The four-time European champion Reds are the first home team since Roma in 1984 to play at home when it faces Chelsea in the UEFA Champions League final at their own home pitch of Allianz Stadium, and hopes to be crowned “Kings Of Europe” for a fifth time.

While many may have already conceded that Munich the presumptive winner, it would be wise to not overlook the scrappy underdogs from West London.

Chelsea, who would win their seventh FA Cup, is in the Champions League final for the second time in four years. The Blues would lose to fellow Premier League rival Manchester United 6-5 on penalty kicks in Moscow back in 2008.

Chelsea may be without the services of captain John Terry, Raul Meireles, Ramires and Branislav Ivanovic due to yellow card accumulation in their match against F.C. Barcelona, any side that goes into Nou Camp and beats Barcelona is not to be underestimated.

While Chelsea will be short-handed, the steady play of Frank Lampard, the return of Ivorian striker Didier Drogba and the recent good form of Fernando Torres makes Chelsea more than an even match for Bayern’s triumviate of Arjen Robben, Franck Ribery and Mario Gomez.

If Chelsea hopes to hoist up it’s first Champions League trophy and become the first London club—much to the consternation of local rivals Fulham, Tottenham and Arsenal—look for forwards Salomon Kalou and Juan Mata to play a factor in countering Munich’s prolific midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger and forward Thomas Muller.

One cannot overlook the impact that interim manager Roberto Di Matteo and his steady leadership for the Blues as they have gone 14-3-2 under his watch. The Blues are 4-1-0 under Di Matteo in Champions League play.

While Munich is 15-1 against English clubs at home, the gained momentum and confidence of beating Barcelona on the road and their recent triumph in the FA Cup over Liverpool, gives the Blues an edge in become the second English side to beat Bayern on the Allianz pitch and the first London club to win the Champions League in a 2-1 victory.

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Hibbert, a 7’2, 260-pound third-year center out of Georgetown, would have his way inside against the Miami Heat—who were without forward/center Chris Bosh—by scoring 19 points, pulling down 18 rebounds and blocking five shots in leading the Indiana Pacers to a 94-75 victory Friday evening.

With a rare blend of size, strength, power and a deft shooting touch not normally seen in a big man not named Kevin Garnett, Kevin Love or Tim Duncan, Hibbert is proving to be a monster-sized nightmare for the Heat in the low post.

Thanks to a combination of tough inside defense and a physical frontline that features Hibbert, Danny Granger and David West, Indiana—not Miami—is one win away from a commanding 3-1 lead in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

Going into this series, not many “experts” gave the Pacers much of a chance—let alone much respect—against the star-studded Big Three from South Beach.

Bosh’s injury combined with the sudden regression of Dwayne Wade and the ever-reliable LeBron James fourth-quarter chokes in close games, has helped propel Indiana into position to shock the entire basketball world.

It seems that the slight in both the media and amongst NBA fans—may have given both Hibbert and the Pacers—who had the fifth-best record in the NBA—added fuel in this series.

Hibbert’s dominating performance Friday night was evident from the start—courtesy of a monster dunk—would continue throughout the entire game.

Thanks to the raucous Pacers crowd, Hibbert would seem to use the extra energy to make life uncomfortable in the low post for the depleted Miami Heat frontcourt.

While Wade and head coach Erik Spoelstra may have stolen the spotlight with their highly-publicized verbal exchange on the sidelines, Hibbert and the Pacers would be more than content in stealing the series instead.

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Wade, who would score five points on 2-of-13 shooting from the field during the Heat’s 94-75 loss to the Indiana Pacers in Game 3 Of the NBA Eastern Conference semifinals, would get into a heated exchange with Spoelstra during the third quarter.

The star-studded Heat—already minus forward/center Chris Bosh—were dominated in the paint by Indiana’s bigger and more physical frontline of center Roy Hibbert, small forward Danny Granger and David West, as Indiana would out-rebound Miami 52-36.

