Memorial Day Weekend - The SFB Podcast (5/31/2010).....

After these last playoff rounds there is no debate in my mind as to who is currently the best NBA player. Plus much to cover on the holiday weekend as the Lakers finish off the Suns, The Indy 500 race is run, the NHL kicks off the Stanley Cup Finals with an extremely entertaining Game 1, and we have another pitcher throw a perfect game in the Major Leagues. Enjoy.

The SportsFan Buzz: May 31, 2010 (right click to "save as target)

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Voice over talent provided by Morgan Thomas.

Celtics in NBA Finals - The SFB Podcast (5/29/2010).....

The Celtics put away the Magic to gain a spot in the NBA Finals and await the Suns / Lakers winner to see where they will travel to start the pursuit of their 18th NBA championship on Thursday night. Meanwhile, Game 5 hero, Ron Artest couldn't keep the good things going and got into a little trouble with his mouth and tardiness. Plus, I correct an error from yesterday's podcast and the NHL outdoor games and look ahead to tonight's Game 1 between the Flyers and Blackhawks. Enjoy.

The SportsFan Buzz: May 29, 2010 (right click to "save as target)

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Voice over talent provided by Morgan Thomas.

NBA Playoffs & Stanley Cup Preview - The SFB Podcast (5/28/2010).....

The NHL Stanley Cup Finals start tomorrow night as the Philadelphia Flyers face the Chicago Blackhawks. It has been a while for both teams since they last sipped from the Cup. Will the Flyers keep this improbable playoff run going and win their first title since 1975 or will the Blackhawks bring the hardware back to Chicago for the first time since 1961?

Plus, what started out as a dull NBA Conference Championship round is now anything but, as both series head to pivital Games 6s after entertaining Game 5s. Enjoy.

The SportsFan Buzz: May 28, 2010 (right click to "save as target)

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Voice over talent provided by Morgan Thomas.

Talking Baseball - The SFB Podcast (5/27/2010).....

Paul Lebowitz joins the podcast to discuss what is happening around the Major Leagues. Among the topics we cover is the packed NL East where all five teams are over .500, the Rays hot start in the AL East, the close race thus far in the NL Central, and how the West (both AL & NL) will be won. Also, Roy Oswalt asks for a trade, Ubaldo Jimenez has been great and we wait on Stephen Strasburg to get to the majors. Enjoy.

Paul on Twitter
Paul's website

The SportsFan Buzz: May 27, 2010 (right click to "save as target)

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Voice over talent provided by Morgan Thomas.

Zoned Out - The SFB Podcast (5/26/2010).....

The Phoenix Suns held their home court and beat the Los Angleles Lakers last night to tie up their series at two games a piece. The teams are now down to a "best of three" series, with the Lakers still holding the advantage with two of these games at Staples Center.

The biggest difference in the game was the outstanding play of the Suns' bench as they outscored the Lakers' bench 54-20. Also, the Lakers still seemed to be a little confused against the Suns zone defense, as it forced them into 28 three point shot attempts (against their in season normal number of 20) after trying 30 three pointers in Game 3, and they did not seem to be running their normal offense. Who thought we would be discussing zone defenses being difference makers during the NBA Playoffs?

The thing is, the Lakers are still putting up points, but don't look like themselves in doing so. The bigger problem for Los Angeles is that they are playing awful defense. Giving up 18 offensive rebounds and 54 bench points is a recipe for disaster.

This all means we are set up for an interesting Game 5 on Thursday night. Will the zone work again for a third straight game or will the Lakers finally adjust and get back to their movement offense instead of forcing jump shots? Can the Lakers step up their defense and hit the boards to stop Phoenix's second chance points?

The podcast looks at the Suns/Lakers series, along with tonight's Game 5 between the Celtics and Magic. Also, it is official as Super Bowl 48 will be played in the New York / New Jersey area. Did the NFL make the right choice? Plus other NFL news and a look at the major leagues. Enjoy.

The SportsFan Buzz: May 26, 2010 (right click to "save as target)

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Voice over talent provided by Morgan Thomas.

Broad Street Champs - The SFB Podcast (5/25/2010).....

