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French Open 2011 Provides Little Drama on Memorial Day Monday at Roland Garros

If your a fan of upsets then Monday was not the day for you to be watching the men's French Open.

No. 1 seeded Rafael Nadal was given a slight challenge in the first set against unseeded Ivan Ljubicic, but it was a romp after that. Nadal beat the Croat 7-5, 6-3, 6-3 in one of, if not the, easiest matches of the tournament for the Spainard.

Despite struggling to put away opponents early, Nadal is still alive and well as he advances to the semi's.

No. 5 seeded Robin Soderling glided past Gilles Simon with ease in straight sets, winning 6-2, 6-3, 7-6. Soderling was challenged in the third set, but the outcome of the match was never really in question.

MUST READ: Grading The Top Seeds at the 2011 French Open Thus Far

No. 9 seeded Gael Monfils is still alive in his quest to be the first Frenchman to win the illustrious hometown tournament in 28 years. He defeated No. 7 David Ferrer in five sets 6-4, 2-6, 7-5, 1-6, 8-6 in the minor upset. Despite getting rocked in two sets, Monfils advances and earns the right to potentially play Roger Federer in the semi's.

England's Andy Murray had his match against Serbian Viktor Troicki called for the night due to darkness. He looked poised to bow out early after dropping the first two sets, but he was able to bounce back to knot the match up at two. The fifth and final set will resume on Tuesday.

The top players are all alive and well on the men's side and the rest of the week should provide us with a very memorable slate of tennis.

Regardless of how well others are playing—Nadal is still the favorite on the clay court.

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Dwyane Wade Presents Extremely Difficult Matchup for the Dallas Mavericks in the 2011 NBA Finals

Dwyane Wade still haunts the dreams of Dallas Mavericks fans with glimpses of him drawing endless fouls in the 2006 NBA Finals and making free throw after free throw.

The Mavs better hope they have a much more concrete game plan in the 2011 Finals. ESPN.com writers Kevin Arnovitz and Tom Haberstroh talk about one of the likely options:

Wade, meanwhile, presents a more interesting series of choices for Dallas. DeShawn Stevenson is the Mavericks' designated defender on the wing and he'll open each game on Wade. The NBA's Stats Cube tells us that Wade scored only a single field goal during the 30 minutes he shared the floor with Stevenson this season. When Stevenson took a seat, Wade exploded for 42 points in 50 minutes.

MUST READ: Power Ranking the Last 18 Winners of the NBA Finals MVP

Problem is, Stevenson is an offensive liability and they can't have him out there in critical junctures of the game. Jason Kidd is a crunch-time option, but will he be too worn out to effectively run the point?

Jason Terry and JJ Barea are out of the question, so what will Dallas do?

They will need Tyson Chandler to patrol the middle and keep Wade off balance on his drives to the hole. They need Stevenson to bring the "heat" for awhile, but it will be Kidd's D down the stretch that will dictate how much of a factor Wade is for the Heat.

It's not going to be easy for the Mavs, and it may ultimately spell their demise.

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LeBron James of the Miami Heat One of the Most Clutch Players of His Generation

The intense scrutiny of end-of-game situations has hampered LeBron James for years. He has garnered a reputation for not being able to close out games due to either poor shot selection or just plan missed shots.

But according to ESPN Stats Inc, LeBron is actually one of the most clutch players in recent postseason history:

Since the 1997 playoffs, Michael Jordan, LeBron James and Bryant are 1-2-3 in points per 48 minutes in the playoffs among players with at least 100 minutes played during clutch-time. However, other aspects of the game show James separating himself from both Jordan and Kobe.

James also shoots the highest percentage from the field among the top 8. Interestingly three of the four active players on this list are playing in this year's Finals.

MUST READ: Power Ranking the Last 18 Winners of the NBA Finals MVP

He was a stone-cold assassin against the Chicago Bulls, hitting tons of key shots down the stretch. The regular season may not be the same story, but when it matters most James comes up big for his team.

People remember the Boston series last year and the '07 Finals sweep, but they forget about the "48 special" against Detroit where he scored 29 of the Cavs' final 30 points and the buzzer-beater three against the Magic in the '09 Eastern Conference Finals

It's more evidence that America wants to hate James in anyway they can—even if stats tell a different story.

