranteed home-ice advantage throughout the playoffs.

Blogger Update: The Phoenix Coyotes defeated the St. Louis Blues 4-1 Friday night. This eliminates the Blues from Presidents' Trophy contention. The Coyotes now lead the Pacific Division and have the correlated #3 seed.

With a win Friday, the Phoenix Coyotes would take the Pacific Division lead with 95 points. The Los Angeles Kings and San Jose Sharks are both in contention for the division title as well with 94 points heading into Saturday's games. On Thursday, the Kings beat the Sharks 6-5 in a shootout at home. On Saturday, the teams faceoff again in San Jose. The Coyotes play at the Minnesota Wild in their final game. The division winner will get the #3 seed for the playoffs and home ice for the first-round.

The Southeast Division title is still able to be won. The Florida Panthers have had the lead for awhile, but they saw their lead shrink to just two points when the Washington Capitals defeated them on Thursday. The Panthers play the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday, but are just 1-3-5 in their last nine games. The Capitals will win the division if they beat the New York Rangers on Saturday and the Panthers lose to the Hurricanes. These two teams are fighting for the pride that comes with the division title, the #3 seed in the Eastern Conference, and the first-round home ice that comes with it.

Blue Jays Outlast Indians in Opener

It was Opening Day for the Toronto Blue Jays and the Cleveland Indians and neither one wanted to lose. The Indians started the scoring in the 2nd inning when they scored four runs, three of which came in on a home run blast by Jack Hannahan. On the mound, Indians starting pitcher Justin Masterson dominated the Blue Jay hitters. He went 8 innings giving up only 2 hits while striking out 10. The Indians elected to bring in their closer Chris Perez in the 9th. Perez couldn't find his stuff as he struggled with his control, and eventually, blew the save. That meant that this game was headed for extras.

Both teams battled back and forth, but no runs could seemingly be scored. In the top of the 16th, Blue Jays relief pitcher Jairo Asencio walked Brett Lawrie. Omar Vizquel managed to reach on a fielder's choice, putting two men on for the Blue Jays. Next up to bat was their young catcher J.P. Arencibia. He came to the plate having gone 0 for 6 with three strikeouts. During his at bat, Arencibia thought he saw the bunt sign from third-base coach Brian Butterfield. His attempt went foul for strike two. This meant Arencibia knew he had to swing at the next pitch. He connected on it in a big way, turning it into a three-run homerun to left. The bomb proved to be the difference as Sergio Santos came in and sealed the victory for the Blue Jays.

Two previous season openers had gone 15 innings, but once this one reached the 16th, it became the longest Opening Day game in MLB history. The game lasted 5 hours and 14 minutes. This game had it all. Moments of greatness, moments of disaster, a bench-clearing, and an unlikely hero. Arencibia, despite struggling before hitting the game-winning home run, seems to like openers. He hit two home runs in his first game in the majors in 2010. He connected for two more last year on Opening Day. Then, he hit the game-winner this year. The teams used a combined 14 pitchers. The stats just go on and on, but the bottomline this was an opener for the ages. A game that will be remember for a very long time.

LIVE BLOG: Boston College v Minnesota (Third Period)

3rd 1:06 -- Huge chance by BC! Not sure how that stayed out.

3rd 1:26 -- GOAL MINNESOTA!  Great hands by the Gophers, tipping it in from a pass from the left circle. The goal is under review. If it stands, it ends Parker Milner's shutout streak at 193:49--his first goal allowed  since March 18.

3rd 1:26 -- Good goal. He never directed it with his skate, just bounced off as he went in. "Let's see if Minnesota can build on the first goal of the game for them" Gary Thorne just said. That's the key.

3rd 1:48 -- GOAL BC! Another Minnesota turnover along the wall results in a pass out in front through traffic. The shot was knuckle-pucked right past Patterson. That kills momentum, though there's some scrums in fron of Milner now. That only took twenty-two seconds.

3rd 5:45 -- Another power play for BC. Tempers are starting to get hot. Minnesota is frustrated. BC just needs to keep everyone safe, healthy, and eligible for Saturday.

3rd 5:51 -- GOAL BC! Long low shot from the point gets perfectly tipped off the Minnesota defender in front of the net. That's just the way it's going tonight. 6-1 Boston College.

3rd 9:45 -- BC gets away with a blatant penalty. That'll just frustrate the Gophers more.

3rd 11:10 -- Now it's getting rough. Big scrum over on the glass, with Minnesota tempers spilling over and controlling their sticks. BC better keep their players safe and the Gophers need to show class.

3rd 11:10 -- Minnesota's Nate Condon has been ejected for unsportsmanlike conduct. Boston College will have a 5 minute power play after all the dust of penalties has been cleared.

