MLB All-Star Voting

MLB All-Star voting ends on Thursday night. So if you haven't voted 25 times yet, be sure to vote at MLB.com. The players I voted for are below.

In World Cup news, the fourth South American team to advance to the quarterfinals did so earlier today with Paraguay defeating Japan in penalty kicks 5-3 after a scoreless 120 minutes of regulation soccer.

2010 NBA Draft

FIRST ROUND

1. Washington Wizards: John Wall (PG) Kentucky
2. Philadelphia 76ers: Evan Turner (SG) Ohio State
3. New Jersey Nets: Derrick Favors (PF) Georgia Tech
4. Minnesota Timberwolves: Wesley Johnson (SF) Syracuse
5. Sacramento Kings: DeMarcus Cousins (C) Kentucky
6. Golden State Warriors: Ekpe Udoh (PF) Baylor
7. Detroit Pistons: Greg Monroe (PF) Georgetown
8. Los Angeles Clippers: Al-Farouq Aminu (SF) Wake Forest
9. Utah Jazz: Gordon Hayward (SF) Butler
10. Indiana Pacers: Paul George (SF) Fresno State
11. New Orleans Hornets*: Cole Aldrich (C) Kansas
12. Memphis Grizzlies: Xavier Henry (SG) Kansas
13. Toronto Raptors: Ed Davis (PF) North Carolina
14. Houston Rockets: Patrick Patterson (PF) Kentucky
15. Milwaukee Bucks: Larry Sanders (PF) VCU
16. Minnesota Timberwolves♣: Luke Babbit (SF) Nevada
17. Chicago Bulls♠: Kevin Seraphin (PF) France
18. Oklahoma City Thunder♦: Eric Bledsoe (PG) Kentucky
19. Boston Celtics: Avery Bradley (SG) Texas
20. San Antonio Spurs: James Anderson (SG) Oklahoma State
21. Oklahoma City Thunder^: Craig Brackins (PF) Iowa State
22. Portland Trailblazers: Elliot Willaims (SG) Memphis
23. Minnesota Timberwolves♠: Trevor Booker (PF) Clemson
24. Atlanta Hawks◘: Damion James (SF) Texas
25. Memphis Grizzlies◙: Dominique Jones (SG) South Florida
26. Oklahoma City Thunder^: Quincy Pondexter (SF) Washington
27. New Jersey Nets♪: Jordan Crawford (SG) Xavier
28. Memphis Grizzlies: Greivis Vasquez (SG) Maryland
29. Orlando Magic: Daniel Orton (C) Kentucky
30. Washington Wizards♫: Lazar Hayward (SF) Marquette

*traded to Thunder
^traded to Hornets
♦traded to Clippers
♣traded to Blazers with Ryan Gomes for Martell Webster
♠traded to Wizards
◘traded to Nets
◙traded to Mavericks
♪traded to Hawks
♫traded to Timberwolves

Also, other NBA transaction today:
Bulls trade Kirk Hinrich to Wizards for future second round pick.

US Advances to Round of 16

Simply amazing. Three minutes away from elimination from this year's World Cup, Landon Donovan scores in the 91st minute to give the US a 1-0 win over Algeria, and 5 points to top Group C. With England's 1-0 win over Slovenia, the United States needed the full three points today, and after having a Clint Dempsey goal disallowed, another Dempsey shot hit the post, and Jozy Altidore miss an open-net shot, the Americans finally broke through with Donovan's rebound off the goalie during stoppage time. "This team embodies what the American spirit is about," Donovan said. "We had a goal disallowed the other night. We had another good goal disallowed tonight. But we just keep going. And I think that's what people admire so much about Americans. And I'm damn proud." The U.S. will play Ghana in the Round of 16 Saturday afternoon at 1:30 PM CT on ABC.

In other spectacular sports news today, the longest tennis match in history was played today, and will continue tomorrow. At Wimbledon, John Isner and Nicolas Mahut started today's play in the fifth and final set after playing the first four sets yesterday. What happened next was seven hours in a single set, with the score 59-59 before play was suspended due to darkness. Records shattered include longest ever match time (will surpass 10 hours tomorrow), most games in a set (118 currently), and most aces in a match (98 for Isner, 95 for Mahut, previous record was 78).

