High School, College and the NBA

The Washington Wizards made NBA history last night by selecting a player just out of high school first in the draft. Kwame Brown out of Brunswick, GA was the first of 3 players selected out of the first four with no college basketball experience. Whether Brown becomes a star NBA player or not remains to be seen. He certainly wouldn't be the first number one pick to fail to live up to his billing, but as a player coming directly out of high school, he will be scrutinized every step of the way during his career. By picking Brown first the Wizards upped the ante in the argument whether or not players coming out of high school should be able to declare themselves ready for the NBA draft. It is an argument that has been going for decades, but in the last five years, with the increase in the number of high school seniors foregoing college, the argument has intensified.

I don't personally see any problem with a player coming out of high school and straight into the NBA. I mean a lot of kids come out of high school and go directly to work. Many simply can't afford college, while some just aren't ready for it. I'm a case in point for that one. I went to college right out of high school, but failed miserably because I just wasn't ready for more school. I'd had 12 straight years of it and was ready to work full time and make some money so I could hang out with my friends and be afford to go to concerts, races, movies etc.

However, let me temper the fact that I don't see a problem with these kids skipping college, with the thought that each of these individuals are different. Are all kids coming out of high school ready for the NBA or to go to work? No way. Are some ready? Absolutely. I look at Kevin Garnett and Kobe Bryant as examples of players who skipped college and are now highly successful NBA players. In fact they are stars in the league. I look at Jermaine O'Neal for our own Indiana Pacers and see a guy who three years into his career is on the verge of becoming a star. Then I look at our other Pacers who were drafted right out of high school, Al Hairrington and Jonathon Bender. Pacer president Donnie Walsh has sung the praises of these two and their talent, but their on court performances tell a different story. Erratic play begetting inconsistent minutes has been the MO for both players. Where Garnett, Bryant and O'Neal have shown the maturity necessary to become successful in the NBA, Hairrington and Bender have not.

And don't get me wrong, a player with four years of college playing experience may not make it in the NBA either, but the odds of him being able to handle the “real world” of an NBA player is much greater than a high schooler. Teams draft these high school players based on potential. After all, a really good high school player can look like a man amongst boys in a varsity game. But he will be playing against men in the NBA and there is no reference by which to base the pick on. College players at least have the advantage of being taught the game for one to five years longer. It gives them the chance to mature mentally. I don't think anyone can deny the fact that physically, some high school players are ready for the pros. The mental aspect will be the largest area of concern.

The NBA will continue to draft high school players as long as one each season can “make” it in the league. There are some who want the league to impose a minimum age of 20. The players union will challenge that and will win. As long as you can get a job at 18, then the NBA will not be able to shut out the under 20's. If they think they can implement such a rule I would ask them to check out the PGA's loss in the Casey Martin case. Sure that was an American With Disabilities Act decision, but the PGA held that as a private organization they weren't to be held to the same laws. The NBA will suffer a similar defeat if they try to pursue a minimum age rule. So I guess it comes down to each teams comfort level and how much “baby-sitting” they are willing to allow their coaching staffs to do. The Pacers have shown they will tolerate a certain measure of youth to help plan for the future. But I, for one, am glad to see they picked up a couple of players last night with at least some college experience. Not because I think they will be better than any of the other players, I just think they will be better than Harrington and Bender.

CART @ Portland

Pity poor CART. Other than their drivers dominating the Indy 500, CART just can't seem to be able to catch a break. Yesterday they held the annual race at the Portland International Speedway. A couple of things strike me as being wrong with this race. First, it's a boring track and looks like, other than the pit straightaway, it provides little viewing area for the fans in attendance. Second, the race always seems to be held on the same day of the Winston Cup race down at Sonoma, CA. Therefore, both races usually start at the same time. The last thing CART, or any other racing series, needs to do is to try to go head to head on television against NASCAR. It's a no win situation.

