Queen of Sports

Sports Date Of The Week: MLB Opening Day

The baseball season was ushered in with the opening series last week in Japan, and the St. Louis Cardinals are taking on the Miami Marlins tonight, but we’re calling tomorrow the official Opening Day for the MLB.

Seven regular season games are on the schedule, and baseball fans from coast to coast are gearing up. The Empire State Building was lit up red, white and blue to mark Opening Day, and the new Marlins ballpark is getting prepped for its big debut.

Here’s the schedule of games for tomorrow:

• 10:05 am PST-Boston Red Sox vs Detroit Tigers
• 10:10 am PST-Atlanta Braves vs New York Nets
• 10:35 am PST-Philadelphia Phillies vs Pittsburgh Pirates
• 11:20 am PST-Washington Nationals vs Chicago Cubs
• 12:05 pm PST-Toronto Blue Jays vs Cleveland Indians
• 1:05 pm PST-Miami Marlins vs Cincinatti Reds
• 4:05 pm PST-Los Angeles Dodgers vs San Diego Padres

Who will you be rooting for this season?

Ryan Seacrest To Join NBC Olympic Coverage Team

Ryan Seacrest appeared on the Today Show this morning, and announced plans to join the NBC family while continueing his roles with the E! Network (both networks are in the same family).

He joked with Matt Lauer about taking his job on the Today Show, but also announced some exciting news regarding the Olympics. Seacrest’s first NBC gig will be with the primetime team covering the Olympics.

Seacrest also said his newest plans won’t take him away from American Idol, where he plans to stay as a host.

Baylor’s Ladies Beat Notre Dame; End With Perfect Record

The Baylor Bears not only won the NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship, they did so ending their season with a perfect 40-0 record. The Bears beat Notre Dame 80-61 last night, taking care of some “unfinished business” the team says helped motivate them. The team became the first in NCAA Division I history to end the season undefeated.

Junior Brittney Griner cut down the net. She was dominant in leading the team to their title. Next year, Griner will return along with the team’s other four starters. They’re already taking about a repeat next year.

Ratings for the championship game were up 13%  from last year’s Texas A&M-Notre Dame game.

Nike Unveils New 2012 NFL Uniforms

After several years of partnering with Reebok for its uniforms, shoes, and merchandise, the NFL has switched over to sports apparel giant Nike. Last night in New York, the NFL and Nike unveiled the new 2012 uniforms that will be worn throughout the league, with 32 NFL athletes modeling the new gear.

While most uniforms haven’t changed drastically, Nike gave them an overall sleeker look. Nike has made some major changes to uniforms in the NCAA football arena, and the Oregon-based company seemed to be inspired by their uniforms for the Oregon Ducks when re-designing the Seattle Seahawks’ new look. The Seattle uniforms, which have seen the biggest change-up, feature dark navy with neon yellow accents. Seahawks safety Kam Chancellor modeled the new look.

While rules within the league that only allow teams to change up their uniforms every five years may have restricted some creativity, Nike got creative with their accessories. The brand added some special touches like some interesting gloves modeled by Kansas City Chiefs player Mike Leach.

What do you think of the new uniforms and accessories?

Photo: Bernadette Giacomazzo/PR Photos

Ryan Sheckler Hosts Spring Break Pool Party In Vegas

Professional skater Ryan Sheckler hosted a spring break party at Wet Republic Ultra Pool at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas over the weekend. The party was presented by one of Sheckler’s sponsors, Red Bull.

Sheckler and about 10 of his closest friends lounged in their VIP bungalow all day, and the young skater attracted a lot of female attention after taking off his shirt and lounging by the pools in front of his VIP area. He took photos with fans and even signed a number of decks from his own line of skateboards  for a few lucky fans.

Photo: PRN / PR Photos

University of Kentucky Wins NCAA Championship

The University of Kentucky Wildcats beat out Kansas last night 67-59, winning the school’s first national basketball title since 1998.

The team was able to give Coach Jon Calipari his first title after four Final Four trips with three different schools.

Leading the pack was sophomore Doron Lamb, with 22 points and back-to-back 3-pointers that helped the team secure its lead in the dicey end of the game. Lamb is a likely first-round-draft prospective, along with teammate Anthony Davis who is expected to be the No. 1 draft pick in the 2012 draft.