Graeme McDowell Wins U.S. Open

In a final round of a major golf championship, it seemed like nobody wanted to step forward and capture the title. With Pebble Beach's golf course playing extremely difficult on Sunday, Northern Ireland's Graeme McDowell emerged as the winner, shooting a final round 3-over 74 to finish at even par for the week, one shot ahead of France's Gregory Havret, who finished at +1. Ernie Els finished in third at +2, while Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson tied for fourth at +3. 54-hole leader Dustin Johnson completely collapsed, shooting a final round +11. McDowell, who only had one birdie in the final round, moved up to #13 in the world rankings and became the first European to win the U.S. Open in 40 years. It was also his first career PGA Tour win. "I can't believe I'm standing with this right now," McDowell said, posing with silver trophy. "It's a dream come true. I've been dreaming it all my life. Two putts to win the U.S. Open. Can't believe it happened."

Sweet Repeat

In one of the ugliest offensive Game 7’s of all time, the two most storied franchises in NBA history put it all on the line for the championship.

What resulted was a nail-biter from start to finish which resulted in the Los Angeles Lakers repeating as NBA Champions, and defeating their bitter rivals, the Boston Celtics 83-79 in Game 7 at Staples Center to win their 16th title.

In a game and series dominated by amazing defense, both teams struggled mightily from the field for most of the game. Finals MVP Kobe Bryant had 23 points, but shot just 6 of 24 from the field, allowing Boston to open up a 13-point lead midway through the third quarter.

But with timely contributions from Ron Artest, who had 20 points, and Pau Gasol, who had 19 points and 18 big rebounds, the Lakers took the lead in the fourth quarter, and never gave it up.

The championship is the fifth for Bryant and fellow guard Derek Fisher, as well the 11th for coach Phil Jackson.

"This one is by far the sweetest, because it's them," Bryant said after the Lakers beat Boston for the first time in a Game 7. "This was the hardest one by far. I wanted it so bad, and sometimes when you want it so bad, it slips away from you. My guys picked me up."

The win is only the third time in 12 tries the Lakers have defeated the Celtics in the championship round, but moves Los Angeles to within one of Boston’s record 17 titles.

“It’s very sweet,” said Gasol, who was huge in the fourth quarter. “It feels amazing to win a championship. It adds up when you beat Boston, especially with the history, the rivalry. With our personal history, 2008, it feels even better. If I could get a genie and get a wish, this would be my wish.”

Paul Pierce had 18 points for the Celtics, but a great run through the playoffs, which included shocking upsets of the Cavaliers and Magic, came to an end one win short of the final prize. Ultimately, the length of the Lakers was too much for the Celtics, who were playing without starting center Kendrick Perkins, who was injured in Game 6. LA ended up out rebounding Boston 53-40, a key stat considering the rebounding winner won every game in the series.

"We had an opportunity to win, but it just didn't go our way down the stretch,” said guard Ray Allen, who struggled mightily to shoot in Games 3-7 after his record-breaking eight three-pointers in Game 2. “I don't think we ran out of steam. Lady Luck just didn't bounce in our corner.”

Blackhawks Win Stanley Cup

In a bizarre finish, Chicago Blackhawks' star Patrick Kane scored the championship-clinching overtime winner, and only he knew it.

"I knew it went in right away," Kane said. "What a feeling. I can't believe it. We just won the Stanley Cup. I can't believe this just happened. ... It's something you dream about, scoring the final goal in the Stanley Cup finals."

Kane scored in just the fifth minute of sudden-death overtime, and after a brief review, the Blackhawks had defeated the Flyers 4-3 in Game 6 to clinch their first Stanley Cup since 1961.

Captain Jonathan Toews, who also earned the Conn Smythe Trophy as MVP of the playoffs, became the second-youngest ever to captain a Cup winning team at age 22. "There's so many great things about winning a Stanley Cup. This is it," Toews said. "This is the best feeling you can ever get. I just can't believe it's happened."

For Philadelphia, which didn't clinch a playoff berth until the final game of the season, a great postseason, which included coming back from 3-0 series deficit against Boston, came to an end to a more talented team. "In the long run, everybody should be proud with what we did this year," Flyers forward Jeff Carter said. "We overcame a lot of adversity. The guys should be proud of what we accomplished."

Nadal Wins French Open

Order has been restored in Paris. Rafael Nadal, the King of Clay, won his fifth French Open title today, 6-4, 6-2, 6-4 over Robin Soderling, who had beat #1 Roger Federer earlier in the tournament, at Roland Garros. With the win, Nadal also recaptured the overall #1 ranking in the world, while putting a difficult 2009 behind him. At last year's French Open, Nadal was upset by Soderling, opening the door for Roger Federer to capture his first French and the #1 rating in the world. Nadal then had to deal with knee tendonitis which plagued him for the rest of the season and forced his withdrawal from Wimbldeon. "It's the most emotional day in my career," Nadal told the crowd in French during the trophy ceremony.