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Dallas Mavericks Key Reserve From a Year Ago Complete Afterthought as 2011 NBA Finals Kick Off

The Dallas Mavericks are only four wins away from winning their first championship in team history. They have done it will a stellar mix of heady, veteran players and young, fresh talent.

The young JJ Barea has been a essential part of the team's success. But what happened to their other impact guard from a foreign country?

Rodrigue Beaubois was outstanding for the Mavs last year, scoring seven points a game on 51 percent shooting without the luxury of much playing time. Heading into his second season, he had high expectations to improve his already potent offensive game. He seemed like one of the most important players heading into the season.

Instead, he has been crippled by injury and has been a complete non-factor all season for the Mavs.

Here is ESPN Dallas with how his second season has gone horribly wrong:

Beaubois' downer of a sophomore season got off to a later-than-expected start due to a slow-healing broken left foot sustained last summer. Handed the starting shooting guard spot when he finally returned prior to the All-Star break, he struggled and was replaced on the final game of the regular season. He then sprained his left foot -- which still gives him some problems -- coming off the bench and his abbreviated season basically ended.

MUST READ: Power Ranking the Last 18 Winners of the NBA Finals MVP

He played in a mere 28 games this season and has only been active in one postseason game. He is a complete afterthought and will likely not even sniff the floor against the Heat.

It's a sad story for Beaubois and another example of how the injury bug can really ruin a player's season. All that's left to do for Beaubois is to sit back and cheer on his teammates, wondering what could have been.

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Miami Heat Rewrite Formula on How to Reach the NBA Finals With Big Three

The skeptics were out in full force all season that the Miami Heat didn't have the depth to compete for a championship.

Sure they had three of the best players in the world in LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, but who was going to play point guard and center? And who will provide any sort of depth off the bench?

Udonis Haslem and Mike Miller were both sidelined for the majority of the year and the Heat got off to a rocky 9-8 start.

But along the way they signed Mike Bibby, Joel Anthony emerged as a tall and effective defensive player, players got healthy and now the Heat are exactly where they expected to be—the 2011 NBA Finals. The Miami Herald says this is the new way to win a ring:

The old rule was you needed depth, balance, a strong bench. Especially in the NBA. The Miami rule: We’ll get the best guys and take our chances. This was asphalt and chain-link-nets thinking. Playground thinking. Give me the two best guys. You can have everybody else.

For so much of this season Miami was the Big 3 & The Whatevers. Patchwork at point guard. Patchwork at center. Bench constantly outscored by opponents. Such a top-heavy team was risky thinking.

Those experts still aren’t getting it.

MUST READ: Power Ranking the Last 18 Winners of the NBA Finals MVP

"Playground thinking" is the best way to put it. You give me the best three guys and I'll let you have the next 10 picks. But at the end of the day, supreme talent is what trumps all and having a great bench can only take you so far (see Bulls, Chicago).

The big three don't seem worn down and the role players are all now comfortable in their...well...roles.

It's the new blueprint for NBA success and surely another big three will be formed sooner rather than later to try and compete with the original version down in Miami.

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Jim Tressel Likely Resigned After Hearing Latest Findings by Sports Illustrated

Ohio St. football coach Jim Tressel thought he could survive the "Tattoo Five" scandal that crippled his program over the past five months. He thought his reputation and buddy-buddy relationship with school President Gordon Gee was going to save his job.

But after the latest allegations to come out courtesy of Sports Illustrated, it turns out Tressel's plan was all just a pipe dream. The new allegations suggest that way more than five players have been involved with memorabilia scandals.

Here was the juiciest passage of today's story, penned by George Dohrmann and David Epstein:

Tressel was forced out three days after Sports Illustrated alerted Ohio State officials that the wrongdoing by Tressel's players was far more widespread than had been reported. SI learned that the memorabilia-for-tattoos violations actually stretched back to 2002, Tressel's second season at Ohio State, and involved at least 28 players -- 22 more than the university has acknowledged.

Those numbers include, beyond the six suspended players, an additional nine current players as well as nine former players whose alleged wrongdoing might fall within the NCAA's four-year statute of limitations on violations.

