The first weekend in April has always been my favorite time of the year.  Any sports fan has plenty to pay attention to.  Living in a true seasonal climate, it also means the end of snow and cold, as the mercury rises and the barometer falls.  Look at all that is happening in the upcoming week:

• Major League Baseball kicks off a new season this Sunday night.  Those few months we have no baseball just suck to me.  Anyone reading this is probably in a fantasy league and shares my sentiments.
• NCAA Final Four and Finals come to a dramatic end within the week.  It’s been a great season for college basketball and the entire country is engrossed in this years tournament.  There are four pretty good teams left, so it will be interesting to say how it plays out.
• NBA regular season ends April 15.  As a Cavs fan, I wished it ended sooner to ensure home court right through the finals.  There are still unclaimed playoff spots and a bunch of shuffling for seeds to take place, so the drama will captivate fans as the season winds down.
• NHL regular season ends April 12.  Same as basketball, many teams still have a chance to make the playoffs or improve their seeding with the few remaining games.
• The Masters starts next week.  Any casual golf fan will be curious to see if Tiger can keep the momentum from his victory last weekend.  This is always another one of those “Spring is officially here” events that is not hard to watch on a warm Sunday evening.
• Wrestlemania XXV is Sunday.  Maybe not technically a sport, but rather “sports entertainment” as Vince McMahon has called it.  Regardless of whether you like it or not, the PPV buy rate is astronomical every year and this year might even break some records.

Don’t forget the NFL draft is not far away either!  I just love April!

Sidney Crosby seems to have taken his latest loss in good humor.  At a recent Pittsburgh Penguins practice, Crosby was defeated by new Head Coach Dan Blysma in a mock shootout.  Crosby said the contest was fixed, but paid up on his bet, serving Gatorade to his teammates, in a graceful manner.  Crosby earned the nickname “Juice Boy“, and will probably be ribbed by his fellow Penguins for a very long time

Here Is A Look At Some Great Stuff From Sites of Friends:

Lebron James Flip Shot Is Jordanesque * Hoop Doctors
When Good College Mascots Go Bad * Rootzoo
John Calipari Headed To Kentucky? * FOX Sports
Tiger Woods Top 10 Tournament Winning Shots * Total Pro Sports
Romanian Soccer Ref Pulls A Gun On Fans * Sports Rubbish
Michael Jordan Challenges James Worthy To A One-On-One Game * NESW Sports
Where They Stand For 2009: Milwaukee Brewers * Sharapova’s Thigh
Kevin Garnett: What Me Worry? * Hardwood Houdini
Jay Cutler To The Bears? * Zoner Sports
Derek Jeter Comes Out Of The Closet * Gunaxin

Enjoy These Great Stories!

Something I have been wrapped up in for a few years is shooting pool in sanctioned APA leagues.  The APA has offered pool leagues for over 30 years nationally.  I enjoy playing both 8-Ball and 9-Ball and have been on some teams that have made it to playoffs, but have yet to be on a team to make it all the way to Las Vegas. 

I first became interested in shooting pool at a young age.  My father had a table in the house and liked to shoot.  A good friend, Dan Pagley, would come to the house frequently and we would play for hours.  Coincidentally, Dan and his wife Gina own Pagz, a bar I shoot with on Tuesday and Thursday.  Dan knows the game and would tell you he would rather coach than shoot some days. 

 When a session starts, a team of players assigned handicaps play against another team from a different sponsored establishment.  The leagues are fun and competitive and I would encourage anyone who likes to shoot pool to get on a team and get involved.  At the end of each session, a team mini-tournament known as Tri-Cup takes place.  You have to win a couple of matches at Tri-Cup for your team to advance to the next round.  Winners from the Tri-Cup tournaments face off to compete for a trip to Las Vegas with the APA picking up the tab for the flight and the hotel. 

I have several friends who have made it to Las Vegas to shoot at the APA championships.  I feel like a couple of the teams I am playing on can make it if everyone is having a good day and brings their A game.  I am a 5 handicap in both 8 and 9-Ball.  For some reason I seem to shoot much better when playing 9-Ball. 

So my Monday night ritual is to go to my home bar, The Bowery, and either settle in there or meet the rest of my team to travel to our competitive destination.  The matches vary in time, but usually friendliness overrides competitive punity and everyone has a nice night.  I do not drink alcohol, so if you think people join pool leagues as a reason to get torn up once a week, you are sadly mistaken.  I have seen a few heavy drinkers from time-to-time, but not coincidentally, the next time we play that very same team, the obnoxious member is gone.

Some of the rules in the APA are different than other leagues.  In 8-Ball, making the 8 on the break nets you a win.  In some leagues it is spotted and pocketed as a shooter’s last ball.  Lately, the rage issues have come over handicaps.  A team can not go over 23 total for handicap in a match.  So if someone has a decent session and gets hiked to a 6 handicap, on a night that player shoots, there are only 17 more handicap rating points to use.  A team that wins will have trouble staying together long for this reason. 

Bernie Pavlok is my local APA representative.  He and his wife, Nohaud, are fair and in contact with most players.  They have always been cordial and accessible to all members of my league. 

There are not many things you can do for $7 a week that are much fun in today’s smashed-up economy.  I would encourage you to try and shoot pool.  If you win, you advance and reap the benefits, if you lose, it’s back to the drawing board for next session.

Pop into the local Papa’s Sports Club in your neighborhood and see what you have been missing!

Promoting his new movie, 12 Rounds, and Wrestlemania XXV, John Cena made an appearance on Jimmy Fallon’s new late night show.  His first legit movie, The Marine, did well in sales and WWE Films is hoping that 12 Rounds will do as well if not better. 

