What’s the buzz from the world of sports? Here are some items that will have people talking:
1
We learned something Sunday.
We learned that we can separate the athlete from the man. We understand that Tiger Woods is not a role model, saint, or even a decent quote — but most of us were cheering for him at the Masters because, well, he’s just so much fun.
One sports writer emphasized how Tiger returning to prominence would be good for the game of golf, but Talking Points thinks it would be good for sports in general.
Whether you’ve pardoned his indiscretions, you still have to admit that there’s nothing in sports quite like Woods on the prowl at a major. Nobody since Michael Jordan has commanded that kind of attention or enthusiasm, and it’s possible Tiger even surpasses MJ on the between-the-lines charisma scale.
No, as a sports-enthused country, we don’t necessarily like Tiger Woods. But we do need him. And we can’t wait for him to win again.
2
The Lakers can’t win. The Thunder can’t lose. The Grizzlies are hot. The Celtics are not.
And it doesn’t matter one bit.
Last year, the Lakers lost seven of their final 11 games of the regular season on the way to an NBA championship. Two years ago, the Blazers won 10 of their final 11 en route to a first-round loss. The Celtics played out of their minds at the beginning of last season, basically took the second half of the season off, and were a decent fourth quarter away from winning it all.
Much is made of “momentum” in sports — especially in the NBA — but it’s hardly an indicator of how the postseason will unfold. Even within individual series, we’ll see a team lose by 25 one night, then win by 30 the next.
Until the Lakers or Celtics are knocked off, don’t assume there will be a likely successor.