3rd 19:49 -- Milner has allowed only one goal in the last 210 minutes of hockey. That is unreal. Great game by Boston College.

END GAME.       FINAL--->  BOSTON COLLEGE: 6       MINNESOTA: 1
                        SHOTS-->  BOSTON COLLEGE: 21     MINNESOTA: 35

LIVE BLOG: Boston College v Minnesota (Second Period)

2nd 1:08 -- Boston College just misses a goal! Had his stick on it and just couldn't finish. Wide open--remember that one!

2nd 2:00 -- Minnesota gets their second power play chance of the game. We'll see if they can capitalize.

2nd 6:27 -- Great save by Patterson! Big time play.

2nd 6:35 -- GOAL BC! Snipe shot by Boston college just eight seconds into their powerplay. Kevin Hayes grabs his seventh goal of the season to put the Eagles up 2-0.

2nd 8:19 -- Patterson is getting his workout in this period with a big save off the 3-on-1.

2nd 14:30 -- Good chance there by Minnesota. Just put it over top of the net.

2nd 11:21 -- Hansen takes a holding penalty for Minnesota, giving BC its second powerplay of the game. A goal here would be a deathblow.

2nd 12:40 -- BC takes a penalty and will give Minnesota a powerplay for a minute and a half. They have to capitalize.

2nd 16:20 -- Minnesota trying to dig deep and get chances. Nothing doing so far. Milner is a rock.

2nd 17:45 -- GOAL BC! Terrible giveaway by the Minnesota defense results in a great play by the Eagles. Came in deep on the right side and made a great backhand pass to point-leader Chris Kreider (23rd of season) who buried it. Beautiful goal makes it 3-0 Eagles.

2nd 19:28 -- Huge save from Patterson!

2nd 19:44 --GOAL BC! Sliding Eagle player threw the puck out in front with Patterson down, and Paul Carey (16th of season) fired it into the empty net. 4-0 Eagles.

END SECOND.   BOSTON COLLEGE: 4            MINNESOTA: 0.

LIVE BLOG: Boston College v. Minnesota (First Period)

1st 00:00  -- Boston College and Minnesota are taking to the ice in Tampa Bay for the second semi-final of the day. The winner will play Ferris State on Saturday night for the NCAA Championship (Ferris beat Union 3-1 this afternoon).

1st 02:00 -- Minnesota had a nice chance there. Those scrambles in front of the net are the scariest thing in the world for a goaltender.

1st 03:48 -- Some good shots and chances by both teams so far. A lot faster pace than the game this afternoon.

1st 06:03 -- GOAL BC! That's why you never stop driving to the net. Steven Whitney picks up his 14th goal on the season for the Eagles. Good early goal.

1st 11:00 -- Like they're talking about on ESPN 2, Boston College keeps driving hard to the net. It got them their first goal, and has to be driving the Gopher netminder crazy. Just watched Minnesota crash the net as well. I like the strategy.

1st 11:58 -- Parker Milner is intense in net for BC. Another huge save for the Eagles.

1st 15:16 -- Wow, there goes Milner again. He's at 165 minutes of shutout hockey and has not allowed a goal this tournament.

1st 18:26 -- Milner with the eyes of an Eagle on that shot. See what I did there...

1st 19:11 -- Sliding the pad across the crease and robs Mattson. I can't talk about Milner enough. 104 saves in the last 104 shots.

END FIRST.        BOSTON COLLEGE: 1            MINNESOTA: 0

Marlins Park Sparkles, But Night Belongs to Kyle Lohse and the Cardinals

Opening Night featured the brand new Marlins Park. A soldout crowd cheered on their freshly named Miami Marlins as they came on the field. Unfortunately, for the home team, there was little to cheer for after that. The St. Louis Cardinals' offense got after Marlins starting pitcher Josh Johnson right from the get go. Over six innings, Johnson gave up three runs on 10 hits. Some of those were bloopers and defensive errors, but he left quite a few directly over the plate. Meanwhile, the Cardinals' starting pitcher, Kyle Lohse, kept hitters off balance all night. He carried a no-hitter into the 7th inning. The game ended with the Cardinals adding an insurance run, the Marlins getting on the board with one run, and a dominant ninth from Cardinals closer Jason Motte.

The Marlins have to be disappointed with how they played in their home opener. They have to be wondering which Josh Johnson they will get. He has been their ace they can count on in the past, but he also has struggled with significant health issues. Hanley Ramirez and Jose Reyes had a misunderstanding on a ground ball. They will have to get use to playing together. Left fielder Logan Morrison's arm looked weak as he gave up several doubles that shouldn't have been. The Marlins are going to have to get used to playing together and in their new home environment.

