8/13 Wednesday Quickie

*Have you signed up for my new email newsletter yet? Sign up here. Launching soon.

*Ballmer takes over as Clippers owner: It's a new era -- and a much, much better one for Clippers fans and the NBA at large.

*Speaking of the NBA, the 2014-15 schedule is released today, and the headliner -- as always -- is who gets to play on Christmas. Cavs at Heat is the headliner -- how many weeks will Dwyane Wade have to rest in order to be ready to play 100% for that one? -- but how about my Wiz tipping things off at MSG?

*Josh Donaldson + Jon Lester isn't just the A's formula to beat the Royals last night; it feels like the A's formula to win at least 2 games per seven-game playoff series.

*I am getting so excited about college football. Over the weekend, I went through the entire schedule, week by week, and came up with a list of the most intriguing/important games. So many, especially with double the number of playoff spots this season. I'll post that next week.

*Only meaningful to me, apparently: I don't understand how Brady Quinn (Miami) and Rex Grossman (Cleveland) can get jobs on NFL rosters and Tim Tebow doesn't even get a sniff.

*Deadspin's Greg Howard is one of my favorite writers of 2014 (earlier this summer, his longread on Jason Whitlock was one of the best pieces of media criticism/analysis/reporting I have read in a while), and this essay on Ferguson will help you understand why.

*SXSW "Panel Picker" launches: In March at SXSW, I produced a great 1:1 conversation featuring Texas Tech head coach Kirk Kingsbury. We've got another panel up for SXSW '15 -- a 1:1 with Baylor's fascinating football coach Art Briles. Learn more (and vote for it?) here.

*One more SXSW panels: I'm moderating a panel featuring ESPN's Marie Donoghue (who runs Grantland and 538, among other things) and NBC Sports Network's Ron Wechsler (who just landed Men In Blazers, among other things), along with longtime industry observer John Ourand of Sports Business Journal. The topic is "The Near-Future of Sports TV," and it should be great. Learn more (and vote for it?) here.

*And one more: My colleague Mike Foss has put together a fascinating panel on the state of the out LGBT athlete in 2015, featuring Jason Collins, Megan Rapinoe and Brittney Griner. That should be a tremendous event. Learn more (and vote for it?) here.

*My USA TODAY Sports colleagues have launched two new fantasy-related products: A brand-new hub for fantasy news and FantasyScore, a new daily fantasy game. Very bullish on daily fantasy.

8/12 Tuesday Quickie

*RIP Robin Williams. As talented of a comedian as there has ever been. The scale and scope -- everyone has a favorite, and mine is Williams' classic performance at the Met.

Among movies, I have the most vivid memories of summer 27 years ago, as a 14-year-old away at summer camp, with me and my bunkmates playing and re-playing the "Good Morning, Vietnam" soundtrack cassette.

Depression is a horrible disease; if you are battling it, please continue to try to get help.

*It is August 12th and the Royals are in 1st place in the AL Central. Amazing.

*Best highlight of yesterday: The old Cubs fan not only reaches over the back of the Wrigley bleachers to snag a ball, but he has the presence of mind to switch the caught ball with a spare, so he can fulfill the "Throw-It-Back" mandate. Watch it here. He is an early contender for Winner of the Week.

*Still taking early-bird sign-ups for my upcoming new email newsletter. Sign up here. I'll be honest: I'm battling competing impulses to formulate it perfectly versus just launching and figuring it out along the way, even if the first (many) editions are a little rough around the edges. They will be anyway!

-- D.S.

Monday 8/11 Rory Buzzfeed Blazers Quickie

*If interested, please sign up for my soon-to-launch new email newsletter!

*Rory wins PGA Championship in the dark. Great quote from Rory to Tom Rinaldi (which I spotted in Sally Jenkins' Twitter feed):

"I learned I can win a major ugly."

What a fabulous thing to learn, right? Especially if you are the most talented golfer in the world, sitting in their mid-20s and seemingly peaking at the perfect time.

We should all be so lucky to learn how to experience the "ugly" conditions but still succeed.

*Buzzfeed gets new $50M investment. At an $850M valuation. The bottom line is that this is a smart, aggressive, ambitious media company with an increasing war chest to do what it wants -- be an independent, public company.

*More media: Men In Blazers jump to NBC Sports. They hinted at it and you knew it was coming -- their leap during the World Cup was too big not to turn it into a bigger deal with a company that was more heavily invested in international soccer than ESPN (which should be credited for incubating -- maybe the more accurate word is accelerating -- MIB into the phenomenon it became). It's a perfect fit for NBC Sports, whose partnership/investment in BPL is a tentpole of its company. Congrats to Bennett and Davies; fwiw, ESPN will be fine.

-- D.S.

8/10 Sunday Quickie

*Would love for you to sign up for my upcoming new email newsletter.

*This Tony Stewart story is tragic and awful -- and not even close to over.

*Johnny Manziel's debut: Not bad! Starter by Week - what? - 5?

*Jason Day's amazing par on the 500-yard No. 2 at the PGA Championship, in 5 GIFs.

*Katie Ledecky is ridiculously good. (She's from my hometown, so I'm partial to rooting for her, but she's quickly shooting up the list of "Greatest Maryland-Homegrown Athletes of All Time," which includes Michael Phelps, Cal Ripken, Kevin Durant, Travis Pastrana and Len Bias.)

*Sunday read: NYT's Michael Powell obliterates Deion Sanders' "charter school."

(My one quibble is Powell's judginess about players transferring schools. That's their prerogative, along with their parents. OTOH, I'm no fan of the cynical prep-hoops factories themselves.)

*Highlight of the night: Pujols walk-off HR in 19th.

-- D.S.

8/8 Weekend Quickie

First: Sign up for my new email newsletter!

*Last summer, NBC Sports' "Ted Lasso" campaign was the single-best promo spot of the year in sports. This year's edition is even better:



*Kevin Durant drops out of USA Basketball's World Cup team. As always, it's his prerogative. But for a hoops-obsessive like Durant, it is a fascinating development (almost as fascinating as his reported $300M deal with Under Armour).

*NFL Preseason: Washington RB Lache Seastrunk showed just enough to make him an intriguing late-round fantasy flier. Same with Chiefs TE Travis Kelce. Hard to get too excited. However: Michael Sam's debut tonight is worthy of national news.

*Jon Lester: 3-hit complete game? Yeah, that's why Oakland paid big.

*"Power Five": This was inevitable -- hard to begrudge the Power Five their... um... power. The lower-end D1 schools will go along, because without the Power Five, the lower-end D1 schools might as well shut down football and save the money. It'll be interesting to see what the Power Five do with their newfound... power.

Sign up for the newsletter! It takes about 10 seconds. I'd love to have you be a part of it.

-- D.S.

8/7 Newletter Quickie

So many things have my attention this morning...

*Announcing a new newsletter: For starters, before I promote it on Twitter, I wanted to let you know that I'm launching an email newsletter -- nothing fancy or formal. Just a place to meander, and hopefully a lot more convenient for you than having to come to this site. Sign up is super-simple. Do it here:

http://tinyletter.com/danshanoff

I'll probably start next week -- perhaps a little later in the month. Give it a try. (I certainly will!)

*Love to Cavs: You can go right ahead and pencil in the Cavs as Eastern Conference champs. It remains to be seen how Love will perform in the playoffs, but he'll have plenty of chances now. (BTW: The T'wolves did just about as well as they could -- Wiggins has superstar upside and, in the short-term, will be so fun to watch catching lobs from Ricky Rubio. Anthony Bennett has very solid upside -- and probably will benefit from a new environment. The future 1st-round pick is a bonus. Minnesota is a swingman away from fielding a very competitive starting five.)

*NFL Now: The NFL launched its new quick-hit video app. The free version is good, but they offer quite a bit for the $2/month upcharge -- if you pay it from September through December ($8 total), you'll get Red Zone (with ability to Airplay it to your TV via Apple TV) and real-time in-game highlights, which feels like a bargain.

*Tilt partners with ESPN: I love this deal. When Venmo first launched, the very first thing I thought of was: "Wow, you could build an entire business on top of Venmo just on friends paying each other fantasy league dues." Naturally, ESPN's brilliant product honcho Ryan Spoon made this happen. Mobile payments were already taking over everything -- you probably paid your dues through PayPal already. This kind of deep integration with ESPN and its huge base of fantasy players/leagues is massive.

*Casper Sleep FTW: Last week, I asked if anyone had any experience with Casper Sleep, the start-up trying to disrupt the mattress industry, sort of the way Warby Parker did with glasses. I liked what I had heard about the company, so we ordered the mattress -- frankly, the biggest move was that after 10 years of marriage, we were finally going from a Queen to a King. It came yesterday and we slept on it last night -- really happy with it. And the price point ($950 for a King) is incredible. I have no relationship with the company -- I'm just a fan. If you want to check it out, feel free to use this link, and if you end up buying, you get a discount and I get a referral. Anyway, then I wake up to a news story that the company just raised $13 million. Excited to watch them grow.

OK, so please sign up for the newsletter if you're interested -- I cannot promise you anything except, as always, I'll try to make it worth your time investment.

-- D.S.

8/6 Wednesday Hammon Quickie

*The Spurs adding Becky Hammon as a coach is the best sports story of the summer.

#HotSportsTip: She will eventually become the first woman head coach in the NBA.

*NFL Preseason: MMQB has a great profile on the next great NFL head coach, Seattle defensive coordinator Dan Quinn.

#HotSportsTip: This time next year, he will be head coach of the Dallas Cowboys.

*Adam Dunn pitched last night, which is amazing.

#HotSportsTip: Follow @70MPHFastball on Twitter, the best way to follow those glorious moments of "position players pitching."

*New MLB commish next week?

#HotSportsTip: Hard not to see it being current MLB COO Rob Manfred.

*I love a good bracket. ESPN.com's "Best Individual College Football Season Ever" bracket is amazing.

