Even while on vacation in Punta Cana, we stayed in touch with the wide world of sports from our lounge chairs – and with the help of ESPN News in our rooms! As another week passes, once again there is a slew of sports news…from the silly, to the weird, and also heartbreaking, and now it’s time to wrap up another intriguing week in sports.

Sports fans of all ages were shocked on Valentine’s Day when they heard that Olympic hero, Oscar Pistorius, was arrested for shooting and killing his girlfriend at his home. He became a sports sweetheart when the “blade runner” was the first double leg amputee to participate in the Olympics. Fellow runners praised him and wanted to trade numbers with him – it was a feel good story for everyone. Then, the unthinkable happened. Due to the high crime and murder rates, many South Africans live in fear – so I’m not surprised that a double amputee who has become a celebrity would have a gun for protection. He has now been granted bail while he awaits the trail. Many questions remain on what exactly happened for him to shoot his girlfriend but two things remain – he will have to carry that burden with him for the rest of his life and there are still more questions than answers about that fateful morning. Sponsorships have been lost and I would be surprised if he’s ever successful in races again.

More sad news came on Monday, just as NBA All-Star weekend ended,  that the NBA lost one of their iconic owners. Dr. Jerry Buss had passed away at age 80 from kidney failure. In 1979, he purchased the LA Lakers, LA Kings, and the Forum – where both teams called home. Although he later sold the Kings, he was a mainstay for the Lakers, which are still owned by his family through a trust. Looked at as a father figure by those who played for him. He was a visionary, winning 10 NBA Championships and he’ll be remembered as one of the most successful owners in the history of sports. He was also an owner who interacted with the fans and always tried to recognize their importance, something that many owners have tried to emulate since then. Ultimately, the LA Lakers will never be the same and the sports world lost a transcendent figure who made his town, his team, his league a better place. R.I.P. Dr. Buss, you will be missed.

In the world of college sports, the NCAA has managed to screw up once again – this time in its investigation of the University of Miami. First of all, Miami is being accused of “lack of institutional control” in relation to a Ponzi scheme by former booster Nevin Shapiro. However, the latest news is that the NCAA is now investigating itself after it has been found that the committee looking into infractions at the University of Miami was unethical in their pursuits. They were apparently paying Shapiro’s lawyer for information  – who has also said that the NCAA is incompetent. This obviously doesn’t look good for the NCAA, and is another example of why there needs to be an overhaul done with the way they investigate. When Penn State was investigated by Louis Freeh, they accepted his report to use for sanction purposes and remarked how much more in depth it was than anything they would do. Shouldn’t that be a red flag?!? Additionally, new reports state that Freeh’s report may have been completed with tainted information. Regardless if that’s true or not, it’s very concerning that the organization that’s supposed to run and regulate college sports is this inept at running itself. It’s no wonder that this “lack of institutional control” is taking place at the individual schools when it’s also happening within the NCAA offices.

On a positive note, baseball is officially back – at least in the form of spring training games. The pitchers and catchers are warmed up and now the position players are back to swinging their bats and getting some fielding practice, at least when the teams are trying to see what they have with the back ends of the rosters. The offseason saw lots of big money deals. The LA Angels have appeared to go “all in” now with signing a major free agent two years in a row. After missing the post-season last year, it would be a total underachievement for that to happen again. With a lineup that includes Albert Pujols, Josh Hamilton, and Mike Trout (if he can play like he did last year) and several expensive pitchers, it’s time for this team to show up or be blown up. The Toronto Blue Jays also made some big moves and it will be interesting to see if they can compete in the east this year. Late last season, the LA Dodgers made several trades to add both talent and stars to their roster. If those pan out, the baseball world may be paying more attention to the west coast than they have for several years. Obviously, avoidance of injuries is key, but the 2013 baseball season has the potential to be a lot of fun to watch.

Golf doesn’t usually make the wacky headlines, but no one knew what to think when theAccenture Match Play in Arizona wasdelayed a day due to snow. Several golfers hadn’t even seen snow in years and were surely thrown off their game by this. It wasn’t surprising to see Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy both be ousted in the first day after they were ready to play and got delayed. As more big names get beat this weekend, it’s a great chance for new guys and lesser known players to get some air time. It’s not so good for the networks when the casual fan doesn’t want to watch without familiar faces. Ultimately, this year’s tournament was doomed from the time that the first snow fell on the course, but the show must go on.

Finally, the Chicago Blackhawks made history last night by scoring a point in 17 consecutive games and setting a NHL record. Non-hockey translation: they haven’t lost in regulation for 17 straight games. Every other team who’ve previously held such a record have all went on to win the Stanley Cup. Impressive? Yes. A stat that could be blown out of proportion? Yes. Am I a fan of the Blackhawks? No – but that’s not the point of this – just for full disclosure. Before the NHL just calls it a season and crowns Chicago as the champs, lets stop for a minute and look at a couple things. No other streak like this happened during a shortened season. This doesn’t really mean anything other than that the Hawks gave started the season very hot and have probably already locked up a playoff spot barring a complete meltdown. But, injuries can happen, especially in a grueling shortened season. Also, the question must be asked if they can realistically carry this momentum until July? Many teams go on hot steaks or peak too early. Yes, the Hawks are a good team and could definitely win it all this year, but all this early success could also spell disaster if they aren’t careful. Time will tell, but hats off so far for a great start!

Bonus side note – I always enjoy the human interest stories that are tied to sports and one that caught my eye this week was an interview with Baltimore Raven’s running back Ray Rice. In a time when crazy baby names are the craze, he was talking about his adorable little girl named Rayven. At first, I thought he named her after the team and hoped he never gets traded, but then he said how it’s spelled and that he always wanted to be a part of her! (cue the collective: Awwww!)

Enjoy your weekend!