Derek Jeter: The Owner

When people hear the name Derek Jeter, they think of Jeter as a hall of fame player. What Jeter could do on the diamond made the stuff of a legend. He could hit, throw, field, run, basically Jeter could do everything on the Diamond. He could do it all well, which is what is going to help get his proper place in the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown. There's no denying the fact that Derek Jeter knows baseball. But the question is, does he know the game well enough to make it as an owner? That's the big question for Jeter as he is part of the new ownership group of the Miami Marlins.

A group headlined by Derek Jeter and former Florida Governor Jeb Bush have reached an agreement in principle to buy the team from Jeffrey Loria, according to a source with knowledge of the situation. The deal is supposedly worth about $1.3 billion. The deal is pending approval from Major League Baseball and finalization of other details, which could take months to complete.

Should things stay pat, Jeter joins a long list of ex-athletes who have become owners of teams. Some of the biggest names that have taken ownership of teams after their playing careers ended includes Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson and Wayne Gretzky, just to name a few. As far as this situation goes, Jeter will be a minority owner in the team, while the majority of the ownership is going to be handled by Jeb Bush, Here are some of the details, according to reports:

Bush plans to be the Marlins' "control person," the individual who would have ultimate control over franchise decisions, according to the source. Jeter, the former All-Star player who lives in Tampa, plans to play an active role in the franchise. Bush's group includes at least five investors, and the identity of those investors and their connections to South Florida are unknown. All of Bush and Jeter's partners would need to be vetted and approved by Major League Baseball.

From the vibe I'm getting from some of the reports I've read and listened to, I think the role Jeter is going to play in ownership is that more of the face of the ownership rather then a decision maker. He's a lot more like what Magic Johnson is doing with the Dodgers, in that he's more there for a recognizable face and adding star power rather then really running the team. There's no denying that Jeter knows a lot more about baseball then Magic does, and Jeter did express an interest in owning a team before the end of his playing days.

Derek can also possibly add a lot of playing knowledge to the owners box as well. So whatever baseball insight Jeter has that can be put to good use should be taken full advantage of if your the Marlins, Bush will be the one calling the shots, but Jeter will be the face of the ownership group and will, I'm sure, be providing some tips on how to put a winning team on the field.

Stanley Cup Second Round Preview

Round one has gone in the books of the 2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs, and what an opening round it was. Out of the 42 games that were played in the opening round, 18 of them went into overtime, the most in the opening round in league history. It was also the first time since 2001 that no first round series went the full seven games. There were some upsets coming out of the first round as well. Chicago and San Jose were bounced in the opening round, Minnesota was bounced in five, and the Flames got extinguished in a sweep. As far as the East goes, Toronto, Boston, Montreal and Columbus all got sent packing. The Jackets went out in five, while the other three bowed out in six.

So now here we sit with eight teams left standing. Lets get into the 2nd round preview.

First up, its the President's Trophy winners the Washington Capitals taking on the 2nd seed in the Metrooolitan Division, the Pittsburgh Penguins. Washington got here by knocking off the Toronto Maple Leafs in six games. For the 3rd straight year and 5th time in the last six playoff appearances, the Capitals are playing in the 2nd round. The Caps are looking to get to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 1998. With the win in the opening round, the Capitals have now won 113 playoff games in franchise history. As for the Penguins, they took care of business in the opening round by beating the Columbus Blue Jackets in five games. For the forth time in the last five years, and 2nd year in a row, the Pens are back in the 2nd round. Pittsburgh is looking to get back to the Eastern Conference Finals for the 2nd year in a row. The Pens have now won 188 playoff games in franchise history. This is the tenth playoff meeting between these teams and the second consecutive in the second round. Pittsburgh has won eight of the nine previous series including last year's confrontation which ended in six games. These teams split their four-game regular season series.

Here's the dates and times for every game in this series:
April 27 Pittsburgh Penguins 7:30 p.m. Washington Capitals Verizon Center
April 29 Pittsburgh Penguins 8:00 p.m. Washington Capitals Verizon Center
May 1 Washington Capitals 7:30 p.m. Pittsburgh Penguins PPG Paints Arena
May 3 Washington Capitals 7:30 p.m. Pittsburgh Penguins PPG Paints Arena
May 6 Pittsburgh Penguins TBD Washington Capitals Verizon Center
May 8 Washington Capitals TBD Pittsburgh Penguins PPG Paints Arena
May 10 Pittsburgh Penguins TBD Washington Capitals Verizon Center

Seems like these two teams always face each other in the playoffs. Look at last year, the Pens took out Washington in the 2nd round on the way to the title anyway. What's amazing is that the Penguins are standing here now without Matt Murray in net or without Kris Letang on the blue line, who's done for the year with a neck injury. As far as the goaltending goes, Marc-Andre Fleury took the starting job right back when Murray went down and showed people flashes of his old self in the opening round against the Jackets. It was almost a reversal of what happened last year, when Murray replaced Fleury and never looked back. Fleury did well in the opening round, finishing the series with a 2.52 goals-against average and .933 save percentage. With no indication that Murray is close to returning, the Penguins net still belongs to Fleury. The Penguins are trying to fill in for Letang by committee with the ice time spread fairly evenly among Justin Schultz (21:16 per game), Olli Maatta (20:57), Trevor Daley (20:22), Ian Cole (19:56), Ron Hainsey (19:44) and Brian Dumoulin (19:44). That could possibly be a difference maker in this series with Washington. Malkin and Crosby were average in the opening round, but the HBK line, Jake Guentzel and Bryan Rust all stepped up in this series, showing why the Pens are the defending champs, because of their depth. Speed will also be key for the Pens again in this series.

Washington had a little trouble with that against the Leafs in the opening round as well, something that they are going to have to be aware of bigtime in this series. But the difference between the jackets and Caps is, the Caps have a little more firepower in their lineup then the Jackets do. Not only that but the Caps need to try and keep the pressure up on the Penguins. If they can sustain pressure, then they have a chance in the series. That's the best way to take advantage of the Penguins' deficiencies on defense without Letang. The Capitals need to work the Penguins physically in their end and pressure them into turnovers that lead to scoring chances, which eventually paid off against the Maple Leafs. The Blue Jackets did a decent job of this against the Penguins in the first round, but had trouble finishing. The Capitals have more skill to take advantage of those chances. Washington also had 11 forwards score at least 10 goals in the regular season, but were top-heavy again against the Maple Leafs, other than a surprising three goals from Tom Wilson. And they're going to need Braden Holtby to come up big again and even possibly outplay Fleury in this series if the Caps want to break the streak of second round exits.

Prediction:
Solly: Capitals in 7
Steve: Penguins in 6

Next up, its the Wild Card winning New York Rangers taking on the Atlantic Division's 2nd seed the Ottawa Senators. This marks the fifth time in the last seven years the Rangers have made it to the second round. They got here after dispatching the Montreal Canadiens in the opening round in six games Should the Rangers pull this series out, it will mark the 3rd time in the last four seasons that they will reach the conference finals. New York has won 231 playoff games in the history of the franchise. They are taking on the Ottawa Senators, who got here thanks to a six game victory in the opening round over the Boston Bruins. This marks the sixth time ever that the Senators have made it past the first round and just the second time in their last six trips to the playoffs they've gotten out of round one. Should Ottawa win, this will mark the 3rd time ever that they reach the conference finals. Ottawa has won 69 playoff games in franchise history. This is the second playoff meeting between these two teams; their only previous series was in the 2012 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals, which New York won in seven games. Ottawa won two of the three games in this year's regular season series. It's also worth noting that this is the second time under the current playoff format and the second year in a row in which a wild-card team has more points than its opponent during the regular season but does not have home ice advantage; the other time was the Tampa Bay Lightning and the New York Islanders in last year's Eastern Conference Second Round.

