Sports Articles

2009-03-31 | Jim Murphy

Kevin Garnett has struggled to stay in the Boston Celtics lineup since he injured his right knee on February 19th against the Utah Jazz in Salt Lake City. The locker room leader of the defending NBA champs has missed 15 of the last 19 games—during which the Celtics have slipped to third place in the Eastern Conference. With the playoffs right around the corner the team has decided that ‘enough is enough’ and has indicated that Garnett will miss most—if not all—of the team’s remaining regular season games.

2009-03-31 | Jim Murphy

The Utah Jazz have won their past two games, but it’s the way they’ve won that is giving cause for concern. On Monday night, Utah blew a 24 point lead before another late game flurry allowed them to beat the New York Knicks 112-104 at the Energy Solutions Arena in Salt Lake City. This came after the Jazz blew a 21 point lead to the Phoenix Suns at home on Saturday night before winning in overtime.

2009-03-31 | Jim Murphy

The San Jose Sharks have been suffering with a spate of late season injuries, but despite their roster woes have managed to maintain their winning ways. They’ve won 5 of their last seven games, and have been able to open up a margin over Detroit for Western Conference supremacy as they continue to hold the best record in the NHL. On Tuesday night, the Sharks used solid defense and their usual stellar goaltending to earn a hard fought 2-1 road victory over the Calgary Flames.

2009-03-30 | Jim Murphy

It’s been a tumultuous year for the K-1 heavyweight championship, and that trend shows no sign of abating following the shocking ascension of Keijiro Maeda to the throne. Maeda stunned the live crowd at the Yokohama Arena by violently dispatching Melvin Manhoef in the semifinals and then outlasting Gokhan Saki to win a one night tournament to fill the vacant K-1 heavyweight title. Maeda became the first Japanese fighter to hold the K-1 heavyweight crown, but that’s the least improbable thing about his victory.

2009-03-30 | Jim Murphy

The Carolina Hurricanes spotted the host New Jersey Devils a 1-0 lead before mounting a furious third period comeback to steal the victory 2-1 at the Prudential Center on Saturday night. In a game characterized by solid goaltending on both ends of the ice it was Carolina’s Cam Ward getting the best of New Jersey Devils legend Martin Brodeur as the ‘canes won their sixth straight and seventh in 10 games. Carolina is now in 5th place in the NHL’s Eastern Conference with their sights firmly set on the fourth place Philadelphia Flyers just one point ahead.

2009-03-30 | Jim Murphy

It won’t make the Utah Jazz highlight reel for the 2008-2008 NBA season, what with the team blowing a 21 point lead and needing overtime to get past the Phoenix Suns at home. At this point in the year, however, all victories are important and the net result was a win: the Jazz scraped past the Suns 104-99 in overtime at the Energy Solutions Arena in Salt Lake City on Saturday night.

2009-03-26 | Jim Murphy

LeBron James posted a ‘double/double’ as all five Cleveland Cavalier starters scored in double figures to pace a workmanlike 98-87 home victory over the New Jersey Nets on Wednesday night. The Cavs have now won ten straight games overall, as well as ten straight at home as they improved their record at the Quicken Loans Arena to a NBA best 33-1. The Western Conference leading Los Angeles Lakers are the only team that has been able to beat Cleveland at home this season.

2009-03-26 | Jim Murphy

After a season plagued by inconsistent play, the Carolina Hurricanes are getting it together at the right time of the year. On Wednesday night they used a pair of third period goals to take control of a closely contested game with the Ottawa Senators en route to a 2-1 victory at the RBC Center in Raleigh, NC. The win was the ‘canes fifth straight and eighth in ten games, allowing them to pull within a single point of 4th place Philadelphia in the NHL Eastern Conference standings.

2009-03-26 | Jim Murphy

The Anaheim Ducks earned a little breathing room in the tight Western Conference playoff race on Wednesday night as they scored six unanswered goals before coasting home to a 7-2 rout of the host Colorado Avalanche. It was the Ducks’ fifth straight win and left them in 7th place in the conference, leading 8th place Edmonton by one point and 9th place Nashville and Minnesota by two points.

2009-03-25 | Jim Murphy

There’s an old axiom that suggests ‘winning on the road is never easy in the NBA’. The Los Angeles Lakers might beg to differ, however, as they led wire to wire at Oklahoma City en route to a 107-89 victory over the Thunder that wasn’t even as close as the lopsided final score suggests. With the victory the Lakers improved their NBA best road mark to 25-9 and kept pace with the Eastern Conference leading Cleveland Cavaliers in the battle for the league’s best record.