Apparently CART isn't worried about competing against the Winston Cuppers. I would think they would be! To make matters worse, rain fell during the entire race at Portland. This resulted in 9 full course yellows, numerous excursions off the track and the race distance shortened to a timed event of 2 hours. It was absolutely painful to watch. The CART officials should have stopped the race and waited for the skies to clear. I know, I know, they run on road courses in the rain. Well if that is the case, then let them run. If cars slide off the course, they usually get back on the track. And as long as they are out of the way, keep the track green. I thought that if there were crashes on road courses, the system of flags warns the drivers of impending peril and the whole course doesn't have to be slowed. That didn't happen yesterday.

I bet the F1 guys got a big kick out of watching you fumble your way around the wetlands of Oregon. That is, if they were able to stay awake. Come on CART, tracks like Portland have no place in your schedule. I really want to follow CART but the way things happen over there, especially this year, it isn't easy. That's 2 weeks in a row the pole sitter has won and led throughout. It happens in F1 because one car manufacturer is dominant. But CART cars are all basically the same, or at least when it comes to an oval, that everyone has a chance to win. And if you feel you must run in Portland, don't run it on the same day NASCAR is on the west coast. Their race at Sears Point isn't very exciting either, but yesterday it was like comparing the Daytona 500 to go kart racing over at Great Times!

One thing I did notice about the race yesterday at Portland was the Toyota advertising behind the wheels of the Newman/Haas team cars. It was a bright red or orange and the rims allowed the logo to be seen as they turned. The effect was a flashing-like effect which was very cool indeed.

They Must Hate Their Jobs

So I'm driving last night and searching for something on the radio when I happen upon those wheezy windbags on WIBC, Kevin Lee, Jack Trudeau and Joe Hillman. The topic was Edgerrin James and their thoughts that he no longer wanted to play for the Colts.

Unfortunately I missed the opening of the show because I really would have liked to have heard just how the discussion got started. I mean I haven't read or heard anything that would lead me to believe that Edge intends to do anything but show up for training camp, in shape and ready to help the Colts get to the Super Bowl. So I really wasn't sure what prompted the discussion.

However, as I drove on and listened further I realized how many times I have listened to these three boobs and just shook my head in amazement at the fact that they are allowed to have a radio show. And this from two guys I have cheered for in their athletic careers. Joe Hillman was never the star at IU that I had hoped coming out of high school, but he was a good solid player. Somehow, he has grown to love the sound of his own voice. He gets more pompous sounding and more irritating by the day. On top of that he seems to get more stupid by the day. Trudeau was a good backup for the Colts for a long time. Sure he started some games, but let's face it, he was only in because of injuries or because the Colts management was so bad, the backups were really bad. Couple that with the fact he took a lot of stupid chances on the field. Still, he was a Colt and was cheered. Now he seems bitter and mad. I don't know what Lee's background is, but he seems to be the monitor of this special ed talk show. But the longer he sits with the other two dopes, the more bitter he becomes.

What really gets me is that these weasels aren't unique to the media. It seems that more and more I hear people on so called sports shows, who obviously don't like sports. In addition to the WIBC crew, ESPN seems inundated with talking heads that would rather find the negative aspects of the sporting world than focus on the fun that sports are. On Sunday morning, The Sports Reporters features four morons who fly in to New York to tell us how bad everything in sports are. Mike Lupica, Tony Kornheiser-who does write some fine articles in the Washington Post along with the negative ones, Michael Wilbon, Mitch Albom and the host Dick Schaap who obviously thinks he is more important than anything in sports. Even here in town, The Indianapolis Star has had it's share of crappy columnists. Hell that one over there now, Bob Kravitz finally got me to quit getting my sports info from my hometown newspaper. Thanks Bob. When I was reading him I think he wrote one positive article. Something about Colts placekicker Mike Vanderjaagt a new, and well-deserved contract. Everything else was negative. And when there wasn't anything else to write about, it was dogpile on Bob Knight and IU. And Kravitz wasn't the first. Before he was fired Robin Miller, who I thoroughly enjoyed reading, would tear into Tony George and the Speedway for the CART/IRL split whenever there wasn't anything else, in his view apparently to write about. Mark Patrick, Bill Benner even Mark Boyle, the voice of the Pacers all just seem bitter towards sports.

