South Carolina Wins 2nd Straight Baseball Championship

It's been a magical season for the South Carolina Gamecocks.  The Gamecocks entered the season as the defending national champions and played like it once the NCAA Tournament began.  As the night began, a SEC rival was the only obstable between South Carolina and their second straight baseball national championship.  Karsten Whitson, Florida's starting pitcher, shut down the first six Gamecock batters before he began to struggle.  Peter Mooney's double to lead off the bottom of the third would be the first Gamecock hit of the game.  Mooney would advance to third on Michael Beary's sacrifice and later score on Scott Wingo's flyout to right. Evan Marzilli, who walked to reach base, would score the second run of the game off Gator Nolan Fontana's error. Brady Thomas' RBI single would drive in Milton Bradley Jr. to put their team up 3-0 heading to the fourth.  The Gators would respond in the top of the fourth with a Mike Zunino lead-off homer to put Florida on the board.  The score wouldn't change until the bottom of the sixth when Mooney led off the inning with a homer to right.  On Twitter, ESPN sideline reporter Jenn Brown described the homer as "a huge bomb" to extend the South Carolina lead to 4-1.  Josh Adams' two-out RBI single in the top of the eighth allowed Zunino to score his second run of the night as the Gators finished off the night with only two runs.    The Gamecocks responded with an insurance run in the bottom of the inning as Wingo had his second RBI of the night.  Gamecock closer Matt Price closed out South Carolina's sweep of the Gators with 1 1/3 innings pitched and a strikeout for his school's second Baseball National Championship.  Gamecock Starting Pitcher Michael Roth won his 14th game of the year and Price ended the year with 20 saves.  They finished the year's tournament undefeated at 10-0 and set the most consecutive NCAA Baseball Tournament wins (16) and College World Series wins (11) going back to last season.  They also became the sixth Division 1 Baseball program to win back-to-back national championships.  South Carolina should be the favorites heading to next season because they are the two-time defending champs.  This night goes to the people of South Carolina.

Amateur Cantlay Doing Great Things for the Game of Golf

Not many people have accomplished as much as UCLA Sophomore Patrick Cantlay has done since the summer began.  He won the 2011 NCAA Golf Championship individually and led his Bruin teammates to a #1 seeding in the Match Championship before falling to the Duke Blue Devils in the quarterfinals.  His freshman year success helped him earn college golf's greatest individul honor, the 2011 GCAA Division 1 Jack Nicklaus National Player of the Year Award.  He was also named the Pac-10 Player and Freshman of the Year.  His next accomplishment was qualifying for the U.S. Open at Congressional.  He would finish as the tournament's low amateur and one of three amateurs to make the tournament's cut.  He also recorded the tournament's best nine hole score, a 30, on Friday's back nine.

With his finish at the U.S. Open, he was invited to play in this weekend's Travelers Championship in Cromwell, Connecticut.  Rained delayed many of the field's first rounds to Friday morning, so Cantlay had to play 36 holes on Friday.  He began the day with a 67 in the first round, followed by a PGA amateur record 60 in the second round and led the tournament at -13 heading to the weekend.  He became the first amateur to lead a PGA Tournament outright after two rounds.  Although, he shot a 2-over 72 yesterday and lost his lead, he is only five strokes back of Sweden's Fredrik Jacobson and the lead.  If he indeed comes back to win today's tournament, he would become the first amateur to win a PGA tournament since Phil Mickelson won the 1991 Northern Telecom Open.  With 22-year old Rory McIlroy winning his first Major last weekend, Jason Day finishing second in back-to-back majors, and Amateur Patrick Cantlay looking like a future star, it looks like the youngsters on tour are beginning to dominate golf's highest level.

Spurs Trade Away Hill and Pick Up UT's Joseph; Irving Goes First to Cavs

Many kids grow up with the dream of becoming a NBA player.  The dreams of sixty players at the draft last night were answered.  The first two picks in last night's draft were not a surprise, but many were unsure how Cleveland would use their two lottery picks, which were also two of the draft's first four picks.  The dismal Cavs chose Duke guard Kyrie Irving with the first overall selection and Texas forward Tristan Thompson with the fourth pick.  Thompson would be the first of three Longhorns drafted in the first round, a record for the school.  Arizona forward Derrick Williams was the second pick of the night and will join All Star center Kevin Love and Spaniard Ricky Rubio in Minneapolis.  Bismack Biyombo, a forward from the Congo, became the seventh African-born player to be drafted in the lottery.  Biyombo was involved in the Sacramento trade to Charlotte for BYU guard Jimmer Fredette, the 2011 national collegiate player of the year.