Fallon uses Cena wisely in these little skits.  Wardrobe must be hurting for dough as Cena is wearing the same shirt in all of the phony film trailers. 

Look for a bunch of WWE Superstars to be all over television this week to hype up the 25th edition of Wrestlemania which is this coming Sunday.

Remember years ago when people saw the Gatorade coolers on the sidelines of every major sporting event? Vitamin Water has taken over those sidelines for a hefty price I’m sure.  I did notice while watching a few Elite Eight games that the Vitamin Water coolers were behind the bench of each team.  The neat part was that when CBS switched to a different game, the coolers were a different color.  Great marketing but dumb at the same time.  If Vitamin Water really had their act together, they would have coordinated the coolers to match the team colors.

Personally, I do not like the way the stuff tastes.  It is like Kool-Aid without sugar and just tastes bland.  Gatorade still is better tasting than Vitamin Water.

Here are some stories from other great sites!

In Like A Lamb, Out Like A Tiger * Josh Q. Public
Blake Griffin Is Too Cool For School * Total Pro Sports
The Final Four: Who Will Win It All? * Sports2Debate
Minor League Baseball Team Offers “Gassy” Promotion * Zoner Sports
Examining The Indians Competition: Minnesota Twins * Sharapova’s Thigh
Lebron James Pregame Homerun Video, What’s Next Shaq? * NESW Sports
Why Jamie Dixon Won’t Leave Pitt * PSAMP
Indians Send Trevor Crowe Packing * Deep Left Field
The 10 Ugliest Uniforms of The 1970’s * Fantasy Pros 911
Andrew McCutchen Sent To The Minors * BUCCO Fans

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Few things in life gave me more pleasure than listening to Harry Carey sing Take Me Out To The Ballgame.  WGN was pretty much a cable staple in the 1980’s, so I watched more than my share of Cubs games.  Carey would start yelling and slobbering in the middle of the seventh as several video shots of the crowd are panned through the air.  The Chicago people went nuts everytime I ever watched, singing along with Harry.

To analyze a bit, being taken out to the ballgame is going to require a stop at the nearest ATM machine.  Parking around most stadiums usually runs between $15-$20.  Tickets, depending on a seating preference, are widely varied.  $35 is a fair average for a ticket before all of those taxes and fees make it a $45 expense.  So if a man takes his wife out to the ballgame, he is looking at a $100 bill before he can even watch batting practice.

Buy me some peanuts and Cracker Jacks…  a few bucks for these snacks.  Figure on a hot dog and a couple of beers each.  Another $35, easily pitched away.  Food and beverage prices at live sporting events is totally outrageous.  The markup is usually about three times of what a decent restaurant would charge. 

Root Root Root for the home team…  as the owners count up what we are throwing at them.  Don’t forget that the average commute to a major league stadium is about 45 minutes.  Gas is definitely not cheap.  Figure on using at least three-quarters of a tank to get there and back.

Now comes the worst part.  Major League Baseball can’t seem to decode the secret combination.  If you have a couple of kids with the wife, it turns into about a $300 day.  Airfare from Youngstown to Florida is cheaper.  The stadiums that draw sellouts could care less.  The small market teams who draw an average of 20,000 could do a better job marketing packages for families.  So you sell four seats for $10 apiece.  Wouldn’t that make more sense than seeing the bright paint of all those empty upper deck seats?

So, if you are planning to go to a game this season, plan on spending some serious cash, or its One! Two! Three! $trikes You’re Out At The Old Ball Game!

The Cleveland Cavaliers took another big step toward a number one seed in the Eastern Conference against Dallas Sunday.  The Cavs used a balanced scoring attack to blow Dallas out 102-74.  The most impressive part of this victory was the teamwork again displayed by the Cavs who are playing like one big happy family.  With just nine regular season games left, the Cavs seem to have a firm grip on home court advantage throughout the playoffs. 

The reason why it is essential for the Cavs to finish ahead of Boston in the East is because both teams are nearly unbeatable at home.  They share 35-1 home records.  The Cavs are also a couple of games in front of Kobe and his LA Lakers.  That could weigh huge if Cleveland can get to the finals.  Tuesday, Cleveland hosts Detroit in a possible preview of a first-round playoff matchup.

Kevin Garnett sat out again as his knee is acting up again, and that is bad news for Celtics fans.  Garnett needs to be 100% for Boston to have any shot at all with Cleveland.  Whichever team ends up with the home advantage will be the team likely to advance.

Fresh off of a 60 Minutes interview, Lebron James is in the national spotlight more than ever.  Senior citizens who do not follow sports got an inside look at the force driving The Cleveland Cavaliers, and The NBA for that matter.  Look for Lebron to have a huge game Tuesday against The Pistons.  I’m calling it here and now, a triple-double with at least 40 points.

Great Stories From Other Great Sites!

Who Is The 2009 MLB Sleeper Team? * Sports2Debate
Rudy Fernandez Scores 5 Points in 3 Seconds * The Hoop Doctors
Larry Bird 1985 Ford Escort Commercial * NESW Sports
Blue Jackets Goalie Steve Mason: Rookie Sensation * Josh Q. Public
Looks Like Billy Donovan May Be Kentucky Bound * Midwest Sports Fans
Greatest Dunks Compilation * A Stern Warning
Kobe Bryant And Wife Deny Maid Allegations * Moon Dog Sports
Scott Lewis Gets Drilled After Being Named Starter * Tribe Daily
Mad Love: Lebron And The Cavs * The Love Of Sports
Lebron James Hits Miracle Shot For Upcoming 60 Minutes Piece * Ball Don’t Lie
The Rocket That Fell To Earth: Q & A With Jeff Pearlman * Hugging Harold Reynolds

Enjoy These Great Stories!