The Fives: April 6th, 2010

Five observations from Monday in sports…

1.    In what turned out to be a classic, hard fought classic championship game, Duke and Butler showed what happens when you get a collection of kids who stick around for a while.  With what these two teams have returning and new kids coming in, could we see a rematch next year?

2.    Tiger’s presser yesterday was pretty much what I expected.  Unfortunately, most of the media (especially the tabloids and entertainment shows) won’t let this story fade away.  I think most golf fans and casual sports fans just want to see Tiger out on the golf course and back playing.  I also think if he plays well as the weekend goes along, I think we’ll see the support grow as the tournament progresses.

3.    A full day of Opening Day baseball was great to follow yesterday.  I know not to take anything away from one game, but I have to admit the Phillies, Cardinals, and Braves looked really impressive yesterday.

4.    I’d love to know what was going on in Roy Halladay’s head yesterday as he saw all those runs going up on the board for Philadelphia.  It should make him feel real comfortable as he makes his way through his first tour of the National League.

5.    Obviously, we’re going to have to wait until the fall to see how the McNabb trade works out for Philadelphia and Washington, but listening to Kevin Kolb yesterday, I think Eagles fans should feel good about where their offense will be going this year.


Five top performances from Monday…

1.    Kyle Singler, Duke F:   19 pts, 9 reb in Duke’s 61-59 National Championship win over Butler

2.    Albert Pujols, Cardinals 1B:   4-5 with 2 HRs and 3 RBIs in STL’s 11-6 Opening Day win over CIN

3.    Tim Lincecum, Giants P:   0 runs on 4 hits in 7 IP and the win in SF’s 5-2 win over HOU

4.    Garrett Jones, Pirates RF:  2-4 with 2 HRs and 3 RBIs in PIT’s 11-5 win over LAD

5.    Chris Mason, Blues G:   27 saves in STL’s 2-1 OT win over CLS

Five games to watch on Tuesday…

1.    NBA:   Hawks at Bobcats, 7:00 PM (Charlotte looking to solidify a playoff spot)

2.    MLB:   Yankees at Red Sox, 7:00 PM (Good matchup:  Burnett (NYY) vs. Lester (BOS)

3.    NHL:   Rangers at Sabres, 7:00 PM (New York trying to catch PHI for 8th in the East)

4.    NBA:  Bucks at Bulls, 8:00 PM WGN (Playoff implications abound for this game)

5.    NCAA Women’s National Championship:   Stanford vs. Connecticut, 8:30 PM ESPN

Have a good day.