MUST READ: Potential Replacements for Jim Tressel at OSU

It isn't the sole reason that Tressel resigned, but today's story was the nail in the coffin. The ex-head coach was made aware of the story yesterday and it clearly sped up his decision. Five rogue players is one thing, but over 20 players that cover multiple seasons is too big a hole to dig out of.

SI's article wasn't earth-shattering, but it spelled the end of the Jim Tressel era at Ohio St.

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USC Football Expects NCAA to Play Hard Ball With Ohio St.

The USC football team is halfway through a very harsh two-year probation period that denies them postseason play, and they lost 30 scholarships over a three-year period. This all stems from Reggie Bush's family accepting money and gifts from various boosters. 

Last week the NCAA rejected their appeal and the Trojans are stuck with their penalty.

Now that another mighty football program in Ohio St. is under extreme scrutiny, the Trojans are expecting them to receive a similar punishment for five players involved in a tattoo parlor and memorabilia scandal. Now the latest investigation involves over 50 car transactions that Buckeye players made.  

It's a mess for the Buckeyes and USC expects them to get just as harsh of a penalty.

Associated Press writer Tim Dahlberg talks about how the Trojans will have a microscope on Columbus:

Already, USC backers are grumbling that Tressel's failure to report violations that included the sale of jerseys and other merchandise by quarterback Terrelle Pryor and others is worse than anything that happened in Los Angeles.

MUST READ: Potential Replacements for Jim Tressel at OSU

It's an ugly situation all the way around and it sounds as if the Buckeyes won't be going to postseason play in 2011.

But with USC closely monitoring the situation...how bad will the penalty end up being for the Buckeyes and what will USC do if they aren't satisfied with the outcome?

It's gonna be a long, hot summer for the Buckeyes.

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Danica Patrick's Move to NASCAR Full-Time Seems Imminent After Latest Comments

The most famous race in the world lived up to the hype because of the photo finish. But it was another some-what boring day for the most famous female driver of all-time—Danica Patrick.

She finished 10th and never seemed like much of a contender for the majority of the race. It seems as if she is missing the excitement of what she once brought to the track. That's why there has been rampant speculation she is planning to race exclusively for NASCAR in 2012.

Her main sponsor is Godaddy.com and CEO Bob Parsons recently weighed in with his thoughts on Danica's next move:

She hasn’t told me she will, but I believe she will and we’ll be ready. Here’s the fact: She loves NASCAR, it’s much more exciting than Indy Car, with all due respect, and the TV audience for NASCAR is off the hook.

MUST READ: Why Danica Patrick Should Part Ways With GoDaddy.com

Gotta love it when a CEO calls something off the hook.

Everyone knows there is more popularity and more fame in NASCAR...two things that interest Danica greatly.

A likely colleague that could help her with the transition is Tony Stewart. He is a former open-wheeled driver that has served as her mentor for past NASCAR events. His team also has a open spot that she could fill.

Until we wear it from Danica herself it's all speculation...but it sounds more-and-more like Patrick may have raced her last Indianapolis 500 on Sunday.

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2011 NBA Finals Will Feature a Healthy Dwyane Wade for the Miami Heat

Lost in all the praise of the Miami Heat reaching the 2011 NBA Finals is the struggles of their original star, Dwyane Wade.

In the five-game series win against the Chicago Bulls in the Eastern Conference Finals, Wade wasn't himself. He averaged 18.8 points on a subpar 40 percent shooting with 6.4 rebounds and 2.2 assists.

He had a couple late-night shooting sessions to try and iron out his shooting issues—but it hasn't worked.

Plenty of folks in the media have speculated that Wade has been dealing with some sort of injury. Not the case, according to Wade:

I'm not hurt. Get that out of the way, and move on.

MUST READ: Power Ranking The Last 18 Winners ofthe NBA Finals MVP

Thank you Mr. Wade.

But according to the Palm Beach Post, there were signs that suggested otherwise:

He was sweating profusely at times, failed to convert a couple of dunks, and spent part of Game 5 icing his surgically-repaired left shoulder.

Still, Wade said he was "mixing it up" during Monday's practice, which coach Erik Spoelstra cut short because players were hitting each other too hard.

LeBron James even admitted to TNT's Craig Sager that Wade wasn't right but it isn't a big deal.

Hmmmm.