Wade, a former NBA Finals MVP and champion, would look like more like a lethargic D-League bench reserve than a All-Star in missing 11 of 13 shots from the field, as he would be held scoreless from the field in the first half.

While the detractors and haters of Miami—and they are legion—may be tempted to pile on the Heat, one should be careful to dismiss a team that still has both Wade and three-time MVP in LeBron James.

Credit deserves to be given a very underrated—and slighted in the media—Indiana Pacers ballclub that played with a chip on it’s shoulder and had a clear game plan of shutting down Wade by forcing him into uncomfortable shots and exploiting Bosh’s absence down in the low post with Hibbert.

While Wade would down-play the heated exchange with Spoelstra in his post-game interview, Wade’s in-game theatrics and reported lower leg injury—did not help the already delicate position that Miami is in.

Wade and Spoelstra need to check their respective egos at the proverbial door quickly before they both dig the Heat into an almost unthinkable 3-1 series deficit by the end of Sunday.

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According to Yahoo Football UK, the Gunner striker will be offered a lucrative £250,000-a-week deal—402,400 U.S. dollars—to move from North London to the newly crowned English champions in Manchester.

Arsenal is set to counter Man City by offering a transfer fee of upwards to £25 million—$40.24 million dollars.

van Persie, would lead the English Premier League in goals scored with 30 and receive the Player Of The Year award from the Professional Footballers Association (PFA).

The former Feyenoord striker would score 37 goals in all competitions and help propel the Gunners from their worst start in 58 years to third place—and an automatic Champions League slot—next year.

In joining the 2011 FA Cup and 2012 Barclays Premier League champions in Manchester City, van Persie would be the third Gunner to leave North London for Manchester as defender Gael Clichy and midfielder Samir Nasri would leave Arsenal for Man City respectively within the past year.

For Arsenal, while finishing rallying to finish third and securing Cologne striker Lukas Podolski were moves in the right direction, it appears to have been not enough to keep their biggest—and best player—from slipping away.

Look for Arsenal to be very busy during the summer transfer window in the hopes of replacing such an irreplaceable player in the man known to Gooners simply as “RVP”.

In the case of the Gunners, it appears to be a case of too little to late in retaining the services of van Persie, as his loss will make for a very long summer in the N5.

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In the case of Manchester City, it survived the most dramatic English soccer regular-season final—perhaps—of all time in the process.

Thanks to two goals in stoppage time from forwards Edin Dezeko and Sergio Aquero, Manchester City would win it’s first title since 1968 with a dramatic 3-2 come-form-behind win over Queens Park Rangers.

In a day in which all English Premier League teams were playing simultaneously all over England, Manchester City—who would see it’s once dream season almost slip away—would pull off the most epic comeback in English soccer history.

City, who would enter the game tied with cross-town rival Manchester United with 86 points, held the tie-breaker on goal differential with eight, for City to win, all they had to do was win their game at Etihad Stadium, with no need to worry about United’s result at Sunderland.

With City trailing 2-1 at home after a goal from Queens Park Rangers midfielder Jamie Mackie at the 66th minute and United winning their match over Sunderland 1-0, Red Devils manager Sir Alex Ferguson had his side ready to celebrate it’s 20th English Premier Title in the middle of The Stadium of Light pitch—only to have it taken from them thanks to the NBA-like buzzer-beater heroics of Dezeko and Aquero.

With the win, Manchester City claims it’s third overall title in English soccer, as the Citizens would also win titles in 1937 and 1968. This is City’s first-ever title in the Barclays Premier League.

For City and it’s long-suffering fans, who have always had to live in the shadows of United’s many championships, now get to party hard at the expense of their cross-town rivals for the first time in 44 years.

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Hamilton would continue his early-season rampage by belting his 18th home run—a solo shot—off of former teammate—and current Los Angeles Angels pitcher C.J. Wilson—in a 4-2 loss Saturday evening.

