With My 32nd Birthday Approaching...

...I thought I'd have at it creating a list of who I consider to be the best player to wear the number 32 in sports--MLB, NASCAR, NHL, NFL and NBA--I'm going to pick one from each sports in honor of my 32nd birthday.

"Lefty" was straight nasty with the 32 on his back

MLB

STEVE CARLTON. The lefty won four Cy Young Awards with the Phillies, amassed 4,136 strikeouts, was a member of two World Series champions and racked up 329 career wins. Needless to say, he's enshrined in Cooperstown. The number 32 has been widely used in baseball as a pitchers' number until recently (Josh Hamilton, Jay Bruce). The likes of Roy Halladay, "El Presidente" Dennis Martinez, Sandy Koufax have also donned thirty-two on their back.

NASCAR

RICKY CRAVEN. How can I not go with the man who has the only two wins from the #32 car in NASCAR history? The #32 has raced 715 times and won only twice--both Craven.  Ricky Craven, currently an ESPN analyst, piled up over $9.5 million in career earnings. Way back when, in the late-70's, Dick Brooks was the man behind the wheel of the #32 car. Though Brooks never won in the #32, he placed Top 5 eighteen times. Ricky Craven, not Ricky Bobby

NHL

CLAUDE LEMIEUX. This was a tough one for so many reasons but Lemieux found the back of the net 379 times during his 21-year NHL career. He also registered 407 assists and 1,777 penalty minutes. "The Grim Reaper" Stu Grimson was my next pick followed by Dale Hunter but Lemieux won out. He won four Stanley Cup championships and a Conn Smythe Trophy. His 80 career playoff goals are ninth all-time in NHL history.

NFL

JIM BROWN. Gotta go with him, right? Sure, Orenthal James (OJ) Simpson was a hell of a player but in nine seasons, Brown ran for 12,312 yards and 106 touchdowns. OJ wasn't far off, rushing for 11,236 yards but only 61 touchdowns (in 11 seasons). Then he went out and killed some people, got acquitted, then proceeded to rip some people off and then I lost interest. Brown made the Pro Bowl in all nine of his seasons and led the league in rushing eight times. Marcus Allen was considered for the mere fact that he couldn't be tackled in Tecmo Bowl for Nintendo. Guys wearing #32 now include RB Maurice Jones-Drew and FS Devin McCourty.

NBA

ERVIN "MAGIC" JOHNSON. It could have gone to Julius Erving had he not switched to the #6 late in his career, but Magic was just that. Dude won five NBA Championships with the Lakers  A three-time NBA MVP and three-time NBA Finals MVP, Johnson is the best ever to wear #32. He was as well-rounded a player as the game has ever seen. He scored, he rebounded and he dished out dimes (19.5 PPG, 7.2 RPG and 11.2 APG). His assist number place him atop the NBA's all-time assists-per-game list ahead of John Stockton (10.51) and Chris Paul (9.82).

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Just thought I'd throw this one together to celebrate my 32nd birthday. Have a great night--here in Connecticut, it's been raining all day and it doesn't look like it's going to stop anytime soon. 

Happy Mother's Day

Just wanted to get a quick something out to wish my wife, my mother and my mother-in-law a Happy Mother's Day!

Also, Happy Mother's Day to all the great mother's out there, because there are tons.

There are also tons like this Missouri mom and this St. Louis woman. They aren't fit to take care of themselves let alone a child.

Happy Mother's Day!

MLB: Early Season Surprises

With the MLB season just over 30 games in, some things remain the same.

Miguel Cabrera is hitting a robust .381 to go along with an MLB-high 37 RBI. The Houston Astros are as abysmal as expected in their first year in the American League with a 10-24 record and an MLB-worst -72 run differential.

"Big Game" James Shields has the Royals in the hunt early on

There are, however, some nice surprises in the early going.

