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Posted by: Bradley McDonald

The NBA Draft took place last night and I went undrafted for the sixth consecutive year. Andrew Bogut, a big man from Australia who played college ball at Utah, was the first overall pick. Only one senior was taken in the top ten (Channing Frye), but that could change next year if the NBA has it's way.

The NBA and the NBA Players Association agreed in principle last week to a new collective bargaining agreement that will include a 19-year-old age minimum and require players to be at least one year out of high school to be eligible for the draft.

Every year more and more underclassmen are declaring for the draft, but the draft is only two rounds, so a lot of these guys end up going undrafted. In fact, Pat Forde points out that there were six undergraduates from the SEC alone that declared for the draft and were not picked. The bad news for them is once you declare, you can't go back and play ball in school.

What now, Randolph Morris?

What now, Kelenna Azubuike?

You guys could have been part of a 2006 national championship contender at the University of Kentucky – maybe even the preseason No. 1 team. Instead you wake up today as young men without a team, or a grasp on your dream.

You whiffed in the NBA draft, making the worst career decisions since Michael Jordan decided he could hit a curve ball.

What now, Matt Walsh?

What now, Anthony Roberson?

You could have been part of a team equipped to battle Kentucky on even terms, the Florida Gators. Instead you wake up today with egos and expectations trampled after seeing 60 players picked by the NBA – none of them you. Your "advisers" who counseled you to turn pro and stay in the draft ... what are they telling you this morning – if they have the nerve to return your calls?

What now, Olu Famutimi?

What now, Kennedy Winston?

You bailed on Arkansas and Alabama, respectively, where you could have been key players on potential Top 25 teams. Instead you wake up today with the words "undrafted free agent" following your names, and no guaranteed money headed to your bank accounts. Hope you guys didn't spend too much advance money from your agents, because it could be hard to pay them back on a D-League salary.

Posted by: Bradley McDonald

The return to the links yesterday went as well as could be expected. I made par on a few holes and even had a birdie putt rim out, but there was also plenty of stray shots. So, as far as our relationship goes, golf and I have decided to take it slowly and see what happens. We haven't ruled anything out and we may actually meet again soon.

Posted by: Bradley McDonald

After work today I will attempt to rekindle an old relationship that I ended over a year ago. The relationship ended on unhappy terms, so I'm not sure how it will go, but I firmly believe that if we both learn to compromise, it can work.

I am talking about the game of golf, or what I like to call The Humbler.

I started playing golf seriously about the time I graduated from college (2001). After a year of playing at least once a week, I was showing definite signs of improvement, but then the relationship went south. My game didn't really make a turn for the worse, but it remained rather stagnant. I had plenty of room for improvement and I figured if I spent time each week playing the game, I should get better. But after another year of playing, my level of play surely didn't improve. I stopped playing consistently and eventually my swing went downhill. Then, with the little ego that I had left, I told golf not to come around until it could play nice.

Well, The Humbler and I met at a driving range Saturday and had a little discussion. It went well and we both decided we miss our time together so we're going to meet up this afternoon and see what happens. But ONLY as friends, so niether of us expect too much.

Wish me luck...

Posted by: Bradley McDonald

A couple of champions were crowned in the sports world since I last posted.

NBA
As most of you probably know, the Spurs defeated the Pistons in Game 7 of the NBA Finals, for their third championship in seven years. Tim Duncan, who was chosen as the MVP of the Finals, shook off a shaky start to come up big in the fourth quarter of the deciding game. Personally, I think Manu Ginobili deserved the MVP. It was tough for Duncan to get anything going inside against a tough Detroit defense, but Ginobili jump-started San Antonio's offense on many occasions by driving through the lane and getting a layup or an assist. It's going to be fun to see how good Ginobili can become over the next few years.

College World Series
It only took Texas two games to defeat the Florida Gators in the best of three College World Series Championship matchup. The Longhorns now have a total of six National Championships in baseball - one more than my Tigers of LSU (which is why I was pulling for Florida).

Oh, and for those of you who are eagerly awaiting news on my freshly enrolled bowling league: Team "Bust 'Em Up" took two out of three tonight, led by yours truly, who bowled 20 points above his average in each of the three games. PBA, here I come!

Posted by: Bradley McDonald

Be sure to tune in tonight to the first Game 7 of the NBA Finals since 1994. There have been a lot of lopsided Finals matchups since then and this one looked like it might be headed that way after San Antonio cruised to wins in the first two games. This Detroit team is tough, though, and after winning two out of three at home, they came back to San Antonio and won Tuesday night to force the deciding game tonight.