2009-03-25 | Jim Murphy

The Anaheim Ducks used tough defense and the solid goaltending of Jean-Sebastien Giguere to steal a 2-1 shutout win over the Nashville Predators on Tuesday night in the ‘Music City’. The Predators and Ducks are both tied for the 8th position in the NHL’s Western Conference with 78 points, but the tiebreakers give Anaheim a tenuous hold on the final postseason berth.

2009-03-25 | Jim Murphy

The Detroit Red Wings used some late game heroics from Marian Hossa and Valtteri Filppula to get past the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday night with a 3-2 win. The victory was the Wings fifth in six games and pulled Detroit one point ahead of idle San Jose for the league’s best record.

2009-03-24 | Jim Murphy

Since his return from injury, New Jersey goaltending legend Martin Brodeur has been receiving most of the media attention after Devils games. On Tuesday, Philadelphia goalie Martin Biron served a reminder that there’s plenty more goaltending talent in the NHL’s Eastern Conference. Biron stopped 32 of 34 New Jersey shots as the Flyers ended a three game winless streak against the Devils with a 4-2 home ice victory.

2009-03-24 | Jim Murphy

The Atlanta Hawks continued their solid play at home on Tuesday night, opening a big first half lead en route to a 109-97 triumph over the lowly Minnesota Timberwolves. It was the eighth straight win for the Hawks at Phillips Arena, raising their home record for the season to an impressive 28-7. The victory also allowed the Hawks to maintain their grip on 4th place in the NBA’s Eastern Conference with the Miami Heat still 4 ½ games behind.

2009-03-24 | Jim Murphy

The Calgary Flames opened with three straight goals to send Detroit goaltender Chris Osgood to the showers early, and then held on for a 5-3 victory over the Red Wings at the Pengrowth Saddledome. The victory allowed the Flames to solidify their grasp on the third place position in the NHL’s Western Conference while the Wings continued to lose ground in their battle with the San Jose Sharks for the top seed.

2009-03-23 | Jim Murphy

As improbable as it may have seemed a month or two ago when the Boston Bruins held a double digit lead over the rest of the conference and appeared to be on the verge of pulling away, the NHL Eastern race is getting very interesting. The Bruins have spent the last month struggling, while the New Jersey Devils have continued to play well after the return of legendary goaltender Martin Brodeur. On Friday night, Brodeur earned his 101st career shutout as New Jersey blanked the Minnesota Wild 4-0. The victory left the Devils a mere three points behind the first place Bruins, setting up an epic head to head between the two teams Sunday at the TD BankNorth Gardens in Boston.

2009-03-23 | Jim Murphy

The Detroit Red Wings scored four unanswered goals to open the game as they coasted to a 6-3 drubbing of the Atlanta Thrashers at Phillips Arena on Friday night. The victory was the Red Wings 7th in their last 10 games and at times look more like a scrimmage against an AHL club than a late season game in the NHL. The Wings currently lead the Western Conference with a slim one point lead over the San Jose Sharks.

2009-03-23 | Jim Murphy

When a team has struggled on the road as badly as the Utah Jazz has this season, they’ll take what they can get. While Friday’s 101-94 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder at the Ford Center won’t make any year end highlight packages, every victory is important for the Jazz down the stretch as they try to improve their position in the tightly bunched Western Conference playoff race. Even with the win, the Jazz are only 14-20 away from the Energy Solutions Arena in Salt Lake City this season which underscores the significance of any victory on the road.

2009-03-23 | Jim Murphy

Vitali Klitschko retained his WBC heavyweight title with a 9th round TKO victory over Juan Carlos Gomez in Stuttgart, Germany on Saturday. It wasn’t a particularly impressive performance by Klitschko despite earning knockdowns in the 7th and 9th rounds and he was clearly frustrated at times by the tactics and toughness of Gomez. Vitali’s younger brother Wladmir holds the IBF and WBO World Championships and is considered by most boxing cognoscenti to be the legitimate claimant to the title.

2009-03-23 | Jim Murphy

There may not be a more improved team in the NBA this year than the Atlanta Hawks. The perennial laughing stocks currently hold the #4 position in the Eastern Conference and have made their Phillips Arena home court a tough destination for visiting teams. On Saturday, however, the learned that they’ve got a ways to go before they can go into the home arena of the league’s best team and leave with a victory as the Cleveland Cavaliers opened up a big lead early before coasting to a 102-96 win. With the victory, Cleveland improved their home record to 32-1 and opened up a 4 game advantage in the Eastern Conference over second place Boston.