2010 NBA Finals Preview: Celtics vs. Lakers

Conspiracy theories aside, the NBA Finals feature the two most storied franchises in NBA history, with the Celtics having 17 championships to the Lakers 15. Here are position battles for the series.

Point Guards: Rajon Rondo vs. Derek Fisher

Two years ago, Fisher had the edge, but now it's definitely with Rondo, who has developed into a premier point guard in the league. He is the unquestioned leader of the Boston attack, and must play well to guide the Celtics to victories in the series. Fisher, meanwhile, has played well, given his age, knocking down some big jump shots in the West Final against Phoenix as well as playing good defense against Steve Nash.
Edge: Celtics

Shooting Guards: Ray Allen vs. Kobe Bryant

Ray Allen has found his shooting touch again in the playoffs, and is hitting on 42.3% of his three-point shots this postseason. Always dangerous running off screens, Allen has also taken the ball off the dribble more, especially against the Magic, and has been successful at doing so. Meanwhile, Kobe Bryant, what can I say? Kobe (or Michael as Suns' coach Alvin Gentry called him) is playing unbelievable basketball right now, as he is hitting highly contested long range jump shots like they were layups. He has taken over games down the stretch for the Lakers, and for Boston to win the series, he must be slowed down through double teams.

Edge: Lakers

Small Forwards: Paul Pierce vs. Ron Artest

Pierce has once again been the scoring leader for the Celtics, and after battling through an injury-plagued regular season, is also at the top of his game for the playoffs. He is averaging a team-high 19.1 PPG and is Mr. Clutch for Boston and will have to be big if the game is close down the stretch. Meanwhile, Ron Artest has struggled to fit in the triangle offense this year, but has played better in the playoffs. His shot is hit or miss, so the bigger impact he will have on series is his defense on Paul Pierce. Artest, although not the defender he used to be, is still solid, and has played well against the likes of Kevin Durant and Jason Richardson this postseason.

Edge: Celtics

Power Forwards: Kevin Garnett vs. Pau Gasol

Two years ago, this matchup would have gone the other way, but not this year. Kevin Garnett has clearly aged a lot over the last couple years, but is still a solid starting power forward in the league, with the ability to impact a game enormously on both ends of the court. While his defense has tapered off along with some of his inside post game, Garnett has been rebounding the ball well, something that Boston needs him to do to prevent second-chance baskets for the Lakers. Meanwhile, Pau Gasol has made big strides since the '08 Finals, and is a much stronger low-post defender, while still retaining his tremendous footwork and offensive skills. As Kobe's #2, Gasol needs to play well for the Lakers to repeat as champions.

Edge: Lakers

Centers: Kendrick Perkins vs. Andrew Bynum

Kendrick Perkins has been solid when he's been in the game (and out of foul trouble) as a good defender and rebounder. He brings toughness to the Boston frontline and must have a strong series to keep the Laker 7-footers Gasol and Bynum at bay. Andrew Bynum, though banged up, will still play in series. He has made great strides as an above average center this year, but we'll see how effective he can be on the biggest stage while hurt.

Slight Edge: Celtics

Sixth Men: Glenn Davis vs. Lamar Odom

Big Baby Davis has been Boston's sixth man, and played well against the Cavaliers and the Magic with good defense and timely shots off the bench. Lamar Odom, always the ultimate X-Factor for L.A. has been inconsistent once again in the playoffs, and needs to provide a spark off the bench for the Lakers to win.

Edge: Celtics

Coaches: Doc Rivers vs. Phil Jackson

Doc Rivers has done a great job with this team, getting them ready to play every game, in upsetting the #1 and #2 seeds in the East to reach the Final. He thoroughly out coached Phil Jackson in 2008, and is looking for his second championship. Phil Jackson is going for ring #11 as a coach and is a hall of famer. His Lakers have done well in responding to adversity these playoffs. Of course, it helps to have that #24 guy too.

Edge: Even

The Keys

It comes down to the role players for the Lakers stepping up. Kobe is playing unbelivable basketball right now and is practical unguardable when he's playing like this. When Boston double teams and makes someone else on L.A. beat them, other players, namely Gasol, Fisher, and Odom need to make plays. For the Celtics, in addition to staying healthy, their interior players of Perkins, Davis, and Rasheed Wallace must match the Laker bigs in production by rebounding effectively, and playing good defense.

My prediction: With Kobe playing this well, it might seem crazy to pick against the Lakers. But, I will anyway, because of Boston's superior depth off the bench. win series in seven games, 4-3

Last round’s record: 1-1

Playoff record: 9-5