Let's move quickly this morning.
Rushmore of people with a number in their name — Ten Bears, Chad Ochocinco, 50 Cent and the Six Million Dollar Man narrowly over George Constanza's unborn son "Seven" Costanza.
Rushmore of circus — Piccadilly Circus, Cirque du soleil, three-ring circus, Monty Python's Flying Circus.
Rushmore of movies/songs with America in the title — "America the Beautiful," "American Werewolf in London," "American Pie," "American Girl."
Rushmore of action stars over the past 50 years — Arnold, Cruise, Sly and Harrison Ford.
To the bag.
From a lot of you
Got a slew of responses from a lot of folks for the best season of a player on their favorite team.
— As a child, huge Braves fan. This one was tough to beat: Greg Maddux (1995): 19-2, 1.63 ERA, 10 CG, 3 Shutouts, 209.2 IP (led the league), 156 SO, 0.81 WHIP, Cy Young, Golden Glove, 3rd in MVP Race. Wowzers.
— 46 homers, 139 RBIs, 121 runs, 15 triples, 406 total bases, .970 OPS. That's Jim Rice in 1978. Oh, he hit .315 that year, too. Stupid Bucky Dent.
— Orel Hershiser in 1988, especially the back half of that year.
— Fernando was everything in 1980 or '81.
— Did anyone send you Ron Guidry that season he went something like 25-3?
— Doc Gooden was the best show in NYC when I lived there in '86. Everyone buzzed when he pitched. It was really amazing.
— Ted Williams in 1949: 150 runs, 39 doubles, 43 HRs, 159 RBIs, .343 BA, 162 BBs, 1.141 OPS. One more crazy stat? In 730 plate appearances, he struck out 48 times.
Thoughts? (And know this: That was not even Ted Williams' best season.)
From a bunch of you (again)
Got a slew of responses on the patriotic moment in sports, which included:
Rick Monday tackling the would-be flag burner; George Bush's first-pitch strike at the NYC World Series after 9/11; Piazza's homer against the Braves after 9/11; a slew of Olympic moments from the Dream Team to Mary Lou to Strung's vault; the women's World Cup final in the 1990s; Team USA with the NYC first responders at the 2002 Olympics opening ceremony.
Great responses, gang.
From JoeDon
JG:
You've been rumored to have once had a man crush on LeBron James, and you love the draft (I know this), so this seems like an appropriate question:
If you're the owner/GM of a small-market NBA franchise starved for attention and tickets, would you draft Bronny James in the 2024 first round for the sole purpose of signing Dad in free agency in order to sell-out home games and boost season tickets and ad revenue for the next two seasons?
Would part of the draft-and-sign deal be that Daddy James must play all 41 home games?
Who do you see as prime candidates? Indiana? OKC? New Orleans?
JoeDon,
I am 100% on board with this.
Heck, I think the Hawks should seriously consider this, too.
And how about Cleveland? LeBron as the last piece to a contender — and to be there as a mentor to the younger players — would be a box office smash.
Heck, every team should consider this, and not just as a side show.
Because look at what LeBron did last year at 38: 28.9/8.3/6.8 on 50% shooting.
At. 38. Years. Old.
I think the really interesting wrinkle here is how much does this improve Bronny's draft spot?
If he would be a late first-rounder (maybe) without the almost surefire addition of his dad, does LeBron's acquisition make Bronny a top-10 pick? Top-five potentially?
If you are a GM worth your salt, you have to have this conversation, big market or small.
From Brenda
Jay, why nothing on the U.S. women's open golf? You are the last one writing about golf these days and even you forgot this!
Do better.
Brenda,
Uh, sorry. I guess.
In truth, there are more story lines than normal for this event.
It's being played at Pebble Beach, which always merits a look.
The 20-year-old making her third start — she has a win and a top-10 in her previous two starts — is a good story, but if I am being honest, I am going to have to look up her name.
And maybe most importantly, Michelle Wie West is making her final professional appearance.
Man, hard to believe she is done. And we have to consider that an underwhelming career, right?
Thoughts?
Have a great weekend, friends. And enjoy whatever you are doing and who you are doing it with.
When we reconvene, I will be in Panama City Beach, at the 12-year-old fastpitch world series.