Stanley Cup Prediction

            Today is Memorial Day, a day where we honor those fallen in combat. Today is also the beginning of the Stanley Cup Finals, where two of the NHL's top teams compete for one of the most prestigious trophies in sports: the Stanley Cup.
            The Pittsburgh Penguins, headed by their "HBK" line and Sidney Crosby, are back in the Finals for the first time since 2009. The San Jose Sharks are in the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time ever (You'd think that a team as consistent as the Sharks would've gotten to the Finals more often). Who will hoist Lord Stanley come the middle of June? Will Crosby get to hold the Cup for the second time or will the Sharks take home their first title?

PREDICTION: Penguins in six. I know what you're thinking. You hate me because I'm picking Sidney Crosby to win. You're thinking about how San Jose has had some lethal goal scorers this postseason in Joe Pavelski, Brent Burns, and Logan Couture. They've also got Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau's veteran presence(s) along with a 'killer' power play (27% in the playoffs) to boot. San Jose also likes to get physical with their opponents; they'll try to end the game in the first ten minutes.
            However, there is a team similar to the Sharks that the Penguins have faced in the playoffs already in the Washington Capitals. Washington was a team with plenty of depth who can also knock you around. Pittsburgh took care of business with the Caps.
            The Pens have some great offensive weapons aside from Crosby. Phil Kessel, who's a part of that "HBK" line, has nine goals in the playoffs (he has 18 points in the playoffs). Patric Hornqvist has seven goals in the playoffs as well.
            Pittsburgh has also gotten some help from an unexpected source in the postseason in Matt Murray, who's taken over for an injured Marc-Andre Fleury. He has a save percentage of .924 in the postseason to go with a GAA of 2.22. Compared to San Jose's Martin Jones, who has a save percentage of .917 and a GAA of 2.12 in the postseason, Murray looks to be on par with his Stanley Cup goaltending opponent.
            If the Penguins can avoid the penalty box at all costs and take the Sharks out of their game, the Cup will be chilling in Pittsburgh this summer. Otherwise, you can add San Jose to the list of championship teams in the Bay Area.

Food Buy or "Bye"

            Welcome to another edition of 'Food Buy or "Bye"', where I am your delectable advisor. Today we take a look at the new item at McDonald's, the 'Arctic Orange Shake'. Does it taste like shit or is it pure awesomeness? Let us find out!!

Buy: Honestly, I was blown away by the taste. It tasted like a creamsicle! I thought that it would taste like a synthetic, processed shake (in a way, it is). But it didn't! It tastes like summer!! If you're willing to create some good summer memories with your friends, throw in an Arctic Orange Shake!!

Shark Attack!!

            There's a team in the Bay Area that is one game away from the finals. That team has gone through the postseason competition with some ease. If you think I'm talking about the Golden State Warriors, you're dead wrong. I'm talking about the San Jose Sharks.
            The Sharks go into Game 6 with a 3-2 lead over the St. Louis Blues. That's a home game for the Sharks and they have a chance to do what's never been done in franchise history: Make it to the Stanley Cup Finals. Even with a playoff streak that went ten seasons (2003-2004 to 2013-2014), they've never had a chance to compete in the Finals. But, they have a chance to make some history for their franchise as they hope to eliminate the Blues.
            How did the Sharks get to one game from the Stanley Cup? For starters, they have two of the top scorers in the postseason in Joe Pavelski and Logan Couture. They are tied with each other for most points this postseason with 21 each. In fact, Pavelski leads the NHL this postseason in goals with 12 (Couture has seven goals).
            There have been other key factors into San Jose's postseason run. Brent Burns has 19 points this postseason and is becoming the superstar that San Jose needs. Marc-Edouard Vlasic has a plus/minus rating of 12, good for third this postseason. The Sharks are also setting up great scoring chances. The top three players in assists in the Stanley Cup Playoffs are all occupied by Sharks. Brent Burns is third with 13 while Joe Thornton is tied for the most at 14 with... Logan Couture (Joe Pavelski has nine assists).
            The Sharks will great play from guys like Pavelski if they do make the Stanley Cup Finals. Pavelski had two goals (including the game-winner) and an assist in San Jose's Game 5 win at St. Louis. Could this finally be the year of the shark? We don't know. All we know is that it's a good time to be a sports fan in the Bay Area.

