Desmond's Walk-Off Gives Nats 5th Straight Curly W

Summer is heating up and so are the Washington Nationals.  Winners of four in a row, they looked to win their fifth straight last night against the Braves in front of a big crowd at Nationals Park for Virginia Tech-UVA college rivalry day.  Last night's game was a pitchers duel as Braves pitcher Shelby Miller allowed only three hits in seven innings.  Over on the Nats side, Jordan Zimmermann pitched a gem of his own, throwing eight shutout innings and allowing six hits.  It meant the Nationals starting pitchers haven't allowed a run in 34 1/3 innings which is a franchise record. 

In the bottom of the seventh the Nats were the first to score as Bryce Harper hit a blooper single over second baseman Jace Peterson's head into right field to score Denard Span.  Drew Storen came in the ninth but couldn't close out the game as Atlanta tied it with a sacrifice fly.  The game would go to extra innings.

In the bottom of the 10th, Harper got on with a double but got shaken up.  He nearly got taken out of the game but Harper told manager Matt Williams he wanted to stay in.  Williams listened.  After the bases got loaded, Ian Desmond came to the plate.  Desmond was struggling all season long and looked to put that all behind him.  He did.  Desmond hit a ball deep enough in left field for the sacrifice fly to score Harper and give the Nats the 2-1 win, their fifth in a row. 

"It felt good to win," Desmond said.  "I contributed.  Whether I get hits or whatever, I feel like I bring something to the team every day.  The box score might not say that, but I know what I bring to the team.  It felt good to drive a run in there.  We still have a lot of time to play.  Whether I get hits or not, there are other ways to contribute."

The Nats are now 3.5 games ahead of the Mets in first place in the NL East.  After the game teammates mobbed Desmond and Max Scherzer, you guessed it, showered him in chocolate syrup.  Desmond was glad he came through on an emotional night at the park, after bench coach Randy Knorr lost his wife Kimberly.  Knorr was one of Desmond's first coaches in the big leagues, he managed him back when Desmond was in Single-A Savannah.  

He dedicated the win to Knorr and in the walk-off at bat, he wore Randy Knorr's helmet.  "I can't say, words can't describe it," added, Desmond.  "This guy has been there for me since I was 18.  We've been through a lot together… I'd do anything to be able to give him a hug."

Matt Williams sat Desmond out for two of the past four games to give him a rest for the rough season he had.  He was pleased he came through last night.  "I think he's a pro.  He works and works and works and works.  And he's told you guys, he's told everybody, that he will be okay and he's going to work out of it.  We try to give him a rest when we can, and tonight he came up big for us," said Williams.  

9 Run First Gives Nats Sweep Over Bucs

After an incredible afternoon on Saturday in which Max Scherzer threw a no-hitter, the Washington Nationals looked to get a sweep over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Father's Day at Nationals Park.  Gio Gonzalez took the mound for Washington and he threw seven scoreless innings.

The Nats bats only scored in the first inning but that was all they needed.  Bryce Harper got it started with a two-run shot to right field.  A Jose Lobaton RBI single made it 3-0.  Two batters later, Michael Taylor singled in Lobaton while Ian Desmond advanced to third.  Then with Gonzalez batting, a throwing error by Pirates pitcher Charlie Morton to first base on a pickoff attempt scored Desmond, 5-0.  Gio followed by helping his own cause with a double down the right field line to score Taylor.  Then Yunel Escobar hit a two run homer just over the left field wall to make it 9-0.  All nine hitters in the Nats lineup got an at-bat that first inning.  Those nine runs were the most runs scored in an inning in team history.

"I like the way guys were aggressive offensively early," said Nats Manager Matt Williams, "Guys are starting to get their legs back a little bit.  We're using the base paths a little more.  That's certainly part of our equation."