Maybe I'm a little naïve about things, but these cats have some of the greatest jobs in the world, especially the writers. So why do they all seem so bitter? Are they all jaded by endless free food buffets and comp tickets to any event? Maybe they envy those who play the games because of the money the athletes make. I wish I knew. I do know this though. I would trade places with any of you negative, egotistical, bitter assholes to get my opinion out there in the public. Step aside you grouches, make room for those of us who still love the games!

Fucking Up At Work!

A funny thing happened to me this morning at work. I had a co-worker really stick his foot in his mouth and actually was left speechless. Here's what happened.

First let me set the scenario up for you. The company I work for occupies 2 different buildings that are about 5 miles apart. Previously we were just a block away from each other and before that, the people who work in the corporate headquarters (where I work) were located upstairs from the operations department. For whatever reason, there has always seemed to be a rivalry between the two. Today, I got first hand a taste of that rivalry. For the record I am a credit manager for a trucking company. The other person involved is a sales coordinator. I won't name names here because all trucking companies are essentially the same and most have the positions involved here.

The sales department often looks at the credit manager as a “sales prevention manager”. And I admit, without exception, I believe that everyone in the sales department could give a shit less if we ever get paid. Just fill them trucks up! To stimulate sales and reduce empty miles for our trucks and drivers, the sales coordinator position was created to look for loads in areas where our trucks delivered, but had little or no freight coming out of. Basically a money-losing situation. However, the sales coordinator was to get the approval of the credit manager before anything was picked up. For a long time, I ran the credit checks, told the sales coordinator if the prospect was credit worthy or not. And for a long time we had no problems. Then a week ago, I got a credit application from a deadbeat customer who had screwed us out of money a few years back. I denied credit, but mysteriously we had already picked up the freight. Not the way the system is supposed to work. I filed it away mentally. Then yesterday, another customer came up bad on their credit report. When I called the coordinator, I found out that once again, we had already picked up the freight. “It was a one time thing” I was told. Well, I already knew this was bullshit, but kept my mouth shut.

Forward to this morning. Once again I had a credit check to do. Instead of spending the $20 for a D&B report I called the coordinator to see if we already had the freight. We did! So I simply replied that he no longer needed to send me the credit applications. As per procedure, I went to the higher ups to see how they wanted to handle credit applications in the future. Basically I was told to speak to the coordinator and try to work something out. That's where the fun began!

When I called the coordinator, I said “this is Mark, how are you doing?”. I was told that the coordinator “wasn't worth a shit”; that he had “people in the ivory tower” keeping him from doing his job. That everyone in the tower was taking “2 hour lunches and playing golf”. At first I thought he was joking. Like I said, there has always been the rivalry or separation between the buildings. About that time, the coordinator realized that he thought he was speaking to another “Mark”. He stammered and after a couple of seconds hung up the phone. Needless to say, there was egg on his face.

A couple of minutes later, I got an email explaining that he was sorry and that he was too embarrassed to even call me back. I answered that it was no big deal, gave him my thoughts on how to improve the process and then took him to task about playing golf. Especially since I haven't picked up a club this year! It was all laughed off by me as a joke. Mostly because I couldn't care what some sales coordinator thinks. I'm here with one purpose-to make sure the customers pay and to weed out the ones who will not or don't.

But there is a lesson to be learned here. Technology makes it very simple for us to communicate, especially in an office setting. But be careful what you say on the phone whether you are sure of who is calling or not. And be careful sending those emails. One wrong click and the wrong person can receive a message intended for someone else. That's also happened here! Sometimes I think the people around me at work were put here for my amusement. They are pretty fucking stupid and hilarious at times!

IRL & CART, Can't We All Just Get Along?

