LeBron James is unreal. He absolutely took over in the fourth quarter and led the Cavs to a 112-102 victory over Orlando, forcing a game six Saturday.


James finished with a triple-double and went on a tear in which he either scored or made the assist on 32 straight Cleveland points in the fourth quarter.


Give credit to the Magic, who were down big in the first half, came back to take the lead, then stuck with the Cavs until about four minutes were left in the game. Don't forget, Cleveland is a team that lost only two games all year long at home (one was the final game of the season when no one even dressed).


Expect nothing less on Saturday, as all five of these games have been a delight to watch. I am really looking forward to both Game 6's, starting tomorrow with Lakers-Nuggets.


---It was also pretty cool to see how many big-time sports celebrities were in attendance, and how into the game they were. CC Sabathia, A-Rod, Mariano and other Yankees were in attendance, enjoying their off day before starting their weekend series in Cleveland against the Indians. Brady Quinn and Ben Roethlisberger were other guys that TNT had shown in the crowd.

Yankee beat writer and previous guest to the show, Peter Abraham of the Journal News is reporting that Jorge Posada is en route to Cleveland to re-join the Yankees after a hamstring injury forced him onto the disabled list. His return poses a big question.

How many days a week can he catch and still be able to maintain his health? Jose Molina, who is also on the DL is a serviceable backup and Fransisco Cervelli has been nothing short of a pleasant surprise. The smart move may be to keep three catchers on the major league roster when Molina comes back, thus allowing Posada to DH.

Posada becoming more of a DH than a catcher also creates a log-jam, with Hideki Matsui unable to play the field. Add in the eventual return of Xavier Nady, who will also be limited in his ability to play the field, and it gets quite crowded.

For those that forgot about the troubles of former Giants Wide Receiver Plaxico Burress, you are about to get a heavy-dosed reminder.

Burress' court proceedings were delayed a few months back and we are now just a few weeks away from getting a better idea as to if and how long he will be in jail for.

Giants radio play-by-play man Bob Papa spoke out on his Satellite radio show this afternoon and said that Burress is afraid of going to jail and that he refuses to accept any deal that involves doing time.

I wonder what Burress' agent Drew Rosenhaus has to say (or tweet) about that...

What a busy Wednesday in sports...


---The Mets found a new way to win as Daniel Murphy and the video tape bailed out Johan Santana, as the Amazin's completed the 3-game sweep of the worst team in baseball. Can't expect a perfect game every time out from Johan, and it is nice to see him getting some run support.

The Mets are now a 1/2 game up on the Phillies in the standings after Philadelphia lost to the Marlins last night. However, they are not the only baseball team from New York in first place this morning.

---Godzilla awoke last night in Arlington. Hideki Matsui hit two home runs in the Yankees' 9-2 blowout win of the Rangers. Plenty of hits by the rest of the team, including another Mark Teixeira homer plus AJ Burnett's great performance over six innings helps make the off day a bit more enjoyable. Last night marked Burnett's first win in over six weeks.

Boston's loss to Minnesota coupled with the Yankees' win has created a tie in the standings with the two teams for first place in the AL East. The Yankees need to play AND BEAT the Red Sox when they play again for any Yankee fan to get excited...


---Randy Johnson notched is 299th career win last night, with a 6-3 win over the Atlanta Braves. When he finally does win number 300, be sure to enjoy it. He will be the last pitcher to hit the magical mark for a long, long time.


---The Red Wings beat the Blackhawks in a thrilling 2-1 OT win last night. The Wings will take on the Penguins in a rematch of last year's Stanley Cup Final. Detroit beat Pittsburgh in six, so the Pens will defintely be out for revenge...


---The Lakers won a pivotal game five last night in Los Angeles. They played outstanding basketball and got nice contributions from their big men, Lamar Odom (19 pts, 14 rebs.) and Pau Gasol (14 pts, 10 rebs.) Game six is tomorrow in Denver...I fully expect a game seven to be played in this one.

Tough loss for the Yanks as they played deep into the night just to see Alfredo Aceves and Phil Coke blow the game. This is the type of game that really drives home my argument of putting Joba back in the bullpen if possible.

--The Mets' series against the Nationals brings the whole Nick Johnson situation into the spotlight. There are several internet reports out there that it would cost the Mets Bobby Parnell in order to get Nick Johnson from the Nats. The fact that he hit 100 mph on the radar gun in Boston defintely helps his stock. Once the Mets finish this part of the schedule, (Nationals, Marlins, Pirates, Nationals) the reality of needing another bat will undoubtedly set in.

--Zach Greinke continues to dominate. Plain and simple.

The Mets' hefty fifth starter, Livan Hernandez, came up big against the Washington Nationals tonight. He went the distance, giving up only one run...He is the first Mets starter to pitch a complete game this year.


Gary Sheffield hit a clutch home run yet again, which put the game out of reach completely.

Johan Santana pitches in the finale of the series tomorrow as the Mets look for the sweep. This is a good time for the Mets to have to deal with a depleted lineup as the lowly Florida Marlins are next up.