2009-03-23 | Jim Murphy

The Carolina Hurricanes have had an up and down season, but they’ve started to play well down the stretch. The ‘canes have won 7 of their last 9 games, and ran their home winning streak to 8 straight games as they Washington 4-1 at the RBC Center in Raleigh, NC on Saturday night. Cam Ward stopped 31 Washington shots to backstop the victory, earning the game’s “first star’ award in the process.

2009-03-23 | Jim Murphy

Bobby Lashley didn’t get much of a test in his MMA debut against Joshua Franklin last December. He started well, landing a series of punches only to have the bout stopped in under a minute due to a cut. He got the TKO victory, but not much in the way of experience. His second MMA bout on Saturday night against Jason Guida was a different matter as the tough veteran pushed Lashley to the distance. Ultimately, Lashley won a unanimous decision victory but Guida had provided him some valuable ring mileage that will benefit him as his career progresses.

2009-03-23 | Jim Murphy

Roy Jones, Jr. is nowhere near the fighter he once was and will no longer be relevant in the championship mix. He’s still capable of putting on a dazzling performance and for one night he was able to turn back the clock as he dismantled overmatched and made to order vet Omar Sheika before a rapturous home town crowd in Pensacola, Florida.

2009-03-23 | Jim Murphy

The Columbus Blue Jackets continued their solid run toward the playoffs on Saturday night against the Florida Panthers, but they had to pull the proverbial rabbit out of the hat to do it. After being stymied by Panthers’ goalie Tomas Vokun for 57 minutes, the Jackets’ Raffi Torres stunned the Florida fans by beating him twice in just over a minute to turn what looked like a 1-0 Florida victory into a 3-1 Columbus triumph. The win was the Jackets’ seventh in ten games as they moved within three points of Vancouver for 5th place in the NHL Western Conference.

2009-03-23 | Jim Murphy

On Saturday, Kyle Busch was livid after a screwup by his pit crew cost him a chance at victory in the Nationwide Series race at Bristol. On Sunday, however, he rebounded with a dominant performance on the Tennessee short track to win the Food City 500. Busch led 378 of the 503 laps but, ironically, needed an assist from his much maligned pit crew at the end due to a ‘green-white-checkered- finish.

2009-03-23 | Jim Murphy

The San Jose Sharks’ slump of earlier this month may very well be over. On Sunday, San Jose defeated Colorado 3-1 for their fifth victory in six games. The win also propelled them back into first place in the NHL Western Conference by one point over idle Detroit, giving them the best record in the league—at least for the time being.

2009-03-23 | Jim Murphy

It was ‘business as usual’ for the Cleveland Cavaliers on Sunday. LeBron James narrowly missed a ‘triple double’ as Cleveland ran their current winning streak to nine straight with a workmanlike 96-88 road victory over the New Jersey Nets. The Cavs now hold a 4 ½ game lead over Boston for the top spot in the NBA’s Eastern Conference.

2009-03-19 | Jim Murphy

Greg Oden returned from a month long absence due to a bone chip in his foot just in time to make his long delayed NBA debut in his home town of Indianapolis, and the Portland Trailblazers took care of the home town Indiana Pacers winning 95-85 on Wednesday night. Oden missed the entire 2007-2008 season after preseason microfracture knee surgery, and has struggled to stay healthy this season as well.

2009-03-19 | Jim Murphy

The Columbus Blue Jackets acquired Antoine Vermette from Ottawa right at the NHL trade deadline, and he’s quickly paid big dividends. He’s scored points in five of his first six games as a Blue Jacket and on Wednesday night his overtime goal proved the difference in the game as Columbus continued to enhance their postseason prospects with a 4-3 home ice victory over the Chicago Blackhawks. The Jackets are currently in 6th place in the NHL Western Conference four points ahead of 7th place Nashville and three points behind fifth place Vancouver.

2009-03-19 | Jim Murphy

If sources are correct, boxing’s former ‘pound for pound’ king Floyd Mayweather, Jr’s current ‘retirement’ will have officially lasted less than a year. Mayweather hasn’t fought since his December 2007 destruction of Ricky Hatton, but has reportedly told his advisors that they’re free to listen to offers for fights. Some suggestions indicate that Mayweather could be back inside a ring as soon as early July.

2009-03-18 | Jim Murphy

The New Jersey Devils opened up a quick 2-0 first period lead en route to a 3-2 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks at the Meadowlands Arena on Tuesday night. Martin Brodeur was the winning goaltender and broke Patrick Roy’s NHL record for all time regular season victories with 552. It also allowed the Devils to pull within 4 points of the Boston Bruins for the Eastern Conference lead.