ESPN reported last week that CART will change their current engine formula for the 2004 season. Word is that the formula will call for a 3.5 liter (or smaller) normally aspirated engine. Gone will be the turbocharged engines that have been the formula since CART's inception in 1979. But what will this mean for the current engine builders in CART? Is this a sign or an olive branch if you will to Tony George and the IRL? After all, the IRL engine specs call for a normally aspirated 3.5-liter engine with a 10,700-rpm limiter. So where does that leave the possible reunification of Indy Car racing?

The first step seems to have been made last year by CART team owners Chip Gannasi and Derek Walker. Walker fielded a team for driver Sarah Fisher, while Gannasi brought eventual winner Juan Montoya and Jimmy Vasser to the Speedway for the 500. This year, driver Michael Andretti and car owner and the most prolific winning owner in 500 history Roger Penske joined Gannasi and Walker back at Indy. Penske in fact ran his drivers in the IRL event at Phoenix. So obviously there is interest in being in Indianapolis for the 500. 1999 winner Kenny Brack is hoping to be here next May. But are the CART owners cherry picking their IRL races? No one could blame them at this point. The Indianapolis 500 is the biggest single one day sporting event in the world. IT has the biggest purse of any auto race. Add to that the fact that Montoya dominated the field in 2000 and that CART drivers finished 1-2-3 this year and one might get the idea they are here only because of the money and that they “know” they will win. I hate it, but it seems apparent that the CART drivers are simply better than the IRL drivers.

One major sticking point is the ownership of each league. Tony George who happens to own the track everyone wants to compete at-the Indianapolis Motor Speedway owns the IRL. It's his bread and butter and by looking at the crowds at the other races, his only real source of income for the IRL. CART on the other hand is a publicly traded company. How they resolve this issue is beyond me at this point. People usually gloss over this point, but it will have to be addressed before any reunification. And rest assured, Tony George is not willing to share the money with the public or a bunch of whiny car owners.

Next is the issue of the races themselves. CART stages races on temporary street circuits, permanent road courses and ovals on 5 continents. The IRL runs solely on ovals in the United States. CART has drivers from all over the world, although there does seem to be a disproportionate number of Brazilians in the series. With a couple of exceptions, the IRL drivers are Americans. What does that mean? Well oval track racing is a uniquely American phenomenon. The foreign drivers seem to gravitate more to road course racing. I'm not going to tell you one is better than another from a driver's standpoint. I can imagine they both have plusses and minuses. But the stars of CART are there because of the heavy emphasis on the road courses. CART, I'm sure, is unwilling to run it's brightest stars off just to reunite with IRL and run strictly ovals. For there to be a merge, CART needs to drop races at Cleveland, Vancouver, Toronto, Mid-Ohio, Houston and Road America. IRL needs to embrace tracks like Long Beach and Laguna Seca and an effort should be made to get back to Watkins Glen. As far as the races in other countries, they should only be staged if they are going to be cost effective to run. With the number of drivers from Brazil, it makes sense to work out the differences with the promoter and keep that race afloat. Drop Australia, Mexico and stay out of Europe. Japan with Honda and Toyota building engines seems viable. IRL needs to give up Atlanta and Richmond, VA. Neither race draws a crowd. Both tracks are in the heart of NASCAR country and Indy Car racing has never done well in the south and it never will. This is a big country with a lot of wonderful tracks. It's time to just let NASCAR have the south with the possible exception of Homestead.

Now it's probably naïve to think CART would sacrifice so much, just to merge with the IRL. Especially since all they have to do is buy or lease equipment to run at Indy. One interesting alternative comes from the nutcases at Formula One. King Bernie caused quite a stir a couple of months ago when he sold part ownership of the circuit to a television company. Needless to say, the manufacturers were less than pleased as they felt they had not been given the equal opportunity to buy into the franchise. Eccelstone in his usual lack of tact blamed the manufacturers for not coming to him earlier about buying in. They knew it was never offered and that once again the king had shown them he was all-powerful. This time though the manufacturers starting talking of forming a rival Formula One series. Talk of this rival league persists today, although is has cooled somewhat. The reason I bring this up is that if such a league were to get off the ground, it stands to reason that true road course racers from CART such as Dario Franchitti, Max Papis, Gil DeFerran and even 2001 Indy 500 winner Helio Castroneves would be natural choices to run the series. Plus, a series like that would essentially negate any need for CART in it's current configuration.

