NBA MVP
Russell Westbrook was named the NBA MVP last night in a ceremony that was upstaged by a rookie's dad in the WWE ring and Draymond going Donald Duck with a tuxedo top and shorts.
We have no problem with Westbrook getting the top honor. Dude messed around and averaged a triple-double. (Props to Cube.) We believe Westbrook deserved it over James Harden, even though the Rockets were the better team and Harden was more efficient. (And yes, we still believe - as we predicted here before the season - that while Westbrook would be the MVP, LeBron is the real MVP.)
Side notes: Looking back on those predictions are pretty scary. We got Westbrook. We had Embiid as the rookie of the year, a title he would have easily claimed if he had not gotten injured. Again.
We had DeMarcus Cousins getting traded, which happened, and the Knicks making the playoffs, which was not even close. We had Cavs over Warriors, which did not happen, and the folks at fivethirtyeight.com's preseason simulations had the Warriors going 68-14, a record that was off by one.
As for the awards, Westbrook had a remarkable year. Remarkable. And we have this conversation quite frequently, but there simply is no way he's the most valuable player in the league.
LeBron James is more valuable than half the franchises in the NBA, and his presence would make any team in the league into a contender. Yes, we're a James fan, but simply put, there is not a player in team sports more valuable than LeBron.
FILE - In this Saturday, Jan. 28, 2017 file photo, United States' Serena Williams makes a backhand return to her sister Venus during the women's singles final at the Australian Open tennis championships in Melbourne, Australia. Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps and Oklahoma City Thunder star Russell Westbrook are among the finalists for best male athlete at the ESPY Awards. Tennis star Serena Williams and gymnast Simone Biles are two of the finalists for best female athlete. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila, File) Delicate sensabilities
John McEnroe made waves on NPR by saying Serena Williams would be "ranked 700" if she played against the men.
Serena took some offense to that and fired back on social media, Tweeting:
"Dear John, I adore and respect you but please please keep me out of your statements that are not factually based."
And, "I've never played anyone ranked "there" nor do I have time. Respect me and my privacy as I'm trying to have a baby. Good day sir."
Now cue the hand-waving, offended-at-the-drop-of-a-participle crowd and McEnroe is getting fried. In fact he was on CBS this morning and you would have thought McEnroe had slapped someone's momma and pushed an old woman in traffic.
McEnroe simply stated what most reasonable folks understand and believe.
Could Serena beat us? Of course, and it would not be close.
But c'mon, saying Serena would contend on the men's circuit is like saying Diana Taurasi should be playing 2-guard for the Celtics.
And the fact that McEnroe is getting carved up for simply telling the truth when asked a question about it is quite telling, truthfully.
FILE - In this May 1, 2017, file photo, Gisele Bundchen, left, and Tom Brady attend The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute benefit gala celebrating the opening of the Rei Kawakubo/Comme des Garçons: Art of the In-Between exhibition in New York. Bundchen told "CBS This Morning" in an interview that aired May 17, 2017, that Brady suffered a concussion last year. (Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP, File) Speaking of value
Second on the list in our view of the most valuable players in team sports is Tom Brady.
His peers concur.
The soon-to-be 40-year-old Patriots quarterback was voted the best player in the NFL, a ranking from votes of 902 NFL players who participated in the NFL Network polling.
That seems fair, but this poll more times than not is a little reactionary. (Last year's No. 1 was Cam Newton for Pete Rozelle's sake. Hey, we're a Cam fan, but there's no way we'd consider him better than Brady or Rodgers or a handful of other dudes.)
That's not to discredit Brady's greatness or the fact that the Patriots won another title last February. Here's the top 10:
1. Brady
2. Von Miller, Denver
3. Julio Jones, Atlanta
4. Antonio Brown, Pittsburgh
5. Khalil Mack, Oakland
6. Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay
7. Ezekiel Elliott, Dallas
8. Odell Beckham Jr., New York Giants
9. Le'Veon Bell, Pittsburgh
10. Matt Ryan, Atlanta
We are surprised by a few things above.
We think Rodgers is no worse than 2 behind Brady. We think Elliott being No. 7 is stunning. We also think it is an interesting talking point about who is the better Falcons player, Jones or Ryan.
This is the fundamental divide between better and valuable.
We can see the argument that Jones is the better player because of the amazing things he does. We also know in our soul that if the Falcons had to pick between the two to have a season-ending injury, they are picking Jones over last season's NFL MVP.
This and that
* Buster Olney on Mike & Mike this morning said he believes pace of play is going to be chief among baseball owners as they look at rule changes. That's not a big shock. This, however, kind of was. Olney said that the owners will lobby for a pitch clock, and the players may counter with "OK, but we want an electronic strike zone."
* Florida topped LSU in game one of the College World Series, which according to Neilsen numbers is up 50 percent in viewership this year to last.
* Regulars around these parts know how much we love game shows, especially the Family Feud. We like new host Steve Harvey too, and in this clip, he shows us why. Harvey's wife is playing and at the podium when Harvey says, "We asked 100 married women, 'Some days, I'd be willing to trade my man for a really good what?'" Here answer was "Pool boy!" And hilarity ensued.
* Here's betting Derek Carr's people may get a call from a certain Atlanta-based food chain. When asked what he was going to buy when he signed his $25 million per year deal, Carr said, "Chick-Fil-A."
* Think you are a big-time fan of your team. Meet this guy, who wore a Dolphins helmet to his wedding.
Today's question
It's a true or false Tuesday.
Let's play.
True or false, Russell Westbrook is more valuable than LeBron James. True or false, Matt Ryan is better than the No. 10-ranked player in the NFL. True or false, Julio Jones should be ranked ahead of Matt Ryan. True or false, John McEnroe should apologize to Serena Williams.
As for the day, well, on this June 27, did you know that 50 years ago today, the first ATM was installed in London. (Side note: We do not believe in the ATM. Don't even have an ATM card.) Helen Keller was born today in 1880. Tobey Maguire is 42 today. One of the Kardashians is 33.
Yeah, kind of a light day. But it's also National Sunglasses Day, so let's do the Rushmore of most famous sunglass in movies and TV history.
Yes, Cruise's shades in "Risky Business" is a fine place to start.
Go.