Since the Spurs chose Tim Duncan with the first overall pick in the 1997 draft, the Spurs have been one of the league's elite teams.  As the playoffs began this April, it looked like the Spurs were set to go on another championship run.  They had the NBA's second best record heading to the playoffs and had played as one of the league's elite teams for most of the season.  Their 12th consecutive postseason appearance would last only six games, after being bounced by the Memphis Grizzlies in the first round.  For the fourth consecutive year, the media said San Antonio was too old to compete for championships.  The draft last night would resolve some of those issues.

As the night began, many Spurs fans expected the team to trade All Star guard Tony Parker after numerous trade talks and disagreements, but the team determined back-up point guard George Hill was a better asset.  Although it took most of the night to confirm the trade, Indiana ended up receiving Hill, the IUPUI graduate and Indianapolis native, for their two draft picks on the night (San Diego State's Kawhi Leonard and Latvia's Davis Bertrans) and their 46th pick in the 2005 draft, Erazem Lorbek.  Additionally, the Spurs drafted UT guard Corey Joseph at 29 and Hungary guard Adam Hanga at 59.  The Spurs look to be moving in the right direction towards more youth in their organization.

Texas Teams lose Elimination Game in Back-to-Back Days; Cal's Magical Season Continues

A 8-4 loss to Florida on Saturday set up Texas' sixth elimination game of the year's NCAA Tournament.  Their luck finally ran out as Emanuel and his North Carolina teammates shut out the Horns 3-0 on Monday.  Emmanuel (9-1) struck out five, allowing only four hits and no runs on his way to a complete game.  Although Texas only allowed North Carolina nine hits in the game, two hits made the difference for the Tar Heels.  The first came in the top of the third with no outs.  Texas Starter Cole Green, who pitched in all three games after postseason losses, was only credited with getting six outs in the game.  After not allowing a single run in the first two innings, Green (8-4) finally got in trouble in the top of the third.  Stallings came up to the plate and hit a decisive two run RBI single in the top of the third to give the Tar Heels an early lead that would not dissolve.  The score would not change until the Tar Heels added another in the top of the ninth off Bunting's RBI double to finish off the Longhorns.  North Carolina faces Vanderbilt, who lost 3-1 to Florida on Tuesday morning, in their second consecutive elimination game tonight at 6pm CT.

It's been an amazing story about the California Golden Bears' 2011 Baseball team.  After not knowing if their school would produce a team this season, benefactors came to the rescue right before the season began to keep their long-standing baseball program together.  The team finished with a 31-20 regular season record, finishing sixth in the Pac-10.  After making the NCAA Tournament as a bubble team, the California Golden Bears posted a combined 6-1 record in the Regional and Super-Regional to make it to their first College World Series appearance in 19 seasons.

The Bears opened the College World Series with 4-0 loss to top seeded Virginia, but the double-elimination gave the team another day.  Cal's next opponent featured the highly-talented Texas A&M Aggies, who had won the Big 12 Tournament and were co-champions of the Big 12 Regular Season Championship.  The Aggies, who had scored first in their CWS opener, began the elimination game on a strong note with a solo home run by Smith in the bottom of the fourth.  The Bears were definitely not the favorites heading into the game and they knew that about themselves.  They had played the "Cinderella" all year, so finding themselves down 1-0 with five innings remaining didn't startle the team one bit.  They went on to score six straight runs in the next two innings.  Although the Aggies added two in the bottom of the sixth, Cal's RBI single to centerfield in the top of the seventh ended any chance of an A&M comeback and their 7-3 lead would not evaporate.

