Some thoughts for the weekend

Some fodder for what I hope is a bright, sunny day.

• I'm not an NBA fan at all, but having grown up in the Bay Area, it's sad to see that the Golden State Warriors are still one of the worst franchises in the league. Jason Richardson is one of the most electrifying players in the league and Baron Davis is a proven point guard. However, the Warriors have no frontcourt, and thus don't have a winning record.

• While we're on the subject of the NBA, can I just say that the season, especially the playoffs, are way too long. It's not right that the NBA Finals end in June. The league should shorten its season to 65 games. We all know that since so many teams make the playoffs, the regular season isn't that big of a deal.

• I hear all the talk on ESPN Radio about who the MVP of the NBA is this season. I almost have to laugh when I hear Kobe Bryant and LeBron James mentioned. Maybe I'm in the minority, but shouldn't MVPs be from good teams? The talk-show hosts talk about how bad the Lakers would be without Kobe, and I disagree. Heck, it's not hard to average 26 or 27 points a game when you are jacking up 30 shots a game. Ditto for James. I agree he's a great player, but aren't a serious threat to win an NBA title. I'd like to see a guy like Chauncey Billups get some props. Ditto for Steve Nash and Dwayne Wade. These are three guys that get the job done for a winning team, and their teams wouldn't be serious title contenders without them.

• I'm a huge golf fan, but like many of you, I'm not a good golfer. Save for ESPN highlights, most of my golf watching comes during the Grand Slam events, because they are the most important and the truly great golfers truly rise up. I don't usually feel sorry for pro athletes, but after watching some of the greatest golfers ever try to solve the greens at Augusta, I truly empathized with them. Slick doesn't begin to describe those things. There are more undulations on some of those green than a scrunched up bedsheet.

• It was nice to see J.T. Cockerill bounce back with a 2-over-par 74 to win medalist honors at this week's Sierra League golf tournament. Cockerill has won three of the four tournaments thus far, and certainly will be one of the favorites to win zone this year. Carson's team has been dominant on the Sierra side, but no doubt will face stiffer competition at zone. It would be nice to see the Carson team qualify for this year's state tournament in Southern Nevada.

• I spent Wednesday morning watching a portion of the Yankees' thrashing of the hapless Kansas City Royals, and I'm thinking to myself how can any pitching staff get these guys out? There truly isn't a weak spot in the order, save for Miguel Cairo or Robinson Canu, who rotate at second base. The Yankees' pitching is still a little suspect. Randy Johnson is certainly past his prime and Mike Mussina, who I had the pleasure of umpiring for when he was at Stanford, isn't nearly as good as he was two or three years ago. If the Yankees have an Achilles heel, it's their pitching. I couldn't believe the Yankee fans when they gave Shawn Chacon a warm ovation after giving up five runs and seven hits in seven innings. That deserves applause? Yikes!

• In case you haven't heard, two former Carson High grads, Darrell Rasner and Dusty Bergman, are both on the roster of the Columbus Clippers, the Yankees' Triple-A affiliate. Rasner had an impressive debut, scattering three hits over seven innings in getting a no-decision. Bergman is 0-1 with a 2.70 ERA in three relief appearances. How many high schools across the nation can boast of two players from the same high school on the same roster? Something tells me one or both of them will make it up with the Yankees at some point in the season.

• Sometimes I really shake my head when somebody calls or writes to us. A gentleman compliments us on the coverage of Carson baseball, but complains because one player seems to get his picture in the paper more than others.

Get a life. Any paper worth its salt is going to run the BEST picture the photographer brings in that day, and that's the way it should be. Trust me, we at the Appeal have no kids at Carson High, and we don't play favorites. Our goal is to put out the best paper we can each day with the best photos at our disposal.

• It's been a quiet season thus far for Giants slugger Barry Bonds, who has yet to homer in eight games. Who knows, maybe as long as he doesn't homer, people will quit talking about him. I've heard enough. I just want to watch some baseball without controversy.

• If you look at the numbers, this year's Nevada's baseball recruits haven't set the world on fire offensively.

The best performance probably has been turned in by catcher Jordan Opdyke, who won the job over returnee Baker Krukow. Opdyke has hit five homers and is hitting around .250.

The rest of the first-year players are all hitting in the low 200s and lower. None have been able to help take pressure off Dayton's Matt Bowman, Shawn Scobee and Terry Walsh, the Pack's top three hitters.