PSoTD

I will repeat what I said last month - the Lopez Brothers will be amongst the biggest draft flubs this year. Consider me completely unimpressed with both.

Quincy Douby gets one more year to figure out some real value for the Sacramento Kings. I hope the Kings make an offer to Jason Richards of Davidson fame, though. I also think that Patrick Ewing, Jr., will be interesting for the Kings.

Somebody's going to get a good pickup with Chris Lofton. Not drafted.

The Phoenix Suns are done as a major contender for a while. Old, and it doesn't appear like much help in this draft. Robin Lopez as the 15th pick? Bleh.

Exciting news in the sporting world!

LOS ANGELES (AP)—Candace Parker became the second woman to dunk in a WNBA game and the Los Angeles Sparks beat the Indiana Fever 77-63 on Sunday night.

Parker took a pass from Raffaella Masciadri, dribbled the length of the court and dunked with her right hand with 29 seconds to play.

“When I caught the ball and there was an open lane, it was a good opportunity,” Parker said. “I’m happy that I was able to do it in Los Angeles in front of the home fans.”

Lisa Leslie, her Sparks teammate, is the only other WNBA player to do it— throwing a shot down during a game in 2002.

I'm all for women playing basketball but have no idea why they put it on TV. They might as well televise our weekly old guy pickup games. You'll see about the same amount of highlight reel plays. Doesn't two dunks in five years say all that needs to be said?

Sorry, that's an old piece of strato baseball geek lore from my life a long long time ago. If you understand it, you're one of 4 or 5 people in the world, and how the hell are you anyway.

Back to the point - I always liked this guy as a ballplayer.

On June 18, Newark Bears manager Wayne Krenchicki led his team to his 1000th career managerial win with a 7-6 victory over the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs at Regency Furniture Stadium in Waldorf, MD. Krenchicki, the second winningest manager in Atlantic League history with 661, has also won games in the Arizona, Midwest, Texas-Louisiana, and Northern Leagues in a managerial career that began with the Milwaukee Brewers organization back in 1991.

what a disaster this guy has been for the franchise. Please, no more very early first round running back or quarterback picks this decade, okay?

Please, let it be true.

I don't think the San Francisco Giants are particularly cool, but this guy is...

But the Stanley Cup game last night sucked me in. Damn if Marc-Andre Fleury didn't put on a show, especially in triple-overtime, in goal. Wow.

He is the NBA's most undermentioned superstar, but the NBA playoffs series with the Lakers may have finally exposed Tim Duncan's age. Whereas in the past he could carry the Spurs for segments of the game, in the series against the Lakers, he was never really that guy. It doesn't help that much of Duncan's inside help are guys even older than him.

Still, as a big guy, Duncan's longevity is admirable. Even greater: how many 6'11 players have had the consistently great seasons, compiled into an 11 year career? Take a look at his career. That is a model of consistency in the NBA that most big guys don't have.

Not sure this is the right economic time for it, but it would a cool business for Central Pennsylvania.

I think I'm going to go 2 for 2 on the baseball front with our kids. I, having been raised in a household of sports fanship, of playing organized baseball until late teens, had been a bit concerned. Was baseball going to be too boring to our kids?

Our daughter proved it not to be for herself, at least at this point. She loves the big league ballpark experience. She loves playing softball. She'll play catch if you ask. She seems to be... invested, at least as much as a 5th grader can be.

But after one year of tee-ball, the youngest wasn't so sold. After last season, he told me he didn't want to play baseball, that he had "already learned it". I explained that he was going to play SOME spring sport, and it was probably a choice between baseball and soccer.

Okay, soccer.

So I explained a bit further - you run a lot in soccer. A LOT.

Okay, baseball.

So, he's now in his second season, and this year, he's into it. The coach gives baseball cards out to the kids who make outs in the field. He's not a bad fielder for his age, so he's been loving that, and I'm enjoying his reading of the cards on the way home. Are 89 BBs good? This guy had 89 in the BBs column. Is that good?

Is he a pitcher or a hitter?

He plays outfield.

That's pretty good, I explain.

He now likes playing catch, just about anytime. Game days he wants to put his uniform on. He keeps asking to do it, usually ends up with it on at least a half hour before we need to go. Then he asks if he should put his cleats on. Over and over and over. He's ready to go.

It's all cool. He wants to play the game, and that feels good to me.

I hope so. Not that he's not useful for the Reds, but they need to clear some salary to build for the future.

After watching this guy in the NCAA tournament in person, I think parts of this assessment is WAY OFF.

C Brook Lopez, Stanford
Stats: 19.3 ppg, 8.2 rpg, 2.1 bpg
This may seem like a no-brainer since Lopez is a lock for the lottery, but he probably would have been taken among the first 14 picks last year. Seven-footers with his size and coordination always are in high demand. The difference this time around is that the 7-foot, 260-pounder is good enough to help an NBA team immediately. He developed a couple of go-to moves in the post this past season, allowing him to score consistently when given the ball with his back to the basket. He also became a better rebounder and post defender. Look for him to contribute from Day One with the NBA team that picks him.