Hamilton who currently leads the American League in home runs (18), runs batted in (41) and batting average (.402) has already been mentioned as a legitimate threat to become the first player since Carl Yastrzemski to win the American League Triple Crown in 1967 for the Boston Red Sox.

Hamilton would breakout by hitting four home runs in a 10-3 victory over the Baltimore Orioles, and since that game would hit nine home runs and bat in another 14 RBI over a six game span.

If Hamilton can find a way to stay healthy, then he has the chance to have—perhaps—the greatest individual single-season by a player in MLB history.

At his current pace, Hamilton is projected to bat .402, belt 86 home runs and score 195 RBI.

If that is truly the case, Hamilton would join Hall Of Famers Ted Williams of the Boston Red Sox as the second man to bat .400 in a season and break Chicago Cubs centerfielder Hack Wilson’s single-season RBI record of 191.

While it has only been 34 games of a possible 183-game season(162 regular season games, along with a theoretical 21-game postseason), the chances of Hamilton continuing his hot start will gradually begin to decrease.

Factors such as more advanced pitching, better scouting, interleague play and a longer schedule may work against Hamilton’s chase for the Triple Crown.

Another factor is that while there are more teams in 2012 as there were during the times of Yastrzemski, pitchers may ultimately decide to give Hamilton the “Barry Bonds” treatment and walk him altogether.

It may be pre-mature to say that Hamilton may join Yastrzemski as the second player to win the AL Triple Crown, but if his hot start is any indication, then Yastrzemski may want to begin making room for some company.

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Beckett, who would find himself in the middle of a media firestorm for golfing—after missing a start with a sore lat muscle—would allow seven runs on seven hits at Fenway as the (18-13)AL Central-leading Cleveland Indians would win the first game in a crucial four-game series in an almost comical fashion, 8-3.

The Indians win—while impressive—would be overshadowed by Beckett’s off-the-field golf drama by seeing the ever-passionate–and vocal–Red Sox fans taunt Beckett with chants of “Fore!” and boo their own pitcher off the mound in disgrace.

Beckett, who would be one of the Red Sox players identified as eating fried chicken and beer during Boston’s historical collapse last September, has seen his star in Beantown wane from once-beloved son to the subject of chicken-and-beer jokes and the new walking punch line of golf-inspired puns on SportsCenter.

Red Sox Nation is a very passionate, knowledgeable and fervent fan base that has a special love of their own, but with the recent off-the-field drama involving new Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine and third baseman Kevin Youkilis for “not being physically or emotionally into the game” coupled with Boston’s slow start of 12-19—and in last place in the ever-competitive AL East–Beckett better hope that Tiger Woods is not seen in the vicinity of Yawkey Way anytime soon.

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Hernandez, a 23-year old striker for defending English Premier League champion, Manchester United, has decided to not play for the Mexican national soccer team in London in favor of resting up for the upcoming Premier League season.

Hernandez, who alongside Wayne Rooney and Danny Welback, form one of the most deadly striker corps in soccer have helped vault United into position to win it’s league-leading 20th Barclays Premier League title.

The former Guadalajara standout has scored 23 goals—including 10 for the Red Devils during the 2011-12 season—in 54 apps.

in international play, Hernandez has scored 23 goals for “El Tri” in 34 apps for the defending CONCACAF Gold Cup Champions.

Hernandez’s decision to not play for 20th ranked Mexico—whose hopes in continuing it’s rise as a international soccer power—may have taken a big blow.

While Chicharito will still play for Mexico in both World Cup qualifier matches, his decision to skip playing in London, may or may not have been directly influenced by United’s manager Sir Alex Ferguson remains to be seen—but has already been felt.

With Hernandez not playing in London, it would have been a big help for Mexico to stake it’s claim as a team to watch in making some noise abroad, El Tri may have to settle for simply being the best team in North America instead.

