Not Out Of The Woods Yet

Will we ever see the triumphant fist
pump again wearing his Sunday red?

The 2008 U.S. Open was the site of Tiger Woods's last major championship victory, but it will not be his next. Woods announced Tuesday due his ailing knee and achilles tendon he will not participate in the 111th year of the event at the Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, Maryland.

The World's former No. 1 pulled out of the PLAYERS championship in May for the second straight year as a result of recent his leg injuries, but have they are nothing new.

    Many remember his gutsy performance in the '08 U.S. Open when he defeated fellow American Rocco Mediate in an eighteen-hole playoff, hobbling along the Torrey Pines fairways on a torn ACL, but that's now just a mere memory for Woods. He has yet to win a PGA Tour event since then and with his three-year anniversary of that victory approaching rather quickly despite what he says, his once unbreakable confidence is growing to mediocrity.

    At one point in time golfing legend Jack Nicklaus's record of eighteen major championships looked in serious jeopardy with the rapid rise of a kid from Cypress, California and his greatness, but now at the advanced age of thirty-five and ongoing injuries, Woods is no longer a spring chicken with the record continuing to slip away.

    Woods currently has won fourteen major championships throughout his career and looked to regain his form at this years Masters. The ten-time PGA Tour Player of the Year finished fourth at Augusta National, making an unbelievable push for the lead the final day of the tournament, but ultimately came up short.

    Woods with his newly revamped swing has showed signs of the golfer we once knew and loved, but has yet to find his rhythm on the course. His recent personal issues have been well documented over the last year and half, but those seem to be a thing of the past, needing now to get back to playing good golf.

    There is no question the once dominant Woods we saw play is gone, but with his track record and skill set still in tact he will in fact win again. The question will continue to be his health and if it will allow him enough time to surpass the Golden Bear as the greatest ever to swing a golf club.

Locked Up To Locked Out

Burress's catch in Super Bowl XLII is one
of the biggest in NFL history.

After serving a twenty month prison sentence former New York Giants wide receiver and Super Bowl XLII hero Plaxico Burress was released Monday and will now begin his long journey back to the National Football League. Once one of the most dynamic receivers in the NFL, Burress was originally sentenced to two years, but with good behavior he was released early and is ready to get his life back together.

    The former Michigan State Spartan was charged with possession of a firearm that not had been license in the state of New York putting his future in the league in doubt. He accidentally shot himself in the thigh at a Manhattan nightclub in November of 2008, and the incident not only cost him almost two years away from the game, but also his life.

    Now at age thirty-three and the NFL in a current lockout, Burress is looking to stay in shape and show NFL teams that if in fact there is a 2012 season, he will be ready to make a major impact like he did not so long ago.

    Drafted in the first-round with the eight overall pick by the Pittsburgh Steelers back in 2000, Burrness developed into a solid receiver for then-head coach Bill Cowher, catching 22 touchdowns in his five seasons in the Steel City. It would not be until he signed with the Giants that he would become one of the best wideouts in the league.

    The Giants signed Burress to six-year deal worth $25 million in March of 2005, which at the time looked like a poor decision by the 6-foot-5 receiver. The Steelers won their first Super Bowl since 1979 that year without Burress, while him and his new team were shutout in the first-round of the playoffs, losing to the Carolina Panthers 23-0.

    In would not be until 2007 that Burress would get a taste of Super Sunday. Heading into the the 2007 Super Bowl the Giants were twelve point underdogs to the 18-0 New England Patriots, and when quarterback Tom Brady connected with wide receiver Randy Moss for a go-ahead touchdown with 2:42 left in the fourth quarter, it set the stage for the biggest moment of Burress's career.

    Eli Manning would orchestra one of the most incredible comeback drives in NFL history capping it off with 13-yard touchdown pass to Burress with 0:35 left in regulation, giving New York a 17-14 lead and their third Super Bowl title in franchise history.

Burress worked out four times a week
while serving his prison sentence.

A moment that should have defined Burress's career forever sadly will not.

Following their Super Bowl victory, the Giants got off to a great start, opening the '08 season 11-1 and looked primed to defend their Super Bowl crown. However, they lost Burress due to his legal issues and was later released the troubled receiver in April of 2009.

    There seems to light and the end of the tunnel for Burress and his comeback as he can learn from Philadelphia Eagles quaterback Michael Vick, who also served time for different reasons, but found a way to again be successful in the NFL, adding his name to the MVP discussion last season.