Here's the date and times for every game in this series:
April 27 New York Rangers 7:00 p.m. Ottawa Senators Canadian Tire Centre
April 29 New York Rangers 3:00 p.m. Ottawa Senators Canadian Tire Centre
May 2 Ottawa Senators 7:00 p.m. New York Rangers Madison Square Garden
May 4 Ottawa Senators 7:30 p.m. New York Rangers Madison Square Garden
May 6 New York Rangers TBD Ottawa Senators Canadian Tire Centre
May 9 Ottawa Senators TBD New York Rangers Madison Square Garden
May 11 New York Rangers TBD Ottawa Senators Canadian Tire Centre

So now we get the Rangers having to keep their passports in order, having to travel to Ottawa in the 2nd round. Now this offseason trade looks large as Mika Zibanejad and Derick Brassard, who were traded for eachother on July 18, are getting to face their former clubs when its all on the line. Ironically enough, each guy is leading their teams in scoring this year in the opening rounds of the playoffs. And the Rangers seems to have things rolling right now in a couple of regards, One is the powerplay, which had gone 0 for 14 for the first five games in the Montreal series, finally connected on their only chance in game six. Not only that, but the boys from Broadway are starting to really be able to roll all four lines, which is what worked in the first round series. And each of the four lines that the Rangers can roll each feature a 20-goal scorer, that coming in the form of Chris Kreider, Rick Nash, J.T. Miller and Michael Grabner. They have the speed, they have the balance. Oh yeah, they still have Hank in net. Lundqvist is in the midst of his best stretch of the season after an inconsistent regular season. He led Eastern Conference goalies in goals-against average (1.70) and save percentage (.947) in the first round, and his 195 saves were second to Braden Holtby of Washington .

But lets be fair here, Craig Anderson is no pushover. He's not putting up Hank like numbers in the playoffs but Anderson has put up a 1.94 GAA and .921 save percentage, which are solid numbers for the post season. He also is an emotional leader for the Senators. Another big thing for the Senators in this series is going to be the blueline, in particular Erik Karlsson. He's a finalist for the Norris this year and the Senators go where he goes really. What makes the Sens success so far in the playoffs so impressive is that Karlsson has been playing in the playoffs with two hairline fractures in his left heel. Senators coach Guy Boucher relies heavily on his top two defense pairs of Karlsson and Marc Methot, along with Dion Phaneuf and Cody Ceci. With the Rangers rolling four lines, that could prove to be very tough for Ottawa and their top pairs to have to deal with all four lines. At the same time, the Rangers don't have a true top line like some of the other teams in the playoffs still have, they just have four good lines.

Predictions:
Solly: Rangers in 6
Steve: Senators in 5

Moving on to the Western Conference, we have the Central Divisions second seeded St Louis Blues taking on the second Wild Card Nashville Predators. St Louis got here by beating the Minnesota Wild in five games in the opening round of the post season. This marks the 2nd year in a row and third time in the last six post seasons that the Blues are going into the second round. They're looking to get back into the conference finals for the second year in a row. The Blues have now won 162 playoff games in the history of the franchise. As for the Predators, they are coming off a sweep of the Chicago Blackhawks in the opening round. This marks the 2nd straight year and the fourth time in the history of the franchise that the Predators have reached the 2nd round. Nashville has never gotten past this round before. The Predators have won 32 playoff games in their history. This is the first playoff meeting between these teams. Nashville won three of the five games in this year's regular season series.

Here's the date and times for every game in this series:
April 26 Nashville Predators 8:00 p.m. St. Louis Blues Scottrade Center
April 28 Nashville Predators 8:00 p.m. St. Louis Blues Scottrade Center
April 30 St. Louis Blues 3:00 p.m. Nashville Predators Bridgestone Arena
May 2 St. Louis Blues 9:30 p.m. Nashville Predators Bridgestone Arena
May 5 Nashville Predators TBD St. Louis Blues Scottrade Center
May 7 St. Louis Blues TBD Nashville Predators Bridgestone Arena
May 9 Nashville Predators TBD St. Louis Blues Scottrade Center

Nashville has a lot going on its side heading into this series. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, they are the third team in NHL history to sweep a first-round series against the team that had the best record in their conference during the regular season. The 1981 Edmonton Oilers, against the Montreal Canadiens in a best-of-5 preliminary round, and the 1993 Blues, against the Blackhawks in the Norris Division Semifinals, are the others. Both the Blues and Preds goalies were good, but Pekka Rinne was the best netminder in the first round. He let in just three goals total in the series, finishing the round with a 0.76 GAA, which is an insane number. Nashville caused the Hawks to turn the puck over a lot in that series, which was a big reason they came away with the series victory. Nashville is balanced, and they can beat you in multiple ways. Nashville loves to roll four lines and has faith in each of them. That ability makes Nashville a tough team to try to match lines against. The top line sees more minutes than any of the other three, but those lines each average 14-17 minutes in most games.

St Louis, too, relied on their goalie in the opening round. Jake Allen played pretty well in the win over the Wild. He had a 1.47 Goals against and a .956 save percentage.So yeah, he was pretty good. The offense in St Louis too, was just as much of a factor. They scored 11 goals in the five-game series, but three were by defensemen, and one of the eight goals from the forwards was into an empty net. Six of the Blues' 14 forwards have scored so far this postseason. Talk about being a balanced team in terms of the scoring department, that's what you got with the Blues. St Louis is going to be better on the man advantage, they only scored once on fifteen tries against Minnesota in round one, and scored just once in fourteen tries against the Preds during their regular season meetings. To win this series, the Blues need to be patient. They have to try and work around the defensive scheme from the Preds in order to try and advance.

Prediction:
Solly: Predators in 5
Steve: Predators in 5

Last, its the battle of the top two teams in the Pacific Division as the Edmonton Oilers travel to California to take on the Anaheim Ducks. Anaheim got here by sweeping the Calgary Flames in the opening round. This marks the 3rd time in the last five years that the Ducks have gotten out of the opening round of the post season. Anaheim has made it to the Western Conference finals four times in team history, they're looking for trip number five this year. In the history of the franchise, Anaheim now has 83 career post season victories. As far as the Oilers go, they got here by beating the San Jose Sharks in six games in the opening round. Last time the Oilers made the playoffs, in 2006, they went all the way to the Cup finals, so this is nothing new for Edmonton when they're in the playoffs. Edmonton has now won 156 career playoff games in the history of the franchise. This is the second playoff meeting between these teams; their only previous series was in the 2006 Western Conference Finals, which Edmonton won in five games. Edmonton won three of the five games in this year's regular season series.

