Today is a test for Tiger Woods. The former world #1 has a great chance to win his first tournament since 2010, leading the field by one stroke after 54 holes at Bay Hill. The Arnold Palmer Invitational is an event that has treated Woods well in the past, so I feel he must win today. It will be interesting to see whether or not he lets his mental game go awry.

If Woods is unable to hold his lead today at a course where he has had much success in the past, it’s a huge setback to his comeback campaign. He knows this course inside and out, so if he doesn’t perform, it’s surely all mental. If that’s the case, it may take Woods a bit longer to get himself back on track, which might mean a less-than-spectacular finish at the Masters.

Still, Tiger Woods is slowly returning to form. With a good finish today, Woods can begin to exude confidence, and possibly return to the player who’s made our jaws drop in years past.

nationalpostsports:

Yes, the Tim Tebow New York Jets jersey already exists, even though the deal isn’t quite done yet.

By the way - you can view my bracket here if you’re curious: http://games.espn.go.com/tournament-challenge-bracket/en/entry?entryID=111199

The long-anticipated day one of the 2012 NCAA Tournament didn’t disappoint one bit. We saw our fair share of upsets and close finishes. We did, however, go without a buzzer-beater, something that makes or breaks thousands of brackets in just one flick of the wrist.

Several favorites, like Wichita State and UNLV, lost their rhythm right in the middle of the game, and made comebacks right at the end of the game but failed to win. Others, such as Syracuse, averted disaster in the form of an embarrassing upset. Speaking of which, I’m still angry about the out-of-bounds call that went against UNC Asheville. The lane violation that was previously called was valid, but handing Syracuse the game was unforgivable. It seemed as if the referees didn’t want to see a 16-seed upset a 1. At the end of the day, however, I was happy with all the high seeds I picked to go far, happy with #RacerNation and Kansas State, and furious once again with Shaka Smart for handing me yet another incorrect selection.

All day I was on the edge of my couch, barking at the TV and confusing my mother, who was wondering why I cared so much, and why my plate still wasn’t in the sink. Ah, it’s truly March.

I hope you didn’t have your bracket busted today, I can proudly say all my Sweet 16 teams are still in the field. If it was, however, don’t sweat, because there is still a whole day to come tomorrow that’s sure to be full of thrillers and upsets.

What to Watch For:

#6 Cincinnati vs. #11 Texas - 12:15PM, CBS - Get your lazy self out of bed and watch this game. Texas is a bit under-seeded this year, but they face a Cincinnati team that knocked off Syracuse and Georgetown (1 and 3 seeds respectively in the tournament) en route to the Big East final. Watch the Cincinnati defense work against a freshman-heavy Longhorns squad lead by Junior J’Covan Brown. That’s a great name. Should be a good game.

#6 San Diego State vs. #11 NC State - 12:45, TruTV - Another great 6-11 game. This one features a NC State team that was one charge call away from potentially knocking off North Carolina in the ACC tournament. Many pick them to upset SDSU, but you can’t count out the Aztecs, who are ranked 26th in the nation and rebound well.

#7 Florida vs. #10 Virginia - 2:10, TNT - It seems as if half of the people I hear and talk to pick Florida, and half pick Virginia. Florida is well-tested and very strong, but Virginia boasts a strong record and plays in the always-competitive ACC. They both shoot 46% from the field, but Florida can light it up, scoring 76 points per game on average. Watch out for Kenny Boynton and Bradley Beal, they both shoot well from the outside for Florida.

#3 Georgetown vs. #14 Belmont - 3:15, TruTV - TruTV should get two great games, as I think this is an upset in the making. Belmont averages 81 points per game, and makes about 9 threes per game, so they have the offensive power to get by a big Hoyas team. They haven’t beaten anyone significant this year, but they are still itching for their first tournament win and it could come tomorrow. Remember, Georgetown has been making a habit of early exits recently.

#5 Temple vs. #12 South Florida - 9:50, TNT - In the second-to-last game of the day, USF’s firepower and Big East attitude will be countered by a strong team who can add beating Duke to their resume. It will be interesting to see if history repeats itself, and the victorious #12 seed in the first four is able to carry steam into the field of 64 and make a run.

Well, time to rest up for the games tomorrow. I’ll be back at the computer bright and early. Follow me on Twitter @KennyDucey for more thoughts on the tournament.

It’s all so vivid. Tyler Olander running off the bench screaming, Kemba Walker crying, and a school rejoicing over the biggest accomplishment in college basketball: winning the NCAA Tournament.

