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Lindsey Hunter:
He's the new Microwave! The Pistons' off-the-bench sparkplug on defense paced 6 teammates in
double-figures on offense, scoring a team-high 17 points.
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The Lead Item
Two Words For You:
TWO. TOO.
"Who's your daddy?!"
That would be the appropriate chant for the wild horde
of Pistons fans at the Palace this Father's Day
Sunday.
Because as badly as the Pistons were shellacked in
Texas, they have given far worse than they got,
beating the Spurs by an average of six more points per
game in Detroit (24) than the Spurs won by at home
(18).
Let's review:
Totally wrong: Early-week bandwagon-leapers who
thought the Pistons would get swept, after those first
two beat-downs in San Antonio.
Wildly inaccurate: 2004 Finals amnesiacs who
predicted the Spurs would/could win 2 of 3 in Detroit
to ease through the Finals in 5.
Not too shabby: Those who predicted the Pistons
would make it competitive once the series went back to
Detroit.
There's no reason to think the Pistons won't sweep all
three games at home (like last season). Thank you,
NBA, for the 2-3-2 Finals format.
Unbelievable at the beginning of this week, next
Monday could have the Pistons up 3-2, with the
reeling Spurs in the must-win situation back at
home.
"Who's your daddy?" Whichever team answers that
question on Sunday night could be on their way to
fathering a 2005 NBA title.
U.S. Open
Low scores are overrated, anyway. The
course is punishing even the best players, and even
Phil Mickelson questioned whether anyone will be under
par after 72 holes.
Who cares? For the casual fan, great golf is defined
by close finishes (how players do relative to each
other), not overall numbers (how players do relative
to par).
Credit the USGA for forcing players to make the tough
single shots on Sunday. Remember Tiger's sick chip on
16 at the Masters? Who remembers what his final score
was?
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CHECK OUT THE QUICKIE EVERY WEEKDAY MORNING! |
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| WHO'S GOT THE MOMENTUM ... |
Olin Browne: Open's Thur feel-good story; now clear the way
Randy Johnson: Complete game 5-hitter leads NYY past PIT
Royals: First to sweep Dodgers and Yankees in same season
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| ... AND WHO'S GOT NO MO' |
Tim Hudson: Braves dud goes on 15-day DL (6-5, 3.78 ERA)
Andy Roddick: Top U.S. player gets tough Wimbledon draw
The people who bought the Mighty Ducks: Really? Really?? |
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Big Unit is Back?
CG 5-hitter with 11 K's: That's why the
Yankees traded for Randy Johnson. (Just overlook that
it was the Pirates and concentrate on those two wins
in a row for the Big Unit.)
Smoltz rolling, too? After a slow start to the
season, Smoltz threw a 4-hitter in 8 IP with 9 Ks for the struggling
Braves.
Two struggling dynastic division champs pinning their
hopes on the arms of aging aces. It would be more
dramatic if it wasn't the hated Yankees or ho-hum
Braves.
College World Series
The double-elimination format is among
the factors that have kept the CWS from being a bigger
deal with sports fans.
It's mystifying: Why not just have the final eight
teams paired up for best-of-3 series in a standard,
hoops-style bracket?
There will be more clarity by the middle of next week,
hopefully. You've got to like Nebraska's chances
playing in front of friendly Omahans. (What DO you
call someone from Omaha?)
Bowl Game Halftimes
The NCAA's dour busybodies known as the
Knight Commission will recommend that bowl-game
halftime shows become "more collegiate," presumably
after last year's Ashlee Simpson debacle.
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"More collegiate": Hmm ... would they recommend
the float with the frat guys pouring GHB into the
grain punch? Or the one with the professor giving the
snotty students the inflated grade they
demand?
Father's Day Gifts
Looking for a last-minute Father's Day
gift? Books are easy, thoughtful and look good on the
nightstand (even if that's where they stay).
A few recommendations from recent releases:
"Sunday Money": Your dad doesn't understand NASCAR.
This rollicking look at the sport is the one book he
should read to get it.
"Spinning the Globe": History of the Harlem
Globetrotters (didn't your dad take you when you were
a kid?)
"License to Deal": From ESPN.com's Crasnick, a season
inside with a baseball agent.
"The Devil Wears Pinstripes": OK, you're low on
funds. If your dad's a Yankee-hater, Jim Caple's book is
cheap laughs, both literally.
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NL West:
Dodgers riding 3-game losing streak. Padres are even
worse (4 straight). Hard not to have an East Coast
Bias when West Coast baseball is so dreary.
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Today on ESPN.com
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| Quickie live! |
| NBA Daily Dime |
| Page 2 Friday |
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| NBA Finals Outcomes |  Spurs in 7
| Hold serve at home
|  Pistons in 7
| Win G5, ride mo to road W
|  Spurs in 6
| Must steal Game 5 in Det
|  Pistons in 6
| Would be staggering U-turn
|  Spurs in 5
| | Sounds dumber than Det PA guy |
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MLB series of the weekend: If it's more interleague,
it must be wherever the Cubs are playing (at Yankee
Stadium for the first time since '38).
Don't look now: The Tigers are one game under .500
after sweeping the NL West-leading Padres.
Maybe it's this weekend when the Lou Piniella saga
will finally end in Tampa (and the Lou to NY saga can
officially begin!)
Wyatt Sexton watch: With his dad ruling out substance
addiction, it only opens up speculation that it's
something either creepier or sadder.
Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes are engaged. Someone,
please: Stop the madness.
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