Here's the dates and times for every game in this series:
April 26 Edmonton Oilers 10:30 p.m. Anaheim Ducks Honda Center
April 28 Edmonton Oilers 10:30 p.m. Anaheim Ducks Honda Center
April 30 Anaheim Ducks 7:00 p.m. Edmonton Oilers Rogers Place
May 3 Anaheim Ducks 10:00 p.m. Edmonton Oilers Rogers Place
May 5 Edmonton Oilers TBD Anaheim Ducks Honda Center
May 7 Anaheim Ducks TBD Edmonton Oilers Rogers Place
May 10 Edmonton Oilers TBD Anaheim Ducks Honda Center

The young guns in Edmonton lead the way in the opening round against the Sharks, and they are expected to do it again in this round. Conor McDavid lead the way against the Sharks. He had four points in the series and was held in check, to a degree in the series. Talent always finds a way to shine through, and McDavid is one of those generational players who can break a game whenever he wants, he's got that kind of talent. He's not the only game braeker that the Oilers have, there is Cam Talbot. Talbot, who set an Oilers record with 42 victories in the regular season, had a 2.03 goals-against average, a .927 save percentage and two shutouts against the Sharks. He has plenty of help in front of him. Defenseman Kris Russell had a series-high 27 blocked shots, including five in Game 6, after leading the League during the regular season (213). Somebody to keep an eye on for the Oilers in this series is going to be Leon Draisaitl, who seems to love playing against the Ducks. He had eight points (six goals, two assists) in five games, including two goals in overtime.

As good as Cam Talbot has been for Edmonton, you have John Gibson doing the exact same thing for the Ducks. Gibson started all four games in the series against the Flames, he did need some help from backup Jonathan Bernier in Game 3, when he was pulled after allowing four goals on 16 shots, but responded with a strong bounce-back performance in Game 4 by making 36 saves. He went 25-16-9 with a 2.22 GAA, .924 save percentage and six shutouts, which ranked sixth in the League, in the regular season. He was good during the year and again against the Flames in the opening round. Anaheim is a little banged up on the blue line still, not having Cam Fowler available during the opening round, but he is expected to return to the lineup against Edmonton, which will make things tougher on the young Oilers team.  Then there's the Ryan Getzlaf factor, as he dominated the Flames in the opener. His five points lead the way and he will be counted on as much as McDavid to lead the Ducks.

Prediction:
Solly: Ducks in 6
Steve: Ducks in 6

NFL Schedule Announced

Ah yes that time of the year has come around. Five months away from the return of Football season. The National Football League has announced their schedule for the league for the 2017 season. Whether it be for planning trips to see some games, organizing your schedule for prime-time games, seeing when your favorite team has a bye week or waiting for that game toward the end of the season that could make or break a certain team's season, this is the kind of fun and drama we want as fans of the sport. Wee will break down the local schedules, no doubt. First things first. Here's just some other games that are on the schedule that are going to be fun to watch.

Week Two:
Green Bay Packers @ Atlanta Falcons
Its a rematch of last years NFC title game, except this time the field has changed. Its not in Atlanta, the scene shifts to Green Bay. Neither team has changed a lot since last year, so it is almost like an exact rematch between the two clubs. And if the meeting in the playoffs was any indication, this one could be yet another high scoring affair.

Week Six:
Cleveland Browns @ Houston Texans
Weird to see the Browns on a game to watch list right? Don't worry, there is a reason this game is on this list. Both teams are going to suck but look at the QB matchup. Brock Osweiler versus Tom Savage doesn't get anyone excited on the surface of it, but when you consider the fact that the Texans gave up a second-round draft pick just to get Osweiler out of the building, this game will be incredible should he find his way into the starting role. This QB matchup really needs to happen, even though the Browns are really going to suck this year.

Week Seven:
Atlanta Falcons @ New England Patriots
This one, you would figure would be pretty obvious to put on the list. Its a Super Bowl rematch. This isn't a neutral site game, its in Foxborough. Atlanta hasn't changed much this offseason, hell neither really have the Patriots. Should be another fun game to watch.

Week Fourteen:
Philadelphia Eagles @ Los Angeles Rams
We get the matchup that has been about a year or so in the making. Carson Wentz vs Jared Goff, the battle of the top two picks from last years draft are finally going to face off against each other. So far, it looks like Wentz was the better selection after a pretty terrible rookie campaign from Goff, but perception can definitely change from now until then. Once both guys get a little more comfortable, they may have a more favorable head to head comparison.

Those are just some of the highlights of this years schedule.

The 2017 New York Giants Schedule:
Sunday Sep. 10 at Dallas Cowboys AT&T Stadium 8:30pm ET NBC
Monday Sep. 18 Detroit Lions MetLife Stadium 8:30pm ET ESPN
Sunday Sep. 24 at Philadelphia Eagles Lincoln Financial Field 1:00pm ET FOX
Sunday Oct. 1 at Tampa Bay Buccaneers Raymond James Stadium 4:05pm ET FOX
Sunday Oct. 8 Los Angeles Chargers MetLife Stadium 1:00pm ET CBS
Sunday Oct. 15 at Denver Broncos Sports Authority Field at Mile High 8:30pm ET NBC
Sunday Oct. 22 Seattle Seahawks MetLife Stadium 4:25pm ET CBS
Sunday Oct. 29 BYE
Sunday Nov. 5 Los Angeles Rams MetLife Stadium 1:00pm ET FOX
Sunday Nov. 12 at San Francisco 49ers Levi's Stadium 4:25pm ET FOX
Sunday Nov. 19 Kansas City Chiefs MetLife Stadium 1:00pm ET CBS
Thursday Nov. 23 at Washington Redskins FedEx Feild 8:30pm ET NBC
Sunday Dec. 3 at Oakland Raiders Oakland Coliseum 4:25pm ET FOX
Sunday Dec. 10 Dallas Cowboys MetLife Stadium 4:25pm ET FOX
Sunday Dec. 17 Philadelphia Eagles MetLife Stadium 1:00pm ET FOX
Sunday Dec. 24 at Arizona Cardinals U. of Phoenix Stadium 4:25pm ET FOX
Sunday Dec. 31 Washington Redskins MetLife Stadium 1:00pm ET FOX

For the Giants, the division games are going to be fun, they always are. Now you throw in them playing the West in both conferences. Plus throw in playing teams like Detroit and Tampa as well are going to make this an interesting year for Big Blue. Some of these games are going to good. Kind of a cool twist that they start and end the season against the Division, going to Dallas to star the year and then end it at home against Washington. Nice balance between division games before and after the bye week.

The 2017 New York Jets Schedule:
Sunday Sep. 10 at Buffalo Bills New Era Field 1:00pm ET CBS
Sunday Sep. 17 at Oakland Raiders Oakland Coliseum4:05pm ET CBS
Sunday Sep. 24 Miami Dolphins MetLife Stadium 1:00pm ET CBS
Sunday Oct. 1 Jacksonville Jaguars MetLife Stadium 1:00pm ET CBS
Sunday Oct. 8 at Cleveland Browns FirstEnergy Stadium 1:00pm ET FOX
Sunday Oct. 15 New England Patriots MetLife Stadium 1:00pm ET CBS
Sunday Oct. 22 at Miami Dolphins Hard Rock Stadium 1:00pm ET FOX
Sunday Oct. 29 Atlanta Falcons MetLife Stadium 1:00pm ET FOX
Thursday Nov. 2 Buffalo Bills MetLife Stadium 8:25pm ET NFLN
Sunday Nov. 12 at Tampa Bay Buccaneers Raymond James Stadium 1:00pm ET CBS
Sunday Nov. 19 BYE
Sunday Nov. 26 Carolina Panthers MetLife Stadium 1:00pm ET FOX
Sunday Dec. 3 Kansas City Chiefs MetLife Stadium 1:00pm ET CBS
Sunday Dec. 10 at Denver Broncos Sports Authority Field at Mile High 4:05pm ET CBS
Sunday Dec. 17 at New Orleans Saints Mercedes-Benz Superdome 1:00pm ET CBS
Sunday Dec. 24 Los Angeles Chargers MetLife Stadium 1:00pm ET CBS
Sunday Dec. 31 at New England Patriots Gillette Stadium 1:00pm ET CBS

Same as with the Giants, Gang Green starts and ends the year off against the Division. Both are on the road, starting in Buffalo and ending in New England. The fact that the Jets play the NFC South and AFC West, will make for some fun games this year. Heading out on the road to play Oakland, Denver and New Orleans/ This year is going to be entertaining at least.

