1
As the Blazers start another 82-game Odyssey, one that fans hope goes on much past the regular season, we’d like to remind readers that it’s not how they start that matters.
It’s about finishing.
That, of course, means having a healthy and hot team come playoff time so the Blazers don’t again get bounced in the first round.
It also is about who’s on the court at crunch time. While the starting lineup can tell us something about how the pieces fit together in Nate McMillan’s mind, it is who’s on the floor with the game on the line that is most telling.
Wesley Matthews or Andre Miller? Both? Will Nicolas Batum become a go-to guy with games on the line?
It should be interesting to watch over the next six months.
2
So, Mariners’ fans, who are you pulling for in the World Series? The pitcher you had and then traded away? Or the pitcher you could have had but passed on?
Are you getting behind your division rivals, the Texas Rangers? Will you enjoy watching Cliff Lee try to bring triumph to a Dallas fan base that has waited 49 seasons for a World Series? Remember, Lee started the season in Seattle.
Or will you pull for another long-suffering fan base in San Francisco? Is it easier to root for former Huskies pitcher Tim Lincecum than for Lee? Lincecum could have been drafted by the Mariners in 2006. But the M’s opted for Brandon Morrow instead.
3
Rest in peace, Paul the Octopus.
Relax, dear reader. Paul the Octopus is not a nickname for any of the Pauls who man Talking Points Central. Our Pauls are alive and well and have their tentacles around the Clark County sports scene.
We refer to the sea creature who this summer captured the world’s attention with his uncanny ability to predict the winner of World Cup soccer matches.
Octopus Paul died on Tuesday at his aquarium home in Germany. He correctly predicted the outcome of all of Germany’s World Cup matches, and also foresaw Spain’s victory over the Netherlands in the final.
There is nothing fishy about Paul’s demise. He wasn’t done in by German soccer fans angry about Paul’s correctly predicting their team’s semifinal loss. And no, soccer haters, he didn’t expire from boredom. It seems 2½ years is a good long life for an octopus.