For now and at least until 2004, it seems things will remain fairly static for CART and the IRL. But Toyota has already decided to go IRL racing starting with the 2003 season. They will join Chevrolet and Infiniti. What they decide to do after that remains to be seen. They could be the glue that gels the warring factions together. The Indy 500 remains rock solid, but both the IRL and CART series championships have had little meaning since the split.

Human Golfers at the US Open

The playoff between Texan Mark Brooks and South African Retief Goosen to determine the winner of the 101st US Open Champion is under way. At stake is not only the championship, but the exemption from qualifying and advertising opportunities that come with being the US Open champ. But the big story, the story the USGA should expand on is the humanness displayed by the leaders Sunday. It was the mistakes that were made and the fact that many of the mistakes weren't overcome that showed America and the world that these men are human. It had to give every high handicapper pause to think that golfers at the top of their game in one of the largest tournaments in the world were making the same bad shots that any hack can make.

Maybe I have grown so used to watching Tiger Woods grind the field down, major after major this past year. His focus, steel nerves and mechanical-like play down the stretch at last years open, the British Open, the PGA and the Masters made him seem almost superhuman. Frankly it was getting boring. Don't get me wrong, Woods is an amazing golfer and athlete and a very deserving champion. But watching Phil Mickelson fade in the fourth round of every major under the relentless pressure had been played.

The leaders gave back a little to all of the golfers out there who struggle week after week just to break 90. It was refreshing to watch the pros struggle to make shots, to 3 putt greens and miss fairways at least for one day.

Of Kirk Haston and Racing at Texas

As expected, Kirk Haston announced he will forego his senior season at Indiana University and make himself eligible for the NBA Draft next month. I'm sorry Kirk, but I really feel let down by this decision not only because I am selfish and want the Hoosiers to have a great season, but because I just don't feel you are ready for the NBA.

From what I have read, Haston made a good showing of himself at a pre-draft camp last week in Chicago. But this was a camp designed for players looking to become eligible for the draft to decide whether or not they are ready for the NBA or to find out where they stand in the overall picture of the draft. I am not surprised that Kirk did well. He is an excellent college basketball player and should play well against other collegiate players. What I don't see is him being able to play consistently well against NBA talent over the course of 82 games. Will he ever? Absolutely, but the benefit he would have garnered by starting and playing many minutes in 30+ games for IU would have outweighed his sitting on an NBA bench night after night except for cleanup minutes late in games. Unfortunately, that is where I see Kirk spending most of his time during his first NBA season. I really hope I am wrong about that.

Haston says he always wanted to play in the NBA and would only consider it if he had graduated from Indiana, or was close to graduation, was healthy, was coming off a good season and if he felt that “skill wise” he was ready. He is close to graduation, and he is healthy. By many accounts he got screwed by not being named Big 10 Player of the Year. But I don't see that he is polished enough to play in the pros. Not yet.

But Haston has made his decision. I don't have to like it and I don't. I don't think that many Hoosier fans will applaud his choice. I wish him the best in the future. I hope he can land with a team that can utilize his strengths while letting him work on his weaknesses and can allow him minutes. I'm just sorry to see him go as I can now only imagine the season the Hoosiers would have had with everyone, including Kirk, back.

_______________________________________

IRL Vice President of Operations Brian Barnhart is not happy with the racing that took place at Texas Motor Speedway last Saturday night during the Casino Magic 500. Barnhart and veteran driver Eddie Cheever Jr. were critical of the risky, wheel-to-wheel, high speed dicing that took place between Greg Ray and eventual winner Scott Sharp over the last 40 laps of the race. Mr. Barnhart and Mr. Cheever, kindly open your asses and remove your heads. The racing was as exciting as any racing ever. A 215 mph cat and mouse game that unfolded on a track that CART was chicken to run on.

