Wahoo Wire

Tuesday April 13

MLB: Los Angeles Angels at New York Yankees

It is only the seventh game of the season for the Yankees and the eighth for the Angels, so you might be wondering why this seemingly insignificant game is so important.  The game is so important because it is the Ring Ceremony for the 2009 World Series Champion New York Yankees. In case anyone forgot, the franchise with the most championships of any American sports team won the World Series this past November. It also happens to be the return of Hideki Matsui who was the Most Valuable Player of the World Series, but this time he will be playing for the opposition.  Sometimes repeating as champions calls for a shake-up of the team and though Matsui’s time in the Bronx was successful, it was time for him to move on. In this game remembering what a great season last year’s was, expect the Yankees to win.

NBA: Boston Celtics at Chicago Bulls

Both the Celtics and the Bulls have two games left in the season to solidify their seeding in the playoffs. Right now Boston will have to win its next two games and have the Atlanta Hawks lose to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday to move from the fourth seed to the third seed. That is no small feat given Chicago are fighting to make the playoffs as an eight seed and arguably need to win both of their next two games to beat the Raptors for the last spot. Toronto plays their last game against the Knicks which should be an easy victory. Boston would also have to beat the Bucks who are a scrappy team also looking to better their seeding as they are only one game behind the fifth seeded Miami Heat. With all these scenarios possible, losing is not an option for the Bulls. I think they will step up to the occasion and the Celtics will rest some of their old starters as they accept the fourth seed in the playoffs.

Wednesday April 14

Premier League Soccer: Arsenal at Tottenham

Nothing is better midweek than a north London Derby between arch-rivals Arsenal and Spurs. Beyond just being a derby though, both teams find themselves in interesting positions, with Arsenal only three points off the top of the league and Spurs only four points off the last Premier League Champions League qualifying spot with a game in hand. This game has even more important ramifications given that both teams have recently suffered losses in major tournaments as Arsenal lost to Barcelona in the Champions League Quarterfinals and Tottenham lost to Portsmouth in the FA Cup Semifinals so both sides will be looking to right their ship. Spurs also start off a hellish ten days which include matches against all three of the top teams in the Premier League, starting with the hosting Arsenal and Chelsea before travelling to Old Trafford to face Manchester United. This match is supposed to see the return of Arsenal striker Robin Van Persie and possibly Defender Johan Djourou. Regardless of who returns for the Arsenal, expect them to outclass Spurs and keep the pressure on Chelsea for the League title.

NHL Playoffs:

I will be the first to say I do not know nearly as much about hockey as I should, so with that in mind I have listed the Stanley Cup Playoffs Game 1 schedule.

Eastern Conference

#5 Ottawa Senators at #4 Pittsburgh Penguins, Game 1

#7 Philadelphia Flyers at #2 New Jersey Devils, Game 1

Western Conference:

#5 Detroit Red Wings at #4 Phoenix Coyotes, Game 1

#8 Colorado Avalanche at #1 San Jose Sharks, Game 1

Thursday April 15

NHL Playoffs:

Eastern Conference

#6 Boston Bruins at #3 Buffalo Sabres, Game 1

#8 Montreal Canadiens at #1 Washington Capitals, Game 1

Western Conference

#6 Los Angeles Kings at #3 Vancouver Canucks, Game 1

Friday April 16

NHL Playoffs

Western Conference

#7 Nashville Predators at #2 Chicago Blackhawks, Game 1

Saturday April 17

Premier League Soccer: Manchester United at Manchester City

It has been a hard week and a half for Manchester United as they lost star striker Wayne Rooney to injury, lost to Bayern Munich in the Champions League Quarterfinals, and could not even score a goal as they drew against mid-table side Blackburn over this past Sunday. They sit in second place in the Premier League, one point behind Chelsea but they have played one more game than any other team in the top five meaning if Arsenal wins they will drop to third. Chelsea is playing at Spurs after playing Bolton midweek and will more than likely take all six points and Arsenal should have an easy three points at Wigan as well as a victory against Spurs midweek so this game is all the more vital for the Red Devils. Manchester City’s position is quite different having won the last three Premier League matches by three goals or more as they sit in the coveted fourth and final qualifying spot for the Champions League. A win for City would mark tremendous improvement even within this year and all but solidify fourth place for them as Spurs hit the hardest part of their schedule. Expect a hard fought, exciting match with multiple cards dished out by the referees and for United to officially not be champions anymore as at best they draw this Manchester Derby.