The Greatest Sports Day Ever?

Chris Paul's game winner against the defending champion Spurs in Game 7 was just one of Saturday's many great sports moments.

By Andy Dougherty (@AndyDougherty10)

Saturday, May 2, 2015 was an eventful day in the sports world. CBS and TIME called it the biggest day of the year in sports, and CBS even posed the question, “Will May 2 be the greatest single day in sports history?” It might seem like a ridiculous question, but Saturday’s lineup was pretty impressive.

The headliner was Floyd Mayweather vs Manny Pacquiao in the “Fight of the Century.” While it didn’t exactly live up to the hype, Mayweather collected $180 million after the win by unanimous decision, while Pacquiao left with a modest $120 million.

The day also included the Kentucky Derby, which set an all-time attendance record at 170,513. In the NBA, an injured Chris Paul hit a clutch series-winning shot with 1 second remaining in Game 7 to lift the Clippers over the defending-champion Spurs. In hockey, the Rangers won Game 2 over the Capitals 3-2, despite this insane goal by Alex Ovechkin.

The Yankees beat the Red Sox in a 1-run game. The final four rounds of the NFL Draft took place. The world’s top-ranked golfer, Rory McIlroy, won in a playoff to reach the semifinals of the WGC-Cadillac Match Play Championship. Saturday also featured a 3-set win by Roger Federer (en route to his 85th career title), some late-season Premier League soccer, and the European Rugby Champions Cup Final.

No matter what kind of sports fan you are, there was something to pique your interest on Saturday.

Bob Lobel: A Weak End to the Biggest Weekend in Sports

By Bob Lobel (@boblobel)

The Draft, the Derby, the fight, A-Rod, Swihart, Tazawa, Mujica, Uehara, Gronk and all the rest. 

I am advocating a short, short blog, because each one of the above is worth a couple of pages. I'll rank these assuming nothing else happens between me writing this and you reading it.  

A-Rod was the one moment that stands out as something you would see or read about and say “no way.” A moment of great disbelief. Tazawa was the one that threw the 3-0 pitch to the pinch hitter that night. Guaranteed, he can play until he is 85 and will never forget that pitch. 

Mayweather and domestic abuse.  

Mayweather-Pacquiao: Better Late Than Never

By Warren Rodriguez (@RodrigWM)

Ok, so you knew that I was going to come out of hibernation for this one. Six years in the making, but it's finally upon us: The fight of the Century, Pacquiao-Mayweather. It doesn't even feel real putting those two names together. This fight is like a throwback to boxing's past when the whole world would stand still for a major fight.

So, after all these years, what does this fight really mean? Mayweather-Pacquiao has the potential to be the 3rd biggest fight in boxing history after Louis-Schmeling II and Ali-Frazier I, and it also has the potential to be a bigger bust than Jamarcus Russell, so where will it fall? My guess is somewhere in the middle.

Pacquiao Keeps Rolling. Is Mayweather Next?

Since a surprising 2012 loss to Juan Manuel Marquez, Manny Pacquiao has gone 3-0 and looked like his old dominant self. Will he finally get his long-awaited shot at the undefeated Floyd Mayweather Jr?

By Warren Rodriguez (@RodrigWM)

Ok guys, he's going to let him out the cage.

Tim Lane, the trainer for Chris Algieri (20-1), may have the worst timing ever.

Lane is taking a beating of his own after the odd and delusional advice he gave his fighter during his WBO welterweight championship bout with Manny Pacquiao (57-5-2) in Macau, China this past Saturday. During the 9th round, HBO analyst Max Kellerman went over to interview Lane and get the game plan.

Severely behind on the scorecards and having already been knocked down four times, Lane said of Algieri, "He's going to put (Pacquiao) to sleep here in a few minutes. I'm going to let him go in one more round. I've got him in the cage right. I'm going to let him out the cage."

Kellerman seemed dumbfounded by the comment and asked "The plan is to have Algieri knock Pacquiao out?"

"Yes," responded Lane. "But I still got him in the cage. He listens to me very well. I'm going to let him loose in a round or so, round 10 or 11, I'm going to let him go."

Immediately following that comment, Pacquiao drilled Algieri with a left hook that nearly decapitated him.

Mayweather-Maidana II: Earn Respect By Showing None

Marcos Maidana (left) showed no respect for Floyd Mayweather's (right) speed and countering ability during the pair's first bout, coming out swinging against the pound-for-pound champ. How will things shake out when they meet again Saturday night?

By Warren Rodriguez (@RodrigWM)

According to Webster's Dictionary, respect is a feeling of deep admiration for someone elicited by their abilities, qualities, or achievements. We’ve been taught that respect is earned, not given, and that if you want others to respect you, you respect them.

However, on May 3rd of this past year, Marcos Maidana earned respect by showing none.

Weekend Winners: Mayweather's Money, Polamalu's Hair and North Dakota State

Hmm.. I wonder what kind of hair that kid is gonna have?

By Joe Parello  @HerewegoJoe

The weekend hasn't even begun and these guys have already done some serious winning. Check out who made headlines just before the work week ended.

Floyd "Money" Mayweather

How do you get paid when you make over $40 million for one fight? You might think they slowly deposit $1 million into your bank account electronically for the next few years, but you would be incorrect. Nope, they just give you a check like the one below.

"Money" Mayweather and Canelo Alvarez Prepare for the Fight of the Year

By Warren Rodriguez

Good vs. Evil, Luke Skywalker vs. Darth Vader, Superman vs. Lex Luther, Batman vs. The Joker, Canelo Alvarez vs Floyd Mayweather…

Ok, so maybe that last one doesn’t belong, but this match still has all the ingredients of a classic hero-villain saga. When Floyd Mayweather takes on Canelo Alvarez this Saturday at the MGM Grand, there’s no doubt that it will be the biggest fight of the year. If this were a Hollywood picture, we would see an epic battle between two titans and watch Canelo knock Floyd’s loud mouth right to the ground, then see the fan favorite's hand raised in victory.

However, this isn’t a movie, and real life is often less exciting.

The Openly Gay Athlete Edition of Studs and Duds

By Jeremy Conlin and Joe Parello

Studs and Duds is a weekly feature on Suite Sports. Who had a good week? Who had a bad week?

Studs

Jason Collins

The journeyman NBA center made headlines last week when he announced he was gay in a Sports Illustrated feature. Collins (as you surely have heard by now) is the first openly gay male athlete in major North American professional sports.

For me, the amount of qualifiers in that last sentence is my favorite part of the story. That's how much progress we (as a society) have made over the last few years - we can't just say he's the first openly gay male athlete in pro sports, boxer Orlando Cruz came out last October. We've had female stars like Brittney Griner and Megan Rapinoe talk openly about their sexual orientation. Collins represents the final (and biggest) hurdle - male major team sports - the highest-publicity and arguably where the stigma surrounding homosexuality is the greatest. Hopefully this spurs other gay athletes (of which there are certainly more) to come forward.

As great as this story is, I look forward to the day when an athlete discussing his sexual orientation is no longer news.

-JC