Monday, May 12, 2008

Monday 05/12 A.M. Quickie:
Mayo, Jazz, Spurs, MLB in Florida, More

It's a very simple concept: How could you NOT see the OJ Mayo scandal coming? How could USC administrators... or Tim Floyd... or the media... or the fans... come on.

That's at the heart of the lead item of today's Sporting News column. More simplicity: Either USC, as an institution, knew but did nothing -- or didn't know. Both are worthy of punishment.

NBA Playoff series get very interesting at Game 5 if the first four games are won by the home team -- but only if something interesting, like a road team winning, happens.

Would you believe that it's May 12 and the two hottest teams in baseball are the Rays and Marlins? The Rays are the AL Wild Card team, if the season ended today.

For the Marlins, it's even more staggering: They have the best record in baseball.

(It's a return to an old regular Morning Quickie chat argument: Are the Marlins a miserably run franchise... or the ideal? Consider 2 championships in the last 10 years, along with unexpected contention of this season. Sure helps offset the bad years, doesn't it? Lots of other teams would LOVE for that kind of "crappy" management.)

Arguing that Mike D'Antoni would have been better off with the Bulls over the Knicks is moot; the question is: Was it a great move for the Knicks? And the answer is an unequivocal: YES.

There's a lot more in the column today, so check it out.

Oh, and please welcome Paul DePodesta to the sports-blog family. I think he will find a more professional reception than he got from, say, the "professional" and "mainstream" sports-media pundits in L.A.

-- D.S.

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