About Last Night...

Hopefully you weren't on a first date with somebody you met online at a Hibachi last night because there were some enjoyable sporting moments to have been witnessed.

Boomer's Wall of Fame Wednesday

This week Gainer gets to see a few more of his favorite athletics/coaches get enshrined up onto Boomer's Wall of Fame in this installment of Boomer's Wall of Fame Wednesday, "Gainer's Crew": Part 2.

Boomer's Diamond Notes: Memorial Day Mark

USA USA USA USA USA USA

Baseball season is in full swing as of today. Memorial Day Weekend has come and went and this weeks installment of Diamond notes, Boomer looks at the teams around baseball and gives his assessment of each team at the Memorial Day mark. In a 162-game season of a MLB season, there are three dates you look at to reach and assess your teams successful and/or (for most) failing season. Memorial Day, this date you get an overall idea of how good your baseball team really is after the first two months of the season and gives you an idea if they are going to be relative to watch over the summer months. July 4th, at this point you either still in the hunt, looking good and trying to make that one trade to fill a void or add depth or your selling the core of your team and rebuilding. The month of July gives way to the All-Star Break and Trade Deadline. Then you have the "Dog Days of Summer", or what most people call the month of August. Then, comes Labor Day, the final holiday of the baseball season, and if last season was any indication, the final month of the season will be very entertaining, especially this season, with the addition of one extra Wild Card team in each league for the 10-team playoff in October.

NHL Stanley Cup Finals...Because it's the Cup

Who wants it?!

Last Wednesday night, the LA Kings beat the Phoenix Coyotes in overtime of game 5 just a few minutes into it.  There was a questionable knee on knee hit given by Kings Captain Dustin Brown and several Coyotes players were upset about it.  It was painfully obvious during the handshake line between Coyotes Captain Shane Doan and Brown.  Brown tried pleading his case but Doan was not having any of it.  Phoenix goalie after the game thought it was a joke there was no call and jestingly said Brown should be suspended forever in his angry state.  The NHL is currently looking into several of the comments made.  Nonetheless, Kings forward Dustin Penner, much ridiculed, buried the game winner as the Kings advance to their first Cup final since 1993 when they lost to Montreal.  

Friday night the New Jersey Devils beat the New York Rangers in overtime of game 6 barely a minute into it.  This sealed the fate of the Rangers as their curse continues (1994!).  The Rangers had the initial energy in their first shift but missed a couple prime scoring opportunities.  This led to the Devils coming down and having a great forecheck of their own.  In an ironic twist for the Rangers, as a couple players were laying out for blocked shots, the puck got free around the crease and rookie Adam Henrique buried the series winner.  The Rangers really got this far thanks to their shot blocking prowess but in the end it was their demise as guys laying on the ice can't cover guys standing wide open in the crease.  Ha!

An Emotional Indy 500 Champion

For the first time in I don't know how long, I watched an entire car race!  Something seemed different about this Indianapolis 500 this year.  I think it's because Boomer had just posted my Wall of Fame athletes and Dario Franchitti is on there.  It's also because I was back home in Bellefontaine, OH this past weekend and my family loves racing!

This race did not disappoint.  In the 96th running, it was a hot one.  The track temperatures got up over 130 degrees while fans were in and out of their seats to get in the shade as air temperatures were in the mid 90s.  Marco Andretti had led the most laps late in the race but was in an accident that continues the Andretti Curse at the Brickyard (grandfather Mario was the last to win in 1969).  Marco, who was 2nd in his very first try 6 years ago, just couldn't finish the great day he had overall.  But my main man, Dario Franchitti took home the prize winning in the final lap of the greatest spectacle in racing.

Not that I need 2.5 million for winning this race but I'll take it!