#HotSportsTip: I'm partial to Tebow '07, of course, but I'll accept Cam Newton '10 and Barry Sanders '88. (Tebow didn't make it out of the first round, after a rough match-up with Herschel Walker '80.)

-- D.S.

8/4 Monday Quickie

*Took my 2-year-old daughter Lucy to her first-ever MLB game on Saturday night, Nats vs. Phillies at Nats Park. A few notes:

(1) We lucked into seats in the first row behind first base; she became the section mascot.

(2) Phillies 1B coach Juan Samuel threw Gabe a foul ball, which was nice (one of the T-shirt spirit folks also threw him a T-shirt -- sitting in the front is absurd.)

(3) Lucy loved the walk-up songs - early on, she perked up when they played a song she recognized ("Problem") for Ryan Howard.

(4) First in a lifetime of games attended in person for her, I hope.

*Paul George: Just awful. I'm in the "could happen anywhere/anytime" camp, although there is something to be said about USA Basketball's negligence in using a basket stanchion two feet closer to the baseline than typical NBA stanchions (at least in the context of elite NBA players using it).

I think the Pacers have a combination of zero chance of contending and a sympathetic, rabid fan base that allows them to follow a strategy of tanking for a high draft pick, who can combine with George and Hibbert in 2016 and beyond to return the Pacers to "East elite" status.

*Football HOF: To the point I was making about Derrick Brooks on Friday, Spencer Hall does it better.

*Looking ahead to next year's HOF: I personally think Kurt Warner should be a lock 1st-ballot Hall member, but the initial read is that he'll have to wait. Fits his narrative, certainly.

*Brett Favre: Did you think the Packers wouldn't retire his No. 4? Even with his exile at the end, it's one of the most iconic, franchise-defining NFL jerseys of the past 20 years.

*Tiger's back: Getting old sucks.

*Andrew Wiggins: He's going to be so much better off in Minnesota, where the fans will love him and Ricky Rubio will be throwing him lobs.

*Mattress mania: Friday, I tweeted out that I was in the market for a new king-size mattress (heading into our 10-year wedding anniversary, time to finally upgrade from a queen) and was intrigued by Casper, a start-up that wants to do for mattresses what Warby Parker did for glasses (Warby is probably my favorite start-up ever). I ended up making a purchase; it arrives this week. Will keep you updated, but the ordering and customer service so far have been fantastic.

-- D.S.

8/1 August Kickoff Quickie

By the end of the month, you'll have your fantasy football team(s), college football season will have kicked off and perhaps some vacation. Not bad...

*MLB Trade Deadline: Love the moves by the Tigers and A's. Win while you can, especially for two teams qualified by (a) a very old owner and (b) a GM who knows the variance of the postseason.

*Clayton Kershaw is so good that he's probably worth MLB splicing off a "Kershaw pass" on MLB.tv/MLB At Bat to let fans pay to watch his starts. I would.

*Most intriguing MLB game of the weekend: Lester's first start for Oakland, on Saturday.

*Pro Football Hall of Fame: The New Class. Derrick Brooks might be the best college football defensive player I have ever seen. Michael Strahan has been as successful in transitioning to post-career life as any NFL player ever. Ray Guy was long overdue. Andre Reed is very interesting -- he's almost a proxy for the log-jam of worthy receivers who are still waiting to get in.

*Bills-Giants kick off NFL friendlies: Worth tuning into just to see how Sammy Watkins does.

Speaking of friendlies, there's USA Basketball scrimmage tonight at 9 on ESPN, if you need a fix.

-- D.S.

7/31 End of July Quickie

A few notes as I catch up from a brief vacation...

*Wow, the "Kevin Durant to DC" meme went from funny thing on #WizardsTwitter to Real Thing. I think he ends up in DC, fwiw -- I'm not sure any athlete (including LeBron) loves his hometown more than Durant does -- but it's a LONG way off. The take to read is Grantland's Andrew Sharp, and also this FAQ from SB Nation's Mike Prada.

*A's trade for Jon Lester: Cespedes feels like a LOT to give up, doesn't it? Gotta love "championship or fail" by the A's. Flags fly forever, y'all.

*I didn't watch "Sharknado 2" last night, but I did follow the hysteria on Twitter and it allowed me to relate an anecdote from my vacation, about the moment when my two boys were in the water and a shark cruised by, between them and the beach. Unnerving, to say the least!

-- D.S.

Sunday 7/27 Hall of Fame Quickie

I informally keep a running list of my favorite players of all-time, by sport.

In baseball, the list is topped by Ryne Sandberg, then Cal Ripken.

No. 3 is Greg Maddux, who goes into the Hall of Fame today.

"Peak Maddux" is the most remarkable pitcher I have watched in my lifetime ("Peak Pedro" is close, but I hate the Red Sox, so.)

Peak Maddux is what I imagine it was like watching Peak Koufax or Peak Walter Johnson. That is the level Maddux is/was at (although he was better, longer than Koufax by a wide margin.)

A huge part of Maddux's appeal was his average size. He wasn't some kind of hulk like Clemens or giant like Randy Johnson.

Maddux was relatable. He dominated with approach. Typically, "guile" is associated with marginal nibblers - crafty average. Maddux was "power guile," which is just about the best combination you could ask for.

He was brilliant. But he also came across as totally cool - he didn't ooze intensity; it felt natural, as if befuddling hitters and pinpoint mastery of the strike zone was you in the backyard.

Among the highest compliments you can pay a player is that thy were the best of their generation. That's Maddux.

There are other power pitchers, obviously. (In wondering whether we'd see a pitcher as good as Maddux again, King Felix - currently still in his peak -comes to mind.)

But no one combined a mortal look with immortal results like Maddux.

- D.S.

7/22 Tuesday Quickie

*"Cheating pays": Does that count institutions like the Big 12 cheating players out of fair value for their service?

*Tim Tebow's comeback: You know how I feel about this -- he deserves a shot on a team, hysteria be damned. The best fit? Honestly? Cleveland, where the hysteria can't get much more nuts.

*The Orioles affirm that they are for real: Adam Jones.

-- D.S.

7/21 Monday Quickie

*Rory McIlroy: The best detail about his win is that 10 years ago, his dad put down a bet that he'd win a (British) Open title within 10 years.

*Jameis Winston: Does a disservice to every college football player who isn't destined to be a Top 5 NFL pick by insisting that the college scholarship is enough.

*Dota 2: Don't overlook e-sports' entry into the mainstream, with the Dota 2 finals being broadcast on ESPN3/WatchESPN at noon today. Huge potential for ESPN.

*NBA Summer League: As a Wizards fan, I couldn't be happier with the outcome. Beating the Spurs in the playoffs (in triple OT), putting two players on the 1st-team all-Summer (Otto Porter and Glen Rice Jr) and having GRJR win Summer League MVP is as good as it gets for a Wiz fan.

*Carmelo Anthony is a VC: When I founded Quickish in 2010, I was obsessed with the idea of having Steve Nash's VC firm (co-led by the fantastic Mike Duda) invest.

(FWIW: Quickish wasn't the right fit for Nash/Duda's investment thesis, one that I admire, but getting to know the firm was a highlight of the Quickish experience.)

*13 years ago today: First date with Mrs. Quickie. Also recognized as the date my Florida fandom began. So: Not insubstantial, on two fronts!

-- D.S.

Friday 7/18 Weekend Quickie

The Slowest Week of the Sports Year is nearly over...

*Love for Wiggins? Yes, for both sides.

*NFL Draft anywhere but NY? Chicago, please.

*Weekend read: The legend of Tom Emanski.

*Must-see: Kershaw on Sunday night at 8 on ESPN.

-- D.S.

Wednesday 7/16 All-Star Hangover Quickie

*The "Pipe-Shot" Scandal/Non-scandal: Did Adam Wainwright groove that pitch to Derek Jeter in Jeter's 1st All-Star at-bat that he smacked for a satisfying double?

The correct answer is: So what if he did?

Let's give the last word to Jeter: "If he grooved it, thank you.  You still have to hit it.  I appreciate if that's what he did, thank you."

*NBA Summer League Playoffs: Did you enter your bracket into the office pool yet?

*ESPYs: Auburn's "Kick-Six" should win everything.

-- D.S.

Tuesday 7/15 All-Star Lull Quickie

*MLB All-Star: I'll tune in for Jeter's lead-off at-bat, but that's about it. Maybe that's enough.

*Home Run Derby: Similarly, I watched Stanton's jaw-dropping first round, then dropped out. (Yoenis Cespedes is clearly great, but I'll take Jose Abreu, People's Champ.)

*Emmanuel Mudiay skipping college: More power to him. He'll be a Top 3 pick next June whether he spends next year at SMU, in Slovakia or training with Tim Grover.

*Jimmy Graham returns to the Saints: The league's most exciting tight end where he should be.

*SEC Media Day, Day 2: It's the annual highlight -- Steve Spurrier at the podium.

*Chandler Parsons was "offended" by the Rockets: For what? Pursuing Carmelo or Chris Bosh as an upgrade to him, no matter how talented he might be? Faux-outrage.

*World Cup hangover: Would it surprise you to know the Brazil coach is out? I'm surprised it took this long.

*NBA Summer League: If there was a re-draft of the entire league and you were starting a franchise today, the Greek Freak would be a Top 20 pick -- maybe Top 10.

*"Men In Blazers" watch: Not only are they starting a new newsletter, but it has a sponsor, which is a unicorn for newsletters. (The most notable one I know with a sponsor is Mike Allen's Playbook.)

*Last night I took the kids to see our local high school hoops team in a summer league tournament, and Gheorge Muresan was hanging out there. He's the best.

-- D.S.

7/14 Post-World Cup Quickie

*Germany is a worthy World Cup champ. That winner by Gotze was superb.

Don't miss this awesome "One Shining Moment"-style kicker from ESPN:




*Looking ahead to 2018: Gedion Zelalem.