Stanley Cup First Round Preview

Spring time has arrived. That means one thing. The Stanley Cup Playoffs have arrived. We started this journey back in October, with 30 teams all vying for the right to lift Lord Stanley's trophy over their head. Now here we sit in early April with 16 teams left standing. In about two months time, we will have one team left that has proved itself to be the best team in all of hockey. At this time of year, anything can happen and you can get an unsung hero to come out of nowhere. There's a few new fances in this years chase for the championship. Its been a decade since the Edmonton Oilers last saw playoff action. Toronto hasn't seen the playoffs since 2013 and this is only the 2nd time since pre lockout that the Leafs have tasted playoff action. There also leads a lot of questions to be answered over the next couple of months.

Can both the Sharks and Penguins get back to the Finals? Can Washington get out of the 2nd round for the first time in almost twenty years? How far can both Edmonton and Toronto go? How well can both Austin Matthews and Conor McDavid play in the spring? Who's going to be the unsung hero to really step their game up in this years playoffs?

Those questions, and so much more, will be answered between now and the middle of June. So with that being said, lets break down the opening round shall we.

First up, its the Wild Card New York Rangers taking on the Atlantic Division Champion Montreal Canadiens. For the Canadiens, this marks a trip back to the playoffs after missing out last year, and they have now made the playoffs four times in the last five seasons. They did all of this winning the Atlantic division for the 2nd time in the last three years, earning 103 points to get into the playoffs this year. Montreal has gotten out of the opening round of the playoffs in each of the last to post season trips. As for the Rangers, they got into the playoffs as the top wild card spot, collecting 102 points. New York has missed the playoffs just once since the 2004-05 lockout, and that miss came in 2010. Otherwise, New York has enjoyed plenty of playoff hockey and success. New York is trying to rebound a little after getting bounced in the opening round last season. This will be the sixteenth playoff meeting between these two teams with New York winning eight of the fifteen previous series. They last met in the 2014 Eastern Conference Finals, which New York won in six games. Montreal won all three games in this year's regular season series.

Here are the date and times for every game in this series:
April 12 New York Rangers 7:00 p.m. Montreal Canadiens Bell Centre
April 14 New York Rangers 7:00 p.m. Montreal Canadiens Bell Centre
April 16 Montreal Canadiens 7:00 p.m. New York Rangers Madison Square Garden
April 18 Montreal Canadiens 7:00 p.m. New York Rangers Madison Square Garden
April 20 New York Rangers TBD Montreal Canadiens Bell Centre
April 22 Montreal Canadiens TBD New York Rangers Madison Square Garden
April 24 New York Rangers TBD Montreal Canadiens Bell Centre

This series is going to be a fun one. Last time these two faced off in a playoff series, Chris Kreider got a little up close and personal with Carey Price, which cost Price a lot of playing time with a knee injury. This year, the Habs seemed to have finally found there groove late. They won 16 of their final 24 games under Claude Julian, who took over in late January. Montreal has been playing pretty well this year, Max Pacioretty continues to quietly produce as one of the league's most elite goal scorers, and Carey Price has played like, well Carey Price. Over the final two months of the season, Price had managed to rediscover his game again, and get it back up to where his numbers were near the top five in the league. For Montreal to really shine in this series, they need their role players to really step up, because if the Pacioretty line goes cold like it might, then they could be in for a long series,

Look at this from the Rangers perspective, they can match the Habs in at least the goaltending department, as Henrik Lundqvist could match Carey Price save for save. Granted, Hank had a down year by his standards, posting his lowest save percentage since 2008-09, he still put up very solid numbers. Even with that, this was the 3rd straight year that the Rangers had a 100 point regular season. Last year, they were dispatched quickly by a faster and deeper Penguins team in the opening round, but this year might be a little bit different. The Rangers had seven players reach the 40-point mark this season, the second-most in the league. They've got guys like Chris Kreider, Kevin Hayes and J.T. Miller that have improved their play this year and have taken on a bigger role on this hockey club. That makes the Rangers more capable to deal with that kind of attack and throw a dangerous offence right back at you.

Prediction: 
Solly: Canadiens in 6!
Steve: Canadiens in 6!

Next up, we have the Atlantic Division's second seed Ottawa Senators taking on the Atlantic Division third seed Boston Bruins. For Ottawa, this marks the 2nd time in the last four years that they've made it to the post season. They got in this year by winning 44 games and collecting 98 points, which was good for 2nd in the Atlantic division. Ottawa is looking to advance to the 2nd round for the first time since 2013. Herading into this year, Ottawa is 9-15 lifetime in playoff series. As for Boston, they finished 3rd in the Atlantic with 95 points, their best point total in the last two years. This is the first trip to the playoffs since 2014, which also happened to be the last year the Bruins won a round in the playoffs. This is the first playoff meeting between the contemporary Ottawa franchise and Boston, and the first Boston-Ottawa series since the 1927 Stanley Cup Finals. Ottawa won all four games in this year's regular season series.

Here's the date and times for every game in this series:
April 12 Boston Bruins 7:00 p.m. Ottawa Senators Canadian Tire Centre
April 15 Boston Bruins 3:00 p.m. Ottawa Senators Canadian Tire Centre
April 17 Ottawa Senators 7:00 p.m. Boston Bruins TD Garden
April 19 Ottawa Senators 7:30 p.m. Boston Bruins TD Garden
April 21 Boston Bruins TBD Ottawa Senators Canadian Tire Centre
April 23 Ottawa Senators TBD Boston Bruins TD Garden
April 26 Boston Bruins TBD Ottawa Senators Canadian Tire Centre

Boston and Ottawa should make for a solid matchup, because it's the first time that these two franchises have ever met in the postseason. Boston really seemed to right the ship under Bruce Cassidy, finishing the year out 18-8-1, while finding the back of the net with a little more regularity. Besides the new head coach, a big part of the Bruins turnaround so far has been a dynamic Brad Marchand, a consistent Patrice Bergeron and a rock-solid Tuukka Rask down the stretch, the Bruins have proven they belong in the playoffs once again. Brad Marchand is going to be big for the Bruins in this series. He's coming off a career year, with 39 goals and 85 points, all while still being able to get under the skin of his opponents. The repeat offender has a tendency to get himself into trouble, though, and any slip-ups during the playoffs could spell trouble in Boston. Its something the Senators are going to have to deal with.

Ottawa has some good things going for it. Sure, the Sens have had a ton of injuries to deal with, but have managed to get the ship righted just in time. No playoff team scored fewer goals than the Sens did this season but on the flip side only a handful of teams allowed fewer goals against. Ottawa is comfortable in close, low-scoring games. A lot of that is due to strong goaltending from Craig Anderson and backup Mike Condon. They play strong team defense, which bodes well for them in the playoffs. Ottawa is going to need to score, so Kyle Turris and Erik Karlsson are going to be counted on heavily in this series to provide offense in Ottawa.

Prediction: 
Solly: Bruins in 6!
Steve: Bruins in 6!