Clearly there is something that Wade and the Heat are hiding, but obviously it's not going to keep him out of the NBA Finals.

Keep an eye on Wade to see if he favors his shoulder or any other part of his body against the Dallas Mavericks.

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2011 NCAA Baseball Regionals Announced With Virginia and Florida The Top Two Overall Seeds

The College World Series is just around the corner and the first step to reach Omaha begin this week with the regionals.

The South Carolina Gamecocks are the defending national champs, but Virginia and Florida were announced today as the favorites to reach the championship.

Virginia gets the No. 1 overall seed in the field of 64 with a 49-9 overall record during the regular season. The Cavaliers face Navy in a double elimination round to kick off the festivities.

Florida hooks up with Manhattan in round one. Florida went 45-16 during the season, but have a recent history of bowing out much too early in the postseason.

Other top seeds include the North Carolina at No. 3 and defending champion South Carolina at No. 4. Florida State, Vanderbilt, Texas and Rice round out the top 8 seeds.

MUST READ: Projecting the First Round of The 2011 MLB Draft

Atlanta, Austin, Fullerton, Chapel Hill, Charlottesville, Corvallis, Clemson, College Station, Columbia, Forth Worth, Charlottesville, Gainesville, Los Angeles, Houston, Nashville, Tallahassee and Tempe will all be host sites for the tourney.

Three schools are hosting for the 20th time or more as Florida State (Tallahassee) leads the list of schools with 28. Texas is hosting for the 26th time, while this will be the 21st time that Arizona State has been a host.

Clemson and South Carolina are hosting for 13th time. Georgia Tech (11th), Cal St. Fullerton (10th) and Florida (10th) are the only other schools to host 10 or more times since the NCAA went to the regional format in 1975.

But every player involved doesn't care about the host site. They will have their eyes on the prize of making to trip to Nebraska and make history in the process.

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Tiger Woods Still Receiving High Praise From At Least One Member of The PGA Tour

Finding praise for Tiger Woods is hard to come by these days on the golf course. He recently donated $1M to charity for losing a bet with the media as he slowly pieces back together his image off the links.

On the course he hasn't won an event in 19 months and is dropping down the list of golf world rankings faster than the worth of the New York Mets franchise.

But along comes Ian Poulter, the world's 22nd ranked golfer from England. He professed his unconditional respect for Woods to the United Kingdom version of Golf World magazine:

Don't get me wrong, I really respect every professional golfer, but I know I haven't played to my full potential and when that happens, it will be just me and Tiger. Tiger is one in a million. Actually Tiger is one in 10 million. He is extraordinary. If you look at the rankings he is almost two and a half times better than the guy in second place [Phil Mickelson].

MUST READ: The Most Amazing Statistics in Golf History

Jeez.

He really is pouring on the love and it's kind of bizarre why. Poulter has always been outspoken, but it's almost like he is mocking him with the gushing praise. At what point does saying "Tiger is one in 10 million" turn into sarcasm?

I would be very interested to hear the response of Woods upon hearing these comments. Is Poulter just stirring the pot? Or does he have that much respect for a guy that hasn't won a tournament in seemingly forever?

Very curious comments from Poulter.

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Michael Phelps Already Can't Hold in Excitement to Compete Against Ian Thorpe in London 2012 Olympics

The London 2012 Summer Olympics are still over a year away but that doesn't mean some of the biggest stars aren't already chomping at the bits to compete.

The biggest star of them all sounds to be ready to roll. American swimmer Michael Phelps holds 14 gold medals in his Olympic career and he isn't finished yet.

Phelps already has his eyes set on the biggest competitor standing in his way—Ian Thorpe. He told The Telegraph that he is looking forward to the chance to compete against the Australian:

It's awesome. To have him back is something that I've wanted to see for years. He and I only raced once or twice, so getting back in the pool with a competitor and a talented swimmer like him excites me."

Having seen the Australian's command in Sydney at first hand 11 years ago, when he made the United States team aged 15, Phelps adds: "It would be amazing. He's been out for seven years. He hasn't swum in a major competition since the 2004 Olympics, so adding him is going to make it a lot more interesting.

Thorpe missed the 2008 Olympics and Beijing and has rarely raced since the 2004 Olympics. But he was Phelps main competition in '04 and would likely be the top competitor in 2012.