    The St. Louis Rams, New York Jets, and Atlanta Falcons are among the teams that would be interested in adding Burress as they have needs at the wide receiver position they are willing to address. The Rams seemed to be the mostly likely landing spot for him as their head coach Steve Spagnuolo is familiar with Burress during their time in New York together when he was Tom Coughlin's defensive coordinator.

    Whomever decides to take a chance on Burress could be greatly rewarded as he becomes a player with a lot to prove and a chip on his shoulder.

Six Is Sweet

Nadal is slowly cementing his legacy with
the all-time tennis greats.

Sunday night in Paris, France was a little more magical than usual for the No. 1 tennis player in the world. Rafael Nadal won his record sixth career French Open title defeating his longtime rival Roger Federer in four sets, 7-5, 7-6 (3), 5-7, 6-1.

    The win tied him with tennis legend Bjorn Born for the most career wins at Roland Garros. Born, who many consider to be one of the greatest tennis players of all-time, was also able to win five consecutive Wimbledon titles during his career compared to Nadal's two, which did not happen to come in consecutive years.

    Nadal continues his unbelievable dominance of arguably the greatest tennis player in history. The Spaniard is now 17-8 in his career head-to head matchups against Federer including a 6-2 advantage in Grand Slam finals. Nadal is now 5-0 against Federer at the French Open and 45-1 overall at the event. His only loss came in 2009 when he lost to Robin Soderling in the fourth-round on a court, he had never really been challenged on. Oddly enough that would be the year Federer captured his only French Open title of his career thus far.

    For Nadal, it is tenth major championship of his career tying him with American Bill Tilden for sixth on the all-time list. Federer is the all-time leader with sixteen of his own, but at twenty-nine and ranked as the third best player in the world he might need to increase that total with Nadal just turning twenty-five.

    The question will be if in fact Nadal can stay healthy to achieve those heights. The southpaw has had ongoing knee injuries for quite some time causing him to miss major tournaments, most recently at last years Australian Open. Federer would go on to win that tournament completing his career Grand Slam.

    Injuries might be the only hinder between Nadal and Federer's all-time Grand Slam mark. As for his continued dominance on clay, the record speaks for itself. "He plays better against the better ones and that's what he showed today," said Federer, who ended Nadal's 81-match winning streak on clay back in 2007. "He's a great champion, on clay especially."

    This is a story of man and his surface.

41-1

Djokovic looked lost at times against
Federer.

The streak has finally come to a close and it couldn't have come at a worse time. Novak Djokovic started off the 2011 season with one of the most remarkable streaks in tennis history winning his first forty-one matches, second only to tennis legend John McEnroe's streak of forty-two in a row to start the 1984 season. That all came to a halt Saturday when Djokoic was defeated by the world's former No. 1 Roger Federer in four sets, 7-6 (5), 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (5) in the French Open semi-finals.

    Djokovic had an overall 43-match winning streak before his loss Saturday at Roland Garros dating back to last season. Not only does the loss knock Djokovic out of the French Open, but it also sees him squander a golden opportunity to claim the World's No. 1 ranking from Rafael Nadal.

    Djokovic was vying for his first finals appearance at the French Open and if he would have done just that, Nadal would have ceded his No. 1 ranking to the the native of Serbia.

    As for his match against Federer, Djokovic didn't seem comfortable from the outset, slipping and sliding across the classic clay-court at one of the most historic venues in tennis. The matches first set between the two went to the first of two tiebreakers, both won by Federer, taking the wind out of Djokovic's sail and sending him home earlier than expected.

    For Djokovic it's the third time in the last five years he has lost in the semi-finals at the French Open. He has only been crowned a Grand Slam champion twice in his career, both coming at the Australian Open including one earlier this year as apart of his 41-match winning streak.

    This marks the third time in Federer's career he has ended a prestigious winning streak. At the 2001 Wimbledon tournament and only nineteen years old, he ended tennis great and his idol Pete Sampras's 31-match winning streak at the All England Club. Sampras was the four-time defending champion of the tournament at the time. In 2007, he ended Nadal's 81-match winning on clay at Hamburg and now has taken down Djokovic.

