Random Thoughts for an April Day

• UAB and Arkansas State should be worried about losing their head coaches to Arkansas. Butch Davis is the hot name going around now but there is way too much baggage for Arkansas to commit to him. While Butch was never convicted of having anything to do with the illegal NCAA activities going on at North Carolina, it's hard to imagine he had no idea it was going on.
• Ozzie Guillen should not have had to apologize to the Miami Marlins Fans. Yes Fidel Castro is a horrible person and has been a ruthless dictator in Cuba for nearly six decades in some form or fashion. But a man is allowed to believe whatever he wants to believe in America as long as it doesn't cause violence towards anyone else. The Miami Marlins did not want to insult the huge Cuban population in Miami by having Ozzie say that. The Marlins are opening a new stadium and spent a lot of money to try and make the team more "Miami" than "Florida." By forcing a five game suspension on Guillen, it prohibits free speech.
• The Miami Heat are not getting in playoff shape. The Heat need to realize that you need to have some form of momentum heading into the playoffs. They are 5-5 in their last ten games with two losses to the Celtics who will probably be their second round matchup. You cannot turn a switch on and off for playing good basketball. Consistent winning is a thing that breeds confidence and I'm starting to think the Heat are letting the pressure and pre-season predictions get to them.
• The Chicago Bulls will be the favorite in the NBA playoffs. The Bulls have been the walking wounded all year and have still managed to have the best record in the NBA. They remind me a lot of the Packers in the 2010-2011 season where the motto became, "Next Man Up!" The Bulls have been able to develop a lot of depth at guardwith the play of Ronnie Brewer, C.J. Watson, and Jon Lucas, III at guard while Derrick Rose and Rip Hamilton have been out. The Bulls are watching Rip Hamilton's minutes as they work him back into the lineup and Rose is still recovering from his various injuries. This depth at guard will ultimately pay off as they make their way through the Eastern Conference.
• What's the deal with the Braves, Yankees, and Red Sox? The teams are a combined 4-12 through the first week of the season. It looks like the Yankees are just off to a slow start but the Sox may still have issues from last year. The Braves offense looks like the one that struggled to close the season last year and need a shot in the arm from someone. Maybe Chipper Jones' return will get them going.
• The Stanley Cup begins tonight and NBC is broadcasting it right. One of the biggest problems following the Stanley Cup that past few years has been trying to find all the games. Unless you had the NHL Center Ice package you could not watch every game. Now that NBC has cornered the market on the NHL for the next few years, they can spread the games out between NBC Sports Channel, CNBC and the NHL Network. Every game will be viewable in HD in most households. Hockey is a sport that is made for HD. If the playoff hockey lives up to the hockey we've seen this season, the NHL may be on the rebound for viewers.
• It's great to hear about Auburn's Shon Coleman returning to practice after his two year battle with leukemia. I am not a fan of Auburn and will never be one but it is great to see a young man battle back from leukemia. These are still baby steps for Shon but they are steps none the least. I and many others are hoping that Shon eventually gets back to full strength and plays for Auburn soon.