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LeBron's
"Loser's Limp" I can guarantee you that this will be the last time I will spend any time on the "LeBron Sweepstakes", until he actually makes an announcement regarding his future in the NBA. If you thought the over-saturation of the Brett Favre story was hard to handle, wait until you get a load of the non-stop LeBron coverage. Never has there been so much speculation about a player and his future than there is with LeBron. Not bad, for a guy whose last title came when he was a senior at St. Vincent-St. Mary's High School, back in 2003. Let's face it: the guy is a terrific talent....he's even been better than I ever expected, when he joined the NBA....but he and his team have come up short so far in money-time during his 7-year NBA career. Supporters scream that he needs more talent around him.....but that seems a little shallow, when his club piled up 127 regular season wins the last two years and has yet to sniff the finals of the Eastern Conference. That's either an indictment on how ridiculous the NBA regular season is, or how ridiculous James has been in the post-season.....or both. Personally, I could give a damn where he ends up......and that's true if it's New York, Chicago, Miami, or even back in Cleveland. I know this story is going to over-shadow the playoffs, and based on what I've watched so far, that shouldn't be too hard to do. I'm praying the conference finals finally provide us some great games and excitement. It sure would be refreshing, compared to the LeBron story. Kyle Busch and the folks at Joe Gibbs Racing are red-hot. Since NASCAR returned to the spoiler, Busch and teammate Denny Hamlin have now won 5 of the last 7 races. I'm not saying that Team Gibbs has replaced Hendrick Motorsports, but they are making some serious noise. Busch's win at Dover now gives him 18 Cup wins in his brief career. It ties him with Dale Earnhardt, Jr.....how ironic. Remember when Busch punted Junior at Richmond a few years ago, and Junior Nation declared it a rivalry? It's been a blow-out. Junior has become the king of merchandise sales, while the talented drivers battle for championships. The next couple of weeks, the NASCAR World comes to Charlotte for the All-Star race and the 600 on the Memorial weekend. I love going to the track and broadcasting from the Speedway Club. It's one of my favorite shows and venues that we visit on a yearly basis. By the way, the new NASCAR Hall of Fame is pretty cool. I hope the museum is a successful one, but there is no doubt that the NASCAR folks will have to be creative in updating the facility on a consistent basis. It's one thing for racing enthusiasts to find it and enjoy the set-up...it's another thing to tap into the non-racing fans to make a visit. The first week was a weak showing for the Hall....but I suspect it will pick up dramatically when the race fans flood the market, the next couple of weeks. While Boston-Orlando / LA-Phoenix battle it out in the NBA conference finals, how about the craziness that's taking place in the NHL Stanley Cup playoffs? While it's chalk with #1 and #2 (San Jose and Chicago) in the West, it is completely upside down in the East with Philly and Montreal. That would be the 7th-seeded Flyers and the 8th-seeded Habs. How is that possible? The NHL playoffs have been loaded with great game 7's, and tight series. In fact, 10 of the 12 series have gone at least 6 games.....it's the exact opposite of all the blowout series in the NBA. Philly made it to the finals by rallying from an 0-3 deficit and winning the last four games. They even trailed 3-0 on the road in Game 7 against Boston and won...becoming only the third team to accomplish that feat in NHL history. I know it is an acquired taste, but the NHL playoffs have been spectacular. But what's up with all the Montreal fans looting the city after their 2nd Game 7 win on the road? Granted, Montreal hasn't been to the Eastern Conference Finals since 1993, but it's ridiculous to see that kind of behavior by our neighbors to the North. The acts taking place reminded me of the jackasses in College Park after the Terps beat Duke in a regular season game. It was classless. Horse Racing will have to wait another year to witness a Triple Crown winner. Super Saver won the Kentucky Derby and followed that performance by finishing 8th in the Preakness behind winner Lookin' at Lucky. The last Triple Crown winner was Affirmed, in 1978. The last leg of the Triple Crown is in three weeks at the Belmont. One thing will be missing....the winners of the Derby and the Preakness. That's the last thing the Sport of Kings needed. |
Packman
on Sports Commentary
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