I expect it to be a physical, defensive battle. Someone will step up offensively and lead his team to victory, but there's no telling who that someone might be.

I'll have to pick the Spurs for the win, since they're playing at home, but that's probably the only reason.

Posted by: Bradley McDonald

Since we're a well-rounded crew over here at The Bench Warmer, I figured I'd throw a music review out there for your absorption. There's an article in our Once and Again section of this week's 90&9 release called Still Haven't Found Much of What I'm Looking For, by Cara Davis. She uses a quote by Bono of U2 that says:

Music is Worship; whether it's worship of women or their designer, the world or its destroyer, whether it comes from that ancient place we call soul or simply the spinal cortex, whether the prayers are on fire with a dumb rage or dove-like desire . . . the smoke goes upwards . . . to God or something you replace God with . . . usually yourself.

Anyone heard of the Blind Boys of Alabama? I received their new CD, Atom Bomb, for my birthday and there's no doubt who their music worships. This stuff is heavyweight gospel. The group first formed over 65 years ago at a school for the blind and three of those members are still in the band!

The music is a mixture of blues, folk, and soul, but it is pure gospel at it's core. They usually do a few classics on their albums, but on each one, the Blind Boys put their distinctive style in it. I've listened to the CD many times and I still get chills on some of the songs. Go check these guys out.

Now we will return to our regularly scheduled sports rantings.

Posted by: Bradley McDonald

There are all kinds of events going on in the sports world these days.

Basketball
If you missed Game 5 last night of the NBA Finals, you missed a thriller. San Antonio was saved by Robert Horry, who scored 21 of the Spurs final 34 points and hit a three with 5 seconds to go in overtime to give the Spurs a one point win. This guy has made a career out of hitting big three pointers in the playoffs! Horry has a career average of only 7.5 points, but there's nobody better in clutch situations. There's a reason his nickname is "Big Shot Bob." San Antone now goes back home with a 3-2 advantage.

Golf
Check this feel-good story from the U.S. Open this past weekend. Michael Campbell, a relatively unknown golfer from New Zealand, won the tournament by outplaying superstars Tiger Woods and Retief Goosen. Cambell said that in 1998, he almost quit the game and he wanted to "get an ax and chop them (golf clubs) up in two pieces and throw them away." I know that feeling well.

Baseball
The College World Series kicked off this weekend. It doesn't get as much publicity as March Madness or the bowl games in football, but it's an exciting time of the year for us baseball fans. Unfortunately for me, LSU failed to make the 8 team field for only the 7th time in the past 20 years. There is one Louisiana team in the field, though. The Tulane Green Wave, who started the season ranked number one, took the top seed going into the tournament. Their future isn't looking too bright, though; they lost a matchup tonight against the Texas Longhorns.

Bowling
My Dad talked me into being in a bowling league with him. I like the sport, but I only bowl occasionally and this is my first time in a league. I participated in my first match (is that what you call bowling games?) tonight and although you can't quite call me "Kingpin" yet, I (sorta) held my own against the "professionals." I won't tell you what my average is, but I will say that I'm thankful for handicaps!

Posted by: Bradley McDonald

Recently, I stumbled across this article on Lance Berkman, an outfielder with Houston. Of course, I've always been a big Berkman fan by default (he's an Astro), but this article will give you reason to cheer for the guy, too.

Berkman started out slowly this year due to an injury that kept him out of the first month of the season, but if you've ever seen him bat when he's on, you know he's a pure hitter. He's also a good guy, as you can tell from the quotes below.

"What makes me any better than anybody else, just because I can hit a little ball with a piece of wood? I guess it's cool, and I'm very thankful for the Lord blessing me with that ability—but at the same time, our society is really warped about what is admirable and what is not. And I want to show people that I'm just an average Joe."

Obviously, Berkman missed Ego 101 and its textbook, How to Satisfy Me, at Rice University. He had his head in a different book: the Bible. That book—when accompanied by a relationship with its author, God—will change a man from self-centered to self-less.

"If I do get into the situation of being famous just because of what I can do [spoken as if he failed to hear the roaring crowds or see the knee-high stack of mail at his locker], I want to remain humble and be a servant," Berkman says. "I don't ever want to get to the point where I feel like I deserve special treatment. I just want to be a guy that, no matter what, is an encourager to my teammates and is always willing to serve and is not looking to be served. I'm no different. Like any man, I'm fighting battles in my mind and continually working to overcome obstacles. I want to walk in humility."