2009-03-18 | Jim Murphy

The Cleveland Cavaliers managed to defeat the Orlando Magic on Tuesday night thanks to a furious fourth quarter comeback led by LeBron James and aided by a couple of questionable calls from the officials. LeBron scored five points in the final minute to ice the victory as the Cavs prevailed 97-93 and pulled ahead of the Boston Celtics by 4 ½ games atop the NBA’s Eastern Conference as they improved their NBA best home mark to 30-1.

2009-03-18 | Jim Murphy

It definitely won’t go down as the team’s best performance of the year, but the Utah Jazz will definitely take it. The Jazz returned home after a brutal end to an East Coast road trip that saw them lose three straight games and got back in the win column with a 103-88 victory over the hapless Washington Wizards. The win improved Utah’s home record to an impressive 29-6, which is quite a contrast to their dismal 13-20 mark away from the Energy Solutions Arena in Salt Lake City.

2009-03-17 | Jim Murphy

Despite an impressive 28-6 record at the Rose Garden Arena, the Portland Trailblazers have struggled on the road and entered Monday night’s game in Memphis having lost seven of their last eight away games. Of course the Memphis Grizzlies struggle everywhere and a trip to Memphis was just what the Blazers needed to pull out a much needed road victory. Behind the solid all around play of Brandon Roy and LaMarcus Aldridge, the Blazers opened up a 9 point lead after the first quarter and went on to defeat the hapless Grizzlies 103-92.

2009-03-17 | Jim Murphy

It hasn’t been a very good run for UFC hall of famer and MMA pioneer Ken Shamrock of late. In March of 2008 he lost his fifth straight fight to journeyman Robert Berry on a ‘Cage Rage’ card in England. In October 2008, he was supposed to fight Kimbo Slice on an EliteXC prime time TV event, but had to pull out due to a cut. He did manage to beat Ross Clifton—a fighter with a 6-9 career record-- on a low profile event in February and then signed to fight former WWE pro wrestling superstar Bobby Lashley on March 21. Unfortunately, his postfight drug test after the Clifton bout came back positive and he’s been suspended for a year by the California State Athletic Commission.

2009-03-17 | Jim Murphy

The last four playoff spots in the NHL’s Western Conference are completely up for grabs, with eight teams having a realistic shot at postseason play. The Nashville Predators took a big step toward grabbing one of those spots on Monday night as they beat the Los Angeles Kings 4-3 at the Staples Center. The victory was Nashville’s eighth in their last eleven games and moved the team into sole possession of 7th place in the wild West, one point ahead of 8th place Dallas and three points behind 6th place Columbus.

2009-03-16 | Jim Murphy

Martin Brodeur made NHL history as he tied Patrick Roy on the all time regular season win list for goaltenders, and the New Jersey Devils kept pace with the Eastern Conference leading Boston Bruins as they defeated the Montreal Canadiens 3-1 at the Bell Centre on Saturday night. Roy watched the game from a luxury suite as Montreal native Brodeur matched his mark of 551 regular season victories with a 22 save performance.

2009-03-16 | Jim Murphy

The pro wrestling world is mourning the death of former WWE champion Andrew ‘Test’ Martin, who was found dead in his Tampa, Florida apartment late Friday night. Neighbors called authorities after they observed Martin laying motionless by a window for a number of hours. Police responding to these calls broke into Martin’s apartment and pronounced him dead at the scene. He was 33 years old.

2009-03-16 | Jim Murphy

The San Jose Sharks welcomed their superstar goaltender Evgeni Nabokov back to the lineup following a seven game absence due to injury on Saturday night, and he responded with a solid performance to help his team to a 2-1 shootout victory over the Los Angeles Kings. The victory helped the Sharks keep pace with the Detroit Red Wings in the race for Western Conference supremacy, with San Jose currently a single point behind their rivals from the Motor City.

2009-03-16 | Jim Murphy

The ongoing soap opera between the Denver Broncos and their presumptive starting QB Jay Cutler went from bad to worse on Sunday. Following a meeting between Cutler, his agent and team officials the 4th year veteran out of Vanderbilt demanded a trade. His version of the meeting’s events and the team’s differ wildly, though their differences are appearing more and more ‘irreconcilable’.