That was only 12 short months ago, and in that time the UConn Huskies have gone from on top of the basketball world to, well, dust in the wind. They capped off a disappointing 20-14 season by falling to the #8 seeded Iowa State Cyclones. What once looked like an exciting season has ended in the most painful way for Jim Calhoun’s squad, with a first-round (second-round technically) exit.

The Huskies were hyped at the beginning of the season, earning a top-5 ranking in Sports Illustrated’s preseason Top 25. Jeremy Lamb and Shabazz Napier were supposed to lead a team full of useful returning players to another impressive tournament performance. It looked that way from the start, too. A team that started 13-1 proceeded to leave their fans in despair just two months later.

From Jim Calhoun’s health issues to a roster of underachieving talent, the Huskies let themselves down, and now one is left to wonder what will be left of this basketball program. The Huskies will not be allowed into the 2013 NCAA Tournament due to academic issues, and this may prompt NBA prospects Andre Drummond and Jeremy Lamb to enter the draft. These issues, combined with a coach who’s health issues have become a trend may lead some high school players to commit to other schools.

Next year will be bad for the Huskies, sure, but what is to come for this school? Who knows how long Calhoun will be coaching this team for, and what the roster will look like in 2014. A few years of disappointment could start to lead to years more of it.

This is not to scare the UConn fan, but rather warn them that their program must work to rebound from this year and not let it take the program under. The loss they suffered tonight just adds to the pain, and it’s a huge missed opportunity for PR, as a win could have set up an intriguing Connecticut-Kentucky match-up. Picture the defending national champs against the 2012 favorites. It’s a game that, simply due to anticipation, may have pushed the Huskies to perform at the level they are capable of. Instead, Jim Calhoun will lead a team back on a plane to Storrs, CT, hanging their heads thinking what could have been.

It took almost three and a half hours, but after all was said and done, it was the Giants who came away with the Super Bowl victory, and the Patriots who were sent home wondering what went wrong.

My generation has been spoiled with so many great, close Super Bowls over the past few years, and this one was no different. We got the best of both worlds, Eli Manning leading his team down late and ultimately handing to Ahmad Bradshaw for the game-winning score, and we also got to see Tom Brady try to work his magic up until the closing seconds of the game. If the ball batted on the last play would have been just a foot higher, one has to wonder if Rob Gronkowski catches that ball in a desperation dive. I was truly impressed with the relentlessness shown by both sides.

I didn’t think ridiculous passing numbers were going to show up, and I was right for the most part. Neither QB broke the 300-yard barrier, however both were just shy of it. Manning finished the night with an impressive 30/40 completions while Brady was almost as good, completing 27 of 41. At one point, Brady had completed 20 of 23. At that moment, I was starting to anticipate Brady’s killer instinct to kick in. However, it never happened. Brady had about 10 minutes to drop a dagger on the Giants with another methodical drive leading to a score, as we’ve heard way too many times. But it was the Giants in the end with the killshot, leaving just 50 seconds on the clock for Brady to mount a comeback with one timeout. The Patriots had previously had the ball for over 5 minutes, but some good defense by the Giants forced the Pats to punt the ball away.

The Giants were, in fact, able to out-rush the Patriots last night by a 31-yard margin. Brandon Jacobs returned somewhat to his old form, and while he was pounding his way through the New England front 7, he was opening the Giants up for a few nice drives. When the Giants ran the ball well, which they did for the majority of the night, they were able to pass with ease. The Patriots gave up several short completions as part of their gameplan, but when the Giants had to keep them guessing, they were able to complete a few longer completions.

When it was all said and done, however, it was Eli Manning who ultimately won the Giants the football game. Him, and his supporting cast. With 3:46 remaining in the Super Bowl, and the Giants down by 2, Manning dropped back on his first play of the drive and unleashed a deep ball down the left sideline. Mario Manningham went on to make the play of the game, grabbing a perfectly-placed ball from Eli Manning with his fingertips, and hauling it in just before his feet left the ground. On the catch, Manningham said, “Good thing I wear 11 because if I wore 11 1⁄2 I don’t think I would’ve been in.” The 38-yard hookup sparked a 9-play, 88-yard drive which led the Giants to their second Super Bowl victory in 4 years.

With the win, Manning may have just earned himself a spot in the Hall of Fame, with two rings and two Super Bowl MVPs. Tom Coughlin’s legacy will now be that much greater, possibly landing himself a spot in Canton.

