The evening after Gavin Floyd one-hit the Twins, Carlos Gomez in just his 28th game in the American League hits for the cycle as the Minnesota Twins destroyed the Chicago White Sox 13-1. He is the first Twin to do go for the cycle since Kirby Puckett in 1986 and eighth in Twins history. Gomez went 4-6 with 3 RBI. The evening started for Gomez in the 1st with his second home run of the season. He continued his evening going backwards through the cycle with the triple coming second in the 5th, a double in the 6th, and finishing with a single in the 9th.

This was an impressive rebound following the less than stellar performance last night for the Twins, even more so with an amazing outing for Livan Hernandez getting a complete game and the aforementioned Gomez performance. Congratulations, Carlos. It's great having an amazing talent like you on board here in the Twin Cities.

Well, I did awful last round. I went 1-3, only getting Detroit correct. I won't let that discourage me, however, because now I don't have any favorite teams or players that will sway my picks.

WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS

Detroit Red Wings vs. Dallas Stars

Dallas has clawed and scrapped their way all the way to the conference finals and it hasn't been an easy journey needless to say. Now to be the best they'll have to beat the best. Detroit is coming off a series where they obliterated the Avalanche. This should be more interesting than Detroit's previous series and this should be a real test of their skills when they go up against the red hot Marty Turco. If any of you missed that 7 period slug fest last night, you may want to go watch some of the highlights. However, as hot as Dallas may be, Detroit is Detroit. I have the Wings taking it in 6.

EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS

Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Philadelphia Flyers

I didn't pick the Flyers, but I did say they had a great chance to make it. They're here now, and now they have to try and take out the NHL's golden boy. The Penguins made Vezina hopeful Henrik Lundqvist look silly last series and the Pens will look to stay hot. What it will come down to is offense. By that I mean the Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and the rest of the Penguins offense is so potent that I'm not really giving Philly a shot. But look on the bright side, Philly fans, I haven't picked you to win yet and you've kept winning. So, I guess it's good that I'm not picking the Flyers? I think that made sense. Anyways, I have the Penguins taking it in 5.

If all goes to plan, the NHL will have Sid the Kid in the Cup finals. We'll see if Gary Bettman's cash cow can go the distance. This should be two great series.

ESPN announced late Friday, early Saturday for those on the east coast, that Kobe Bryant is this year's NBA MVP. It's been a long time coming, and no one can say he doesn't deserve it. Congrats, Kobe.

Well, the purple wind up with a QB, and a decent one in the fifth. John David Booty isn't Brian Brohm, but he's no slouch. All in all, this does make up for yesterday. I'm glad to see so many other Vikings fans so optimistic about Tyrell Johnson. If he's even half as good as all of you tell me, we're going to have a great season. And I think having Booty around will only benefit the team, a little friendly competition should help Jackson out (I hope).

With players like Brian Brohm, Chad Henne, Limas Sweed, and DeSean Jackson sitting on the board, the Minnesota Vikings trade up three spots to take some guy no one has ever heard of. Even a John David Booty is still on the board and he had expressed a lot of interest in Minnesota. They drafted Tyrell Johnson, a safety from Arkansas State, who may very well hold Sun Belt Conference career records for most tackles (363) and most interception return yards (309), but we didn't need that. We have four safeties, and two of them are elite in Darren Sharper and Madieu Williams. This was quite possibly one of the dumbest choices I've seen in a long time. Now we have to sit and wait until the FIFTH ROUND for our next pick. WAY TO BLOW IT, VIKES!

It may be from Wikipedia, but it's the most damning evidence I've seen. Rumors have been flying since the Super Bowl about who would be this year's cover boy. From Eli to AD, tons of names have been throw into the ring. But as of late, I've heard the Brett Favre rumors coming out of the woodwork. Turns out it may be more than a rumor.

I didn't see it, but according to the Wiki page "On April 24, 2008, Favre appeared on the Late Show with David Letterman. At the end of his interview, Dave revealed that Brett would be the cover athlete of this years Madden installment. This is the first time a retired NFL professional appeared on the cover since John Madden himself. Favre said he was glad he chose this year to retire so the "curse" wouldn't get him".

If it's a fake, this is the most elaborate fake I've seen.

Well, now that my Wild are out, it's time to back my favorite player in the NHL. I have officially jumped on the Sharks bandwagon for that 6'4 stud, Joe Thornton. I was 5-3 in the first round and I hope to stay above .500 in the second round.

