05/27 Quickie: Celtics, Magic and Panic

Is it time for Celtics fans to panic that their team is going to become the first NBA team in history to lose a 3-0 playoff series lead?

Yes.

That is ironic, because back in 2004 during the ALCS, even after the Red Sox had won 2 straight, it was utterly inconceivable that Boston would actually take the series from the Yankees.

Even now, the safe bet is that the Celtics will find their mojo at home and end all this talk that they are too tired (read: old) to avoid being humiliated.

And yet the dominant storyline is exactly the opposite: That the Magic feel in control. That the pressure is all on the Celtics. That the C's D is faltering and their depth in the post is iffy.

For those of you who believe in conspiracy theories, it's pretty simple: If the NBA would rather see a Game 7 -- and a Boston choke -- than a Lakers-Celtics Finals, Perkins' 2 Ts will stand and he will miss Game 6. The Magic will win, forcing a Game 7 back in Orlando.

If they want a Celtics-Lakers Finals and couldn't care less about the East finals going 7 (and, god forbid, a Magic series win that undercuts the ratings goldmine of Celtics-Lakers), Perkins will play.

The irony is that it still might not be enough.

As I put it in the kicker of today's SN column lead: If you're a Celtics fan and you're NOT panicking right now, you have probably given up on your team already.

More you'll find in today's column:

*Like some sort of deal with the devil, just when the Celtics started to fold, the Red Sox have been unstoppable. Karmic trade-off?

*Even before the Nats battered Tim Lincecum, I would not have traded Stephen Strasburg for Lincecum, straight up, if I was the Nats.

*Yeesh: Kansas.

*SN has Alabama as preseason No. 1 in college football. Phil Steele has Oklahoma. I still think that Boise State will win the national title.

*I'm baffled why this Dwayne Bowe "importing" story is a big deal. Athletes use social networking sites to find women to hook up with! And?

*What has to happen for the US men's soccer jersey to just say "Herculez" on the back, rather than "Gomez." Let's think more like Brazil, people!

See the entire column here. More later.

-- D.S.

The Debut of SportsGrid.com

Today launches a new entry in the sports media landscape: SportsGrid, the sports extension of the Mediaite empire.

There are good original posts off of the big memes in sports at any given moment -- not unlike Mediaite in the media world -- but the glitzy product of SportsGrid is its... well, "grid."

It includes rankings of athletes, teams, executives -- even sports media -- based on factors like online buzz, search-engine relevancy and audience metrics.

It is exactly the kind of thing that navel-gazey sports media folks will obsessively look through, checking to see where they are, who's ahead of them and who's behind them.

It's a very clever and well-produced feature, updated constantly. It is a good stake to put in the ground to differentiate from other sites.

Traction will come with a combination of people checking out the rankings -- and the rankings getting referenced -- and people digging the original posts.

(SB Nation's national site front has been doing a terrific job of creating posts about the hottest topics that go beyond a static entry and get expanded as developments happen. SportsGrid may want to keep an eye on that.)

Sports media doesn't have quite the same competitive dynamic as news media -- and sports fans don't have the same habits as fans in other categories like politics or entertainment. It will be interesting to track the traction SportsGrid gets, both among fans and within sports media.

But the site is worth wrapping into your bookmarks or RSS. And, at the very least, I'll be keeping an eye on my ranking. Low 200s? WTF?!

-- D.S.

05/26 Quickie: NYC SB, Suns, P-Jax

I couldn't not lead with the Super Bowl coming to New York. There are two camps, and the crux of the debate is, basically, "What if it's cold out?"

My response, in two words: "Ice Bowl." That the 1967 NFL Championship was played in frigid conditions was a pre-condition for its place at the top of NFL mythology. Imagine if it was the "Balmy Bowl" because it was played in San Diego. Not the same.

As I argue in today's SN column: Fans who are at the game will wear their frostbite like a badge of honor; fans at home will love the spectacle of swirling snow and blasting winds.

I'm a big fan of novelty in sports -- it is a huge reason the NHL's Winter Classic has been a massive success. This will be a huge hit.

Now, let's not talk about it again until, say, 2013.

More you'll find in today's column:

*The Suns won with basically the same strategy you win your Sunday morning pick-up game at the Y: Junky zone D plus scrappy dudes playing unexpectedly well.

*If the Magic win tonight to make it 3-2, will Celtics fans start to freak? They shouldn't -- not until it's 3-3 with the series heading back to Orlando for Game 7.

*What was I saying about Phil Jackson and the Bulls being a good fit? Great example of a one-day story.

*The Rays have a right to gripe.

*Looks like the Nats are set on drafting Bryce Harper. Obviously.

*Don't be surprised when Gordon Hayward ends up in the Top 10 of the NBA Draft. Remember Stephen Curry from last year -- a month out, he was a Lottery pick; by draft night, Top 10 lock.

*I will never get tired of President Obama talking about sports -- especially basketball. (Stop your griping, Cavs fans.)

See the whole thing here. And, from the folks who brought you Mediaite, please welcome SportsGrid to the online sports universe. About my 200+ ranking....

-- D.S.

05/25 Quickie: Bulls, Magic, Red Sox

I wasn't on the LeBron-to-the-Bulls bandwagon... until this latest scuttlebutt that Phil Jackson might be interested in coming back to the Bulls -- presumably only if LeBron joins him.

As I argue in today's SN column lead, it's a good match: Jackson turns elite players into champions (or vice versa); LeBron wants to win a championship, and Phil is a coach he would respect.

The ideal is that each sign a 3-year "mini-max" deal in Chicago -- if they can't win a title in 3 years, find another situation.

My only concern with Phil in Chicago, actually, is that Derrick Rose is entirely the wrong point guard to run the triangle, which doesn't even use a traditional point guard.

There is a very simple solution to this: Trade Derrick Rose to Miami for Dwyane Wade. That gives the Heat a franchise player to pair with, say, Amare for the next 5-6 years.

More you'll find in today's column:

*A plan for the Magic to win their series.

*Have the Red Sox turned a corner?

*Strasburg for Oswalt? HAHAHA.

*Your next DWTS champ: Erin Andrews.

*Regardless of who wins the Stanley Cup, it will be a compelling champ.

Complete column here. More later.

-- D.S.

AOL at 25: My Story of Real Fandom

When I graduated from Northwestern in 1995, I wanted to be a national sportswriter. Like, right then. I resisted the notion that I had to go off to some podunk town and cover JV volleyball and if I was lucky, in 20 years I would be a columnist at a newspaper.

And so I was living in Wrigleyville with my gainefully employed roommates, slowly sinking into a bit of a despair over my joblessness. At one point, I had an unpaid internship in the PR department of the Chicago Rockers of the Continental Basketball Association. I think I stuck around for two weeks before figuring that it wasn't really worth the effort.

In late October, I got a call from a friend in my journalism school's career center. She wanted to connect me with two Kellogg drop-outs creating a sports media company online (What's "on-line?")

I met with them in one of the partners' apartments. They explained that after a summer spent interning at AOL, they got some investment money from AOL, which was then growing for its proprietary service a network of original content sites, under the management of Ted Leonsis.

Their goal was to create the sports destination for this network. And while they were savvy b-school students and had a few ideas about content, they wanted fresh (perhaps code for "cheap") eyes from a person who understood content.

For me, despite having zero experience online (not many did), the appeal was obvious: Tons of creative control, reaching a national audience, writing about sports -- for starters, about college basketball, at the time my favorite sport.

Best and most important of all, the founders recognized that the way to go was to approach sports coverage from the perspective of fans -- this wasn't just a competitive imperative when competing with the ESPNs, SIs, Sporting News and newspapers of the world; this was a fundamental understanding of the dynamic between producer and consumer in the new medium. Remember: This was a couple years before Bill Simmons launched his Boston Sports Guy column on AOL. I give the founders -- and Leonsis -- an immense amount of credit for envisioning a fan-friendly approach to sports content.

And so I was being paid to write whatever I wanted about a sport I loved, however I wanted to -- in fact, with a mandate to write like a fan, not a stodgy journalist. It totally fulfilled the part of me that wanted to make an impact on journalism, to do something entirely new, whether that was the tone and voice of my writing, the engagement with users or the "always-on" news cycle.

It was a dream job.

The company was called, at first, "Extreme Fans." It was later changed to "Real Fans Sports Network." If you were on AOL back in the mid-90s, you hopefully remember it. (I think Leonsis would. One day, when I knew Ted was meeting with our co-founders, I led our home screen with tons of content about Georgetown hoops, because I knew he was a huge Hoyas fan.)

It was a crash-course in everything that mattered -- and still matters now, if you keep up with the current environment for start-ups: Being focused, running lean, constant iterations and feedback loops, engaging the consumers.

Remember that at the time, AOL was a subscription service: Its sites got paid based on minutes spent on each destination by users. And so the premium was getting people to come back a lot -- and once they were there, getting them to stay.

And so in addition to writing daily original individual game recaps for every major-conference college basketball team (I did half; Rob Peterson wrote the other half), we came up with ways to let the users contribute to the site's editorial coverage, which users did brilliantly. It was a very early but critical lesson in online programming: Trust the users.

I would like to think that my natural intuition was a big part of my successful contributions to the company, but I remain convinced that it was the constant at-bats, every day, in the company, that helped develop for me an intuitive understanding of successful online content.

Despite the fact that I spent less than a year there, it set the table for everything that would follow in my career. As defining as it was for me to get recruited away to the company running ESPN.com, my biggest regret was missing out on my first company's acquisition.

That was the AOL postscript: To follow up its initial investment, AOL acquired my company to make it the hub of its sports strategy. As part of the team, it is one of the most satisfying points in my career to take a smidgen of credit for it - offset by the fact that I left before my options were issued, let alone vested.