*The unexpected hangover from LeBron's decision to return to Cleveland is that he has almost entirely stayed off the radar, with the SI message being his only thing.

*NBA Summer League: The blueprint for Doug McDermott in the NBA was on display last night -- a bevy of 3s, plus 100% shooting on a dozen FTs.

*Still processing that my Wiz picked up Paul Pierce. The rest of the league really seems to like it, and -- more importantly -- it takes "KD to DC in '16" to the mainstream.

*Home Run Derby pick: Yasiel Puig.

-- D.S.

Extra! Extra! LeBron Returning to Cleveland

*This essay from LeBron -- breaking the news, mind you -- was wonderful. "Pitch perfect" comes to mind.

*"I’m not promising a championship." Thank you. It's not a guarantee, but he'll try. To wit...

*"My goal is still to win as many titles as possible, no question. But what’s most important for me is bringing one trophy back to Northeast Ohio."

Think about that for a second, because it's absolutely spot-on: In LeBron's case, the legacy isn't "more rings than Jordan." It's "rings where they haven't been in forever." Good for him.

*Aside from the fact that the Cavs stand in the way of my Wizards winning the East, it is very easy to root for LeBron and root for a fascinating way this challenge plays itself out.

*And if it inspires Kevin Durant to return to his own hometown in two years to try to bring home a championship, all the better.

*Still: 

-- D.S.

7/11 Friday LeBron World Cup Quickie

*I think LeBron SHOULD return to Cleveland (many/most agree), but it sure looks like he's going to go back to Miami. That'll go over well.

*Then Bosh goes back to Miami (spurning Houston) and Carmelo goes back to New York and whydidweevenbother. Regardless, can NBA Free Agency finally start now?

*NBA Summer League: Tonight's Wiggins-vs-Parker match-up to tip off the Vegas summer league is as good of a Friday night sports-TV option in mid-July as you'll get.

*Actually, it gets better: Start with Wiggins-Parker at 8, then fire up your MLB TV package to watch the A's lineup face King Felix at 10-ish, ducking over to ESPNU at 10:45 or so to watch a replay of the end of the Auburn-Alabama game. That's a VERY solid mid-July Friday night of sports.

*Let's get to it: Germany over Argentina on Sunday in the World Cup final. Netherlands over Brazil on Saturday in the 3rd-place game. Wow, has the past month been a lot of fun. See you in '18.

-- D.S.

7/9 Wednesday 7-1 Hangover Quickie

*Germany 7, Brazil 1: There has not been a more fascinating blowout in the history of sports.

*Ian Darke and Steve McManaman were brilliant -- it's a lot harder to keep up sincere disdain during a throttling than keep up sincere enthusiasm during a taut match.

*Netherlands over Argentina in PKs.

*Cavs free up money to make max deal for LeBron: He's gotta go to Cleveland.

*I'm dabbling with a new feature -- it's a guide to what's worth watching in sports today. Check it out.

(No, this isn't a prelude to the newsletter -- that'll be separate... and more like this.)

-- D.S.

7/8 Tuesday World Cup Semi Quickie

*Brazil-Germany (4 ET today) should be phenomenal. Brazil (playing without Neymar) is in "win-or-fail" territory; the Germans aren't too far off.

Put simply: Losing to Brazil in Brazil wouldn't be as bad for Germany as losing to Germany in Brazil would be for Brazil. But Germany should rightfully be considered the favorite.

*NBA Free Agency: Really enjoyed this piece on the NBA's Trade Rumor Era from Grantland's Bryan Curtis. He downplays two things I think about a lot:

(1) The commodification of the actual news scoop itself (which is why the rumor and the post-scoop analysis is so valuable), and (2) the overarching power of Twitter in all this -- Woj, Stein, Broussard, Amick and the rest are all really working for Twitter, not Yahoo or ESPN or USA TODAY Sports.

(Now, the commodification of the scoop means that putting it on Twitter is OK, as long as you have some sort of native context ready to go; everyone else will, off the scoop. But be clear that the news outlet reaping the most benefit here is Twitter -- more power to 'em.)

Otherwise, I'd like to see Chris Bosh take the power back and make the first move here, signing with the Rockets. (Don't know why he wasn't the Rockets' first move anyway.)

That would force LeBron to seriously reconsider any notion of wanting to re-sign with Miami, instead heading to, say, Cleveland. Dwyane Wade is left with Josh McRoberts and Danny Granger.

(The other option, as has been speculated, is that if Chris Bosh leaves Miami for Houston, then Carmelo vaults from "NY or LA?" to joining LeBron in Miami.)

*Missed this yesterday: Love DirecTV's idea of creating a "Fantasy Football Red Zone." I had always considered Red Zone pretty fantasy-football-oriented as it was, but it has a lot of potential.

(It'll be interesting to see if the NFL's cable version of Red Zone Channel -- hosted by the incomparable Scott Hanson and my preferred Red Zone -- ups its fantasy quotient.)

7/7 Monday 4th Hangover Quickie

*The whole "LeBron back to Cleveland" thing is enticing/amusing only because it represents the ideal ending to his free-agency situation.

*It would also trigger the dissolution of the Big Three -- Chris Bosh would realistically relocate to another contender, like Houston.

*Carmelo to LA is just sort of... well, OK. (It's more intriguing than him staying in New York.) A team with Kobe and Carmelo would be fun to watch, at least.

*MLB All-Stars: It's hard to fathom that Chris Sale wasn't picked and must rely on the "Final Vote" (a gimmick I have always loved, btw) -- he'll win the AL slot easily.

Otherwise, it's really hard to begrudge the fans their picks. (The reserves? OK, folks seem to have a quibble or few, but as long as Jose Abreu is on the roster, I'm fine.)

*World Cup: Germany-Brazil-Netherlands-Argentina might represent a dream final foursome, but it would have been more fun had Costa Rica crashed the semifinals. As it stands, no fan base (aside from the champ's) will be more satisfied with how the tournament played out than Costa Rica fans.

*Not much to say about the NBA's Orlando Summer League, except Nerlens Noel's debut was awesome enough for me to go back to lamenting m Wiz passing him up to draft Otto Porter.

*Josh Gordon is your new No. 1-ranked "best athlete to really screw things up." Hope he gets help.

-- D.S.

7/2 Wednesday USMNT Hangover Quickie

*It was fun while it lasted. I think most people are bummed more because the ride is over, not because we actually lost. And that's totally OK. In fact, that was the inevitable feeling.

*Can't say enough about Tim Howard. (And can't lament enough that missed shot by Wondo with just minutes to play in regulation.)

*The big question: What changes? I think our expectations for 2018 change -- we're now in the "quarterfinals or bust" tier, which is not necessarily ideal (see Spain, Italy, England).

*I'm not sure we see a surge in popularity of soccer in the US -- more people caring about MLS, more people caring about Premiership. Maybe more interest in USMNT games like the Gold Cup.

*This wasn't about soccer, per se. This was about socialization. Not in a "social media" sense -- in the sense that this had so many unique conditions that made this work as an "Everyone Cares" event:

(1) Total dominance of the sport -- no other sports on the radar... (2) uber coverage/access from ESPN... (3) it lent itself to social viewing: midday games... (4) soccer is super-easy to comprehend.

*The thing that made it so amazing -- the Togetherness -- is also what makes it unlikely to be either sustainable or something that advances the sport, itself, by a step function in the U.S.

*That doesn't diminish how amazing the past few weeks have been. Soccer snobs ("real" fans) might not like to hear it, but the non-fan Bandwagon is precisely why this was as huge as it was.

*The nation of bandwagoneers are the team to be celebrated, even if they don't pay attention for another four years.

-- D.S.

6/30 Monday Quickie

*I'm a huge fan and avid consumer of email newsletters. For most of this year, I've been thinking around the idea of starting one, largely to replace writing here (I'd republish everything here anyway).

*The reason it's on my mind is because the NYT's David Carr is a similar newsletter fan and wrote about it today. If you aren't familiar, you should give it a read.

*FWIW, here are a few on my list:

Daily
*Jason Hirschhorn's MediaREDEF (media + tech + pop culture)
*Quartz (media, technology, business)
*NiemanLab (media and news)
*Alexis Madrigal's "5 Things" (serendipity)
*SB Nation's "Good Morning, Let's Basketball" (NBA)
*The Wire (news-feature discovery)
*Product Hunt (start-up discovery)
*American Press Institute (media and news)
*StrictlyVC (venture capital deals)
*Dan Primack's Term Sheet (VC news)
*The Skimm (clever news digest)
*Skift (Not even for its news on the travel-industry but as a model for how email newsletters can work.)

The ones I open most frequently/reliably are the ones where I'm not already getting their links on Twitter. For example, I love REDEF and NiemanLab, but some days, I don't need to open them because they are two of the Twitter feeds I pay most close attention to. Madrigal's "5 Things" probably gets my most reliable daily open, because he doesn't necessarily tweet out those links.

Weekly
*Benedict Evans (mobile industry)
*Monday Note (media)
*TheWirecutter and TheSweetHome

Paid
*Joe Sheehan's Baseball Newsletter

(That last one should be interesting to anyone who aspires to turn an email newsletter into a paid-subscriber-based business, as Jason Hirschhorn does.)

*I wish very much that 10 years ago I had focused more on turning the Daily Quickie into a daily newsletter -- to be honest, the technology to do it has been less-than-easy. That includes MailChimp, which I looked into when Quickish launched. TinyLetter feels like the closest thing to frictionless.(It's worth noting that TinyLetter is a product of MailChimp -- a very smart little productization.)

*I know Hirschhorn's basic business model is to develop a couple of high-audience vertical newsletters, then sell subscriptions to get them, but I think his ultimate upside is opening REDEF's platform to let anyone create a paid-subscriber newsletter, then taking a percentage of that revenue.

*I know it'll seem derivative and herd-following, but don't be surprised if I spark up a daily email newsletter in the weeks after the July 4th weekend.

