Let's check in with our local teams while the rest of the world is searching for Ronaldo...

Sharks- A team many people thought would contend for the Cup is once again choking as they now fall 3-0 to the Dallas Stars. The Sharks just might be the Obama of hockey-- all promise, dazzle, and hope yet with a seeming inability to win when it counts, get tough when it's needed, and show fire when things go bad. On the other hand, if the Sharks really were the Obama of the NHL, the Stars would be down 0-3 yet they'd still be arguing that they were ahead because they've had much more shots on goal which is a better indicator of which team is better than points and while the Sharks scored more goals in the first period than the Stars, the first period doesn't really count.

Raiders- Our first reaction to the McFadden pick? Bwah! Only the Raiders would draft somebody in the one position they have plenty of instead of in a position they don't. Somebody elsewhere (we can’t remember where) pointed out that the AFC West is dominated by big, bad RBs (Larry Johnson, LT, whomever the Broncos throw out there), most of whom light up the Raiders D like a pancheco machine yet the Raiders took a pass on Glen Dorsey, the guy everyone thinks is a monster run stuffer.

The Giants and A’s after the jump

The Giants- The big story, of course, is that Barry Zito is bullpen bound after pulling an o-fer for the entire month of April. Zito right now is being used in sentences such as "worst free agent signing in baseball" as well as "worst move in sports history." You know, this team so far isn’t as bad as we thought. If anything the frisky black & orange are actually entertaining, something nobody would say of them the past few years or so.

A's- Yep, somehow, inexplicably, the A's are battling for first place. How? Dunno. This team is sorta like last year’s team except better as the secret sauce seems to be somebody-- anybody-- getting the big hit when it’s needed and the big pitch when it’s needed. Whether or not this is real (keep in mind the Marlins-- the Marlins!-- are in first place in the NL East) nobody knows and we don't even think Billy does. He's not that good is he?