I know why Cheever was upset. He had a very fast race car. Maybe the fastest car on the track. But the track can only support that kind of racing between 2. Three wide into the 3rd turn would have resulted in a crash. Therefore, Cheever was forced to back off a couple of times which cost him the race. But Brian Barnhart, who has never raced, has absolutely no idea of the exhilaration that Ray and Sharp were feeling as they went lap after lap side by side. All I can say is that if Brian Barnhart doesn't want to see the IRL drivers race like that, then he needs to look for another job. For the fans, which I thought this was at least partially about, the last 40 laps at Fort Worth last Saturday night was the best I have seen

Timothy McVeigh

At 7:14am CST today, the Oklahoma City bomber, Timothy McVeigh was pronounced dead of lethal injection at the Federal Correctional Facility in Terre Haute, IN. McVeigh was found guilty and executed for the killing of 168 people in the Alfred P. Murrah federal building in Oklahoma City, OK on April 19, 1995. To the end, McVeigh showed no remorse over his deed, nor did he deny his guilt. His execution brings to an end the life of the worst mass murderer in US history. But his demise is hardly the end of the story.

As expected, activists both for and against the death penalty were in Terre Haute as the execution took place. Some on hand even empathized with McVeigh as a patriot who did what needed to be done. But all of their presences made it clear that the issue of capital punishment will continue to be debated for many years to come if not forever.

Let me state that up until a year or so ago, I was a firm believer in the death penalty and state sanctioned executions. I'm not saying that I am no longer in favor of it, but I have started to have second thoughts about my convictions. As a determent to murder (or whatever crime has been committed) the death penalty is a miserable failure. The killing of another human being is generally a crime of passion-a paid assassin would be an exception-and as long as humans are passionate beings, murder will occur. It will occur whether the threat of the death penalty exists or not. Of course it will deter the executed from committing any crime in the future. But is the taking of one life to pay for another the right thing to do?

In the case of Timothy McVeigh, his execution seems woefully lacking as a punishment for the taking of 168 lives. Especially given the fact that over the last few months he has shown no remorse and had dropped his appeals and seemed to be welcoming his end. He saw himself as a defender of the constitution and carried out an innovative mission which was completely void of reason. He had a fear and loathing of the federal government that is not uncommon among Americans. The difference is that most Americans would use the proper channels to make changes in the country. McVeigh killed innocent people in a message that was certainly not going to change anything about the government except how they secure their installations around the country and the world. For that matter, he could have done his deed at night when the least amount of people were in the building, but obviously deranged, he completed his mission in the morning of a weekday.

But McVeigh notwithstanding, the greater issue of the death penalty still rages on. I'm not looking at this from the Christian viewpoint that any killing is wrong, be it by a gangster or by the state. But I really don't see how the states execution of a person for the killing of another is a reasonable means of making amends. If it is not a deterrent why do it? The argument that the jails are overcrowded as it is doesn't hold water simply because the number of people executed isn't a significant number of people that is they were alive, a new prison would have to be built.

One major problem with the system is that not all murderers are given the death penalty. Most are not. Where is that line drawn? If people knew that if you commit a murder and are caught, you were going to be killed for your crime, then maybe capital punishment may become a deterrent. But as long as the judicial system continues to operate in its' current fashion, it is highly unlikely a murderer will spend the remainder of his or her life in prison, let alone be executed for it.

So as I continue to struggle with my opinion of whether or not capital punishment is the right thing to do, I think about the survivors of the victims of the Oklahoma City bombing. Was killing Timothy McVeigh by lethal injection the proper punishment? According to the laws of the United States, yes it was. Did it fit the crime? It isn't even close. The constitution prevents cruel and inhumane punishment, but allowing the survivors to beat the crap out of McVeigh on a daily basis seems more relevant to the crime he perpetrated.

But the argument will rage on. Throughout the country and inside of me. Perhaps I would have a different take on it if I was one of the survivors of the victims. But most of us who argue one point or another are not.

Stupid Court Judgements, Tax Cuts and The Vic!