-- D.S.

6/29 Sunday Quickie

*Impossible not to feel for fans of Chile. That was as loaded of a sports event as you'll ever watch.

*If Jason Kidd is a fool (and he is), then what does that make the Bucks for wanting to hire him?

*Guess Miami's Big Three is sticking together at a discount. More power to 'em.

-- D.S.

6/27 Friday Draft Hangover Quickie

*It doesn't matter how the US advanced at the World Cup -- only that it advanced, period. There is no such thing as "backing in" or "too close for comfort." Just ask Spain or Italy or England.

*NBA Draft picks I liked:
- Nurkic and Harris to the Nuggets
- Embiid to the Sixers
- Vonleh and Hairston to the Hornets
- McGary to the Thunder
- Kyle Anderson to the Spurs
- McDermott to the Bulls

*NBA Draft picks I didn't like:
- Gordon to the Magic
- LaVine to the T'wolves
- Caboclo to the Raptors
- The Wizards selling their pick
- That no one drafted Patric Young

Fun weekend of World Cup knock-out games ahead.

-- D.S.

Thursday 6/26 USA! Draft Day! Quickie

*Typically, NBA Draft day would be one of my favorite days of the year. This year, it's eclipsed by today's US-Germany game, which will obliterate all known viewing records (especially streaming).

*Prediction: The US advances to the next round. That's all that matters, really. The "how" is kind of incidental -- would you really be THAT bummed if the US lost to Germany but still advanced?

*Personally, I think that the "collusion draw" is going to be the result -- even if no one ever admits to the "collusion" part. If you want a binary pick, I think we are more likely to lose than win.

*However! The conditions necessary for Portugal or Ghana to advance ahead of us if we don't win or draw are fairly severe -- it would take Portugal lighting up a Ghana in disarray... wait, what?

*Anyway, keep in mind the upshot: All that matters is advancing, full stop.

*Meanwhile, the NBA Draft! And every indication is that it could get kind of wild -- the Cavs could trade the top pick?! Where does Joel Embiid go?! Who do my Wizards draft at 46?!

*Restating from a few days ago: I'm very bullish on Dante Exum and not bullish at all about Jabari Parker.

*Yesterday's trade action was an appetizer -- Tyson Chandler back to Dallas prob'ly means the Mavs are making a serious run at Melo... and the Knicks are hitting the re-set button.

(Here's my Knicks theory: They are going to sign Pau Gasol, then use Pau to entice brother Marc to sign next summer.)

*And then the Rockets -- trying to clear cap space of their own for a run at Carmelo (or, less likely to work, LeBron) -- traded Asik to New Orleans. Houston gets more flexible; NOLA gets better.

*All that doesn't even consider Tim Lincecum's no-hitter, the second of his career. Hard to argue that Lincecum isn't the most fascinating pitcher of the post-Maddux/Clemens/Big Unit era.

6/24 Mexico Uruguay Italy Quickie

*Mexico's coach is so totally going to win the World Cup's "One Shining Moment" montage.

*Italy-Uruguay is going to be a phenomenal match today at noon.

*US hangover: My colleague Mike Foss thinks the US will beat Germany. I think that if they don't broker a draw, Germany wins 1-0, Portugal wins 4-2 and the US advances anyway, on goal differential.

*In every other year, I'm obsessed with the NBA Draft. This year, between the World Cup and the fact that my Wizards aren't in the first round, I'm slightly more passive.

But only slightly. I'm very high on Dante Exum, fairly high on Noah Vonleh and Gary Harris, still high on Joel Embiid, modestly bullish on Andrew Wiggins and not bullish at all on Jabari Parker.

*Carmelo will end up in... Chicago. (And if the Bulls can grab Afflalo from Orlando for a draft pick...whew.)

-- D.S.

Monday 6/23 USMNT Gut-Punch Quickie

*It is a measure of how much soccer matters now in the U.S. that we all were so battered by last night's finish/result.

*It is OK -- even preferable -- to feel dejected (the last second!) or dissatisfied (Bradley!), as opposed to feeling nothing. (Obviously, it would have felt infinitely better to have won.)

*Rationally, I get the whole "If we were the team to tie it up 2-2 in the last second, this would be the greatest moment in US soccer history." I get that 4 points through 2 games is pretty good.

*But it's hard to get over the fact that the game and its impact -- the three points, the guaranteed spot in the knockout round -- were ours, right there.

*Looking ahead to the game with Germany, we have plenty of pathways to get through: Beat Germany, draw with Germany, if Ghana and Portugal tie, if we lose closely but Ghana only wins by a goal, if we lose closely but Portugal only wins by less than 3 goals.

*It does befuddle me a little why the US wouldn't collude with Germany to tie the game, guaranteeing that both teams go through.

*The goal of the group stage -- at least for the US -- is to get out of the group stage. Not to maximize our points. Not to win stylishly. To survive and advance.

*Teams take different approaches to games with the bigger picture in mind all the time -- they rest starters, they try less aggressive tactics.

*In short: They do things that decrease their chances of winning in the short term in order to maximize their chances of winning the larger prize. (Shorthand: You don't play to win the game; you play to win the title.)

*In that respect, it's not unreasonable to evaluate that "Golden Draw" option -- in the same way that yesterday's 2-2 was felt as a sort of loss, a draw on Thursday would be the sweetest of victories.

*It all comes back to this: That we can even feel this way at all -- the dejection, the hope, the bracket-bending scenarios -- is the best sign yet of the ascendance of the sport in the U.S.

-- D.S.

6/20 Friday/Weekend Quickie

*Uruguay-England was everything you could want a World Cup match to be: Epic stakes for both teams, huge moments for the biggest stars, dramatic victory (and equally dramatic defeat). Bravo.

*Today's Best: Italy-Costa Rica, with the winner advancing to the knockout round... Switzerland-France for supremacy of Group E... Honduras-Ecuador in a loser-is-out match.

*Joel Embiid's foot injury: I would still take him first overall, and sit him for the entire year, getting his body prepared for the rigors of a long, healthy NBA career.

Maybe the Cavs prioritize being 8th in the East in 2015 over having the center with the most potential since Tim Duncan for the 10-15 years after that, but I wouldn't.

(Now, it's possible that the Bucks and Sixers don't think they NEED him -- that John Henson or Nerlens Noel are their bets on the future in the post and Wiggins/Parker are more needed. Fine. But not Cleveland.)

*Kevin Love to Golden State for Klay Thompson et al? I get Thompson's star potential, but he goes from wide-open shots courtesy of Stephen Curry to being the focus of defenses.

(I'd take Boston's bevy of first-round picks -- hell, Minnesota could end up with Embiid at No. 6, which would be a franchise-changer -- plus Olynyk or Sullinger or both.)

*Mark Emmert vs. Ed O'Bannon: Needless to say, Emmert's argument fell so flat, it's time to start thinking about what NCAA 2.0 looks like.

-- D.S.

6/19 Thursday No-No Quickie

*Clayton Kershaw throws 15K no-no: As good of a game as has ever been pitched (technically, by Game Score, the 2nd-best ever, but that's quibbling) for one of the few pitchers right now where you are watching and saying "Future Hall of Famer."



*Spain ousted from World Cup: THE headline so far -- the defending World Cup champs KO'ed earlier than any defending champ in WC history. (Meanwhile: Great scene-setting in Chile from Wright Thompson.) Oh, and Mexico-Croatia is pretty much a knockout-round play-in game.

*Today's Best: Uruguay-England at 3 ET is a knock-out game for the loser. Colombia-Ivory Coast at noon is a great way to start the day, between the two teams sitting atop Group C. (The other Group C game -- Japan-Greece -- is a knock-out game for the loser, also. Not quite as pressure-packed as Uruguay-England, of course, but still. Knock-out is knock-out.)

*Redskins lose trademark protection: At this point, the name-change is an inevitability, even if the timeline is in years, not months. The ruling is more symbolic than anything else, but yet another signal (perhaps the biggest yet) that the name can't stand.

-- D.S.

6/18 Wednesday Quickie

*Memo Ochoa is the MVP of the World Cup so far.

*Today's must-see game: Spain (in a must-win) vs. Chile at 3 ET.

*Should LeBron stay in Miami or leave? The answer is that he should stay in Miami if he had near-complete confidence the team can be constructed to remain a title contender. (Given that Wade is only going to decline further, he should not have that confidence and, thus, shouldn't stay. The problem: Where, exactly, could he go to satisfy that condition?)

*The Royals in 1st is the most delightful development of the MLB season.

*So many wonderful remembrances of Tony Gwynn. This one from his former bat boy, via Deadspin, is really amazing.

*The "Bitcoin Bowl" is absurd, even for bowl names and even for the bitcoin frenzy.

*So sad to hear of the passing of ESPN Dallas' Richard Durrett. He was only 38. Terrible.

-- D.S.

Tuesday 6/17 USA! USA! Quickie

What an ending. This video does it justice:


-- D.S.

6/16 Duncan Dynasty Quickie

*"Spurs in 5" is my best prediction in a decade -- and almost makes up for picking "Lakers in 4" on Around The Horn 10 years ago.

*It is hard to argue that any franchise has had a better run since the 1960s Celtics than the Spurs from 1999-2014 (yes, that includes the Bulls from 91-98 or the mid-80s Lakers).

*It wasn't merely that the Spurs won their 5th title of the Duncan Era -- it was HOW they did it. They obliterated the Heat, as if Miami was a Lottery team. That is astonishing.

*Is there any reason to not install the Spurs as the favorite to win next year's title? (Better question: Talent aside, why doesn't EVERY coach study Pop's system for ways to adopt it?)

*Best thing I've read last night/this morning on the Spurs: ESPN.com's Kevin Arnovitz on how the Spurs' system works.

*Go go USA. (Prediction: Draw.)



-- D.S.

