Archive for March, 2010
Blackhawks Lose Again – 4-2 to Blues in St. Louis
Wednesday, March 31st, 2010 | Chicago Blackhawks, NHL, Sports | 1 Comment
The Chicago Blackhawks slide continues as they dropped another game in St. Louis on Tuesday night. It is getting uglier and uglier for this once dominating team. Ever since NHL action returned from the Olympics break, the Hawks have not been playing cohesive hockey as a team. Head Coach Joel Quenneville certainly has his work cut out for him over the next 10 days before the playoffs begin.
The Blackhawks face the Wild in Minnesota tonight.
John Mayer extends tour to summer dates
Wednesday, March 31st, 2010 | John Mayer | No Comments
John Mayer has just announced he will extend his tour and come back to the US this summer. Most of the shows will be in much smaller outdoor venues a change from his current larger indoor shows. The list of band opening his shows are great this time around, Train and Owl City will be on most of the tour.
| Jul 16 | Charlotte, NC | Verizon Wireless Amphitheater Charlotte | (with Train) | |
| Jul 17 | Raleigh, NC | Time Warner Cable Music Pavilion @ Walnut Creek | (with Train) | |
| Jul 18 | Virginia Beach, VA | Verizon Wireless Amphitheater | (TBA) | |
| Jul 21 | Wantagh, NY | Nikon at Jones Beach Theater | (with Train) | |
| Jul 24 | Scranton, PA | Toyota Pavilion @ Montage Mountain | (with Train) | |
| Jul 25 | Hershey, PA | Hershey Park Stadium | (with Train) | |
| Jul 27 | Cincinnati, OH | Riverbend Music Center | (with Train) | |
| Jul 28 | Clarkston, MI | DTE Energy Music Theatre | (with Train) | |
| Jul 30 | Camden, NJ | Susquehanna Bank Center | (with Train) | |
| Jul 31 | Bristow, VA | Jiffy Lube Live | (The Avett Brothers) | |
| Aug 01 | Burgettstown, PA | First Niagara Pavilion | (with Train) | |
| Aug 03 | Holmdel, NJ | PNC Bank Arts Center | (with Train) | |
| Aug 06 | Mansfield, MA | Comcast Center | (with Train) | |
| Aug 07 | Hartford, CT | Comcast Theatre | (with Train) | |
| Aug 08 | Saratoga, NY | Saratoga PAC | (with Train) | |
| Aug 10 | Toronto, ONT | Molson Canadian Amphitheatre | (with Train) | |
| Aug 11 | Darien Center, NY | Darien Lake PAC | (with Train) | |
| Aug 13 | Cuyahoga Falls, OH | Blossom Music Center | (The Avett Brothers) | |
| Aug 14 | Tinley Park, IL | First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre | (The Avett Brothers) | |
| Aug 15 | Noblesville, IN | Verizon Wireless Music Center | (The Avett Brothers | |
| Aug 18 | Phoenix, AZ | Cricket Wireless Pavilion | (with Owl City) | |
| Aug 20 | Mountain View, CA | Shoreline Amphitheatre | (with Owl City) | |
| Aug 21 | Wheatland, CA | Sleep Train Amphitheatre | (with Owl City) | |
| Aug 22 | Los Angeles, CA | Hollywood Bowl | (with Owl City) | |
| Aug 24 | Irvine, CA | Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre | (with Owl City) | |
| Aug 25 | Chula Vista, CA | Cricket Wireless Amphitheatre | (with Owl City) | |
| Aug 31 | West Valley City, UT | USANA Amphitheater | (TBA) | |
| Sep 01 | Morrison, CO | Red Rocks Amphitheatre | (with Owl City) | |
| Sep 04 | Dallas, TX | Superpages.com Center | (TBA) | |
| Sep 05 | Woodlands, TX | Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion | (with Owl City) | |
| Sep 06 | Orange Beach, AL | The Amphitheatre @ the Wharf | (with Owl City) | |
| Sep 08 | Atlanta, GA | Aaron’s Amphitheatre @ Lakewood | (with Owl City) | |
| Sep 10 | Tampa, FL | The Ford Amphitheatre | (with Owl City) | |
| Sep 11 | West Palm Beach, Fl | Cruzan Amphitheatre | (with Owl City) |
Blackhawks Look to Rebound Against Blues in St. Louis
Tuesday, March 30th, 2010 | Calgary Flames, Chicago Blackhawks, NHL, Sports | 1 Comment
The Chicago Blackhawks look to rebound against the St. Louis Blues tonight in St. Louis. The Blackhawks have been in a funk as of late, going 3-5-2 in their last 10 games. Overall, the club is 46-21-7 and their 99 points makes them one of the better teams in the entire NHL. The Blackhawks still hold the 2nd seed in the Western Conference, but now trail the San Jose Sharks by 5 points. The team really needs to find that confidence before the start of the playoffs in 2 weeks. When the Hawks were going strong from December through the Olympics break, the Hawks seemed to possess confidence no matter what situation they found themselves in. Now it seems like they play tight when the game is on the line, and they really need to find that winning attitude again soon.