(To put it in the larger context of AOL's quarter-century history, AOL later made my company the hub of its revenue-generating "anchor tenant" strategy and, under that, AOL's first big money-making deal: In exchange for paying AOL millions of dollars to be its leading sports presence, SportsLine made AOL shutter my company. Absurdly, SportsLine didn't even try to get AOL to hand over my company as a content engine. It was, simply, kaput.)

And so on AOL's 25th anniversary, I look back with tremendous fondness on the pivotal role AOL played in my career. And as I plot out what's next, I find myself thinking a lot about that first start-up and how simultaneously thrilling, frustrating and satisfying the experience was.

-- D.S.

PS: I could have written a Posnanski-style 7,000 words on this. To spare you, I limited myself to 700. Maybe I will revisit some of the bigger lessons in more detail at some point.

05/24 Quickie: Lima, C's, Amare, Cavs

As someone the same age as Jose Lima, the seemingly spontaneous, middle-of-the-night fatal heart attack is a little unsettling.

But there is something life-affirming in the reaction among fans and writers celebrating the player who popularized "Lima Time," which I broadly define in today's SN column as a joyous approach to living your life, with plenty of applications beyond a reliever's schtick.

Actually, the kicker of the column lead is one of my favorites of the year so far: That we could all use a little "Lima Time" in our lives, and that today, you should do something positive -- at work, on your commute, hanging out at lunch -- then exuberantly exclaim "[Fill-In-Your-Last-Name] Time!"

There's a ton more in the column:

*Cavs fire Mike Brown. Did you see that list of replacements someone is floating? Coach K? Tom Izzo? Phil Jackson? What planet are people on? Those coaches wouldn't come to Cleveland even WITH LeBron, let alone without him. Without LeBron, the only good thing about the Cavs job is that missing the playoffs is the expectation, rather than -- oh -- winning a championship. (For his part, Mike Brown should have multiple job offers within the week.)

*I love the fact that the Nats are expressing interest in Roy Oswalt, who has said he only wants to go to a "contender." BTW: If the Nats get Oswalt, along with bringing up Strasburg, that goes a long way toward bolstering their .500 season and actually making them... contenders.

*The Celtics are closing it out tonight. The Suns at least showed they have some pride. We'll see if the Magic have any or are just ready to pack it in.

*Bryce Harper.

*Jordan Spieth.

*No spoilers about the Lost finale, but a simple assessment that it either satisfied you or didn't. I'm in the former category, but not particularly effusively. Just a solid clearing of the hurdle of my expectations, but not some all-time-great moment in my TV-watching career.

-- D.S.

Weekend (Very) Quickie

I don't need to prove or belabor my well-documented anti-Boston sports bonafides.

That makes it all the more awkward for me to note that this Celtics team is growing on me. They were considered past-their-prime, over-the-hill, on the down slope.

Now they are blowing the Magic -- the presumptive favorites (certainly mine) -- out of the playoffs and look good enough to keep up with the Lakers in the Finals. (God, that Rondo play where he chased down the ball in the backcourt, swiped it from Jason Williams, then zipped around for a nifty basket -- that was Rondo and the Celtics, encapsulated.)

They resemble -- if only fuzzily -- my favorite NBA title team of all time: The 1995 Rockets. Rudy T's "Never Underestimate the Heart of a Champion" team that won a title in '94 only to finish 6th in the West -- then went on to dispatch the 3-seed, 2-seed and 1-seed en route to obliterating Shaq's Magic in the Finals.

I'm not sure I can stomach the standard Boston fan triumphalism if the Celtics win the NBA title this year, but I find myself respecting their route to getting there more and more.

-- D.S.

05/21 Quickie: LeBron, Lance, Lakers, Rays

My favorite part of Mark Cuban's open discussion of a sign-and-trade for LeBron is that it should break us out of the KnicksBullsHeatNets contraint of creative thinking and open up LeBron to EVERY team.

If you can conceive of a trade package that works under the cap -- and come up with even a tenuous reason LeBron would want to play for your team -- you can join in the fun. Why should reporters and bloggers in New York or Chicago have all the fun?

The larger point is more serious: If LeBron leaves the Cavs as a free agent, they are done. Like, for a decade or more. If he really cares about the city and its fans, he would at least think about accepting a sign-and-trade that leaves the Cavs better than they would be otherwise.

My personal Mavs scenario is very simple: You want LeBron, Mark Cuban? Fine. Give me Dirk, Beaubois and Caron Butler. You can have LeBron and my worst contracts, to make it work. Done. The point is that (a) everyone should join in, and (b) sign-and-trade is the most humane thing LeBron could do for the Cavs and Cleveland.

More you'll find in today's SN column:

*This is sizing up as the lamest NBA Playoffs season ever.

*If the NCAA finds Reggie Bush ineligible, not only should the BCS cabal take away USC's 2004 title, but the AP voters should RE-VOTE on the 2004 No. 1 team. Give it to Auburn!

*The sweep in New York was all the confirmation you need that the Rays are the team to beat in baseball.

*Who's ready for interleague? (Does this still have any novelty?)

*Doug Collins? Really? (I've said this before: The NBA has the worst head-coaching development pipeline in sports. It's atrocious.)

See the entire thing here. More later, hopefully, and a.m. posts through the weekend. With no kid's birthday to put on, more attention!

-- D.S.

MLB Creating Its Own Foursquare

It isn't surprising that MLB is creating its own Foursquare-like application (on the heels of ESPN announcing its own foray into location-based services via mobile).

On the one hand, it would make sense for MLB to partner with Foursquare and other big competitors in the LBS space (including Facebook). You want to be where the fans are.

On the other hand, having its own app offers a really interesting opportunity for MLB to engage fans at the ballpark.

I'm less bullish on the idea of using it to chat with fellow fans who are at the game -- frankly, that's old win in new bottles -- than I am about the team being able to connect with fans:

*Let people who have checked in know that there is a half-inning special: "$10 off authentic jerseys at every team store location in the stadium."

(Even better: Group-buying deals, like "If at least 100 people are willing to buy jerseys, they will be 50 percent off.")

*Provide helpful tips: "If you're looking for a restroom with the shortest line, try section 21." "Section 21 bathroom lines are now long. Try Section 75."

*Integrate with the Jumbotron to allow fans to interact with the screen. Not just voting and not just making sure fans don't write inane messages. Something like "In six words, what is your favorite team moment?" Great chance for qualitative contributions.

*Pass along interesting statistics from the media team, exclusive to folks who check in. A lot of the buy-in from fans will come from "I check in, otherwise I wouldn't get X value."

The point is that when you control the check-in platform, you can be a little more customized in your applications than if you just create an event on Foursquare and hope everyone in the park checks in and checks messages.

Instead, you can prompt fans to have the app, check in and interact. Obviously, this is run at the MLB level, but the real value is when it gets unlocked at a team-by-team level.

It would behoove local dominant media -- like newspapers -- to either create their own version or, seemingly beaten to that, partner with Foursquare or another service.

There can be multiple winners here, but it feels like the agnostic platform (Foursquare) and the team (or MLB) are going to squeeze out the media partner.

Larger point: MLB leads the way with forward-thinking applications of popular emerging new technology and applications.

-- D.S.

Books: ESPN World Cup Companion

I will not pretend to be a soccer aficionado. However, I absolutely appreciate -- even love -- the World Cup. I love it as the world's biggest sports event (with this year's edition to be, arguably, the biggest event in sports history). I love the pageantry. I love the passion of the fans.

I don't usually recommend hardcover books. In this case, I am going to recommend ESPN's "World Cup Companion," because it felt like the only World Cup book you will need to appreciate the history and spectacle -- the context -- of the event. It is entirely valuable.

For the past two Cups, I have tried (and failed) to find a book that distills everything I would need (or want) to know into one package. That is the value of "Cup Companion." It has some cheeky charm (the imprint of brilliant co-author David Hirshey), but it is the ultimate catch-up.

It's fine to have a grasp of the teams involved this year, which you will be able to get in a bunch of places. But I think you need to get a glimpse of Cups past -- the heroes and storylines, age-old conflicts and mythologies. It helps to appreciate the Cup today. The "Companion" filled that for me.

The book has a breakdown of every Cup, including a summary of the tournament; the greatest teams, players and rivalries; the "cult figures" and a bunch of really smart essays about the past and future of the event.

The subtitle "Everything You Need to Know About the Planet's Biggest Sports Event" is accurate. You will feel vastly more literate about the World Cup, at a moment when that literacy will be the most valuable form of social currency you can have.

The book is an easy read and aesthetically gorgeous -- ESPN's designers know their stuff. It is a must-read before things start in three weeks and an ideal coffee table book for June and July. That's why I am alright with the hardcover recommendation.

I should mention that the publisher sent me a review copy, but I would have paid the $20 for it on Amazon. Think of it this way: After reading it, you'll have enough to say that it'll probably be worth at least two free pints to you at the bar when you've struck up a conversation with a soccer fan.

-- D.S.

05/20 Quickie: Strasburg, Lance, Gasol

It's two weeks until Stephen Strasburg makes his MLB debut, and I'm not sure the hype or anticipation could be any bigger.

In today's SN column lead, I pivot from SN's annual "Top 50 players in baseball" list to ask where Strasburg would slot if you offered him straight up for the guy on the list.

Let's think of it two ways: How much Strasburg can help THIS season -- would you swap him for King Felix at No. 12? Certainly Chris Carpenter at No. 20.

But if you add in the idea of swapping him for his lifetime of upside, I find it hard to believe he would fall much further behind Lincecum at No. 5 or Halladay at No. 6.

