As the playoffs inch closer and closer, there are many individuals players kicking it up a notch and leading their teams to victory. Three of our five grades this week were given for such performances. Who got an ‘F’ this week? Stick around and find out! 

It's a surprise Shaq hasn't broken more rims in his older age.

A- Shaq Attack - Ever since Shaquille O’Neal was traded to the Phoenix Suns he has struggled. The “Big Diesel” seemed to be running on empty and about ready for retirement. Many have suspected this past All-Star Game, where he was the co-MVP with Kobe Bryant, would be his last. Apparently Shaq has different plans, the Big Diesel has been running as efficiently as an economy car the past week! Last Friday Shaq scored 45 against the Toronto Raptors, the most points he’s scored in six years. The last time Shaq scored 45+ he sported a Los Angeles Lakers uniform. Shaq followed up his 45 with 33 points against the Lakers in a win on Sunday.  With Amar’e Stoudemire and Steve Nash out with injuries, the 37 year old Shaq is looking every bit like the dominant force he used to be.

B- Dwayne Wade’s Attack - The Miami Heat‘s star Dwayne Wade said, “When I’m angry, I attack.” After taking two elbows right in the mouth from two separate New York Knicks players, Wade got angry and he attacked. Down fifteen in the fourth quarter, Wade fueled a 19-0 run for the Heat and left the Knicks in the rearview mirror. Wade scored 24 in the fourth quarter alone, which was seven more points than the Knicks combined. Another person that attacks when he’s mad is the Incredible Hulk, but that wouldn’t be a fitting nickname for Wade. For starters, Wade doesn’t wear green, making him have a partial appearance of the Hulk. Also, Wade does not play baseball, which means he doesn’t use steroids to have the physical makeup of the Hulk. We’ll just stick with calling him “Flash,” or “D-Wade.”

C- Nate Robinson’s “Shake N’ Bake” – For some reason, blame it on American culture, celebrities at sporting events usually garner more attention than the game itself. In last week’s matchup of the Indiana Pacers and the Kicks in New York, it was actor Will Ferrell that was hogging the camera. Ferrell and Knicks guard Nate Robinson kept shouting “Shake N’ Bake” toward each other, a famous line from one of Ferrell’s most popoular movie “Talladega Knights.” A fist pound with Ferrell and 41 points later, Robinson and the Knicks beat the Pacers in dramatic fashion. Robinson is an inspiration for little people everywhere, if that 5’9″ guy can do it then so can you!  

D- NBA Stimulus Package - Everybody is rolling out stimulus packages, not only is the government, but also the NBA. There was even a commercial on TV for Domino’s Pizza rolling out a stimulus package of cheap pizzas! The NBA has done a much better job of selling their stimulus package as a positive thing for the league. According to commisioner David Stern, the $200 million borrowed to distribute to teams was taken to strengthen the league. Stern is somewhat believable, if this was the NHL we’d have a lot harder time buying into it.  

F- ‘Sheed and his T’s- In classic “Technical Wallace” fashion, Detroit Piston ‘s forward Rasheed Wallace was kicked out of another game because of his childlike behavior. After recieving one technical for arguing in a game against the New Orleans Hornets, Wallace got another technical for throwing a towel into the stands. His towel throwing wasn’t over though, he then grabbed another towel and threw it towards the ref. For some reason, we don’t beleive Wallace was just trying to be nice and give the ref a towel to wipe his brow. With those two technicals, Wallace has now received fourteen in the year, two shy of an automatic suspension. Wallace was fined $25,000 by the NBA for his actions, not Wallace’s first fine and surely not his last.

We’ve seen it in a variety of sports, their star player goes down and we all think that hard times are ahead for that sport. Michael Jordan left the NBA, then came back, then left again, the came back and all that time the NBA did not lose a step. Wayne Gretzky left the NHL, but hockey was just as unpopular as it was before he left. The NFL has always had a health pleothora of hall-of-famers and great players being reared in the league, so it has never had to worry about losing fan appeal. With every Michael Jordan and Wayne Gretzky that leaves, there is always the constant comparison of current players being the heir to the “throne.” The PGA Tour is currently experiencing that growing pain as Tiger Woods put up his clubs after winning the U.S. Open and re-aggravating his knee injury. For those that love healthy competition and the game of golf, the game has not changed. With Tiger out, other golfers are stealing the spotlight.  While the PGA Tour is no doubt worse off financially without Tiger, it is not lacking the least bit in drama.

Anthony Kim looks prepared to have a great career on the PGA Tour.

The Ryder Cup has always been a fun and exciting event to watch, the Revolutionary War of golf. International play always brings out more passion, please refer to the Olympics. What made the United States’ victory this year so sweet is that the team was expected to put up little fight against the name-worthy Europeans. For those that aren’t regular viewers of the PGA, they may have looked at the US roster and though, “who in the heck is that?” The US looked destined to lose yet again, dating their last win to 1999 when Justin Leonard sinked the Cup clinching putt. I remember that moment in golf history very distinctly, only because of what my mother said after Leonard sinked the putt and pranced around the green, “My, that guy has a shapely butt.” Further proof that you don’t have to be a hard-core golf fan to enjoy watching it. This year’s Ryder Cup was accompanied by Boo Weekley riding his driver like a bull, something I saw in “Happy Gilmore” but never thought I’d actually see on the PGA Tour. I’m still waiting for the day when people brings beach balls to a tour event. There might have been some at the Ryder Cup, but e never saw them on TV. European team member Lee Westwood did complain, along with other players, that the Kentucky crowd at Valhalla C.C. was a little ruckus and distracting. I believe Westwood was greeted in the clubhouse with a handkerchief to wipe his eyes with a big American flag on it. What made the victory just as sweet was how hard the Europeans took it, some were blaming it entirely on captain Nick Faldo (just as an FYI for those who aren’t aware, captains do not play in the Ryder Cup, they are more of a coach). I’ve never understood how a person that never took a golf shot all weekend can be blamed for the loss…

With the Ryder Cup out of the way, many PGA players focused on the the concluding tournament for the FedEx Cup. The FedEx Cup is much like NASCAR’s Sprint Cup Series, where points are earned throughout the year toward the Cup, and the winner is the one with the most cumulative points. The underlying drama with this one was seeing if Tiger could win it having sat out half the year (which he almost did last year without playing in a number of events), but it was Fijian Vijay Singh that ended up hoisting the Cup. For those of you looking for a reason to watch golf in the absence of Tiger, look no further then second year pro Anthony Kim. He’s going to be good, mark my words.