His height will put him in demand, but his skills just do not seem that good, and he seems very soft around the basket. In a league which had 81 players on rosters last year of 6'11", he's going to have to play guys his height now.

On the other hand, how many of those 81 in the NBA are stars? Hint: many sit on the bench. Brook will have buddies with him watching the game.

Oh, and btw, how many players in the Pac-10 were 6'11' or taller last year?

12 plus the 2 that were on Stanford. 2 on USC, and Lopez played mediocre against them. He seems to know how to take advantage of his height when that advantage is there for him, but that's about all.

I used to think Steve Kerr was a smart basketball guy, but now I'm REALLY wondering.

We're not going to be represented by an active player in MLB:

Julio Franco is finally calling it a career.

The 49-year-old has retired from baseball, according to a report on The Seattle Times’ web site Saturday.

Franco, who played 23 major league seasons, reportedly made the announcement Wednesday to his Mexican League team - the Quintana Roo Tigers.

“It was the hardest decision in my life,” Franco said in an interview published Saturday by Mexican sports daily Record. “I always said I would be the first one to know the exact moment.

“I think the numbers speak for themselves, the production speaks and this is the right moment. I understand that my time has passed and the great men and athletes know when to say enough.”

Franco last played in the majors in 2007, when he participated in a combined 55 games between the New York Mets and the Atlanta Braves.

He batted .222 with 16 RBI, creating headlines with his lone home run - a blast that made him the oldest player to hit a homer in the majors.

The Dominican, who played with eight teams during his career in the majors, retires with a .298 average, 2,586 hits and 173 home runs.

Cedric Benson is probably down to a lifeline with playing for the Bears.

Benson was held at Travis County Jail from about 11:30 p.m. Saturday to 3:30 a.m. Sunday. He was released on $14,500 bond.

His future with the team has been uncertain since he fractured his left leg in November, requiring a plate and screws to be inserted to stabilize the leg and ankle. The Bears addressed the position by drafting Tulane's Matt Forte in the second round last month.

"Very disappointed,'' coach Lovie Smith said about Benson on Sunday at Halas Hall. "You try to wait and get as much information before you make a lot of comments about it, and that's what I am going to do. We're always disappointed when we have someone that we're talking about being in trouble with the law.''

I watch horse races constantly and I think this is the first breakdown I've seen since Barbaro. I don't know if that's chance or the better horses are more at risk. Big Brown is a great horse but that was a very sad ending.

Just got back from placing my bets at the York OTB. Mechanicsburg is halfway between there and the track up in Grantville. I figured York would be less of a zoo. But if a meteorite hits that joint today, it will take out most of the gambling degenerates in York County.

Tough to handicap a twenty horse field since the Kentucky Derby is about the only twenty horse field you'll ever see. Big Brown is the class of the race but sharpie wisdom says that he can't overcome his horrible 20th post. The most logical play is to look for inside speed to get ahead of the stampede and go wire-to-wire. Tale of Ekati (#2) and Eight Belles (#5) are the horses that fit that profile best. But a mile and a quarter is long way to go wire to wire in a field of this quality.

Here's what I'm holding in case you need something to root for...

5 6 10 exacta box
10 12 20 exacta box
2 5 17 exacta box
13 20 exacta box

All positive vibes appreciated! If I win, I'll buy you a drink next time I see you.

Hadn't heard of it before, but apparently wallyball is infecting everything now...

There's a new sport known as Arena Softball that is catching on quickly, and as a recent feature story in the Sacramento Business Journal shows, it is becoming a national phenomenon. Founded by Greg Joseph with the help of local business developer Chris Vrame in 2003, the indoor sport has grown immensely in only five years.

The game is played on a regulation softball diamond, and players use all of the softball skills they're used to. The twist is a tight spring loaded net that encloses the entire softball field, so every hit is in play. Although Joseph found it was difficult at first to turn a profit with a new game, Arena Softball is now profitable and has gained interest internationally. The softball-inspired game is in its second season in the Minneapolis suburb of Eagan, Minnesota, and there are advanced plans to take Arena Softball to Hartford, Connecticut and Spokane, Washington. The game even has someone from Dubai in the United Arab Emirates interested.

Arena Softball is still the biggest hit back in Roseville, CA, a city near Sacramento, where it began. According to the Sacramento Business Journal article, there are approximately 800 people coming to the indoor softball complex every day, with 106 different teams playing. Joseph aims to open a second complex in the Pacific Northwest, and a third in Elk Grove or Natomas, California.

We thought our daughter might need a new bat for softball - she's had the same one for a year, she's been growing, and we thought a little more weight on the bat might help her. Glad I read this, it changed my mind.

Can we please end it now, for the Reds? I was ready to pull the plug before it started.

I don't know about EVERYTHING, but I think there's a lot of merit in this post by The Cynic:

I have always felt that you can tell everything about a person by playing basketball with them.

