Tossing batting practice…while still searching for a true leadoff for this column, so just accept the out, and move down the lineup.

I know it’s been a while, but I figured by just fading to black for a couple weeks you could draw your own conclusions…

Seriously though, in the future, keep checking in and don’t stop believing…(I hope this is now stuck in your head the rest of the week like it was mine).

Ok seven and a half, I’m not really nervous, so much as just annoyed, I can’t stand listening to the banshees cry about how bad Lugo has been, at least he’s stealing bases and driving in runs.
I don’t want to hear about how Manny will hit, I just want him to do it now.
I can’t defend Coco Crisp anymore, each time he bats, I can still hear Hank Smith’s voice yelling “get him out, get him out” while hoping Tito does the right thing and just shoots old Yeller.
I will however continue to defend JD Drew, I’m not sure why yet, but I will.

It's taken a little bit of reflection and thought, but I think I can say that the end of the Sopranos worked for me. It could have been better, but it could have been worse, and it stayed within the basic themes for the show all along.
And in case Dunneski is still reading I won't ruin it for him.

I'm still not ready to talk about it completely but, with the NBA draft looming I still say the Celtics best bet is Corey Brewer. He's instantly the best perimeter defender, on the team and if Tony Allen can recover from knee surgery they'll have two lockdown defenders who have offensive skills.

Shawn Marion sucks, and I hope to god he doesn't become a Celtic, I'm a gambler by nature but I'd rather roll the dice and bet that the fifth overall pick will be a better value long term than any available veteran. If they're available in a trade its for a reason, and to be frank I trust Ainge's drafting, but his trades, that don't include future draft picks generally don't turn out well.

This is perhaps the best way to sum up the decline of quality basketball in the NBA, courtesy of Texas A&M's Joseph Jones.
"It's always been one of my dreams to come out early and continue to the next level."
Yeah, that's the kind of kid I'd want to recruit, I'm pretty sure that wasn't the answer he gave on his admission essay either, about his goals in life.

Lebron may be the second coming but he needs to get out of the east. He'd be averaging 40 a game in these finals if he just went to the basket in transition instead of pulling it out se we can run the 5 th grade rec play.

You know the play that's in every figurative playbook for fathers who coach their gifted sons. Usually the kid is the point guard, regardless of the fact he's 6-8 inches bigger than everyone else on the floor (Lebron?) opposing coaches try some sort of exotic trap defense as soon as he gets over half court, and the kid usually dribbles with his right hand to the corner, then tries to dribble out back to the middle once dad yells at him to get out of the corner. Eventually he heaves up a bad shot, or gets tired while driving to the basket and cant muster anything on the shot to get it up over the rim.

As a youth official I've watched this play run countless times this year, and at least now I know Mike Brown's previous coaching experience must have come in the Akron Biddy Ball league.

If I could get into the press room and ask one question to Lebron, it would simply be this. True or false, every time you dribble to your left, step back and attempt another ridiculous fall away jumper, is the Gatorade "Like Mike" song playing in your head, or are you singing it out loud?

I’m not going to lie, watching the video essay of the Spurs dominance at halftime tonight made me sick to my stomach. However, once the realization kicked in that I’ll probably be watching the same thing in 10 years, only with the Blazers made me throw up, and then cry a little.

It's only June and I am already enjoying the excessive national coverage of the Patriots, even more enjoying is the outrage across the country.

I will not tolerate anymore of this Randy Moss is going to ruin the chemistry of this team talk. I'm talking to you WEEI, and Mike Felger.
This is me turning my radio over to the CD player.

If Curt Schilling can be a horse every fifth day and a horse's ass the other four, why can't Moss at least be the same?

I'm excited for the U.S. Open this weekend, its by far my favorite golf tournament, mainly because I too can go from bunker to bunker, while hitting trees and losing my ball in the rough, just like the pros. It's a lot more fun to watch when there is an imminent threat of a guy shooting a seven and knocking himself right out of contention.

At the moment a man named Bubba Watson is among the leaderboard, I now have my rooting interest for the weekend.

I've enjoyed the live webcast while at work courtesy of the US Open website, but the fact the color guy's named Billy Ray, and the lead announcer has an thick southern drawl just seems a bit out of whack.

It makes me wonder if Davis Love Jr. is doing commentary of NASCAR events on their webs

Lastly, I was in the midst of a discussion this week about my favorite players from the 86 team, and felt the rest of this should be shared.
Marty is my dad's name and thus at 4 I thought that was cool.
Rice for all his bad writings was the nicest guy in the world, and friend of my dad's was friends with Rice, and had his home number so on occasion we'd call house and he'd talk to me about baseball, this went on for a couple years until I was six or seven.
He was awesome.

During the winter of 1986/87 I went to my grandparents every day for daycare, and every afternoon they would put on game 6 which they had on tape because they knew if I was watching baseball I'd be quiet and occupied.
It was 2 months of watching the same game, when I walked up to my grandfather, and asked, "How come the red sox never win?"