In the second inning, the villain Jose Tabata who leaned into a pitch to spoil Scherzer's chance at a perfect game the day before came up to the plate.  When they announced his name, the Nats Park crowd showered him with boos.  It was so hostile that Nats broadcaster Bob Carpenter said, "No Met has been booed this loud, no Brave has been booed this loud, not even ARod who was here a few weeks ago was booed this loud."  Those boos turned to cheers briefly as Gonzalez forced him to ground out to first, then he got booed all the way to the dugout.

The Nats would hang on for the 9-2 victory sweeping the Pirates after Pittsburgh came into this series winners of eight in a row.  The Nats are now ahead of the Mets 1.5 games in the NL East Standings.  "We just played great ball and had some great pitching this weekend.  If we can do that, we'd win 162 games.  We'll go through times where we've had ups and downs in this game where the ball just didn't fall our way.  But we had a great weekend.  Hopefully we can take this into next week and stay in first place," said Bryce Harper.

The Nats have a day off on Monday before the Braves head into The District for a three game set beginning on Tuesday night.

"Cloud Nine" Max Scherzer Fires Second No Hitter In Nationals History

Fans of the Washington Nationals waited 10 seasons for the first no-hitter in team history which was thrown by Jordan Zimmermann on the final day of the regular season last year.  But the fans only had to wait nine months for the second as ace Max Scherzer, who is already having a stellar year atop the Nats rotation, fired his first career no-hitter.

The impressive thing about Scherzer wasn't the fact that he threw a no-hitter yesterday.  It was the fact that over his last two starts, the previous one being last Sunday in Milwaukee, was that the batters that had to face him were 1 for 55.  In that previous start against the Brewers, Scherzer carried a no-hitter into the seventh inning but a blooper single that Anthony Rendon nearly caught broke up the no-hit bid.  However, that was the only hit he gave up as he struck out 16 batters, the most in team history that passed Stephen Strasburg's record of 14 strikeouts from his 2010 big league debut.

The Nats offense helped Max out as they scored six runs in the contest.  It all got started when Bryce Harper, who returned to the lineup after injuring his leg a few nights ago, smacked a home run over the centerfield wall in the bottom of the fourth inning.

Scherzer was perfect through seven innings, retiring every single batter he faced before things got scary in the eighth inning.  With two outs, the Nats infield shifted to the far right of the diamond with Pedro Alvarez up.  Alvarez hit a soft ground ball, Ian Desmond dived for it but missed, then Danny Espinosa came out of nowhere, well actually he was playing in shallow right field, scooped up the ball fired to first just in time to get Alvarez by a step.  Scherzer was three outs away from the rare perfect game.

When the ninth inning came the crowd came to their feet.  The sellout crowd at Nationals Park was into it right from the start and only grew louder during every two-strike count, giving Scherzer energy while he was going the distance.  Scherzer retired the first batter he face in the ninth when Rendon, possibly redeeming himself for not making the catch on Sunday, caught a fly ball that was about to enter the third base dugout.  Two outs left.  Scherzer then retired the second batter easily with a pop-up to centerfield.  With one out to go, Jose Tabata came up to the plate.  Down to his last strike, one strike away from perfection, Tabata was battling by fouling off pitch after pitch.  Then Scherzer threw an inside slider that hit Tabata ending the chance for a perfect game.  But did it hit him?  Replays showed Tabata's left arm moving into the strike zone trying to get hit on purpose, in probably one of the lowest and disrespectful moves any ballplayer could ever make.

Scherzer looked toward the sky in shock for about two seconds, then collected himself and kept his cool as focused on the next batter.  Even though the perfect game bid was over, there was still a chance he could throw a no-hitter.  Just like that, he got the final batter to fly out to left fielder Michael Taylor.  Taylor caught it and there it was, a no-hitter!

The entire team mobbed Scherzer and during the post game interview on the field, Scherzer got doused with bottles of chocolate syrup by Bryce Harper and Jayson Werth.  A tradition which, ironically, Scherzer himself started every time a player did something heroic in a game.  His entire hat and jersey were covered in chocolate syrup and it might be the first time ever, if these make it on display in Cooperstown, that a game worn artifact would be covered in that.