Boomer's NBA Slam Dunk: Eastern Conference Finals Preview

#2 Miami Heat vs. #4 Boston Celtics
Regular Season Series: Celtics 3-1

How they got to this point:
Heat beat in the Knicks in 5 & Pacers in 6 (8-3)
Celtics beat the Hawks in 6 & 76ers in 7 (8-5)

Boomer's NBA Slam Dunk: Western Conference Finals Preview

#1 San Antonio Spurs vs. #2 Oklahoma City Thunder

Regular Season Series: Spurs 2-1

How they got to this point:

Spurs swepted both the Jazz and Clippers (8-0)

Thunder swept the Mavs, 5-game series vs. Lakers (8-1)

We Remember

As we head into Memorial Day Weekend 2012 we remember all the men and women who gave their lives while serving in the US Armed Forces.  It also marks the beginning of summer for most of us.  This holiday ironically serves as a wrap up holiday for the sports season.  Football has ended.  Hockey and basketball are wrapping up.  It's the dog days of baseball season.  What sport fans have left are golf tournaments and race cars.  To put it nicely, it's the beginning of the slow season up until September.  So let's remember what has happened these past few months and take a look ahead to what's coming up this weekend.

Boomer's Wall of Fame Wednesday

Back when I first came up with this idea of Wall of Fame Wednesday, Gainer e-mailed me a list of players/coaches he wanted to see enshrined up onto Boomer's Wall of Fame. Well, today's the day, so sit back and relax and enjoy the show as I present you all with "Gainer's Crew": Part 1 and induct a few of his favorites up onto the Wall of Fame.

Boomer's Diamond Notes: Indians Game Experience

Our seats at the Indians 5/19/12 game vs. the Miami Marlins

Play Ball! This past weekend Boomer and Gainer had the chance to go see the Cleveland Indians take on the Florida Marlins...DARN IT, DARN IT TO HECK, I mean the Miami Marlins at Progressive Field a.k.a. Jacobs Field, along with Mr. and Mrs. Patrick Dodds. We had great seats down the first base line, looking straight out to right field (see above), and where out of the sun for most of the afternoon. The Indians received a solid outing from Jeanmar Gomez (6.1 IP, 3 H's, 2 BB's, 4 K's) and some timely hitting winning 2-0. The 9th inning performance from closer Chris Perez was nothing but "amazing", as he stroke out the side, and the atmosphere around the stadium was something else. So, as the days itch closer to summer, make sure to get out to your closest ballpark and take in a game, cause remember its 1, 2, 3 strikes your out at the old ballgame.

Boomer's NBA Slam Dunk: Playoff Update #2

Hello again! After an unforgettable weekend up in Cleveland with Gainer, I'm back to bring you all up-to-date on the 2012 NBA Playoffs. There were a number of games played over the weekend (I feel sorry for the STAPLES CENTER event crew) and let me take this time to dive into the matchups and let you know how I see them ending.

The 96th Running of the The Greatest Spectacle in Racing - Indianapolis 500

On May 27th, the Indianapolis 500 will take place at the Indianapolis Motor Speedyway, home of the Brickyard.  And for the 64th straight year, the field will be full at 33 cars after this weekend's qualifying efforts.

Not a fan of this logo

Pole sitter Ryan Briscoe averaged 226.484 MPH over his 4 laps (10 miles) on the 2.5 mile long course.  He beat 2nd place finisher James Hinchcliffe by 0.0023 seconds or 9.168 inches to be exact.  It was the closest qualifying in the races history.  The previous record was set in 1970 when Al Unser edged Johnny Rutherford by 0.01 seconds over the four-lap qualifying run.

You can find the full line up here.  Coverage will be on ABC Sunday, May 27th beginning at 11am.  This will be the first year the defending champ will not be able to defend his crown due to fatality.  Dan Wheldon won this race last year and was killed in an accident at the World Championships at the end of last season.

