 |
|||||||||||
Memorial
Memories The Memorial Day weekend produced some interesting storylines in the world of sports. Let's first get started with the Indy 500, err...Indy 416. After a few rain delays, we finally witnessed Dario Franchitti being declared the winner of the 91st installment at the Brickyard. He cruised through another heavy thunderstorm to earn the right to chug that ice cold jug of milk. All month long, the crowd at Indy sold us a bevy of good-looking women, led by rookie Milka Duno and fan favorite, Danica Patrick. But in the end, Indy caught our attention with a wonderful view of actress Ashley Judd in a soaking wet sundress. I've got to hand it to the folks in the IRL....their brand of racing might be getting smoked by NASCAR, but they have captured what most men find irresistable....fast cars and great-looking babes. Down in Charlotte, Casey Mears won the 600. Ho-hum, another win for Hendrick Motorsports. Did we need to go 600 miles to know that was going to happen? The only surprise is that the Hendrick winner this week wasn't Jimmie Johnson or Jeff Gordon. I noticed that the NCAA announced their 64-team field for the college baseball tournament. The regionals begin on Friday, and the Carolinas are well represented. Ten of the 64 teams are found in either North or South Carolina....that's impressive. The Tar Heels are the third-seeded team nationally and they will be hosting a regional in Chapel Hill. Also making the tournament from the Carolinas....South Carolina, Wake Forest, Clemson, N.C. State, Coastal Carolina, Charlotte, Wofford, Western Carolina and East Carolina. The winner of the Chapel Hill regional will play the winner of the Columbia (SC) regional in the next round....so that means if both #1 seeded teams in the regionals survive, you'll have a North Carolina vs. South Carolina showdown for the right to go to Omaha. Either way, both regionals are loaded with local teams and it should be interesting. Rumor has it that the Stanley Cup Finals have begun....who knew? Eventually, I'll find what cable access station plans to air the dramatic series between the two teams that we've all been waiting to watch face off...Anaheim and Ottawa. Seriously, can you name a single player or coach from either team?.....I didn't think so. It's a good thing that Roger Clemens is now pitching in Triple A....the way the Yankees are playing, you would be hard-pressed to believe they would be competitive on that level, too. As of this blog entry, the pinstripers are 12 1/2 games behind the Red Sox. Can you imagine how ugly it will get in the Bronx if Clemens is ordinary once he reaches New York?....At this point, it won't matter what the part-time starter delivers for Steinbrenner. Everybody was making such a big deal of the UFC fight between Chuck Liddell and some guy by the name of Quinton "Rampage" Jackson. Every now and then I will get a phone call or email from the Mixed Martial Art fanatics that are clamoring to be held in the same league as boxing, or Arena Football for that matter. I enjoy watching the MMA from time-to-time....it certainly fills the void left by boxing. There is no question that professional boxing has eroded in the past few decades, and the UFC is looking to find its niche in the sports world. But I had to laugh when I saw the big-time rematch between Liddell and "Rampage"....what a joke. The fight lasted almost two minutes, and it consisted of one punch thrown by Jackson to Liddell's side of the head. End of fight. I swear to you, Chuck Liddell had more face time two weeks ago in a cameo appearance on Entourage than he did during the big UFC fight on Saturday night. The UFC still has a way to go....but I'm willing to give it some more time. The good news for the UFC is that boxing is so bad and boring, they can still make headway despite the pathetic performance by the UFC's biggest star. Kobe wants a new General Manager for the Lakers. I suggest you call the Whiner Line....it's toll free from LA, or Colorado. I guess Bryant is taking his cue from another superstar in another sport, Brett Favre. It seems like these guys believe they should not only be the center of attention, but also the head of player personnel moves, too. I have a suggestion....shut up and play. The Lakers deserve everything they are getting with their self-centered star. They kicked Shaq to the curb so they could pamper Kobe. While Kobe has been taking every shot imaginable, Shaq has already won another world title in Miami. How did that move work out for the guys in La-La land? Bryant had the audacity to claim that Mitch Kupcake needs to be replaced....I guess Kobe had Jerry West on speed dial. Perhaps Kobe should check out the great player moves/drafts by the NBA logo this century....while West is a great basketball mind, he has sucked out loud since the late 90's.....plus, he's got to be pushing 70 years old. |
Packman
on Sports Commentary
|
||||||||||