That Strasburg is a national story -- as future Nat top draft pick Bryce Harper will be a month from now -- and John Wall is and Alex Ovechkin is, you can understand why DC sports fans (and fans of DC sports) are excited.

More in today's column:

*I really really dislike PED scandal stories. The ones about Lance are particularly tired. At this point, I presume quite a bit -- given the era in the sport (in ALL sports, really). We get it: Everyone did it. Didn't stop us all from being enthralled by Lance or baseball players or, on an ongoing basis, the NFL. But it will be a big issue, because it's PEDs and because it's Lance.

*There seems to be a very good chance that both NBA conference finals series will end in sweeps. I appreciate that "Lakers-Celtics!" is a best-case scenario for the NBA, but having them both sweep to get there takes a little bit of the fun out of the playoffs.

*NBA Draft Combine! See today's column for my ode to Patrick Patterson, who I openly admit to being in the tank for. This, despite the fact that he not only played for Kentucky, but he originally said he was going to Florida only to change his mind and leave for UK. (Patterson's presence the past 3 seasons would have gone a long way to helping Florida avoid the post-championship drop-off, particularly in the front court.) Still: I am a huge fan of his.

*There's nothing I like more than a good busting of conventional wisdom, particularly in a sport I don't have an expertise in, like hockey.

*Brandon Marshall giving the Dolphins a problem? Go figure.

Lots more in today's column. More later -- I've got a World Cup book review coming around lunchtime.

John Wall Hangover: Carmelo, Too?

OK, now I'm going to get greedy:

I want Ted Leonsis to sit on the Wizards' cap room in 2010 (they weren't going to get LeBron or Wade anyway, and Bosh and Gay aren't worth it), setting up a compelling pitch to Carmelo Anthony in the summer of 2011. The Wiz can offer max money, a tandem with Wall and -- this is huge -- proximity to Melo's beloved Baltimore.

Here is my killer idea: If I was Leonsis, I would absolutely dangle putting 4-6 Wizards "home" games in Baltimore as a sweetener to Carmelo; I believe that kind of detail would seal the deal. Combine that with plenty of draft picks this year and next year, and things suddenly get very interesting for the Wiz.

One other detail. Consider DC's athlete Mount Rushmore today: Alex Ovechkin, Stephen Strasburg, John Wall and Bryce Harper. (Sorry, Donovan McNabb. You too, Gilbert Arenas.) Cripes: That's a sick sports-star foundation for a city, and it doesn't even include an NFL star or a rep from one of the city's local college hoops teams.

Hmm: Given all the national-level star wattage, could "ESPN DC" be far behind? (If that's the case, memo to Rob King and Kevin Jackson: Pay what it takes to get Dan Steinberg to be the editor of ESPNDC.com.)

-- D.S.

Congrats to Associated Content and Yahoo

As if my Wizards winning the John Wall Lottery wasn't enough, yesterday my former company Associated Content was acquired by Yahoo. I'm not going to get all media-wonky on you right now about it; suffice to say, I think it is a terrific fit.

AC has a phenomenal management team I was proud to be a part of, great investors, a devoted and talented group of employees and many, many thousands of quality individual contributors. Congratulations to all of them, as well as Yahoo! Between my history at AC and my weekly Tebow columns for Y! Sports, it is like worlds colliding. The two will get along great.

-- D.S.

05/19 Quickie: Wall, Magic, Hanley, More

See the post below for my instant reaction to my Wizards getting John Wall -- I won't even consider the idea that they would take Evan Turner over Wall.

I also lead today's SN column with it, translating that DS.com blog post for the national SN audience: Wall matters not because of championships -- if that was the standard, then LeBron, CP3, Carmelo, Durant and Dirk would all be failures -- but because of the relevance.

Wall makes the Wiz matter, not unlike the way that Arenas made the Wiz matter when he was at the height of his loony powers in the mid-decade. I'm not sure what the Wiz do with Arenas -- I'd like to try the Wall-Arenas backcourt -- but as long as Wall is the face of the franchise, they're OK.

(This is an interesting position: Arenas is my favorite NBA player -- yes, even after the gun incident, I couldn't abandon him. But it is very possible that by the time we get to draft night, Wall could be my favorite NBA player. I'll always be in the bag for Gil, though.)

More in today's column:

*The Magic are finished.

*Don't overstate the Marlins winning w/o Hanley.

*The Nets are fine. Favors is a good fit.

*Who else is bored by the NFL-PED scandals.

*Erin Andrews: In. Chad Ochocinco: Out.

Lots more in there today. More later. (Why haven't the Wiz simply declared that Wall is the pick?)

-- D.S.

Wizards Win John Wall Lottery

Tonight is arguably the greatest night for Wizards fans in the history of the franchise -- at least since the NBA championship in the late-70s, so as good as "ever" for any fan under, say, 40.

You have to understand: Things like tonight just don't happen to the Wizards. They perennially miss the playoffs. They perennially blow the Lottery. They win the Lottery; they get Kwame Brown. They perennially draft duds. They make terrible trades. Their stars get injured. Their stars get suspended for the season. They bring in the greatest player of all time, and it is a debacle on almost every level.

I'm not sure any franchise in the NBA -- OK, perhaps the Clippers -- has been more ill-fated than the Wizards for the last 30 years or so.

And so it's hard to describe, but I felt this elation when the No. 2 Lottery card turned up "76ers," meaning the Wizards would win the chance to draft John Wall, arguably the most exciting guard since Allen Iverson -- the biggest draft prize since LeBron.

I jumped up and down, repeatedly. I shook. I grinned. I yelped.

The Wizards have never given their fans a championship -- not even close. But this is the closest thing to it that I have ever experienced as a Wizards fan.

I have always joked that the Lottery was the Wizards fan's playoffs. Finally -- finally -- we win it all.

05/18 Quickie: Lottery, Kobe, Hanley

As a long-time (long-suffering) Wizards/Bullets fan, I have an unhealthy obsession with the NBA Draft Lottery. Maybe that's because it is the Wizards fans' playoffs, perennially. (And, my god: No team has had worse Lottery luck.)

So tonight's Lottery is, of course, an Event, leading today's SN column. But mostly because the prize is John Wall, the most electrifying guard in the draft since Allen Iverson, a player who can instantly make a franchise must-see. Not sure if a player in the Lottery has been this big since LeBron.

With the 5th-best chance, I'm quite sure that the Wizards won't get him. I think he ends up with the Nets, if only because Mikhail Prokhorov will be in attendance, and that guy gets what he wants. (Don't listen to the folks arguing for Evan Turner; just draft Wall and sort it out.)

My favorite part about the Wizards is that even if they hold their position, it is regarded as a 2-person draft at best (Wall/Turner), with 2 more elite talents (Favors/Cousins), then a total crapshoot. There will be the Wiz, picking 5th. They could have had Rubio or Evans or Curry.

Meanwhile, Kobe's knee looks just fine. The Magic better hit a few more 3s if they don't want to be finished in this series. And Hanley Ramirez just torched his rep, because there is nothing -- nothing -- that fans hate more than "lollygagging."

See the complete column here. There's a lot more in there today. More later.

-- D.S.

05/17 Quickie: Celtics, Mo, Cuse LAX

Today's SN column leads with a question: What was more surprising...

*The Celtics winning Game 1 in Orlando?

*Syracuse lacrosse losing at home in the NCAA Tournament to Army?

*Mariano Rivera completely imploding?

Well, it's not the C's, even if I still think Orlando is winning that series. The Cuse loss might be the biggest upset in NCAA Lacrosse history. But the Rivera thing feels most shocking -- arguably, more shocking than Dallas Braden's perfect game. It's questionable which is more rare.

More in today's column:

*Lakers in 7.
*Flyers win Game 1 of the NHL's Storyline Series.
*UVA mourns (and wins)
*Phils sweep.
*Obama pitches for LeBron.

Lots more. See the whole thing here. More later.

-- D.S.

Sunday (Birthday) Quickie

Four years ago today, my first kid was born.

It happened at 4 in the morning, so my Page 2 editor David Schoenfield pinch-hit in that day's Quickie, with only a subtle mention on the lower-right of the column that the kid was born. (Such a difference 4 years later, when it would have been tweeted and Facebooked near-instantly.)

I remember that Morning Quickie chatters had put even odds that the kid would be named "Joakim" (or, more realistically, at least "Noah"). Not quite: It was Gabe, after Jewish baseball legend Gabe Kapler. Kidding. It was a "G" name in honor of my wife's grandma.

So today is dedicated to throwing a birthday party in a local park for 30 4-year-olds from my son's preschool. The theme is a combination of jungle animals and financial literacy, which seems appropriate in 2010. (No, Chase or Bank of America didn't sponsor. But hey!)

There will be cupcakes. There will be chicken fingers. There will be a fun activity age-appropriate for 4-year-olds.

And, naturally, there will be quite a bit of reminiscing about how my and Mrs. Quickie's life changed 4 years ago today. Happy birthday, Gabe!

-- D.S.

Saturday (Very) Quickie

I'm still convinced LeBron signs a 3-year deal with whoever, getting us back here in 2013 again. Whee.

Anyway...

*OMG the Flyers. Coming back from being down 3-0 in a series to win 4 straight -- even if it's not unprecedented in hockey (it's been done 2x before) -- is ridiculous. Congrats to Philly fans.

*Come on, sports media: John Calipari is NOT going to the NBA -- even to coach LeBron. He has the best job in college hoops history. He ain't leaving.

*Donovan McNabb doesn't need to apologize for not getting the Eagles a Super Bowl title, and I'm not sure that Philly fans appreciate it. They probably see it as confirmation of his softness.