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In a division, that features a legitimate World Series contender in Detroit, who has a dominant pitcher in AL MVP Justin Verlander and slugger Prince Fielder, the fact that the upstart Indians are ahead of the veteran Tigers is not only a surprise, but one of the best stories of the young 2012 baseball season.

Outside of 19-year old rookie phenom Bryce Harper and the Washington Nationals hot 18-10 start, Cleveland may be the best young team in baseball that no one is talking about.

The Indians, who would take two out of three from the two-time defending AL champion Texas Rangers, would outscore the powerful Rangers, 15-7 and hand Japanese import Yu Darvish his first MLB loss, 4-2.

Cleveland would also take two out of three from Albert Pujols and the Los Angeles Angels.

Cleveland would sweep Chicago, 8-6 in the first game and 3-2 in the nightcap, to pull three full games ahead of Detroit—who would lose to the Seattle Mariners, 3-2—are beginning to turn heads due to timely hitting, solid pitching and strong defense.

Cleveland’s All-Star shortstop, Asdrubal Cabrera ranks fifth in the AL with a .356 batting average—which is also ninth in baseball.

Indians second baseman Jason Kipnis and third baseman Jack Hannahan—who are currently batting .287 and .280 respectively—rank among the top 50 hitters in the American league.

While Cleveland boasts the sixth lowest team batting average of .243, the Indians secret to their early success may come from the mound in the form of their starting pitching and bullpen.

Led by 38-year old Derek Lowe, Cleveland’s pitching rotation of Ubaldo Jimenez, Justin Masterson, Josh Tomlin and Jeanmar Gomez have helped give the Tribe the ninth best ERA in baseball of 3.98.

Lowe’s ERA of 2.39 is tied for fourth in the AL in wins with four.

Cleveland’s bullpen, known affectionately in Northeast Ohio as “The Bullpen Mafia”, has done a solid job of setting up the Indians All-Star closer Chris Perez and his AL-leading 11 saves.

If there is one area that is underrated about the Tribe is their defense.

Cleveland boasts the fourth best fielding percentage of .988 and thru the first 28 games have committed the fourth fewest errors in the AL with 13.

While Cleveland does not have the luxury of playing in a major media market like Washington, or being able to sign high-profile free-agents such as Darvish and Pujols, The Tribe and their strong start shows that Cleveland may have found it’s own formula of success.

While it may be the first week of May and not the last week of September, if first impressions mean anything then Cleveland may not win the AL Central, but at the very least give the Tigers a run for their money.

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The Gunners, who would be held to a 1-1 draw at Brittania Stadium against Stoke City, would draw with Norwich 3-3 in a back-and-forth thriller at Emirates Stadium.

With one game left, Arsenal must now hope that both Newcastle and Tottenham lose if they hope to clinch the automatic qualifying spot for the Champions League next year.

Arsenal, who have drawn in their last two fixtures against Champions League finalist, Chelsea, 0-0 and Stoke City, 1-1 have failed to strengthen their hold on third in the Premiership table thanks to a combination of lax defense, sloppy passing and the look of casual indifference on the pitch.

It is one thing to have a 0-0 draw against a strong side such as the Blues, but to not be able to lock down an automatic Champions League spot with favorable fixtures featuring Norwich and Stoke City is very concerning for Arsenal.

Arsenal would strike first in the second minute on a goal by Yossi Benayoun, only to give up a goal at the 12^th minute by Norwich’s Wesley Hoolahan.

After a Grant Holt score at the 22th minute, Dutch striker, Robin van Persie would net two goals within eight minutes of each other att he 72^nd and 80^th minutes respectfully.

The Gunner’s shaky defense would concede a late goal to Canaries forward Steve Morison to ensure another shocking draw for the Gunners in North London.

If the Gunners hope to contend next year in the Champions League, the first area that they must address during the transfer window is in the midfield and defense, as those two areas may be the reason why the Gunners may miss out on third—and possibly fourth place this year.

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