Tuesday Morning Five-Pack

A lot of stuff is going, but nothing significant enough for me to write a whole entry about...instead, here is a 5-pack of goodies to get your Tuesday morning off to the right start.

• David Wright will be out for at least the next 10 days with a lower back stress fracture. The injury supposedly occurred during an April 19 game against Houston. Thinking that it was just a muscular season, Wright says he has been on medication and anti-inflammatory meds since that date. I appreciate my boy trying to fight through injuries, I really do, but at some point, doesn't the organization have to step in? It's only 10 days, but had he kept playing, it could have been a lot longer. I know this team isn't great, but having Wright, even with his .226 average, out of the lineup is a big blow to any hope at .500. It's been a month - someone had to notice something.
• Bucknell lacrosse blew an amazing opportunity, losing 13-12 to 7th seed Virginia in the first round of the NCAA tournament. The Bison were up 10-6 with a little under 3 minutes left in the game and couldn't close it out. They would have gone on to face 2nd seed Cornell in the Quarterfinals. It definitely is a disappointing result as this was the best Bison team ever, finishing 14-3 and going undefeated in the Patriot League. Making it to the Quarterfinals of a legitimate NCAA Division 1 sport would have been huge. (interestingly enough, a lacrosse player in The Wife's class actually knew of Bucknell because of the team...not bad for a little school in PA).
• I am not a Yankees fan. Everyone knows that. But I can't help but feel a little compassionate for what Jorge Posada is going through. As you may have heard, he was dropped to 9th in the lineup over the weekend and asked to be taken out of the game. He said he needed some time to clear his head, but it was obvious that he was rebelling against the embarrassment of hitting that low (not that it's a huge deal in the AL where the lineups are stacked). Here's the thing about athletes - they all get old. No one is mortal. How they, their managers, the organization and the fans handle getting old is always the tricky part. Posada is one of the last 3 Yankees from the dynasty years and will always be considered a legend, but he needs to come to grips that he is hitting .165. He needs to know that his time is almost up...he can pout about it or he can adjust. (and pouting is never a good choice in NYC)
  
• So Nate Robinson is in the center of a Seattle controversy for his recent tweets that the Oklahoma City fans "are the best on the planet." It's a no brainer - I mean, he is toeing the party line. He is saying what any other player would say in the same position. The problem obviously is that Nate is a homegrown Seattlite - hearing those comments pours salt into the still open wounds of what happened to the Sonics. To me, a non-native Seattlite, it should be a non-issue. I mean, the dude doves more for Seattle sports and talks more about Seattle sports that any other athlete. Sometimes your job requires you to say things you and others might not like (analysts speak ill of their former teams ALL the time, but it is part of being objective), but you do it. Get over it Seattle.
• In the world of MLS, the LA Galaxy continue to roll along as they trounced Sporting KC 4-1 on goals by Donovan, Beckham and Angel. The star power to this team is obviously there, but it is not entirely what makes me scared...I mean, we have seen numerous great teams falter come playoff time. No, what makes me scared is what I saw after Angel scored his first goal of the season. A lot of people were asking what was wrong with Angel after going his first 10 games without a goal. Was he done? He and the team insisted that wasn't the case, and after he scored you could see how happy everyone was for him. Donovan and Beckham had authentic smiles on their faces which makes me feel like this is a team that actually likes each other. Add in that Beckham actually seems interested in going out a winner and I think this is a team to look out for. They have had the talent for a few years - now they might have the chemistry as well. Watch out.

OK, so that's the end of the 5 pack, but I do have two minor things: 1). shame on the critics for doubting Kevin Durant after his terrible Game 6 - dude is allowed to have a bad game and 2). my Jersey boy Vin Mazzaro accomplished something no other pitcher has ever done-he gave up 14 ER in 2 1/3 relief innings last night -never had anyone given up that many without going 3 innings. Ouch.