In the trials this past weekend, a few wrecks occurred but this was the worst:

Why Yes, I'll Have Another...Victory in the Preakness

I'll Have Another did it again this past Saturday evening with a thrilling finish to take the middle jewel of the Triple Crown.  It was the 137th running of the Preakness Stakes in Baltimore, Maryland and this race did not disappoint.  Only two weeks after winning the Derby, I'll Have Another had a tremendous finish to beat the favorite Bodemeister (who's now led both races until the final straightaways and has finished 2nd/place each time).  Here's the exciting race in its entirety:

 

Now it's on to New York for a Triple Crown try in the Belmont Stakes on June 9.  It will be the 12th time since 1978 a horse will try to complete the Triple Crown and the first since 2008 (Big Brown).  It will be a three week build up to the race known as the "Test of the Champion."  It's 1.5 miles long (quarter mile longer than the Derby which is 1/16 of a mile longer than the Preakness) and by far the longest of the 3 races.  Unfortunately Bodemeister won't be there to push I'll Have Another as the trainer said that he's had enough and will skip the Belmont.  That's too bad really.  Nothing like quitting because you keep losing!

I am actually looking forward to the Belmont come 6/9 because there has never been a triple crown winner in my life time.  There were 3 in the 1970s: Affirmed in '78, Seattle Slew in '77, and Secretariat in '73.  Since 1987 (my birth year), 9 horses have won the first two legs.  Could this finally be the year?  34 years is by far the longest drought between Triple Crown winners and I hope we see it!

Rendezvous, Then I'm Through With You...About Last Night

First things first.  Our boys in the red, white, and blue came up empty handed...again...in the quarterfinals of the IIHF World Championships yesterday.  After defeating Finland Sunday 5-2, they could not do so again losing 3-2 and giving up the winning goal with just a few seconds left in regulation.  Another early exit for the Americans as they haven't medaled since 2004 and not won gold since 1960.  On the bright side, Canada was also upset!  The Slovaks prove once again they are not a team to be messed with having only 4 NHL players on their roster.  The semi-finals are tomorrow with Russia taking on the Czechs and Slovakia taking on Finland.  Sunday is the Gold Medal game as well as the Bronze Medal game.  Go Russia. Go Malkin and Nikitin.

Professional Jersey Sponsors: Inevitable, but Good or Bad?

"I'm tired of being unable to buy clothing that doesn't have writing and printing all over it. Insipid sayings, pseudo-wisdom, cute slogans, team logos, designer names, brand trademarks, small business ego trips; the marketing pigs and advertising swine have turned us all into walking billboards. You see some аѕѕhоlе walkin' by, and he's got on a fruity Dodger hat and a Hard Rock Cafe T-shirt. Of course you can't see the shirt if he's wearing his hot-ѕhіt Chicago Bulls jacket. The one that only 50 million other loser jосk-sniffers own. And since this cretinous sports fan/consumer zombie is completely for sale to anyone, he rounds out his ensemble with FedEx sneakers, ValuJet socks, Wall Street Journal sweatpants, a Starbucks jockstrap, and a Microsoft соndоm with Bill Gates's head on the end of it.  No one in this country owns his personal appearance anymore. America has become a nation of obedient consumers, actively participating in their own degradation."
- George Carlin

Boomer's Wall of Fame Wednesday

Players                      Coaches
- Ken Griffey, Jr.      - Jim "Jimmy V" Valvano
- Shaquille O'Neal    - Pat Summitt
- Jerry Rice               - Tony Dungy

After taking a week off, to evaluate "Wall of Fame" candidates, Boomer's back to induct another player and coach in this weeks installment of Boomer's Wall of Fame Wednesday.

Boomer's Diamond Notes: Hamilton, Votto, and the rest of the Baseball world

Hamilton's Four HR night vs. the Orioles

This past week we were treated by two very IMPRESSIVE single game performances by two sluggers one in the American League (Josh Hamilton) and one in the National League (Joey Votto). First, Hamilton in the last 7 days has put up some video game numbers to lead almost every AL offensive category (2nd in Runs) to this point in the season. With a .483 BA, and 8 HR's and 16 RBI's, this past week, his season totals now stand at .400, 18 HR's and 44 RBI's. The highlight of his week, came back on last Tuesday in Baltimore vs. the Orioles where he hit 4 HR's (5 for 5) and collected 8 RBI's. The early favorite for the AL MVP, he also has the Rangers sitting in first place of the AL West division at 23-13. Hats off to Josh and I hope he continues to have the same success as the season goes along.