Following the game, Scherzer said he was on cloud nine, "When you can celebrate with your teammates on just a major accomplishment, there's nothing better.  My last two starts, this is some of the best baseball I've thrown, best pitching I've done.  I just feel like I'm executing all of my pitches.  I just continue to keep getting better."

Criss Angel Rocks Baltimore: A Review Of Mindfreak Live Tour

Saturday May 30th marked the first big magic show I attended in 12 years and there’s nobody else I would have rather saw than Criss Angel.  Part of the reason I hadn’t been to any magic shows is because after 5th grade I sort of retired from doing magic as a hobby.  The only time I did magic was in high school for the occasional talent show but once those curtains closed I stopped doing magic for good. 

That is… until 2013.  I was randomly on the computer watching episodes of A&E’s Duck Dynasty and when I looked through the other shows listed on A&E’s website, I found Criss Angel Mindfreak.  I’ve seen him on TV before when I did magic as a kid so I got curious and watched an episode and that’s when the magic bug took a big bite out of me once again.  After watching him on TV, I thought the stuff he was doing was super cool and it made me want to bring magic back.  I am at the age now where people start accepting others for who they are and everyone realizes that we're all unique.  Also, I’m in the midst of college.  I’ve gotten pretty popular over the years and always had a strong friend group.  Not many of them knew I did magic back then so it made things all the more fun.  During those parties, I would whip out a deck of cards and literally "mindfreak" all my friends.  They were impressed, and I haven’t stopped since.  

Since that day I rediscovered magic, there have been more magic on TV that I was paying attention to.  There was Criss Angel BeLIEve on Spike TV that fall as well as a special by David Blaine.  Those things only added to my re-obsession with magic.  Criss in particular, I knew I had to see live.  I’ve seen all the great magicians throughout my life, from Seigfried and Roy, to Lance Burton, to David Copperfield.  Those guys are now either retired or past their prime while Angel has dominated magic for the past 10 years.  Now he joins that elite group of magicians I’ve gotten the privilege to see.  

Over the last year I was going through a lot of tough times.  One of the few things that kept me sane was practicing my magic behind closed doors.  Magic has provided an escape from the troubles I had.  It was at that time when I learned that Criss Angel was thinking about touring.  Knowing that I couldn’t afford to get to his show at Vegas, I knew that I had a chance to see him as soon as 2015.  In the fall was when he announced his first few tour dates, those included Foxwoods in Connecticut, Easton, and Long Island, his hometown.  Then in late February things got very interesting.  He tweeted he was gonna tour again in May and he would announce the dates the following month.  What followed was a long month and a half.  Every time I got near a computer I checked his twitter during that entire month of March. He even said during one certain week he would announce the dates… he didn’t.  Then in the very last week of March I was having a rough day.  I came home from track practice and turned on my laptop about to write a paper and that’s when I found out the news that I had been waiting for during the last month and a half: Criss Angel is coming to Baltimore.  I was hoping DC but Baltimore was close enough. 

I called my dad and told him to get tickets the minute tickets went on sale, and I thank him for coming through with that.  I almost got them myself and was gonna try and go alone since I'm the only one in my family that's into magic but he wanted to come too.  I was six rows from the stage and it was $130 a ticket, which was worth every penny.  The negative reviews of the show scared me a little bit, I’m not gonna lie, but I was pretty open-minded about going and glad I got to check off another thing on my bucket list.  

The theatre was the Modell Performing Arts Center at the Lyric, which is mostly an opera house.  The theatre was beautiful and my seats were great with an incredible view of the stage.  The show opened up with two of his assistants fooling around.  Their names were “The Great Maestro” who was a short, Mexican guy and his wife “Fifi.”  They did some pretty silly stuff with a couple of magic tricks here and there and were messing around with the audience, all in good fun.  There was even a part where Fifi introduced Criss Angel but instead it was Maestro just dressed up as him, which drew laughs from the audience.  Eventually after a couple of tricks and a failed attempt at a straightjacket escape, Maestro asked the audience if they wanted to see the real Criss Angel.  The audience responded with a roaring applause.  