Next its the Wild Card winning Toronto Maple Leafs taking on the Metropolitan Division Winners, and Presidents trophy winning, Washington Capitals. For the 3rd straight year the Capitals are back in the playoffs, and for the 2nd year in a row, they are the President's Trophy winners, leading the league with 118 points. As a matter of fact, Washington has only failed to make the playoffs once since 2008. Washington has had a little trouble with the first round of the playoffs, losing in the opening round last in 2013. Washington is twenty games under .500 in the playoffs. As for the Maple Leafs, they picked up 95 points to earn the last wild card spot, the first time they've made the playoffs since 2013. As a matter of fact, this marks only the 2nd playoff appearance for the team in the post lockout era of hockey. Toronto is looking for its first playof series win since 2004. This is the first playoff meeting between these two teams. Washington won two of the three games in this year's regular season series.

Here's the date and times for every game in this series:
April 13 Toronto Maple Leafs 7:00 p.m. Washington Capitals Verizon Center
April 15 Toronto Maple Leafs 7:00 p.m. Washington Capitals Verizon Center
April 17 Washington Capitals 7:00 p.m. Toronto Maple Leafs Air Canada Centre
April 19 Washington Capitals 7:00 p.m. Toronto Maple Leafs Air Canada Centre
April 21 Toronto Maple Leafs TBD Washington Capitals Verizon Center
April 23 Washington Capitals TBD Toronto Maple Leafs Air Canada Centre
April 25 Toronto Maple Leafs TBD Washington Capitals Verizon Center

This has to be a sweet form of redemption for the Maple Leafs, getting back into the playoffs once again. Toronto and its big rookies of Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, William Nylander and Zach Hyman, Toronto has a bright future to really be able to build off of. Most in the hockey world, myself included, are surprised how quickly how this group of rookies came along. Matthews scoring 40 goals is quite impressive. The Leafs rookies combined for 309 points this season, third most in league history. So you know the Leafs have a talent pool to be able to build off of for the future. And they have a talented veteran group that consists of Tyler Bozak, James van Riemsdyk, Nazem Kadri and Brian Boyle. Fredrik Andersen is going to be a key in the nets for the Leafs, if Toronto even want to have a shot at knocking off the best team in the league.

The Leafs are going up against the best team in the league, who thanks to winning 12 of 15 in January built up a comfortable lead in the conference en route to the Presidents Trophy. Washington has been running over teams this year. The biggest question is, can the Capitals keep up their dominance to win 16 more games to claim the teams first ever Stanley Cup? They have plenty of talent on the team, led by Alex Ovechkin. Ovechkin this year, became the third player in NHL history to score 30 or more goals in each of his first 12 seasons in the League. Its not all on the Great Eight. Washington has other talented players, like Nicklas Backstrom, Marcus Johansson, Karl Alzner, T.J. Oshie, Justin Williams and Kevin Shattenkirk, just to nasme a few. Oh yeah, the Caps also have one of the top goalies in the game in Brayden Holtby. Holtby lead the league in wins, with 42 and shutouts with nine. He did all this while helping Washington to an NHL-best team goals-against average of 2.16.

Prediction: 
Solly: Capitals in 5!
Steve: Capitals in 5!

The final Eastern Conference matchup is the Metropolitan Divisions second seeded Pittsburgh Penguins taking on the Metropolitan Division third seed Columbus Blue Jackets. Pittsburgh just so happens to be the defending Stanley Cup Champions. They got into the playoffs 2nd in the Atlantic division, finishing with 111 points, their highest point total in three years. The Pens have gotten out of the first round three times in the last four years. Pittsburgh is chasing the fifth Stanley Cup title in team history. As for the Blue Jackets, this is only the third time ever that the team has made the playoffs, the last two appearances came in 2009 (Swept by Detroit) and 2014 (lost in six to the Penguins). The team has won only two playoff games in the history of the franchise. The Jackets finished 3rd in the division, earning 108 points, the first time ever that the team has earned that many points in a season. Columbus has won just two playoff games ever and never gotten out of the first round. This is the second playoff meeting between these teams; they last met in the 2014 Eastern Conference First Round, which Pittsburgh won in six games. The teams split this year's four-game regular season series.

Here's the date and time of every game in this series:
April 12 Columbus Blue Jackets 7:30 p.m. Pittsburgh Penguins PPG Paints Arena
April 14 Columbus Blue Jackets 7:00 p.m. Pittsburgh Penguins PPG Paints Arena
April 16 Pittsburgh Penguins 6:00 p.m. Columbus Blue Jackets Nationwide Arena
April 18 Pittsburgh Penguins 7:30 p.m. Columbus Blue Jackets Nationwide Arena
April 20 Columbus Blue Jackets TBD Pittsburgh Penguins PPG Paints Arena
April 23 Pittsburgh Penguins TBD Columbus Blue Jackets Nationwide Arena
April 25 Columbus Blue Jackets TBD Pittsburgh Penguins PPG Paints Arena

Columbus is looking for payback against the defending Stanley Cup Champions, as it was the Pens who knocked the Jackets out of the post season the last time these two faced off. The Penguins have a lot on their backs, with both Crosby and Evgeni Malkin leading the way once again. Pittsburgh got hot going down the stretch, finishing the year 13-7-3 over the final two months of the year. Yes they still have two of the top players in the league with Sid and Geno. But they also have the role players as well. They've got Phil Kessel to help out with the firepower up front. Then there's the blueline. Justin Schultz has emerged as a key cog in Pittsburgh and finished in the top 10 among all NHL blueliners in scoring. Brian Dumoulin and Trevor Daley have also emerged as a help out for not only Schultz but Kris Letang as well. Oh yeah, there's also the goaltending. When you have Marc-Andre Fleury as a safety net for Matt Murray, who's a solid goalie in his own right, you got something going for you.

Now they have to face a young and hungry Blue Jackets team, who oh by the way, managed to pull off a 16 game winning streak. So yeah, they're kinda good. Columbus finished top six in the NHL in both goals for and against. The only other team to do that this year were the Washington Capitals. It means that this Jackets team isn't exactly going to be a pushover this year. Cam Atkinson, Alexander Wennberg, and Brandon Saad are going to be counted on in this series to carry the offense again, One down side is that they've gone a little cold going into the playoffs, with none of these guys getting more then 20 points over the final 20 games. So they need to get it going. Sergei Bobrovsky is going to be counted on big in this series as well. He has the power to either carry this team out of the first round, or sink them. In his career, Bobrovsky is 2-6 with a 3.50 GAA and .890 save percentage in the post-season so he can make a statement against the defending champs. The biggest knock that can be made against the Jackets right now, is the fact that they've gone into the playoffs cold, having won just one of their final seven games during the regular season.

Prediction: 
Solly: Penguins in 6!
Steve: Penguins in 5!

Moving to the Western Conference, its the Wild Card winning Nashville Predators taking on the Central Division winning Chicago Blackhawks. Chicago has made the playoffs every year since 2008, this year getting in with the best point total in the Western Conference, finishing with 109 points. That total is the highest the Hawks have had since 2010. This also marks the 3rd division crown for the Hawks since 2010 as well. The Hawks are looking to bounce back from a seven game loss to the Blues in last years playoffs. As for Nashville, they've now made the playoffs for the 3rd year in a row. They had the exact same number of wins as last year, but finished with two fewer points, coming into an eight place finish in the West this year. In their nine previous playoff appearances, the Predators have only picked up first rounds wins three times. This is the third playoff meeting between these teams with Chicago winning both previous series. They last met in the 2015 Western Conference First Round, which Chicago won in six games. Chicago won four of the five games in this year's regular season series.