Thinking of Ralph Wiley Today

Just tweeted this out, but collected them here:

*10 years ago today, the all-time great Ralph Wiley passed away. In the decade since, his voice and his brilliance have been so missed.

*I was lucky enough to hit in the early-00s Page 2 lineup where RW "bat cleanup" - being his colleague remains a personal/career high point.

*This is what I wrote in the wake of his passing.

*And if you haven't read Wiley's "Why Black People Tend to Shout" or "Serenity" yet, here's an Amazon link.

*In the meantime, enjoy Wiley's Page 2 archive. Here is a page of memories from colleagues.

*When I first launched the Quickie, I asked Ralph for any critiques. The last bit of his reply remains printed out and carried in my wallet:

"Feedback matters, but in the end, it's you against your standards ... if you hit that mark, you can live with what everybody else thinks."

*His final column carried this lead: "All a man's got is the integrity of his work." Ralph, you are so missed.

-- D.S.

Here is the full text of the first few items of that Daily Quickie column:

Two Words For You:
BATS.  CLEANUP.

"Bats cleanup ... for Page 2."
 
That's the tagline phrase at the bottom of Ralph Wiley's Page 2 columns, and it was always the last thing I read after engulfing whatever his latest column was. It's his baseball metaphor, so I'll run with it:

The cleanup hitter is the heart of the order. Ralph brought the heart of Page 2. And its soul. Its brains and its brawn. Its conscience and consciousness.

The cleanup hitter brings the players in front of him home and sets the table for the ones behind him. With his unmatched combination of voice and insight, clarity and style, and -- most of all -- his passion, Ralph made Page 2, its contributors and its readers better.

(II.) HIS PAGE 2 WORK
When young writers ask me for advice about how to get better, I send them the link to Ralph Wiley's Page 2 archive.

When budding bar pundits want to talk ESPN.com or Page 2 with me, my litmus test is Ralph; similar to how my editor Kevin Jackson feels, if people don't see the genius, I have no interest or reason to keep talking with them.

See "Q It Up" for a link to his Page 2 Archive, which is worth book-marking and re-reading any time you want to read the best sports columnist -- online or off -- of the last four years.

(III.) HEAD TO HEAD
Ralph and I went head-to-head for Page 2 only once -- "head-to-head" is overstatement, actually:

He wrote a column on why the NBA is better than college hoops:

I came up with the bright idea to take him on with why college hoops is better than the NBA.

I guess I thought I was pretty smart ... maybe even knew my stuff ... R-Dub proceeded to file a "last-word" column, taking each of my arguments -- point by point -- and just crushing them.

It was, to say the least, an education. No, more like a K.O. But a badge of butt-kicking I continue to wear with pride.

(IV.) FROM COLLEAGUES
 Passion ... generosity of spirit ... big-hearted... tried to make everything smarter... a giant in our industry... important.

From Bill Simmons to Mike Lupica, the way Ralph's colleagues described him is really just an inkling of the admiration and respect for a writer and man who was confident and passionate enough to return those feelings to all of us.

6/13 Father's Day Weekend Quickie

*"Spurs in 5" might turn out to be my best prediction in years. It almost makes up for my "Lakers in 4" that I spouted on Around The Horn the day the 2004 Finals started.

*The past two games should end any discussion that the NBA's post-Jordan time period since 1999 should be known as anything but the "Spurs dynasty" or the "Duncan dynasty."

*Brazil's tepid start: That iffy call by the ref in the box is a nice foreshadowing for the rest of the tourney.

*Today's must-see: Spain vs. Netherlands at 3 pm ET. Quality you would see in a World Cup semifinal. Both will likely advance, but the battle for "B1" likely pivots on the result of today's game.

*Happy Father's Day to all the dads -- including my own dad. I'll stick with what I said last year: I'm not close to being the dad that I aspire to be, but I'll keep working at it.

-- D.S.

6/12 World Cup Quickie

*I definitely classify as someone who isn't as much of a soccer buff as I should be, but someone who really gets into the World Cup. Really looking forward to the next month of daily games to watch.

*I'm going Occam's Razor here and picking Brazil to win it all, over Uruguay in the finals -- which would, partly, exorcise the ghosts of 1950.

*Other semifinalists: Germany (which will lose to Brazil after some highly suspicious refereeing) and Argentina (which will lose to Uruguay in an epic semifinal battle).

*Other quarterfinalists: Spain (which will lose to Uruguay), Colombia (which will notably beat England in the knockout round), Switzerland (the Swiss!) and Belgium (bandwagon!)

*Eight other teams making it to the knockout round: Croatia (A), Netherlands (B), Greece (C), England (D), Ecuador (E), Bosnia (F), Portugal (G), Russia (H).

*Of course, that means I am predicting that the US will NOT make it out of the group stage -- if they were in another group, very possible.

*But I'll certainly be rooting for the Yanks to beat Ghana and somehow tie Portugal (before the inevitable loss to Germany), sneaking into 2nd place in the group.

Enjoy the tournament!

-- D.S.

6/11 Spurs Quickie

*That Spurs 1st quarter was among the most effective quarters of basketball you'll ever see.

*This Cespedes throw from the deep outfield (after bobbling away the ball!) to home plate is one of the greatest throws you will ever see.


*This Deadspin piece by Greg Howard about my one-time Page 2 colleague Jason Whitlock is one of the greatest pieces of media reporting and analysis you will ever see.

*World Cup: This piece by Grantland's Brian Phillips -- "The Soul of Brazilian Soccer" -- is one of the best pieces of soccer writing you'll get this month -- or any.

Can't wait for the World Cup to start tomorrow.

-- D.S.

Must-See: The John Oliver Video About FIFA

This segment from John Oliver about FIFA is as good as everyone is saying today:



And then there's this one -- sort of affirming Oliver's final point -- from Nike:



-- D.S.

6/9 Monday LeBron Quickie

*OK, so maybe "Spurs in 5" was misguided. Game 2 was the difference between "no LeBron in the final 2 minutes" of Game 1 and "Yes, lots of LeBron in the final 2 minutes."

(And that pass into the corner to Bosh for the game-winning 3? Go figure: The same "right basketball play" he was pilloried for when Bosh missed the shot against Indy.)

*California Chrome denied: It's easy to feel for Chrome's owner, but he managed to rip/steal the storyline from his horse, with his griping.

*Rafael Nadal: Best ever? It's hard to imagine we could so swiftly be moving from "Federer: Best ever" to someone that would replace him. But isn't it amazing that we can have that discussion?

*I'm not a fan of "why doesn't he/she play the game 'the right way?'" scolds -- but I also think that acts of retribution (or whatever it was) like the one by Manny Machado are dumb, because he could have injured the player and his (likely) suspension will hurt his team.

-- D.S.

6/6 Friday The Cramp Game Quickie

*It is absurd to ding LeBron in the least for cramping up last night. (But it is shocking that it happened.)

*It was absolutely compelling to watch him sit on the sidelines. There was zero schadenfreude (maybe from others, but not from me).

*Unlike LeBron, the conditions in the arena were pathetic and worthy of our mockery. The Spurs should be embarrassed.

*With a full-strength LeBron -- which I'm sure we'll see in Games 2-Whatever -- I'm not sure the Spurs win that game. Nevertheless: 1-0.

*Will California Chrome win the Triple Crown? Prediction: Yes.

-- D.S.

6/5 Thursday NBA Finals Quickie

*Spurs in 5.

*Lots of great World Cup ads already released, and this one by Beats might be the best yet:


*OK, maybe Rangers in 7 wasn't the best pick -- but I stand by it!

-- D.S.

6/4-5 "50" Quickie

*Super Bowl "50": Bigger "50" issue this week: 50 Cent's first pitch... or the NFL ditching Roman numerals for Super Bowl "50" (presumably because "L" directly correlates to vividly to "loser").

*Colin Kaepernick: Worth the record-breaking (guaranteed) price tag? Sure! (Just makes you wonder what Russell Wilson is going to get -- let alone Andrew Luck. And why Marcus Mariota would push off by a year the ability to cash in like Kap just did.)

*All-NBA: Forget the usual suspects like LeBron, KD and CP3 -- the breakthrough is Joakim Noah making 1st-team all-NBA. What a spectacular talent.

(OK: How many 1st-team all-NBA players also won a college hoops national title? If you go back 40 years, the list is VERY short: Noah, Jordan, Grant Hill, Ewing, Magic, Isiah, Walton, Kareem.)

*World Cup lead-up: The more I read about Jurgen Klinsmann (in the NYT here and WSJ here), the more I like his style.

*Rangers in 7.

-- D.S.

5/30 Weekend Quickie

*That Spelling Bee finish was amazing. I stand by my tweet from mid-event: After all that, to not let the two competitors keep going to find a winner feels like short-changing them; they might as well give trophies to all three finalists before they run through the 25 "championship" words. All that said, I'm thrilled for both of them and their families/friends. Best Bee ever!

*Ballmer buys Clippers? For starters, "Anyone But Sterling" was always going to be superior to Sterling. That it's one billionaire vs. another? Eh. That $2B pricetag? I don't see it as absurd -- not given escalating franchise values and the motherlode of TV rights coming up for NBA teams, including the Clippers.

Will it be the same ROI as it would be for an owner who bought a team for a mere $250M-400M? (Here's why that question is moot: Ballmer isn't buying it as an investment or to flip it; this is a "forever house." That his heirs will one day be able to sell the team for 2x or 5x or 10x that $2B number is largely inconsequential, although the reality is that they will.)

*"Peak Duncan." We've been talking about "peak" performances all week in the NBA Playoffs -- "peak LeBron," "peak Westbrook." Then there's "peak Duncan," which began in 1997 and hasn't really ended since, including last night's dominance -- what a great series.

*Rangers back in Stanley Cup Finals. I love the post-series handshake and the playoff beards as sports traditions -- they are both in the Top 10, across all sports -- but I really love the tradition where the conference champ doesn't touch the conference-champ trophy. Cup or bust -- gotta love that.

