We've been doing this every Monday-through-Friday since late October 2010.
We do it on vacation and on holidays. We do it when we those two things overlap, like this morning.
But we do it in quicker fashion. (Weekend winners and losers will be back in full Tuesday. You know this.)
From the satellite offices of the "Talks too much" studios, Happy Memorial Day friends. And for those who have served, please know you are appreciated and in our prayers.
LeBron
Wow. Simply wow.
LeBron James posted back-to-back brilliant performances to lift the Cleveland Cavaliers to the NBA Finals.
Where do we begin. Let's start with this stat: Sunday's Game 7 was the fifth time in James career he played all 48 minutes. He's 5-0 in such games.
He dropped 46 in Game 6, including two dagger 3s late in the fourth. Sunday, in a slugfest that was physical and not always aesthetically pleasing, James was dominant.
Here's another amazing number: Lakers and Celtics have the most Finals appearances and it's not close. Trips to the NBA Finals - Lakers 31; Celtics 21; LeBron 9; Warriors 9; Sixers 9.
Memorial Day
Today is more than a day off or a reason to fire up the grill.
As TFP ace sports columnist Mark Widener wrote in today's TFP today should be celebrated and treasured.
And the last quote from the Vietnam Vet Weeds talked to over the weekend was so money.
"Memorial Day is to honor the most important people who've ever lived in this country. The people who gave their lives for our freedom."
If we went Ted Williams, Jackie Robinson, Roger Staubach and Pat Tillman as sports stars who served in a war, who you got to top any of those?
Anti-Memorial Day story
As if the NFL needed more bad PR, here's this story.
Now take it for what it is because the "journalist" saying that several "star" NFL players are going to sit out until Colin Kaepernick and Eric Reid are on a roster has less than a credible record and is a bona fide race-topic antagonist.
Shaun King has made a reputation of being very controversial so take his "report" with that knowledge.
And with this knowledge: How many players could afford the fines and forfeited game checks of sitting out?
And, if this was in the works, wouldn't now - during OTAs and with the divide on the handling of and new procedure for pregame protests - be the time to come forward and announce this?
This and that
- The Braves are scheduled to announce this morning the extent of Ronald Acuna's knee injury. It did not look good. http://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/23624969/ronald-acuna-jr-atlanta-braves-leaves-game-knee-injury
- Danica ended her racing career in fitting fashion. She wrecked at Sunday's Indy 500.
- "Solo" won the weekend at the box office, but reports are the numbers were not as high as expected.
- Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals is tonight. Man, the NBA certainly is a contender for winning the weekend. Two Game 7s on a slow holiday sports weekend. We'll take the Warriors, and we'll take them big if Chris Paul can not play.
- Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals is tonight. Hard not to root for Vegas in that one, no?
- A performance as dominant as Kyle Busch's deserves respect. It also makes for less-than-thrilling viewing. Busch led 377 of the 400 laps at Charlotte as he completed a career sweep and has now won a points-race at every track on NASCAR's schedule.
- Baylor School grad Harris English finished T20 at Fort Worth and made $64,196. Justin Rose won the event.
Today's question
We offered our sports stars who fought in wars Rushmore earlier. If you have a contender, please share.
You can nominate a weekend winner or loser for tomorrow's program too.
Speaking of programs, there is no Press Row today.
As for the day, May 28, let's explore.
On this day in 1972, Nixon associates break into the Watergate Hotel.
Clean-up duties officially ended at the World Trade Center on this day in 2002 after the 9/11 attacks.
Jim Thorpe would have been 130 today.
Phil Hartman was killed on this day 20 years ago.
Jerry West is 80 today.
Jeremy Pruitt is 44 today. Happy birthday coach.
Michael Oher is 32 today. In other of the "The Blindside", let's do a Rushmore of best sports movies based on a true story.
Go.
