JR Smith for Threeeeeeeeeee...and more Case of the Mondays

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More Mile High Musings from the fan of one team flying Mile High...and of another team whose season might be over after one week:

• FORTY-FIVE.
• I watch golf two days out of the year: Masters Sunday and U.S. Open Sunday. That's it. Well, unless you count the annual Thanksgiving Drinking Game sponsored by 'Caddyshack'.
• And to be honest, with many things to get done on my Easter Sunday (and no, hunting for eggs was not one of them), I probably would not have watched if the final round Sunday weren't for a certain duo being paired together for the final round.
• What a tussle that was: two men, at the peak of their craft, dueling each other for optimum position with the hopes of mounting an illustrious comeback with the grand prize of one of those lovely green jackets everyone seems to be so worked up about.
• I'm of course, talking about Rocco Mediate and Miguel Angel Jimenez.




• So ... Lefty and Tiger. Phil and Eldrick. Sadly for Tiger, who thrives on imposing his presence on his tee time partner and destructing every ounce of self-confidence he thought he had at one point in time, he was paired with someone who just doesn't give a hack.
• That was part of the fun, for me. Phil had an unbelievable start, and I think that kind of got into Tiger's noggin. Every time I get into a debate over the greatest athlete of our time - Roger Federer (me) vs. Tiger Woods (every last one of my friends and their friends and their mothers) - my biggest case is that the rest of the tennis tour isn't intimidated by Federer, despite the fact that Federer can physically do something to throw your game off. In golf, Tiger can't do a gosh darn thing about it if you decide to go off for a 12-under round.
• But these friends of mine argue that nay, Tiger does get into his opponents' heads, willing them to play poorly. Well, friends, Exhibit A all over your grill. Mickelson just showed us how you ignore the guy in the red shirt with all the swooshes splashed over his attire and just PLAY. YOUR. GAME.
• For their career in majors, when paired together, Tiger has posted the lower score 11 times, and Phil nine times. That's getting it done, whether it's Tiger, God himself (no, Jim Nantz, not the same person), or a weekend hack with a 30 handicap playing with you.
• Gee, I guess I should say something about Angel Cabrera capturing his second major or Kenny Perry nearly winning one for the old fogeys or Chad Campbell somehow scoring a blonde chick that's waaaaaaaaaaaaay out of his league. Uhhhhh...congrats Pato, too bad Kenny, and you are the MAN, Chad.
• Hey, keeping in line with CBS' divvying of coverage between Tiger-Phil and the rest of the players, that's all the time I have alloted for non-Tiger news.
• FORTY-FIVE.



• Okay, I admit it, I was a little nervous about the Nuggets choking away the division title tonight. You'll have to forgive me; I'm still a little shocked from the last time a Denver-based team hosted a patsy opponent with two games to go and needing just one more victory to wrap up a division crown, only to blow it and be forced to fly to their division rival's building for the season finale where they got CREAMED.
• For those who aren't Denver fans and are not shaking your heads in disgust or reaching for the nearest pistol, barf bag or fifth of Jack, I'm talking about the 2008 Broncos.
• But alas, the Nuggets are too talented this year to let it slip. Actually, on this night, they weren't; but JR Smith sure as hell was.
• FORTY-FIVE. That's how many points JR hung on Sacramento last night, aided by a franchise record 11 three-pointers, one short of the NBA record. For his final triple, JR was being trapped on the right wing, about 30 feet from the basket and the shot clock reading two. JR was forced to throw up a shot that should be attempted under no circumstances by any normal human being.
• Thankfully, JR is no normal human being. Swish.
• I'm not about to go all Jack Bauer on the NBA award voters and demand JR win the Sixth Man award. Jason Terry has once again been magnificent for the Mavericks, and has arguably been more important to red-hot Dallas than JR has been to Denver. Arguably, now.
• But anybody who thinks Nate Robinson (a ballhog for a crappy team) or Travis Outlaw (lesser stats than Smith in every important category) should get votes over JR needs to stop following basketball. More than anything else, I can't wait to see what JR can do in the playoffs...particularly if they face off with Terry's (and B-dubs') Mavs.
• So now, the Nuggets head to Portland in what could be a meaningless game on ESPN, should the Rockets lose in Dallas Wednesday night in the first ESPN telecast. That would automatically lock Denver into the 2 seed, and the Nuggets may be able to rest some guys before the playoffs start Saturday.
• Oh, man, is this exciting. Just a few days 'till the playoffs, and in a way, I'm just as jacked up for the playoff pairings to be locked in tomorrow night. Once they're set, I'll have a NBA playoff preview with segments on all eight matchups, and my composite predictions all the way through the finals. Early teaser: there will be a LOT of Cleveland involved.
• FORTY-FIVE.



• Well, the Rockies had a good season. For about four games.
• Good, encouraging start to jump out 3-1. But our bullpen has been grossly and hopelessly overrated (we dumped Holliday for this guy??? REALLY?!?!?!), Cook and Jimenez are going to have tough years going up against the No. 1 and No. 2 starters on other teams, and I'm afraid our offense just won't be the same consistently for 162 games without Matty H.
• I will say this, though: Ryan Spilborghs is a very capable replacement for Holliday in left. And it will be FUN watching Dexter Fowler grow. That's about all I can say for the Rox, who are destined for about 75 wins this year. Maybe 80.


• FORTY-FIVE.
  


• It was unbelievably disappointing to have a quiet weekend around the apartment, because nobody was ever around me when I saw any news about the US cruise ships getting bombarded by pirates.
• Nobody was ever around to hear my super-funny pirate joke! It went something like this, "Yarrrrrr, mateys, we be on dar news."
• Okay, I thought it was funny.
• I was just under the impression that the only pirates still around are up in Pittsburgh, playing perennially bad baseball, that's all.



• Fantasy Baseball Gripe of the Week: Chien-Ming Wang, really? 24 ERA through two starts? Are you really this awful, and should I just dump you now for Paul Bako while I still can?
• Explain this one to me: I had five pitchers start for me today. Todd Wellemeyer (a shiny nickel if you can tell me what team he plays for) went seven strong, giving up just a run on seven hits, no walks and four Ks, for the victory in which his team scored just two runs.
• My other four guys? Maybe you've heard of them: Wang, Jon Lester, Ubaldo Jimenez, and Mike Pelfrey. Humor me and throw in Brad Lidge as the lone relief pitcher who hurled for me today. Those five studs combined for 16.2 innings pitched, a 13.33 ERA, a WHIP way about 2, and no wins or quality starts.
• In other words, fantasy baseball is EVIL. When you think about it, so is real baseball.



• FORTY-FIVE.
• Did I mention how excited I am for the Nuggets? And how excited I am for the NBA playoffs in general???
• With the end of the regular season comes the end of NBATV, and likely, the end of Melanie Collins for this season. OK, so there is something tempering my enthusiasm. And that's all I have to say about that.

Have a good one.

-AJ