Ramblings-A superior court in Los Angeles yesterday awarded a 56 year old man dying of lung cancer $3 billion yesterday. The man, who doctors give 6 months to a year to live, says he isn't that worried about collecting the money. Rather, he says, he wanted to fire a shot at Phillip Morris because they misled him.

I am 40 years old. As long as I can remember, cigarette smoking has been bad for your health and warnings have been issued about those hazards. If the plaintiff started smoking when he was 16, he has had 40 years to kick the habit. Now I smoke the occasional cigarette, while enjoying some cold beer. And I will be the first to admit that quitting smoking is a very hard thing to do. Hard, but not impossible. I saw my father stop “cold turkey”. My grandmother also kicked the habit.

So why do the courts in this country continue to punish cigarette makers when they are selling a completely legal product? It's simple. If you don't want the health problems associated with smoking, then don't smoke. If you already do smoke-stop. Our litigious society has basically made responsibility for one self a thing of the past. It's time we all exercised some self control and quit blaming everyone and everything else for our shortfalls.

_____________________________________

Kudos to the President for getting his tax cut legislation passed and signed into law. I'm sure the administration will take all kinds of shots from the democrats. But the fact that after 10 years of being overtaxed in order to keep the budget “balanced” we finally will get some relief for at least a few years!

____________________________________

I went to Victory Field last night to catch the Indians play. The “Vic” is such a nice little ballpark. But other than Win a Car night or Fireworks night, there never seems to be much of a crowd there. I know there are lots of things to do in Indy these days. But on a very nice late spring evening, sitting and watching a baseball game was ideal. I know the Tribe has not been playing very well of late, but they did win the AAA World Series last year and for at least this week have been winning. Go out and support the team. It's a great place to take the family or for a guys night out.

NBA Finals Prediction

Tonight the NBA Finals begin in Los Angeles as the Lakers take on the Philadelphia 76ers. By all indications, the Lakers should win the series in a walk. Of course, don't tell the Sixers that.
The Sixers are banged up and seemingly worn out after enduring seven game sets against the Bucks and Raptors. Even the Pacers gave them everything they could handle for the most part of a 5 game set.
But can the Alan Iverson led Sixers triumph over Shaq and Kobe? After all the Lakers haven't lost in this post season. Coupled with the fact that they have been resting for a week, there seems little hope for the Sixers.
My prediction is that the Lakers will take their second consecutive NBA crown, but I really don't see a sweep happening. Look for the Sixers to win a couple of games in the series, which by the way is pretty much how last years Finals went.

CART's Missed Opportunity

The CART/FedEx Series ran their annual race at the Milwaukee Mile yesterday. Kenny Brack who outdueled Michael Andretti won the race. The story was not that Brack had won his second consecutive race; rather it was the resounding click as television sets around the country turned off or to another channel when Indy 500 winner Helio Castroneves was involved in a first lap incident with Brack. The incident, which didn't slow Brack, knocked Castroneves from competition.

The incident was so very unfortunate for the CART series which has suffered dismal television ratings for several years. However, the previous weeks Indy 500 had better ratings than in previous years. It was also won by a CART regular, who was followed by 4 more CART drivers and one Winston Cup driver.

But it was Castroneves' enthusiasm and respect for the 500 that was so refreshing. After taking the checkered flag, he stopped his car at the start/finish line, got out and climbed the fence in joy. His thrill was infectious and there was even talk about the Milwaukee race around Indianapolis this past week. That is something that has not been heard since the CART/IRL split.

There was talk of the hated Penske regime. Both pro and con. But there was talk. And there was talk of watching the race. Spurred on by the chance to see a newly famous race driver get a chance to climb the fence again at the Milwaukee Mile. Those hopes were dashed before they came to the second turn.

Obviously CART can't keep drivers out of accidents all of the time. And they certainly had no hand in Sunday's crash. But for a racing league who is trying to avoid losing credibility and add race fans, it was a tough blow to take as the casual fans who were watching Castroneves switched over to the Memorial golf tournament to watch Tiger beat the field again