For the reigning World Series champions, everything seemed to go as well as they could hope. Lohse looked excellent in the win. He is coming off what was likely his best season of his career, so he will try to build upon that. Offensively, the Cardinals just strung together a bunch of hits, especially against Johnson. Of their 13 hits, only three were for extra bases (all doubles), which meant they needed consecutive ones to score, which they did. Jason Motte came in to close out the game. He fired in some 99 mph fastballs as he secured the Cardinals' first win. All in all, a very good win for the boys from St. Louis.

2012 NBA MVP Candidates

In a presidential election year, I thought it would be fitting to preview the top three MVP candidates in my opinion. I will present the resumes of all three and tell you who I think is most deserving at this point.

LeBron James - LeBron's numbers are legit. They've been so all season. I mean 26.5 points per game, 6.5 assists per game , and 8.1 rebounds per game is certainly getting the job done. After all, he dropped 41 against the Philadelphia 76ers tonight, helping the Heat clinch a playoff berth. The problem is that he still has the games where he does not show up. On Sunday, James had the chance to make his case against the Boston Celtics on national television. Instead, he looked passive for most the game in the Heat's embarrassing loss. He finished with 23 points, but had no assists. LeBron's numbers are great, but he takes nights off, which is something the other two candidates seemingly never do.

Kevin Durant - Durant might be having his best NBA season yet. He is averaging 27.5 points per game, 3.5 assists per game, and 8.2 rebounds per game. He is doing that while shooting slightly better than 50% from the field and nearly 38% from three. All the while, he is elevated his team's play to the best record in the NBA. Something I think they will hold onto the rest of the season. Unlike James, Durant thrives under pressure and attention. In his last game against the Heat he nearly had a triple-double. He will get another shot tomorrow night to showcase his talent against LeBron when the Thunder travel to South Beach to take on the Heat. You can bank on the fact that many MVP voters will be closely watching that game.

Kevin Love - Love's numbers are just sick. There is no way around it. He is averaging 26.5 points per game and 13.6 rebounds per game. How did Love respond when his team's second best player and starting point guard, Ricky Rubio, got knocked out for the rest of the season? He took his game to an even higher level. In the month of March, Love averaged 31 ppg and 15 rpg. How is he in the spotlight? Love shines as bright as anyone. He sent a game against the Thunder into overtime a couple weeks ago when he posted up about 25 feet from the basket, sealed off his man, and nailed the buzzer-beating stepback three. Despite being 6-10, Love is the total offensive package shooting 45% from the field, 39% from three, and 82% from the charity stripe.

All three players have fantastic numbers, so you can't really go wrong with picking any of them. However, I believe there is one superior candidate. LeBron has all the makings of an MVP winner, but the fact that he disappears at the moments that matter most is not very MVP-like. Durant's a complete package as well, but you have to consider that he has another star in Russell Westbrook putting up excellent numbers as well. For that matter, LeBron has some guys named Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh playing with him who aren't to shabby either. With Rubio hurt, Love's best teammates are the likes of Nikola Pekovic and Michael Beasley. You can argue that Love shouldn't win the MVP because he doesn't play on one of the league's best teams, but this team was likely going to be a playoff team for the first time in years, until the Rubio injury. Even since then, Love has kept the Timberwolves near the .500 mark, something they haven't finished above since the 2004-05 season. If the award is seriously going to be called the Most Valuable Player, I don't know how you can give it to anyone other than Kevin Love. No player means more to his team than Love means to the Timberwolves.

Perennial Contender Boston College in Search of Championship

Boston College is back--not that they ever really left.

The Eagles have been the most dominant team in college hockey over the past decade, making their presence known in five of the last seven Frozen Four contests. That span includes two second-place finishes and two national championships. Their last title came in 2010 with a 5-0 shutout of Wisconsin.

Even stretching as far back as 1948, the Eagles have advanced to the modern-day "Frozen Four" twenty-three times (with the inclusion of this season). They have won a total of four championships ('49, '01, '08, '10) and have finished at second place six times ('65, '78, '98, '00, '06, '07).

Some of the most difficult years in Boston College hockey were the seasons of 2005-2008. In the 2005-06 season, the Eagles made the national championship game, but fell in the final to the Wisconsin Badgers. The next year saw Boston College once again make the title, with a chance to redeem themselves. All looked good through the third period against Michigan State. But a key save by then-Spartan Jeff Lerg five minutes into the period turned the game around, propelling a tying goal by Tim Kennedy with just ten minutes to play. The Eagles watched the championship slip for a second straight year as current-Red Wing Justin Abdelkader scored with 18.9 seconds left to win the game for Sparty.