Votto's 3 HR day vs. the Nationals

Just as impressive of a week Hamilton had for the Rangers, Joey Votto in the National League, was having a season busting out week. Votto in the past 7 days has hit .421, with 3 HR's, 7 RBI's, 3 double's and also has been walked seven times. Votto's highlight game came on Mother's Day (which included a day long game, due to a 2.5 hour rain delay), when he hit 3 HR's and 6 RBI's (4 for 5), one homer coming on a 2-2 count bottom of the 9th inning GW Grand Slam smash. This could just been the week/game to get Votto going (.313 BA, 5 HR's and 24 RBI's) and help the Reds offense which has been struggling thus far this season.

Votto, after GW Grand Slam vs. Nationals "Happy Mother's Day"

Now a look around the rest of baseball...

NHL Playoffs Week #6: The Conference Finals

Down to the final four teams.  The next step is playing for Lord Stanley's Cup.  It's gut check time.  What do we have? Well, a couple of division rivals.  One that is rather new and one that is rather old.

Last night kicked off the festivities with the Kings heading to Phoenix to take on the Coyotes in game 1.  With an empty net goal, the Kings sealed a seemingly close 4-2 victory.  However this was not the case if you watched the actual game.  Los Angeles dominated every facet and the Coyotes were lucky to be in it.  If not for this hilarious goal, the Kings would have walked away from this one pretty handily.

Commissioner Gainer

I'm talking realignment and relocation...ssssss

There's been a lot of talk about teams, stadiums, relocation, and the like recently.  In Columbus, Ohio this past week, the story broke that the mayor has written a letter to the NBA opening up the possibility of drawing an NBA team to play at Nationwide Arena alongside the Blue Jackets.  Just earlier this week, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman announced a tentative deal is in place to keep the Coyotes in Phoenix with a new ownership group.  Meanwhile, up north, it seems Minneapolis is getting their crap together in order to keep the Vikings in Minnesota.  Then there's the constant talk of Los Angeles getting an NFL team again (possibly 2!). In baseball it's no secret the Oakland Athletics don't want to play in that city much longer and in the NBA the Maloof/Sacramento Kings saga is just funny at this point.

IIHF World Championships - Team USA preliminary rounds update

After slaughtering France 7-2 in the first game on May 4th, Team USA showed up Saturday, May 5th and took down the country up north (Canada) in a 5-4 overtime victory.  It was an exciting game as it was tied 1-1 after the first and 2-2 after the second.  The third period is where it got interesting as both teams traded goals twice all within 10 minutes including Canada (and Blackhawks) defenseman Duncan Keith who tied it up with under 2 minutes to go to tie at 4-4.  However, during the final play, Canada forward John Tavares (Islanders) shot the puck into the stands from his own defensive zone for a delay of game of penalty in the final second.  This carried over into overtime where the American's power play has been super effective thus far.  Who scored?  None other than Captain America, Jack Johnson, #3, (of the Blue Jackets!) with his 3rd goal of the tournament.

Nothing better than seeing stunned Canadian faces in the crowd...

Boomer's Slam Dunk: Western Conference Semifinal Previews & More

Wrapping up the Western Conference First Round: I Love LA!

Saturday Night Live, in Hollywood last night where the LA Lakers overcame a very pesky Denver Nuggets team to win Game 7 in their First Round series, 96 to 87. Kobe and Co. seemed to be in control all night long, however, only led by six (48 to 42) at halftime. The Nuggets played a solid 3rd quarter to only trail by one (69 to 68). The Lakers made a surge in the 4th quarter and the Nuggets were unable to response and faded down the stretch. The Lakers received a season-high (19 pts.) from PG Steve Blake off the bench, and fresh off his 7-game suspension Metta World Peace chipped in with 15 points to spark the Lakers offensive attack. Pau Gasol after being a non-factor in Game 5 and 6, responded with 23 pts. and 17 rebounds in the decisive game of the series. The Lakers now turn their attention to the OKC Thunder, as that series starts Monday Night (9:30 TNT) in Oklahoma City.

