thependulumswings

It’s tasty Tuesday.  You’re hungry.  With the NBA playoffs, MLB off to a fine start, the Masters, and the NFL draft upcoming there is plenty to chew on.  Ten Nuggets await your consumption below.

1. If you like Tiger or if not (and most do) you have to tip your golf visor his way.  Four back surgeries and two knee surgeries would derail anyone who is less than very determined to get to the top again.   One dozen or more affairs which drove one expensive divorce combined with those medical issues should derail anyone else.  Sunday, for 13 years, seemed so far away we’re sure.  It seems in America we love success stories.  We love to watch them fall hard.  And most of all we like a great comeback story.  Tiger provided all three and maybe there is more.
2.  Some books have now posted odds on Tiger catching Jack’s 18 majors.  Tiger has 15.  Get your dollar out and win twenty back if you like his chances.  Many books took a bath in Tiger blood (where is Charley Sheen these days?) on Sunday.
3. One dude, James Adducci, liked the action so much that he plunked down $85,000 on Tiger in the Masters.  He won over $1.2 million.  He claims that he’s never bet on ANY sports before.  His short story is linked here.  You ever heard of beginners luck?
4. You might have already been night night on the east coast last evening when the west coast LA Clippers poured in 85 second half points on the Golden State Warriors in Oakland.  Trailing by 23 at halftime, and by as much as 31 in the third, the eighth seeded Doc Rivers led team won 135-131.  The 31 point comeback is the largest margin ever overcome in an NBA playoff game.  Doc was asked what he told his team at halftime. “That we were going to win.”  “I don’t know how.”  I guess “win one for the Gipper” was already taken.
5. Rivers concluded his press conference by telling a story that happened on the streets of San Francisco (where is Karl Malden these days?) earlier that Monday. Reaching in his pocket to grab his phone he dropped $2,000 (don’t you carry that kind of walking around money?) out onto the street unknowingly.   A block further into his walk a man tapped him on the shoulder and said “I think this money is yours, you dropped it.”  If Doc plays the lotto this week and you can peek over that same shoulder to see the numbers, you should.
6. Kevin Durant did his part in helping LA comeback recording a fat nine turnovers in the game.  All Star center DeMarcus Cousins very likely suffered a torn left quad early in quarter one for the Warriors as well.  It wasn’t a good night for the two soon to be free agents.  Given all of the turnovers, injury, and no defense played, it wasn’t a good night for Steve Kerr, Warriors coach, either.  If Steve plays the lotto this week, don’t peak over his shoulder.
7.  The NFL draft is nine days away and counting.   The rumor mill of who, when, and where is heating up like the spring sun.  Expect one player to get attached to a false rumor about his off of the field behavior, or his terrible team interviews, or his drug use. Or, all three.  It happens every year.  When the inevitable happens he and his entourage (where is Jeremy Piven these days?) get to sit there and watch.  And watch.
8. ESPN (the worldwide leader in hype) announced that Peyton Manning will be doing a multitude of historical, and slightly off beat features that shape the stories behind the stories that have made the NFL into the 100 year success story that it is.  One segment goes back to the breakfast table of the home where a box of Wheaties(where is Bruce Jenner these days?) is shaped into a prototype of what eventually became the Lombardi Trophy.  Peyton’s Places is the show’s name.  Sounds like it’ll be fun to watch.
9.  In Little League you were taught to run every hit of every at bat out.  Let the umpire make the call.  Cincinnati Reds batter (Luis we think) Castillo stroked a clean single to right field.  Apparently he did not know it.  He was thrown out at first from RF.  The embarrassing video is right here.  We think it was Luis, but his jersey was #42.  He is listed on the official MLB roster as #58.  Maybe he put on the wrong uniform as well?
10. One season ago The Boston Red Sox won it all.  Today they are 6.5 games behind the Tampa Rays.  The Tea Party(where is Lil Marco these days?) is forming in Boston.  At  six wins and eleven losses they are looking up at Tampa’s MLB best record of 12-4.  Tampa has already taken three of four from Houston among other early season trophies.  No need to panic yet Beantown.  But if the Rays pitching stays healthy, you might start soon.  Oh, and Tampa’s payroll is about 1/4th of the Sox’s.

Chow.