    Federer will now face Nadal in the French Open final on Sunday, it will be the eighth time the two have met in a Grand Slam final, with Nadal currently holding a 5-2 edge over Switzerland sensation. It is a blessing for Nadal that Djokovic was unable to reach the finals as the he has defeated the Spaniard in their last four meetings.
  
    At the young age of twenty-four and his powerful two-handed backhand one of the best in professional tennis, Djokovic may be entering the prime of his career with a new streak waiting in the wings.
 

A Roll Of The Dice

Matsuzaka showed signs of brilliance, but
was inconsistent for the Sox.

In November of 2006, the Boston Red Sox finally got the best of the Evil Empire outbidding the New York Yankees for Japanese phenom Daisuke Matsuzaka. New York on the other hand had to settle for second best, something they aren't accustom too, signing left-hander Kei Igawa to a five-year $20 million contract.

    Now almost five years later both Japanese imports look like a lost cause as Matsuzaka is set to undergo Tommy John Surgery, ending his season before it even got started.

  Matsuzaka was placed on the 15-Day disabled list back on the 18th of May, two days after what would be his final start of the year against the Baltimore Orioles, surrendering five runs and seven walks in only 4.1 innings. Originally diagnosed with a right elbow strain, it was later determined the right-hander would need season-ending elbow surgery and was transferred to the 60-Day DL Thursday.

    The Japanese import had a rough start to the 2011 season, allowing ten earned runs in his first two starts of the season in only 7 innings, accumulating to a 12.86 ERA. His next two starts, he would show signs of vintage Matsuzaka tossing 15 scoreless innings on only two hits, lowering his ERA to a respectable 3.81.

    That was only temporary as his final four starts were not good only making out of the fifth once. Matsuzaka finishes the year at 3-3 with a 5.30 ERA, leaving Red Sox Nation to wonder if he has thrown his final pitch in a Boston uniform?

    Most pitchers that undergo the Tommy John procedure average a year to a year and half recovery process before they have full healed, leaving Matsuzaka's future in doubt. The 2012 season will mark the final-year of a six-year $52 million contract Matsuzaka signed prior to the '07 season and with him sure to miss a good portion if not all of next season, he might have very well thrown his final pitch for Boston.

    Even though Matsuzaka was hampered by injuries the last three seasons, his time in Fenway was productive. In his first season with the Sox, Matsuzaka was 15-12, but proved to be vital part to them winning their second World Series title in a four-year span after sweeping the Colorado Rockies in the '07 Fall Classic.

    2008 would mark his best season with the Red Sox when he finished 18-3 with an ERA at 2.90. Opponents only hit .211 in '08 as he finished fourth in the American League Cy Young voting. From there on it was down hill for "Dice-K", making five of six trips to the DL the last three seasons.

    In his five years with the Red Sox, Matsuzaka has gone 49-30 with a 4.25 ERA, only eclipsing the 200 innings and 200 strikeout plateaus once, both coming in his first year with Boston.

    Matsuzaka showed signs of being the dominant pitcher he was in the '06 & '09 World Baseball Classic, winning the MVP in both of Japan's run to the championship, but his stuff and so called "Gyroball" never quite translated in the major leagues.

Igawa might be the biggest bust of a signing by
New York since they signed Hideki Irabu.

As for the Yankees' Igawa, he has only made 16 appearances in the big leagues since signing with New York. His career ERA in the majors is the devil's 6.66 and was never to be heard from again, making his last major league appearance back in '08. Igawa is currently pitching for the Yankees Double-A affiliate Trenton Thunder.

    Matsuzaka is the second player to hear the bad news this week as the Kansas City Royals top highly touted prospect John Lamb will also require surgery to repair a ligament in his left elbow. The left-hander was the No. 5 prospect in the Royals unbelievable farm system and ranked 27th throughout Major League Baseball.

    With the success rate of the surgery being so high we have yet to see the last of Matsuzaka. The question remains what uniform will he be wearing. You can sure a major league club will roll the dice on the thirty-year-old right-hander. 

A Luongo Time Coming

Luongo's .928 save percentage was third in
the NHL in '11.

It has been an eleven-year wait for the Vancouver Canucks goalie Roberto Luongo to play in the Stanley Cup Finals and even longer for the franchise as they had to endure a seventeen-year absence from the NHL's biggest stage. The Canucks are in the Cup Finals for the first time in 1994 and now for who is considered by many the best goaltender in the NHL, gets his chance to hoist Lord Stanley's Cup.

