Case of the Mondays: LeBron saved the playoffs

June 4th, 2007 | Posted by PostmanE

OK, so Saturday’s effort will never be the one people remember. That will always be Thursday’s legendary performance, the numbers (29 of the last 30! The last 25!) ringing out in playoff tapes and marketing visions for years to come. But Saturday cemented the best thing LeBron has done for us so far in his career: salvaging these lackluster 2007 Playoffs.

Don’t get me wrong. It’s not that I dislike the Spurs, or lack an appreciation for their methodical style of play. It’s just that the NBA as a whole needs something different. It needed the Suns to run and pass their way to an NBA Championship; it needed something to follow up on the Warriors’ dismantling of the Mavericks; it needed an Eastern team with any sort of redeemable aesthetic qualities, our Bulls notwithstanding.

The Cavaliers are largely boring and unimaginative, but LeBron changes all of that. On Thursday, he changed the way we watch the playoffs by turning potential into action. His brilliance is no longer a threat; it is a very real possibility, one that must be bargained for every time he is on television.

The Spurs will likely still win the title, and that’s fine. They deserve it. But LeBron has made the Finals far more worthy of our attention than the Pistons could have. That’s his greatest accomplishment yet.

(Well, besides Thursday’s game. That’s probably greater.)

MLB: I don’t get what it is. Something about the Cubs’ uniforms — or maybe the chemicals used to curate the Wrigley ivy — causes mass hysteria and uncontrollable anger … or at least insanity.

One example among many was Dusty Baker’s retarded claim last year that “walks clog up the bases.” (I really still can’t get over that, by the way. I mean, are you freaking kidding me?) The latest installment came this week, when the Cubs proceeded to brawl in the dugout, lose their sixth game in a row and ninth out of their last ten, and then have their manager get suspended for getting too frisky with the umpires. What’s next? I’m not even going to offer up a sarcastic example here. I’m genuinely curious. What the hell could go wrong next?

Knocked Up: Not to ruin anything for those of you who waited out the inevitable first-weekend madness, but this movie is incredible. It’s no less funny than the 40 Year Old Virgin — perhaps the best comedy of the past five years — but with a bit more heart, just a little bit, and a realistic picture of what it’s like to live in a relationship in postmodern America. Oh, and readers here, presuming you’re sports fans, will love the fantasy baseball bit. That’s all I’ll say for now.

While R sits at the beach…

August 9th, 2006 | Posted by PostmanE

…I got this e-mail forwarded to us from a White Sox fan, dripping with smarm:

This morning on Comcast there was a poll asking if the Cubs were still on the wild card race. Sixty-six percent of respondents said yes. The Cubs are 9.5 games out behind 11 teams. Is that a joke? Sixty-six percent of Cubs fans are hopeless dreamers.

Ahem…66%?!? I’m among the least-jaded Cubs fans around, but that’s a whole lot of people smokin’ some of that fine Dusty Baker rock. Remember, a few days ago, he said:

Asked whether he ever glanced at the wild-card standings and thought about whether the Cubs would be in contention if they simply had tread water in May and June, Baker replied: ‘We played the best we could at that time. You can’t time it when guys get hot. I look at it like we’re still in it right now. I just haven’t commented on it. But we still have action now.’

Let’s not forget, of course, that the e-mail that sparked this little discussion was sent by some White Sox lovers, probably a bit stressed about the fact that they have a really, really good baseball team that might not even make the playoffs this year. Which, to me, would be unbelievably tragic. (Go Twins.)

But let’s also think rationally here: the Cubs do not have “action,” Dusty. They do not have the beginnings of action. If they won 10 in a row, miracle of all miracles, I would still say be hesitant to say they had “action.” To be honest, I don’t even know what “action” means.

Also, to the 66% of you that voted in that Comcast Poll - come on. It’s great to have a little faith, the Cubs are playing well of late, everyone’s feeling good, it’s one big collective pat on the back, sure. Compared to May and June, anything would feel good right now. But don’t let it cloud your judgment. This Cubs team doesn’t have what it needs to have to get into the playoffs this year. It will not make a push; all thoughts to the contrary are futile, silly, and clinically unhealthy.