WESTERN CONFERENCE

1 Detroit Red Wings vs. 4 Colorado Avalanche

The Wings got more than they bargained for in the Predators in round 1 and the Avs were pushed pretty hard by the Wild. Both of these teams are pretty solid, so this is a hard choice. Both have had solid goaltending this post-season. Jose Theodore looks to continue his brilliant play for Colorado, while the Detroit has given Chris Osgood the nod for the number 1 seed. I think what it will come down to is consistency. I can honestly say, even though I just watched Theodore tear apart my Wild, that the Red Wings are flat out a better team. I'm going to pick them, even though they had a hard time with Nashville and Colorado is a better team. Don't ask me why, it's just a gut feeling. I have Detroit winning in 6.

2 San Jose Sharks vs. 3 Dallas Stars

This is another great division rivalry for Dallas. After coming off an impressive series win over the defending champs, they will look to keep up their momentum. This, like Detroit/Colorado, has a great goalie match-up. Vezina front-runner Evgeni Nabokov was solid versus the awesome fire-power (no pun intended, but is very welcome) of the Calgary offense. And Marty Turco has always been one of my favorite players to watch, as well as being just an awesome guy in general. Both teams have amazing capabilities on both sides of the ice, but the talent is a little more in San Jose's favor. And honestly, after my opening and all, how would anyone not see me picking my boy Joe Joe. I have the Sharks taking this one in 6.

EASTERN CONFERENCE

1 Montreal Canadiens vs. 4 Philadelphia Flyers

Well, Philadelphia ruined the NHL's marketing gold mine. An Ovechkin/Crosby slug-fest would have done wonders for ratings, but that didn't stop Joffrey Lupul from being the hero Tuesday night. The Flyers are a scrappy team, and would have been much higher in the standings had they not tanked it late in the season. The Canadiens seemed to have problems with the Bruins, which I'm sure surprised more than just me. They were hyped up before the playoffs started and the series going to 7 kind of concerned me a little. Now that Carey Price has his feet wet in the playoff waters, I expect him to be sharp come round 2, and the Flyers have made it clear that they won't be push overs. I have the Canadiens in 7, but Philly certainly has the potential to crash the party that is the Eastern Conference Finals.

2 Pittsburgh Penguins vs. 3 New York Rangers

Let me start off by saying Sean Avery kind of upset me. I really love Marty Brodeur, and I didn't really appreciate his antics in round 1. That aside, the blue shirts played a great series. They dominated the Devils and that was what I fully expected. Henrik Lundqvist was amazing as usual, which is what I have come to expect out of him. And the rest of the team stepped up, too. The Penguins just rolled over the Senators, which was not a big shock, but I didn't expect Ottawa to go down without a fight like they did. This should be an interesting series. I think The Rangers are a far more capable team that the Sens and I know they'll give Crosby and Co. a run for their money. In fact, I have the Rangers taking this one in 6. Maybe next year, Sid.

That does it for Round 2. I'm already pretty stoked for these games. Until next time, LET'S PLAY HOCKEY!

Stopping 34 of 35 shots, Jose Theodore stunned the Minnesota Wild for the third straight game. Even the return of defenseman Nick Schultz wasn't enough to spur on Minnesota. Theodore was easily the series MVP, and the Avs look to the next round and are the first team in the West to advance.

I don't have much else to say. I'm kind of bummed out.

This article was shown to me by someone and I had to share.

A Russian man trying to sleep off a night of after-work drinking failed to notice a six-inch knife in his back until his wife woke him up.

Uh... How does one not notice a thing like that? Even if you were drunk, wouldn't you feel it back there? On top of that, after he was stabbed, he takes the bus home, eats, and goes to sleep. Well, I guess he's fortunate that he doesn't toss in his sleep. And the priceless quote at the end had me laughing quite a bit, "We were drinking and what doesn't happen when you're drunk?"

Well, hope everyone has a good laugh at this and has a wonderful weekend. Try not to stab or be stabbed while you're out with your friends, I guess.

Jose Theodore stopped 38 of 40 Thursday night to lead the Colorado Avalanche to another 3-2 victory over the Minnesota Wild, this time in regulation. Theodore, who has been sharp all series, stood on his head tonight as an onslaught by the Wild was denied by the feisty net minder, maybe someone is making a point that he wants to stay in Colorado (or maybe he'd settle for a Conn Smythe and split). Both teams played excellent tonight, and it was a lot less chippy than I thought it was going to be. The eventual game-winner was scored by Paul Stastny in the third period.