---The Pittsburgh Penguins completed their sweep of the Carolina Hurricanes tonight, winning their second consecutive Eastern Conference Championship. Hats off to the Penguins' front office for re-vamping the team at the trade deadline. This was a team that, halfway through the season was left for dead...


---The Red Wings will look to clinch their second consecutive conference crown tomorrow night at home in Detroit. We are just one game away from a re-match of last year's Stanley Cup Final. Awesome.


---We were all treated to another great basketball game tonight. Add Mickael Pietrus to the list of players that had huge impacts in this series. Unbelievably, the Magic are just one game away from the NBA Finals. It would be their first since the Shaq/ Penny era.


---Yankees-Rangers were delayed just about two and 1/2 hours...It hasn't been pretty through about the first four innings. Melky's awkward collision with the wall, which led to an early exit, combined with missed opportunities on the base paths helps leave a bad taste in the mouth of anyone who is still up watching this. Hopefully they turn it around before I pass out...Which is most likely after I hit the 'post' button.


(UPDATE) Mark Teixeira's home run in the top of the fifth has given me a little more hope as I attempt to stay awake as long as possible.

Here is a comparison of the lineups that the Mets put out on opening day in Cincinnati compared to the one they have for tonight's game against the Nationals.


April 8:
1. SS Jose Reyes
2. LF Daniel Murphy
3. 3B David Wright
4. 1B Carlos Delgado
5. CF Carlos Beltran
6. RF Ryan Church
7. C Brian Schneider
8. 2B Luis Castillo


Tonight:
1. CF Angel Pagan
2. 2B Luis Castillo
3. 3B David Wright
4. LF Gary Sheffield
5. 1B Fernando Tatis
6. RF Fernando Martinez
7. C Omir Santos
8. SS Ramon Martinez


--Six out of the eight position players that were in the lineup on opening day are not tonight, and may not be for a while. The jury is still out on Carlos Beltran's injury, and how long that could keep him out. Delgado, Church, Reyes, and Schneider are all on the DL and Daniel Murphy continues to fall down the depth chart, no matter what position he plays...

Fernando Martinez' much anticipated arrival has come. The Mets have finally made a decision with Jose Reyes' lingering calf injury and have placed him on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to May 21. He will be eligible to play on June 5 or 6.

Ryan Church has also been put on the disabled list, thus leaving playing time for Fernando Martinez.

Martinez, who is widely regarded as the Mets' number one prospect, has been the subject of a lot of chatter lately. Whether he should be called up has filled the air waves (including our own) for the last week or so. He has also come when talking about a big-time trade that the Mets might have to pull off to solidify the team down the stretch.

Either way, his arrival to the big leagues is something that will undoubtedly get the fans in Flushing excited, not to mention it is a nice way to cushion the blow of having Jose Reyes on the DL.



--To take Jose Reyes' place, the Mets also called up Wilson Valdez, who most say is decent defensively but leaves something to be desired with the bat.

Make it three replays in three nights for the Amazins'. Gary Sheffield's go-ahead 3-run home run in the sixth inning had to be reviewed and was upheld. Replay in baseball is still taking some getting used to, but in the end I think it will be very useful.

Speaking of Sheffield, he has certainly proved to be a valuable addition so far in 2009. He is hitting .400 over his last 11 games and has helped to fill the power void left by Carlos Delgado's bad hip.

Carlos Beltran will have an MRI exam tomorrow on his ailing right knee. He said in his post-game interview that he knows there is something wrong and that the doctor said it may be a mild case of what Jose Reyes has. Beltran is the last person he Mets can afford to lose. At least the Mets' use (or lack) of the disabled list gives sports-talk radio shows something to talk about.


---Why was there no NHL game tonight?

---The Nuggets have tied up the series at 2 with their game 4 victory in Denver. Despite all of Vince McMahon's (Owner of WWE) attempts to make America hate the Nuggets and their Owner E. Stan Kroenke, Carmelo and company prevailed.

What a way to start a road trip...

The Middle of the Yankee lineup (Teixeira, A-Rod, Cano) was 9-14 in today's game certainly took the pressure off of Phil Hughes who had a great game himself, (8 IP, 6 K, 3H). Alex Rodriguez was right in the middle of the action as he went 5-5 (3 singles, 2 doubles).

--A blowout win like this is great, but the day isn't a total victory. After just six days, Brian Bruney is back on the disabled list for a second stint with discomfort in his elbow. As we have discussed on the show numerous times, Bruney is key to the Yankees' success and is the only dependable arm in the bullpen aside from Mariano Rivera.


---Other MLB NOTES: ---

--Chris Carpenter and Yovani Gollardo were locked in a great pitchers duel in Milwaukee. The oft-injured Carpenter was perfect through six innings. Both pitchers left in the eighth inning and the bullpens have taken over.

--The suddenly red-hot Tigers blew out the Royals 13-1.

--The Toronto Blue Jays continue to stumble down the AL East standings, as they lost this afternoon to Baltimore, 4-1. With the loss and the Yankees' win, New York climbs over them in the standings and remain a game behind Boston (if they hold on to their lead in Minnesota).