What followed was a sick intro video showing all the stuff he’s done on TV, including some of the craziest things that no one would even try to do.  Just to name a few, this dude has hung from a helicopter from fishhooks in his flesh, jumped from a motorcycle into some pyro and disappeared, escaped from being chained to a car with a speeding car nearly hitting him and walking up the side of buildings.  The one trick he did that I saw him do on TV that ultimately made me want to start doing this magic thing again was when he levitated above the Luxor pyramid in the light more than 500 feet above the Las Vegas strip.  During the video, I was literally on the edge of my seat.  I was about to see the magician I looked up to and admired for a long time.

After the intro he appeared and yelled out loud, “Baltimore are you ready?”  If you’ve seen him on TV, you would think that he’s very dark and serious.  When you see him live, you’d be surprised to find out that he’s actually a very funny and a down to earth guy.  

Out of respect for Criss, I’m not gonna give away too much of what he did but I will talk about my favorite parts of the show.  I liked his short presentation in the beginning about his life and how far he has come.  I also enjoyed when he talked about Lance Burton.  When I was a kid, Lance Burton was my favorite magician growing up so it was cool for me to see how the two of them are great friends.  As part of a tribute to Lance, who is now retired, Criss did his own version of Burton’s sword fighting act.  Lance inspired me back then, and Criss is one of those magicians that inspires me now so it’s neat to see that connection.  

Another thing I liked was when Criss showed off on the videoboard his collection of bikes and choppers.  He called up a female and took her around the stage showing her and the audience that everything was fair.  He brings in a platform and covers it up and asks the girl to name one of the six bikes.  She picks one then two seconds later it appears right on top of the platform.  How the hell did it get there?

He also did one trick where he disappeared and a few seconds later appeared right in the middle of the audience.  He appeared only three rows behind me, though I wish he ended up in the row behind me so I could’ve dapped him up.

I really enjoyed the way he interacted with the audience.  He even went right in the middle of the crowd (there was a camera for those that weren’t near him to see what was going on) and did a close up magic act with coins using the dexterity of his hands to multiply them, something you gotta see to believe.  Close up magic is one of the purest forms of the art of magic and certainly one of the most challenging because the audience is just inches away from you.  

Near the end of the show, Criss talked about city of Baltimore and expressed his love and support for the people of Baltimore hoping that things will get better after all the stuff that happened there during the month of April.  He brought to light the importance of unifying as a community.  He wasn’t making any political statements.  He was asked to cancel his show during the week of the riots but he didn’t want to because he wanted to bring positivity to Baltimore and support the city.  When the show ended, he got a well-deserved standing ovation from the sold-out crowd.  

After the show I went out to dinner in the Inner Harbor.  When I left the restaurant I ran into the cast members of the show, including Maestro.  It was awesome getting to talk to them for a few minutes and they were glad I enjoyed the show.  I wish Criss was with them so I would’ve gotten to shake his hand and thank him for the inspiration he provided me to return to magic.  He had to leave after the show to catch a plane to New York to see his family, which is totally understandable.  If he brings the tour to my hometown in Washington, D.C. I have a good feeling I’ll get a chance to meet him.  

In all I give this show five stars, no wait, I'd give it a million stars!  This was the most hyped I’ve been for a magic show since that day I saw Lance Burton when I was eight years old.  In fact, the hype I had for this show pretty much matched any big concert or sporting event I’ve gone to in the past couple years.  Mindfreak Live lived up to the hype and was everything I hoped it would be and more.  I was completely blown away and walked out of the theatre inspired.  If you ever have the chance to see Criss Angel, go.  You won’t regret it.  