Let’s hope the Blackhawks can right the ship against two “inferior” teams – the Blues tonight and the Wild in Minnesota on Wednesday night. The Blackhawks then face the Devils in New Jersey on Friday night before returning home to take on the Calgary Flames at the United Center in Chicago on Easter Sunday. This is a HUGE 4-game stretch for the Hawks — at this point, 2-2 would be a success, but let’s hope they find a way to win at least 3 of 4. GO HAWKS!
2010 Final Four All Set
Monday, March 29th, 2010 | College Basketball, Final Four, NCAA College Basketball, Sports | No Comments
It was a great weekend of exciting regional finals in the 2010 NCAA College Basketball Tournament. Only 4 teams remain – Butler, West Viriginia, Michigan State and Duke.
Butler (#5 seed) knocked off Kansas State (#2 seed) 63-56 behind 22 points and 9 rebounds from Gordon Hayward. Butler returns home to Indianapolis to play in the Final Four.
West Virginia (#2 seed) knocked off Kentucky (#1 seed) 73-66 behind Da’Sean Butler’s 18 points and 6 rebounds. Head Coach Bob Huggins is taking his alma mater to the Final Four.
Michigan State (#5 seed) knocked off Tennessee (#6 seed) 70-69 in the 1st game of the day on Sunday. Although Durrell Summers led the team with 21 points, it was Raymar Morgan’s free throw with 2 seconds left in the game that put the Spartans ahead for good. Head Coach Tom Izzo is now headed to his 6th Final Four in 12 years, including back-to-back Final Fours.
Duke (#1 seed) was the final team to qualify for the Final Four with a come-from-behind 78-71 win over Baylor (#3 seed). Duke was the only #1 seed to reach the Final Four this year. Nolan Smith (29 points) and John Scheyer (20 points) paced the Blue Devils. Duke also grabbed 22 offensive rebounds in the game.
Get ready for a great weekend of action – it will be a long 5 days to wait for the Final Four, but it will sure be a lot of fun…
Elite 8 All Set – Big NCAA Tourney Weekend to Set Final Four
Saturday, March 27th, 2010 | College Basketball, Final Four, NCAA College Basketball, Sports | 1 Comment
The Elite Eight match-ups are all set. After this weekend’s games, we’ll know exactly who’s in the 2010 Final Four.
Here’s how it all shakes out this weekend:
Saturday 3/27 @ 4:30PM EST in Salt Lake City, Utah – West Regional Final
Butler (5 seed) v. Kansas State (2 seed)
TicketChest Blog Prediction — Kansas State with a 7-point victory
Saturday 3/27 @ 4:30PM EST in Salt Lake City, Utah – West Regional Final
Butler (5 seed) v. Kansas State (2 seed)
TicketChest Blog Prediction — Kansas State with a 7-point victory
Saturday 3/27 @ 7:00PM EST in Syracuse, New York – East Regional Final
Kentucky (1 seed) v. West Virginia (2 seed)
TicketChest Blog Prediction — Kentucky with a 5-point victory
Sunday 3/28 @ 2:20PM EST in St. Louis, Missouri – Midwest Regional Final
Tennessee (6 seed) v. Michigan State (5 seed)
TicketChest Blog Prediction — Michigan State with a 1-point victory
Sunday 3/28 @ 5:05PM EST in Houston, Texas – South Regional Final
Duke (1 seed) v. Baylor (3 seed)
TicketChest Blog Prediction — Baylor with a 3-point victory
Enjoy the games — we’ll keep you posted throughout the weekend!
A Night to Forget for Chicago Sports Fans
Friday, March 26th, 2010 | Chicago Blackhawks, Chicago Bulls, Miami Heat, NBA, NHL, Sports | 2 Comments
It was a night to forget for Chicago sports fans as the Blackhawks lost to the Blue Jackets 8-3 in Columbus while the Bulls fell to the Miami Heat 103-74 at the United Center. Talk about 2 bad, embarrassing losses…
Cristobal Huet blew his shot in goal by allowing 7 goals on 27 shots on net. While Head Coach Joel Quinneville didn’t praise Huet, he also indicated that the rest of the team played poorly as well. It was the worst loss of the season for the Blackhawks – the 4-goal 2nd period for the Blue Jackets didn’t help. The Blackhawks trail the San Jose Sharks by 1 point for the top seed in the Western Conference, but they did clinch a playoff spot when the Calgary Flames lost to the New York Islanders later that night.