He goes on to talk about his goals after baseball:

"I want to start a church," says Berkman, adding that it would be in Houston. "I've already got some ideas about the kind of church it would be. There is so much division in the church today … I think we've gotten away from the true gospel, which is Jesus Christ, Him crucified, and His love that He showed to the masses, and the way He dealt with people. I think what He calls us to do is to love as many people into the kingdom as we can. The kind of church I want to have is straight-from-the-Bible teaching, line-by-line, verse-by-verse, and at the same time a body that is truly active in the community to show the love of Christ."

When most athletes talk about goals, they speak of certain statistical plateaus, or a championship, or the Hall of Fame. Lance Berkman may attain all of those, but only as a minor part of a greater purpose, a purpose He doesn't completely understand yet, but one in which he is confident of God's leading.

"I can totally see the hand of God working in my life, dictating a path here or there, bringing this person in, allowing me to have this experience or go through that. It is mind-boggling when I stop and think about how He has controlled the path and blessed me," Lance says. "I don't think I appreciate it like I should. God's ways are so much higher than our ways, we can't even comprehend them."

Posted by: Bradley McDonald

• The Lakers re-hired Phil Jackson as coach after letting him go a year ago. It was rumored that Kobe Bryant fueled his departure, but now Kobe issued a statement saying he welcomed Jackson back. Kobe must've realized that losing Shaq and Jackson, who has 9 NBA Championships, meant the difference in about twenty losses between 2004 and 2005. I guess he figured he would try to get at least one of them back.


• Ricky Williams is trying to return to football after abruptly retiring days before training camp last year. He claimed he had no more passion for football and his "lifestyle" didn't fit. Apparently, his "lifestyle" consisted of doing many drugs, since it was revealed that he failed three drugs tests and was going to be suspended for three games. Of course, the $8.6 million dollars that the Dolphins claimed Williams owed them might've had a little influence on his decision to return to the playing field.


• In actual sports action, Detroit won Game 3 of the NBA Finals and cut the Spurs lead in the best of seven series to 2-1. If Detroit can win Game 4 tomorrow night (also played in Detroit), then the series would get really interesting. I hope that happens, because I'm all about sports DRAMA.
  

Posted by: Bradley McDonald

The bizarre circus ride that has been Mike Tyson's boxing career came to an end this past weekend. Tyson refused to enter the ring after six rounds with Kevin McBride (did they get this guy off the streets?) and repeatedly stated afterwards that his career was over. "It's a hard feeling, not to be a violent man anymore," said Tyson.

That last quote ought to tell you how crazy Tyson is. That got me thinking: is he the weirdest athlete ever?

Ricky Williams is out there. Ron Artest has said and done some crazy stuff. But can anyone top Dennis Rodman? Rodman, with his rainbow colored hair and piercings from his toes to his ears, once made a public appearance in a wedding dress. Rodman would seemingly invent ways to bring attention to himself. (Rodman tried to make a comeback this year, by the way, but failed.)

Can anyone think of an athlete crazier than Dennis Rodman?

Posted by: Bradley McDonald

NBA Finals
The Spurs looked dominant last night as they took a 2-0 lead over Detroit in the Finals. Unlike Game 1, the outcome of this game was never really in question. There was a little bit more offense in Game 2, mainly by the Spurs (the final score was 97-76). Manu Ginobili was brilliant once again, going 11-13 from the field, but it was the Spurs defense, once again, that led them to the win.

Astros Update
The Astros are on a five game winning streak and I'm thinking World Series, baby! :) Obviously, that's a stretch since Houston is still nine games under .500, but it's nice to see them playing some good ball. Unfortunately, they now have to travel to Baltimore for an interleague series against the first place Orioles.

I got to take in a ball game at Camden Yards (Baltimore's ballpark) on a family vacation when I was young. It's a beautiful place. Cal Ripken was my hero back then and it was a thrill to get to see him play. He even hit a home run for me in that game (he tipped his hat afterwards and I'm sure he was looking at me).

He also uncharacteristically made an error, which was ironic, because on that same trip, we stopped in Atlanta to see the Braves play the Cardinals and Ozzie Smith made an error in that game. Two of the greatest fielding shortstops in the history of the game and they both make errors in the only games I see them play. Anyway, that memory stuck out in my mind.

