Random thoughts from a cluttered mind...
In the last week or so, we’ve seen a number of Managers go on the field and argue with the umpires over calls, which then turn into little kiddie tantrums, leading to certain ejection. These tirades are a complete joke to me. It makes no sense, doesn’t do any good, and isn’t gonna change the mind of whoever they’re messing with. It would almost be better to simply go out and have a conversation with an umpire, so that later on he might have a little respect for the Manager. We saw Cubs Manager Lou Piniella act like a complete idiot, which turned into a four-game suspension for him. We saw others, including Bobby Cox of the Braves and Joe Torre of the Yanks, argue vehemently, and they got thrown out as well.
One day, perhaps there will be a stronger rule that creates an automatic ejection or fine or suspension for a Manager to go into the field of play during a game in the situation. Maybe it will make things a little more sane.
The surprising Cleveland Cavaliers and the San Antonio Spurs are playing for the NBA Finals now. At the beginning of the playoffs, you wouldn’t have guessed these two teams would be here. While the Spurs have of course won the title in the recent past, the Cavaliers have NEVER been here. NBA fans expected to see the Mavericks or the Suns from the West, or the Pistons definitely from the East. So, with the Spurs and Cavs playing, we’ve got surprises.
This certainly can be a landmark for LeBron James. The kid has come through and brought his team with him to reach the Finals. Many people don’t realize LeBron is STILL only 22 years old, having not gone to college. He plays like a totally seasoned veteran way beyond his years. While the Spurs are indeed a veteran group, led by perennial All-Star C Tim Duncan and the G cluster of Manu Ginobili, Tony Parker, and Michael Finley, Cleveland is essentially a bunch of ‘guys’, after James. Eric Snow, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, and Anderson Varejao are just a few of the ‘guys’ that make up the cast the Cavaliers will put on the court to try and stop San Antonio from winning yet another NBA Title. It should be interesting to see how this series evolves, and whether LeBron can finish off what he has set out to accomplish, which is to nail down a Championship.
This weekend the Belmont Stakes will be run on Long Island. It would be a much more significant race if the Triple Crown was involved, but it isn’t. Even the Kentucky Derby winner, Street Sense, is not running the Belmont. Preakness winner Curlin is, and is indeed the favorite.
The French Open tennis championships are finishing up in Paris this weekend. Noticeably, there are no Americans still playing, having been ousted in earlier rounds. I don’t know whether that means there needs to be more clay court playing in the USA, or whether there needs to be better tennis players, period.
Meanwhile, we are seeing Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer continue to show they are at the top of the Men’s field, pure and simple, no matter what the surface may be.
Closer to home, Billy Donovan has certainly created all kinds of fun and interesting stories in the last week, with his decision to go coach the Magic, then deciding to pull out and go back to Gainesville and stay with the Gators. Throughout all of this, he’s kind of soiled the image and reputation of all three factions, in my opinion, with the Gaotrs, the Magic, and Billy himself looking kind of bad. We’ll see how they all emerge and shake out when the dust settles.
I guess there isn’t enough room in Miami for Trent Green AND Daunte Culpepper. And so with Green having been brought in from Kansas City to be the Dolphins de facto QB, Culpepper might want to start packing his backs, with the strong possibility of getting traded out.
The World Series of Poker is being played in Las Vegas. We all know about this because we’ve read about it and seen it on ESPN, where they continuously play past years’ tournaments until we throw up. Nonetheless, poker had grown exponentially in popularity, and because it has, thousands of players have gone to Vegas and anted up the $10,000 entry fee to participate. While I don’t consider poker a sport by any means, it does take knowledge and skill, and it seems accessible to play and get into. That’s why so many people think they’re good at it.
Tom Weppel talks trash with Greg Larson, Ron Duguay, and Lonnie Marts on SportsAvengers.com 24/7.
|
EU Critic’s Choice Awards