How much do they shoot?
Do they set screens?
Do they rebound?
Do they box out?
Do they help on defense?
How fast do they get down on defense?
Does their man beat them down the floor?
Do they make the extra pass?
How do they react when they miss or make a bad play?
Do they play hard when they are losing or winning?

Not many sports show a lack of effort like basketball. If one player is not doing their job, the other four suffer greatly.

I like the idea of a basketball lover being in the White House.

This batting stance isn't for everyone.

(No, not anyone from our league, even)

Could not have asked for a more beautiful day to begin our son's baseball season yesterday. Sunny. 83 degrees! Slight breeze to keep everyone from getting TOO hot.

Predictions.

Los Angeles Lakers beat the Denver Nuggets.
Dallas Mavericks beat the New Orleans Hornets.
San Antonio Spurs beat the Phoenix Suns.
Houston Rockets beat the Utah Jazz.

Lakers beat the Mavericks.
Spurs beat the Rockets.

Lakers beat the Spurs.

As opposed to the East, I'm not very confident about these picks. The Mavericks are a hunch. In the first round, the predicted loser could end up winning the series and I wouldn't be surprised - except for the Nuggets. Denver is not going to beat Los Angeles. If Rafer Alston doesn't come back quick, I think Utah will end up beating Houston.

Will predict the West when the seedings for the first round are set.

Boston beats Atlanta
Detroit beats Philadelphia
Orlando beats Toronto
Washington beats Cleveland

Boston beats Washington
Detroit beats Orlando

Detroit beats Boston

Well ...it was worth a try.

Beantown-loving construction worker Gino Castignoli, who lives in The Bronx, confessed to The Post last week that he buried a Red Sox slugger David Ortiz jersey at the site last summer while working at the stadium.

After reading about the traitorous act in The Post, the two workers approached a construction manager and said they remembered Castignoli, who only worked at the Stadium one day, and thought they knew where he must have placed the shirt.

They led the manager to a service corridor near the site of the planned Legends Club restaurant, behind home plate and toward the third base side.

After the hardhats pointed to the spot, workers brought out jackhammers and dug furiously for five hours, creating a 2-foot- by-3-foot, gravel-filled pit in their search for the tainted threads.

They spotted the jersey at 3:25 p.m. and called Yankee brass. The cursed shirt was about two feet deep in cement.

...

"I hope his coworkers kick the shit out of him," said George's boy, who now runs the team with his brother Hal.

Hank put no stock in talk of curses or in Castignoli's cruel bid to hex the Yankees' new $1.3 billion home.

A buried jersey, he reassured worried fans, means nothing.

"It's a bunch of bullshit," Hank said.

But Castignoli scoffed at the top Yankee honcho's ready dismissal.

"So, then, why is he making such a big stink about it?" asked the would-be hexer. "If it's no big deal, why not let it lay? Apparently, it's bothering him.

"Tell Hank he can come meet me if he wants to try - and tell him to bring [catcher Jorge] Posada, because he's the one Yankee I can't stand."

All class, that Steinbrenner kid!

For those who like to have a little statistical analysis of NBA players, Basketball Monster seems like a cool stop.

Our son had a buddy over yesterday and I was driving his buddy back to his house, and I asked both of them about their favorite teams. When we got to hockey, well, our son doesn't know much about it, we don't follow it at home. But he insisted that the Hershey Bears were his favorite team.

"Why?"

"Because they're really good at hockey fights" was the answer.

"Really? Is that important?"

"Yeah! They fight, and they knock the other team unconscious with their punches, and then it's easy to score!"

Oh, so that's hockey...

but c'mon, this is embarrassing...

Coming from Indiana, where both my mom's and dad's families lived for generations, it became a family requirement to root for Indiana-based colleges in various sports, and in no sport is that more important than in hoops. Indiana, Purdue, Butler, Evansville, Notre Dame, Indiana State, even lesser known schools like Ball State and junior colleges such as Vincennes University, have rich hoops history that demands the Hoosier-born to respect it.

Indiana University has had a less-than-spectacular basketball history for a long time now, dating back to the last few years of the Bobby Knight era. For the first time in a while, it appears they have hired a coach that might bring IU back to a dominance that Hoosiers expect and desire. Good luck, Tom Crean.

It sure seems like more than ten years since Michael Jordan scored in an NBA game.

I guess that's kind of how I feel about golf rap videos. Some people like lima beans. Some people like sushi. I'm not any of those people.

I don't know about you, but I expect my MSNBC personalities to be able to run a 15 second 100 yard dash. Anything less from a man is prissy.

I predict that the Lopez Twins will be the biggest sibling busts the NBA has ever experienced. I know, easy prediction, but still... They are surprisingly weak in the middle for 7-footers. They will get eaten alive in the NBA. They won't be there long. Dear Sacramento - do not draft one of these guys.

Who deserves to be booed, and booed lustily.
So does most of the rest of America.

Seems like a natural application for "social networking" so people can get a game going.