Just Some Randomness

1) I've been driving around Cape Girardeau for a few years now and I've concluded the most common vehicles are white Rangers and white Escorts. I don't know why, but those damn things are all over the place. Escorts are more common with college kids (gas mileage I guess), Rangers with the locals.

2) I wish Ozzie Smith would get over this thing with Tony LaRussa. I get that he feels he was lied to in Spring Training back in '96. I hated LaRussa's guts for that for a couple of years afterward, so I get being pissed at him, but Ozzie seriously, let it go. You're my favorite athlete of all time, and it makes me sad that Cardinals fans are starting to dislike you because you keep acting like a spoiled child. Couldn't you at least pretend to not hate Tony?

3) I think Barry does get #715 off one of these three Cardinals: Carpenter, Izzy, Flores. Carp because he'll challenge Barry. Izzy because his control can be spotty in the way that makes pitches hang in the middle of the strike zone. Flores because he's Tony's #1 left-handed reliever, so if anyone is going to face Barry in a crucial, late-game situation, it's him. Edit: Well, I was wrong. No 715 for Barry. Carpenter missing a start because of his back is troubling.

4) There's is no way that Jim Edmonds shouldn't have been charged with an error yesterday for dropping that flyball in the 7th. He's Jim Edmonds, he's won 5 (6?) consecutive Gold Gloves, he should catch that ball, so or no sun. Whoever the official scorer is, they need to be fired.

5) The Suns beat the Clippers tonight, 133-128. Elton Brand puts up 47 points and 18 rebounds in a losing effort. Nash scores 30, with 13 assists. Edit: Well, it wasn't quite as close as I predicted, and Brand only had 36 and 9, but I came pretty close on Nash. He had 29 and 11.

6) I want the Mavericks to beat the Spurs. They won't. They had this series at the 3-1, and they blew it. Spurs 83-81. Edit: The Mavs came pretty close to making me right. Big halftime lead, almost pissed it away. Lot more offense than I figured, which played to the Mavs, I'd wager.

7) Shaq is rested, the Heat will steamroll the Pistons four times, but the series will last six games because the Heat will sleepwalk through Game 3 (when they're up 2-0), and Game 5 (up 3-1).

8) This will make everyone say the Pistons would have won if they still had Larry Brown coaching. Meanwhile, Brown will take a $40 million buyout from the Knicks, and then get another 4 year, $35 million deal from Sacramento. He'll be killed by Ron Artest in the 6th game next year, when he takes Ron-Ron out of the starting lineup for no reason.

9) What the hell does it mean to say someone "raps like a linebacker"?