The Fives: April 14, 2010

Five observations from Tuesday in sports...

1. I know I usually look back to the previous day, but I’d be remiss if I didn’t at least mention the Brandon Marshall trade that happened this morning.

Two thoughts: 1. Now that the Dolphins and Jets have had big offseasons so far, I’ll be interested to see how antsy the Patriots and Bills get leading up to and through the draft because obviously the stakes have been raised in the division. 2. Is there really a favorite in the AFC West right now? All four teams seem to middling around this offseason, and none have really taken a step forward to claim the title of best team in the division.

2. How funny is it that the Bulls, in the midst of playing really well down the stretch to likely make the NBA playoffs, have another negative distraction that is drawing attention away from things happening on the court?

I think this will probably be the end for Vinny Del Negro in Chicago, and it’s unfortunate because he was dropped into this situation and had to learn to coach on the fly. I think he’ll get another coaching job, and I think he’ll be better at his next stop.

3. Ben Roethlisberger having a “productive” meeting with Roger Goodell yesterday sounds to me like Ben got a talking-to by the Commissioner. I have a feeling Ben didn’t do a lot of talking and will be more than happy to take whatever the league punishment is. I still think that even if the league doesn’t suspend, the Steelers will.

4.  A team that has slipped under the radar and had a good start to the season is the Blue Jays. They got a stellar performance from Ricky Romero last night, are getting timely hitting, and the bullpen has been really solid. I don’t expect them to stay in the race this year, but it may not be the total disaster it was supposed to be following the departure of Roy Halladay.

5. One curious NFL team to keep an eye on is Seattle. They’ve made no big moves in free agency (Charlie Whitehurst doesn’t count), missed out on Brandon Marshall, have had Patrick Kerney and probably Walter Jones retire, and now told Leroy Hill to stay away from mini-camp this week because of his personal issues.

I’m not sure what the plan is in the Great Northwest, but it’ll be interesting if they try to make a big splash before or during the draft or continue to make some more curious moves.

Five top performances from Tuesday...

1. Ricky Romero, Blue Jays SP: Two runs on one hit with 12 K’s over eight IP in TOR’s 4-2 win over BAL

2. Derrick Rose, Bulls PG: 39 pts, five reb, seven ast in CHI’s 101-93 win over BOS

3. Doug Fister, Mariners SP: No runs on three hits with four K’s over eight IP in SEA’s 3-0 win over OAK

4. Kirk Hinrich, Bulls SG: 30 pts, four reb, five ast in CHI’s 101-93 win over BOS

5. Ty Wigginton, Orioles 1B: 2-for-5 with two HRs and three RBI in BAL’s 8-6 10-inning loss to TB

Five events to watch on Wednesday...

1. MLB: Angels at Yankees, 1:00 PM (Joel Pineiro (LAA) vs. Javier Vazquez (NYY))

2. MLB: Red Sox vs. Twins, 1:00 PM (John Lackey (BOS) vs. Kevin Slowey (MIN))

3. NHL Playoffs: Senators at Penguins, Game One, 7:00 PM Versus (Pens start their Cup defense)

4. NBA: Bulls at Bobcats, 8:00 PM (Bulls win on the road and they lock up a playoff spot)

5. NHL Playoffs: Red Wings at Coyotes, Game One: 10:00 PM Versus (The best West first round series kicks off)

Have a good day.