The MVP at the lectern. Pay attention, students!

If you can spare 25 or so minutes of your valuable time, definitely watch this speech from Kevin Durant. It’s his MVP acceptance speech, where he manages to thank each and every member of the OKC playing roster, along with coaches and family, saving the biggest appreciation for his mother, who he calls “the real MVP”. It’s moving stuff. We don’t expect out sportsmen to be humble, we just expect them to perform, but it is always refreshing to see a man with such talent remain so grounded and honest. An incredible player and an incredible role model. KD – 2013/14 MVP.

The Fix Is In

One of the most infamous scandals of all sports was the 1919 World Series, which was thrown in perhaps the biggest match fixing scandal in American sports history. This rare footage has just been released showing some of the actual series. Eddie Cicotte was the pitching ace most responsible for the fix – and apparently the only one smart enough to ask for his mob payoff upfront. Around the 3:20 mark you can actually see him giving up a 5 run innings, showing next to zero interest in fielding, despite it being a World Series game. This is remarkable footage even if just for historic purposes. Or, indeed, if like myself you are a Boardwalk Empire fan and made not of the passing refences in that show (and also in Godfather II).

I also like the fact that at one point the word “fans” is included with inverted commas, as it was clearly such a new and informal word back then.

NFL Draft

Oh, don’t you forget about the grid iron in and amongst these amazing NBA playoffs. The best and brightest of college ball have had their auditions, and on Friday they gather for the 2014 draft, an occasion sure to make or break more than a few teams. Is there a quarterback saviour in the pack? Is that QB saviour Johnny Manziel? Where will Manziel be drafted anyway? These and many more non-Johnny Football related questions will all be answered come Friday afternoon. So be patient, will ya!?

Top 2014 NFL Draft Prospects:

Jadeveon Clowney, DE, South Carolina
Khalil Mack, OLB, Buffalo
Greg Robinson, OT, Aubrun
Blake Bortles, QB, UCF
Sammy Watkins, WR, Clemson
Jake Matthews, OT, Texas A&M
Johnny Manziel, QB, Texas A&M
Taylor Lewan, OT, Michigan
Mike Evans, WR, Texas A&M
Anthony Barr, OLB, UCLA

The NBA Blooper Reel 2013/14

Barack Obama Channels His Inner Richard Sherman

Rumour Mill – Roy Hibbert and the Pacers:

As to what exactly has gone wrong with Hibbert and Indy? Well this email except has anonymously surfaced on a basketball fan site that claims to have some insight. It definitely covers all the bases, like what was behind that mysteriously dust up between Lance Stephenson and Evan Turner, or Roy Hibbert’s broken engagement and disenfranchised demeanour. And it’s certainly not hard to believe given Paul George’s recent catfish & pregnant stripper controversies. Here is the leak in full:

"Do you remember when Lance Stephenson and Evan Turner got into that fight? It was all over Roy Hibbert and Paul George. Lance has been getting all the blame for the Pacers off nights and during that day at practice Lance says 'y'all need to look at Roy's ass, he's been off ever since he found out PG was f****** his b****'. That's when Evan got mad at him for exposing that in front of everybody and that sparked the fight. Roy just walked away without saying anything but ever since then it's been a bigger downfall in his performance on the court. I don't know for sure, but that might also be the connection to PG's house getting broken into because all of a sudden now he doesn't want investigators involved. Supposedly PG and Hibbert's wife have been carrying on through instagram for a while before they ended up having sex. She felt guilty and told Hibbert and that's how he found out originally. It's bad because PG and Hibbert were really friends."

Quote of the Week:

"Single parent with two boys by the time you were 21 years old. Everybody told us we weren't supposed to be here. We moved from apartment to apartment by ourselves. One of the best memories I had was when we moved into our first apartment. No bed, no furniture, and we just all sat in a room and just hugged each other. We thought we'd made it."

- Kevin Durant has a sense of perspective.

Good Week:

LeBron James (Miami Heat) – People probably haevnt even noticed given how relatively lacking in drama the Miami vs Charlotte series was compared to the rest of them. But LBJ is actually on a complete tear. Watch out.
Damien Lillard (Portland Trailblazers) – Y’all gonna remember the name. His borderline unbelievable game winner against Houston to clinch the series was just the highlight in a great season for the reigning rookie of the year. The defence is questionable but there are no doubts as to the rest of it. A cold blooded shooter and an inspirational leader. The man’s a superstar.

Detroit Tigers – The big boys in the AL Central are back in business. After a slow start they’re on a 7 game win streak, and are the last team in the MLB left with single figures in the loss column. 2nd overall in batting average, on base percentage and slugging percentage, plus Max Scherzer is proving his last season was no fluke, putting up dominant numbers with the ball.

Bad Week:

Mark Jackson (Ex-Golden State Warriors coach) – It’s always a bad week when you get sacked. His job came down to a game 7 against the Clippers, but Chris Paul on a day like that is too much for any coach to handle. A season of assistant coach musical chairs didn’t help him either.
The MLB Replay System – Still with plenty of flaws and no sign of an immediate fix. It’s early to judge, sure. But that doesn’t make it any less frustrating to watch.

Player of the Week:

Tony Parker (San Antonio Spurs) – There’s only so much you can say about this guy before melting into a blubbering pile of goo. He’s so good. Game 7 vs the Mavs, he’s got the game won by half time. There are better shooters and better passers, but there is no better point guard in the clutch. No, not even you Chris Paul (though you’re not bad yourself).

Upcoming Dates (NZ Time):

May 9 - NFL Draft Begins

June 27 - NBA Draft Held

July 16 - MLB All Star Game