2009-03-16 | Jim Murphy

The San Jose Sharks have had trouble scoring goals lately, but with goaltender Evgeni Nabokov back in the lineup that might not be a problem. San Jose only managed one goal against Anaheim Ducks netminder Jonas Hiller, but that was enough as Nabokov stopped all 34 shots he faced for his sixth shutout of the season and a 1-0 Sharks victory. In his two games back from a seven game absence due to injury Nabokov has only allowed one goal. More importantly, the Sharks have been able to keep pace with the Detroit Red Wings in the Western Conference despite their offensive woes and remain a single point behind the leaders.

2009-03-16 | Jim Murphy

With Kevin Garnett still out of the lineup due to injury, the Boston Celtics are learning the hard way that they can’t ‘phone in’ their performances no matter which team they’re playing. On Sunday a tenacious defensive effort from the Milwaukee Bucks stymied the defending NBA champs as Boston dropped their third game in four tries 86-77 at the Bradley Center. The victory allowed the Bucks to claw their way into 8th place as they held the Celtics to their lowest point output of the season.

2009-03-16 | Jim Murphy

With all of the focus in the NBA’s Eastern Conference squarely on Boston, Cleveland and Orlando the Atlanta Hawks have very quietly been putting together an exceptional season. They currently have a solid hold on 4th place in the conference, leading 5th place Miami by 2 ½ games. On Sunday they helped galvanize their position with a 98-80 home victory over the Portland Trailblazers. The victory raised the Hawks’ record at Phillips Arena to an impressive 25-7, and the team has won 5 straight and 7 of their last ten games.

2009-03-16 | Jim Murphy

The Detroit Red Wings were firing on all cylinders Sunday afternoon, building a quick 2-0 first period lead and coasting to a 4-0 shutout victory over the host Columbus Blue Jackets. Chris Osgood, who has struggled at various points this season, played a perfect game and got a big assist from his defensemen who limited the Jackets to only 23 shots on goal. With the victory the Red Wings became the first team in NHL history to top the 100 point mark for 9 consecutive seasons and allowed Detroit to maintain a narrow one point lead over the San Jose Sharks at the top of the Western Conference.

2009-03-16 | Jim Murphy

The Nashville Predators are in the midst of a furious postseason battle, currently tied for 8th place in the Western Conference with the Edmonton Oilers. Due to the tiebreaker, however, they’d be on the outside looking in if the season ended today. At this stage of the NHL season teams take their ‘breaks’ where they can get them, and Nashville received one courtesy of the schedule maker this weekend. With every point at a premium, the Predators took advantage of a tenacious defense and the solid goaltending of Pekka Rinne to take a 2-0 road victory from the hapless Phoenix Coyotes.

2009-03-13 | Jim Murphy

While Los Angeles Lakers coach Phil Jackson tried to downplay talk of a ‘statement game’ afterwards, it sure looked like one as his team beat the San Antonio Spurs on the road to officially clinch a playoff spot. They won on the home court of the Western Conference’s second place team and in the process regained the best record in the entire NBA by a slim half game margin over the Cleveland Cavaliers.

2009-03-13 | Jim Murphy

The movie script like scenario for New Jersey Devils’ goaltender Martin Brodeur has come to pass. He’ll get the opportunity to tie Patrick Roy’s NHL record for regular season victories with Roy’s #33 hanging in the rafters of the Bell Center in Montreal—which also happens to be Brodeur’s home town. The Devils and Brodeur took care of business of Thursday night at home, earning a 5-2 victory over the Phoenix Coyotes.

2009-03-13 | Jim Murphy

The Columbus Blue Jackets recovered from a blown three goal lead to upend the Pittsburgh Penguins 4-3 in a shootout at the Nationwide Arena on Thursday night. With the victory the Jackets are still on pace to make the NHL playoffs for the first time in franchise history, while the Penguins—last season’s Stanley Cup finalists—are still life and death to make the postseason themselves.

2009-03-12 | Jim Murphy

The Atlanta Hawks defeated the Utah Jazz at the Phillips Arena on Wednesday night 100-93 behind 31 points from Joe Johnson. In addition to solidifying their hold on the 4th place spot in the Eastern Conference, the Hawks ended the Jazz’s 12 game winning streak.

2009-03-12 | Jim Murphy

The Chicago Blackhawks didn’t lose a game they should have won on Wednesday night, though they sure came close. They did allow the Carolina Hurricanes to even up a one goal game with less than a half minute remaining. Although the Blackhawks would go on and prevail 3-2 in a shootout, they gave up a very important point to Carolina in the process. For the Hurricanes part, although they saw their 4 game winning streak come to an end they have to be pleased that they didn’t leave the ‘Windy City’ empty handed.