-- D.S.

5/29 What The LeBron Quickie

*Lance Stephenson blowing into LeBron's ear pretty much captured LeBron's not-so-quite-peak night, what with the grand total of 7 points (mostly because of the atypically volumnious fouls).

*One thing that is not in question: LeBron made exactly the right play at the end of the game, finding a wide-open Chris Bosh for what would have been a lead-taking 3. That it didn't go in is unfortunate for the Heat, but has nothing to do with whether it was the right play.

*Meanwhile, Paul George -- from that last shot of the 3rd quarter through his dominant 4th -- was as impressive a 12-minute-1-second display as we have seen this year.

*2OT playoff hockey is the best kind of playoff hockey.

*Spelling Bee finals tonight! One of the best sports events of the year -- I'll continue to insist that these 8-to-12-year-olds display more cool under pressure (not to mention dedication to preparation) than any "adult" pro athlete.

-- D.S.

5/28 Westbrook Quickie

*"Peak Westbrook": Yesterday, we were talking about "peak LeBron" -- today, it's "peak Westbrook."



*"Johnny Middleseat": Doesn't it say more about his character than anything else that he sucked it up and stuck with the middle seat, rather than try to bribe the window-seat passenger to switch?

*Serena and Venus both KO'ed from French Open: There goes any reason to watch.

-- D.S.

Tuesday 5/27 LeBron Quickie

*Last night was "peak LeBron" on display. The only thing that can stop the Heat is the Spurs.



*An injury to Yordano Ventura would eclipse the residual feel-goods from Josh Beckett's no-hitter.

*I suppose the fan world divides into two camps: The tiny vocal minority that thinks it's an issue that Johnny Manziel was in Las Vegas, and the massive majority whose universal reaction is "And?"

*Best moment of the weekend, arguably: The announcers for Queens Park Rangers going bananas when the team scored in the 90th minute to put QPR back in the Premiership.

*On the other side: You've got to feel for fans of Atletico Madrid -- that's way (way) worse than the 2003 moment when the Yankees blew the 3-0 ALCS lead to the Red Sox.

*I don't watch enough auto racing -- both the F1 race in Monaco and the Indy 500 were awesome.

-- D.S.

5/23 Memorial Day Weekend Quickie

*Landon Donovan left off USMNT World Cup squad: Jurgen Klinsmann knew exactly what he was doing -- leaving off Donovan was deliberate, tactical, remorseless. The message is "'18, not '14."

Bill Barnwell had an immediate reaction that felt right: If the US falls short (and they will), the entire discussion will be "What if Landon was playing?"

*NBA Playoffs: By the time we get to Tuesday, it'll be Heat 3-1 and Spurs 3-0. (Hate the lull with no games last night and tonight -- after the nightly pace, it was a sudden withdrawal.)

*Prince Fielder: Bad contract or the worst contract? (Can't be worse than Ryan Howard, but up there.) Fielder had been durable throughout his career; reminder about the dominant role of chance.

*Phrase to know: "Let the games began" (V. Stiviano, via the LA Times)

*Weekend read: "Bedtime Stories for Catherine," from ESPN's Wright Thompson

*Congrats to my pals at FTW for winning "Best Mobile Site" from Digiday at their awards show last night.

-- D.S.

5/22 Spurs Dynasty Quickie

This feels like the moment when everyone finally gets on board with how amazing these Spurs are -- and have been since the dawn of Duncan.

It is Tim Duncan -- not Shaq or Kobe or LeBron -- who deserves to have an entire era named after him. The NBA from 1999-2014... "The Duncan Dynasty."

It's not just the titles, although that is typically how we ultimately measure success. The Spurs should have had another last year and seem hell-bent on rolling to one this year.

They are dispatching the Thunder in this series like OKC was a nuisance; what's going to happen in two weeks when they play a team they actually feel viscerally angry about?

It feels like only now that the vast majority of fans are finally recognizing that the Spurs are iconic. This "Big Three" trumps Miami's version, and it's not even close.

Gregg Popovich trumps Phil Jackson -- and possibly/probably any other coach in NBA history (although as with Phil, it's hard to know how much is the coach and how much is the all-time talent).

Sure, the roster is anchored by one of the Top 10 players of all time and bolstered by two of the greatest draft steals ever (three, if you count Kawhi Leonard).

But it's hard to think of a team in NBA history as well-oiled as these Spurs are -- and have been, for a generation. Maybe since Showtime -- the Spurs are on track to match those 5 titles.

The Spurs don't clamor for your attention, recognition or respect -- that has simply become a byproduct of staggering success.

-- D.S.

PS: Thanks to Tony Reali, Aaron Solomon, Erik Rydholm and the folks at the Around the Horn/PTI/Highly Questionable HQ for hosting me yesterday on the 10th anniversary of my ATH debut.

5/21 Lottery Hangover Quickie

*Ten years ago today, I made my debut on "Around the Horn." That's surreal on several levels.

*The Cavs winning the NBA Lottery is the lamest outcome. I'm sure they will take Wiggins, but they should take Embiid, even with the injury risk; let him sit out all next year to get better.

*After last night, any lingering doubts about whether the Heat will roll over the Pacers?

-- D.S.

5/20 Lottery Quickie

*I have become so conditioned -- institutionalized -- to get excited for the NBA Draft Lottery (aka "our playoffs" for Wizards fans) that it's weird to not be involved tonight.

This year's edition has at least three (but I'd argue five) potential franchise-changers: Andrew Wiggins, Jabari Parker and Joel Embiid (plus Dante Exum and Noah Vonleh), and a slew of players with potential to be playoff rotation contributors down the line, if not starters on playoff teams.

(Thought experiment: Five years from now, how many games would a team whose starting five was Exum, Wiggins, Parker, Vonleh and Embiid win? I'll say at least 50.)

Anyway, it's a big night for bottom-feeders -- but, for once, not for Wizards fans.

*After watching the Spurs hammer the Thunder last night, "Spurs in 5" still sounds right.

*California Chrome/Triple Crown Watch: The nasal strip was approved, for obvious (commercial) reasons. Now the Belmont resumes being a must-see event.

*Name to Know: Lucy Li, the 11-year-old who qualified for the LPGA's US Women's Open. Lucy rules! (And maybe I'm just saying that because my own daughter is named Lucy!)

*Prediction: Kevin Ollie will be in the NBA before his 5-year extension at UConn runs out.

*NFL Draft moved from NYC to another city, rotating annually? Yes, please.

-- D.S.

5/19 Monday Quickie

*For my money, Twitch is the most fascinating sports-media deal of the year. It's the closest thing we've seen to a "next ESPN" by a start-up since... ESPN.

(Stat to know: In March, Consumption of Twitch represented 1.35% of all -- ALL -- downstream bandwidth. That's more than HBO Go. Background on the rumored YouTube acquisition here; required background reading on Twitch here.)

*Pacers beat Heat in Game 1: Is it wrong that my entire lens for this series is a combination of "Well, at least the Wizards played Indy tougher than Miami did" and "At this rate, the Wizards could have beaten the Heat, too."

*California Chrome nasal-strip controversy: This shouldn't be a controversy! The New York Racing Association would be insane not to give the horse an exemption to wear the breathing aid.

*Spurs over Thunder in 5.

-- D.S.

5/16 Happy Birthday Gabe Quickie

*Happy 8th birthday, Gabe. It nearly gives me vertigo to consider how much has happened since May 16, 2006.

*Gabe was thrilled that his favorite NBA team -- the Thunder -- delivered him a post-midnight birthday present of a close-out in the Western conference semis over the Clippers.

*Between LeBron and Durant, it sure looks like Chris Paul is destined to be this generation's Barkley-Ewing-Stockton-Malone superstar who never wins a ring. Happy to be proven wrong, but....

*Miami is going to throttle Indiana. San Antonio is going to throttle OKC. The Playoffs are so much fun, but the end-pairing has been predictable since November. The Finals result, on the other hand....

*Predictions for my Wiz in their offseason: Grunfeld stays (obviously). Wittman extended (I appreciate his work this postseason, but I respectfully disagree). Gortat re-signs. They try to re-sign Ariza, but he gets a more lucrative offer elsewhere -- he is a great piece for a would-be contender. The upside of that is that they invested so much in the Otto Porter pick, gotta let him play next year. The team is in the mix early for Greg Monroe, but he goes elsewhere.

*If you like media wonkery, the leaked NY Times innovation memo is fascinating -- Nieman Lab did a great job of digesting it for you.

-- D.S.

5/15 Wizards Denouement Quickie

You have to understand that long before Florida and before Northwestern, I was a Bullets/Wizards fan -- it is my oldest and longest-standing fan allegiance, going back roughly 30 years.

For almost all of those 30 years, the team has been somewhere between mediocre and terrible. There were brief glints in '87/88 and '97. Up until this season, my three favorite Wizards moments didn't even come on the court -- it was the day of the trade for Chris Webber, the night we won the NBA Lottery to secure us John Wall and the moment the Bobcats passed on Bradley Beal, ensuring he'd come to DC. (I enjoyed the Arenas years a lot -- who didn't? -- but can't help but remember them as tarnished for the way it all ended.)

Three years ago, when I relocated back to DC, I became even more engaged with the team -- I watched a lot (a LOT) of Wizards games, most of them in the range of atrocious. Slowly, we got rid of the knuckleheads. We got Nene. We got Beal. We got Gortat.

This season, I would say that I watched all (and certainly part) of at least 75 or more of the 82-game regular season, subjecting Mrs. Quickie to Wizards basketball throughout the winter.

Like the rest of the fan base, I was rewarded with a pretty good season! And pretty good is pretty great, when you consider that almost all of the previous 30 years were pretty lousy.

Then this playoff run started, and we dispatched the Bulls, which was as thrilling of an on-court result as I have ever experienced. The city cared about the team again, in a way it hadn't in a long time. Is this what it is like in the cities with perennially good NBA teams?

