Look, I'm doing it again

And again. this one is a real classic- Cantona's Au Revoir at the end pleases me to no end.

• The Boston Marathon One of the world's great sporting events takes place in my back yard I love the Marathon and this year my girlfriend and I are going to watch it from the course together, which is a first. We're heading to Heartbreak Hill to watch the elites and hopefully catch sight of Lance Armstrong before heading home for a little relaxation. Should be an awesome day.
• The Red Sox playthe Texas Rangers on the very same day. The annual Patriot's Day game has an early morning, 11:00 AM start time. Since the Marathon course goes right through Kenmore square the convergence of the two events is occasionally serendipitous- the game getting out just as the elite runners are hitting the square.
• The Boston Celtics, truly great again for the first time in twenty years, open the NBA playoffs against the Atlanta Hawks. I know the NBA is hoping for the return of the dream match up to end all dream match ups- a Celtics/Lakers NBA Final.

  I'd be pretty happy with that result too <- understatement.

• Over in Europe, the spring cycling calendar continues with The Amstel Gold Race on the 20th, La Flèche Wallonne 2008 on the 23rd and Liège-Bastogne-Liège on the 27th. While they don't possess the grand drama of the grand tours, the spring classics are dependably great racing and this week of back-to-back-to-back action is an annual highlight.
• Closer to home the top American riders will all be on the start line of the Tour de Georgia. Folks like George Hincapie, Levi Leipheimer, Tom Danielson, Dave Zabriskie, Chris Horner, and Bobby Julich will be vying for top honors in this challenging race through the state of Georgia.

  Of special interest, as always, will be the premier stage in all of North American cycling, the mountaintop finish atop Brasstown Bald. The nearly mile high peak brings the best out of the American climbers and adding a win atop Brasstown Bald is one of the most impressive victories a cyclist can earn on North American roads.

• Women's Marathon 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials will be held in Boston the day before the Marathon (the 20th.) I'm not sure if I can make it out but it might be a lot of fun if I'm able. How often can one say they've seen two marathons live in two days?
• The Bruins? Heck, they might even be able to pull of an upset of Les Habitants. Not that I pay much attention to hockey anymore, but I know some people that do, so I've got to shout out the Bs
• Chelsea play Manchester United on April 26th. A game which could decide the Premier League. Fun times.

Did I miss anything? Even if I did that's enough to keep me entertained and my DVR in good shape for a while. Good times.

I know it's early, but I really like this year's edition of the Boston Red Sox. The pitching staff has the possibility to be the best of my lifetime and the positional players seem like they could come together to be a real force. To my mind, the lynch pins are probably Coco Crisp and the health of JD Drew. If Crisp can be the player he was a couple of years ago (and he's starting to show signs) and Drew can remain healthy I really like this team's chances.

And I won't even get started with Daisuke-mania

Speaking of early, is it just me or is the blisteringly hot start that Alex Rodriguez is having a complete microcosm of his career? He's having the best start of anyone, ever and yet the Yankees are basically treading water. I know that the pitching staff has been bludgeoned about the face and chest by injuries, but still, it's like Texas all over again.

Cycling

Discovery suspend Basso

This is one of those issues that just drives me nuts. Let's explore why:

1. Basso is one of my favorite cyclists (and I'm obviously a fan of Discovery Channel) so I'd be doubly disappointed if he were found guilty- on the one hand I'd be disappointed in him doping and on the other I'd be seriously bummed to not be able to watch him go for the double.
2. I'm sick to death of hearing about Operacion Puerto, so anything that prolongs that agony is a bummer
3. With this uncertainty I can't even speculate on the Giro or the Tour. Speculating on these events is half the fun and without knowing who the leader for Disco is at each event I'm seriously out of sorts. Considering I was just getting ramped up on the Giro, that's a real kick in the nuts.

On the bright side if he is found guilty then Levi will get a shot at the Tour. With the way Disco have been riding (remember, they've got a bunch of hardware this year and none of it is from Basso) and with the way he's looked so far this season (both fit and confident) I'd look for good things from him. It would also open the door a little wider for the most exciting GC rider of them all, Alexandre Vinokourov. That's a double plus bonus.

Armstrong backs Landis in attacking French lab – Cycling

This is why I wish the B sample was tested by another lab. It doesn't add any clarity if people believe in incompetence (or worse) from the French. Honestly, with what Armstrong went through nothing would surprise me in terms of conspiracy theories being proven true. I can see an easy scenario where Landis winning, and continuing the America streak, was the back breaking camel straw and sent some lab worker over the edge.

Of course, Occam's Razor tells me that's not likely, but because of the French lab doing the B sample test the door is still open for that sort of conjecture. An American lab would have been a better choice.

And on a non-doping note (and honestly it's been a fun season minus the lingering doping stories), it was fun watching David Rebellin take the Fleche Wallonne today. That's a cool race. cycling.tv rocks and will completely suck my time away from proper work during the Giro and La Vuelta this year…

Football

European football that is…

Who the hell is going to be the unlucky slob to follow Sir Alex Ferguson as manager of Manchester United? Obviously being the manager of one of the sport's premier clubs is a good thing, but following Ferguson is going to be completely thankless.

This, of course, is spurred on by United's excellent run this season. As of this writing they're up 3-2 after a stunning first leg of their Champions League semi versus AC Milan, they're leading the Premiership over a Chelsea team that looked poised to run away with another championship at the beginning of the season and they're set to take on that same Chelsea squad in the FA Cup final in May. If they win out it will be the second treble of Ferguson's career and, to my mind at least, a surprising result for a year where maybe not so much was expected from United (mostly owing to the perceived strength of Chelsea.)

(American) Football

I am absolutely jacked for the draft. I've never been so excited for a draft ever. Why? The Patriots have had such a great off-season already and with two 1st round picks they've got a chance to get even better. I can't wait.

It'll also be interesting to see these guys, seasoned Internationals and veterans of the greatest leagues in the world, playing in the small pond of the MLS. Talk about a rejuvenating switch…

Fowler in talks over US transfer