Here's the date and time for every game in this series:
April 13 Nashville Predators 8:00 p.m. Chicago Blackhawks United Center
April 15 Nashville Predators 8:00 p.m. Chicago Blackhawks United Center
April 17 Chicago Blackhawks 9:30 p.m. Nashville Predators Bridgestone Arena
April 20 Chicago Blackhawks TBD Nashville Predators Bridgestone Arena
April 22 Nashville Predators TBD Chicago Blackhawks United Center
April 24 Chicago Blackhawks TBD Nashville Predators Bridgestone Arena
April 26 Nashville Predators TBD Chicago Blackhawks United Center

This series is going to go the distance in all likelyhood. Chicago has turned into a modern day dynasty, winning three Stanley Cups in a seven year span. The Hawks have the core together that has been there for all three of those titles. Guys like Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Marian Hossa, Brent Seabrook, Duncan Keith, and Corey Crawford. All of these are all names who’ve navigated the playoff terrain together with great success. Only thing I have to wonder is how well will the skating legs hold up this spring. Out of all the talent that this Hawks team has, Kane and Toews are the only regular, core guys, who are under the age of 31. Artemi Panarin can and will be a success in this series because he should be able to carry over his regular-season success and shoulder a big load in the playoffs.

Nashville had one of the top defensive teams in the league last year, one that may have gotten better with the addition of PK Subban. Nashville was slow to take off and struggled to maintain momentum when they did. To make matters worse, they were hit with a variety of injuries, which certainly didn’t help. Now, with all the right pieces in place, this club is going to be a popular dark horse pick. If the Preds want to pull off this upset, Pekka Rinne is going to have to be counted on to carry the load once again in net. Rinne has put together a decent 31-19-9 season with a 2.42 goals-against average and .918 save percentage, placing him right in the middle of the pack in the league, stats-wise. He's still a solid goalie, so the Hawks are going to have a tough task ahead of them.

Prediction: 
Solly: Blackhawks in 7!
Steve: Blackhawks in 5!

Next up its the Central Division second seeded Minnesota Wild taking on the Central Divisions third seeded St Louis Blues. This marks the sixth straight year that the Blues are playing in the playoffs, clinching a spot with 99 points, their lowest total since 2013. The Blues are looking to advance to the next round for the 2nd year in a row,  after getting bounced in the first round in the three years prior. St Louis is 26-40 lifetime in playoff series. As for the Wild, this is the fifth straight year that they've made the playoffs, getting the 2nd seed in the division with 106 points, 2nd time in three years they've cracked the 100 point mark. Minnesota is looking to get out of the first round for the 3rd time in four years. Minnesota is 4-7 lifetime in playoff series. This is the second playoff meeting between these teams; their only previous meeting was the 2015 Western Conference First Round, which Minnesota won in six games. St. Louis won three of the five games in this year's regular season series.

Here's the dates and times for every game in this series:
April 12 St. Louis Blues 9:30 p.m. Minnesota Wild Xcel Energy Center
April 14 St. Louis Blues 8:00 p.m. Minnesota Wild Xcel Energy Center
April 16 Minnesota Wild 3:00 p.m. St. Louis Blues Scottrade Center
April 19 Minnesota Wild 9:30 p.m. St. Louis Blues Scottrade Center
April 22 St. Louis Blues TBD Minnesota Wild Xcel Energy Center
April 24 Minnesota Wild TBD St. Louis Blues Scottrade Center
April 26 St. Louis Blues TBD Minnesota Wild Xcel Energy Center

Can St. Louis build off a success from last year's playoff run? I'm not sure honestly. They got rid of one of their best defensemen in Kevin Shattenkirk, which makes me wonder bigtime. With Mike Yeo now coaching the team, the theory is that he can be able to build off what Ken Hitchcock left behind. Sure he has Vladimir Tarasenko, Jaden Schwartz, and Alexander Steen to be able to put the puck in the back of the net. And trying to keep the puck out of the net will be Jake Allen, who got off to a slow start, but really started to rediscover his game when Mike Yeo took over, he's gotten better. If the Blues want to win this series, he's going to have to be at the top of his game.

Minnesota has been average down the stretch, finishing the year off going 8-11-2 after the first of March. One guy that the Wild are going to have to count on is Eric Staal. Staal enjoyed a spectacular bounce back season after several years in which he looked almost finished. Now that he’s summoned the elite form that made him a big name, the spotlight will shine brightly on him. The 32-year-old won a Stanley Cup in 2005-06 with the Carolina Hurricanes, but has had limited playoff experience since. In five games with the Rangers last season, he was was a minus-seven and held scoreless. That can’t happen again if the Wild are to be successful. Oh yeah, and the Wild have some guy named Devan Dubnyk and he's kinda good.

Prediction: 
Solly: Wild in 6!
Steve: Wild in 6!

Next its the Wild Card winning Calgary Flames taking on the Pacific Division winning Anaheim Ducks. For the fifth year in a row the Ducks have won the division, and the 4th year in a row they've picked up 100 or more points. Anaheim hasn't missed the playoffs since 2012, but failed to make it out of the first round in last year's playoffs. Anaheim is 14-11 lifetime in playoff series.  Calgary got into the playoffs with 94 points, the 2nd time in three years that the Flames hit the 90 point mark. This also marks the 2nd time in three years that the Flames have made the playoffs, and they won their first round matchup that year too. This will mark the 20th playopff appearance in franchise history for the Flames. This is the third playoff meeting between these teams with Anaheim winning both previous series. They last met in the 2015 Western Conference Second Round which Anaheim won in five games. Anaheim won four of the five games in this year's regular season series. Anaheim has also won 25 straight regular season home games against Calgary.

Here's the dates and times for every game in this series:
April 13 Calgary Flames 10:30 p.m. Anaheim Ducks Honda Center
April 15 Calgary Flames 10:30 p.m. Anaheim Ducks Honda Center
April 17 Anaheim Ducks 10:00 p.m. Calgary Flames Scotiabank Saddledome
April 19 Anaheim Ducks 10:00 p.m. Calgary Flames Scotiabank Saddledome
April 21 Calgary Flames TBD Anaheim Ducks Honda Center
April 23 Anaheim Ducks TBD Calgary Flames Scotiabank Saddledome
April 25 Calgary Flames TBD Anaheim Ducks Honda Center

Calgary could be one of those teams who has the potential to be a dark horse in the playoffs. They've got plenty of experience in the playoffs, as Mark Giordano, Michael Frolik, and Troy Brouwer can attest. That experience goes along quite well with some tremendous youth, in the form of Sean Monahan and Johnny Gaudreau. Gaudreau, Monahan and Mikael Backlund are three big reasons for the Flames success, as they were the leading scorers for Calgary this season, and have all experienced playoff hockey before, so they have an idea of what it takes to get this far and to be successful. Brian Elliott, too, is going to be a big force for the Flames in this series. he really started to turn his game on after the all star break this year, and Elliott does have plenty of experience at this time of year, he helped the Blues get all the way to the Western Conferences Finals against the Sharks a year ago.

But they are going up against an Anaheim team who just so happens to be the hottest team on planet. To close out the regular season, the Ducks went 11-0-3, yeah you can't really get any hotter then the boys from Anaheim. They start the playoffs off without Cam Fowler, due to injury. Still the Ducks have a solid defense with guys like Elias Lindholm, Sami Vatanen and Josh Manson leave the Ducks with a still-formidable blue line. Ryan Kesler has had somewhat of a resurgent season and his gritty style of play lends itself well to the playoffs. With him and their other big guns, Corey Perry and Ryan Getzlaf, playing as well as they have, the Ducks will be very very good. Goaltending will be key in this series, and Anaheim has solid goalies, but they leave a little something to be desired. Between Josh Gibson and Jonathan Bernier, Anaheim has two quality goalies. Neither one of them really has been able to hold down the solid number one, but either guy can steal the job away as the playoffs roll along this year.

