Daily Sport Shorts: June 1st, 2007

By Doug Branson

On Billy Donovan going pro level: I don’t know quite what to think of this one. I like his chances of being successful on a few grounds:

1. He’s going to the Eastern Conf.

2. He has Dwight Howard

3. He’s been extremely successful at the college level

On the other hand, I don’t like his chances on a few grounds:

1. He has Eastern Conference talent

2. He only has one Dwight Howard

3. Rick Pitino, P.J. Carlesimo, John Calipari, Tim Floyd, Lon Kruger and Mike Montgomery.

And OH the irony, in a draft that features three Florida players expected to go in the first round the Magic have zero picks.

On Cavs-Pistons series:

I love how the internet, ESPN and instant news updates have revolutionized sports journalism. Take this latest Kobe Bryant instance for example I feel like I’ve been through an entire off-season of Laker news in a day. Instead of letting the situation play out and reporting on it when they got definitive news, or not reporting on it after realizing how ridiculous the whole situation is in Los Angeles, ESPN gives minute by minute coverage, Stephen A. looks like more of a jackass and Sportscenter has to change its tune mid-highlight. It’s silly.

Relating all this to the “Battle for NBA Runner Up,” this new wave of microwave sports journalism has led to no-one thinking past their next article and absolutely no one being responsible for their picks. I plan to write a whole article on this later but to sum my point up, everyone and there mother had Detroit eventually wiping the floor with Bron-Bron’s boys. Immediately people made comparisons between Michael and the Pistons to Bron-Bron and the Pistons. And now it appears there is a chance that comparison might become more than moot. But you won’t see anyone on ESPN admit that they jump to conclusions. They will just point to the blog post that predicted the Cavs to make the surprising upset…dated the night before Game 7.

On Samir Patel:

Karl Malone, Cal Ripken Jr., Dan Marino, all superstars who were forced by their bodies to retire before ever tasting championship glory. Add Samir Patel, superstar speller, to this elite list. Although it was a rule prohibiting anyone past the eight grade from competing, not his body that forced Patil to retire from the Scripps National Spelling Bee without a t-r-o-p-h-y, trophy.