    Luongo was originally drafted in the first-round with the fourth overall pick by the New York Islanders in the 1997 NHL Draft. A native of Montreal, Quebec, Luongo did not make his NHL debut until the '99-'00 appearing in 24 games for New York. Twenty of those games for the 6-foot-3 rookie were as a starter for the Islanders finishing with a 7-14 record and .904 save percentage, the lowest of his career.

    Following his rookie season he was traded to the Florida Panthers where played the next five seasons of his career. Upon his arrival to Florida he signed a four-year extension with the Panthers keeping him there through the '04-'05 season. It wouldn't be until this fourth year with the Panthers that he would be recognized for his outstanding goaltending. He was nominated for the Vezina Trophy and Lester B. Pearson Award that year despite posting another under .500 record at 25-33.

    However, his .931 save percentage that season was and still is a career-high and a Panthers franchise record. He would also set an NHL record for most saves (2,303) and shots faced (2,475) in a single-season.

    In his final season with Florida he would finally accumulate an above .500 record for first time in his then-six-year career. He set a franchise record with 35 wins breaking the previous mark set by John Vanbiesbrouck back in the '96-'97 season.

    The Panthers would never make the postseason in Luongo's five seasons with the team. Prior to the '06-'07 season he would be traded by the Florida to Vancouver in exchange for three other players. Luongo, much like did when he was traded from New York to Florida, promptly signed a four-year extension with the Canucks worth $27 million.

    In his first season with the Canucks, Luongo posted his first forty win season with career-high 47 wins compared to 22 losses. His 47 wins was one shy of the NHL record set by long-time New Jersey Devils goaltender Martin Brodeur that same season with 48.

     During his five years in Vancouver, Luongo has complied 193 regular season wins and a .919 save percentage. In eleven-seasons in the NHL, Luongo has never posted a save percentage below 90 percent.

    Vancouver finished with a 54-19 record in the regular season and the number one overall season in NHL postseason after capturing the President's Trophy, an award given to the team with the NHL's best record. Now here they are.

Thomas is also vying for his first
Stanley Cup Trophy.

With The Canuck's 1-0 win over the Boston Bruins in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals Wednesday, Luongo became only the sixth goaltender in history to post a shutout in his Stanley Cup debut. This year's Cup Finals is a matchup between two of the best shot blockers in the game today as Boston's Tim Thomas is one of the best in the net leading the NHL in save percentage at .938 during the regular season.

Both teams hold the fifth and sixth longest droughts in NHL history without a championship. The Bruins have not won since 1972 while the Canucks have yet to win a Cup in their franchise's history and three attempts since they joined the NHL in 1970.

Vancouver will look to protect home ice once again in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Finals Friday night in Vancouver.

Big Diesel Makes His Final Stop

O'Neal at times seemed to be larger
than the game itself.

For almost two decades center Shaquille O'Neal was the face of the National Basketball Association, Wednesday that came to close when the seven-footer decided to call it a career. Now after nineteen seasons in the NBA we can reflect on remarkable career of this larger than life individual.

A New Jersey native, O'Neal played his college ball at Louisiana State University and won the National Player of the Year Award in 1991 while playing for the Tigers. After playing three seasons at LSU, O'Neal entered the 1992 NBA Draft and was selected with the number one overall pick by the Orlando Magic.

    In his rookie season in Orlando, O'Neal was selected to start the All-Star Game in Phoenix, the first rookie to receive that honor since the great Michael Jordan did so in 1985 representing the Chicago Bulls. After averaging 23.4 point per game and 13.9 rebounds that season, he would be voted the '92-'93 Rookie of the Year, becoming the first time Magic players to win the award.

    In only his third year in the NBA, O'Neal along with his sidekick Anfernee "Penny" Hardaway led the Magic to their first Finals appearance in franchise history. It was not the magical ending Orlando was hoping for as O'Neal was outplayed by another future Hall of Fame center Hakeem Olajuwon and the Magic were swept in four straight games, giving the Houston Rockets their second straight NBA title.

    The following year would be his last in Orlando. The Magic won their second straight division title and also reached the Eastern Conference Finals in as many years only to be swept by Jordan's Bulls. O' Neal was set to hit the open market as a free agent for the first time and with a new dynasty building in Chicago and Eastern Conference, he thought his best chance to win was elsewhere and bolted for the West Coast.