Prediction:
Solly: Ducks in 6!
Steve: Ducks in 5!

Finally, its the Pacific Division's second seeded Edmonton Oilers taking on the Pacific Division's third seeded San Jose Sharks. It's been a LONG time coming for the Oilers, as this marks the first time since a 2006 Stanley Cup finals loss to the Hurricanes that the Oilers are in the playoffs. The 1003 points that the Oilers earned this year makes this the first time since 1987 that the Oilers broke the 100 point mark for the season. Edmonton is 34-15 all time in playoff series. As for San Jose, they are the defending Western Conference Champions, looking to make a 2nd ever trip to the Finals. They finished with 99 points, one better then last years totals. San Jose is 17-18 all time in playoff series. This is the second playoff meeting between these teams; their only previous series was the 2006 Western Conference Semifinals, which Edmonton won in six games. Edmonton won three of the five games in this year's regular season series.

Here's the dates and times for every game in this series;
April 12 San Jose Sharks 10:00 p.m. Edmonton Oilers Rogers Place
April 14 San Jose Sharks 10:30 p.m. Edmonton Oilers Rogers Place
April 16 Edmonton Oilers 10:00 p.m. San Jose Sharks SAP Center
April 18 Edmonton Oilers 10:00 p.m. San Jose Sharks SAP Center
April 20 San Jose Sharks TBD Edmonton Oilers Rogers Place
April 22 Edmonton Oilers TBD San Jose Sharks SAP Center
April 24 San Jose Sharks TBD Edmonton Oilers Rogers Place

Man, it must be good to be an Oilers fan right now, seeing their team back in the playoffs again for the first time in eleven years. Led by Art Ross Trophy winner Connor McDavid, the Oilers return to the post-season as an interesting possibility. Yes, they are a very young team, but amazing seasons from Conor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and Cam Talbot has Edmonton thinking that this could be a lengthly playoff run. McDavid won the scoring crown by hitting 100 points on the nose. Talbot has been playing out of his mind most of the year. Another guy to take a look at for the Oilers is going to be Adam Larsson. A lot thought that the Oilers were crazy to give up Taylor Hall for Larsson, but its working out ten fold for the Oilers. Larsson has been a major factor for this team, most noticeably on the man advantage. Don't think this is a happy to be here kind of bunch with the Oilers, many think they're here to make an impact.

Somebody better tell the Sharks that. Yes I know San Jose is one of the older teams in this years playoffs, but they didn't get into the playoffs just be pushed around by a young team. Brent Burns, Joe Thornton, Martin Jones, Patrick Marleau, I can keep going with the amount of veteran leadership on this hockey team. In years past, the Sharks have finished higher in the standings yet underachieved in the playoffs. Maybe this is the year they become overachievers. Momentum is clearly not on their side.

Prediction: 
Solly: Sharks in 6!
Steve: Oilers in 7!

(All predictions made BEFORE start of Stanley Cup Playoffs)

Tony Romo Trades Headsets

This was the look of Dallas Cowboys Quarterback Tony Romo for most to all of last season. This year, he'll still be wearing a headset, except it will be a different kind of headset. His playing career, it appears, has come to an end. Now Romo will be in the press box, teaming with Jim Nantz, calling NFL football games from the TV booth for CBS this season. Romo was cut by the Cowboys on Tuesday, which was what allowed the former starting QB to head into the broadcast booth, replacing longtime analyst Phil Sims in the booth next to Nantz.

He had also drawn interest from NBC and Fox to join their football telecasts.

Lets look at this first from his playing side of things. Here's what the money looks like from a Cowboys point of view. Per ESPN, the Cowboys' move to make Romo a post-June 1 release designation softens the blow against the salary cap this season. Instead of counting $24.7 million against the cap in 2017, Romo would count $10.7 million this year and $8.9 million in 2018. The Cowboys would gain $14 million in cap space this season, but it would not become available until June 2. The Cowboys will carry $19.6 million in dead money for the 2017 season, $8.9 million in 2018 and $3.2 million in 2019. Tony was never able to stay healthy at the end of his playing career. He has played a total of 5 games over the last two seasons, after dealing with various injuries finally taking their toll on the undrafted QB.

Hey, lets not take away credit from Romo here, the guy had a pretty fantastic career. He signed with the Cowboys in 2003, but didn't throw his first pass in the league until the 2006 season. In his first full season as the starter in 2007, Romo threw for a then-franchise-record 4,211 yards, a number which he would surpass twice more (in 2009 and 2012), and a franchise-record 36 touchdown passes. The Cowboys finished with the best record in the NFC (13-3) but lost in the divisional round of the playoffs. Dallas went 78-49 when Romo was under center, but they failed to get past the 2nd round in the playoffs with Romo at Quarterback.

His 34,183 passing yards and 248 touchdown passes are the most in team history. Oh, but wait, there's more. Romo also holds team records for 300-yard passing games (46), games with multiple touchdown passes (79) and consecutive games with a touchdown pass (38). In 2012, he threw for a club-record 4,903 yards, and on Oct. 6, 2013, against the Broncos, he threw for a franchise-record 506 yards. He has the NFL record with a touchdown pass in 41 straight road games. Yeah, I'd say those are some pretty impressive numbers.

When people think of Tony Romo, you get a couple of different perspectives. He started off as a bit of an underdog from the underground. nobody knew who the guy was or where he really came from. But Romo burst on the scene after riding pine for three years behind a mix of guys like Vinny Testaverde, Drew Bledsoe, Quincy Carter and Drew Henson. Once Romo got his starts, he proved that he belonged in this league. Romo was as good as anyone in football between 2011 and 2014. Among players with 2,000 pass attempts or more over that time frame, Romo was third in completion percentage, fourth in passer rating and sixth in touchdown-to-interception ratio. He was at his best in 2014, when Romo led the league in completion percentage, yards per attempt, passer rating, QBR and game-winning drives. Romo would have been a totally reasonable MVP selection over Aaron Rodgers that year. People also remember Tony Romo as the injury prone QB who just couldn't stay on the field. Broken collar bone and broken back in the last year are just some of the injuries he's had to deal with. Romo hasn't played a full 16 game schedule under center since 2012, and hasn't started 15 games in a season since 2014.

There's no denying that Tony Romo was a good Quarterback. Good's about it, he's not in the relm of a great quarterbacks in the history of this game. What most fans are wondering is can he make the transition into the broadcast booth? I think he understands the game very well and can provide insight into football as well as Sims (who he's replacing) or anybody else. Should be fun to listen to Romo in a broadcast booth this season.

Bulldogs and Tar Heels Battle For Title

We started this dance about a month ago. At that time, there were sixty eight teams in the chase. Now here we sit with two teams left standing. one will walk away as the National Champion in Men's Basketball, while the other will just walk out of Phoenix. One team looks for redemption from a season ago, while the other one looks to claim its first ever title. Time for talk has ended. Lets look at tonight's title game shall we.

The top team in the country in the Bulldogs of Gonzaga will be taking on the other number one seed left the Tar Heels of North Carolina. Before we dive into breaking down this matchup, lets take a look back at the seasons each of these schools has had and how we arrived at this point in time.