• New York Mets catcher John Buck already has 10 HR's, good for second in the NL. He's halfway to his career-high total of 20, set in 2010 during his only season in Toronto. Fellow Met, RHP Matt Harvey is also off to a blistering start. He's 4-0 with a miniscule 1.28 ERA, .69 WHIP and .133 BAA. He's also fanned 58 batters in 49.1 IP.
• Somehow, the Mets are 9.5 games back of the Braves
• The big-budget, high-profile Los Angeles Angels are just 11-22 and 9.5 games back of the AL West-leading Texas Rangers. Josh Hamilton (.203, 2 HR) and Albert Pujols (.240, 5 HR) have gone bust while Mike Trout remains a legit star in the game.
• The Angels have the third-worst ERA in baseball (4.65)
• Seton Hall's own RHP Jason Grilli has 13 saves for the Pittsburgh Pirates, bringing his career saves total to 18.
• Pittsburgh has allowed the second fewest hits in baseball (240)
• The new-look Kansas City Royals are just a game behind the AL Central-leading Tigers thanks to 3.33 ERA. James Shields (2-2, 2.52 ERA), Ervin Santana (3-1, 2.36 ERA) and Jeremy Guthrie (4-0, 2.40 ERA) have anchored the staff.
• KC is 17-13 with a +14 run differential
• Atlanta Braves OF Justin Upton has found his power stroke once again, leading the league in HR's with 12. It's too bad B.J. Upton is batting only .153 with 3 HR and 5 RBI.
• The Braves are in first-place in the NL East

All these numbers have my head spinning. Time for some R&R. And maybe a ballgame.

Boston Strong

Boston Strong

I am a New Yorker through and through. More importantly, I’m an American. My  heart goes out to all those affected by whatever sick person committed such a cowardly act.

In the wake of the tragedy that occurred at the Boston Marathon on Monday afternoon, I want to take some time to reflect on my limited experience as a runner as well as my time spent in Boston.

I hate to run but that hasn’t stopped me from participating in several running events over the course of the last several years. I ran a 5K road race through Central Park a few years back in December and actually did pretty well. I ran a 5K in Manchester, CT this past September to support cerebral palsy and finished 102nd out of 214 racers–I did so with Nolan in tow as I pushed him in the stroller the entire way. Modest results but results nonetheless. My wife on the other hand, she not only competed in those races as well but she completed a half-marathon in Rhinebeck, NY last September in 1 hour, 55 minutes. I would have keeled over after 55 minutes. She also did a Shape Diva Dash and most recently a Fit-Athalon at Rentschler Field in East Hartford. I think I can speak for her as well when I say there was never any fear of something devastating happening upon completion of said races. Finishing a race of any kind gives people a sense of pride, a sense of accomplishment, a sense of joy. For me, it’s more like a sense of relief.

Then there was the 2013 Boston Marathon. Words cannot describe the scene that unfolded at the finish line and I will spare you my opinion. It’s mind-numbing, to say the least. On Patriot’s Day, a day that many Bostonians and Massachusites have off in remembrance of the battles of Concord and Lexington way back in 1775–two battles that were the first ones fought in the American Revolutionary War.

As for my time spent in Boston, let’s just say it’s a hell of a city. I’ve been there with my wife for a weekend away as well as for Red Sox games, even though I’m a Yankees fan. The sense of pride the people of Boston feel towards their city and their hometown Red Sox is unparalleled in America. Everywhere you look, everywhere you turn, there’s Red Sox hats, Red Sox t-shirts, Red Sox jerseys. And while all this was going on, the actual Boston Red Sox were boarding a bus en route to Cleveland, not knowing what had just transpired.

Sport generally offers a getaway from the craziness that is the world we live in–it offers people a place to go to take their mind off things for three hours and enjoy talking to complete strangers about their views on sports and otherwise. Red Sox designated hitterJonny Gomes said it well, “There are some people having surgery today to save lives. At the same time (baseball) is something we can do to get people’s minds off things and, you know, hopefully, grab a breath of fresh air.” The Red Sox may not have known exactly what was happening, but they got a sense that something was awry when their police escort to the airport left the caravan.

Had the Red Sox been in town for a series following their Patriot's Day game at Fenway Park, there’s no doubt they would have helped out the best they could.

The Red Sox took the field in Cleveland with heavy hearts last night and got a win–for themselves and for the city of Boston.