There’s not a single magician that has impacted the art of magic the way Criss Angel has for the last decade.  He’s helped put magic back on the map and made magic cool again.  He is a rockstar and after watching him live I feel like my magic can only get better.  Walking out of that theatre, I felt inspired and now I want to work harder on my magic and make it better.  I want to learn new tricks and improve my performance style.  Criss said himself, “If you have a dream and you work hard, you will achieve that dream.”  You just gotta believe.  

From his twitter

Coming soon...

Now that the NHL and NBA season I'm gonna include more Nats and baseball related stories as well as anything that interests me. Even though this blog is mostly about sports I decided that I also want to include any personal stories and things that I just happen to find interesting. My first non-sports story which I've been working on for weeks is a review from Criss Angel's show that I attended a few weeks ago. For those that don't know me, magic has also been my passion for a long time and I'm even an amateur magician myself. I am also an avid runner and have a big run coming up next month that raises money for cancer so in the coming weeks I'm gonna write an in-depth story of why I'm doing it and how you can help me out. During the week of my run I'm gonna include pictures and stories of this big adventure. So now that summer is in full swing stay tuned for more posts and stories on my blog

Curry, Warriors End Title Drought

After taking game five, the Warriors were one win away from ending their 40 year title drought.  They would have to win it in Cleveland who was in a title drought of their own, 51 years to be exact.  Thanks to Stephen Curry, finals MVP Andre Iguodala's 25 points and Draymond Green's triple double, Golden State won their first finals since 1975.

Head coach Steve Kerr gave Iguodala the start in Game 5, his first start all season.  After trailing in the beginning, missing some open shots, the Warriors capitalized on nine turnovers and used the three-pointer to their advantage, making four 3s and going up by 13 points when Harrison Barnes knocked down a long three.

The Warriors allowed the Cavs to creep to within eight points in the fourth until they once again hit some crucial threes to wrap up the series.  Curry's step-back three made it 78-68.  Iguodala, Curry, and his fellow "splash bro" Klay Thompson each made a three in the span of 81 seconds to make it 89-75.

For Cleveland, this was a heartbreaking loss on their home court after all the hype the city had a year ago when Lebron James announced he was coming home and his mission was to bring the city an NBA title.  Even though Lebron couldn't deliver, he certainly did his part.  He was the first player in NBA Finals history to lead both teams in points (35.8), rebounds (13.3), and assists (8.8).

It was clear however, that the Cavs were gonna have a hard time winning the series with two of their star players in Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving both out due to injury.  It takes a team, not one player, to win a championship.  Still, Lebron should have at least gotten finals MVP for his performance but instead the award went to Iguodala who became the first player in league history to win finals MVP without even starting a regular season game.

The final score was 105-97 as Steph Curry led the best team all season long to the pinnacle of the basketball world and something the fans in the Bay Area of California can be proud of.

DYNASTY! Blackhawks Win Third Cup In 6 Years

It was a night to remember for fans in the windy city.  After winning game 5 on the road the Blackhawks returned home to the "Madhouse on Madison."  With a 3-2 series lead, the Hawks had a chance to do something they haven't done since 1938.. win a Stanley Cup on home ice.

The Blackhawks found the net late in the second period with a goal by Duncan Keith to go 1-0 entering the third period.  The Lightning couldn't get anything in net.  They came close so many times but Corey Crawford made some spectacular saves over the course of the game.  With just over five minutes to go in the game, Patrick Kane scored to put the fans into a frenzy.  Final score was 2-0 and Keith won MVP.  Sure this was the third cup in six years for the Blackhawks but it was different this time since they cliched it at home.  The previous two times came on the road in Philadelphia and Boston.

In the 90's it was the Bulls who won over the city of Chicago.  During this decade, it was clearly the Blackhawks.  Three Stanley Cups in six years is an incredible accomplishment and Blackhawks fans everywhere have every reason to celebrate.