North Carolina rolled through the regular season finishing the year going 26-6. The Tar Heels earned top seed in the South Region, despite falling to Duke in the semifinal of the ACC tournament. In the 1st round of the 2017 NCAA Tournament, North Carolina rolled to a 103-64 win over Texas Southern, and they followed that up in the 2nd round against Arkansas. After blowing a 17-point 1st half lead and trailing 65-60 with under three minutes remaining, Kennedy Meeks led a North Carolina comeback with 16 points and a huge tip-in with 44.2 seconds remaining to put UNC ahead 68-65 as they would survive a scare against Arkansas and win 72-65 to advance to the Sweet 16. There, they beat Butler 92-80, thus advancing to the Elite Eight for the 26th time in program history. In an Elite Eight showdown between two college basketball blue bloods, Luke Maye made a jumper with 0.3 seconds left to beat Kentucky 75-73 and advance to their second consecutive Final Four appearance as well as their record-setting 20th appearance in the Final Four. North Carolina defeated Oregon 77-76 in the Final Four, led by Kennedy Meeks, who had a double-double career-high 25 points and 14 rebounds as well as a offensive rebound off of a Joel Berry II missed free throw with 4.0 seconds left, to advance to the championship game.

Now as for Gonzaga, they rolled to a 29-1 regular season record, winning both the West Coast Conference regular season and Conference titles, in order to earn the top seed in the West Region. Once the tournament got underway, Gonzaga came away with a 66-46 win over South Dakota State to get the ball rolling. In their 2nd round game against Northwestern, trailing by 5 with 5 minutes left after trailing by as many as 22 in the second half, Northwestern head coach Chris Collins stomped onto the court when a goal-tending call was missed, thus drawing a technical foul, ending Northwestern's chances of winning the game, as Gonzaga would prevail to win 79-73. In their Sweet 16 game against West Virginia, Jordan Mathews hit a go-ahead three-pointer with less than a minute remaining to give Gonzaga a 60-58 lead as Gonzaga would prevail to win 61-58 and advance to the Elite Eight. In the Elite Eight, led by Nigel Williams-Goss with 23 points, Gonzaga routed Xavier 83-59 to reach the Final Four for the first time in school history. Gonzaga defeated South Carolina 77-73 in the Final Four led by 23 points from Nigel Williams-Goss, 27 points from Gonzaga's big men, and a Josh Perkins foul preventing Sindarius Thornwell's game-tying three-pointer with 3.5 seconds left, to advance to the championship game.

So now that we know how are two teams made the final showdown, lets break it down shall we. North Carolina is making consecutive title game appearances for the first time since 1981 and 1982. Roy Williams, who will be coaching his 100th NCAA Tournament game tonight, is 41-10 all-time with the Tar Heels. One of the star players for this North Carolina team is forward Kennedy Meeks, who posted his 13th double-double with a career-best 25 points and 14 rebounds against Oregon. The Tar Heels are grabbing 15.6 offensive rebounds per game during the NCAA Tournament. One other Tar Heels player your going to want to keep an eye on tonight is forward Justin Jackson, who scored 13 of his 22 points in the second half on Saturday. The ACC Player of the Year is averaging a team-leading 18.3 points per contest. Oh and North Carolina is 1-1 all time in the tournament against Gonzaga, and that includes their win over the Zags in the 2009 Sweet 16.

Gonzaga is the fourth team to reach the championship with one or fewer losses. Bulldogs center Przemek Karnowski, who owns an NCAA-record 137 victories, is averaging 12.3 points and 5.8 rebounds per game. Another Gonzaga player to watch tonight is Nigel Williams-Goss. He led the Bulldogs with 23 points, six assists and five rebounds against South Carolina. The WCC Player of the Year is averaging a team-best 16.9 points and 4.7 assists per game. Gonzaga has shot a higher percentage from the field than its opponent in 46 consecutive games, which oh by the way, is the longest Division I streak in 20 years. Gonzaga is shooting 48.8 percent (21-for-43) from beyond the arc over the last two games.


Final Score Predictions: 
Solly: Gonzaga 79, North Carolina 73
Steve; North Carolina 64, Gonzaga 62
3rd Mic Dan: North Carolina 69, Gonzaga 67
Jeff: North Carolina 72, Gonzaga 55

2017 Major League Baseball Preview

The sweet smell of fresh cut grass, hot dogs and sunflower seeds is in the air. That time of year has finally rolled around, baseball season has FINALLY arrived. Major League Baseball is set to open its doors to the fans and get things going on the 2017 regular season. Thirty teams, all with one goal in mind. To be the best baseball team on the planet. Some teams have made a lot of moves to get better. Others decided to stay put, which made one scratch there head. So lets not waste much time, here's what baseball fans have to look forward to for the 2017 season.

There's been a few things to look at going into this season. One thing is some of the new rule changes that have been implemented into the league for this season. First, there's the “No pitch” intentional walk. Managers will now signal the umpire that they want to issue a walk and the player will simply take his base. I like the idea it just saves a little bit of time. There will also be new guidelines for reviewing a play. Managers now have 30 seconds to decide whether or not to challenge and the umpires have a two minute limit on reviewing before issuing their decision. This is a good rule because, the way things are set up now a challenge could take too long so it'll help speed things up. I kinda like the new rule changes, because it will help move things along. This will also be the first year in quite a long time where Vin Scully isn't going to be behind the mic for the Dodgers

There are so many questions that teams and fans have going into the start of the season. Can the new managers in Arizona (Torey Lovullo), Atlanta (Brian Snitker), Chicago with the White Sox (Rick Renteria) and Colorado (Bud Black) lead their clubs to contention? Can the Cubs repeat as World Champions, something we haven't seen in baseball since the 1998 through 2000 New York Yankees? Looks like a few teams have some strong showings for this year. The Yankees are going to get a full year of the baby bombers. Can they live up to the hype this season? Which team has the best rotation? The Mets, Nats, Giants, Indians, Red Sox? Can Seattle finally cash in on all the moves that GM Jerry Dipoto made?

Those questions will be answered as the year goes along. For the purpose of this article, lets move on shall we. Here's how we at Solly & Steve on Sports see the season going down!

Solly:
AL East: Boston Red Sox
AL Central: Cleveland Indians
AL West: Houston Asrtos
AL Wild Card: Texas Rangers
AL Wild Card: Seattle Mariners
NL East: Washington Nationals
NL Central: Chicago Cubs
NL West: Los Angeles Dodgers
NL Wild Card: St. Louis Cardinals
NL Wild Card: New York Mets
World Series Prediction: Cubs Over Red Sox!

Steve:
AL East: Boston Red Sox
AL Central: Cleveland Indians
AL West: Seattle Mariners
AL Wild Card: Torongo Blue Jays
AL Wild Card: Texas Rangers
NL East: Washington Nationals
NL Central: Chicago Cubs
NL West: Los Angeles Dodgers
NL Wild Card: San Francisco Giants
NL Wild Card: New York Mets
World Series Predictions: Indians over Dodgers!

3rd Mic Dan:
AL East: Boston Red Sox
AL Central: Cleveland Indians
AL West: Houston Astros
AL Wild Card: Seattle Mariners
AL Wild Card: Detroit Tigers
NL East: New York Mets
NL Central: Chicago Cubs
NL West: Los Angeles Dodgers
NL Wild Card: Washington Nationals
NL Wild Card: San Francisco Giants
World Series: Astros over Mets!

There you have it, our prediction for the 2017 Major League Baseball season!