Chris asked: this is chris..im reading your blog during the 4th quarter of game 5...i am thankful we came out to play today....even though we are going to be up 3-2, i am still worried in this series...game 6 will be tough..with the assumption the we move on, i couldnt be happier with direction of the west so far...if dallas, denver and portland get knocked out, the lakers should have an ideal route to the finals. those three are our worst matchups

I completely agree. Things are shaping up perfectly for the Lakers. Kobe played a hell of a game today. He was passing really well and wasn't forcing any tough shots. If he plays like this (and the rest of the Lakers too) I don't see the Lakers being stopped. Hopefully LeBron's arm is alright. A Lakers/Cavs finals matchup really is ideal...with the Cavs winning of course.

Anonymous asked: thoughts on ryan howard's contract?

My first thought when I heard about the 5 year/125 million dollar extension was, what does this mean Pujols is going to get? It seems high to me. I know all the stats like 45 HRs and 135 RBIs for four straight seasons, better defensively, etc, but 5/125? Would Howard not accept 20 per year? More than Mauer and into A-Rod territory? Ehh, seems high. I'm just interested to see how this affects other contracts down the line like Prince Fielder and Adrian Gonzalez.

Edit: I just remembered Mark Teixeira signed for 8/180 so I'm guessing that was the base for Howard's deal. Still though, seems high. What does this mean for Jayson Werth, Jimmy Rollins, and Cole Hamels when they're free agents? I'm assuming the Phillies can't keep everybody...

Anonymous asked: any talk about putting madison bumgarner as the 5th starter?

I doubt it at this point, especially after Wellemeyer's start tonight. After a shaky start in Fresno, Bumgarner's last two outings were much better by all accounts with his velocity increasing so those are all good signs. I don't see any need to rush him up to the bigs if they don't need to. He's still only 20 years old.

I thought this was funny: up until tonight, Bumgarner had as many home runs as the Giants cleanup hitter.

Anonymous asked: Has D-Wade played his last game in a Heat uniform?

I highly doubt it. Of all the big free agents, I think he is the least likely to leave. There's no income tax in Miami, the Heat can offer him the most money via the CBA, and they have the cap space to sign another max free agent. Amare, Boozer, Bosh - I can see any of them going there. It's too bad Michael Beasley hasn't turned into anything. I was definitely wrong about him.

Anonymous asked: Name all the ex-Warriors that are in the playoffs.

Wow. That's tough. I'm just going to assume you meant all the ex-Warriors that made the playoffs. Stephen Jackson, Matt Barnes, Mickael Pietrus, Jason Richardson, Antawn Jamison, Jamal Crawford, Derek Fisher (Ughhh), DJ Mbenga, Erick Dampier, Larry Hughes, and Acie Law. (I only know him because I saw him on TV today) I'm sure I'm forgetting a couple people.

Edit: I just looked over playoff rosters. How could I forget the number one overall pick in the 1995 Draft, Joe Smith? I remember when people tried to get the nickname Simba to catch on when he was a rookie. I used to emulate my free throw shot after him with my gum hanging out of my mouth. Brad, you remember this, right?