The Spread LA with Slo & Shay: Episode 18

By Slo and Shay

In this week's installment, the LA broz discuss NBA and NHL Playoffs, break down a little football (Euro-style) and dice up the wonderful world of MLB player contracts.

As always, feel free to listen here on SBz or on the boys' Soundcloud page.

Klau Broz NHL Playoff Predictionz, Conference Semis

In the annual challenge we saw an even first round prediction competition, with the Klau the Elder emerging with an 8-7 lead in points. Same scoring applies to round 2, a point for picking the winner, a bonus point for getting the games. Filling in for DKlau for one series is cousin of Klau, and good friend of the blog, David Pace. He’s a genius, listen to him.

Turbulence in New York

By Mike Pestano

It's news to nobody that the New York Jets have hit a serious patch of turbulence. SBz first-time poster Mike Pestano shares his thoughts.

NBA Western Conference Semifinalz 2013

By Spencer Pyke

#1 Oklahoma City Thunder vs. #5 Memphis Grizzlies

When Kevin Durant approaches the charity stripe in Chesapeake Energy Arena, M-V-P chants rain down from the rafters.  In order to propel his team past the Memphis Grizzlies, the three time NBA scoring champion will have to perform beyond an MVP caliber level.

Kentucky Derby Prediction 2013

By John Woods

This year Churchill Downs instituted a new system of determining which horses make the Derby field. The old method was simply determined by a horse’s earnings; this year horses earned points for racing in stakes. Andrew Beyer claims the points system is better because it eliminates the speed horses that have plagued the Derby in the past. Many times a trainer would run a horse that clearly had no business being in the field, simply because a field of 20 horses meant that anything could happen.

Bro of the Day: Denver Sports Radio Personality Scott Hastings

By Adam Maher

One game after Steph "I Don't Care Who, What, When, Where, Why or How You Guard Me I'm Going to Make this Jumper in your Face" Curry embarrassed the Nuggets in Games 3 and 4 to put Golden State up 3-1, George Karl's Denver side took things to a new level of ratchetness in Game 5 Tuesday night.

A must win situation for the Western Conference 3 seed, Denver's Kenneth "The Manimal" Faried delivered the final straw foul on "The Kid," and thus began the first inevitable bickering bout of the 2013 NBA Playoffs.

The Spread L.A. with Slo & Shay, Episode 16: Jason Collins Comes Out, NHL and NBA Playoffs, NFL Draft in Review

By Slo & Shay

Thoughts on Jason Collins

By Adam Maher

By now, every sports fan in the biz has heard that Stanford alumnus/NBA ultra-veteran Jason Collins is gay. Jason's decision to come out of the closet this week has caused quite the kerfuffle, making the announcement in the form of a Sports Illustrated cover story and then virtually every sports media outlet via video and phone interviews. But mainly, Jason has found droves of support from coaches, players, owners, fans, sponsors and media members, including Boston Celtics coach Doc Rivers, NBA superstar Kobe Bryant, President Barack Obama and many others.

Jason has always been a hard worker, team player, and leader by example throughout his career, so this comes as no surprise to me. Although we as fans, and especially me -- go Nets -- have been cited complaining about the lack of true production value that Collins, the 18th overall pick in the 2001 draft (Rockets), created throughout his career -- if only we had a liiittle more muscle to combat Shaq in the 2002 NBA Finals and Duncan in the 2003 Finals we might not've gone 2-8 -- there aren't many blemishes to judge Collins on either. Basically, it's not like we've got crowd-fighting Ron Artest coming out of the closet, or the opposite side of that spectrum, superman Tim Duncan. No, Jason Collins if not for this story would have bowed out of the NBA just another NBA big man who had a few bright years, but in the end barely thrived in the NBA off fouling out, sacrificing his body, being a good teammate, leader, worker and all-around smart statesman for the game. Not too bad a career, in all honesty very dignified, but to say he's in the top 1,000 NBA players of all time would be a reach.

Which brings us to my point...