Memphis Blues, for the Grizzlies that is. Mother's Day afternoon, the Memphis Grizzlies had the momentum and home fans rocking in the series deciding Game 7 vs. the LA Clippers. However, the Grizzlies shot poorly (33% FG) and did not make a single 3 pt. basket (0-13), and were bounced out of the playoffs by the Clippers, 82 to 72. It seemed like it was all for the Grizzlies heading into today's game, with winning the previous two games, but it was not meant to be for the Grizzlies, who upset the #1 seeded SA Spurs a season ago, in the first round of the Western Conference Playoffs. The Clippers did it down the stretch, and they did it with a unusual lineup. Going with mostly bench players in the 4th quarter, the Clippers got 23 of their 25 fourth quarter points by their bench, and outscored the Memphis bench overall, 41 to 11. Hats off to Coach Vinny Del Negro and the Clippers on getting a rare First Round Playoff series win. The Clippers now turn their attention to the next round, that starts up Tuesday Night (TNT 9:30) vs. the Spurs in San Antonio.

Boomer's Slam Dunk: Finishing the First Round & Previewing Eastern Conf. Semis

Well, "Rock" followers, I was really in hopes of being able to provide you all, with a complete Conference Semifinals Preview from each conference, but thanks a lot to the LA-based teams it will have to be a continuous post/update into the weekend. Right now, I guess I will let you in on how I see the two LA series ending and give you my take/predictions/preview on the two Eastern Conference Semifinals that start up this weekend.

The PLAYERS Tee Times and Phil's Honor

Here are the tee times and pairings for the first and second rounds of the PLAYERS Championship starting tomorrow morning.  The pairings are the same both days, just their tee times/locations change.  As you can see, some will start on hole 1 and some will start on hole 10 (as in most tournaments).  There are 144 total as a sick Fred Couples pulled out earlier this week.

McIlroy (left) is the favorite heading into the tournament but is there a rivalry on the verge with Fowler?!

I've highlighted the pairings to keep your eye on throughout the first couple of days.  The negative? Masters champion Bubba Watson is not participating because he'd like to spend more time with his family.  The positive? There are two pairings to follow VERY closely:

Boomer's Diamond Notes: Pujols, No-Hitters, Suspensions OH MY!

Jered Weaver's No-Hitter vs. the Twins 5/2/2012

Over the past week, some news worthy events happened in the game of baseball. First, last Wednesday night, Jered Weaver pitched a no-hitter against the Minnesota Twins, the 2nd already this season. This could be the turning point for the Angels season as things were not looking good for the Halo's up till then. Then on Sunday some more good news for the LA Angels, slugger Albert Pujols finally hit his first HR of the season after going homeless in his previous 139 at-bats (33 games) dating back to last season. All I can say is, "its about time". Lets see what those two events this past week does for the Angels (13-17) 6.5 games behind the first place Rangers in the AL West.



In other news, 19 year old phenom Bryce Harper has left a pretty good first impression with the Washington Nationals highlighted by this play on Sunday Night Baseball, HE'S GOING!!!

To wrap up the week we had a couple suspensions handed out to players. A 5-game (meaningless) suspension to Phillies pitcher Cole Hamels for hitting Bryce Harper, then talking about it after the game referring to being "old school" and "welcoming the kid to the big leagues". San Francisco Giants relief pitcher Guillermo Mota was suspended 100 games for testing positive on a drug test, the third baseball player penalized twice for a + test. Lastly, Yankees closer and all-time saves leader Mariano Rivera ended his 2012 season when he blew out his right knee shagging fly balls during Yankees battling practice. Yes, you read that right, shagging fly balls! A game day routine for the pitcher, but Com' On Man! A-Rod's reaction was priceless #blameitonlebron.

The Avengers Dream Team

With the Avengers having come out this past weekend to a record breaking 200+ million dollar extravaganza and the NBA Playoffs currently underway, it only made sense to put together the Avengers Dream Team.  Let me know what you think!