You cannot underestimate the idea of feeling relevant -- of feeling ANYTHING positive about this team, even feeling frustration over bad plays or losses. Because those bad plays and losses were happening in the playoffs, not in December against the Bucks en route to a 20-win season.

Then we beat the Pacers in Game 1. Then we lost three straight, and I figured it was all over -- good job, good effort. Then, in Game 5, we destroyed them -- a new "favorite moment" for me. It re-sparked that, yes, this team was good enough to beat the Pacers in a 7-game series.

My feeling going into Game 6 tonight was "We SHOULD win. We probably won't. But we SHOULD." I can't tell you how amazing -- exotic, really -- that feeling is for a Wizards fan.

And guess what: They should have won this game. They should have. They should have taken this to Game 7 on Sunday and, then, won the damn series.

I can simultaneously be disappointed about tonight -- to have that many miscues and still be in a position to win is inexcusable for a team that is as good as this one -- but so satisfied about getting this far and putting up this much of a fight.

That I finally get to feel that mixture of elation and disappointment -- what so many other teams' fans take for granted -- is a newly minted priceless sports memory for me.

I hope for nothing but this being the start of sustained success where I begin to EXPECT success, rather than merely appreciate it as a novelty. Despite having the best young backcourt in the league, I actually worry -- like any good lifelong Bullets/Wizards fan -- that we will look back in 10 years and this will end up turning out to be "peak Wiz."

But I'll always remember this team and this run for the new emotions it allowed me to feel.

-- D.S.

5/14 Wizards Thunder Quickie

*The Wiz fan in me must overlook the insane ending to the Thunder-Clippers game to note that was the best effort -- at the most critical moment -- I have ever seen the team offer.

*I don't know if the Wiz can win Game 6 back in DC -- if they play like they did last night, they clearly can -- but if this was it, it's nice to feel like they put it all together when it mattered most.

*OK, so back to Thunder-Clippers, round 5: Terrible choices by the Clippers, terrible calls by the refs, but a hell of a comeback by OKC in the final 4 minutes/1 minute.

*Henrik Lundqvist: There are a handful of athletes we can all feel like "Watching them in their prime is Peak Fandom, even if you don't care about their team." That's him in Game 7s.

*Last word to Doc Rivers: "We were robbed." But also: "We did a lot ourselves to not win the game."

-- D.S.

5/13 Wiz-blivion Quickie

*The most remarkable thing about Donald Sterling's interview last night is that the universal presumption was that he couldn't get more loathsome than two weeks ago -- and yet!

*I obviously want the Wizards to win tonight to retain the glimmer of hope they can win the series, but -- at the very least -- I want an extra game in this atypically satisfying season.

*LeBron's career-playoff-high-tying 49 was closer to typical -- and I kind of loved that he seemed so annoyed afterwards. That he didn't get 50, because of that missed FT at the end? Good for him.

*The injury to Marlins ace Jose Fernandez is the most depressing bit of sports-injury news of 2014, whether you like the Marlins or baseball or not.

-- D.S.

5/9 Draft Hangover Quickie

*The story of the night, of course, is Johnny Manziel dropping to Cleveland. The story within the story is that the owner was apparently swayed by the recommendation of a homeless guy.

*The Browns had the best 1st round -- Johnny Football, a lockdown corner to play opposite the sublime Joe Haden and an extra 1st-round pick from Buffalo in 2015 (top 10?)

*Five not-Clowney/Manziel picks I particularly liked: Mike Evans to Bucs, CJ Mosley to Ravens, Brandin Cooks to Saints, Dominique Easley to Pats, Teddy Bridgewater to Vikings.

*As exciting as the first round of the NBA playoffs were, the Spurs and Heat series are duds. On the other hand! It's a must-win for my Wiz tonight in Game 3 at home in DC.

-- D.S.

5/7 Durant MVP Quickie

*One of the best award speeches you'll see, from Kevin Durant -- great for the week of Mother's Day, too:



*Meanwhile, back in the playoffs, the Heat and Spurs rolled to Game 1 wins, and their series both seem over already.

*Not so in Indiana -- as a Wizards fan, it is incumbent on me to think of tonight's game as a must-win, just as I thought Game 1 was must-win.

*Mark Jackson's ouster in Golden State: Did anyone not see this coming the day they hired him?

*One day until the NFL Draft, and "Who's going to take Johnny Manziel?" remains -- by far -- the No. 1 storyline.

-- D.S.

5/3 Lillard Quickie

*Shot of the Year in the NBA? Shot of the Year in the NBA.




*Kentucky Derby: My pal Joe Drape picks Wicked Strong. California Chrome is the popular pick. I'm going to go with Commanding Curve, as usual without much good reason.

*Weekend reads: This behind-the-scenes reporting of how things went down inside the Clippers last weekend and Spencer Hall on the Istanbul Derby - the world's fiercest soccer rivalry.

*It's May 3 and my Wizards are still playing basketball -- waiting around, even! So many Game 7s today and the rest of the weekend.

-- D.S.

4/30 Silver Reigns Supreme Quickie

*As I said yesterday, that was the most impressive display of leadership by a sports commissioner -- NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, NCAA, FIFA, Olympics, whatever -- in modern sports history.

*There is a parallel universe where Silver possibly stumbles and the players go through with that reported boycott of last night's games, which would have been seismic.

*But, of course, Silver avoided that, while establishing his leadership bonafides -- his statement and press conference were an instant-classic example of how to communicate in a crisis.

*It helps that this issue is one that virtually everyone agrees on -- there was zero contention (beyond the inevitable Sterling lawsuit against the NBA, which vastly fewer people will care about).

*Even if he hasn't sold the team yet, the NBA is in its "post-Sterling era" -- we can return to a fascinating, thrilling playoffs season.

*Speaking of which: My Wiz! First of all, no fan in the NBA appreciates a trip to the 2nd round of the playoffs like a Wizards fan. I'm giddy.

*I can now finally allow myself to think about the options between having home-court advantage against the 8-seed Hawks or playing an exhausted Pacers team that needed 7 games to beat them.

*I actually think that Hawks are the tougher match-up for the Wizards -- that seems unfathomable, but it's true. That said: I have never seen the Wiz play this well, certainly not at this level of pressure.

*Speaking of which (again): I cannot imagine an NBA Playoffs season where a full-strength Thunder doesn't make it out of the first round. But that's where we are. It's stunning.

*I still think OKC wins the next two games, but I feel no certainty about that -- doubting the Grizzlies is exactly where they want you.

*Last point, reiterated: As quickly as the Sterling story emerged (was it really only 5 days ago?), Adam Silver has basically put it behind the league. Sterling is purged. Everyone is agreed it was the right thing.

Unlike most two-sided sports debates, there's really nothing left to talk about -- that alone makes it one of the most unique stories we have seen in sports in a long time.

-- D.S.

4/29 Sterling Versus Silver Quickie

*What will Adam Silver do today? More to the point, what CAN he do?

Will it be enough -- today? For the long-term?

What does "enough" even mean, in a world where there is a consensus that the result has to include Donald Sterling no longer owning an NBA team -- and an equal consensus that they'll have to pry it from his cold, extraordinarily litigious hands.

What happens tonight when the Clippers play at home? What happens when their season is over and Doc Rivers decides if he wants to be a part of the team -- let alone stars like CP3 or Blake Griffin.

The certainty is that the story doesn't end today at 2.

*The Sterling story has eclipsed basically everything else. That doesn't mean I don't still have my eye nervously on the Wizards-Bulls Game 5 in Chicago. Those of us Wiz fans who know better (or are scarred by the past 30 years) recognize that a loss tonight puts us in the most precarious "up 3-2" situation ever. But a win -- oh, a win -- would be beyond jubilation.

*What the heck happened to the Pacers?

*My fantasy baseball season is ruined more by my regret passing on Jose Abreu than the actuality of losing Bryce Harper for the next two months.

-- D.S.

04/28 Sterling Revolt Quickie

*That the Donald Sterling Era in the NBA has reached a tipping point is obvious; that it is an end-game is not as clear. A few thoughts:

- I thought the players did as much as they could, given the timing -- I wouldn't discount the symbolic power of the shooting shirts left in a pile at midcourt, nor the inside-out tops. The name is shamed.

- It will be very interesting to see what happens back in L.A. for Game 5. Given that the players hold virtually all of the power on game night, there are a breadth of options available to them.

- I also think that as early as tonight, you will see every player in the league wearing black socks in solidarity.

- The power of the voices speaking out here is immensely important: LeBron. Magic. Jordan. That last one is very important: A fellow owner. Other owners will need to condemn Sterling, too.

- It's unclear what the league can do -- can they force Sterling to sell? The best new commissioner Adam Silver might be able to do (in what immediately became the only referendum on his leadership) is to suspend Sterling indefinitely, then work behind the scenes to pressure him to sell.

- In the absence of that, the outcome here for the Clippers is entirely unclear: Did Doc Rivers really imply that he could walk away from coaching the team over this?

- Would Chris Paul or Blake Griffin (or both... or every player on the roster) demand a trade? How on earth would any free agent choose the Clippers, given the existing ownership?

- Last point: Agree with many smart folks out there reminding us all that it's not on the players to force a change -- it's on the NBA owners.

*That was a hell of a win by my Wiz yesterday, in the absence of Nene and in a de facto "must-win" position. Not discounting chances of them losing 3 straight, but the Bulls also have to win 3 straight.

-- D.S.

4/27 Sunday Quickie

*"There is no room for Donald Sterling in the NBA." -- LeBron James, with not the first nor the last word on the Clippers' owner, but by far the galvanizing statement of the entire story.

*No Nene for my Wiz in Game 4 today. Ugh.

*If Memphis can't beat OKC the night Kevin Durant has arguably his worst shooting game ever (or ever will), this series gets "o-v-e-r" designation, even if it's "only" 2-2

*Last word: Vinsanity!