With the win over A&M yesterday, Cal improved their record against teams from Texas in the NCAA Tournament to 6-1 and their record in elimination games to 5-0.  Porter pitched six full innings for Cal, allowing only three runs and seven hits, and improved his record on the season to 6-0.  Wacha (9-4) threw 6 2/3 innings in the loss while allowing four runs on nine hits. The other three runs were caused by the two errors by Smith and Bratsen.  After starting the game 1 for 13 in the first four innings with 0 runs and 7 strikeouts, the Golden Bears responded with a 8 for 18 showing at the plate and seven runs in the final five innings.  Cal's magical season continues tomorrow against top-seeded Virginia at 6pm in another elimination game.

McIlroy Hangs on For First Major Championship

About two months ago, Rory led the Masters at twelve-under par heading to the final day.  He ended up shooting a 8-over 80 the final day and lost any chance of winning his first Major Championship.  Charl Schwartzel ended up shooting a 6-under 66 for his first career PGA Tour victory and Major.  After McIlroy set numerous U.S. Open records and had a eight stroke lead heading into today's final round, many questioned he had the ability to finish the tournament.  The result would be different this time.  He continued to dominate the field, with four birdies, two bogeys, and twelve pars on the way to a 2-under 69.  With his 8-under for the tournament, Jason Day has finished as the runner-up in the last two Major Championships.  Schwartzel and Kevin Chappel were the low men today with their 5-under 66.  Y.E. Yang, who was in second going into the final day, tied for third with Robert Garrigus and Lee Westwood at 6-under.

The many records McIlroy broke this weekend included the fastest to double-digits under par (26 holes), lowest first 36 hole score (131), most strokes under par for 36 holes (11-under), tied the largest 36-hole lead (6 strokes), lowest first 54 holes (199), most strokes under par for 54 holes (14-under), lowest 72-hole total (268), most strokes under par for 72 holes (16-under), and best score at any point in a U.S. Open (17-under in 4th round today).  McIlroy will be a joy to watch as his game evolves and could be the next great player. Time will only determine that.

Texas Falls to Florida in CWS Opener; Will Meet Tar Heels Monday

As the #7 Longhorns prepared for the College World Series opener, they knew the match-up would be a tough one.  The Florida Gators had a high-powered offense that had scored over 50 more home runs than Texas had all season.  Texas had relied on their small-ball offense during the regular season, but began to struggle in the Big 12 Tournament.  After struggling in both the Regional and Super-Regional, Texas finally advanced to their record 34th trip to Omaha after a remarkable 5-0 record in elimination games.

As tonight's game began, it looked as if Texas would finally play their way through the Winner's Bracket.  They had scored three runs in the top of the third inning with their productive small-ball offense.  In the bottom of the inning, the Gators began to get to Texas Ace Taylor Jungmann, who allowed four runs in the next two innings on the way to his third straight loss in the NCAA Tournament.  Florida went on to win 8-4, sending the Longhorns to yet another loser's bracket.  All the Longhorns can do is take one game at a time as they prepare for yet another elimination game against #3 North Carolina on Monday.   This Texas team has the chance to do what few teams have done in the past, losing the first game of the College World Series on the way to the National Championship.

2011 College World Series Preview

College World Series (6/18-6/29)

Stadium: TD Ameritrade Park (First time in over 60 years CWS not played at Rosenblatt Stadium)

City: Omaha, Nebraska

Opening Round Games

Saturday June 18^th:

#3 North Carolina vs. #6 Vanderbilt-2pm ET

#2 Florida vs. #7 Texas-7pm ET

Sunday June 19^th:

#1 Virginia vs. California-2pm ET

#4 South Carolina vs. Texas A&M-7pm ET

#5 Florida State and #8 Rice were the only nationally ranked teams not to advance to the College World Series.

Breaking Down the Teams

#1 Virginia

Coach: Brian O’Connor (8 seasons)

Record: 54-10

CWS History: 2009, 2011

National Championships: none

2011 Postseason: 5-1

Charlottesville Regional:

June 3^rd: Def. Navy 6-0

June 4^th: Def. St. John’s 10-2

June 5^th: Def. East Carolina 13-1

Charlottesville Super Regional:

June 11^th: Def. UC Irvine 6-0

June 12^th: Lost 6-4 to UC Irvine

June 13^th: Def. UC Irvine 3-2

#2 Florida

Coach: Kevin O’Sullivan (4 seasons)

Record: 50-17

CWS History: 1988, 1991, 1996, 1998, 2005, 2010, 2011

National Championships: none

2011 Postseason: 5-1

Gainesville Regional:

June 3^rd: Def. Manhattan 17-3

June 4^th: Def. Miami (FL) 5-4

June 5^th: Def. Miami (FL) 11-4

Gainesville Super Regional:

June 10^th: Def. Miss. St. 11-1

June 11^th: Lost 4-3 to Miss. St.

