Sport and Cinema.com

Minnesota- Despite coming ever so close to a trip to the Super Bowl, as of this writing unfortunately the same huge question begins a new: Will Brett Favre be their quarterback?

Having one of the best years in his long career, most Viking observers are inclined that he will return for his 20th season. It is crucial for this franchise’s playoff hopes that he does.

Based on his performance last year there are no signs to suggest other than Favre can continue to play at a high level, especially with all talent on offense. The Vikings finished second in the NFL in scoring (470 points) in a pass-oriented attack. The Vikings became only the second team in NFL history to have six players catch at least 40 passes. With Sidney Rice and Percy Harvin (Offensive Rookie of the Year) are great targets.

One of major league baseball’s oldest franchises gets some well-earned exposure on DVD as this multi-disc set presents four television broadcasts of games that are representative of the pride between Tiger fans and their ball club.

The ultimate level of the sport’s compelling combination of speed, grace, physical mayhem, stick skills and intensity were on full display last night as that band of youngsters, the Penguins, with superstar kids Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin and a rookie coach defeated the dominant dynasty of the era, the Red Wings (NHL champs four times in a dozen years) in Detroit 2-1 taking the decisive Game 7 and the 2009 Stanley Cup.

The 2009 Stanley Cup which begins later today marks the first title rematch since the Edmonton Oilers and the New York Islanders met in 1983 and 1984.

The Pittsburgh Penguins are headed back to the NHL championships, clinching a return trip with a 4-1 rout of the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday night that finished off a sweep in the Eastern Conference finals.

With back-to-back playoff sweeps, the Cavs have cruised to this point. The holiday shouldn’t make them too rusty, however Orlando’s confidence has to be sky high coming off a grand performance knocking off the defending champions IN Boston in game 7 of their series on Sunday.

In hoping to win the Stanley Cup for the fifth time in 12 seasons and to lift the spirits of an especially economically depressed area, Detroit’s tough Game 7 victory over Anaheim sets up an Original Six matchup against the well-rested Chicago squad in the conference finals beginning today at the Motor City’s Joe Louis Arena.

With only Chicago through to the next round after their exciting six game series against Vancouver, all three remaining matchups come down to a seventh game.

Anaheim vs. Detroit

The Red Wings had clinched their last eight playoff series wins with victories on the road and looked to do the dame here, but Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry each had a goal and an assist and Jonas Hiller made 38 saves as the Ducks beat the Red Wings 2-1 last night to force a decisive Game 7 in the Western Conference semifinal series.

Scott Niedermayer and Bobby Ryan added assists for the Ducks, who built a two-goal lead in the second period and managed to shut down the Red Wings until Johan Franzen brought Detroit within a goal with 2:25 to play.

Facing elimination, the Ducks returned to the form that carried the team to a league-best 10-2-1 mark in the final weeks of the season, then through a first-round upset of the Presidents’ Trophy-winning San Jose Sharks.

Okay, okay so Detroit goes ahead and lays out for a quarterback with its number one overall pick, but after South Carolina kicker Ryan Succop, the last pick of the 2009 NFL Draft, going 256th overall to the Kansas City Chiefs to claim the Mr. Irrelevant Award, which teams did some of the experts feel made out the best?

Because their needs range all over the field especially on the defensive side where they ranked dead last in the league for two years running, rumors abound about what the Detroit Lions will do with the top pick of the 2009 NFL Draft tomorrow.

A powerful heart of the order Carlos Quentin, Jermain Dye Paul Konerko and Jim Thome should keep them in games, but there has been a lot of personnel changes.

The youth movement includes rookie sensation Alexei Ramirez who will play shortstop with Orlando Cabrera going to Oakland. There will be competition between two youngsters at the hot corner- John Fields and Cuban import Dayan Viciedo.