President Obama was off on his bracket; he had North Carolina picked to win it all. How did you do with your bracket?

Athlete Sighting: Mike Tyson

Mike Tyson was spotted  out with wife Lakiha Spicer stepping into Crustacean restaurant in Beverly Hills.

The former Heavyweight Champion of the World and Hangover star was inducted into the celebrity wing of the WWE Hall of Fame over the weekend in Miami. Tyson is a lifelong pro wrestling fan who watched it as a young kid before his professional boxing career began. He’s made a few guest appearances on shows like Monday Night Raw.

Tyson said of being inducted, “We all love wrestling. It’s like a soap opera for men. … When I give my speech, you won’t have to worry about me breaking down and crying at that one like I did at the boxing Hall of Fame. You’ll hear every sentence loud and crackling and clear. This one goes straight to my ego. It’s like, ‘I’m so cool.’ This is going to be fun. I’m just very ecstatic about it. It’s a very big honor to me.”

Sylvestor Stallone was also inducted into the Hall of Fame this weekend.

Ne-Yo Scheduled To Headline Celebration For Michael Jordan Celebrity Invitational In Vegas

The 11th Annual Michael Jordan Celebrity Invitational is kicking off in Las Vegas tomorrow. The first two days of the charity tournament will consist of a celebrity-amateur golf tournament, after which the celebrity-only tournament begins.

The tournament will be held at the exclusive Shadow Creek golf club, marking only the second time the club has ever opened its doors to the public.

On Friday night, an annual gala will be held for the tournament’s celebrities and VIP invited guests. Grammy award-winning artist Ne-Yo will take the stage to perform at Aria Resort & Casino at CityCenter.

Proceeds from the tournament will benefit the Make-A-Wish Foundation, UC San Diego Nevada Cancer Research Institute, James R. Jordan Foundation, Opportunity Village, and Cats Care which is a charity related to the Charlotte Bobcats.

Celebrities and athletes participating include Aaron Rodgers, Wayne Gretzky, Roger Clemens, Maury Povich, LeAnn Rimes, Michael Strahan, and many more.

Photo: MJCIGolf.com

Magic Johnson’s Group Acquiring The Dodgers For $2 Billion

The Los Angeles Dodgers and Frank McCourt announced yesterday a purchasing agreement between the Guggenheim Baseball Management group to acquire the historic baseball team for $2 billion.

The ownership group consists of controlling partner Mark R. Walter, Earvin “Magic” Johnson, film producer and minority owner of the Golden State Warriors Peter Guber, former President of the Washington Nationals Stan Kasten, and a couple other business men.

Frank McCourt will not be completely out of the equation after the sale. The Guggenheim Baseball Management group agreed on forming a joint venture with Mr. McCourt to acquire the Chavez Ravine property where Dodgers Stadium sits, for an additional $150 million.

In a press release, Magic Johnson stated, “I am thrilled to be part of the historic Dodger franchise and intend to build on the fantastic foundation laid by Frank McCourt as we drive the Dodgers back to the front page of the sports section in our wonderful community of Los Angeles.”

Photo: Steve Solis / PR Photos

NBA Stars Raising Funds And Awareness For St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital

NBA Cares ambassadors, including Pau Gasol, Dwight Howard and Dwyane Wade will be hitting the court this week shooting hoops not only for their teams but for a worthy cause. Hoops for St. Jude week, which began yesterday, involves NBA players and teams raising awareness about the fight against childhood cancer.

Ambassadors began helping raise awareness about the program prior to this week, and fans can get involved by donating and bidding on an auction online.

“By supporting Hoops for St. Jude fans can help the doctors and scientists continue their lifesaving research and treatment,” said Pau Gasol, who has a background in the medical field. “A donation to St. Jude means not only saving one child’s life, but thousands of children’s lives around the world.”

Programs such as Hoops for St. Jude are crucial for the research hospital. More than 75 percent of the hospital’s $1.7 million-a-day cost  to operate comes from funds obtained through public programs.

To donate or find out more, visit St.Jude.org/Hoops.

Photo: PRNewsFoto/St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital