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Open Thread Thursday (5/29)
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A SportsNation Favorite
"No matter what sport you like, these guys got it covered."
on the Pine
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I have now gotten over the Spurs defeat at the hands of LA and am now able to be more objective about what is going on in these playoffs.
Lakers are a great team … and they just beat a team that is getting “old” and used to be great. Plus, I think Ginobili has not been 100%. The Spurs other players — Tim not Dunkin’, et al — are getting long in the tooth. They’re still pretty good, but losing big leads in the 2nd half shows their age more than anything else.
I want to see Celtics vs Lakers real bad — probably like everyone else. Please Celtics … close it out tonight!!! Show us that you may also be a “great team” and that you have a good chance to win it all. I expect an all-out war in Detroit tonight.
Someone pinch me … both Chicago baseball teams are in first place, playing well, and appear to have legitimacy in terms of staying in these races the whole way. I’m lovin’ it … but realistically only one of them at most may make it to post-season. Not buying tickets for the Windy City subway series just yet
Happy weekend!
Wally
I too am disappointed that the Spurs went down. I enjoy watching them play offense when they are clicking.
The Lakers are a good team with a deep bench. How many clubs can rest their starters with the likes Turiaf, Vujacic, Walton, and Farmar? That’s a solid group. Hence the Spurs inability to hold leads.
Obviously, I am pulling for the Celts, but a Pistons / Lakers match up is intriguing. Detroit could throw a scare into Los Angeles.
The Cubs should have one more win if Soriano would just learn how to fight off sun glare.
Kevin Garnett is THE MAN. Interviewed on the court after winning tonight’s series clincher, he simply replied that he was feeling “neutral” about the win! NEUTRAL!!!!!!!! He calmly stated that this was only part of the goal for his team, now it was time to finish all of it and win the finals. For the most intense player that I have ever cheered for to be calm, collected, and focused on the true goal 30 seconds after knocking off the Pistons on their home court, he truly is THE MAN. I’m looking forward to Boston-LA Version 2.008…
I am curious what Yankee fan thinks of Jaba starting next Tuesday? Good, bad, or desparation? Not sure what to think from a Red Saux perspective…
Any true soccer fans out on the clipboard have an opinion on the state of the US Men’s National team after the “meaningless” loss at Wembley to England 2-0? I read reports but didn’t get to see the match…
Anybody notice that the French Open (that’s tennis) started and the Americans are all on their way home (at least the women- I’ll have to check on the men)? Does anybody really know what time it is, does anybody really care? About tennis on clay? I can’t imagine why? Oh noooooo…name that tune…
The problem with the “rivalry” between the Lakers and Celtics is that there really isn’t one with the current teams. It’s hard for me to believe there is a rivalry when I see KG and Rasheed hugging each other, laughing and smiling after a game. Hey wait a minute, didn’t one of you just lose a very important game in your march to a championship? I know it is just a game but come on now at least pretend that it hurt a little. Back in the 80′s I think the Celtics and Lakers viewed each other as the enemy and likewise treated the other team like the enemy, they didn’t get all cozy with them and be all huggy-smily after a game, instead they went their separate ways and came out a few days later looking to dominate the other team. I am looking forward to the series but it would be nice to see these guys not be so chummy with each other for the 2 weeks of the series. Bird and Magic had the ultimate respect for each other and after the series was over they seemed to get a long but they weren’t chatting it up after the game. Oh wait a minute I just remembered, didn’t Magic and Zeke Thomas share a kiss before games in their finals series….ugh.
Celtics’ last night victory was impressive. They seem to have shed that inability to win road games in the playoffs and seem to have gotten back that swagger they had on the road during the season.
Paul Pierce is moving up the ladder when it comes to clutch games, as he and Garnett were huge in the 4th quarter. Muels, I completely agree – I loved KG’s response after the game. But then again, I loved Paul Pierce’s response as well. Speaking of Pierce, did anyone else throw their shoe at the TV on the offense foul call on Pierce? You could make the argument that happens every time a offensive player pumps fakes his defender into the air. Terrible call in my mind and more impressive that Doc’s guys didn’t lose their cool.
Kendrick Perkins – as good as he is playing, needs to shut up. That is the 2nd technical foul of the series last night and the constant whining after every foul called on him. Play the game and don’t do something that may potentially cost your team the game/series.
On a couple of side notes. As I drove in to Boston over Memorial Day weekend, I was listening to WEEI and people were sticking a fork in the Celtics. The line at the Tobin Bridge was making its way into the North End. My drive on Monday was listening to Celtics fans talking about whether the series was even going to go 5 games. Unbelievable.
Also – Lacrosse is alive and well in this state. Possibly the oldest sport in North America, there was 35,000 fans at Gillette Stadium to see the Division II and Division III championships. Considered by many to be the birthplace of lacrosse – Central NY was well represented with Cortland, LeMoyne and Syracuse all in their respective National Championships. Unfortunately, only Syracuse came away with the trophy. Despite not knowing all of the rules, it was fun to watch.
Wally – both Chicago teams are playing really well right now. The Cubs really impressing me and Carlos Zambrano seems to be figuring it out as a pitcher. Kerry Wood should have been moved to the closer’s role years ago!!
I am still not sold on the White Sox and I think the AL Central is going to be a brutal battle the rest of the way. It will break some hearts if they sneak in there and take a spot away from the Indians and Tigers.
I think Red Sox fans have to count the blessings for the pitching depth we have, with Dice-K going down. Then again there should probably be another sigh of relief in that there was nothing seriously wrong with Dice-K’s shoulder. It is nice that we had a surplus of arms before the injuries to Bucholtz and Dice-K. We are going to need it.
As for Joba – I am not sure if this was the right move for the Yankees and think it might hint of a little desperation. As a Red Sox fan, I am glad to see that he is not going to be setting up for Mariano. Joba and Mariano was a tough 1-2 combo at the end of the game. But you have to get to the end of the game and Kennedy and Hughes weren’t cutting it. I will be interested to see how Joba does over 5 or 6 innings as opposed to 1 or 2 innings.
What I find interesting about the Joba situation is the fact that the Yankees said at the start of the year that this was the plan, but now people are questioning why they’re doing it. I’m not sure if it’s a little quicker than they originally planned (two months into the season rather than three?), and that may seem a little desperate, but what about the idea that this team does not look like a championship team, so why not proceed with the development plan for your best young player?
I’ve said something along these lines before, right here, but a dominant setup man who has starters’ stuff is a waste of talent and a luxury that not even the Yankees can afford. Well, not this version of the Yankees, at least. The nature of the setup role for most teams is to ride the hot hand. Unfortunately for the Yankees, last year would have been a better year for that, when Edwar Ramirez and Ross Ohlendorf had dominant stretches, and Brian Bruney and Farnsworth, while inconsistent, were decent.
I think the Yankees are hoping that someone among the likes of Ramirez (who’s pitching very well right now), Ohlendorf and Latroy Hawkins gets hot, and between him and Farnsworth they can get the job done, and if Joba turns out to be almost as good of a starter as he’s been a reliever, there’s an outside chance their season could turn around.
The most interesting question is, assuming Joba succeeds as a starter, and Wang, Pettitte and Mussina stay healthy and solid, what’s going to happen when both Kennedy and Hughes return from injury? Obviously, if Darrell Rasner continues to pitch well, he’ll remain in the rotation, and I suspect Kennedy is destined to spend the rest of the season in the minors, but what about Hughes? Is it possible that we’ll see Phil Hughes get a shot at the setup role later in the year? That would be a strange twist, but not outside the realm of possibility.
Muels – it is unfortunate that the French Open slips by the wayside. With the Stanley Cup finals and NBA playoffs going on, not to mention MLB, there is only so much sports one can watch. The lack of U. S. players advancing at Roland Garros has much to do with the clay. Think of it as some of the British Opens with the teeny tiny fairways and rough up over the knees. Clay can take what seems like a very good player and reduce him/her to nothing more than average. Those who rely on a big hitting game and hope to gain an advantage by serving aces will more than likely take an early exit. Ivan Lendl was successful there because of his endurance. Borg was successful there because he was multi-faceted. If a player is one dimensional Roland Garros will expose it.
JD – Here’s hoping these Lakers and Celtics can rekindle the rivalry of decades past.
Of all the interviews after the game I enjoyed the one with Doc Rivers the most. When asked what he thought of the Lakers, he replied something like – Well we have the two best teams in the final, but I really haven’t had a chance follow the Lakers lately. I loved it – he’s been focusing on the Pistons and now he can worry about LA.
Has anyone taken notice of the finals schedule? Starts this Thursday and then goes Sunday, Tuesday, back to Thursday and then follow those days for the rest. Telecasts for all games start at 9 which means games won’t begin until roughly 9:18?!?!?! Other than Wally this has got to put a hurtin’ on our sleep patterns.
Casey- One more point on the NBA Finals- they are using the 2-3-2 home court rotation, must be something about east coast/west coast…
I agree with your points about the French Open…allow me to take them one step further as far as the lack of success of the US players- are they not a result of the one sport focus that we now suffer from in this country… we no longer raise all-around athletes, we develop single sport phenoms whenever possible- and within sports we focus on particular “weapons” without a varied game? I will always remember Michael Chang and his underhand serve just to mix things up (and get a serve in)…
Quick plug for Theo and his so matter-of-factly spring training signing of some overweight pitcher with arm trouble- all Bartolo Colon has done for the Saux is fill injury holes and gone 3-0… no Cy Young votes, but Theo just seems to know when to kick the tires on somebody most everyone else has left for scrap…