Another GIF Post!!

            Here are some more GIF posts pulled from the internet! Hopefully these images will make you laugh, smile, and even immerse you in deep thought! Enjoy!!

How Oklahoma City Could End Golden State's Dream Season

            Many people and pundits were expecting the 2016 NBA Western Conference Finals to be between the Golden State Warriors and the San Antonio Spurs. After all, these two teams had remarkable regular season records. Stephen Curry and the Warriors lived up to their end of the bargain. However, the Spurs were upended by... the Oklahoma City Thunder?
            It's hard to believe that the Thunder are facing the Warriors in the Western Conference Finals. However, Kevin Durant and Oklahoma City proved they could hang with the Dubs by winning Game 1 by a score of 108-102. Now the media's going crazy over how the Warriors were throwing up desperation shots in Game 1. So how can the Thunder 'shock' the world and advance to the NBA Finals?

1. Solid Shooting From the Field: The Thunder are shooting great from the field this postseason. Both Steven Adams (.662%) and Enes Kanter (.573%) are in the top five in field goal percentage during the postseason. In fact, OKC ranks fourth in team field goal percentage in the playoffs with .461% of their field goals made (Golden State is number two). Golden State can score a lot of points in a hurry, so the Thunder will need their best shooters to come up big.
2. Outrebound: Everyone knows that Golden State likes to go small. They've had great success with this while draining three-pointers this season. However, the Warriors aren't guaranteed to drain every three-point shot they attempt. That's where rebounding matters. The Thunder leads the NBA in rebound differential this postseason, outrebounding their opponents by 9.5 rebounds per game (Golden State is seventh, getting outebounded by 0.7 per game). The Thunder outrebounded the Warriors 52-44 in their Game 1 victory. OKC will need to get big and outmuscle Golden State on the boards.
3. Russell Westbrook Must Have a Monster Series: Westbrook is averaging 25.7 PPG this postseason along with a three-point percentage of .338% (better than his regular season percentage of .296). He's also distributing the ball more, averaging 0.5 more assists this postseason (he led the league in assists per game). Westbrook had 27 points, 12 assists, and seven steals in OKC's Game 1 win. The Warriors will focus a good deal on Durant. This is where Westbrook needs to explode in a good way.
4. Defend: The Warriors led the NBA in the regular season in point differential with 10.8 PPG. However, this statistic is a bit misleading. Golden State led the NBA in team PPG, scoring 114.9 PPG. The second-best team in the differential category, the San Antonio Spurs (10.6), allowed 92.9 PPG. Pressuring the Warriors to take bad shots will be the key to dismantling them, which is exactly what the Thunder did in the second half of Game 1. The Thunder outscored the Warriors 61-42 in the second half and limited the Warriors to just making 36.7% of their three-point shots (the Thunder made 47.1% of their three-point shots). Playing good defense will create more opportunities for the Thunder on the offensive side.

What to Expect Later in This MLB Season

            We are already halfway through May and we've witnessed some surprising stuff. The Phillies currently hold a wild-card spot, the Mariners are in 1st place in the AL West, and the Chicago White Sox and the Baltimore Orioles are duking it out for the best record in the AL. Here's a look at who should rise, who should fall, and who should have staying power.

Team That Will Rise: Toronto Blue Jays: Pitching has kept this team around the .500 mark. Both the rotation and the relief have been good so far. The lineup will come around and start ripping the ball pretty soon.
Team That Will Rise: Houston Astros: With the AL West trending towards a crapshoot, the Astros aren't that far off from the division lead. Carlos Correa and crew are starting to find their strokes again. It's only a matter of the arms righting the ship.
Team That Will Fall: Philadelphia Phillies: Vincent Velaquez has been a strikeout machine for the Phillies and is a part of a stellar, young rotation. However, the Phillies are tied for 28th in runs scored (122) and is 28th in team batting average (.231). The lineup doesn't like to take many walks, either (27th in team walks with 92).
Team With Staying Power: Washington Nationals: The 2nd-best team ERA in baseball belongs to the Nats and it's thanks to Stephen Strasburg's resurgence from last year (6-0, 2.95 ERA, 65 SO). Gio Gonzalez (1.93 ERA) and Joe Ross (2.63 ERA) have also been spectacular. If Bryce Harper can get help from someone not named Daniel Murphy in the lineup (MLB-best .400 BA), watch out for this team.
Team With Staying Power: Boston Red Sox: The highest-scoring lineup in the league (219 runs) is on a record-setting pace. The Red Sox are motivated by the farewell tour of David Ortiz (10 homers, 33 RBI, .405 OBP) and are getting solid production from Jackie Bradley Jr. (.331 BA, six homers, 30 RBI) and Xandir Boegarts (.338 BA, 14 doubles).