With a year to go...let the Phelps vs. Thorpe hype begin!

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Ohio State Football Introduces Luke Fickell as New Head Coach

Today has been all about the corruption and dishonesty of former Ohio St. football coach Jim Tressel.

But that's all ancient history now. It's time to look forward and that starts by checking out the resume of the new head coach. He begins with the interim tag, but the former defensive coordinator has a shot to keep the gig with instant success.

Ohio St. has announced they will not conduct a coaching search until the conclusion of the 2011-2012 season.

MUST READ: Potential Replacements For Jim Tressel at OSU

Fickell began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Ohio State before two seasons at the University of Akron as defensive line coach.

He returned to the Buckeyes to coach special teams from 2002-03, linebackers in 2004, and then took on the role of co-defensive coordinator and linebackers coach from 2005 through last season.

Fickell has always bleed scarlet and gray, growing up in Columbus and playing for OSU from 1992-1996 as a nose guard where he started a school-record 50 consecutive games.

The Buckeyes have been known for their defense over the last five years and a lot of the credit has to go in Fickell's direction.

He will keep the Tressel school of thought when it comes to discipline and playing the game the right way. The biggest problem is his lack of head coaching experience.

He now has a full season to prove to the school, and to the fans that the interim tag should be dropped and the program is in good hands with him in charge.

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Steve Nash Of The Phoenix Suns Thinks Being a Gay Player in the NBA is No Big Deal

It appears as if the times are finally starting to change in the world of sports regarding gay athletes. More and more players are telling reporters that the sexuality of a teammate isn't a big deal what-so-ever.

The latest to make this claim is Phoenix Suns star point guard Steve Nash. He had this to say on the issue to the New York Times over the weekend:

If a player in the locker room came out, it would come and go quickly, too. I really don’t think it’s a big issue anymore. I think it would be surprisingly accepted, and a shorter shelf life than maybe we would imagine. I think the time has come when it should happen soon. I think it will be something that won’t take on this life of its own. It won’t be the O. J. trial.

MUST READ: Power Ranking The Last 18 Winners of The 2011 Finals MVP

Suns chief executive Rick Welts recently came out to the media that he was gay and it was treated as no big deal. The media news cycle was done with the story within a day of the announcement.

But having somebody in the lockerroom, the inner sanctuary for men's sports, coming out hasn't happened yet.

As more-and-more players speak up in favor of gay rights...it's only a matter of time before a current player comes out. It's going to take a very bold man to do so, but he will go down in his history as a pioneer.

It appears as if we are closer than ever to seeing this happen.

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LeBron James Plays Bad Guy For Miami Heat Despite Lack of Reason to Hate Him on The Court

Is it possible to be the most hated player in the NBA without ever acting in any sort of villainous manner?

"The Decision" is still fresh in everyone's mind and fans continue to turn disgust of the one hour event into an all-out personal assault against James.

He has turned into public enemy No. 1 in the league and fans are tuning in just to root against him. Playoff TV ratings are up across the board after experiencing a 45-percent increase in viewership during the regular season.

People want to see the bad guy fail and right now they aren't getting their wish. But the ironic thing is, LeBron's brand of basketball doesn't even meet his label according to ESPN's Michael Wilbon:

LeBron doesn't play with any noticeable physicality, hardly ever fouls anybody hard, doesn't talk much -- if any -- trash by today's standards, and other than a couple of notable occasions of walking off the court without shaking hands after playoff series defeats (a trend that, annoyingly, seems to be on the increase across the league), has been guilty of nothing objectionable. He simply hasn't fit the villain's bill.

MUST READ: Power Ranking The Last 18 Winners of The 2011 Finals MVP

Sometimes he can be a bit over dramatic when he is fouled hard, but overall you can't complain with the way he plays the game.

He is a physical force that is as a unique an athlete as any in all of professional sports. Hate him for his actions last summer, but don't hate the way he plays the game. Don't hate him for making the NBA as popular as it's been since Michael Jordan in the mid-90's.

We love sports because it allows us on occasion to experience greatness. And when James takes the floor Tuesday night for Game One of the NBA Finals, that's exactly what we wanted to see all along—regardless of any decisions made this past summer.