June 12^th: Def. Miss St. 8-6

#3 North Carolina

Coach: Mike Fox (13 seasons)

Record: 50-14

CWS History: 1960, 1966, 1978, 1989, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011

National Championships: none

2011 Postseason: 5-0

Chapel Hill Regional:

June 3^rd: Def. Maine 5-0

June 4^th: Def. James Madison 14-0

June 5^th: Def. James Madison 9-3

Chapel Hill Regional:

June 10^th: Def. Stanford 5-2

June 11^th: Def. Stanford 7-5

#4 South Carolina

Coach: Ray Tanner (15 seasons)

Record: 50-14

CWS History: 1975, 1977, 1981, 1982, 1985, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2010, 2011

National Championships: 2010

2011 Postseason: 5-0

Columbia Regional:

June 3^rd: Def. Georgia Southern 2-1

June 4^th: Def. Stetson 11-5

June 5^th: Def. Stetson 8-2

Columbia Super Regional:

June 11^th: Def. Connecticut 5-1

June 12^th: Def. Connecticut 8-2

#6 Vanderbilt

Coach: Tim Corbin (7 seasons)

Record: 52-10

CWS History: 2011

National Championships: none

2011 Postseason: 5-0

Nashville Regional:

June 3^rd: Def. Belmont 10-0

June 4^th: Def. Troy 10-2

June 5^th: Def. Belmont 6-1

Nashville Super Regional:

June 10^th: Def. Oregon State 11-1

June 11^th: Def. Oregon State9-3

#7 Texas

Coach: Augie Garrido (15 seasons)

Record: 49-17

CWS History: 1949, 1950, 1952, 1953, 1957, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1965, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1979, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1987, 1989, 1989, 1992, 1993, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2009, 2011

National Championships: 1949, 1950, 1975, 1983, 2002, 2005

2011 Postseason: 6-2

Austin Regional:

June 3^rd: Def. Princeton 5-3

June 4^th: Lost 7-5 to Kent State

June 5^th: Def. Texas State 4-3

June 5^th: Def. Kent State 9-3

June 6^th: Def. Kent State 5-0

Austin Super Regional:

June 10^th: Lost 3-1 to Arizona State

June 11^th: Def. Arizona State 5-1

June 12^th: Def. Arizona State 4-2

Texas A&M

Coach: Rob Childress (6 seasons)

Record: 46-20

CWS History: 1951, 1964, 1993, 1999, 2011

National Championships: none

2011 Postseason: 5-2

College Station Regional:

June 3^rd: Def. Wright State 11-0

June 4^th: Def. Seton Hall 6-3

June 5^th: Lost 7-4 to Arizona

June 7^th: Def. Arizona 3-0

Tallahassee Super Regional:

June 11^th: Def. Florida State 6-2

June 12^th: Lost 23-9 to Florida State

June 13^th: Def. Florida State 11-2

California

Coach: Dave Esquer (12 seasons)

Record: 37-21

CWS History: 1947, 1957, 1980, 1988, 1992, 2011

National Championships: 1947, 1957

2011 Postseason: 6-1

Houston Regional:

June 3^rd: Lost 6-4 to Baylor

June 4^th: Def. Alcorn State 10-6

June 5^th: Def. Rice 6-3

June 5^th: Def. Baylor 8-0

June 6^th: Def. Baylor 9-8

Santa Clara Super Regional:

June 11^th: Def. Dallas Baptist 7-0

June 12^th: Def. Dallas Baptist 6-2

McIlroy Cruises to 36-Hole Lead, Multiple Records

When the U.S. Open began yesterday morning at the Congressional in Maryland, Rory McIlroy was not considered a favorite heading into the year's best golf tournament found in the states.  After a six-under sixty-five and a bogie-free round yesterday, McIlroy continued to dominate the field, with two birdies and a eagle through today's first eight holes.  He became the fastest player in U.S. Open history to get to ten-under in a U.S. Open (twenty-six holes).  The Northern Irishman continued to amaze on the back nine, adding three more birdies on the next eight holes for a remarkable thirteen-under for the U.S. Open, the lowest score recorded in a U.S. Open.  Although he finished with a double-bogey on eighteen today that snapped a record thirty-five consecutive holes in a U.S. Open without a bogey, he still leads the tournament by six strokes heading to the weekend and holds the best thirty-six hole score in U.S. Open history at eleven-under.