*Hawks fire Mike Woodson. Unsure where he ends up. Lots of chatter that if the Cavs fire Mike Brown, Atlanta should hustle to hire him.

*Which contender wants Roy Oswalt for the 2nd half of the season?

*So now I'm obsessed with the idea of LeBron going to the Nets rather than the Knicks. Consider:

LeBron + Another good free agent + Top 4 pick in the draft (Wall or Turner or Favors or Cousins) + existing Nets talent (Devin Harris, Brook Lopez, Terrence Williams).

That takes this year's 15-win team to next year's 50-win team.

The Knicks would be LeBron + Another good FA + NO DRAFT PICK + existing Knicks talent (Gallinari, Wilson Chandler, Toney Douglas).

That's certainly better than this year's team... but not nearly as good as the Nets would be, if LeBron's goal (after getting paid) is to win.

Maybe that's because I jogged past the Brooklyn Nets arena site yesterday. Enjoy your day. Super Saver!

-- D.S.

05/14 Quickie: LeBron's Defining Moment

Getting bounced -- humiliatingly -- in the 2nd round of the playoffs after an MVP season leading his team to the best regular-season record in the NBA is the defining moment of LeBron's career.

That's not to say that it will REMAIN the defining moment of his career. But for now? Absolutely, without question, this failure -- epic failure, frankly -- is THE defining moment for him.

As I argue in today's SN column, that's not to say LeBron isn't the biggest talent in the NBA -- perhaps the biggest talent in the history of the NBA.

But that IS to say that, perhaps because of his individual success, he is defined more by his failure.

More:

*Let's stop for a second and consider that final minute of the game, where the Cavs just up and quit. It was stunning. It was the lasting image of the team, of LeBron and of his Cavs career.

(I don't think this can be stressed enough: LeBron looked like he really didn't care. I was tough on LeBron last year when he didn't shake hands with the Magic after Orlando eliminated him. I actually liked THAT more than his diffident -- I'm willing to accept "shell-shocked," except I really believe he wasn't -- reaction to getting bounced from the series. He was soulless.)

*What next for LeBron? When he says "my team" in the post-game interview, he means "Team LeBron," not the Cavs. I think he is gone. I think he will sign with the Knicks.

*That does NOT mean he is any closer to winning a title in NYC than he is in Cleveland -- then again, as of this morning, Cleveland is no closer to winning the 2010 NBA title than the Knicks.

*If I was LeBron and wanted to win a championship -- AND make big money, which is obviously important to him or else he would sign with Orlando for the league minimum and win 80 games -- he should sign with Miami and play with Dwyane Wade.

*But that's where things get interesting: There's this myth that LeBron cares about winning more than anything. That's simply and demonstrably not true.

*In fact, I would put winning behind: (1) Being a "global brand." (2) Being a billionaire. (3) Making max money in the short term.

*He can do what he wants. But he has to know that every choice will come with consequences: Both how and when he wins and what kind of legacy he leaves behind in Cleveland.

*If he leaves, I suspect that fans -- not just ones in Cleveland -- will feel like the indelible mark was the final minute last night. The failure, not the success.

And that's probably fair.

Complete column here. More later.

-- D.S.

05/13 Quickie: LeBron, Habs, Strasburg

Tonight is put up or shut up for LeBron -- and for both sides of yesterday's "LeBacklash" (both the backlash itself and the backlash to the backlash).

That's the lead of today's SN column. Writing off LeBron after Game 5 was premature, given that there were two games to go. If he loses tonight? Different story. (If he wins tonight but loses Game 7 at home this weekend? Different story, too.)

There can and will be a lot more to talk about tomorrow morning.

More in today's column:

*Love the Habs! Love the Flyers even more!

*I cannot wait for Strasburg's call-up.

*Cheating is cheating in baseball (except when it's not)

*The AP NFL award voters embarrass themselves further.

*Tiger: Medication and massages. Sound familiar?

*Will I double-down on Super Saver?

Complete column here. More later.

-- D.S.

More on LeBron Last Night: Boo!

They weren't saying "Boo!" They were saying "LeBooooron!"

Apologies to the Simpsons ("Boourns!"), but as the rest of the internet battles over whether LeBron is despicable or merely had a bad game, I'm left wondering about a specific angle:

The Cavs fans' booing.

In a visceral way, the jeering was totally appropriate -- this was the most humiliating moment in franchise history.

But the conventional wisdom is that booing LeBron is the fastest way to get him to think twice about staying in Cleveland, rather than going to, say, New York.

My question is this:

What is worse: Booing your superstar in an emotional (but immature) way, or repressing your disappointment by cynically not booing him, specifically so you don't potentially piss him off.

I could make the argument that not booing when you really want to boo, because you're afraid he might get pissy, take his ball and leave town, is more of an affront than booing itself.

On the other hand, whatever visceral value fans (or owners) derive from getting pissy in the moment can't possibly compare with the value of getting to cheer for LeBron over the long-term.

In other words: It's pretty pathetic to cynically not boo -- it's tantamount to begging -- but I'm comfortable with that level of cynicism. Let's just be ready to embrace it AS cynical.

-- D.S.

05/12 Quickie: LeBron and What's Next

You're forgiven for the whiplash from going from yesterday morning's presumption that LeBron would lead the Cavs to a Game 5 win at home over Boston -- and presumptive series-clincher -- which, at the very least, would punt "Is LeBron staying or leaving?" to the East finals when the Cavs get bounced by the Magic.

But no. LeBron had to go and play the worst game of his career -- in the biggest game of his career. As I argue in today's SN column it's not about questioning LeBron's talent -- it is about questioning all the assumptions about him staying that were valid right up until last night's humiliation.

Presuming the Cavs finish choking away this series -- dangerous, I know -- I think that circumstances have flipped in the last 24 hours: That LeBron is now more likely than not to evacuate Cleveland for New York.

My rationale is fairly simple: If the best he's going to do in Cleveland is the 2nd round of the playoffs -- merely making them, not winning them, mind you -- then he might as well try again somewhere else, because that's as bad as missing the playoffs altogether, especially when you have the regular season's best record.

In other words, he has just a good of a chance of winning a title in New York -- or New Jersey or Miami or Chicago -- as he does in Cleveland. I buy into him giving the Cavs a hometown discount on the emotional factor that will go into his decision, but not THAT much of a discount. Not a 2nd-round exit discount.

As bad as LeBron played, it's obviously not all LeBron's fault -- let's put some blame on an overrated coach and an overrated GM. (Compare the Cavs' panicky moves to the confident built-for-playoff-domination moves made by the front office in Orlando.) All the more reason to bolt Cleveland for New York, where D'Antoni can coach and Walsh can construct a roster.

One thing remains constant: Where he is at right now, this morning, LeBron is no closer to winning an NBA title than any other schlub in the league without a ring.

Cripes, the fans in Cleveland were BOOING. Modest props for a fair reaction to an embarrassing performance, but they gotta take the long view when it comes to booing LeBron to his face in his own building. But it's a fair reaction: If this team can't even get past Boston in the 2nd round, what's the point?

Complete SN column here, including fun with Barry Zito (and Cliff Lee!), more mockery of this Brian Cushing situation, a bit of skepticism about Steve Lavin and more.

-- D.S.

05/11 Quickie: LeBron, Sweeps, Tiger

Tonight is the biggest game of LeBron's career.

And he's got the stage all to himself for the rest of the week, because everyone else has moved on -- and looked better than the Cavs in doing it.

I'm feeling very comfortable with my pre-playoff prediction that the Magic would beat the Cavs to win the East. Orlando looks unstoppable.

(And picking the Lakers to repeat as champs isn't making me nervous either. Although I would love to be wrong.)

More in today's column:

*Hank Haney quit on Tiger like Tiger quit on the Players.

*The AP's NFL award voters are officially more offensive than Brian Cushing's cheating.

*It's a micro-slump for the Rays.

*Duke-Michgan St > Duke-Butler

See the whole thing here. More later.

-- D.S.

05/10 Quickie: Braden, Suns, Tiger

It's not just that someone threw a perfect game -- just the 19th P.G. ever.

It's that the someone was Dallas Braden, the outspoken -- and previously unspectacular -- A's pitcher.

And that he did it on Mother's Day in front of his grandma, who raised Braden after Braden's mom died of cancer (which MLB spent the day supporting the fight against).

And, in the quote de grace -- Grams said "Stick it, A-Rod," which turned into a Twitter thing.

All in all, just the type of remarkable and entirely unexpected moment that captures why we all follow sports.

Braden leads today's SN column, but I could have led with the Suns sweep -- remarkable in its own right -- or "mondo" Rondo, who had the best playoff performance in the NBA East of the year. (It would be hard to top Dragic for best this year overall.)

I also could have led with Tiger quitting on the Players. What an odd situation -- if he was in contention, you know he would have played through, just like he did at the US Open. But he wasn't -- he was stinking it up, and it's unclear whether it's from the disc issue or even if he was healthy, if something else is going on. Tiger is clearly frustrated, but it's hard to say about what.

I don't believe Brian Cushing. Do you?

Of the NBA Draft withdrawals, I'm most intrigued by Jimmer Fredette (1st-team All-America of the future), by Alex Tyus (who clearly doesn't want to be at Florida, but whose presence gives the Gators one of the deepest frontcourts in the country - quite a change of pace from the thinnest frontcourt in the country of two years ago), and by the Moore/Johnson pair at Purdue, instantly putting the Boilermakers back near the top of the Big Ten, rather than decimated.

Elana Kagan is a Mets fan, btw. Given the Sotomayor connection to baseball, thought you'd want to know.

Complete column here, and there's a lot more in there. More later.

-- D.S.