Friday 4/25 Wizards! Quickie

*Let's! Go! Wiz! Only the most-anticipated Wizards game I can remember in 30 years of fan consciousness. (And, by the way, I see it as must-win. Do NOT want to be in a position of playing Sunday with the series in the balance.)

*Wrote two things today -- kind of unexpectedly.

(1) Why Mitch McGary was screwed financially by not going pro last year, when his NBA draft stock was in the middle of the Top 10, rather than now, when it is back of the 1st round.

(2) Why Kentucky's Harrison twins didn't "return" to UK -- they were rejected by the NBA. And why John Calipari sold them a bill of goods. (Keep an eye on the formatting.)

Big night tonight. Have a great weekend.

-- D.S.

Thursday 4/24 NFL Schedule Release Mania Quickie

*I do not get the cynical griping about the event-ification of the release of the NFL schedule. It is massively popular. It is a near-perfect mid-week offseason thing. It embodies everything about that most precious of fan ideas -- possibility. That, and the "cross-flex."

*The most interesting thing I read about it was this deep-dive from Peter King, who went behind the scenes with the crew that creates the schedule -- it's fascinating.

*LaMarcus Aldridge is the king of the first five days of the NBA Playoffs. I liked this from SB Nation's Paul Flannery -- it's a great thing for the NBA when the non-superduperstars emerge with the kinds of performances that resonate with fans across the country (see Bradley Beal).

*As it relates to the NFL this season, I didn't think there was anything I'd want to see more than Tim Tebow making a roster, but the idea of a team bringing 50-year-old Herschel Walker into training camp and watching him play (which he says he still can) is pretty close to toppling it.

*At least Pineda owned it.

-- D.S.

4/23 Wizards! Wrigley! Pujols! Quickie

*Is this what other NBA fans have gotten to experience? The ridiculous thrill ride of a close playoff win on the road, taking the most improbable 2-0 series lead in NBA Playoffs history?

It's surreal for me to process -- my Wiz winning that game last night, my Wiz going up 2-0 after 2 games in Chicago, my Wiz earning national cred -- but wow, do I appreciate it.

Funny: I'm so conditioned for #SoWizards that I still think this is some kind of cruel cosmic joke -- that Chicago will win 4 of the next 5 games and stomp on my soul.

It doesn't matter -- I'll still have the feeling this morning.

*Speaking of feelings, today's 100th anniversary of Wrigley Field has me feeling so nostalgic. When I graduated college, I moved into a classic Wrigleyville apartment with two buddies -- just two blocks from the stadium -- and had one of the great years of my life.

Imagine this: Living so close that when one roommate would come home with freebie game tickets from the office, we would just wander over whenever, take in a few innings, then head home. Or we would sit out on our front porch, offering friendly strangers a beer from a cooler -- sometimes they would give us their extra tickets in return.

In reality, that time for me was a million years ago, but it remains more vivid than anything 20 years ago should be.

*500 HR for Albert Pujols is an awesome milestone, when milestones seem to have lost a little oomph. 26 members of the club, and by the end of the season, he should be passing Ted Williams and be well into the Top 20 all-time.

I always like looking down the list and seeing who -- if anyone -- can join him. Among active players, Adam Dunn is next at 444 (no chance), then Giambi (438) and Ortiz (435) and Konerko (434) and Soriano (410)... no chance for those guys, either, although let's not sniff at the "400 Club." How about Adrian Beltre at 376? Let's keep in mind: That's 25 HR a year for the next 5 years.

The most likely candidates are Ryan Braun, sitting at a distant 217, and Robinson Cano, at 205. They aren't even halfway there, with plenty to get in their way; both are over 30. Maybe Evan Longoria at 164 before he hits age 29?

I'm going to predict that we won't see another addition to the 500 HR Club, full stop -- it will go the way of the "300 Club" in pitching wins, which has a weirdly similar 24 players making the cut.

The one guy with a chance to crack 500 seems to be Giancarlo Stanton (123 HR at age 24).

But if the choice is "anyone" vs. "no one," I'll bet on "no one."

-- D.S.

4/22 Aereo Durant Moyes Quickie

*Is the most important sports story today the Aereo case in front of the Supreme Court? (Good context of the stakes from Re/code's Peter Kafka and from the NYT's David Carr.)

*I don't care that the Thunder ultimately lost, this Kevin Durant shot is ridiculous -- shot of the year in the NBA:



*It was inevitable: Manchester United fired overmatched first-year manager/replacement-for-legend David Moyes. I know it's a tough gig and probably the hardest seat in sports to fill over the past few years, but still.

-- D.S.

4/21 Back from Vacation Quickie

*Meb Keflezighi. What a result at the Marathon.

*Got back last night just in time to listen to/watch the second half of the first Wizards playoff win in a Game 1 since 1986 -- ponder that for a second. A remarkable win on so many levels.

*The NBA Playoffs are off to a fantastic start, aren't they?

*I don't quite mind the extra few weeks between the old NFL Draft date and the new one -- I can wait. Sure seems like it's Clowney at the top, with the QBs sliding.

*Joakim Noah: NBA Defensive Player of the Year. And should be 1st-team all-NBA this season, too. One of my very favorite NBA players.

*This was fun: While we were in Gainesville, the kids and I huddled over an iPhone watching Florida's women's gymastics team tie for a national title.

*Filed under "It's Early Yet, But So What?" My fantasy baseball team just went over .500 -- it's rare enough that individual weeks where I am over .500 can be counted on two hands. That's over 10 years of playing, by the way, not in a single season.

-- D.S.

4/8 UConn Dynasty Quickie

*Decent argument to be made that UConn's 4 titles in the past 15 years makes them a quasi-dynasty.

*Even better argument to be made that Shabazz Napier belongs in the top tier of all-time college hoops players, because of three very important qualifiers:

(1) He played a meaningful role on TWO national-title teams (putting him in the rare air of Hurley-Laettner-Hill and Noah-Horford-Brewer).

(2) In the second one, he wore the "carry-the-load superstar champ" role of Carmelo, Kemba, Danny Manning, Glen Rice and Anthony Davis.

(3) This one was most interesting to me: He joined an extremely exclusive fraternity of players who played meaningful roles on two NON-CONSECUTIVE national-title teams.

The sport is defined by its championship tournament, individual brilliance within that tournament and the exclusivity of winning multiple titles.

Because of that, I'd argue that Napier ends his career in the top tier of all-time ("all-time" meaning: 64-team era since 1985) talents:

The 10 I'd pick: Manning, Larry Johnson, Laettner, Hurley, Hill, Carmelo, Noah, Davis, Napier, with one spot open for your particular favorite snubbee.

*Looking ahead to next year: By far the most intriguing team is SMU, snubbed by the Tournament committee, but whose two wins over UConn sure do look good this morning.

-- D.S.

4/7 One Shining Moment Quickie

*John Calipari wins, regardless of whether or not Kentucky wins the national title tonight. The mere fact his squad has made it this far (even with preseason No. 1 expectations) is affirmation enough.

*I remain bludgeoned by Florida's loss to UConn: I was "title or bust" for this squad; wow, I will miss these seniors; the game wasn't even close.

*It's an open question whether you'd rather have "thoroughly beaten" or, like Wisconsin, "you coulda/shoulda/woulda won." I guess the latter would be harder to take.

*It's one thing for UK's frosh to come in and go "one-and-title" -- that's amazing. It's another for UConn's seniors to get the rare TWO titles over four years. Napier & Co. join an exclusive group.

In the past 20 years: '92 Duke players on '91 team (Hurley, Laettner, G Hill, T Hill, B Davis, Antonio Lang), two players on '98 Kentucky's team who were also on '96 team (Jeff Sheppard and Allen Edwards), '07 Florida on '06 team (Noah, Horford, Brewer, Humphrey, Green, Richard, Hodge, various bench-warmers).

Kentucky has three bench-warmers who were on the 2012 title-team roster: Long, Malone, Polson.

*I am genuinely baffled over who to pick to win. Both teams are on such a roll. UConn gets the edge defensively; UK gets the edge inside. It's honestly hard to fathom one of these teams will be "national champ."

-- D.S.

4/4 Final Four Quickie

*Let's go back two weeks: My expectations for Florida are nothing short of "championship or bust." That makes Saturday's semi against UConn a must-win.

*Count me among the folks who think that Florida has an advantage having already played UConn -- and lost, short-handed, at the buzzer, in Storrs. This team doesn't quite resemble that one.

*Wisconsin-Kentucky is fascinating: Wisconsin is playing at as high of a level as that program has EVER played; Kentucky is on a remarkable roll. My head says Wisco; my gut says UK.

*Thunder snap Spurs' winning streak: The NBA Playoffs are going to be phenomenal.

*Who wants Chris Johnson? (A much easier analysis: Pete Carroll has more than earned his contract extension -- hard to displace Belichick and I guess you can make a case for Harbaugh, but it's arguable he has ascended to Best Coach in the NFL status. Which is remarkable.)

Enjoy your weekend!

-- D.S.

4/3 Playoffs? Playoffs! Quickie

*My Wizards are back in the NBA Playoffs for the first time since 2008. I'm beyond excited.

This is not to be understated: In the past 25 years, they have been to the playoffs a grand total of 5 times, including 4 first-round exits (including the amazing '97 Bullets team featuring Webber and Howard that was cursedly broken up). No one appreciates the mere notion of "playoff eligibility" than a Wizards fan.

*MLB: Mark Buehrle had the best game of the day yesterday, but give me the suddenly ageless Tim Hudson, who pitched into the 8th, allowed only 3 hits and K'ed 7. He turns 39 in July.

*Big day in DC: Kain Colter is meeting the media.

*If I had the No. 1 pick of the NFL Draft, Jadeveon Clowney is the most can't-miss defensive prospect. (Sammy Watkins is the most can't-miss on offense, but hard to take a WR with No. 1 pick.)