Klau Broz's NHL Playoff Predictions, Round 1, Eastern Conference

By Danny and Jason Klau

The match ups are set, sticks are taped up and the skates are sharpened. It’s Playoff season in the NHL, and for SportzBroz.com, that can only mean one thing: voluminous intelligence from the Klau Broz, Danny and Jason, as they predict the entire NHL Playoff bracket in competition from start to finish! It's their third year in a row competing to see whose hockey acumen is better equipped for NHL prediction glory. Let's dig our skates into the Eastern First Round!

Klau Broz's NHL Playoff Predictions, Round 1, Western Conference

By Danny and Jason Klau

The match ups are set, sticks are taped up and the skates are sharpened. It’s Playoff season in the NHL, and for SportzBroz.com, that can only mean one thing: voluminous intelligence from the Klau Broz, Danny and Jason, as they predict the entire NHL Playoff bracket in competition from start to finish! It's their third year in a row competing to see whose hockey acumen is better equipped for NHL prediction glory. Without further ado, let's start things off with the Western Conference Round 1 pickz:

It only seems like a short time ago that we were all sulking during the lockout. To be a fan without a sport, it’s a tough life. But 48 games and a shortened season later we’ve reached the time we’ve all been waiting for: The NHL Playoffs.

The Village Market: Not Us, Not Today

By Jared Shalek

Most people probably assume that St. Patrick’s Day is the greatest, most celebrated day of the year in Boston. March 17th—and the ensuing Sunday parade—are certainly Boston staples, but that holiday is purely celebratory in nature, with the true meaning carrying more weight in Ireland. That’s why, without question, Patriots’ Day is the greatest, most celebrated day of the year in Boston. St. Patty’s Day is Ireland. Patriots’ Day is Boston.

The third Monday in April is part history, part festivity, and it’s what puts the holiday over the top. Many of the city’s businesses shut down. The fine people of Lexington and Concord hold fun re-enactments of the events of April 19, 1775. The Red Sox play at 11am. The Bruins and/or Celtics usually have a playoff game, one of which is usually home. And, of course, there’s the crown jewel of Patriots’ Day: The Boston Marathon.

Between being at college and living in LA, I can’t even remember the last time I was in Massachusetts for the holiday. Has to be 2006 when I was a senior in high school. But the thought of the day still makes me giddy. I listened to the first inning of the Red Sox game in the shower this morning. As my TVM colleague Garry Rosenfield mentioned in his excellent post earlier, I left him a voice mail on the way to work, wishing him a Happy Patriots’ Day. Even 3,000 miles away, I feel like I’m there. Sitting behind a desk all day, I try my hardest to envision being in the Back Bay, with friends, taking in the scene on the greatest day of the year in Boston.

And then, this afternoon, in the span of a few short, tragic seconds, this became the worst Patriots’ Day we’ve ever had.

Read the post in its entirety on Jared's blog, http://thevillagemarket.wordpress.com.

 

Photo Credit: Fanbrandz.com's Michael Raisch Studios

Bro of the Day: Adam Scott

By Adam Maher

It took a two-hole playoff against Angel Cabrerra, but let's be honest, it was over as soon as Adam Scott hit his 18-foot birdie putt to go to -9 on the 18th green in the rain and then proceeded to deliver one of the all-time finest high fives in the history of golf. I happened to be watching with DVR, so barring any copyright infringements from CBS, I managed to do a little recording of what I like to call "The High Five from Down Under."

Masters Predictionz: Sunday at Augusta

By Adam Maher

When I selected 16 golfers as potential winners at the Masters this past Wednesday night, I had a serious feeling in my gut that Brandt Snedeker would rise to the top of my list.

Masters Predictionz: Moving Day's Final Four

By Adam Maher

Moving day is well underway at the 2013 Masters. Look for at least five of the top ten golfers in the hunt to completely bogey themselves out of the race today. Dustin Johnson is lucky he did that prior to moving day, saving himself an actual chance to comeback and win while other golfers drop like middle-holers from five feet in August.