Saturday (Very) Quickie

PHILLY -- Had a blast at the rehearsal dinner last night, and had to
laugh at the irony that a mile away at the same time, Jamie Moyer was
setting a record for oldest pitcher to throw a complete-game shut-out.

I'm a little obsessed with Moyer, entirely because he is 47 (and a
half!) and still pitching in the majors (and not as a knuckleballer).
I feel like I need to see him in person, because I am skeptical we
will ever see a pitcher his age again. What a marvel.

On the opposite end, there is Starlin Castro, the 19-year-old Cubs SS
who made a mythic debut yesterday: HR and a triple, accounting for a
record-setting 6 RBI. So much for tempered expectations.

And then there's Goran Dragic, the backup Suns PG who scored 23... in
the 4th quarter. Greatest playoffquarter by a backup player in NBA
history? (Why not!)

As I tweeter yesterday, hoping to get to the Schuylkill this morning
to watch some of Dad Vails, one of the great crew events of the year.
I haven't been to (or rowed in) Philly in 18 years. And 25 pounds.
Yikes.

(Wow: Just saw my college coach quoted in the Inquirer; he's now the
women's coach at St. Joe's. He let me earn a seat in the Northwestern
heavyweight varsity 8 as a freshman, my finest athletic accomplishment
ever. For that, I will always be grateful to him, even though
personality conflicts the next season, when I was team captain,
contributed to me leaving the team and the sport. Wow, haven't thought
about any of this in a long time....)

- D.S.

Friday Quickie: On the Road

On the road to Philly this morning for a wedding weekend. First time
back since a high school rowing regatta. Coincidentally, the biggest
college crew race of the year - Dad Vail - is this weekend. Will be
fun to watch and vicariously re-live my erstwhile prep and college
athletic career. Meanwhile, the groom is a huge Dolphins fan. Will
have to thank him for freeing up No. 15 in Denver.

Meanwhile, I'm filing this from my phone and don't have a link to my
SN column to provide. If you hit up the front page of the site or use
yesterdays link below, you should be able to navigate to it. If you
use yesterdays column, just click on my byline.

Meanwhile, more posts from the road all weekend, and - likely - a
steady stream of tweets.

For those not checking back, happy mother's day to all the moms. And
call your mother.

- D.S.

Should Adults Wear Sports Jerseys?

Interesting debate right now -- sparked by some Twitter discussion from Spencer Hall and Chris Mottram of SB Nation -- about whether adults should wear sports jerseys.

Hall says: Never.

Mottram says: Only when watching or attending games.

I'm going to fall somewhere in between.

I wear a Tebow jersey while watching or attending Florida football games. I'm sure you are shocked.

However, I recognize that -- as an adult -- I look foolish. That's the key for me: It's fine to wear the jersey if you acknowledge that, in fact, you do look a little lame.

I do think that there is a continuum of how dumb you look in a jersey. Basketball tank-tops are just not a good look. Football jerseys always make the wearer look like he put on his dad's shirt. Baseball jerseys are a little more subtle; maybe it's the button-down thing. Hockey sweaters are kind of awesome but are best kept in an arena. Soccer jerseys are actually acceptable. They look like interesting T-shirts. Which is a good segue...

I would like to offer a third way: I am a huge fan of the "jersey t-shirt" -- the replica jersey that is printed onto a T-shirt.

I have a jersey T-shirt for Tebow -- three, actually. Two blue ones and a white one that I wore exactly once -- the Kentucky concussion game, after which I buried it.

I think that is an appropriate way for adults to rock the jersey look, without actually wearing a jersey out in public in a non-gameday context.

I completely respect the opinion that wearing jerseys as an adult is lame and shouldn't be done. And yet I completely respect the group that wants to wear them on game day.

It's hard to pass judgment. We all wear stupid things from time to time.

OK: Your thoughts on adults wearing sports jerseys?

-- D.S.

UPDATE: Here's a SBNation poll on the issue. Heated!

05/06 Quickie: Los Suns, Zito, Hayward

Was the "Los Suns" effort an unprecedented moment of politics in the history of team sports?

I think it was -- particularly impressive given that fans hate to see politics and sports mix.

In today's SN column lead, I analyze the factors that made "Los Suns" successful -- but it is the same factors that make it unlikely to be replicated.

It would be great if "Los Suns" turned out to be the catalyst for change, but this is not the signal of an increasing prominence of politics within sports.

Oh, we will still have individual athletes or coaches speaking out on issues -- I expect we'll see even more of that, given the proliferation of channels for them to express themselves.

But at an institutional level -- a team-wide (and, as unique, corporate-sanctioned) effort -- it feels entirely unique.

That's what made it such an amazing moment. It's also why we won't see it again in other contexts.

More you'll find in today's column:

*In praise of Barry Zito!
*Philly Tazer Watch
*Good for Gordon Hayward.
*Biggest. Contract. Ever. (for an interior lineman)
*Did you need SI to confirm Ben is a douchebag?

Complete column here. More later.

-- D.S.

05/05 Quickie: Harwell, Magic, Los Suns

Sorry for another short post today. If you saw yesterday's long-ish post about dads and baseball, you understand why I'm still underwater, so to speak.

But today's SN column has an interesting twist at the top: My favorite lines from Ernie Harwell's classic 1955 Sporting News essay about Baseball and America. Felt like an appropriate homage.

There's a lot more:

*The Magic ripped out Atlanta's soul. Then dunked on it.

*Lakers up 2-0: The Jazz might take one or two games in SLC, but they're not beating the Lakers in this series.

*Is PHX wearing the "Los Suns" jersey a political statement? You bet it is.

*John Calipari to the Bulls? Bull-something. Why would he leave? He has the best job in college basketball history.

*If the Jaguars wanted a "name" yet unproven Denver QB, why didn't they just draft Tebow?

*Let's all stop and appreciate the Livan Hernandez Resurgence.

More in the column. And more later.

-- D.S.

*

Are We Winning By Will Leitch: Review

Let's just get this out of the way: Everyone knows already that I'm an unabashed fan of Will Leitch's work -- he's a friend and someone I admire, both personally and particularly professionally.

So if I recommend his new book -- Are We Winning? -- to you, it's your choice whether my fanboy attitude earns your discount or your trust. I hope it's the latter.

I'm not even going to talk that much about his book. It's better than "God Save the Fan," which -- while excellent -- felt more like Will's unifying theory (or perhaps closure) from Deadspin and the state of all sports. "Are We Winning" reads more like his opus: The book he was born to write -- about baseball, naturally.

But inspired by the book's release and the events of the last 24 hours in my life, I'm going to veer into self-examination:

Yesterday morning, my apartment started leaking from the ceiling.

"Leak" is probably too much of an understatement: I was shuttling between a half-dozen buckets of various sizes, dumping them into the tub when they filled to the brim, trying to catch everything. I felt like Super Mario. I went through probably two dozen towels, trying to sop up excess water spreading on the floor. When every single one of those was saturated, I burned through at least a half-dozen full rolls of Bounty.

At one point, I opened the front-hall closet -- part of the damage zone -- and I saw my baseball glove, soaked in the nasty brown-black liquid currently dripping (pouring, really) into the buckets in my front hallway.

The glove shouldn't have even been there.

A few weeks ago, the weather got nicer and I got an unshakable urge to have a catch. I rang up my neighbor Jason, I dug out my old glove from deep in a closet in the back of my apartment, and we wandered out to the local park to throw a baseball for a half-hour or so.

We did it again the next week and by the third week, I had come to really look forward to it, not just because I enjoyed our conversation, but because I just enjoyed the catch itself. I probably haven't done that -- just played catch -- since I was a year out of college, living with my closest friends in Wrigleyville, within a few blocks of Wrigley Field itself. That was 15 years ago.

And so that's how my glove came to be in that front-hall (soaked) closet, rather than in the back (dry) half of our apartment where the glove had been sitting in a box for at least a few years.

****

A brief digression on my history as a baseball fan:

*I have a predictably tortured relationship with baseball as a fan and participant. I didn't play as a kid. One week at baseball camp when I was 12 was enough to prove that "no-field, no-hit" wasn't a template for even a no-cuts youth-league player.

*I was a HUGE Cubs fan -- I remember calling the local cable company on a regular basis, begging them to carry WGN. My dad was from Chicago and a Cubs fan, and I inherited the fandom from him. In that magical 1984 season, I was 11 -- just hitting the age of fan consciousness.

*I played Strat-O-Matic somewhat obsessively from 1985-1988; me and my friends kept using the 1984 season cards, and as a Cubs fan, that was fine with me. Rick Sutcliffe was unbeatable.

*It felt unique to be a Cubs fan in DC. But my dad got a Sunday season ticket package to the Orioles after they moved to Camden Yards, just because a Sunday at a baseball game was fun. It didn't hurt that the O's were competitive -- and Camden Yards was new and amazing.

*Quality Shanoff Trivia: In my college freshman facebook (way before Facebook), under my "Interests," I listed "Chicago Cubs." I had this Cubs hat I had worn since I was maybe 12 or 13, perfectly broken in. By the end of college, I had lost it.

*Living in Chicago for college, my Cubs fandom actually atrophied over the four years -- although I went to plenty of games at Wrigley, which was priceless. (Standard Friday: Afternoon Cubs game, then this wince-inducing hour of cheap open bar at a place called Kronie's.)

*After college, living in Wrigleyville was -- up until I moved in with my wife -- the greatest living situation ever. It felt like the center of the baseball universe.

*After I left Chicago, my interest in following baseball day-to-day -- not just the Cubs -- waned. Maybe that means I was never "enough" of a fan. I just developed other sports passions.

*When I started writing the Quickie, my interest in baseball was entirely focused on the big "national" storylines on any given day. I lost almost all of the sense of a "personal" baseball fandom.

