The sports world has finished one of its more thrilling months with March Madness, but more in on the way. Summer is near, and with a long baseball season ahead of us and several rounds of the NBA playoffs, there will be much more excitement.
The NBA playoffs are now under way, following a special season that has featured brilliance (the Rockets’ historic 22-game win streak and all of the Western conference playoff teams finishing with 50-plus wins) and mediocrity (just three Eastern Conference playoff teams ending with 50-plus wins, and the sixth through eighth ranked playoff teams ending without winning records).
I predict the Lakers’ Kobe Bryant will win MVP. Bryant, who averages 28 points, five assists and six rebounds per game, led a young Lakers team to the best record (57-25) in an especially tough Western Conference and has learned to win by being unselfish instead of relying solely on himself. That said, I predict the Lakers will win it all.
Although the NBA season is nearing its end, baseball season has just begun. Boston Red Sox fans are rejoicing that the team is leading the majors in wins with 14, while the New York Yankees have struggled to maintain a winning record, holding a 10-10 record as of Monday.
The Sox have benefited from the strong play of perennial All-Star Manny Ramirez, who leads the American League in home runs (6) and RBIs (20). What is important to remember is early performances are just temporary and a player has to make sure his statistics don’t tail off drastically.
The 2008 Summer Olympics will be in August in Beijing. Beijing beat out Toronto, Paris, Istanbul; Turkey, and Osaka, Japan to host the summer games. The Houston Rockets’ own Yao Ming has stated he will not miss the Beijing games, though he was injured this season, as Rockets fans painfully know. In addition, the impending NFL and NBA drafts will keep things lively off the field
In conclusion, this summer will be fun for sports fans. As I pen my final column, I’ve realized my three years with Cougar sports were great, whether attending games, writing columns or slugging it out with fellow writers in Judge Dredd’s court. Although I’ve discovered writers often lost when it comes to Dredd’s decisions, I’ll miss it all. Peace.
