NHLer Derek Boogaard Found Dead

Source: James Keivom/News

Really sad new coming out of Minneapolis today. New York Rangers forward Derek Boogaard, 28 was found dead in his apartment last evening and the cause at this time is unknown. Boogaard who had just signed a 4-year contract with the Rangers at the start of the 2010 season was considered one of the toughest fighters in the NHL. At 6"7 and 260 lbs he was an intimidating force on the ice and often took on the other teams enforcers. This season Boogaard was limited to only 45 games due to injury. In December he suffered a shoulder injury during a fight and then experienced concussion-like symptoms during an off-ice work out and never returned to the ice for the rest of the season.

Lightning Sweep Caps 4-0. Are the Caps Done?

So the Tampa Bay Lightning whipped the Washington Capitals in their Eastern Conference semifinal round. I'm not even sure which is the bigger story; the Lightning sweep or the Capitals loss. Yes, I know it's been four years since the Lightning made the playoffs and they had a great season and now they knocked off Ovie & Company in four straight games (not an easy task), but I'm thinking long term ramifications. Where is the bigger impact? I'm thinking the answer lies with the Washington Capitals.

Verlander Joins Exclusive No-Hit Club

Over the weekend, Justin Verlander threw the second no-hitter of his career. Verlander was brilliant in throwing 108 pitches, 74 for strikes and allowing only one walk en route to a 9-0 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays.  In 2007, Verlander tossed his first no-hitter against the Milwaukee Brewers.  According to Baseball Reference.com he ties  twenty other pitchers since 1919 to throw two no hitters. Nolan Ryan is the all-time leader with seven no-hitters, followed by Sandy Koufax with four and Bob Feller with three.

That Didn't Take Long - Mendenhall Fired

On Wednesday I wrote that while there is nothing wrong with Rashard Mendenhall voicing his opinion, you would have thought he would have chosen his words carefully. I had mentioned that as a public figure with close ties to the community through his affiliation with the Pittsburgh Steelers, he will be held accountable for any reactions his comments might cause. I concluded my blog by saying that if you play with matches you will get burned. Yesterday, Rashard Mendenhall got burned -- as in fired.

The 137th Running of The Kentucky Derby

As we near the end of the first week in May, the warm weather has made its way east of the Mississippi. Mother's Day is this Sunday and the baseball season is already thirty games old. Clearly spring has arrived. Many of us mark the change in seasons based on certain annual events. For instance, if you grew up on Fifth Avenue, you might mark the spring season based on what's happening at Lincoln Center, The Guggenheim and The Met. If you were raised in the Bronx, it might be the first pitch on Opening Day. But there are some that swear that spring does not begin until you've had a mint julep and you can smell the freshly cut bluegrass as the horses exit the paddock to the tune of My Old Kentucky Home. This Saturday in Churchill Downs such pageantry will be on display at the 137th running of the Kentucky Derby. 

Rashard Mendenhall Apoligizes For Tweets

So another athlete puts himself at the center of a national controversy. Then he apologizes about it. Wow, what a surprise. In case you missed it, this past Monday, Rashard Mendenhall tweeted what appeared to be some righteous indignation about thousands of people celebrating the news that Osama Bin Laden had been killed by U.S Special Forces in Pakistan. "What kind of person celebrates death?" he tweeted. "It's amazing how people can HATE a man they never heard speak. We've only heard one side...." He went on to add that "We'll never know what really happened. I just have a hard time believing a plane could take a skyscraper down demolition style."

Monday Morning Quarterback

The NFL Draft.

The objective of which through public spectacle or display, NFL organizations seek opportunities to improve the quality of  their team through the selection of highly talented college football players that will ultimately help them win the Super Bowl.  Its all business. Right? Well not exactly. It's as much about marketing and entertainment as it is anything else. What was once a non-televised weekday afternoon event is now a prime time televised extravaganza and this year was no different. While the uncertainty of the NFL lockout looms overhead, it did not stop fans from gravitating toward Radio City like moths to a light bulb, while the rest of us around the country tuned in to ESPN to get a peek at which of this year's crop of collegiate football players were heading to the NFL.