Five things we learned in the sports world this weekend:
* You don’t think St. Louis Cardinals slugger Albert Pujols, who will be a free agent after this season, isn’t auditioning for a spot with the Chicago Cubs? In 24 at-bats against the Cubs this season, he has four home runs, nine RBIs and is hitting .500 with a slugging percentage of 1.083. And you thought his hug with Cubs general manager Jim Hendry earlier this year was a simple greeting.
* We keep hearing that stat that says every team that has won Game 3 of the NBA Finals after it was tied 1-1 is 11-0 in winning the series. However, don’t give Miami the title yet. As much as the Heat have been heralded for its defense, the Mavericks have made furious runs in the last two games when they should have been decided. Miami has acted overconfident in every game, and that can cause a downfall.
* As exciting as the Stanley Cup Finals have been, the only way the series is going to back to Vancouver is for the victory parade. The Canucks are that much better despite two nail-biting one-goal wins. The Canucks play a patient, but potent game that makes it seem as if they are in control even when they are down by two goals. By the way, will they get a parade through all of Canada when they win the Cup?
* Though Steve Stricker became the top-ranked American golfer with his victory at the Memorial, it doesn’t make me want to watch him. I would rather how Tiger Woods or Phil Mickelson or even Bubba Watson shape a shot. If he is the future of golf, it makes me worry about the some lean years for interest in the PGA Tour.
*Sorry, but the only thing worse than tennis is track and field. No one can convince me that the French Open finals – men or women – were exciting. I used to like tennis for breakfast, but since Andre Agassi retired pro tennis has become a big bore.
