MVN - Most Valuable Network

Weekend’s Best - Apartheid? More like a party!

5. Sanctioned Beatings - When Floyd Mayweather turned to professional wrestling in search of a big pay day, there was a bit of concern about the state of the middleweight division. But after this weekend, two solid contenders have emerged. Three if the rumors of The Big Show cutting weight turn up true. Antonio Margarito devastated Kermit Cintron in a six-round fight. CompuBox numbers show Margarito landing 257 punches in the bout, which is high even for a match featuring a Muppet. His impressive performance clears the way for a high-profile match against the night’s other big winner.

Not to be outdone, Miguel Cotto took down Contender champion Alfonso Gomez in five destructive rounds. The final punch total showed Cotto landing three times as many punches. Of course, this probably could have been inferred from Gomez’s badly-battered face. After the fight Gomez said he wanted to continue, but “the doctor said I couldn’t see out of my right eye”. I’m no expert, but if you need a doctor to tell you that one of your eyes is swollen shut, you shouldn’t be standing in front of a man trying to punch you.

4. Seattle Ballers - It appears that the Sonics are on their way to Oklahoma, but at least they’re going out in style. Earl Watson’s near triple-double (21-8-10) kept the Sonics in reach of the Mavs, while Kevin Durant’s jumper and driving layup provided the late-game heroics. Dallas was victimized by a 10-0 run over the final 3 minutes which showcased their most glaring weakness: playing basketball.

Though their spot in the playoffs is already locked in, the Mavericks have lost two straight and end the regular season in New Orleans. Backing into the postseason has to affect their confidence. Likewise, Seattle’s win takes more ping pong balls out of the drum and hurts the team’s confidence going into the Beasley/Rose sweepstakes. I can’t decide which team is hurting more right now.

3. Scott Baker - With the news that Kansas coach Bill Self will not be returning to his alma mater, Oklahoma State fans are going to have to find another sports alum to hang their 10-gallon hats on. Oil tycoon Boone Pickens’ money was not enough to lure Self to Stillwater, and the constant threats to drink his milkshake probably didn’t help either. But cheer up, OSU fans. Scott Baker, the Twins righty, has won his first two starts and looks like he’s ready to become a major force in Minnesota’s rotation. In fact, I’ll be visiting Minnesota this weekend and may have an opportunity to see him pitch in person. And I won’t have to shell out a $6 million signing bonus.

2. Streak Busters - Faced with a nine game losing streak, the Nationals were dealt some good fortune when Atlanta’s Tom Glavine failed to record a single out. After his 16th pitch, Tommy G reached for his hamstring and was removed from the game. The Nats built a 5-0 lead that they held on to for the win. In typical Washington fashion, they tried to give the game back in the ninth, but Jon Rauch was able to induce a pop-up. As an aside, fans of the Nationals who plan on watching the rest of their season may want to induce vomiting.

Meanwhile, the Diamondbacks were riding an 8-game winning streak heading into their series against Colorado. The Rockies’ bats finally came to life with a 15-hit, 13-run barrage that brought Arizona’s run to a screeching halt. Statisticians were confused by the D-Back’s last year, as their run differential was indicative of a much worse record. But so far this year, they have the highest differential in the league and their record supports it. So take that, math.

1. (S)Trevor (B)Immelman - The South African has long been respected within golf circles, but with a win at The Masters on his resume, Immelman might become a household name. Or at the very least, he can stop lying on his resume. Though he found himself in constant trouble, Trevor was able to avoid disasters and minimize the damage, while the rest of the field was done in by windy conditions. The story going into the final round was Tiger Woods lurking within a few strokes of the lead. However, his streak of not coming from behind in majors remains intact and non-feline golfers are taking center stage for a change.

Immelman’s countryman Rory Sabatini didn’t make the cut, which makes his claim that Woods is beatable a little strange. But Cape Town’s Finest was more than willing to back up The Pride of Durban. Unity in Diversity!

This entry was posted on Sunday, April 13th, 2008 at 10:52 pm and is filed under Today's Best, Boxing, Golf, MLB, NBA. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.