As for Tom Brady, he’s still one of the greats, but he’s not the great. A win last night would have meant potentially a better career record than Joe Montana. However, Brady will have to wait until his next Super Bowl, which I think will come for him, to become possibly the greatest QB of all time. One has to wonder if he would have scored if Wes Welker and Aaron Hernandez hadn’t dropped those balls. That’s all speculation, however, and people no longer have to speculate about the Giants. They know. They’re Super Bowl Champs.

justinferguson:

Simply amazing.

As the Super Bowl approaches, I’m becoming more and more excited to see the game. I’m riding on Metro-North with nothing but a smartphone, so I figured I’d share some Super Bowl thoughts with you before I induldge in copious amounts of food.

Everyone has been talking about this game being all about the quarterback, just as the entire season really has. While the two will be important, it will ultimately come down to who runs the ball better. The Giants and Pats are simply prepared to combat the precision passing of Tom Brady and Eli Manning. We’ve seen a once dreadful Patriots defense essentially carry them through the playoffs. In fact, Tom Brady had to admit he played a terrible game…and they won.

It will come down to not only how well each defense stops the quarterback, which both are prepared to do, but how much the “law firm”, Ahmad Bradshaw, and co. can wear down the front 7. Also watch the battle of the backups, as the Giants will try to drop the hammer with Jacobs while the Patriots will elect to use the lightning-quick Danny Woodhead in their pesky hurry-up offense.

These two coaches are exceptional, so don’t be surprised by anything. Expect lots of 4th-and-short conversion attempts, end-arounds, and the always useful QB sneak.

What’s my pick? It’s hard to say because I will be rooting very strongly against them, but I have the Patriots, 31-27. I think Tom Brady with a chip on his shoulder is a very scary thing, and he will do everything in his power not to let Eli and the G Men win again.

For some of my real-time reactions to the game and everything surrounding it, you can follow me on Twitter @KennyDucey.

Enjoy your wings and football!

mruocky:

I love how he’s a Mets fan. The jokes are always hilarous but have that all too familiar undertone of sadness haha.

Mind. Blown.

The Detroit Tigers made possibly the biggest splash of free agency this year by signing 1B Prince Fielder to a 9-year, $214 million deal yesterday. This comes more than a month after the Los Angeles Angels signed Albert Pujols, another slugging first baseman, to a 10-year deal, worth $26 million more. People have debated Pujols’ contract ever since, and now the question for the Tigers then becomes: Is Prince worth it?

Yes. There are many differences between Prince Fielder, Albert Pujols, and their respective contracts, but the biggest is their age. Fielder has 5 years on Pujols at 27. At the expiration of his new deal he’ll be 37, the same age Alex Rodriguez will be at the end of this year. As many Yankees fans know, this is near perfect timing for an aging star. Fielder will be confined exclusively to a DH role (where he will spend most of his time this year anyway), and will have experienced a decline in production. The big thing about Fielder is that he’ll always be a home run threat. Want proof? David Ortiz is 36 and has kept his job with the Red Sox simply because he provides the long ball. Fielder’s frame and massive uppercut will continue to produce home runs through his thirties. Unless of course, his vegetarian diet eventually brings him down to a slender size. He’ll have plenty of cash to spend on tofu.

This signing makes the Tigers better, but how much better? One would think Fielder’s addition to the DH slot after Victor Martinez went down with a season-ending injury would be a giant leap, but when examining both players’ WAR (Wins Above Replacement), the Tigers only gain 2.8 wins (2.9 vs. 5.7). Lots of analysts are underestimating how good the Tigers really would have been this year without Fielder. They have the most consistent player in baseball at first base in Miguel Cabrera, a rotation that features Justin Verlander along with a collection of talented arms, and an offensive-minded outfield. There’s no question this team would have been picked to make the ALCS by some.

The fact of the matter is the Tigers are no longer to be messed with. They proved last year that they had a strong rotation by defeating arguably the best lineup in the New York Yankees, and they’re not going anywhere. Fielder gives them two power threats in the heart of their lineup now with Fielder and Cabrera. Not to mention, Fielder can play the field. He’ll DH for most games, which he expects to do, but he’s still a serviceable fielder (no pun intended).

This signing will make the AL a complete slugfest this year. In the west, the Angels will be poised to claim the popularity of those in California, the Tigers will offensively outproduce every team in the AL Central, and the Yankees and Red Sox are both ready to enter a dogfight for the top spot in the East. I can deal with another year of Gonzalez vs. Teixeira.

This year’s season shouldn’t disappoint, but I am not anticipating another “Year of the Pitcher”, that’s for sure. Teams are loading up and ready to bring it offensively. And we get to watch the battle unfold in HD.