General

Shanoff’s WUC: Lima Time For The Rest of Us

May 24, 2010, 12:01 PM UTC

Today’s Calls: Celtics vs. Sweep, Obama vs. LeBron, Mike Brown vs. Coach K, Amare vs. the Lakers, Blackhawks vs. Momentum, Roy Oswalt vs. the Nats, Bryce Harper vs. Myth, Albert Pujols vs. Tony LaRussa, NFL vs. Concussions, “Lima Time” vs. Fan Appreciation and More.â†µ

â†µThe Opening Pitch: We could all use a little "Lima Time," the joyous, life-affirming attitude embodied by late baseball pitcher Jose Lima.â†µ

â†µâ†µ— If you’re the Magic, it is playing for the pride of not getting swept. (They can take a lesson from Amare Stoudemire and the Suns.)â†µ

â†µâ†µ— If you’re LeBron, it is not taking the summer so seriously that LeBron as the “corporation” doesn’t override LeBron as the the best basketball talent ever and making a decision based on that.â†µ

â†µâ†µ— If you’re Mike Brown, it is recognizing that getting fired is for the best. If LeBron isn’t there, it’s not a job he wants anyway — and Brown will have a new coaching job within the week, if he wants it. (If you’re Coach K, you merely politely remind people that you don’t want a pro job, let alone a pro job that doesn’t come without LeBron.)â†µ

â†µâ†µ— If you’re the Nats, it is making a play for the top available pitching ace on the trade market by positioning yourselves — without irony — as “contenders.” (Oh, and please let Bryce Harper be Bryce Harper when you draft him.)â†µ

â†µâ†µ— If you’re Brett Favre, it is getting the ankle surgery, because life is too short to have regrets about ending your career too early if it is what you really want to do.â†µ

â†µâ†µ— If you’re 16-year-old golf phenom-of-the-week Jordan Spieth, you just enjoy it while it lasts.â†µ

â†µâ†µFor all the perceived clownishness, Jose Lima had it right. We would all be better off trying to take a lesson from the way he lived his life. Try something fun and goofy today, then say out loud, to no one in particular: “[Fill-in-your-last-time] Time!”â†µ

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â†µLeBron Watch: Cavs fire Mike Brown, presumably for not coming even close to winning a championship this season. The floated wish list of replacements feels like a fantasy (Coach K? Tom Izzo? Phil Jackson?) meant to keep LeBron. The more likely scenario is LeBron leaves and they end up with a re-tread like Byron Scott or Jeff Van Gundy. Without LeBron, the job feels entirely unappealing. At least there won't be "championship-or-bust" expectations. (More like: "Playoffs? Icing!")â†µ

â†µâ†µObama lobbies for LeBron ... again: By the way, expect plenty of hype around TNT’s interview with President Obama, who reiterated that his Bulls would be a good fit for LeBron. I love that the President has a rooting interest in the LeBron plotline.â†µ

â†µâ†µ(Remember Friday’s lead about Mark Cuban talking about LeBron? That cost him $100K.)â†µ

â†µâ†µNBA Summer 2010: Dirk is reportedly going to test the market, which should be fine with Mavs fans — it’s not like Dirk has led the team to a title. This season was particularly woeful. It is time for Dallas to start over.â†µ

â†µâ†µNHL Playoffs: Blackhawks sweep the Sharks, advancing to their first Stanley Cup since ‘92. Hard to not give them at least even odds to beat the Flyers-Habs series winner and take their first Cup since ‘61. (Here’s a good analysis of how Chicago went from the NHL wilderness to the Cup finals.)â†µ

â†µâ†µMLB Talking Points:â†µ

â†µâ†µ— Trade Rumors: Whether the Nats are serious or not about picking up Oswalt’s $31M tab, I love their marketing moxie. Oswalt says he will only waive his no-trade clause to go to a contender, and the Nats say “That’s us!” (BTW: Adding Oswalt to Strasburg might be enough to actually keep the Nats playoff-competitive into September.)â†µ

â†µâ†µ— Think Cards fans were concerned to see Albert Pujols arguing with Tony LaRussa? They shouldn’t, but it’s a nice talking point for a team that thinks they can lure Pujols from St. Louis: Psst: WE won’t ruin an RBI situation for you with an unnecessary steal.â†µ

â†µâ†µ— The Legend of Bryce Harper: 6-for-6 with 4 HR and 10 RBI in a junior college playoff game this weekend. Any other doubts he should be the No. 1 pick of the MLB draft next month?â†µ

â†µâ†µ— Today’s Best: Red Sox-Rays. Boston has developed a smidgen of momentum after taking two of three from the Phillies this weekend, including yesterday’s shellacking of Roy Halladay.â†µ

â†µâ†µNFL Offseason: This week’s big story will be whether owners will vote for a Super Bowl in New York, over Tampa. If Bob Kraft is publicly signaling his support for NYC, I think that’s an indicator other owners will follow suit.â†µ

â†µâ†µNFL-Concussion Axis: I know the league is taking the lead on concussions, in part, for the perception value, but I really hope that states follow their lead on this. (Let me clarify: I think the league is sincerely concerned about concussions and concussion management, particularly at the youth level. But if they really cared, they would encourage kids not to play football, period.)â†µ

â†µâ†µCFB Offseason: In case you missed it on Friday, don’t forget to look at the profile of the most intriguing team connected to Big Ten expansion: Nebraska.â†µ

â†µâ†µCBB Offseason: Stephen Curry on brother (and Duke transfer) Seth Curry.â†µ

â†µâ†µThe Last Word: So about that “Lost” finale (and don’t worry, no spoilers here), the only question is whether you thought the ending cleared the hurdle for “satisfying” or not. Count me among the satisfied.â†µ

â†µâ†µDan Shanoff writes The Wake-Up Call every weekday morning for SportingNews.com and blogs daily at DanShanoff.com. Got any comments, questions or feedback? Email Dan at shanofftsn-[at]-gmail-[dot]-com. Follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/danshanoff. â†µ

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This post originally appeared on the Sporting Blog. For more, see The Sporting Blog Archives.

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