Warriors One Win Away

The Warriors took a 3-2 lead last night in Oakland to be one victory away front their first title since 1975.  Stephen Curry made seven three pointers and dropped 37 points in the 104-91 win.  Behind a sellout crowd in their golden-yellow shirts, Curry hit some big shots in the final minutes as the Warriors took complete control of the game and possibly the series.  As a result, they are now in a position they haven't been in 40 years.

Lebron James had 40 pints, 14 rebounds, and 11 assists.  It wouldn't be enough as no Kyrie Irving or Kevin Love has made it much tougher for Lebron and Cleveland.  Draymond Green had 16 points and nine boards for Golden State, Andre Iguodala added 14 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists, and reserve Leandro Barbosa scored 13 points.

The winner of Game 5 in a 2-2 series has won the title 12 of the last 14 times.  There were 20 lead changes and 10 ties.   James made a 34 footer to pull the Cavs to within one, 80-79.  Curry answered with a step back three and Klay Thompson added another one of his 12 points on the night.  Curry hit a dagger to seal the game.  Game 6 is tomorrow night in Cleveland.  The Warriors are looking to win their first final in 40 years while the Cavs hope their season doesn't end with the visitors hoisting the Larry O'Brien trophy on their home court.  

Warriors Win Crucial Game 4, Even Series

The Golden State Warriors entered Game 4 of the NBA Finals with one thing in mind… just win.  That's exactly what they did as they won a big game in Cleveland 103-82 to get back in the series.  Now they're heading back home to Oakland coming off a win and the momentum shifted.

NBA MVP Stephen Curry and Andre Iguodala scored 22 points.  Lebron James only managed to score 20 points, 21 points under his average this entire series.  He couldn't score in the fourth quarter and couldn't do enough to keep the Cavs in the game.  Timofey Mozgov led Cleveland with 28 points and Matthew Dellavedova, battling leg crams, had 10.

The Warriors had to win this game since no team who has fallen behind 3-1 in the finals have come back and won.  The momentum I believe started in the fourth quarter of Game 3.  Even though Golden State fell short, they seemed to get their confidence back.  They took it to the Cavs right from the get-go.  

Iguodala, who came off the bench the previous three games, started Game 4 and that decision by head coach Steve Kerr paid off.  Iguodala made four three-pointers and Curry dropped four as well including the dagger in the fourth quarter.

With the Cavs barely hanging on to any hope for a come back, Steph Curry hit a step-back three that silenced all 20, 562 fans in the Q.  Now the scene shifts back to Oracle Arena in Oakland on Sunday night at 8 where the loudest fans in the Western Conference await.  

Blackhawks Even Series

After losing a tough game at home the other night, the Chicago Blackhawks looked to even the series in the best of seven Stanley Cup Final.

Neither team scored in the first period.  In the second, Jonathan Toews gave the Hawks a 1-0 lead at 6:40.  Patrick Sharp had a breakaway and a shot off the right post but they kept the pressure on.  Sharp deflected a shot on net and pushed a rebound to the left.  Toews was near the far post and put the puck in for his 10th goal of the playoffs and first of this series.

Alex Killorn tied it at 11:47.  Valtteri Flippula carried the puck behind the Chicago net and slipped a pass past two Blackhawks defenders.  Killorn was alone and put his shot in the net before Blackhawks net minder Corey Crawford noticed.

6:22 into the third period, Brandon Saad scored to give the Blackhawks the lead and eventual win.  It was assisted by Patrick Kane.  Kane tapped the puck to Saad near the bottom of the left circle, and he took it to the front of the net.  He lost it for a second but found the puck and backhanded it into the net for his eighth goal of the playoffs.

With the series tied at two, it now shifts back to Tampa at Amalie Arena this Saturday at 8.  Game 6 will return to Chicago on Monday.

