It keeps getting worse and worse...

The same day that it was announced that their closer B.J. Ryan underwent surgery to repair his injured pitching elbow, the Jays keep on sinking by losing 8-0 to the their division rival Boston Red Sox. This season is looking more and more like a lost cause as they’ve fallen to a dismal13-21; eight whole games below a .500 mark that would make the amount of money spent on this team borderline acceptable. Of course this is still May but one has to be wondering when the fire-sale starts and who will be the ones to leave.

Alex Rios may actually be playing himself of the team with his recent tear. He’s hitting .379 over the Jays losing streak and is the only player seemingly worth something.

Even the team’s ace and go to guy on their staff, Roy Halladay is severely faltering. Doc has been rocked in his past two starts after getting off to the first 4-0 start of his career. Last night against Boston he took the loss while giving up an abnormal 11 hits and 8 runs over the 5 innings he was able to make it through. Vermilyea and Frasor, the relievers that followed him did a far superior job only allowing two base runners.

It is sad days in Jays-town and fans should only hope there’s some sort of silver lining to this storm cloud. Maybe they’ll be smarter than their NHL counterparts and actually know when a good time to pull the cord is.

Finally...

I’ve been waiting to watch some actual great playoff hockey and I’ve finally found it. After viewing as much of game one between Buffalo and Ottawa while cranking out baseball pages for the paper, I realized that this is what hockey should be like. Plenty of scoring chances, a good, quick game combined with just the right amount of hitting to get your adrenaline going; but stopping short of the underhanded rough stuff.

This matchup is particularly exciting since we get to watch division rivals take on each other in a playoff format as well as they’re two of the most skilled in teams in the NHL right now. Their goalies, while among the elite, may not be able to hold up to the offensive pressure from these two red lamp lighting squads. This is the hockey I’ve been waiting for. This is the hockey that might get me to tune in to when I’m bored. This hockey may be the catalyst to moving the NHL to a place where goonery doesn’t exist. But who am I kidding, I forgot that the NHL’s circling the toilet faster than Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jeff Gordon can circle an oval. Hockey’s almost dead.

Jazz able to run with the Warriors

Is it just me or is the Utah Jazz probably the most adaptable team in the West. They get into the playoffs without a real identity and are loaded with good rotation of all-around skilled players. Last night in Utah, they were able to run with the fast-paced Golden State Warriors and delivered some clutch shooting to get the game into overtime where the twisted the dagger.

The Jazz also had an emotional moment and a performance with a big heart from Derek Fisher, who only arrived during the third quarter and played a big role in the win. The reason Fisher arrived so late was because he was spending time with his infant daughter after his family learned she had a tumour in between her eye and her brain. It would be a tough situation for anyone, especially when you’ve got a playoff series on your mind as well. Best wishes to the Fisher family are certainly in order.

I still don’t know what he’s thinking

For some reason, Drew Gooden is still rocking that ridiculous soul patch on the back of his head that really just makes him look like an idiot. But it doesn’t really matter how you look when your team keeps on winning in the playoffs. Last night the Cavaliers handled the Nets to take a 2- series lead and look destined to match up with the Pistons for the right to lose against the West’s best in the East finals.

Last night Steve Nash didn’t get bloodied up and Shawn Marion’s Suns were able to score against the severely defensive Spurs. The real news about this game was hearing Nash’s rant going into it about not having heart and the team not trying their hardest. While many pundits suggest that this was directed at Shawn Marion mostly, maybe he should’ve led by example and actually started playing defense, like many of teammates do.

7’s a lucky number

Josh Beckett became the first pitcher in the majors to reach 7 wins last night when the Red Sox rolled into Toronto and put a beat down on the Blue Jays. This improves his record to 7-0, making him the first pitcher since the seventies to hit that mark. The loss also put the Jays on a seven-game losing streak, one that started out on their recent road and has now followed them home. The horizon isn’t looking too bright for the Jays either with Daisuke Matsuzaka starting tonight at the Rogers Centre. The only relief in sight is starting Friday when the Tampa Devil Rays come to visit, but even they are ahead of the Jays in the standings.

Conference Finals all set.

I'll be the first to admit that I watched as little of the second round of NHL playoffs as I probably could. I would love to say things like Buffalo looked good or this team got screwed but I can't. Maybe it's my fault, maybe it's the media's fault (which is still partly my fault I guess) or maybe it's the NHL's fault. So, without further ado or excuse, here are my NHL Conference Final picks.

Ottawa vs. Buffalo: I know Ottawa has a great team and they're the only Canadian team left but is anybody actually rooting for them? There isn't a less likable hockey team I can think of than the Senators and my favourite team isn't even a rival of theirs. So with pure, blinded hatred, I've got to pick Buffalo to pound them. More so that I hope it will happen than the likelihood it actually will. I'd also like to see Ryan Miller pound Ray Emery in another brawl.
Sabres in 6.

Detroit vs. Anaheim: Now this is the series I really know nothing about... So, seeing how at the beginning of the playoffs I chose an Anaheim - Buffalo finals, there's really no reason to turn my back on that prediction now.
Ducks in 6.

It's not my fault that the NBA playoffs have been more exciting and overall better at drawing my attention. But, then again, even last year's NHL playoffs where a number 8 seed went to the finals didn't have me caring as much as Golden State does now.

He's back...

The Yankees found a remedy to their much maligned pitching staff yesterday by signing Roger Clemens to a pro-rated one-year, $28 million contract. Clemens announced his return during the seventh inning stretch at the Yankees-Mariners game to a much delighted crowd. While the Rocket does turn 45 years old during this season, he's still considered one of, if not the best pitcher in baseball. After spending two seasons in Houston with little to no run support, the Yanks shouldn't have any problems putting runs on the board and keeping him happy. It only remains to be seen if Clemens can keep up his form against the AL's hitters.

Yesterday also had some primo performances for a lazy Sunday.
Darrell Rasner, one of the Yankee's prospects who's being forced to step in due to all of the injury problem affecting the Bronx Bombers, only allowed 3 hits to the Mariners en route to a shutout he shared with four other relievers.

Jake Peavy, San Diego's finest tossed a gem and only allowed one Marlin hit over seven innings while striking out 10. This guy is one of the best young arms in baseball and is just going to get better every start. He should be getting a lot of pub for the Cy Young race later this year.

Prince Fielder, son of Cecil, connected for two homers yesterday while going 3-for-4 total. He drove in three runs and also scored three in Milwaukee's 6-4 triumph over Pittsburgh. Somehow, the Brewers have turned around their franchise from being a joke to having the best record in all of baseball. With the win, they're now 11 games over the .500 mark for the first time since 1992. This is a good year to be Brew-crew fan.

Suns go down

Defense wins championships, offense will just win you awards. The San Antonio Spurs played their style and came away with a road victory in game one of their series with the Suns. Steve Nash had a meeting of the minds with Tony Parker during the game and was bloodied for the remainder of the game. The South African point guard was even forced to miss some key crunch time minutes to get his nose bandage replaced. It didn't stop him from scoring and looking like his usual lackadaisical self on defense though. It's fairly obvious that Suns are nothing without Nash and I don't see why teams don't take advantage of this fact. If you can knock Nash out of the line up, you can knock the Suns on their asses. But then again, the Spurs are good enough to take out the Suns without my cheap tactics.

Cleveland didn't have much trouble with the Nets and played stifling defense. LeBron, who was suffering from a head cold, scored 21 and his second fiddle, Larry Hughes had 17. Every shot the Nets took had a hand around it or in the shooter’s face; something you’ll never see from Steve Nash.