4/17 (Wednesday) Quickie

RIP Pat Summerall, whose voice is the very definition of NFL broadcasting and whose partnership with John Madden offered the vision of NFL broadcasting that I remember most from growing up.

NBA regular-season finale: Lakers. If they beat the Rockets, they could end up 7th in the West. If they lose to the Rockets and the Jazz win, the Lakers are out of the playoffs. A must-follow.

Braves win 10th straight: Sheesh. And Justin Upton: Wow. I know I was touting Bryce Harper as the most must-see player in baseball a few weeks ago (most must-see player in sports, actually), but Upton has eclipsed him in the now.

Marcus Smart returning to Oklahoma State: He was a Top 3 NBA Draft pick in '13 and will instantly be a pre-season All-America for '13-14 and presumptive National Player of the Year. He won't have the breakthrough of Trey Burke, because he doesn't have the same supporting cast or media promotion. But he is the higher-upside NBA talent. Given the insane talent in next year's draft class, you would wonder if Smart will end up being picked lower than he would this year, but he is good enough that he will likely still end up in the Top 5.

Tracy McGrady signed by the Spurs: Amazing on multiple levels -- it's T-Mac (he hasn't been in the league all season); it's the Spurs (who make the savviest moves of any team); could the Spurs get McGrady a ring? How awesome would it be if he made a contribution? They clearly didn't bring him in to sit on the bench. McGrady is a throwback to another era in the NBA; here's to something wild happening with him during the playoffs, where he contributes meaningfully.

Stephen Curry is going to set the NBA record for 3s made in a season: Best pure shooter since...? (Let me take this moment to lament that my Wizards skipped taking Curry so that they could trade the No. 5 overall draft pick for Randy Foye and Mike Miller, which remains one of the biggest trade bilkings of the past decade, in any sport.)

I have not posted the past few days -- since Monday's tragedy in Boston -- and my thoughts have been with the victims, their families and anyone touched by what happened. The Yankees playing "Sweet Caroline" in honor of Boston was a nice

-- D.S.