2009-03-12 | Jim Murphy

The Orlando Magic used a balanced effort from their entire lineup to defeat the Chicago Bulls 107-79 at the Amway Arena on Wednesday night. The Magic have won seven of their last ten games, and clinched a playoff spot with the victory. They also pulled within 1 ½ games of second place Boston and 3 ½ games of first place Cleveland in the battle for Eastern Conference supremacy.

2009-03-11 | Jim Murphy

The Utah Jazz can definitely deal with adversity. It hasn’t been an easy season for the Beehive State’s only professional sports team as they’ve battled through injuries and the death of long time owner Larry H. Miller. Despite the trials, they’ve played well all year and have shifted into another gear of late to become the NBA’s hottest team. On Tuesday night the Jazz won their 12th straight game as the pulled away from the Indiana Pacers in the fourth quarter en route to a 112-100 victory at the Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

2009-03-11 | Jim Murphy

The New Jersey Devils played well in the absence of goalie Martin Brodeur, and they’re playing even better now that he’s back between the pipes. Brodeur moved within two victories of tying Montreal Canadiens legend Patrick Roy’s all-time victory mark of 551 on Tuesday night as the Devils defeated the Calgary Flames 3-2 at the Meadowlands Arena. Combined with Boston’s loss to Columbus, the victory allowed Jersey to move within six points of the first place—though floundering—Boston Bruins for the NHL’s Eastern Conference lead.

2009-03-11 | Jim Murphy

Lost among the other big stories in the NHL this season has been the success of the long struggling Columbus Blue Jackets. The Jackets, now in their 8th NHL season, have had a very solid season behind goaltending phenom Steve Mason and are poised to make the playoffs for the first time in their history. In particular, they’ve made the Nationwide Arena a very tough place for visiting teams to play and now hold a 21-10-2 record on their rink after upending the slumping Boston Bruins 2-0 on Tuesday night.

2009-03-10 | Jim Murphy

The Montreal Canadiens have struggled through a disappointing year after a stellar start and are now life and death for a playoff spot as the NHL regular season grinds down. For the league’s most celebrated franchise who are celebrating their 100th season of competition that’s simply not acceptable. On Monday, head coach Guy Carbonneau took the fall for the Habs’ struggles as he was fired by GM Bob Gainey.

2009-03-10 | Jim Murphy

Following his team’s narrow victory over the lowly Minnesota Timberwolves this weekend, Brandon Roy admitted that the Portland Trailblazers might have had their focus elsewhere—on Monday night’s game against the Los Angeles Lakers at the Rose Garden Arena. The Blazers’ emphasis on the matchup with the Lakers definitely showed, as the team put on one of their best overall performances of the season as they rolled up a 60-38 halftime lead before coasting to a 111-94 victory.

2009-03-10 | Jim Murphy

The Carolina Hurricanes didn’t get a huge offensive outburst on Monday night, but they maintained their winning run thanks to the stellar goaltending of Cam Ward. Carolina defeated the New York Rangers 3-0 at Raleigh’s RBC Center for their fourth straight win and eighth victory in ten games.

2009-03-09 | Jim Murphy

It’s been a rough year so far from Alex Rodriguez, who has had to endure the flap of his admission of performance enhancing drug use a few years back as well as a torn labrum. Initially, ‘A-Rod’ had planned to play with the pain but on Sunday announced that he had opted for surgery. He’ll go under the knife on Monday and will need six to nine weeks to recover.

2009-03-09 | Jim Murphy

Call it NASCAR’s version of ‘sibling rivalry’. A week after Kyle Busch won the NASCAR race in Las Vegas, his older brother Kurt Busch took the checkered flag at the Kobalt Tools 500 held at the Atlanta Motor Speedway on Sunday. The Busch brothers have now won back-to-back races four times during their career, the most in NASCAR history.

2009-03-09 | Jim Murphy

It was what sports handicappers call ‘a tough scheduling spot’, but the Utah Jazz persevered for a 109-101 road victory over the Toronto Raptors on Sunday afternoon. Utah lost two hours due to the time zone change, another hour due to the Daylight Savings time switch, and faced an early 12:30 PM start time. Despite the less than favorable logistics, the team managed to win their 11th straight game equaling their longest winning streak since 1999.

