MLB Playoff Expansion

Reports have surfaced today that the MLB will be making an announcement that the Playoff format will be changed and it will now feature 10 teams instead of 8. There will be two wild card teams from each League, and they will play a one game winner takes all match to see who plays the top ranked team in the league. I think this is extremely exciting news.

North American Sports and All Star Games

This weekend, it was All-Star weekend for the NBA. That pretty much means a high scoring game on Sunday with very little intensity and a fun atmosphere. I have no problem with the athletes not playing hard, because they do not want to get injured and are still in the middle of the season. My problem is with the all-star events that take place on Saturday, and also the athletes that choose to not attend all-star weekends.

Ryan Braun

Ryan Braun, the National League MVP winner of the 2011 season and outfielder for the Milwaukee Brewers, won his appeal against a suspension which was the outcome of testing positive for performance enhancing drugs (PEDs). This does not mean that Braun did not use PEDS, however, just that he will be available to play this season. The league is apparently very angry and wants to take this case to the federal court in order to have the decision overturned. 

NHL Trade Deadline 2012

The NHL Trade Deadline is this coming Monday, and there is lots of speculation as to whom will be traded. This is a huge day in Canada that many follow and there is coverage on the two major sports networks, TSN and Rogers Sportsnet. Last year, the number of trades was relatively low at 16, compared to 31 the year before in 2010.

RIP Gary Carter

Gary Carter, MLB Hall of Fame member and former Expo, Met, Giant and Dodger, has passed away at the young age of 57. Carter succumbed to a brain tumour on February 16th. He was the first player to wear a Montreal Expos hat for his plaque at Cooperstown, the site of the Hall of Fame. Nicknamed "the Kid", Carter played with a youthful exuberance and loved the game as much as any.

Linsanity

I don't like doing another blog post on a topic I did last week, but since Jeremy Lin is the biggest story in sports, probably worldwide, I have to cover this again. Lin has been playing like an all-star, and after being named player of the week for leading the New York Knicks to five straight wins and averaging 27.3 points, 8.3 assists, and two steals over that span.

He is the first player in NBA history to have at least 20 points and 7 assists in his first four starts.

Phil vs. Tiger

Tiger Woods played in his second PGA tour event of the season this past weekend, finishing in 15th place and 9 strokes behind the leader Phil Mickelson. Mickelson won his 40th career PGA tournament, which places him 9th on the all time list, and 31 wins behind Woods. Woods played exceptionally well until the last day, where he shot a 3 over 75, compares to Mickelson's 8 under 64.

Manchester United

Manchester United, one of the most famous soccer, or "football" teams in the world, beat Liverpool FC early this morning 2-1. United have now moved into top of the English Premier League, one point ahead of crosstown rival Manchester City, with a game in hand. This game featured a good match up between Patrice Evra, United defender, and Luis Saurez, Liverpool forward, who had a history from earlier in the year.

Jeremy Lin: #Linning

If you have been following sports,or mainly the NBA, the past week or so, you have probably heard of the New York Knicks new starting point, Jeremy Lin. If not, a quick Google search could tell you, or you can read this. Jeremy Lin, a Harvard graduate, who went undrafted, and had no scholarships to university, is now thriving with the Knicks.

Depression in Sports

Today is "Bell Let's Talk" day and it's job is to raise awareness on mental health and depression issues. You might wonder why I am posting this in my sports blog, but it's because depression affects so many people, including athletes. Some people wonder how athletes who get paid so much money and get to do what they love can suffer from depression, but many do.

Super Bowl XLVI

getty images

The New York Giants won the Super Bowl on Sunday, besting the New England Patriots 21-17. It was a very exciting game and proved to be close like thought. The Patriot receivers could barely catch the ball and had many crucial drops. This year around, Mario Manningham made the "Tyree" catch of this superbowl, which was in double coverage and he managed to keep both feet in (top photo).

Jan Hudec's World Cup Win

30 year old Jan Hudec, of Calgary, won the world cup downhill for alpine skiing in Chamonix, France on February 5th. Along with Hudec on the top of the podium, fellow Canadian Erik Guay placed third, and Ben Thompson of Invermere finished fifth, after starting 50th. Some may just see this as a regular win for Hudec, but when they read deeper, its a touching tale.

Josh Hamilton Relapses

Josh Hamilton, former American League MVP, number overall pick, and current Texas Rangers superstar outfielder, has broken his vow to sobriety and was seen drinking at a bar. When Hamilton was drafted by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays (now the Rays), he signed a huge contract, but then got into crazy drugs like cocaine and meth.

Sam Gagner and his Amazing Night

Sam Gagner, a fifth year forward for the Edmonton Oilers, scored 8 points against the Chicago Blackhawks on February 2nd. Even more, he assisted or scored for all 8 of the team's goals. When I heard about this, I initially wasn't that surprised and didn't think much of the achievement. Then the stats came, and I learned that the last player to score 8 points in a game was the Magnificent Mario Lemieux back in 1988!

Soccer Stampede

Thinking of another blog post today, I came across a story from Egypt. 74 people are reported dead after Egyptian soccer fans stormed the field when a Cairo team and the most popular in the nation lost. Soccer riots are common, but in the Middle East, South America, Africa, and parts of Asia, fans take things too seriously.

Alexander Radulov

Radulov Slash

I just came across this video on twitter of Alex Radulov, a Russian player in the KHL who slashes his coach in the face. Radulov is a very selfish player who left the NHL just to make more money back home, and this video disturbs me. Why would he blatantly slash his coach, and why did the coach not freak out? I searched on the web for more info, but found nothing. Maybe the KHL wants to cover this up..