5-at-10: Weekend winners and losers, NBA Finals, Rushmore of horses

It’s a Monday.

You know how we roll.

From the “Talks too much” studios, anyone got any questions about who the most valuable player in the NBA really is?

Weekend winners

– American Pharaoh. We have a Triple Crown winner. Now American Pharaoh gets to live the dream gig – get paid huge sums of money and pro-create and retire early and be famous for being famous.

– Horse racing. As TFP ace columnist Mark Wiedmer elegantly wrote this weekend, the Triple Crown means a ton for sport that is definitely fading in the public eye. Will this help?

– Serena Williams. She may not have as many Grand Slam titles as Steffi Graf, but we belief this: Those two in their prime and Serena blows through her like a strong, cool spring breeze.

– This Atlanta Braves fan who was heckling the Pirates star Andrew McCutchen. Here’s the story. And in our younger days we were a pretty good heckler; we even had Corliss Williamson wanting to punch us and the entire LSU baseball team laughing at second baseman Warren Morris. This guy gets a tip of the visor since a) he got McCutchen to throw him his gloves (which means he obviously made the Pirates star laugh) and b) he got the attention of Pirates fan Michael Keaton. That said, we’d love to go toe-to-toe in a heckling challenge with Keaton. If worst comes to worst you could always unload, “Hey Batman, was that a protective piece you were wearing or were just really happy to see the Joker?” Or, “Do you still send Ron Howard royalty checks?” Or even “Hey before “Birdman” do you think it’s a coincidence that your biggest last three movie roles were as a voice over? Me neither.”

—

Weekend losers

– Tiger Woods. Is this rock bottom? Tiger shoots 14 over and finishes DFL in the Memorial, Jack’s tournament which Tiger has won five flipping’ times.

– NASCAR. Again. OK, this is with all apologies to Martin Truex Jr., and this is coming from a former big-time NASCAR follower. So we were driving back from the lake Sunday, and the Mrs. 5-at-10 and the 5-at-10 tots were asleep in the car. So we listened to the race. Pocono is normally an underrated track and we wanted to hear the action. Then in the final 50 laps, crashes and cautions dominated the storyline almost as much as Truex. Know this: NASCAR has an image problem. Period.

– Men’s tennis. We know a fair amount about sports, but when a guy wins a major championship and we are unable to remember that guy’s first name, well, that’s a problem. Plus, he beat Novak Djokovic, who would have contended for a possible Grand Slam this year, which would have been awesome for the sport.

– Equality. Yes, there are a lot of problems with double standards, and here are two more examples. These may not be what you’re expecting. First, Hope Solo is back on the field despite a rap sheet that would have any male athlete under a thunder storm of controversy. And we can only mention the Brittany Griner-Glory Johnson story that had mutual domestic violence arrest for the newlyweds, then we learn Johnson is pregnant and then we learn Griner is looking for an annulment. Egad.

– The Entourage movie. For the love of goodness, Vincent Chase and E and Johnny Drama and Turtle and Ari lost to Melissa McCarthey and “Spy” this weekend.

—

NBA Finals

OK, the Cavs are undermanned.

Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving are watching on TV, and some gritty, 6-foot-2 white guy who would be the fifth pick in your church league draft now becomes Cleveland’s most important sidekick.

Still, LeBron and the Cavs are tied at 1-1 and head home with nothing to lose.

This is staggering, and much credit goes to TFP hoops ace Mean Gene Henley for calling the Cavs win on Twitter before the tip. Kudos.

So where does that leave us? Well, the 5-at-10 picked the Cavs in six. That was before Kyrie’s injury and that throws everything into the air.

The Cavs needed OT to win Game 2 while Steph Curry couldn’t play dead in a Western. So there’s that.

Game 3 will have a TON of emotion Tuesday in Cleveland.

Because of Golden State’s balance and the Cavs’ injuries, the Warriors seem to be the pick.

But

LeBron James in two Finals games is averaging 48 minutes, 41.5 points, 12 rebounds and 8.5 assists. Sure, he’s shooting roughly the same percentage as Stevie Wonder at a carnival booth, but dude is embracing the challenge. (Side note: If you are worried about his shooting percentage, do you really want another Cavs player creating shots? Thought so.)

Giddy-up.

—

This and that

– After a weekend at the lake – shoutout – we have a clear head and have made a decision. Unless there is a sports-related story involving the 1976 Olympic decathlon champion, we shall not mention that person again in this space. Deal? Deal. Sure, we believe Clint Eastwood, like any other American, said what he believes, but the internet morality mob may take him to task. Alas. Either way, we are done.

– Hey, we liked the fight in the Braves this weekend. Yes, they fell two games under .500, but the bullpen sticks and they saw a legit ace in Gerrit Cole. So it goes.

– Monica Lewinsky was at the Tony Awards on Sunday and her dress received rave reviews. She was a guest of her good friend Alan Cumming. That’s all we have to say about that

—

Today’s questions

Who won the weekend? Who lost it?

In honor of American Pharaoh, what is the Rushmore of Horses (non-racing division)?

If you need one more, today is the birthday of Keenan Ivory Wayans (56). Rushmore of Comedy brothers. Go.