Y.E. Yang, currently in second at five-under for the tournament, is one of thirteen other players currently under par chasing McIlroy for the lead heading to the weekend.  Five players are currently tied for third at two-under, including Zach Johnson, Matt Kuchar, and Sergio Garcia.  With the cut line at four-over, only one member of the newly-hit musical group, Golf Boys, made the cut.  Bubba Watson led the way at four-over, Hunter Mahan and Rickie Fowler barely missed the cut at five-over, and Ben Crane finished at six-over for the two days.  The next two days should be entertaining as McIlroy will vie for his first career Major Championship and his second career PGA Tour win.

Texas Evens Series, Pivotal Game 3 Tomorrow

After a disastrous effort in the opening game of the Austin Super Regional last night, the Longhorns were on the brink of elimination in Game 2 today.  Representing the away team in tonight's game, Texas was able to take advantage early and score first.  After Texas' first six batters were shut down, the Texas offense needed a spark. Montalbano, Texas' first base runner of the night, began the top of the third with a walk.  Four batters and one out later, Montalbano would score on Payton's sacrifice fly.  The Horns left the inning with a 1-0 lead.  Each team scored in the sixth and the game remained close until Texas came up to the plate in the top of the ninth.  Texas' Etier hit his second home run of the year, a three run home run to left field that narrowly stayed fair for a 5-1 lead.

In the bottom of the ninth, Knebel came in to close out the game for Texas.  He had two straight strikeouts and a grounder for the save.  Cole Green won his eighth game of the year and Knebel earned his eighteenth save of the year.  Since the year's NCAA Tournament began, the Texas Longhorns are undefeated in elimination games (4-0).  Game 3 will be played at UFCU Disch-Falk Field tomorrow night at 6pm.

Possible European/Canada Expansion For NBA

When NBA Commissioner David Stern announced the NBA would add a five-team European division by the end of the decade, I found the idea intriguing.  Basketball is the second most popular sport overseas (behind soccer) and already has the fans to support a NBA expansion team.  The NBA has become an international league, with many of our biggest stars coming from other countries.  Sites such as London, Paris, Madrid, and Rome have come up as possible homes for the new franchises.  The possible expansion would also improve competition because the league would bring in many of the world's best players.

If the NBA expands, it should look into adding a sixth team so there would be six divisions of six teams.  Vancouver, who lost the Grizzlies in 2001 to Memphis, would be a great home for an expansion team.  Vancouver currently has a team in the Canadian Football League, National Hockey League, Major League Soccer, and four other professional sporting leagues, so it has the fans to support a NBA team.  Vancouver was also a great host city for the 2010 Winter Olympics.

Although an expansion probably won't happen for a few years, the NBA's first priority is to resolve the labor agreement, so a lockout doesn't have to occur.  The NBA Playoffs this year had some of the best games in years and it would be disappointing not to have games next year.  To conclude, an expansion of the NBA to other countries would improve the world's best basketball league.

Possible MLB Realignment Discussed

Today it was announced that Major League Baseball was discussing a possible realignment of its 30 teams with the Players Association.  The new scenario would elminate all six divisions, so their would be 15 teams in each league vying for five playoff spots.  This would allow the five best teams from each league to make the playoffs.  Since the National League currently has two more teams than the American League, one of its teams would change leagues.  The team that was brought up was the Houston Astros, so they could strengthen their rivalry with the Texas Rangers.

Although the realignment is only a possibility at the current time, the idea could help baseball.  It would make the World Series more of a championship series between the two league champions.  The MLB would have a similar system to the WNBA and MLS.  Neither League has divisions, so it allows only the best teams to fight for both the conference's and the league's championship.  Originally, Baseball had a system similar to this but eventually added divisions.  It would make baseball more enjoyable and exciting.