Ohio State Buckeyes Football Spring game

It's rare when the crowd in the stands cast a shadow on the action of a spring game on the field, but when 95,722 people show up to watch scrimmage, I'd say it's a pretty big deal. Ohio State set a record for spring game attendance Saturday April 25, as gorgeous weather and the chance to watch Terrelle Pryor practice brought fans to Ohio Stadium. As for the game itself. The Gray squad beat the Scarlet team 23-3. Buckeye Nation had to be thrilled with what it saw from Pryor, who eased some concerns about his passing ability by completing 13 of 18 pass attempts for 191 yards and touchdown strikes of 44 and 42 yards. The sophomore didn't even need to play in the final quarter, as originally planned, after engineering three scoring drives, including one just before halftime.

Manny Pacquiao vs. Ricky Hatton

First Oscar De La Hoya, now Ricky Hatton. The way Manny Pacquiao is handing out beatings, maybe Floyd Mayweather Jr. should have stayed retired. Pacquiao cemented his claim to being the best pound-for-pound boxer Saturday night with a spectacular performance that ended with Hatton sprawled helplessly on the canvas after a devastating left hand to the head late in the second round. Coming off a dominating win over De La Hoya, Pacquiao was even better against Hatton, knocking him down two times in the first round before finally stopping him with a vicious left hand that dropped Hatton for good in the 140-pound title bout. Referee Kenny Bayless took one look at Hatton and declared the fight over at 2:59 of the second round.

Kobe vs. LeBron

LeBron James and Kobe Bryant have a lot alike. Both are obviously phenomenal basketball players with all the talent and athletic ability in the world. Both can play any position from point guard all the way to small forward and maybe even power forward if it were necessary (and LeBron is so strong he might even be able to pull a Magic Johnson and play a game at center. And both stirred up enormous hype at an early age and then went on to completely justify it with their performances. But as of right now, which player is better? LeBron James is the younger of the two by far but he has done more at his young age than Kobe did, especially considering he doesn’t have Shaquille O’Neal at his side like Kobe did. LeBron basically single-handedly beat a Pistons team that has been on top of the east with monumental performance in game five of the 2007 playoffs. Kobe Bryant on the other hand has three championships. Well hopefully we will see who is a better athlete and has a better team if they meet in the championship of this years playoffs.

Jack Kemp

Jack Kemp, star quarterback and innovative public-policy thinker, died Saturday. The Associated Press AFL MVP of 1965 as quarterback of the Buffalo Bills, Kemp went on to serve 18 years in the House of Representatives, became Secretary of Housing and Urban Development during the presidency of George H.W. Bush, then ran as the Republican Party's vice presidential candidate in 1996. Kemp was a leading factor in the rise of Ronald Reagan conservatism in American life, and remained active in public-policy debates until the final months before his death. His were two singular achievements: First, to accomplish more after leaving athletics than he had before; second, to join that small fraternity of sports stars who have gone on to significant careers in serious pursuits.

Rockets vs. Lakers

Kobe Bryant missed practice Sunday because of a sore throat, which raised few worries among the Los Angeles Lakers. If anything, it might just mean a little less trash talk between Bryant and Ron Artest when the Lakers host the Houston Rockets in Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals on Monday night. The top-seeded Lakers were off a week after eliminating the Utah Jazz in five games and waiting for the fifth-seeded Rockets to finish off Portland in six games. Houston advanced to the second round for the first time since 1997. The most intriguing matchup, of course, will be Bryant, the reigning league MVP, against Artest and Shane Battier.

Boston vs. Orlando

The Celtics played a record seven overtime periods through six games of their first-round series against Chicago, and then beat the Bulls in Game 7 to advance to the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Magic. The defending champions had just one day off to rest up for Game 1 of the second round on Monday night at the new Boston Garden. Boston and Orlando split their four-game regular-season series, a record that is of little consolation for the Celtics because Kevin Garnett missed one and played 16 minutes in the other before aggravating the right knee injury that is expected to keep him out for the duration of the playoffs. He is expected to have surgery as soon as it's clear he won't be ready to help in the postseason.

Denver Nuggets vs. Dallas Mavericks

If not for Nene's breakout first half, Carmelo Anthony's fourth-quarter fireworks and Anthony Carter's defensive skill wouldn't have mattered much. Nene kept Denver in it until his teammates could turn it on and help him out, scoring 18 of his playoff career-high 24 points in the first half of the Nuggets' 109-95 rout of the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday in the opener of their second-round series. Nene, who beat testicular cancer last year, played more minutes than ever this season and over the last month he really hit a wall. In the Nuggets' five-game battle of the New Orleans in the first round, he averaged 9.0 points and 7.8 rebounds. His fantastic first half saved the Nuggets, who poured it on the second half thanks to 20 Dallas turnovers, eight by Jason Kidd, who turned over the ball just three times in the first round.