A couple tidbits running through my mind today:
— The U.S. Open tees off on Thursday at the famed Bethpage Black in New York. I played the intimidating “Black” course in 2006, shooting a lopsided 112. I have few distinct memories from the course itself, but I’ll never forget the beauty of the dream-like fairways and the absurdly thick rough.
— The Los Angeles Lakers polished off the Orlando Magic in the NBA Finals tonight. This undoubtably boosts the already remarkable stocks of Kobe Bryant and Phil Jackson. Kobe proved he COULD do it without Shaq, and Phil proved he COULD do it with only one great player. Here’s a question for some NBA heads; if Scottie Pippen never suits up for the Bulls, how many titles does Jordan earn?
— The Washington Nationals selection of San Diego State flamethrower Stephen Strasburg could go down as an all-time bust. No way his arm lasts more than 150 starts. Mark my words.
This sounds outlandish now, but Strasburg is best suited for the bullpen. Give that guy the lead in the ninth inning and it’s a win 99 percent of the time. Plus, his dynamite arm would never get over-worked.
— Is anybody else willing to give Trevor Ariza the NBA Finals MVP? I know Derek Fisher drained those two big threes in Game 4, but Ariza’s defense and energy pushed the Lakers over the top. Don’t forget Ariza’s 13 clutch points in the third quarter of Game 4.
The above topic reminds me; why does the MVP of a championship series always go to the obvious choice? Sounds like a stupid argument, doesn’t it? Hear me out, though.
What’s the point of a series MVP? Everybody knows Kobe is the MVP of the Lakers. We don’t need a trophy to figure that out. That’s why you give it to the guy that exceeded expectations.
Kobe averaged more than 30 points per game in the Finals, and that’s exactly what we expected. Why not give the Finals MVP to Ariza? Did anyone expect Ariza to have the type of impact on the series as he displayed?