DRUM ROLL PLEASE....

GREETINGS...and once again its time for the infamous WEEKEND PERDICTIONS!

(and the crowd goes wild)

Well as i usually try to do, I'll go with five different things coming up this weekend, the last one in May already. WOW...sure doesnt FEEL like June is here. Butt, anyway...in no particular order, here we go:

#1...ok, so i said in no particular order...but this is DEFINITELY my top pick...its a three game set between the BREWERS and the REDS. Now, for those who may not know, i am a noted Reds fan, so I say this in a cocky...I MEAN - confident...way. I think we (the Reds) will take at least two out of three this weekend at miller park. (he pauses for the BOO-ing from the crowd) OK HUSH! Look at several things here - A) how has each team been playing lately? The crew has managed a whopping TWO RUNS A GAME in the last six...the Reds have won five out of six, averaging nearly 5 runs a game in that span. B) the recent history of this series. Miller Park is one of the only places the reds had a winning record on the road last year, and this year they've taken 3 of the first 5 games they've played overall. C) the pitching matchups - Cueto, Harang, Owings vs. Looper, Busch, Gallardo...I'm not saying we'll get the brooms out, but I see a third straight series loss for the Crew - sorry fans! (kind of).

#2...its a triple header NASCAR weekend at DOVER...its a track that i absolutely SUCK at on the playstation game...and so far this season, i've been sucking at FANTASY racing...so i suggest that you DONT choose the following. But anyway....i'll go ahead and pick a winner for all three of the races, and if i get ONE of them right, then I get a checkmark for this perdiction...

So, lets start with the TRUCK series...i think i'll go with my favorite driver...RICK CRAWFORD...he had a solid top 10 if i recall last season here, so i like him.

NATIONWIDE series...i dont think i'm going out on too much of a limb here, but i think it will be a Cup guy that takes it. And its a cup guy that i really dont care for and havent ever since he first burst on to the scene, not just recently...but i gotta go with KYLE BUSCH. He WILL take at least ONE of these three races.

CUP series...i am going to go with a guy who is going to get a win really soon because of the way he and that whole team is performing...RYAN NEWMAN. 'The Rocket' always has started and finished well here, so lets go with him.

#3...some OTHER racing...INDYCAR style...I will actually be in attendance at the historic Milwaukee Mile for the ABC/AJ FOYT 225 on sunday afternoon. I havent been to an indycar race in a LONG time. I used to go to the Indy 500 on a regular basis, but this'll be my first ever away from the brickyard. Now, I dont get as much in to the open wheel style as i do NASCAR. But i do watch it from time to time. I interviewed the radio voice of the series today, and he says watch out for the one and only (and lovely) DANICA PATRICK! ...but, i cant see it happening. I think I'll pick the guy that led more than half the race here last year but had some troubles late ... SCOTT DIXON to win it.

#4...NBA PLAYOFFS...I dont know if this is very much of a gamble, but lets do it anyway... i think that both of these series go to seven games. It all depends on which Cavs team shows up - the one that Lebron showed that he can actually close a game, or the one that lets Dwight Howard be the beast that he is...and in the other series it depends on which Nuggets team shows up - the one that doesnt let Kobe kill them down the stretch, or the one that spanks them right from the get go. Both will be fun to watch. Come sunday night, who's still alive? Lets go with MAGIC/LAKERS for your finals matchup.

#5...ICE ICE BABY! ... Lord Stanleys Cup is up for grabs as the NHL starts up the finals this weekend. They decided to start it earlier than planned, which means there will be back to back games, which is rare in ANY level of the playoffs...let alone the FINALS. But Gary Bettman (a.k.a. The Count) has decided to do it. I think it'll be an interesting series. Of course, neither team had an EASY go of things on their road here...both teams played in a series sweep and both teams played in a 7 gamer...but it looks as though the Pens had a little tougher road and they're a little bit more rested...and to be honest i dont really care for either of these teams...but i'll go ahead and pick SID THE KID and his PENGUINS to take the series...and I think they'll steal home ice this weekend and get the job done at home in 6 games.

**NOTE** I return to the airwaves with some big NEWS on monday...literally...news...as in SPORTING NEWS RADIO...yep, we are switching from being a FOX sports affiliate to SNR for internal reasons...and they're moving my show from 11 - 1...TO NOON - 2 PM.... so, adjust your schedules appropriately.

HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND FOLKS!

how about some WEEKEND PERDICTIONS

It's that time again...and i know i failed to do it last week...but lets do some weekend perdictions and see how i do. I ask that you please look upon this as 'for entertainment purposes only'. If you don't wanna make money, thats fine with me. lol

#1...we have the ponies running on saturday! It's Preakness 134. I had a caller on my radio show earlier today that really started to get me in to this. (thanks Wiggy) He was breaking it down left and right, and i was listening attentively the entire time because he nailed the longshot in the Derby! yep. He said take the 1-2-3 trifecta. As for me, i dont like taking the faves and i dont like taking the really long shots...so one of the middle odds and right in the middle of the pack is one that i've read good things about...lets go with NUMBER 8...GENERAL QUARTERS to win at 20 to 1 odds. (I wont do a trifecta)(owner and horse pictured)

#2...we have other racing...its NASCAR style...it starts tonight with the truck series. (yes...i do pay attention to it) I have checked out the practices and qualifying and such, but the website I get my odds on doesn't have them posted yet...but we'll go with the #33 truck RON HORNADAY, JR.

#3...more NASCAR...its the ALL STAR EVENT! and before i give my perdiction on this, i have to brag about "my guy"...Jeff Burton...his pit crew won the pit crew challenge last night! Hopefully thats the start of good things for him this weekend. Now, that being said...I just cant bring myself to pick him. He'll be right up there like he has during practice. But because of the format of this thing which changes every year for some reason...ya gotta go with a name that may not be expected...last year it was kahne...this year, i'll go with RYAN NEWMAN...he's going to win at some point, and i think this is it.

#4...lets get to BASEBALL...its a HUGE first place showdown under the arch in st. louis with the brewers and redbirds. And being a Reds fan, I'm hoping that both teams lose, but of course that cant happen...i dont think it'll be a sweep for either side...so looking at the pitching matchups, even though the cards have a really good home record, I'm going to side with the Crew on this one and say they win yet another series 2 to 1.

#5...the game SEVENS in the NBA playoffs...both the basketball and hockey have been tremendous this post season. Here we have a couple of elimination games and i'm really tossed up in what to do...call it how i WANT it to happen...(houston and orlando) or how it is expected to go with the home teams winning. I think i'll split it in half...i think the rockets will finally realize they dont have their two best players and end up tripping. In the other one, orlando should have this series won already. they're in a dangerous spot going into the house of the defending champs. and if they had KG, i'd have no doubt they'd win. but they DONT. so i WONT go with them. so we will have a NEW champion in the NBA...Dwight Howard is a beast and he's headed to the conf championship. so...i'll take THE LAKERS AND THE MAGIC to win the game 7s.

I'll be gone "on assignment" on monday...Sparks will be fillin in...but tune in tuesday and i'll be talking about how i did on these!

THE WEEKEND AHEAD....

MAN...i STILL cant believe that basketball game last night! THREE OVERTIMES...are you kiddin me! I REALLY wish i was actually watching it as it happened. But i was at the baseball stadium until about 10:00 and then i was involved in a karaoke contest. Thank God for SportsCenter, eh?

Another thing i cant believe...ITS FRIKKEN MAY already! What happened to the first 1/3 of 2009???

Well with it brings part of my weekend perdictions...(and i think i'm going to start making this a weekly thing on fridays)...the KENTUCKY DERBY! So my first weekend perdiction...i usually take the number 9 horse when it comes to this sport because thats what most people do is take a number because...c'mon...like ANYone REALLY knows ANYthing about these beauties...HOWEVER, the 9 horse is one of the longest odds...and i like to pick one with middle odds...so lets go with the NUMBER FIVE HORSE...HOLD ME BACK (#1 in this picture) to win the run fer the roses! According to the website i get my odds from, he's 26 to 1. Book it!

Perdiction #2...NASCAR...tonight its the Nationwide series race...i'm watching qualifying as i type this...matt kenseth has the pole as of right now...but i think i'll go with the series' most successful driver...MARK MARTIN in the 5 car tonight to take it.

Perdiction #3...NASCAR...tomorrow night in the Cup race...they are going to qualify here in a few minutes for it...but looking at the practice speeds and at the history of this guy at this track recently...lets go with KEVIN HARVICK in the 29 car to go to victory lane...with his new crew chief!

Perdiction #4...Game seven of bulls/celtics will go to overtime again! GOSH i hope so. I'm not a fan of either team...but i love basketball...and i love how physical its been and all the drama that has gone in to this series...however, one thing i dont like is that face that KEVIN GARNETT keeps making...someone tell him he looks like a dang dork!

Perdiction #5...the Brewers will split the four game series with the D'Backs. I just dont think the pitching is going to hold up like it has been recently...and with the bats being relatively silent recently, i think the winning streak will come to an end this weekend.

I think that'll do it for right now. These'll all probably be wrong, but it's fun anyway.

ENJOY THE WEEKEND ALL!