Tossing batting practice…because even though I was pushed back a day because of the avulsion on my finger I’m determined not to skip a start…

Memo to the NBA…no more of these 88-85 brick filled crapfests with the late games. It’s bad enough that the only series worth watching isn’t on until 10:30, and that the entire Eastern Conference playoffs are filled with these awful games but if you bore me to death I will not be able to stay up and watch. Like last night, where I fell asleep with 10 minutes to play in the 4th quarter, at 12:45 am.
I do not like the advent of 3 hour basketball games.

It’s bad for the game and hurts an otherwise tremendous series that Amare Stoudemire and Boris Diaw were suspended for Game 5, but it’s the league rule, and if it was enforced before a game 7 back in 1997 with the Knicks and Heat, then its going to be enforced here.
That’s not to say there shouldn’t be some wiggle room, and maybe that’s something that should be reviewed, but right now there isn’t.

First and foremost, if Nash hadn’t taken the mother of all soccer dives (after that display all he needs is an Italian Passport and he can play in the 2010 World cup) the fracas never happens. Horry didn’t hit him that hard, and Nash fell to the ground as if he’d been clotheslined by Jack Tatum.
It was a hard foul, and maybe a bit dirty, but Nash made that look at lot worse than it was.

If the NBA hadn’t so publicly nailed Joey Crawford to the cross before the playoffs, they simply could have assigned him game 5 to even out things a little.

So the Phoenix radio guy took a verbal jab at Stern at the end of the game last night saying. “and the commissioner wonders why there are so many conspiracy theories in the NBA.”
If anything Stern and the league would rather see Phoenix win, because they’re more entertaining, and more casual fans tune into their brand of basketball, but the woe is me attitude the Suns and their fans have taken is

Lost in all the hullabaloo in this series has been the play of Nash, except for game 1 and the final two minutes of game 4 he hasn’t really done much to stand out with his team.
The numbers are there, such as the 20 and 16 he put up in game two, and 19 12 last night, but there hasn’t been any sort of takeover with him where he reminds you why he’s a two-time MVP and one of the most clutch players in the league.

As the lone Spurs fan east of the Alamo, I did enjoy the irony of Bruce Bowen drilling the clutch three to win it. I don’t necessarily agree that he’s a dirty player. He’s a pain in the ass, and deserves the occasional punch in the face, but I think there are far dirtier plays and players in the NBA. The stuff he does is borderline, and does sometimes cross the line, but those little things get in the head of the opponent and is sometimes the difference between winning and losing. It’s like playing against your Dad or older brother, you may be more talented, but you’re going to have to prove you’re tougher in order to win, that’s what the Spurs are doing, all while not doing it in a late 80s Pistons sort of way.

I’m still trying to figure out which is the more amazing feat, the fact the Spurs held Phoenix to 85 points, or the fact the Spurs only managed to score 88 points on one of the worst defensive teams in the league.

The impressive thing about the Spurs is their ability to hang around and eventually steal a game, they did it in game three too. They get down by a bunch, but don’t panic, and just slowly chip away. It’s sort of amazing to watch, as everything can go wrong for them for 36 minutes and then they gear up and forget it all for the final 12 minutes.

Ok Ottawa you fulfilled my wish of eliminating Buffalo, but I have two complaints. One, nobody has speared Daniel Briere yet, please fulfill this before the end of the series. Two, did you have to make end so quickly? That took all the fun out of the series, and taking the fun out of your sport is not something you want to do right now.
I had finally added Versus to my regular rotation of random clicking to see what’s on, but I’m not too sure how long that will last now.

I look forward to every opposing stadium to play “who let the dogs out” every time Michael Vick throws an interception next season.

Brett Favre stopped being news about six years ago, at least to everyone but the powers that be at ESPN. When Mike Felger is the voice of reason for Packers fans you know you’re in trouble.

The less I see of Jonathan Papelbon in May and June the better off I will feel later on this season. For that matter if Beckett needs a couple weeks off to heal the finger then I say have at it.