While all super strong physically, one hopes they can gel as a unit...

The PLAYERS

Widely considered the 5th major of the golf season, the Players Championship is coming up this weekend at TPC at Sawgrass.  This golf course is located in Ponte Vedre Beach, Florida and of course will be played Thursday, May 10 through Sunday, May 13.  This tournament offers the largest purse of any golf tournament and this year it will be a total of $9.5 million.  A total of 145 players will be playing this year including most of the world's top 50.  The list can be found here.

Thursday and Friday, coverage will be 1-7pm on the Golf Channel.  The Golf Channel will also be covering the tournament Saturday and Sunday from 12-2 before NBC takes over until 7pm each afternoon.

NHL Playoffs Week #5: That's my secret Caps, I'm always hungry

Out of the 4 remaining series, 1 is over, 1 is tied, and 2 are on the brink of ending.  We'll start with the first team to have moved on this weekend:  the Los Angeles Kings.

The LA Kings American goalie Jon Quick (what a perfect goalie name eh?)
It's safe to say this guy is the front runner for the Conn Smythe (Playoff MVP)

As a newly proclaimed bandwagon fan of the LA Kings, I will finally give this team the respect it deserves.  Since 1994, when the NHL adopted the current 8 seeded playoff format, no team has done what LA has done thus far.  As a #8 seed, the worst seed in the West, they have defeated the #1 and #2 seeded Vancouver Canucks and St. Louis Blues, respectively.  It's been in dominating fashion as well with a 4-1 series over the Canucks and a sweep yesterday afternoon in front of their own in the Staples Center.

The only negative?  By making the final four, the Columbus Blue Jackets first round pick will drop from 17th overall to the 27-30 range.  This makes it certain the CBJ will pass on this year's pick and take their chances next year for a better pick.  It's too bad because with the 2nd overall pick, a 17th pick would have looked really nice from this year's draft class.

I'll Have Another - "Maryland, here we come, baby!"

At 15-1 odds and in the 19th (of 20) posts, I'll Have Another pulled a stunning upset down the homestretch beating 4-1 favorite Bodemeister.  First time rider in the Kentucky Derby Mario Gutierrez was even more thrilled saying,

"Like all jockeys, we all dream that one day (we'd be fortunate enough to) be in the Kentucky Derby. At that time I was at Hastings Park and of course I had the dream, but I wasn't thinking it was going to be the next year."

Reddam Racing, the ownership group also chimed in on the jockey,

"I want to mention there was some karma today because it was Cinco de Mayo, right, and we rode the Mexican rider," Reddam quipped before describing why he tabbed Gutierrez. "I don't know if he won or not (when I saw him ride in California), but he really looked good in the irons to me. I said, 'We need to try some new blood.'"

Boomer's NBA Slam Dunk: Playoff Update

Lets check in and see how each series has started in the first week of the 2012 NBA Playoffs.

The 138th Kentucky Derby

THE RUN FOR THE ROSES

This Saturday, May 5th (Cinco de Mayo!) will be the Kentucky Derby on NBC at 6:23pm.  This annual event takes place each year at the historic Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky and is considered the "The Most Exciting Two Minutes in Sports" or "The Fastest Two Minutes in Sports" for its approximate duration.  Please check out our latest podcast here to get our feelings regarding this race!

Triple Overtimes, Puppies, and Captain America = I LOVE HOCKEY

NHL PLAYOFFS

The first 3 games of each series are in the books! This will lead to an exciting weekend of key games that will most likely determine each series.

Current Standings:

In the East:
Wednesday night was not a night to remember for DC fans at the Verizon Center.  In a 2-1 victory, the Rangers defeated the Capitals in DC in TRIPLE OVERTIME to take a 2-1 series lead.  Game winning goal scorer Marian Gaborik secured the win with only 5 minutes remaining.  This game started around 7:45 EST and didn't end til almost 12:30am.  In fact, the Predators Coyotes game that started after 9pm EST finished before this one did!  It was the 20th longest game in NHL history and the 3rd longest since the lockout in 2004-05.  It was the longest game the Rangers had played since 1971 and it was their goalies first ever overtime playoff victory.  Meanwhile the Caps fell to 0-4 all time in triple overtimes.  Not that it made fans in Washington feel any better but the Metro did stay open an extra hour so people could get home.