The Philadelphia Flyers took care of the Montreal Canadiens to win the Eastern Conference and now will face the Chicago Blackhawks for the Stanley Cup starting Saturday night in Chicago. Meanwhile in Boston, the Celtics lost their chance to sweep away the Orlando Magic by falling in overtime behind a great game from the Magic's Dwight Howard. Also, the Bulls might be courting Phil Jackson for a return to Chicago and John Fogerty makes the Hall of Fame. Enjoy.

The SportsFan Buzz: May 25, 2010 (right click to "save as target)

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Voice over talent provided by Morgan Thomas.

LOST Weekend - The SFB Podcast (5/24/2010).....

The LOST series finale will be discussed for a long time and for me, that makes for good television. In sports, the NBA & NHL playoffs are in their conference final rounds, but the matchups have left sport fans a bit empty. Interleague baseball started this weekend with top billing going to the two New York teams playing each other, and the NFL loses a Supreme Court case. Enjoy.

The SportsFan Buzz: May 24, 2010 (right click to "save as target)

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Voice over talent provided by Morgan Thomas.

Fan of the Comeback - The SFB Podcast (5/21/2010).....

Hockey fans saw something special last Friday night when the Philadelphia Flyers finished their historical comeback against the Boston Bruins after falling behind three games to none to start their playoff series. That has only been done three times in hockey history (The 1942 Maple Leafs and 1975 Islanders are the other two.) and only four times ever in sports history. That fourth one is probably the most famous when the Boston Red Sox defeated their biggest rival, the New York Yankees in 2004.

Well, Mike Tursi is one of the rare sports fans who has been a fan of teams on both sides of the comeback / collapse. He suffered through the Red Sox coming back against his beloved New York Yankees and then six years later watched his Flyers do the "impossible" against their rival Boston Bruins.

Mike joins me to discuss these two playoff series through the eyes of fan on both sides of the ledger, and we look at this year's Stanley Cup playoffs.

The SportsFan Buzz: May 21, 2010 (right click to "save as target)

Mike Tursi on Twitter
Mike's website

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Voice over talent provided by Morgan Thomas.

Celtics/Lakers: Like Old Times - The SFB Podcast (5/20/2010).....

The Lakers took care of the Suns again last night and along with the first two games in the Celtics / Magic series seems to have the NBA pointing to another Laker-Celtic championship round. Taking a look at these two teams brings back memories of the great rivalry they had in the 1980s.

Over in the NHL playoffs, the Flyers and Blackhawks have taken 2-0 leads in each their series and seem to have control of each series. What will San Jose and Montreal need to do in order to make these competetive matchups?

Plus, the Hanley Ramirez situation is over, for now, but not before some Hall of Famers took him to task. Also, the NBA draft lottery, Brandon Marshall suprises the Dolphins by needing hip surgery, and Floyd Landis finally admits to taking enhancements when he won the Tour de France, but not before trying to take others down with him.

The SportsFan Buzz: May 20, 2010 (right click to "save as target)

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Voice over talent provided by Morgan Thomas.

The SportsFan Buzz Podcast (5/18/2010).....

The NBA & NHL Conference Finals are only one game old, but there was plenty of action in these first games. The Lakers and Celtics looked like they want to renew their rivalry, but the Suns and Magic will have something to say about it. Also, the Blackhawks and Sharks looks like a great series, while maybe the Flyers are "destined" after their comeback over the Bruins. Plus, trouble for the Florida Marlins and Seattle is a miserable sports city (so says a Forbes article). Enjoy.

The SportsFan Buzz: May 18, 2010 (right click to "save as target)

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Voice over talent provided by Morgan Thomas.

The SportsFan Buzz Podcast (5/16/2010).....

It is NHL & NBA Playoff time and once again the NHL is proving it has the best playoffs in all of sports. Mike joins me to discuss those playoffs, plus a Super Bowl in New York, but maybe not the NFL Draft. Also, we check out the baseball season after 6 weeks. Enjoy.

Mike on Twitter

The SportsFan Buzz: May 16, 2010 (right click to "save as target)

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Voice over talent provided by Morgan Thomas.

The SportsFan Buzz Podcast (5/13/2010).....

