The Celtics travel out to Milwaukee on Sunday April 28th to play the Bucks in game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals for a 1 o’clock start. The Bucks have the #1 seed so the Celtics have their work cut out for them as the #4 seed, and MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo will  be a handful for Gordon Hayward, yet alone the entire Celtic squad.

Last year the Celtics and Bucks met in the playoffs which was possibly one of the best match ups in the finals and resulted in a seven game series win for the Celtics, after Terry Rozier stepped up to the plate and took down guard Eric Bledsoe.  The Bucks have added some key components to their roster like Brook Lopez, George Hill, and Nikola Mirotic, but I think if Gordon Hayward and Kyrie Irving played like they did in the first round against the Pacers, Boston could sneak away with a win and another advancement.

Defensive stops will play a huge factor in stopping the massive Giannis charging to the rim. Boston is taking a tough loss with the absence of their best defender, Marcus Smart but if everyone contributes on defense with maybe a couple flops here and there I like the Celtics potential.

Celtics in 7 games.

Tiger Woods just won his 5th green jacket at the 2019 Masters Tournament, which marked his 81st career win on Tour, and 15th major win. Woods ranks second in all time career wins barely trailing Sam Snead (82). Tiger was a favorite to win at The Masters along with names such as Rory McIlroy, Dustin Johnson, and Brooks Koepka. Prior to the tournament Tiger was in a funk and couldn’t really find the top of the leader board in previous tournaments heading to Sunday, however he found his rhythm from start to finish last weekend.

The last time Tiger won was in 2018 at the Tour Championship. Woods has had a series of highs and lows in the past few years, with the breakdown of his marriage, serious back problems, slipping down the world rankings, and recently being arrested on the suspicion of drunk driving. Tiger is now 43 and the last time he won at Augusta was 14 years ago. Some analyst’s mark this victory “the greatest comeback in sports”

Woods received much attention all over the world online from notables such as LeBron James, Serena Williams, Steph Curry, Kobe Bryant, Barrack Obama, and Donald Trump.

The Bruins host the Toronto Maple Leafs Thursday April 11th, 2019 at 7:00 p.m. at the TD Garden in Boston, MA. This is the first game of a 7 game series (if necessary) in which both teams are battling for a Stanley Cup. The Bruins currently hold the #2 seed in the Eastern conference with the Leafs holding the #3 seed.

The Bruins overcame many injuries throughout the season to get where they are now at 49-24-9 and 107 points, mostly fueled by Brad Marchand’s 100 point season, David Pastrnak’s 38 goal season, and David Krejci’s 73 point season. When it comes to advantages of different parts of the game the Bruins and Leafs go back and forth between defense, goal tending, coaching, health, and special teams where each team has some advantage over the other.

Tuukka Rask will get the head nod between the pipes as he carried out a 27-13-5 record which is up to par but nothing extraordinary. Jaroslav Halak was even better with a 22-11-4 record and a .922 save percentage, but Tuukka is more favorable due to his experience. If things start to get scary look to see Halak in net to fill Rask’ role and change the momentum of the game. The B’s have the third best power play in the league at 25.9% and the Leafs are eighth at 21.8%. I like the B’s head coach Cassidy’s ego and what he’s done with so many injuries in the lineup, getting them in the playoffs I hope the Bruins can flourish with surviving and advancing.

http://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/26473842/2019-stanley-cup-playoffs-boston-bruins-vs-toronto-maple-leafs-series-preview-pick

New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski announced his retirement via Instagram about a week ago, and the factors that influenced his decision. Formerly known as “Gronk”, he was a character on and off the field, whether it was him dancing on the duck boats (after multiple Super Bowl wins) or spiking the football after scoring a touchdown Gronk was one of a kind. He was one of the best to play his position, and possibly the best to go through the Patriot’s organization. Gronk was an absolute machine when he got the ball lofted in his hands by Brady and sometimes took 2,3, even 4 guys to take him down.

Gronk was in the league for 9 years, all with the Patriots after they drafted him out of the University of Arizona. He is a native of Amherst, New York. Some of Gronk’s career highlights include 3x Super Bowl Champion, 5x Pro-Bowler, NFL Comeback Player of the Year, and 4x First Team All-Pro. He reeled in 521 recepetions, 7,861 receiving yards, and 79 touchdowns throughout his career. It is known that tight ends retire at a younger age due to the mental and physical toll they put on their body whether it’s blocking or catching passes.

His last play from scrimmage was of course the game winning throw from Brady in between two defenders in Super Bowl LII and that’s what people are going to remember him for. Gronk was an inspiration to all of Pats Nation.

“Yo soy Fiesta” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t0jne_g5IO4

The Red Sox opened the season on the west coast against the Mariners with a four game series in Seattle, Washington. Chris Sale was the starting pitcher on Opening Day and notched his first loss of the 2019 season by a score of 12-4. He allowed 3 earned runs, something he never did the entire 2018 season.

The Sox are coming back into the swing of things after being down in Fort Myers, Florida for Spring Training. The lineup is looking roughly the same as last year with the acquisition of a few minor league pitchers and outfielders. With the pitching rotation set consisting of Sale, Price, Eovaldi, Porcello, and Rodriguez the Sox pitching is the best if not the best in the league. Sale, Price, and Rodriguez are lefties, while Eovaldi and Porcello are the righties. It’s a good split up in the five-man rotation. However, the focus isn’t just on the pitchers, slugger J.D. Martinez is back and better than ever and American League MVP Mookie Betts is ready to get his feet wet (again). Betts recently turned down an 8 year $200 million extension, something Red Sox fans don’t like to hear. Betts said he just wanted to be treated fairly and win another World Series. “He’s talking about his earning capability in the baseball marketplace. He’s not saying that he or any other ballplayer is underpaid. In the process, he’s letting it be known he’s not blinking and isn’t in a state of panic, anxious to join the gold rush. And he won’t be asking for anyone’s sympathy if his gamble backfires”.

The Red Sox start the season with a 1-3 record and head to Oakland tomorrow to play the Athletics at 10:07 p.m.

Keegan: Don’t expect Mookie Betts to blink in contract talks