Other Teams That Will Rise:

• Texas Rangers (They'll be getting Yu Darvish back soon)
• Los Angeles Dodgers (They got a solid 1-2 punch in Kershaw and Maeda)
• New York Mets (Syndergaard and crew will carry this team as far as they can go)

Other Teams That Will Fall:

• Seattle Mariners (Howard Lincoln has one more M's circus in his ownership before August)
• Baltimore Orioles (How long can this rotation keep up their strong start before crashing back to earth?)
• St. Louis Cardinals (It's definitely lookng like the Cubs have surpassed them at the top of the NL Central)
• Cleveland Indians (Losing Michael Brantley again hurts, even if he's on the 15-day DL)

Other Teams With Staying Power:

• Kansas City Royals (Where was the pesky hitting that won them a World Series title last year?)
• Chicago Cubs (Duh. They're freakin' loaded this year)
• Chicago White Sox (If Jose Abreu gets hot, watch out)
• San Francisco Giants (Looks like Johnny Cueto has got his groove back)
• Detroit Tigers (Yeah, Brad Ausmus is DONE)

Even More Bartolo Colon Greatness

            Okay, I'll admit it. I'm one of the biggest fans of Bartolo Colon. I mean, how can you not admire a guy whose swing consists of this?

            Anyways, last Saturday was a first for Big Sexy. He hit his first career home run at the ripe ol' age of 42 (The Mets went on to win 6-3 against San Diego). What's more is that he got the win in that game. In fact, Colon is actually doing well so far this season. He's got an ERA of 2.82 to go with a WHIP of 1.12 and a 3-1 record.
            But let's just admire the greatness that is Bartolo's first homer. Take a look at a legend!!!

The Wild West

            There's something special brewing for all four teams in the Western Conference Quarterfinals of the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs. There's a hope that maybe this is their year to bring home the Cup. After all, the Stanley Cup has been won by a Western Conference team the past four seasons and five of the last six seasons. All four teams combine for just one Stanley Cup with the Stars winning the sole Stanley Cup. Here's a look at what these four teams can do going into their Game 7s.

• Dallas Stars: The Stars are loaded with players who can score. Players like Hart trophy finalist Jamie Benn (41 goals, 48 assists), Tyler Seguin (33 goals, 40 assists), and Jason Spezza (33 goals) make Dallas a legitimate threat near the net. With their goaltending not being the best (Kari Lehtonen has a 2.58 GAA this postseason), the Stars hope to outscore the opposition in the playoffs.
• Nashville Predators: Colin Wilson has done a lot for Nashville this postseason, leading the team in points (13), goals (five), and assists (eight). Timely goals by Mike Fisher and Viktor Arvidsson have kept the Predators afloat against the Sharks.
• San Jose Sharks: Armed with the 4th-best scoring attack (2.9 goals per game) and the 3rd-best power play in the NHL (22.5%), this might be the best team the Sharks have fielded in quite a long time. Brent Burns is an up-and-coming star guided by the veteran presence of both Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau.
• St. Louis Blues: Goalie Brian Elliot had three shutouts during the Blues' four-game shutout streak in the regular season. He can shut down teams mostly on his own, although that hasn't often been the case in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Rising star Vladimir Tarasenko has six goals in the playoffs and center David Backes has five goals. All these players are key for the Blues to finally bring St. Louis a Stanley Cup.

On the Playlist

            Here's another edition of "On the Playlist", where I show you what's on my playlist!! Some songs you'll recognize, some you might not like. Anyways, check it out!!