The NHL's version of "David" in these 2010 playoffs, the Montreal Canadiens, have beaten their second straight "Goliath" in the defending Stanley Cup Champions Pittsburgh Penguins, one round after beating the President's Trophy winner, Washington Capitals. Can "Le Habs" keep it going all the way to the Stanley Cups Finals? Also, LeBron's time in Cleveland and I defend Tiger Woods from a "quitter" accusation. Enjoy.

The SportsFan Buzz: May 13, 2010 (right click to "save as target)

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Voice over talent provided by Morgan Thomas.

The SportsFan Buzz Podcast (5/11/2010).....

After a little "head clearing" time away, I dive back in and cover the sports topics that headlined the past week. Among the stories is Dallas Braden's week, Tiger Woods' injury, and the NBA & NHL Playoffs. Enjoy.

The SportsFan Buzz: May 11, 2010 (right click to "save as target)

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Voice over talent provided by Morgan Thomas.

April Baseball - The SportsFan Buzz Podcast (4/30/2010).....

Paul Lebowitz joins me to discuss the first month of the 2010 Major League Baseball season. Among our points of discussion are the Braves, Dodger & Red Sox slow starts, while the Mets, Rays & Padres have gotten out of the game quickly, and the massive contract extension that Ryan Howard received. Enjoy.

Paul on Twitter.
Paul's website.

The SportsFan Buzz: April 30, 2010 (right click to "save as target)

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Voice over talent provided by Morgan Thomas.

Capital Offense.....

Kudos to me for going 4 for 4 in picking the NHL Western Conference Quarterfinals after the Red Wings defeated the Coyotes in Game 7 of their series Tuesday night. I see no reason to change my picks concerning the Western Semifinals, even though some others are joining the Detroit bandwagon, and think we are headed for a Chicago / San Jose conference final.

As for the Eastern Quarterfinals, let's just say my picks will not win any awards, but I'm not sure anyone saw these results coming as the top 3 seeds were knocked out in the first round. The three regular division winners are gone and the defending Stanley Cup Champion Pittsburgh Penguins are now in the position of home ice advantage for the next two rounds.

I picked Pittsburgh to come out of the east and I see no reason to change that pick and they will handle the upset minded Montreal Canadiens. As for the Boston / Philadelphia series, the most surprising stat to me coming into this matchup is that they have not faced each other in the playoffs since 1978. Both teams are playing like they were predicted to prior to the season starting, but I think the Bruins are a little better and have home ice, so I see Boston moving on to the conference finals.

But the real story so far of these playoffs is the collapse of the Washington Capitals against the eighth seeded Canadiens. Not only did the Presidents Trophy winner lose in the first round, but they became the first #1 seed to ever lose a first round matchup by squandering a three games to one lead in the series.

The hero for Montreal was goaltender Jaroslav Halak, but for as good as he was, the Capitals were just as bad. Some will point to their 1 for 33 performance on the power play in the series, but for me the change came after the first period in game 5 when the Capitals seemed to go from a team getting ready to advance, to one not looking to get upset.

Washington came into the fifth game after battering the Canadien goaltenders for 11 goals in the two games in Montreal, but after a first period where the Canadiens scored twice while the Capitals were stopped on all 15 shot attempts by Halak, they seemed to start getting nervous. Then after only one goal on their next 23 shots, the teams were going back to Canada and the Canadiens seemed to be given life.

Games six and seven were exhibitions of great goaltending by Halak and the squeezing of sticks by the Capitals. After each save, the Capitals seemed to grip their sticks tighter and tighter. When the dust had settled, Halak and Montreal were advancing and Washington was left to ask, "What went wrong?"

Most thought Washington had that burning to advance further in this year's playoffs after being ousted by the Penguins last year in a great series. Now, Sidney Crosby and the Penguins get the chance to not only defend The Cup, but in the process beat the team that upset the Capitals. Score another one for "Sid the Kid" over "Alexander the Great".

Lesson Learned.....

Last night, one "upstart" team had chance to take control of a playoff series, while another had the chance to win their series, but both played "veteran" teams with playoff experience. By the end of the night it was playoff experience or the "lack thereof" that was the key to both outcomes.

The games involved the Detroit Red Wings taking on the Phoenix Coyotes in Game 7 of their series, while out in Los Angeles, the Oklahoma City Thunder were facing the Lakers in Game 5 of their series which was tied at two games apiece. Both the Coyotes and Thunder were riding the momentum off their last games and both seemed ready to take full control their respective situations.