But Boston College bounced back the following year, getting the monkey off their back with a national championship in 2008. They would again be crowned champions in 2010.

The Eagles have nearly everything going for them as they enter the Frozen Four this year. They are riding a 3.5 goal per game average, while giving up only 1.7 per game. Junior goaltender Parker Milner has yet to give up a goal in the tournament, stopping all 55 shots he has faced. It has been nearly 150 minutes since Milner has surrendered a goal. Boston College has spread the scoring out in this tournament, with their six goals coming from five different players (Chris Kreider had both goals for BC in the 2-0 shutout of Air Force).

Experience will help the Eagles this weekend. It will be a daunting task to take on the high-powered Minnesota offense; but the strength of Milner and the goals of point-leader Chris Kreider may very well take the Eagles to yet another national championship.

Votto and Cain Locked Up Long Term

The Cincinnati Reds have been trying to extend the contracts of all of their young stars. Probably the most important player to the team, first baseman Joey Votto, had yet to do that. However, that changed today. Votto came up through the minors in the Reds system and overcame bouts with depression and anxiety issues to reach stardom in the majors. Votto's breakout season was 2010 when he hit for .324 average, 37 home runs, 113 RBIs, and 106 runs. He was awarded for his excellent defensive play in 2011 when he won his first Gold Glove. Votto's new contract is a 10-year deal worth $225 million. This guarantees Votto would be the heart of the Reds' lineup for a very long time.

The San Francisco Giants have been trying to hold on to their stars from their World Series championship in 2010. One of the integral players to that improbable postseason run was starting pitcher Matt Cain. In that entire postseason, Cain impressively surrendered zero runs. The 27-year-old went 12-11 with a 2.88 ERA. That record is clearly skewed by the often anemic offense of the Giants. The contract Cain signed is a six-year extension worth $127.5 million. This makes Cain the highest-paid right-handed pitcher in baseball history. This seems like a great move, however, it must be considered that his overall record is only 69-73 with a 3.35 ERA. This is while making home starts in pitcher-friendly AT&T Park and within a weak NL West.

These are certainly not small amounts of money being thrown around. Votto's contract is the fourth largest in MLB history, and as I mentioned, Cain's is the highest for a right-handed pitcher ever. These deals are going to definitely have significant repercussions on future contracts to come. Many around baseball are realizing this right away. Milwaukee Brewers GM Doug Melvin said in regards to this, "There will be an impact, I'm sure. Any signing impacts other people who haven't signed." This means big contracts can be expected for pending free agents, such as Zack Greinke, Cole Hamels, and ultimately Cain's teammate Tim Lincecum. Baseball contracts are not getting any smaller. Days like today remind us of that.

Rondo and Thunder Duo Own Today

Everyone was excited for ABC's two big NBA matchups today. What no one expected is that they would both be blowouts, but they certainly were. I will take a look at what happened in both games.

Boston Celtics 91 Miami Heat 72

The Miami Heat were never really in the game as the Boston Celtics used big first and third quarters to take control of the game. The Celtics led by at least 19 most of the second half. Rajon Rondo played a nearly flawless, balanced game. He finished with 16 points, 14 assists, and 11 rebounds. The triple-double was Rondo's fifth of the season and was another outstanding performance in a marquee game on national television. The Celtics' stifling defense frustrated the Heat, who shot only 34.8% from the field. LeBron James finished with no assists for only the second time in his career. The game was another alarming loss for the Heat. They have now lost 7 of their last 10 road games. The loss was their third consecutive with a margin of defeat of at least 15. The Heat are 21-2 at home, but only 16-12 on the road. This team does not appear nearly as complete as was once thought.

Oklahoma City Thunder 92 Chicago Bulls 78

In one week, the Oklahoma City Thunder have destroyed the other two teams competing for the best record in the NBA. Last Sunday, they beat the Miami Heat 103-87. Today's win over the Chicago Bulls wasn't even as close as the score indicates. Russell Westbrook led the scoring for the Thunder with 27 points and Kevin Durant added 26 points and 10 rebounds. The Thunder's shutdown defense took care of the rest. The OKC lead grew to as much as 30 points in the 4th quarter before the starters went out. The Bulls obviously missed having Derrick Rose and Rip Hamilton, but this result was much worse than just missing him. The team looked flat in every aspect of the game and were outhustled completely. The question becomes how good are the Bulls really. Rose must get healthy for them to be truly competitive. But if Rose does have a bad game, will they be able to recover? This game certainly should be a wakeup call for the Bulls to say the least.