Masters Predictionz: Top 8 Potential Winners

By Adam Maher

After day one of the 2013 Masters, it's safe to say that we're in for a tight race to the cut. 33 players are within five strokes of the leaders Sergio Garcia (Spain) and Marc Leishman (Australia), who are both sitting quite pretty at -6.

Of the 16 potential Masters winners I listed last night, nine players are within that 33 player field. So as I plan to cut my list of 16 from last night down to just eight players heading into Friday, you might think I'm in good shape.

Masters Predictionz: The First 16 Potential Winners

By Adam Maher

Every April, The Masters at Augusta National reminds me of what's truly important in life: class, sophistication, nature, beautiful weather, people, friends, family, tradition, keeping my head down, swinging hard, intense competition, and the fact that nobody is better at predicting The Masters winner than yours truly.

The Spread LA with Shay & Slo, Episode 15: NCAA National Championship and Early MLB Impressions

By Shay & Slo

By now you're all aware that the broz Shay & Slo have blessed us with their Podcasterly goodness.

Enjoy the latest right here on SBz, or on their SoundCloud page.

Bubba's Hover

By Adam Maher

Bubba Watson hooked up with his new sponsor, Oakley, to create what may be the most controversial invention in golf since the belly-putter. Enjoy:



It's been a while since I posted something that only contained a YouTube. But Bubba Watson has hovercrafted me out of my neglectful ways. All I have to say is: Bubba Golf lives.

Shay & Slo's Podcast: MLB Opening Day, NCAA March Madness Final Four Previewz

By Shay & Slo

Casting from the beautiful streets of Venice Beach, Los Angeles, Shay & Slo have agreed to start sharing their weekly podcasts with the SportzBroz.com faithful.

In week two of their contributions, the guys discuss MLB Opening Day and the gooditty-goodness that is on the plate late this week with the NCAA March Madness Final Four.

Pittsburgh Penguins Going All In With Recent Trades

By Jason Klau

Last night, I was out bowling with a few friends, enjoying a fun night, and a few beers. I remembered seeing earlier that a trade for Calgary Flames franchise face Jarome Iginla was imminent, so I decided to check some updates...

A Brief History of the NCAA’s Coveted Trademark, “March Madness”

By Conor Flahive

The importance of the “March Madness” men’s basketball tournament to the viability of the NCAA is well publicized. According to the NCAA, most of the organization’s revenue comes from its 14-year, $10.8 billion agreement with Turner Broadcasting and CBS Sports for the tournament’s television rights. But how important is the actual term “March Madness” to the NCAA? A brief look into the trademark history of the term provides the answer.

ACC Championship Prediction: Miami's Game to Lose

By Spencer Pyke

Miami and North Carolina have already met twice this season, but something tells me the third time around will be drastically different.

ACC Tournament Semifinals Predictionz

By Spencer Pyke

Day two of the 2013 ACC Tournament provided a near upset, a huge upset and two blowouts as four teams were left standing when all the dust settled. Top seeded Miami and upset minded Maryland are still alive, while North Carolina and North Carolina State look to set up a rematch of the 2007 Championship Game. Heading into the weekend, only one thing is guaranteed, top shelf collegiate basketball.

2013 ACC Tournament Quarterfinals Predictionz

By Spencer Pyke

The first day of the 2013 Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament went as planned with all four higher seeds advancing. Records were broken, historic careers came to an end, and overall, it was a great first day. The quarterfinals are sure to be just as enjoyable, with some highly anticipated regular season rematches on the docket.

2013 ACC Tournament First Round Predictionz

By Spencer Pyke

After a 2013 regular season where no clear cut favorite jumped out amongst the others, “Championship Week” looks to be a great precursor to the NCAA Tournament. And what better way to prepare than with one of the best conferences of them all, the Atlantic Coast Conference. Last season, we watched Florida State make a Cinderella run through Greensboro en route to their first conference championship. This year, we could see yet another first time winner in Miami, a traditional champ like Duke, or perhaps another team out of left field like, dare I say, Florida State.