*Since then, I would say that my favorite baseball team is "my fantasy team," a league I have played in for six years (Leitch is the commissioner, coincidentally enough). Fantasy rekindled my interest in following baseball.

*I am pretty terrible at fantasy baseball. A year ago, I committed to getting better -- to playing more avidly and making the mid-season moves that generally keep a team competitive. I finished in the middle of the pack; it felt like a success.

*This season, after 4 weeks, I am in 1st place. It will likely not last -- whatever the fantasy equivalent of an unusually high "BABIP" is, I have enjoyed it so far. Nevertheless, first place feels like an achievement. I spent Sunday snatching Wade LeBlanc from the FA wire and feeling like a genius.

End of digression.

****

Even as the glove sits drying next to a fan, I can already tell it's going to smell too gross to use. I lament the glove's loss, because I have had it since I was a kid.

My first baseball glove as a little kid was a Scott McGregor model. I don't remember the manufacturer, just the signature. Come to think of it, I don't think the glove had an imprinted signature on it; I believe I actually got McGregor's autograph on the glove at an event he was at.

My next glove was my first "real" glove -- it was (machine-) autographed by Bruce Sutter. Unbeknownst to me, it was a pitcher's glove; at that point, I fancied myself a 1st baseman. I was mostly afraid of the ball, and figured having it thrown at me by a fielder was preferable to having it hit at me by batters. And the outfield was a non-starter, because I sort of panicked at the thought of catching towering fly balls.

My dad played in a softball game on the weekends -- god, this must have been 20 or 25 years ago, so he was older than I am now, but not by much. I remember he was pretty good, too, a compact but powerful hitter and solid defensively in the outfield. He didn't play baseball in high school or anything; he was just your average fun-on-the-weekend softball player.

He had this Lou Piniella model glove that I coveted. I'm not even sure that it had anything to do with Sweet Lou himself; I only got interested in him as a player because of the glove. I liked the glove's shape, its particular webbing and that it was so much more broken in than mine. I remember my dad kept it in his closet and I would sneak it out to play with. It was better than my glove in its construction, but it was also better than my glove because it was his glove.

One day, I finally wore him down -- as a parent now myself, I understand how this transaction works -- and he "traded" me his glove for mine. I was probably 14 or 15, because it still has the faint marking on it of "8/8/88" when I noted the date of the first Wrigley night game.

I have had the glove ever since -- more than 20 years -- packing it away as I have moved from home to college to my own apartment to my grandparent's house to co-habitation with then-girlfriends (whose father, ironically, was buddies with Lou Piniella) to business school to part of the boxes that I brought with me into my relationship with my wife.

Despite the fact that the glove has barely been used since college -- where I finally found my calling as a decent career as a crafty IM softball pitcher (until an unfortunate, Mitch Williams-style meltdown in the league championship game my senior year, in which my team was defending campus champs) -- I lug it around from place to place on the mere possibility that it might get used for a game of catch.

That is how I know that baseball remains core to me as a fan.

Even if I didn't come to the realization of that until the glove was gone.

Postscript:

Will's book is a lot about the relationship between fathers and sons and baseball. (The subtitle is, in fact, "Fathers and Sons in the New Golden Age of Baseball.") If that Piniella glove -- and, of course, the Cubs fandom plus the Orioles games -- was the connection point between me and my dad and baseball, then it begs the question of how I will connect with my own two young kids about the game.

I took Gabe to his first baseball game two years ago, when he was two -- the Brooklyn Cyclones. We sat in the front row directly behind home plate, because I neurotically wanted the netting there between the ball and my kid. Gabe was more interested in the PA announcer and the team's seagull mascot.

Last summer, we took him back to Coney Island, this time bringing along his 9-month-old brother Jonah. Gabe was mostly interested in the helmet sundae; Jonah squirmed.

Gabe has a small toy bat, and in his room, I pitch him oversized stuffed balls -- he has more eye-hand coordination than I ever did. The next step is to go to the toy store and get him a plastic tee. I'm sure his younger brother will want to join in.

It is not important to me -- in the least -- that my kids be good baseball players. I'd like for them to be decent enough in gym class not to be an outcast. I'd like them to enjoy intramural softball. I'd like them to appreciate a game of catch. I'd like them to be good baseball fans.

(On Saturday, Gabe marched into my room and, for the first time, declared a baseball allegiance: "I like the Yankees." As my heart broke a little bit, I replied allergically: "Ehh, you don't know what you like yet." I don't want to dump on his individuality as a sports fan, but come on: The Yankees? If I do nothing else as a parent, it's to insulate my kids from becoming Yankees fans. In New York, that is no easy feat. All that said: If he really wants to be a Yankees fan, I'm hardly going to push him away from that. Nudge him, maybe....)

In July, I'm taking my wife and kids to Chicago, where we are meeting up with my siblings and siblings-in-law and my dad, to celebrate the centennial of my dad's dad, who would have been 100 years old that month. He took my dad to Cubs games.

To continue the tradition, that weekend -- hopefully with my dad and siblings coming along -- I am taking Gabe to his first-ever MLB game: Wrigley Field on a Friday afternoon. I can't think of a more perfect way to introduce him to Major League Baseball.

Fathers, Sons and Baseball. That's what Leitch has written about, compellingly. If you want to enjoy what has instantly become one of my favorite baseball books of all time, read it.

(If nothing else, I will guarantee you that reading it will -- as it did for me -- make you consider your own relationship with baseball, your relationship with your parents (as it relates to baseball) and your relationship with your kids (or future kids) as it relates to baseball.

And I can't think of a more enjoyable thing to think about.

-- D.S.

05/04 Quickie: LeBron, UVA, Ubaldo

Longtime reader Scott D. just pointed out that Game 3 of Cavs-Celtics is Friday. Friday! Imagine for a moment if MLB put four days between playoff games. They would be crucified. Ridiculous.

Anyway, today's SN column leads with the reality that LeBron can't wear an MVP award on his finger like a championship ring. The MVP is meaningless -- no matter how much geographic or competitive meaning he wants to assign to it -- without a championship. And, right now, the Cavs are as close to the brink as they have been all season.

I'm sure they will come back, win at least one game in Boston, reclaim HCA and win that series. I still think they fall short of an NBA title.

More in today's column:

*The UVA murder is precisely the kind of subject I don't write about particularly well.

*Maybe that's because I'm busy arguing superficial things like whether the Rockies ace has earned "first-name-only status": Ubaldo!

(It is a prerequisite of FNO status that your name be fairly unique. It's going to be hard for me -- or anyone else -- to earn FNO status with "Dan.")

*Will Leitch's new book about baseball is worth adding to your library. It comes out today. Buy it here. Hopefully, a stand-alone post about it later.

*RIP "FedEx Orange Bowl." I can remember sitting in Bethesda Library researching a paper early in high school about college bowl sponsorships. FedEx was one of the earliest ones.

Complete column here. More later.

-- D.S.

05/03 Quickie: Kobe, LeBron, Borel, More

Apologies for the very very very short post this morning. Lots to cover today in the SN column: Kobe's game-winning moves, LeBron's MVP, the Phillies' back-to-reality moment, Favre-hating and -- of course -- a bit of triumphalism from calling Super Saver in the column on Friday. More later.

-- D.S.

Sunday (Very) Quickie

So much for the Quickie jinx for Super Saver.

So much for LeBron's elbow "problems."

So much for Shane Mosley.

So much for any doubt about Roy Halladay.

So much for Dice-K solving Boston's problems.

So much for Andrew Bynum against the Jazz.

So much for Sean Payton's Super Bowl aura.

-- D.S.

Saturday (Very) Quickie

Thoughts while contemplating my favorite name of a 2010 Derby horse. And this.

*Ever think you'd see Tiger phone it in? Now you have.

*Tough luck for the Thunder. The difference was Durant shooting 5-for-oblivion. I know Durant is universally loved and I know that Ron Artest is arguably the best lock-down defender in the NBA, but if you're over 30, you're allowed to think "John Starks '94."

*The Nuggets are in the same boat as the Mavs: They ain't winning anything, as currently constructed. Implode 'em. Put Dirk in Denver. Put Melo in Dallas. Something...

*LeBron is NBA MVP: Of course he is. Who were the cranks who didn't vote for him?

*My only question about Favre is why he didn't get the ankle surgery -- minor or not -- in February, which would ensure he was all set by July. (Oh, I know why: He's the most selfish player in NFL history.)

*Barry Zito is 4-0. The Mets have won 8 straight. The Nats are 13-10. What's going on here?

*Where was THAT Jaroslav Halak against the Caps in Game 7?

*Holmes vs. the iPod: Anyone else flown next to someone who refused to turn off their iPod or phone when instructed to? It happens to me virtually every time I fly.

*Tebow looked good in his Broncos mini-camp debut. It was funny to watch the local Denver media finally figure out what a mania they have on their hands.

*Derby Day. Be sure to support your local OTB with a $2 flyer.

-- D.S.

04/30 Quickie: Derby, Mavs, LeBron, More

If you're a Seinfeld fan, yesterday's Twitter flash-meme of naming Kentucky Derby horses using Seinfeld references was an amazing distraction during the afternoon. So much so that I led today's SN column with it. I'm torn between the very obscure references and the ones that actually sounded vaguely like something you'd name a racehorse after ("The Boca Breeze").

But it's not like there isn't a ton to talk about today:

*Mavs bounced out. First time a 7 beat a 2 in the NBA Playoffs. But more than that, it's an indication that the Mavs need to be imploded. If Cuban's goal is to win a championship, he isn't going to do it with this group, including Dirk. Here's a scenario: Dump 'em all and make a play for LeBron, who is (and should be) intrigued by playing for Cuban.