Back in Chicago, the Bulls looked lackluster in a disappointing loss to playoff contender Miami Heat. The Bulls failed to gain ground on the Heat who are the 6th seed in the East. The Bulls played a horrible 1st half, trailing the Heats by 30 points (63-33) at the break. Ouch… Taj Gibson (12 points and 10 rebounds) and Derrick Rose (12 points, 5 assists and 5 rebounds) were the only 2 Bulls who had “respectable” nights. The Bulls trail the Toronto Raptors for the 8th seed in the Eastern Conference.
Let’s hope both Chicago teams can back in the win column this weekend in Chicago. The Bulls take on the 8-win New Jersey Nets on Saturday night at the United Center, while the Blackhawks get a chance at redemption against the Blue Jackets when the 2 teams square off on Sunday night…
Green day summer tour with AFI
Thursday, March 25th, 2010 | Concerts | No Comments
Green day is hitting the road this summer with AFI who is set to open up for them. Full details below.
August 3 – Camden, NJ – Susquehanna Bank Center
August 5 – Buffalo, NY – Darien Lake Performing Arts Center
August 9 – Alpharetta, GA – Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
August 11 – Washington, DC – Jiffy Lube Live
August 12 – Hartford, CT – Comcast Theater
August 14 – Holmdel, NJ – PNC
August 16 – Boston, MA – Comcast Center
August 18 – Toronto, ON – Molson Canadian Amphitheatre
August 23 – Detroit, MI – DTE Energy Music Theater
August 26 – Dallas, TX – Superpages.com Center
August 28 – Denver, CO – Comfort Dental Amphitheater
August 30 – Phoenix, AZ – Cricket Wireless Pavilion
August 31 – Los Angeles, CA – Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
September 2 – Chula Vista, CA – Cricket Wireless Amphitheatre
Battle for the West – Blackhawks & Coyotes Clash @ United Center
Tuesday, March 23rd, 2010 | Chicago Blackhawks, NHL, Sports | No Comments
The Chicago Blackhawks host the Phoenix Coyotes tonight at the United Center to determine who will be on top of the NHL’s Western Conference. Both teams have 97 points, but the Coyotes are the hottest team in hockey right now, having won 9 straight games. The Coyotes defeated the Blackhawks in a shootout on Saturday night and they even pulled past San Jose for the most points in the Pacific Division. Phoenix is one of the biggest surprises in the NHL in 2010 and they appear poised and ready to make a long run through the 2010 playoffs in April, May and maybe even June.
The Blackhawks have struggled as of late, going 4-4-2 in their last 10 games. They went 1-1-1 on their 3-game road trip against the Ducks, Kings and Coyotes last week, and seem to be a little bit out of sync after a huge 1st half. The Blackhawks are still considered one of the top teams in the NHL and a good showing tonight will prove just that. The Blackhawks are 26-7-3 at the United Center so it will be tough for the Coyotes to win tonight. The Coyotes are the only Western Conference team that the Blackhawks have not beaten during the 2009-2010 NHL schedule, so something has to give tonight. Defenseman Brent Seabrook is expected back in action tonight and Antti Niemi will man the net for the Blackhawks. Go Hawks!
Minnesota Twins, Joe Mauer Agree to 8-Year, $184 Extension
Monday, March 22nd, 2010 | Joe Mauer, Minnesota Twins, MLB, Sports | No Comments
Joe Mauer will be in a Minnesota Twins uniform for a very long time. The Twins and Mauer agreed upon an 8-year extension that will keep the best hitter in baseball in Minnesota through the 2018 MLB schedule. The extension kicks in in 2011 and is worth $184 million. It contains a no trade clause as well.
The average annual salary comes out to $23 million. Only 2 other players – Alex Rodriguez ($27.5 million) and CC Sabathia ($23 million) of the New York Yankees – have greater annual salaries. It is also the largest contract ever signed by a catcher, crushing the 7-year, $91 million deal that Mike Piazza signed with the New York Mets in 1999.
Mauer is a stud that has delivered for the Twins at the major league level each and every season. He is a career .327 hitter with a career .408 on-base percentage. 2009 was clearly his best year – .365 batting average, .444 on-base percentage, 28 HR’s, 96 RBI’s and only 63 strike outs in 523 at-bats. WOW!
At the ripe young age of 26, Mauer deserved the deal and the Twins are lucky to have him as their back-stop for the foreseeable future.
Tiger Woods 1st interview
Monday, March 22nd, 2010 | Golf, Sports, Tiger Woods | No Comments
Tiger Woods had his first interview since his wife beat him up with a 9 iron. He doesn’t say much about what happened. Check out the video below
