Well, it’s 06/06/06… ooh, shivers.  So, anyone see Satan yet or what?  As far as I know he’s still in his fiery pit and probably laughing at us and saying to himself, “What a bunch of superstitious dumbarses!  Ain’t that right, Nero?”  If you get the Nero reference, that shows a sign of your intellect!

NBA: We’re two days away from Game One between the Salma Hayeks and Tom Cruises, that is to say the Heat and Mavericks.  Can you feel the excitement in the air?  Or, maybe, it’s just me.

NHL: Last night’s Game One was excellent and you can read about it here or scroll down.  It could be a short series with Dwayne Roloson injured and possibly out the rest of the way.

MLB: There are three great matchups featuring young gun pitchers who could all be talked about being in the upper echelon of pitchers within five years for that time.  Get a preview of the possible greatness to come tonight.

*Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim youngster, Ervin Santana, was a highly-regarded prospect and still has some things to work on on the Major League level, but is showing improvement this season, especially when it comes to his control.  Santana has limited his BB/IP ratio from 0.35 last year during his rookie season to 0.25.  Santana and his Angels will match up against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays’ Scott Kazmir, who is simply blowing batters away at a rate of 1.05 per inning.  Again, control plays a role in the success of a young pitcher as Kazmir who averaged 0.53 walks per inning has drastically dropped tha ratio to 0.36.  Look for a great matchup between the two youngsters.

*King Felix Hernandez meet the man who wants your crown as being the top pitching prospect in the game today, Francisco Liriano.  To say that the Seattle Mariners’ Hernandez has been a disappoint thus far would be understatement.  Last season, the King had a stellar rookie year (however short) when he went 4-4, but with a 2.67 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, .203 BAA, and 77 strikeouts in 84.1 IP.  This season?  A 5.78 ERA, 1.54 WHIP, .289 BAA, and 63 strikeouts in 62.1 IP.  Now, the K’s are nice, but that’s about it.  So, how about this season’s pitching stud to watch?  After starting off in the bullpen, the Minnesota Twins’ Liriano has been excellent in his three starts, giving up only one run in 16.0 IP, striking out 15.  For the season, Liriano sports a 2.11 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, and a .243 BAA.  In 38.1 IP, Liriano has 47 K’s.  Yowza!

*The Philadelphia Phillies Cole Hamels comes off the DL to start against the Arizona Diamondbacks and Juan Cruz, who’s always been in the spotlight because of his K ability, but never really getting a chance.  He does tonight against a strong Phillies lineup.  In his last three starts, Cruz has given up two earned runs in 19 frames, while striking out 13 and has gone 2-1.  Hamels, coming off a shoulder strain to his pitching arm, will try to show some of that magic that he was hyped about earlier in the season.  While he has the ability to make hitters miss (12 K in 11.1 IP), he still has control issues (but relative to the above, don’t all rookie pitchers?) and has walked nine in that same 11.1 inning span.

That’s all I got.  Enjoy the games!