President Obama said it best, perhaps, “Boston is a tough and resilient town. So are its people. I’m supremely confident that Bostonians will pull together, take care of each other, and move forward as one proud city. And as they do, the American people will be with them every single step of the way.”

My wife and I stay on Boylston Street when we go to Boston and have passed the finish line several times–albeit not on race day. It’s a lively street around the block from the world-famous Newbury Street with lots to do and tons of people walking around, sightseeing, eating, drinking and just enjoying themselves.

Will what happened on April 15 change the way Boston and it’s visitors live their lives? Absolutely. But my hope is that regardless of what type of world we live in, people will refuse to live in fear. Life is precious and should never be taken for granted, and for that reason alone, we should all live it to the fullest.

America is with you Boston. Believe it. And based on the note left in the Red Sox dugout during last night’s game, I’d say it’s pretty evident.

2013 NCAA Tournament: Sweet Sixteen - Midwest and West Regions

LaSalle's Tyrone Garland and teammates celebrate a big win

The rounds of 64 and 32 have come and gone and we're left with the "top" 16 teams in men's college basketball to duke it out for the 2013 National Championship.

Brackets across the country blew up thanks to Cinderella, who is played by Florida Gulf Coast University this year. That being said, I still have 10 of the 16 teams remaining in my bracket. FGCU was not one of them but I'll get into them Wednesday.

Midwest Region
#1 Louisville vs. #12 Oregon - The 'Ville is the overall number one seed and had little trouble getting to the Sweet 16, knocking off #16 North Carolina A&T and #8 Colorado State by 31 and 26, respectively. Oregon, the Pac-12 Tournament champion defeated #5 Oklahoma State by 13 before crushing #4 Saint Louis by 17. It'll be a tall order for the Ducks to reach the Elite Eight, but they've got a fighter's chance. I had Saint Louis, so I've got one of two in this match-up.

#2 Duke vs. #3 Michigan State - This played out exactly how the selection committee had planned--two Hall of Fame coaches pitted against one another. Duke beat #15 Albany by 12 in a game that wasn't that close before disposing of #8 Creighton 66-50. The Spartans took care of pesky #14 Valparaiso by 11 and not so pesky #6 Memphis by 22. I had both these winners through to the round of 16.

Overall, the Midwest Region was rather kind to me. Saint Louis, #9 Missouri and #11 Saint Mary's were my only casualties.

West Region
#9 Wichita State vs. #13 LaSalle - Not many saw this match-up in the Sweet Sixteen. The Shockers took down #8 Pittsburgh in the second round before knocking out #1 Gonzaga. People were saying all along Gonzaga wasn't worthy of a 1-seed and they proved everyone right, but you can't argue with what they did this year. LaSalle is 3-0 in the tournament thanks to a nine-point play-in game win over #13 Boise State and a pair of two point wins over #4 Kansas State and #12 Mississippi. I was especially glad to see them take care of Marshall Henderson and Ole Miss. Experts have been praising this kid--he was 14-42 shooting in their two tourney games. They're the only remaining Atlantic 10 team and I like them to move on to the Elite Eight. I had neither of these teams, in fact I had Gonzaga and #5 Wisconsin, who killed me by shooting just over 25% in their opening round loss to Ole Miss. Oh for two but well worth it. Thanks Tyrone Garland for the game-winner.

#2 Ohio State vs. #6 Arizona - The Buckeyes have a pretty sweet path to Atlanta if they can get past Arizona. They crushed #15 Iona 95-70 and snuck by #10 Iowa State thanks to a buzzer-beating three-pointer by point guard Aaron Craft. The Wildcats are flying under the radar but have beaten two solid teams en route to the Sweet Sixteen--#11 Belmont and #14 Harvard, who shocked the world by taking down #3 New Mexico, a team many thought would take this region by storm. I did have Ohio State playing but had them facing off with Wisconsin. As a matter of fact, I only had three winners overall in the West Region--Gonzaga's first win and the Buckeyes two wins. I'm an East Coast guy, what can I say?

It has been madness just as expected.