What A Day: NFL Draft, Clemens-Mulder Showdown and NBA Playoffs Open

Ending weeks of speculation, the San Francisco 49ers decided Alex Smith, a 20-year-old from the University of Utah, would be their best hope to turn around a struggling franchise and the top pick of the 2005 NFL Draft.

While the 49ers banked on Smith's arm, this was a year for legs. Three running backs went in the first five picks - Ronnie Brown (Auburn) at No. 2 to Miami, Cedric Benson (Texas) at No. 4 to Chicago and Carnell Williams (Auburn) at No. 5 to Tampa Bay. It was the first time since 1989 that three running backs were selected in the top 10.

Meanwhile, Aaron Rodgers, rated the second-best quarterback in the draft by many scouts, just a shade behind Smith. But more than four hours after Smith went No. 1, Rodgers sat uncomfortably in the green room - until Green Bay finally selected him at No. 24.

Although trade rumors as always were at a premium, there were only two ho-hum first-round deals yesterday. Houston dealt the 13th pick to New Orleans for the 16th selection and a third-round pick next year, and Seattle traded the No. 23 pick to Oakland for the No. 26 pick and a fourth-round pick (No. 105).

Of note, the Denver Broncos were the team to take a chance on the much-maligned Maurice Clarett, using a third-round pick to take a surprising gamble on one of the most divisive players in the history of college football.

The Detroit Lions were able to draft USC wideout Mike Williams, still available as the tenth pick, surprisingly.

The Cowboys Drafter two defensive ends.

For a quick overview, here are the First round thumbnails.

The Real Question to be answered as with every draft is who among them will be a Hall of Famer?

As for the NYC sides, after Doug Brien blew the playoffs for the Jets last season missing two field goals against the Steelers, guess what? their first pick in the draft was a kicker: Mike Nugent.

Nugent, from Ohio State, was the fourth kicker since 1988 to be selected in the first two rounds of the draft, and the first since Sebastian Janikowski was taken with the 17th overall pick, by Oakland in 2000.

In Nugent's senior season, he made 24 of 27 field goals (88.9 percent) and was 5 of 6 from beyond 50 yards. Against Marshall, he made a 55-yard attempt as time expired to give the Buckeyes a victory.

7 hours 10 minutes after the start of the N.F.L. draft, the Giants made their first selection, choosing Corey Webster, a cornerback from Louisiana State, in the second round with the 43rd pick.

*****

Clemens, Mulder Duel

Mark Mulder, in his first win for the Cardinals since being traded from the A's, pitched 10 shutout innings as the Cards eked out a 1-0 win over the Astros and Roger Clemens. He needed a mere 101 pitches -- of which 75 went for strikes -- to finish his outing, becoming the first Cardinals pitcher to go at least 10 innings since Jose DeLeon went 11 on Aug. 30, 1989. It was his ninth career shutout and 23rd complete game, but his first of each in a St. Louis uniform.

Meanwhile, Roger Clemens got zero run support. For the third consecutive start, Clemens pitched seven scoreless innings, but for his third consecutive start, the Astros lost 1-0 in extra innings.

Clemens held the Cardinals to four hits and four walks with six strikeouts, extending his scoreless-inning streak to 23 innings.

White Sox A Go-Go

The White Sox won their 6th straight and now, at 14-4, have marched their way to the best start in White Sox history.

Of the 104 Sox clubs that preceded them, only three others had started 13-4 -- the 1912, 1919 and 1935 teams. Each of those teams, though, lost their 18th game to fall to 13-5.

14-4 start has granted the Sox a 3 1/2-game lead in their division over the Twins. The third-place Indians are six games back, while the Tigers and Royals are 6 1/2 and nine games off the pace, respectively.

The White Sox are on pace to win the Central by 32 games. That would be a record. And they're on pace to win 126 games. That, too, would be a record. But they aren't interested in even talking about their own record -- yes, that 14-4 mark, the best in franchise history -- let alone other records that are months away, at best.

Mets Win Another From Nats

Over at Archie Bunker's Army there are details of how the Mets have beaten the Nats two in a row to keep pace with the Braves, one game behind the Marlins for the NL East lead.

D Train Keeps A Rollin'

Dontrelle Willis, working out of trouble time and again, improved to 4-0 despite a bumpy ride through six innings, giving up two runs while striking out seven. The Marlins held off the Reds, 4-2, in front of 23,623 at Dolphins Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

After Willis racked up 94 pitches on an 82-degree afternoon, Marlins relievers tossed three shutout innings to preserve the victory and keep the Marlins ahead of the pack in the NL East.

Today's Menu doesn't including many sterling starter duels:

Busch Stadium | 2:15 PM ET

Brandon Backe, RHP (1-0, 3.93) Astros (8-9) @ Matt Morris, RHP (1-0, 1.50)
Cardinals (11-5)

Backe earned the win in his last outing against the Braves on April 19, allowing three runs over seven innings in a 5-3 win. Backe was 1-0 with a 2.77 ERA over six appearances versus St. Louis during the regular season in 2004.

Morris' second start of the year can hardly go any better than his first did. In his debut after offseason shoulder surgery, the right-hander hit the low 90s and threw an outstanding curveball. He makes his 2005 home debut against the Astros, a team that has seen him more than a few times over the years.

Wrigley Field | 2:20 PM ET

Josh Fogg, RHP (1-1, 2.45) Pirates (6-11) @ Kerry Wood, RHP (0-1, 6.38) Cubs (8-9)

Fogg is making his fourth start of the season. He has allowed four home runs, which account for his five earned runs allowed in 18 1/3 innings. He has struck out 14 batters during that span. Fogg has a 4-5 record and 6.08 ERA lifetime vs. the Cubs.
Wood is still searching for his first win after three starts. The right-hander has struck out 19 over 18 1/3 innings so far, but has also given up 21 hits and walked nine. In his last start against Cincinnati, he lasted six innings and struck out six.

NBA Playoff Begin

Both the Pistons and Rockets opened with big wins over the 76ers and Dallas Mavericks, respectively.

These playoffs promise to be longer than ever.

Yesterdays games:

76ERS (0-1) 85
PISTONS (1-0) 106

Points: A. Iverson (PHI) 30
Rebounds: S. Dalembert (PHI) 18
Assists: A. Iverson (PHI) 10

ROCKETS (1-0) 98
MAVERICKS (0-1) 86

Points: T. McGrady (HOU) 34
Rebounds: J. Howard (DAL) 10
Assists: T. McGrady (HOU) 6

PACERS (0-1) 82
CELTICS (1-0) 102
Points: S. Jackson (IND) 25
Rebounds: D. Davis (IND) 10
Assists: G. Payton (BOS) 7

KINGS (0-1) 82
SUPERSONICS (1-0) 87
Points: R. Allen (SEA) 28
Rebounds: J. James (SEA) 15
Assists: A. Daniels (SEA) 4

For the record, Sports Amnesia predicts a June final of Pistons and Spurs and if we get that far, we'll let you know the final result ahead of time.