Rock Bottom Podcast #5: NFL Draft clean up, NHL and NBA playoffs, and the Kentucky Derby!

Five for Fighting!

We got a quick recap of last weekend's NFL draft, a heads up on who's left in the 2nd round of the NHL playoffs, an NBA playoff preview with 1st round winners, and, just for kicks (no pun intended), the Kentucky Derby!

Thanks to Blink 182 for the intro dialogue from their hilarious music video, First Date!

Family Guy rarely disappoints...

Gridiron Chaos: Ups and Downs in Football This Week

Too many valleys, not enough peaks!

It's been a rough week off the football field for professional and amateur athletes across the country.  After last week's NFL draft in which players realized their dreams, the follow up week has been anything short of glorious.  Below I have a laundry list of the bad and good with my thoughts...

The Bad:

Boomer's Wall of Fame Wednesday

Week 1 Inductee: Ken Griffey, Jr. (Player) & Jim "Jimmy V" Valvano (Coach)
Week 2 Inductee: Shaquille O'Neal (Player) & Pat Summitt (Coach)

Back again for another installment of "Boomer's Wall of Fame", to enshrine another athlete and coach.

First up, being enshrined into the player's section of the Wall of Fame....WR Jerry Rice.

                    Jerry Rice

Jerry Rice, was the closest to a favorite player of mine in the NFL growing up. I leaned towards the whole team (Browns/Cardinals), rather then an individual player, in regards to the game of football. Number 80, Jerry Rice was arguably the greatest wide receiver ever to play in the NFL, some would even go as far as saying "best" NFL Player ever. If you go solely on records, forget about the debate, you will find Jerry Rice at the top, of most of the major all-time receiver stats. Mr. Rice has the record of most touchdown's scored in the NFL (208), career receptions (1,549), and career receiving yards (22,895), numbers  that most people have said to be "untouchable". Rice also had one of the best work-ethics when it came to his craft of catching the football and he was a true "gym rat". Jerry Rice was also fortunate to play the major of his career with a pretty good franchise, the San Francisco 49ers. The 49ers also had one of the greatest Quarterback's of all-time to get Rice the football, Hall of Fame QB Joe Montana. During his time in the Bay Area, Rice was a part of  three Super Bowl Championships, including being named the Super Bowl MVP in Super Bowl XXIII. The 13x Pro Bowler, Rice also played for the Oakland Raiders and Seattle Seahawks at the end of his career. Jerry Rice was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2010, and will forever be one of my favorite wide receiver's to ever play the game of football. It is my pleasure to inducted Jerry Rice into the Boomer Wall of Fame.

Boomer's Diamond Notes: What to Expect in May

Early favorite to win NL MVP, Matt Kemp

Early favorite to win AL Cy Young Award, Yu Darvish

The first month of the 2012 MLB season is over, and as we jump into the best month of the year (May!), I offer up some early predictions and what to expect this first week in May. As you can see pictured above, Matt Kemp, CF, for the Los Angeles Dodgers is off to a hot-start already (.417 BA, 12 HR's and 25 RBI's), making him the front-runner so far for this years NL MVP award, which was stolen away from him last year by Brewers slugger Ryan Braun. If he can keep up this pace, which will be tough to do, and the Dodgers keep winning (currently leading the NL West by 3.5 games) Kemp won't have to worry about anyone stealing the award away from him this year. In the AL, the Texas Rangers newly acquired starting pitching from Japan, Yu Darvish is off to a 4-0 start with a 2.18 ERA and 33 K's. The Rangers are also scoring runs for him in bunches during his 5 starts (33 total runs). The question is will he be able to keep it up during the long season of the MLB and once teams have got a chance to see him more then once. Now lets turn to each division and check in on the Indians and Reds to see how they are doing.