Odds are in favor of the Avs taking the series, as over 80% of teams who win game 5 go on to take the series, but that shouldn't slow down Minnesota. Game 5 will be Saturday in Denver at 10et/9ct.

This game was plagued by terrible calls that kept the players from actually playing the game. I'll give the Avs and Jose Theodore props for playing through bad calls, but it just didn't seem like it was a fair match the whole way through. Sure, the Avs got their share of bad calls, but it was getting ridiculous. The Minnesota Wild managed to rack up an absurd 119 penalty minutes, including two 10 minute misconducts for Derek Boogaard. At least 40 minutes of the 119 were terrible calls, and I really hate it when refs do this. Making calls is one thing, but they were calling things on both sides that couldn't even be considered penalties. The Avalanche tallied 43 as well, which is no small feat in itself.

In the end, there isn't much that can be done now. These refs won't be officiating a Wild game any time soon. Jose Theodore was easily the player of the game. Not much more to write on the subject. That game just left a bad taste in my mouth. Hopefully Thursday's game will be more like the first three.

And with a 3-2 win in OT... Ringing any bells, people? This was the third game in a row with the same result, and each has been as thrilling as the last. Wild forward Pierre-Marc Bouchard bangs one home 11:58 into the first overtime with a beautiful pass from Brian Rolston. Overtime was dominated by the Wild, who made the Avs look like they were boys among men. Goaltenders were the key for both teams again tonight. Jose Theodore and Niklas Backstrom seemed to be standing on their heads at times, especially Theodore in the third and OT. The calls were fair and evenly dispersed this evening, so I have no complaints in that department. Great play from both teams. This is what the playoffs is all about.

Game 4 is tomorrow at 10et/9ct in Denver and it looks to build off of an already amazing series. PS to ESPN.com, nice recap, guys. Also, Pierre-Marc Bouchard apparently isn't in Yardbarker's database for tagging. That made me a little sad.

John David Booty has said on the Sportscenter Special: On The Clock on 4/14/08 that he would like to play for the Minnesota Vikings. He said he loves the offensive line and loves where they're going with their team. He also made note that playing in the dome would fit his play.

Personally, I would love JDB on the Vikes. We may already have a young quarterback in Tarvaris Jackson, but this may be something the team wants to look in to. By drafting Booty, one of two things would occur. A fire would be lit under T-Jacks, and he would step up his play. OR the Jackson era may end sooner than it started. Either result, I think having Booty would be good for this team. He's a pretty good quarterback, and I think if he stays in shape and stays motivated, he could be an above average NFL quarterback.

Side Note: I realize the Vikings are in need of a DE and CB, but it never hurts to take a look at your options.

After taking a 2-1 lead with 1:51 in the third on an awesome goal from Mikko Koivu and essentially not having any penalties called all night, the referees decided to make a terrible hooking call on Kim Johnsson with 1:09 left in the game. The result was a Milan Hejduk power-play goal to tie it up. The crowd of 19,360 was none too pleased at the end of regulation, but everything changed 1:14 into the extra period. With a monster slap shot from the blue line, the Xcel Energy Center erupted as Keith Carney celebrated his first goal of the playoffs. The series is now tied 1-1.

This was an overall great game, but there is one thing that just left me a little miffed. DON'T START MAKING CALLS WITH A MINUTE LEFT IN THE GAME! They either have to be calling them all game or not. If the Wild had not won tonight, those refs would be fearing for their lives right now. And a little bit of advice to any hockey fans out there, if you get a chance to go to a playoff game, GO! It will be one of the greatest experiences of your life. Game 3 of this series is in Denver Monday night. Let's hope the Wild can keep up their stellar play.

At 11:11 in the first OT, Joe Sakic buried a shot right in the slot. The Colorado Avalanche down the Minnesota Wild in game 1 at the Xcel Energy Center 3-2. The Wild played sporadically tonight, on and off all night. They came back from a 2-0 deficit in the 3rd only to fall in the overtime period. If they want to win game 2 (and the series for that matter), Niklas Backstrom will need to come out on fire Friday night.

Side note: Minnesota Wild winger Mark Parrish left the game during the second period after a collision with Avalanche defenseman Ruslan Salei. He was helped off the ice after being down for more than 10 minutes. No news about his current condition.