Posted by: Bradley McDonald

The Spurs took game 1 from the Pistons last night, by a score of 84-69. The game was truly a defensive battle; even more defensively-intense than I imagined. But then Manu Ginobili took over. Looks like I was wrong about him not getting easy layups against Detroit. They weren't really easy, but he makes everything look that way.

From Marc Stein of espn.com:

Now you know why a certain scribe dares to keep saying that Tim Duncan is heading for No. 2 on the list of Most Dependable Spurs.

Now all of neutral America knows, after a wait of just three quarters, that there will be something pretty to savor in these NBA Finals, even for those without a rooting interest.

Even in the most ungodly of defensive struggles.

Manu Ginobili made sure there would be some pretty pictures Thursday night, sparking San Antonio to an 84-69 triumph in the opener and sparing the very first game of Spurs vs. Pistons from some widespread scorn on Friday's newspages and airwaves.

Game 1 was about 10 times more stifling than anyone anticipated – or feared – until Ginobili started running through his repertoire in the final period. Both teams looked like long shots to reach the mystical Seventy Point Barrier, at 55-51 entering the fourth, when the crafty lefty, at last, found a more measured path to the rim against the long limbs of Tayshaun Prince and the packed paint behind him.

Posted by: Bradley McDonald

Well, I got the NBA Finals matchup that I wished for. Detroit squeeked by Miami Monday night despite an almost-heroic effort by Dwyane Wade. That win gave Detroit a spot in the Finals opposite San Antonio.

If you're looking for fast-paced, high-scoring games, you may not want to watch this matchup. The Spurs and Pistons are ranked 1st and 2nd in the NBA in points allowed per game. Personally, I think defensive battles are the most exciting to watch. Both Detroit and San Antonio have players that can score and it'll be fun to see Tim Duncan trying to score against Ben Wallace, or Richard Hamilton against Bruce Bowen. The Spurs' two guards, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker, came up huge against the Suns, but they won't have nearly as many lay-ups against Detroit.

Posted by: Bradley McDonald

The Miami Heat and Detroit Pistons are getting ready to tip off tonight in Game 7 of the Conference Finals and it should be a good one. The Heat were without Dwyane Wade for Game 6 and they could only muster up 66 points. It looks like he might play tonight, but there's no way he can be 100 percent.

It'll take an heroic effort from Wade or Shaq for the Heat to be able to win tonight, but either one of them is capable of carrying the team. Detroit has been in this spot before, though, so they'll be ready.

I'm calling for a Pistons win, even though the game is in Miami. I just don't think the Heat are healthy enough to pull it off.

Posted by: Bradley McDonald

Well, I am back from H-Town. The trip was a nice little get-away for a couple of days. I caught two Astros games and Houston even managed to win one of them. Clemens started Sunday and it was his worst start of the season, but he ended up getting the win with some very rare run support. I'm glad I got to see him pitch before he retires, even if he wasn't his usual spectacular self.

The Astros actually scored some runs Saturday, too. Nine, to be exact (which is almost as many as they've scored the entire season). But it was all for naught, since the Cards scored eight runs in one inning and went on to win the game by two runs.

So, the Astros didn't get the sweep that I called for, but it was nice to see them score a few runs. And I will not apologize for slighting your team, Mr. Curry. If anyone needs to apologize it's your Cardinals...for scoring nine runs on a hapless rookie Saturday! That was plain rude!

If anyone gets a chance to go to a Dave and Buster's, do it! We hit the one in Houston this weekend and I was amazed. Their motto is "Recess Is Calling", so that ought to tell you something.

Posted by: Bradley McDonald

Posted by: Bradley McDonald

It's that time of month again. "A Month In My Life" has a new resident. Eric, who lives in St. Louis and will be starting law school in August, will be settled in for the next month.

And Wendy, over at "Just a Little Bit Odd", will be on a short vacation and she has enticed a couple of people to "blogsit" for her.

Variety. It's the spice of 90&9.

And while we're on the subject of vacation...my parents have taken off on an Alaskan cruise and did not even take me with them. And it's my birthday tomorrow! Yes - I thought it was quite absurd myself.

I kid, of course. They deserve a vacation. Especially after doing such a wonderful job raising a very trying child. Luckily for them, after my sister was out of the way, I was nothing but an angel. :)