Mailbag folks.
From the "Talks too much" studios, call the ball Maverick.
Game 6
LeBron and the Cavs are at home.
Curry and the Warriors are on the brink of a world title.
It's go time.
Cleveland Cavaliers head coach David Blatt yells to players during the first quarter of an NBA basketball game against the Dallas Mavericks Sunday, Jan. 4, 2015, in Cleveland. Dallas defeated Cleveland 109-90. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak) Let's break this down old-school.
For the Cavs to force Game 7: Paging David Blatt, David Blatt to the white courtesy phone. Hey, David, this is the 5-at-10. We have been watching this series with more than a little bit of interest. (Hey, can you get us LeBron's autograph? What's up?) So here's what we think: Your team got tight because you got tight. Game 4 swung the series when Steve Kerr and the Warriors went small and you froze. It's OK, those things happen. And we understand the overreaction of going small in Game 5. That worked for the most part - you were in a one-possession game with four minutes to play after all - but you went too far. Timofey Mozgov is your second-best player and if he only gets nine minutes like he did in Game 5, then the Warriors adjustment of going small worked better than even they could have hoped. It sacrifices your strongest asset in an attempt to play the Warriors game. And at the very least, when you rest LeBron, Mozgov has to be on the floor because it actually gives you an offensive option beyond Matt Dellavedoa or J.R. Smith dribbling to 4 on the shot clock and jacking a 22-footer. Deal? Deal. (And about that autograph...)
For the Warriors to raise the trophy: They will need to play well. If they play well, these Cavs can't beat them. Now, we expect the following hurdles to be in their way tonight:
a) Monster crowd delivering huge emotion for the Cavs.
b) An A-plus effort from LeBron. Something in the neighborhood of 40-plus points, 15-plus rebounds and 10-or-more assists (or roughly what he has done in Games 1, 2, 3 and 5).
c) Every close call to go Cleveland's way.
And before you start bemoaning that last fact, let's remember that this is the most watched NBA Finals series in the last decade. The NBA would be greatly benefited by having a winner-take-all Game 7 on Friday night in prime time.
Buckle up, Buttercup (that's you David Blatt), because this should be fun.
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US Open
The story lines for this U.S. Open are familiar.
And different.
We know that Tiger Woods will be a story, but that story will be one of wonder and fear. For the first time ever, Tiger Woods is an underdog to make the cut. Yes, Tiger Woods, in the all-knowing eyes of Vegas, is picked to fail.
Phil Mickelson looks up toward the flight of the ball after a chip shot to the 15th green during the second round of the Wells Fargo Championship golf tournament at Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, N.C., Friday, May 15, 2015. (AP Photo/Bob Leverone) We all know that Phil Mickelson will be a story. Lefty, who turned 45 today, has six career runner-up finishes at our national golf championship and a win here would complete the grand slam.
We all know the two young studs - Jordan Spieth and Rory McIlroy - will be a story. There future - and the game's future in a lot of ways - is an interesting subplot at every major stop. The difference moving forward, though, is how do they handle the pressure of being the favorite every week.
We know the winner, whomever it may be - our two picks are Jason Day and Jimmie Walker - will be a story. That said, we think there will a first-time major champ crowned Sunday night.
We know the course will be a story. It always is when the USGA tries its best to re-instate par as a good score for the game's best players.
But this may be the biggest difference of them all this week.
Chambers Bay is nuts. The twists and turns - never mind the fescue grass - will make this unlike any U.S. Open in recent memory and more like every British Open we can recall.
The course will set up impossibly long. There will be four of the five longest par 4s in U.S. Open history on the back nine at Chambers Bay, and that does not include the first hole there, which may play as a par 5 or a par 4 depending on the day and the mood of the USGA.
Side note here: We are all for mixing the venues, but this seems a little Sir Goony's to tell you the truth. It's one thing to move the pins or the tees, but to alter the score of par on a daily basis seems more than unorthodox. It seems simply uncool. Players want to have a firm idea what they are going to do as soon as possible, and not knowing whether the first hole is a scoring hole or a surviving hole is beneath our expectation of major championship golf. Ask yourself this: Do you see Augusta National or the R&A trying some poppycock idea like that? Exaclty.
The craziness - or the unknowns - do not end there, but the rest are part of the struggle that have become synonymous with U.S. Opens.