2009-03-09 | Jim Murphy

Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson continued on the comeback trail Saturday night with a unanimous decision victory over Keith Jardine in a spirited main event at UFC 96 in Columbus, Ohio. With the victory, Jackson earned a shot at regaining his light heavyweight title from current champion ‘Sugar’ Rashad Evans. The two are tentatively scheduled to meet in the main event of UFC 98 in Las Vegas. That event was to feature the UFC heavyweight title unification bout between Brock Lesnar and Frank Mir, however Mir was forced to pull out of the fight due to a knee injury.

2009-03-09 | Jim Murphy

It was only a matter of time before an NFL team was desperate enough to amp up their offense that they’d take a chance on brutally talented but slightly crazy wide receiver Terrell Owens. Enter the Buffalo Bills, who acquired Drew Bledsoe last week and have now signed ‘T.O.’ to give him someone to throw to. On Saturday, Buffalo announced that they’d signed Owens to a one year, $6.5 million contract just two days after being cut loose by the Dallas Cowboys.

2009-03-09 | Jim Murphy

The Carolina Hurricanes are finally starting to play up to their potential, and have been in solid form as they make a push for a playoff spot in the wide open NHL Eastern Conference. They certainly can’t complain about their offensive output. On Saturday, the ‘canes destroyed the host Tampa Bay Lightning 9-3 in a game that wasn’t even as close as the lopsided score indicates. Carolina was paced by Erik Staal, who tied franchise records with four goals and six total points in the rout.

2009-03-09 | Jim Murphy

The Vancouver Canucks scored two quick first period goals and took advantage of the solid goaltending of Roberto Luongo to earn a 3-1 victory over the San Jose Sharks at the General Motors Place in British Columbia on Saturday night. The win continued their excellent run which has propelled the Canucks into the middle of the pack among playoff teams in the NHL’s Western Conference.

2009-03-09 | Jim Murphy

The biggest MMA fight on the immediate horizon is the UFC 98 heavyweight title unification bout between ‘Interim champ’ Frank Mir and ‘UFC heavyweight champ’ Brock Lesnar. The matchup was scheduled for May 23rd in Las Vegas, but will have to be postponed due to a minor knee injury suffered by Mir. The fight will now take place at UFC 100 on July 11th in Las Vegas.

2009-03-09 | Jim Murphy

The Portland Trailblazers defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves for the eighth straight time at the Rose Garden Arena on Saturday night, but it wasn’t easy. Despite owning the NBA’s third worst record and having lost nine straight and 17 of 19, Minnesota stayed close to the Blazers throughout before Portland eventually prevailed 95-93. The Twolves had a shot to win the game at the end, but Randy Foye’s open three point chance went awry to preserve the victory for the home team.

2009-03-06 | Jim Murphy

Coach George Karl wanted to make a statement when he suspended Carmelo Anthony for a game after he refused to come out for a substitute. In his first game back, Anthony made a statement of his own as he scored 38 points as the Denver Nuggets routed the visiting Portland Trailblazers 106-90 at the Pepsi Center on Thursday night.

2009-03-06 | Jim Murphy

It is often said that certain teams ‘peak at the right time of the season’. The Boston Bruins are doing just the opposite. On Thursday night it was one of the NHL Western Conference ‘cellar dwellers’, the Phoenix Coyotes, who handed Boston their latest setback with a 2-1 decision at the TD BankNorth Garden. The loss was the Bruins’ 9th in their last 12 games.

2009-03-06 | Jim Murphy

The Calgary Flames acquired Olli Jokinen from the Los Angeles Kings at the NHL trade deadline to help bolster their offense. He paid immediate dividends in his first game with his new team, scoring two goals to help the Flames defeat the Philadelphia Flyers 5-1 at the Wachovia Center on Thursday night. The Flames are 9-1-2 in their last 12 games and with the victory increased their lead in the Northwest Division to a full 10 points over second place Vancouver.

2009-03-05 | Jim Murphy

Terrell Owens is done in Dallas. The Dallas Cowboys released ‘T.O.’ on Wednesday afternoon, as much to improve locker room chemistry as anything else. With Owens gone, Roy Williams will become the team’s primary wide receiver. Williams was acquired from the woeful Detroit Lions midway through the 2008 season and Dallas quickly re-signed him after the season.

2009-03-05 | Jim Murphy

Goaltender Ty Conklin recovered from a horrible performance in his last start and with his team playing solid defense in front of him the Detroit Red Wings eked out a 3-2 road victory at Colorado to take over sole possession of first place in the Western Conference. The Wings now lead the San Jose Sharks by a single point and also own the best record in the entire NHL by a single point over both San Jose and the Eastern Conference leading Boston Bruins.