*I'd really like to see the Thunder beat the Lakers tonight to force a Game 7. I'd really like to see the Cavs stumble with that LeBron elbow injury (as much as I dislike the Celtics). I'm really surprised that this is Grant Hill's first time beyond the first round of the playoffs.

(I have a soft spot for Grant Hill, who is just a few months older than I am -- back when I turned 37, I think I counted -- at most -- a half-dozen players older than me in the NBA. That block Hill had on Bayless at the end of the 1st half was a turn-back-the-clock moment for all of us oldies.)

*The most intriguing team in baseball? The Diamondbacks, and it has nothing to do with their play on the field and everything to do with their place as a traveling symbol for Arizona's immigration law and the protests surrounding it. Everywhere they go, they will find protests - for now, those protests will get a ton of coverage, which will beget more protests.

*Today's column also has my after-1-month MLB awards: Longoria and Pujols for MVP (over teammates Crawford and Rasmus), Garza and Lincecum for Cy, Maddon and Manuel for Manager... and I leave Rookie blank for now.

There's a lot more in there. Check it out here. More coming later and throughout the weekend, as usual.

-- D.S.

04/29 Quickie: Caps, Bucks, Mets, More

I'm not going to offend Capitals fans by claiming to be a big Caps fan and fully understand the obliteration of last night's loss. But you don't have to be a Caps fan -- or even a hockey fan -- to appreciate the chokery in DC: The first 1-seed to lose a 3-1 series lead in NHL Playoff history.

As I lead in today's SN column, it instantly becomes the defining detail of Alexander Ovechkin's MVP career.

Again, I try to stay away from hockey, because I don't follow the sport closely. But this result transcends hockey into something bigger, particularly because it involves the league's best player -- and one of the biggest stars in all of sports. And it's rough.

More you'll find in today's column:

*Speaking of chokes... the Hawks?

*Does the Mavs season end tonight in San Antonio?

*Suspend Dolphins GM Jeff Ireland?

*The Mets are the new Braves -- and vice versa.

*Tim Lincecum with the ND of the Year

*Hopefully, Tiger will get at least one heckler at Quail Hollow.

See the complete column here. More later.

-- D.S.

04/28 Quickie: NBA Playoffs, NHL Game 7s

It's a pretty intriguing morning in the NBA, I think. Worth leading today's SN column, for sure:

*The plucky Thunder got a lesson in "pivotal Game 5s" from the defending champs. OKC will file that away for when they are hosting a Game 5 down the road. LA in control.

*LeBron's elbow! LeBron's elbow! Meh: Overrated issue, until he takes the floor against the Celtics in Game 1 and the Cavs lose HCA. Otherwise: Let's focus on the dislikability of both teams.

*I think the most intriguing storyline of the night: Was that Dwyane Wade's last game for the Heat? He talks a good game about being loyal -- what else would he say? -- but he also leaves plenty of room for bolting, if it doesn't look like the team is better than a 1st-round/5-game exit. As I said in the column: If your goal is a championship, going out in the 1st round in 5 games is closer to not making the playoffs at all than winning the championship.

*Wizards fans vicariously enjoy a playoff win through Caron Butler (and even Brendan Haywood). Better times ahead for Wiz fans: Ted Leonsis is one step closer to ownership.

Lots more in the column today:

*You can't stop the Mets!
*You can't stop Francisco Liriano!
(Or Livan Hernandez!)
(Or Stephen Strasburg!)
*Jeff Ireland has a new big-detail-in-obit moment.
*Scott Sicko: From NFL novelty to standard UFA.
*I imagine Fred Hoiberg keeping Harrison Barnes in Ames.
*Nothing beats a NHL Playoffs Game 7, especially when it involves the league's best player.

Complete column here. More later.

-- D.S.

On Bill Simmons and Jay Penske

What would Bill Simmons do? Everyone makes this assumption that with Simmons' ESPN contract (nearly) up, he will either (a) take a huge payday to re-up with ESPN; (b) entertain offers from mainstream media competitors like AOL or CBS or Yahoo or Fox; or (c) strike out on his own, as he has intimated and not unlike his buddy Adam Carolla.

I want to go back to something I wrote about a few months ago, because I think that an ultimate option is (d) none of the above.

Instead, watch a recent development in the entertainment and tech news categories: Burgeoning media mogul Jay Penske throwing gobs of cash at successful indie publishers like Nikki Finke and, most recently, Boy Genius Report.

It only makes sense that Penske -- scion of the Penske auto-racing empire -- would want to create his own empire in sports. Penske's Mail Media even owns the ideal sports URL: Fan.com.

And so it would seem to make sense for the LA-based Penske to send an invite to the LA-based Simmons to meet halfway and discuss the kind of deal both seem to want. Penske can offer Bill a few things Simmons would find desirable:

*Tons of money: Penske can afford to pay Bill more than ESPN pays Rick Reilly, commensurate with Bill's status as the most popular sportswriter in the country. Forget the ROI of ad sales; it is reasonable to say that a mere $10 a year iPhone app would more than cover Simmons' annual compensation.

*Equity in his own enterprise: Beyond mere paychecks, Penske can give Simmons a stake in Mail Media -- or an even bigger stake in a spin-off sports property over which Simmons would be given the opportunity to ride the upside.

*Total creative control: It is one thing for Bill to get to write about anything he wants. It is another for Bill to expand on his executive role with "30 for 30" and invest in any project (or talent) he wants. Meanwhile, Penske's team can handle the finances and ad sales.

In this way, it's not unlike Howard Stern's deal with Sirius -- talent not merely as the brand, but as the entire business.

In exchange, Penske gets the biggest individual brand in sports media -- someone who will instantly bring an audience, creative vision and the ability to recruit other talent. Penske's media empire has its biggest star and a platform to be a player in sports media, online or off.

The odds-on result of Simmons' pending free agency is not unlike LeBron's: Rumors of interest elsewhere abound, but ultimately, he will more than likely re-sign with the home team, which has a vested interest (and plenty of resources) to make that happen.

But if Bill is serious about doing something new -- something his -- then no amount of money or responsibility at ESPN (or other mainstream sports media company) will ever totally satisfy him.

And that is an opportunity for Penske -- or any other media-focused investor -- to show Simmons another way.

04/27 Quickie: Howard, Big Ben, NBA

Sorry for the quick entry this morning, riffing on today's SN column:

*Cripes, that's a lot of money to pay for a 36-year-old Ryan Howard.

*Big Ben's acceptance of responsibility? Unimpressive.

*So this means Roy Halladay won't go 30-0, right?

*It's going to be hard to stay up for a 10:30 tip for Lakers-Thunders, but you have to try, right?

*My favorite late-round draft pick: UAB's Joe Webb by the Vikings

*Jan Vesely wouldn't have ignored the NBA draft if he was a college kid.

*Tim Tebow's NFL jersey > Sam Bradford's NFL jersey.

Complete column here. More later.

-- D.S.

04/26 Quickie: Draft Winners, NBA Playoffs

Love the Scott Sicko story. That guy will get more attention for not playing in the NFL than he ever would have for playing in the NFL.

Speaking of the NFL, the Monday after Draft weekend is for the post-mortem: Winners, losers, projections, notable UFAs and more.

As I lead in today's SN column, Pete Carroll is off to a good start; Detroit is starting to look respectable; and Jason Campbell is starting in Oakland.

And even though Tim Tebow won't start in Denver this year, I think he can win Offensive Rookie of the Year, because Josh McDaniels has a vested interest in getting Tebow TDs near the goal-line.

(There's my Monday-morning contribution to the "Tebow exceptionalism" argument I made at the Teblog on Friday to make the point that we should default to his success, not failure.)

I know many of you are gagging on your Wheaties over that prediction, so let's move on...

The NFL hits a hiatus (before mini-camps and, undoubtedly, more Tebow-Mania... and not just by me), just in time for the NBA Playoffs to get really, really interesting:

I am loving this Spurs-Mavs series, with San Antonio on the verge of bouncing out Dallas, the 2-seed. The 5-seed Jazz are on the verge of bouncing out the 4-seed Nuggets. The Suns and Blazers are a total toss-up (particularly given Roy's return), and you can't have watched even a little bit of the Thunder win over the Lakers in Game 4 and not been at least a little bit intrigued that OKC is not going to go down easy.

Oh, and then there's LeBron's triple-double and Wade's 46, for the only reason that Heat-Celtics series is still interesting.

At a minimum, Lakers-Thunder Game 5 is a must-see.

There's a bunch more in the column, including why the Rays are the best team in baseball right now and why Oregon hoops is a tough job, even for the qualified Dana Altman.

Complete column here. More later.

-- D.S.

04/23 Quickie: Tebow, Obviously

Ironically, I don't have a ton to add from last night's post-draft post.

The overall reaction seems to be "What a surprise!" I know I'm impossibly biased, but by yesterday morning, I really didn't see Tebow not getting taken in the 1st round. (Given that I had Tebow going to the Vikings and had heavily discounted him going to the Broncos, I will claim some surprise that it was Denver who got him. I didn't read those tea leaves closely enough, obviously.)

The second most-popular reaction seems to be "What a risk for Josh McDaniels!" I would qualify it as a calculated risk: McDaniels is a QB development guru, so if he thinks he can work with Tebow, I believe he can.

And, in the short term, McDaniels is among the few coaches who I think can creatively design situational plays -- short-yardage or goal-line -- to maximize Tebow's talents. And I think the opportunity is wide open for Tebow to start in 2011.