Span's Hit Give Nats Win Over Yankees

On a Wednesday afternoon at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, the Nationals and Yankees played their final game of their season series.  They played a few weeks ago in Washington where the Nats won both games.  Last night the Yankees won 6-1, the only run for the Nats came on a Bryce Harper home run.  Today the Nats were looking to take the season series.

The Nats got on the board in the top of the third on a Denard Span RBI double that scored Danny Espinosa.  In the top of the fifth the Nats went up 2-0 thanks to a Espinosa home run into the right centerfield bullpen.

The Yanks stormed right back scoring four runs in the seventh inning to go up 4-2.  Brendan Ryan got it started with an RBI triple.  Brett Gardner followed with a double to bring Ryan home to tie the game.  Alex Rodriguez then hit a double to score Gardner and Brian McCann singled to score ARod.

The Nats responded in the top of the eighth.  After Ian Desmond got on base, Michael Taylor smacked a home run into the right field seats to tie the game at 4.  The game would remain tied and go to extra innings.  In the top of the 11th with two outs and Tyler Moore on third Span came up with a chance to put the Nats in front.  He hit a ground ball to second baseman Stephen Drew and used his speed to beat the throw by Drew to first base which scored Moore.  In the bottom of the 11th Drew Storen slammed the door to give the Nats the 5-4 win.

The Nats will continue their eight game road trip tomorrow night with a four game series in Milwaukee with Tanner Roark getting the start on the mound.

Cavs Go Up 2-1

After stealing game two in Oakland the series shifted to Cleveland, Ohio.  For Lebron James and the Cavaliers, they looked to make a statement in front of the hometown crowd.

With Cleveland missing two of their biggest players, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love, King James had to step up now more than ever if northern Ohio was looking to end their championship drought.  If these first three games are any indication, James has done his part and more.

Lebron dropped 40 points and the Cavs new x-factor, Matthew Dellavedova added another 20, and they survived Golden State's fourth-quarter rally led by Stephen Curry for a 96-91 win to go up 2-1 in the NBA Finals.

Lebron added 12 rebounds and eight assists, his third straight MVP like performance.  It is also his fifth straight NBA Finals appearance.  After winning their first ever finals game at Oracle Arena the other night, the Cavs got their first finals win at Quicken Loans Arena which was rocking from start to finish.  On Thursday they'll have a chance at taking a commanding 3-1 lead in Game 4.

The Cavs nearly blew it in the fourth quarter.  Leading 92-83 with 51 seconds left, they had to withstand a rally by Curry.  He finally found his shooting touch in the fourth quarter after making only two three pointers the previous game.  In the fourth quarter, Curry scored 17 points.  The Warriors, who refused to go away after trailing by as many as 20 in the third quarter, also got a lift from David Lee.  Curry made five three pointers and his last one with 18.9 seconds left put the Warriors within three, 94-91.  It wasn't enough though as the Cavs held on for the 96-91 win.

Curry finished with 27 points and feels like he's got his scoring touch back.  While James was helped by Dellavedova with his defense on Curry and making clutch plays, Delavedova exited the game with an injury.  While his status isn't known he certainly left it all on the court for the second straight game.

Game 4 is Thursday night and the city of Cleveland is only two wins away from their first professional sports title in 51 years.

Bolts Steal Game 3 In Chicago

After the Blackhawks and Lightning split the first two games of the Stanley Cup Finals in Tampa, the series shifted to Chicago.  The Blackhawks were looking to take control of the series in front of their home crowd.  A back and fourth battle ultimately ended with a victory by the visitors.

The Lightning took control of the game early and Ryan Callahan fired a slapshot to give the Bolts the 1-0 lead.  It was then when the Blackhawks finally woke up as they took control of the rest of the period outshooting the Lightning 19-7.  Brad Richards scored on a power play to tie the game at one.