    Prior to the '96-'97 season O'Neal was wooed by general manager and Laker legend Jerry West to join the Los Angeles Lakers, signing seven-year contract worth $120 million. His first three seasons in Los Angeles were productive making the postseason every year, but had yet to make a Finals appearance since his arrival only escaping the second-round once. That was all about to change with another brilliant move by the Los Angeles GM.

    West lured former Bulls head coach Phil Jackson out of hibernation and come to Hollywood paving the way for the next Lakers dynasty. In 2000, O'Neal finally got the bad taste out of his mouth reaching the NBA Finals for the first time since his Magic lost in '95. That same season O'Neal would be named the NBA Most Valuable Player for the first and only time in his career.

    With Jackson's championship pedigree, O'Neal's dominating presence in the paint and a young Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles would win three straight NBA titles from '00-'02.

    After the final piece of confetti had fallen and the last glass of champagne have been drunk, it got very dark in the City of Angels as their once dynamic duo began to feud. Los Angeles's run at a 4-Feat would come up short in the second-round against the San Antonio Spurs. The younger and more athletic Bryant , whose work ethic has become legendary, felt they needed to work even harder to recapture their title and dethrone the Spurs. O' Neal's thinking was a bit different, claiming they would be just fine and continue their dominance.
  
    It looked that way as Los Angeles would represent the Western Conference in the NBA Finals for the fourth time in five years, but Bryant proved to be right.

    O'Neal's Lakers would lose to the Detroit Pistons in five games having their dynasty and his time in Los Angeles come to a close. With the then-twenty-four-year-old Bryant was currently saddled with an expiring contract and O'Neal showing signs of aging at thirty-two, the Lakers decided to build their future around the shooting guard trading O'Neal to the Miami Heat. Leaving many to wonder what they may have accomplished if they stayed together.

O'Neal, right won his fourth and final NBA
title with Wade left, in Miami.

Many believe the departure of West after the '02 season was the turning point between the two, as the former GM was said to be the glue that held everything together.

O'Neal's time away from the top would be short lived. In only his second year teamed up with Dwayne Wade and Pat Riley, the Heat were able to overcome an 0-2 Finals deficit to the Dallas Mavericks and win their first NBA title in franchise history in 2006. The championship was the fourth of O'Neal's career in his six trips to the Finals.

    O'Neal would eventually wear out his welcome in South Beach and after playing three and half seasons in Miami he was traded back to the Western Conference joining Steve Nash and the Phoenix Suns.
  
    Really his only shining moment as a member of the Suns was in the '09 NBA All-Star Game in Phoenix when he was named the game's MVP for the third time in his career sharing the award with Bryant. His final two seasons in the NBA were spent with his fifth and sixth different teams, but they were injury riddled as O'Neal only played 90 regular season games for the Cavaliers and Celtics combined.

    Even though O'Neal was heavily criticized throughout his career for not staying in shape there was a method to his madness.

    Shaq leaves the game as the fifth leading scorer in NBA history with 28,596 career points. His 58 percent field goal percentage is good enough for second all-time. O'Neal is the only player in NBA history to average 20 point and 10 rebounds for thirteen straight seasons and was a fifteen-time All-Star. That ranks second in NBA history only to Kareem-Abdul-Jabbar's nineteen.

    His postseason resume is even more impressive. O'Neal made the postseason in seventeen of his nineteen years in the league reaching the Finals six times. Of the four titles won by O'Neal, he was named the Finals MVP three times.

O'Neal, left and former teammate Bryant, right
might have accomplished even greater
things if they stayed together.

O'Neal is retiring as one of the true ambassadors and characters of the game. His self-proclaimed nicknames took the NBA by storm such as The Big Aristotle, Shaqtus, Superman, Big Diesel, Shaqovic, and of course Shaq to name a few.

The Lakers have already stated publicly they will retire his No. 34 jersey eventually, leaving a footprint in our hearts we won't soon forget.

    His personality was as big as he was and will truly be missed. Although he may have underachieved with his god given ability, Shaq was second to none during his career and will go down as one of the greatest ever to play the game.

    O'Neal will hold his retirement press conference at his home in Isleworth on Friday and can be seen on ESPN at 1 p.m. Eastern Time.

    With diesel gas prices at an average of $3.95 a gallon throughout the United States it was time to park the Big Diesel in the garage for good.