Granted, there is all of one tree on the course, and that will take some time to get used to, but those nuances are exciting.
So the June of champions - Triple Crown winner, Stanley Cup, NBA Finals and now this - will continue on a track that will give us a U.S. Open unlike one we have ever seen.
While the players may be bemoaning that fact - and the unknown unfairness of No. 1 deserves the complaints - there is something to be said for new and different for a sporting public intrigued by that.
Sure, the longstanding love affair based as much in beauty as familiarity between the public and Augusta National can never be replicated at the other majors.
So, if that can't be replicated, then trotting out an overarching surprise offers excitement.
And we all can agree that's something golf needs more than ever.
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Coaching hot seat
CBSsports.com columnist Dennis Dodd regular ranks all the coaches in college football on his hot seat rankings.
Here is this year's list.
Staff Photo by Dan Henry
Richmond's coach Mike London looks at the scoreboard during the second quarter.We must agree with his two hottest seats - Illinois coach Tim Beckman and Virginia coach Mike London - and wonder if there's anything that could save those two cats.
Illinois is awful and Beckman has come under fire for being too rough on his players.
London has underwhelmed. He's 19-30 and has never beaten Virginia Tech.
Interesting list, and for you devoted Mocs followers, this will be a very interesting offseason on the coaching carousel, since UTC is going to have a monster year and it's the final season for Jacob Huesman in blue and gold.
Here's saying that Russ Huesman's name will be in the mix for at least some of these jobs come next winter.
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Boston Red Sox's Sandy Leon, right, looks to the outfield as Atlanta Braves' Freddie Freeman, center, scores on a single by Nick Markakis during the fourth inning of a baseball game in Boston, Monday, June 15, 2015.This and that
- The Braves notched a 4-2 win against the reeling Boston Red Sox. Williams Perez continued to look the part of solid-to-strong starting pitcher. He's 3-0 as a starter - and he pitched the 11th inning Saturday for his first save of the season - and has been relentless since moving into the oration. Take out his debut debacle as a reliever - he allowed four runs and got all of one out in early May at Washington - and his numbers are awesome. He has a 2.29 ERA in 39.1 innings now; without that Washington disaster, he would have a 1.38 in 39 innings.
- As all-around TFP ace David Paschall tells us here it's likely we should be on the look out for Lookouts playoff tickets.
- Thank you Tom Willis for reminding us that far too often the small and meaningless things that get us down are too small and meaningless to deserve our angst. Willis, who was born without arms, is a lifelong Giants fan and threw out the first pitch at a recent game with his foot. You are an inspiration sir.
- Speaking of head college football coaches, here's what happens when you park in Urban Meyer's space. Whatever. We get the block-in treatment if the rest of the lot is full but that's ridiculous. Truly, Meyer writes a tough stance on parking lot discipline. Player discipline - remember his Gators were in more trouble than Capone's men - well, that's a sliding scale apparently.
- This graphic is rather staggering to think about. Yes, that diagram shows that from the 2012 season opener, every offensive starter for the '12 Crimson Tide is in the NFL. Wow.
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Today's question
FILE - In this Oct. 7, 2001, file photo, San Diego Padres' Tony Gwynn fights back tears as he acknowledges the standing ovation prior to the Padres' game against the Colorado Rockies in San Diego, the final game of his career, The Hall of Famer died on June 16, 2014. He was 54. Gwynn died in 2014, unparalleled craftsmen who made the supremely difficult look almost easy. (AP Photo/Lenny Ignelzi, File) Feel free to weigh in on any of the above.
As a question, we have two on this notorious June 16 day.
A year ago today, Tony Gwynn died. He was a magnificent hitter in a era dominated by PEDs and suspicion. In fact, we can put Gwynn on the short list of guys that would surprise us the most if they used PEDs.
What's your Rushmore of the truly great players that would shock you if they used PEDs?
We think Gwynn and Jeter are definitely there. Any number of the Braves stars during the historic run of the 1990s would be there for a lot of folks.
Far left could be Cal Ripken Jr. Or Jose Canseco. Wait, strike that last one.
Secondly, it was seven years ago today that Tiger won his 14th major at the 2008 U.S. Open?
Will he ever win another?
Whatcha' got - and remember the mailbag.