Nobody scored in the middle frame so both teams entered the third with a 1-1 tie.  Brandon Saad put the Hawks ahead 2-1 four minutes into the third.  While the "Madhouse on Madison" erupted the building went quiet 13 seconds later.  Tampa Bay tied the game as Ondrej Palat put the puck in the net quickly to silence the building.

With 3:11 remaining in the game, Cedric Paquette scored off a pass from Victor Hedman to give the Lightning the 3-2 win and a 2-1 series lead.  Game four is Wednesday night.

Megan Rapinoe Scores Twice, USWNT Win Group D Opener

The United States Women's National Team opened their World Cup schedule against Australia.  There were some shakiness in the beginning of the contest but the U.S. overcame that as Megan Rapinoe scored twice as USA won 3-1.  Christian Press also scored.

The U.S. entered the World Cup ranked second.  They seek their third World Cup title and first since 1999.  Rapinoe's first goal came in the 12th minute while Press put the U.S. ahead in the 61st minute.  Rapinoe scored her second goal of the game and 31st international goal in the 78th minute.  It was the first two-goal game for the Americans since Abby Wambach accomplished the feat against Norway in 2007.  

The USWNT improved to 5-0-2 in World Cup openers.  U.S. also became the first country to score 100 goals in Women's World Cup play with their three goals tonight.  They hope this win will help them as they try to win their third World Cup after being so close in 2011.  They lost in penalty kicks to Japan.  The next game for the United States is Friday night against Sweeden with an 8 p.m. kickoff. 

Lebron, Cavs Even The Series

Great players step up in big moments when their team needs them the most and that's exactly what Lebron James, arguably the best basketball player on the planet, did for the Cleveland Cavaliers.  In overtime in Game 1 the other night, Kyrie Irving went down with an injury that ended his season.  So with both Irving and Kevin Love done for the season there was no more big three in Cleveland.  Many people thought the Cavs were done but Lebron said "not so fast."

Lebron turned in a performance to remember last night with a triple double.  He finished with 39 points, 16 rebounds, and 11 assists.  The 95-93 overtime victory, the second straight overtime game in the finals, didn't come easy especially in Oracle Arena, a place where the Warriors only lost three games this entire season.

The Cavs looked impressive throughout the course of the contest and seemed to have the game when Lebron hit a three-pointer with 3:13 left in the fourth quarter to go up 83-72.  That three could have very well been the dagger but Golden State mounted a comeback.  Stephen Curry, who was struggling the entire night, found his groove and during their run hit a big three pointer and tied the game on a finger-roll with 7.2 seconds left.  With the game tied, James got the ball and drove hard for a lay-up against three defenders but his attempt fell short and for the second straight game there was overtime.

In overtime, the game went back and fourth.  Curry put the Warriors in front with 29.5 seconds left on a pair of free throws, 93-92.  Then, Draymond Green blocked Lebron on a lay-up but the Cavs retained the ball.  After James Jones missed a three, Matthew Delladova grabbed the board and was fouled.  He made both free throws to put Cleveland ahead for good with 10 seconds left.  Curry air-balled a jumper, James got the rebound and hit one of two free throws with 4.4 seconds left.

After James made the free throw, Curry raced down the court and tried to pass the ball to Klay Thompson but Iman Shumpert batted the ball to seal the Cavs win.  Lebron James spiked the ball and pounded his chest.  The momentum has now shifted.

In the loss, Curry finished with 19 points and shot 5 of 23 from the floor, including 2 of 15 from three point range with six turnovers.  Probably his worst performance of the season.  Klay Thompson picked up much of the slack with 34 points but the Warriors as a team went 8 for 35 from long range and shot 39.8 percent overall.

For Cleveland it was their first finals game win in franchise history.  In their previous trip to the finals in 2007 they got swept by the Spurs 4-0.  With the series tied at one, the series now shifts to Cleveland tomorrow night.  Expect a super-charged Quicken Loans Arena to give the Cavs some home court advantage as the city is trying to end their championship drought.  One thing is for sure, this is going to be a long series but it will be very entertaining.