Random thoughts from a cluttered mind...
This weekend, the focus of attention in the sports world will center upon the Kentucky Derby. Every year, a ton of people who rarely give a crap about horses or racing will take a few minutes on Saturday afternoon to watch a number of thoroughbreds speed around the racetrack at Churchill Downs in Louisville, in what has become a history-making event, without question.
Of course, the crowds that show up in Louisville are huge, with a ton of people simply there to party and enjoy themselves, not even knowing who’s racing and who owns which horse. Nonetheless, there always seems to be a huge amount of intrigue and anticipation before the race, all for two minutes or so of action.
NFL/JAGUARS
Now that the Draft is complete, a couple hundred former college football players will be heading out to NFL mini-camps to see what the big deal is all about. From #1 pick JaMarcus Russell going to Oakland, all the way to undrafted Gator QB Chris Leak signing with Chicago, these players are gonna get a sense of what they’re up against when training camp begins in July.
Of course, all 32 teams felt as if they had a good draft, finding ‘steals’ in later rounds, while also assessing their ‘needs’ at particular positions. We’ll also see a number of veteran players given their walking players by their respective teams, as was the case this week with Panthers WR Keyshawn Johnson, and locally, with Jaguar P Chris Hanson. We’ll see if those guys get picked up by another team between now and July.
Speaking of Hanson, I think it’s a shame the Jaguars cut veteran Punter Chris Hanson. Here is a guy who made the Pro Bowl, did a consistent job in his trade, even though last year wasn’t the best, and above all, was a great guy in the community. In all honesty, I don’t ever remember Hanson doing a bad job with his punting, and I don’t think HE was the reason the Jags only went 8-8 last season. I hope another team gives him a chance, and I hope he latches on in the NFL. He’s a class act.
Meanwhile, the Jaguars drafted a punter, which last I heard is NOT something a lot of teams do. We shall see how things pan out.
NBA PLAYOFFS
We saw the Detroit Pistons, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Chicago Bulls all sweep their first round playoff series, which gives those teams a chance to rest and get ready for their next opponent. While many NBA fans have seen the Bulls play some good ball this season, a lot of people were surprised they won four straight against a Miami Heat team that was a shell of its former self from last season. Shaquille O’Neal and Dwayne Wade were both injured at various points this year, and we also saw that age certainly showed in their lineup. The franchise will have a lot of things to consider during the offseason as they get ready for next year. My feeling is that the roster will be vastly different than now.
Meanwhile, the Western Conference is giving us some competitive series’ with some strong teams going up against each other. It will leave us with four good teams ready to play in the semis, heading into the Western Conference finals.
MLB
New York Yankee rookie P Phil Hughes tweaked a hamstring in his second start this past week, making the Yankee pitching staff look like a total M*A*S*H unit. Before long, the Bombers will be going through waiver wires just to find guys to throw an inning or two for the week. Of course, the mediocrity of the Yankees shouldn’t be attributed to Manager Joe Torre or GM Brian Cashman. They can’t do a thing about injuries. All they can do is try and find guys to put out on the field, then hope they perform and stay healthy. So far this season, that hasn’t been the case. But there’s a long way to go before October, and we shall see how the staff heals their wounds.
Tom Weppel talks trash with Greg Larson, Ron Duguay, and Lonnie Marts on SportsAvengers.com 24/7.
|