2009-03-05 | Jim Murphy

Carlos Boozer played his best game since returning to the lineup from his latest injury, and Deron Williams posted another ‘double/double’ to boost the Utah Jazz to a 101-94 victory over the Houston Rockets at the Energy Solutions Arena in Salt Lake City on Wednesday night. Utah has now won 9 straight games and 12 of their last 13.

2009-03-04 | Jim Murphy

The United States Coast Guard called off a search for a 21 foot fishing boat that had capsized in rough water several days earlier off the Florida Coast. On board were four passengers, including two NFL players. Oakland Raiders linebacker Marquis Cooper, who owned the boat, and former Detroit Lions offensive lineman Corey Smith along with a former University of South Florida football player, William Bleakley, are all missing and now presumed dead.

2009-03-04 | Jim Murphy

Last summer Jason Taylor wanted to spend his off-season ‘Dancing With the Stars’. This season, he just wants to stay at home with the family. For that reason he refused to accept a workout provision from the Washington Redskins which prompted the NFL team to release the six time Pro Bowl defensive end.

2009-03-04 | Jim Murphy

For the first time in his four games back from a lengthy injury layoff, Martin Brodeur had to work hard for a victory. Thanks to Johnny Oduya’s OT goal, Brodeur is still undefeated since returning to the lineup as his New Jersey Devils beat the host Toronto Maple Leafs 3-2 on Tuesday night. The Devils victory, coupled with a Boston Bruins loss to the Philadelphia Flyers gave New Jersey sole possession of second place in the NHL’s Eastern Conference and pulled them within six points the first place Bruins.

2009-03-02 | Jim Murphy

Stephon Marbury has finally been given a new lease on his life as a professional basketball player. Shortly after clearing waivers on Friday afternoon, the New York Knicks castoff signed with the World Champion Boston Celtics and is expected to play a backup role behind starting pointguard Rajon Rondo. Marbury signed for $1.2 million which is not prorated, meaning he’ll earn in excess of $52,000 for each of the team’s remaining 23 regular season games.

2009-03-02 | Jim Murphy

Red Wings top Kings behind goaltender Osgood

2009-03-02 | Jim Murphy

One of the more amazing stories of the 2008 NFL season was the professional rebirth of Tennessee Titans QB Kerry Collins. Collins was the beneficiary when phenom Vince Young struggled with some mental issues and became the Titans starter. Collins was under center as the team posted a NFL best 13-3 record. On Friday, the Titans rewarded Collins by signing the veteran signal caller to a two year, $13 million contract.

2009-03-02 | Jim Murphy

The New England Patriots are apparently confident that Tom Brady’s knee will be fully recovered by the time the NFL regular season starts. It better be, since on Saturday they traded 2008 starter Matt Cassel to the Kansas City Chiefs.

2009-03-02 | Jim Murphy

The Washington Capitals used an Alexander Semin goal on an 80 foot slap shot right after the start of overtime to defeat the Boston Bruins 3-2 at the TD BankNorth Garden on Saturday. It was the Caps third victory in four games against Boston this season and cut the Bruins advantage in the NHL Eastern Conference to eight points.

2009-03-02 | Jim Murphy

There was no shutout in Martin Brodeur’s second game back from injury, but with the way his New Jersey Devils teammates played in front of him it wasn’t necessary. Brodeur racked up his 546th regular season victory as the New Jersey Devils exploded for a 5-0 lead against Florida before coasting to a 7-2 win.

2009-03-02 | Jim Murphy

After winning the first two races of the NASCAR Sprint Cup season, Matt Kenseth rolled ‘snake eyes’ on Sunday at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The big winner was local boy Kyle Busch, who took the checkered flag in the Shelby 427 race. Kenseth, meanwhile, blew his engine six laps into the race finishing dead last.

2009-03-02 | Jim Murphy

If the New Jersey Devils knew that Martin Brodeur would have come back from his elbow injury in this kind of form they would have let him take half the season off a long time ago. On Sunday afternoon, Brodeur earned his 2nd shutout in three games as the New Jersey Devils defeated the Philadelphia Flyers 3-0 at the Meadowlands Arena.

2009-03-02 | Jim Murphy

Despite Mike Brown’s impressive TKO win over Urijah Faber last November to become WEC featherweight champion, there were still plenty of skeptics heading into his Sunday night title defense against highly touted Leonard Garcia. Some suggested that it was more a case of Faber losing the title instead of Brown winning it, and that it was only a matter of time until ‘The California Kid’ regained the belt. Following Brown’s wire to wire destruction of Garcia, however, they naysayers are being forced to reassess their position.