For me, I still thought the Red Wings could win their series, but I was having my doubts after they failed to put the Coyotes away on home ice in Game 6. As for the Thunder, I watched games two through four and thought they could be up 3 games to 1 on the Lakers, as Los Angeles just looked slow, beat up and old and ripe to be taken down by the "kids". Seemed like the Red Wings run up the standing during the season and the Lakers bumps and bruises were going to catch up to them. Both the Thunder and Coyotes must have certainly thought it was their time to take advantage of the situations. They and I were wrong, as the veterans showed what playoff experience and poise was all about.

I settled onto the couch for the 9pm drop of the puck from Phoenix, while 90 minutes later the Thunder and Lakers were to tip off. In the end, I really only needed about 20 minutes of viewing to see how both "teachers" showed the "students" that experience is power.

After a scoreless first period, Detroit scored 2 quick goals to start the second section, but the Coyotes came back with one of their own to bring the crowd back into the game. Then, "one day shy of his 40th birthday", Nicklas Lidstrom scored to put the Wings up 3-1, but the Coyotes kept fighting. Then with a little over 2 minutes left in the period, Brad Stuart took a penalty while Detroit was shorthanded to give the Coyotes over a minute of a 2 man advantage. Here was Phoenix's chance to possibly get back to even in the game going into the third period. Instead, a calm Red Wing team tightened up didn't allow a shot while down two men, and to add salt to the Coyote wound, Stuart gets out of the box, grabs the puck and scores before the period ends. Four to one Red Wings and it was time to say good night to Phoenix.

While in the middle of the hockey second period I had "paused" the Laker / Thunder game (got to love DirecTV's "DoublePlay" feature on their dvr) at tipoff, so I went over to it to watch from the start. After the last two games in Oklahoma City, I was ready to see if the Thunder could ride the wave from OC all the way to LA. Problem is that there is no water between the two for that ride. Less than 6 minutes into the game the Lakers were up by sixteen and it seemed like it was more. The Thunder couldn't make a shot and the fast break game that was the catalyst for tying the series was nonexistent. At the end of the third quarter it was a 28 point lead, and again it felt like it wasn't that close.

Just some subtle change in the Laker defense, Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum deciding to play like the big men they are, and the memory of the last two games in Oklahoma had vanished.

Two old, established, veteran (take your pick) teams, seemingly on the ropes with their opponents and many "experts" getting ready to write them off.

In "real time" the tip off of the Laker game and their taking command of the game and the Red Wings killing the 2 man deficit happened in about 20 minutes, but the lessons they taught the Thunder and Coyotes must have seemed to last as long as having detention after school.

The SportsFan Buzz Podcast (4/24/2010).....

The NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament has expanded and found some new TV channels for games to be seen on. Plus the "new" NFL draft has been a success for football fans and the NFL teams. Also a look at the NBA and NHL playoffs. Enjoy.

The SportsFan Buzz: April 24, 2010 (right click to "save as target)

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Voice over talent provided by Morgan Thomas

The SportsFan Buzz Podcast (4/22/2010).....

Busy time during this "off season" of the NFL as we are less than 24 hours away from the NFL draft, a day removed from the NFL releasing the 2010 schedule and Ben Roethlisberger is punished by the commissioner's office. Mike joins me to discuss those topics, a look at the first round of the NBA and NHL playoffs and what is going on in baseball's opening weeks. Enjoy.

Mike on Twitter

The SportsFan Buzz: April 22, 2010 (right click to "save as target)

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Voice over talent provided by Morgan Thomas

The SportsFan Buzz Podcast (4/18/2010).....

A little bit of "This & That" on the podcast for this lazy Sunday, including a look at the first few days of the NHL Playoffs and the impressions made so far by the different teams. Some golfers got a gift from Phil Mickelson after last weekend's Masters win, and there are some people who really, really love their college football. Enjoy.

The SportsFan Buzz: April 18, 2010 (right click to "save as target)

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Voice over talent provided by Morgan Thomas

NBA Playoff preview - The SportsFan Buzz Podcast (4/17/2010).....

A quick podcast preview of the NBA Playoffs. Enjoy.

The SportsFan Buzz: April 17, 2010 (right click to "save as target)