by John Walters
Starting Five
Despite injuring his hammy in the first half, Chris Paul scored a game-high 27 points that included 5 of 6 from beyond the arc, and the last baskets of both the third and fourth quarters (the latter being the game-winner with :01 left)
1. That Paul Can Ball!
How do you dethrone the defending NBA champions in the first round of the playoffs? For one, shoot 8 of 14 from beyond the arc in the second half. The Spurs and Clippers played a classic Game 7 in L.A., with both teams scoring 54 points in the second half. Chronologically, this was the undercard of Saturday’s sports bacchanalia to Mayweather-Pacquiao. But, truly, it was the main event. Clippers 111, Spurs 109.
2. May Weather > Mayweather
Chuck & Reggie: Halfway to punch-drunk. (I’d watch a reality series of these two hanging out)
A highly anticipated championship bout took place in Las Vegas on Saturday evening and the only people who were KO’d were Rachel Nichols and Michelle Beadle (except, of course, they were not the only media who had their credentials yanked….just the only ones you heard about on Twitter). Martin Rogers of USA Today also had his pass pulled.
It was a snoozefest. Honestly, I’ve seen more punches land in a Royals game.
3. The New York Matts!
Harvey and the first-place Mets have New Yorkers rushing to Flushing….
Tommy John Surgery survivor Matt Harvey improves to 5-0, baseball’s best record, with Friday’s 4-0 shutout of the Nats….The Lastros have won 10 straight and have the American League’s best record (18-7)….The Yankees sweep a series with the Red Sox for the first time since the notorious three-day, five-game sweep at Fenway Park in 2006. Pinstripe closer Adam Warren has yet to allow a run in 10 appearances, and he even got David Ortiz out to close Sunday night’s game with bases loaded and the Sawx trailing by three in the bottom of the ninth, which is the David Ortiz-iest moment that you can conjure.
In short: WHAT is happening?!?
If you’re looking for familiar: It’s an odd-numbered year and the St. Louis Cardinals have MLB’s best record. The Cards advanced to the World Series in 2011 (won) and 2013 (lost).
4. High Fidel-ity
I would not pitch him inside if I were you, comrade.
Cuba has a Catch-22 problem.
The island country is poor.
It has an invaluable natural resource: baseball talent.
It loses that talent through illegal means to the USA and because it has no business dealings with Uncle Sam, is unable to tax any of the 10s of millions of dollars it otherwise might be able to.
And, finally, it is philosophically opposed to doing business with us capitalist pigs.
My piece in Newsweek (hopefully, the link to this will work).
5. “I’ve Never Been Black”
Orange is the new Buck
Leave it to Baltimore Oriole manager Buck Showalter to be one of the few (the only?) white people to have something sensible and sage to say about the riots and upheaval in his team’s town last week. Showalter is asked the question from what I believe is an African-American member of the media (I’m judging that by the sound of his voice; does that make me racist?).
Music 101
Check It Out
Future generations/Ridin’ on the highways that we built/I hope they have a better understanding
Attending college in Indiana in the mid-Eighties, we got a steady diet of John Mellencamp on the radio. I’ve always considered this the quintessential Mellencamp/Back Home Again song, even though there are a lot of viable candidates: “Small Town,” “Minutes to Memories” and “Pink Houses.”
Remote Patrol
David Letterman: A Life on Television
CBS 9:30 p.m.
“This is only an exhibition, it’s not a competition. Please: no wagering.”
“From the home office in Wahoo, Nebraska….”
“They pelted us with rocks and garbage.”
“It’s more funs than humans should be allowed to have.”
“How about a lovely beverage?”
“Will it float?”
“Trump or monkey?”
My guess is that in one household in Fairfield County, Connecticut, the TV will not be tuned into this program tonight. Also, if you stay up later, Dave’s guests tonight are President Barack Obama and Will Ferrell. Not a bad green room….
Considering the Astros just got done sweeping the Mariners, maybe it is a good time to bring up the ludicrous idea of buying yourself a World Series. Very few teams (say, Yankees) can do so.
Meanwhile, give me a Cardinals v. Mets NLCS and a Yankees v. Astros ALCS. Do they play baseball on the west coast??
Even though I’d been convinced all season that the Spurs would not make it back to another consecutive Finals, I must say – they starred in the best regular season game (against Cavs) & at least so far, the best 2015 Playoff game. Any fan who attended the game must have been almost as exhausted as the players at the spectacular end – from screaming, moaning, jumping up & down, slapping hands & own faces, you’d have had a workout for sure. High fives all ’round.
As Vegas is so often the site of Comic-Con & all those other “con”ventions, it was only fitting that Saturday’s late-night sporting event was held there too – biggest “CON” job since Madoff. Suckas.
John Mellencamp is usually a nice choice, but you missed an opportunity here for your video of the day. CSN&Y’s “Ohio” is always the pick for May 4. Kent State was 25 years ago.