But the overall vibe is that Tebow was THE story of the Draft last night. Consider that: The 25th pick of the Draft eclipsed not just everyone in front of him, but a draft that was kicked off by a QB being taken with the No. 1 overall pick, usually a lock for "Story of the Draft."

I'm going to dig into all this more on TimTeblog a little later today, but the foreshadowing was in my final tweet last night: Tebow exceptionalism has been proven over and over again. At some point, doubting should become benefit-of-the-doubt. The default should be that he will succeed.

Tebow even influenced the second-biggest storyline of the draft -- Jimmy Clausen's freefall out of the 1st round. It was a study in contrasts, right down to the humiliation of Mel Kiper -- who dogged Tebow for months while putting Clausen as the No. 4 overall pick on his "Big Board."

I'm sure Clausen will go quickly in the 2nd round. Again, this was just a schadenfreudy humiliation -- it's no indication of his future pro success or failure.

More in today's SN column:

*Good morning after for Lions fans. A rare good morning.

*I love the Colts' pick of Jerry Hughes at the end of the 1st.

*Pete Carroll did really well: Solidifies OT and DB.

*That was the best game of Kevin Durant's career.

*That was probably the best game of Derrick Rose's career.

*Ubaldo Jimenez affirms he is an elite starting pitcher.

*I am so underwhelmed by the 68-team tournament (UNLESS they make the play-in game for the 12-seed, which would be kind of awesome).

*Will Elin just divorce Tiger already?

Complete SN column here. More later.

-- D.S.

Tim Tebow Drafted by Broncos

I am still processing the events of the night:

*Tim Tebow was, in fact, a 1st-round NFL Draft pick. Not only that, but he was the only QB taken in the 1st round besides the No. 1 overall pick, Sam Bradford.

*The Broncos are a curious fit: They have Orton and Quinn -- hardly long-term solutions at QB. But McDaniels is a Belichick protege, and Tebow (and Urban Meyer) are Belichick-friendly.

*So I guess I'm a Broncos fan now, hunh? I already got multiple texts from a friend in Denver welcoming me to the fan base. Tebow's Broncos jersey will be a Top 10 seller in the NFL in 2010.

*The biggest loser of the night was not the undrafted Jimmy Clausen -- it was Mel Kiper, who had Clausen ranked as the No. 4 overall prospect of the draft. It is a discrediting moment.

*"Tim Tebow Draft" is the No. 1 most searched term on Google tonight. What a bookend to the "John 3:16" Google domination in January 2009 that convinced Tebow to return to school.

If you want, find more over at TimTeblog.com.

-- D.S.

Tebow Draft Day: Renewed NFL Fandom

Well, everyone knew this was coming: Without a real NFL allegiance -- I think we can all agree the Jaguars thing, um, didn't really work out -- I was always going to adopt the team that drafted Tebow. And, on Tebow Draft Day, here is the post that lays it all out:

Let's start with a confession: I enjoy the NFL -- though not nearly as much as college football -- but I don't have a particular NFL team I root for. I mean: I have my fantasy team. But that isn't the same thing.

This is strange. Everyone should have a favorite NFL team -- it's the most popular sport in the country. It just feels... wrong. I envy the folks with a strong NFL allegiance -- feels like almost everyone has one.

I used to have a team...

The onset of puberty and fan identity happen at roughly the same time. Immersion into your favorite team – into sports more generally – helps to offset the awkwardness of a cracking voice or unsettling sight of hair in weird places; hormones dictate that girls get more interesting – but still socially awkward, you throw yourself into love of your team.

For me, that was the unstoppable 1985 Bears. Growing up in a die-hard Redskins town, I was a Bears fan. On its surface, that was because my dad was a Bears fan – there was an early and powerful father-son connection to be made there. But looking back, there was a deeper interest for me: Displaced fandom made me unique, gave me an identity as a fan. I could be a Skins fan like the rest of ‘em… or the only Bears fan in the school.

At this age, I was an outlier: The more typical path of the emotionally and physically awkward 13-year-old fan is to find a new community – commonality – with other fans around them. Fan identity is incubated in a safe environment – not so for me.

And so I was a Bears fan. I suffered through the Redskins' success (often at the Bears' expense) and reveled in the 1985 domination. When it came time to go to college, I was headed to Northwestern, just outside of Chicago. To be able to root for my favorite football team up close seemed like the best kind of bonus.

As it happened, it didn't quite turn out like I expected. I actually became less of a Bears fan once I got to Chicago -- in part in my immersion into a town of crazy Bears fans. It was like I lost the "unique" part of my fandom that was such a big component of my fan identity.

From there, things atrophied further. In 1997, I actually went to go work for the NFL, and if it wasn't seriously eroded by then, upon the conclusion of my one season with the league, the dissolution of my NFL fandom was complete.

Very briefly, I found a new spark of interest -- the emergence of Kurt Warner, which I think is the most interesting story in NFL history. Once I started writing the Daily Quickie, I obviously was immersed in NFL news, but that didn't do anything for my individual NFL team fandom. I was still lost.

In 2006, I tried an odd experiment: Given the assignment from Deadspin to write the Jacksonville Jaguars season preview, I adopted the Jaguars as my own. They seemed an interesting fit: There aren't many of them out there, and the north Florida location seemed like a pretty good fit with my then-5-year-old Florida Gators fandom.

I tried. I really did. (I also recognize if "real" Jaguars fans were offended by my bandwagon-hopping.) But it just didn't take. I couldn't watch them every Sunday -- hell, even fans in Jacksonville can't watch them on TV every Sunday -- and I just didn't have a passion to keep up with them.

But around the same time -- fall of 2006 -- I recognized almost immediately that Tim Tebow was my favorite football player of all time. That only grew in 2007 -- as I'm sure it did for many people. It compounded in 2008, and -- obviously -- my interest in the subject intensified in 2009.

It was sometime after that first season with the Jaguars -- and first season with Tebow -- that I decided that, ultimately, I was going to end up rooting for whatever team Tim Tebow was drafted to.

If you thought it was odd that my fandom for Florida came when I met my wife -- who was a "real," born-and-raised Gators fan -- it might seem even more odd that I would pick an NFL team based on a specific player.

Maybe that's not the case. I know a lot of fans -- particularly ones I see on message boards -- who care about their college team but don't have a particularly strong NFL allegiance who root for their favorite college players on whatever NFL team they end up on.

Now, that's not the same as being a fan of that team -- whoever is on that team. It is actually the opposite: You are a fan of a team precisely because of who is on that team. This can cause complications.

For example: If Tebow is drafted by the Vikings, I will definitely root for the Vikings and want to watch the Vikings play -- as a function of being a Tebow fan. If things go awry and Tebow ends up on the Patriots in four years, I presume I would stop rooting for the Vikings and pick up rooting for the Pats.

This cannot possibly do anything but make Vikings fans cringe -- I'm not even sure they would want me. Then again, this is the fan base that went from loathing Brett Favre to cheering him in the span of a week; they hardly can claim a problem with someone else's bandwagon fandom.

And so in addition to the next phase of Tim Tebow's career beginning tonight, I look forward to the next phase of my own career as a sports fan -- I'm ready to pick up and root for the team that Tebow plays for, whether the fans of that team want me or not. I will buy the jersey. I will read the coverage. I will watch the games.

Does it matter that my interest is focused specifically on Tebow? I don't think a team's existing fan bases are in a position to be turning away new converts.

Obviously, fandom is not just fundamentally social but also intensely personal.

To that extent, the team's existing fans are hardly in a position to judge the level or intensity or focus of my fandom. (Although I'm sure there will be plenty of judging going on -- much of it not positive.)

But they should count me in.

My transformation -- or, I guess, evolution -- continues tonight. And I get the feeling that there are many folks out there who root for Tebow who will be joining me. He presents a cult of personality unlike any athlete in sports right now. I'm not sure any team's marketing department or existing fans understand that yet.

But they will.

-- D.S.

Quick Note on That ESPN Tebow Column

If you saw that ESPN.com column today about Tebow, there was this:

Tebow was in New York making an appearance for EA Sports, which chose him to be the cover boy of its 2010 NCAA video game, hoping to tap into his folk-hero status. Just across the room waiting to talk to him next sat a blogger who had earlier joked (sort of) to me that he'd secretly hoped Tebow might be persuaded to perform a circumcision on his infant son.

But that should come as no surprise to readers here, who would recognize that from this not-so-secret post back in October 2008. (Although yes, the post was a joke. Sort of.)

04/22 Quickie: NFL/Tebow Draft Day

Well OBVIOUSLY I was going to lead today's SN column with a brief overview of Tim Tebow's draft prospects -- which I've given the shorthand "WWTG?" (Where Will Tebow Go?)

Let's start with this: Unless Ben Roethlisberger is traded, where Tebow goes tonight -- if he goes at all (more on that in a sec) -- will be the No. 1 story of the draft, fairly remarkable if you consider that he is hardly considered a Top 10 (even 1st round) talent.

Speaking of which, the big question is: Will Tebow go in the 1st round? Consider that the conventional wisdom, up until a week ago, was "2nd round" -- and that was considered some kind of inflation. Now, the conventional wisdom is presuming he will go in the 1st, with it being a surprise (if not a shock) if he goes in the 2nd.

More personally, let's also remember that tonight marks the start of a new NFL fan allegiance for me. (More on that later today.)

There's tons more in today's column:
*I love the new draft format, and I think there are all sorts of fascinating unforeseen consequences coming in the 18 hours between 11 pm tonight and 6 pm tomorrow.

*Big Ben: Well the Steelers kind of HAVE to trade him now.

*Roy Halladay: 30 wins or bust!

*I'm briefly but earnestly obsessed with Pete Carroll's Twitter feed.

See the whole thing here. More later.

-- D.S.