The NBA Draft Lottery went pretty much as expected for the Mavericks. With a 98% chance of getting the 13th pick, they got the 13th pick. Cleveland won it, and is expected to take Kentucky's Nerlens Noel. I dunno 'bout that guy, barely got a chance to watch him this year...but, meh. I really don't know who I'd take, 'cause I ain't big on Kansas' Ben Macklemore, either. I like Indiana's Victor Oladipo and Michigan's Trey Burke, but they ain't first overall types. Anyways, I'm basically interested in what the Mavs do. The mocks are all over the place..I've seen Georgia's Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, San Diego St.'s Jamaal Franklin, UCLA's Shabazz Muhammad, Miami's Shane Larkin(been skyrocketing since a big combine), and Syracuse's  Michael Carter-Williams... Lehigh's CJ McCollum probably doesn't fall far enough..Dario Saric is probably a name to keep an eye on due to Donnie Nelson's history.

I don't want Shabazz, never saw one impressive game from him last year. Lotta high school hype...Larkin's big strength is supposedly the pick n roll, which is always intriguing when you have Dirk. But he's only 5'11" and I don't think big combine stats justify a lottery selection. The name helps too- he was a good, competitive player for the Hurricanes, but no thanks...Franklin is interesting, led his team in points, rebounds, assists, and steals last year. But his shooting percentage leaves a lot to be desired, especially from 3 point range. Caldwell-Pope is a similar player to Franklin, roughly the same 6'5" frame that can score and rebound. Caldwell-Pope has better range and would be my choice between the two.

The really intriguing guy here is Michael Carter-Williams. I dunno if it's the similar names or the similar builds, but he makes me think of one of the NBA's most talented, wasted careers- Michael Ray Richardson. Carter-Williams isn't as flashy, and at this point, not as talented. But then again, neither was Richardson at this stage in his development. He was coming off his sophomore campaign at the University of Montana, the only school to recruit him. His coach, the great Jud Heathcote, was leaving to take the same position at Michigan St. and coach Magic Johnson.

Richardson, a shy, country kid at the time, considered Heathcote his father figure. But he stayed, grew into his talent, and after his senior season became a first round pick of the Knicks. He struggled a bit his rookie season, but in year two led the league in assists and steals while also putting in 15 points and nearly 7 rebounds a game. He also discovered the New York nightlife and all that comes with that. Studio 54 and the heyday of cocaine. After four seasons and three all-star appearances he was shipped off to Golden State for the great Bernard King. The drugs and erratic behavior were just too much for the Knicks.

His Golden State career only lasted 33 games, as he found the same troubles in the San Francisco night scene. He was shipped to the New Jersey Nets. Around this same time is when David Stern instituted the three-strike drug policy in the NBA. Richardson was constantly having one month stays in drug rehabs. Checking himself in and out, Larry Brown even took him in once. The talent was still there, in the '84-'85 season he put up 20 PPG, 8 APG, 5 RPG, and 3 SPG, playing in all 82 games. He was once again an All-Star but it all came crumbling down the next year. Strike three came, and Stern banned him for life...Richardson eventually got clean and played into his forties in Europe, but we'll never know just how great he coulda been. Hall of Fame talent, Magic said they had the same game. Isaiah said he was the only guy that scared him on the court.

I don't know if Michael Carter-Williams will ever develop into a Richardson-type on the court, but the numbers and size are strikingly similar. Part of Richardson's greatness was his confidence, considered a league leader in trash talking. Not sure Carter-Williams has that vibe, seems like a real nice kid. Which isn't a bad thing at all, it's just an asset that is almost needed at the elite level. These guys have to know they can't be stopped.

Actually I'm kinda surprised by the mocks that have Carter-Williams lasting 'til the Mavs pick. I think he'll go before then, and this comparison will quickly become moot(at least from a Mavs' perspective). But if he does last, he's the guy I'd go for.

The heat is here. Took a while, been a tame year. I like the changing of the seasons, and I identify certain music with the weather. Fall and Winter are classic country and deep soul seasons for me. Al Green singin' bout love, Merle Haggard about loss, and Ray Charles combining the two. The heat brings out styles for the day- doing yard work, chillin' by the pool or sittin' on a beach, etc.. and for the nite- in the back yard relaxing or sitting on a patio drinking beer...Figured I'd throw out some good Spring/Summer tunes for your listening pleasure:

Hot Fun in the Summertime by Sly and the Family Stone: This is the ultimate summer tune, hell it's in the lyrics. Jerry Martini and Cynthia Robinson provide a chill horn section, and Sly brings the laid-back vocals. Sly throws a little jab at Motown, at the time Motown was trying to keep up with the times and started making some music with the more psychadelic touches that Sly was already incorporating. One of those was Cloud Nine by the Temptations. So if you ever wondered what the hell the lyric, "I cloud nine when I want to" means, it's Sly's friendly little poke.

I Saw the Light by Todd Rundgren: Not to be confused with the Hank Williams Sr. song with the same title, this song is just super chill. It's the perfect road trip, windows and/or top down, cruising tune. Rundgren, an under-recognized musical genius wrote, produced, played every instrument, and provided all the vocals on this, along with every other song on his great album Something/Anything?. He's an interesting cat- he kinda had a feud with John Lennon, was reportedly part of a coin flip on who to kill between the two for assassin Mark David Chapman, and the actress Liv Tyler spent most of her childhood believing he was her father. Him and Steven Tyler both had relationships with Playboy Playmate Bebe Buell around the time of her birth.

The 'In' Crowd by Ramsey Lewis: This was originally a song with lyrics performed by Dobie Gray. One nite a waitress asked the jazz-pianist Ramsey to play a version of it. So he did, and this instrumental take on the song became a hit. This is perfect for chilling in the backyard at nite, and drinking a cold one.

Blue Sky by The Allman Bros: The great Dickey Betts wrote this for his Native-American girlfriend Sandy "Bluesky" Wabegijig. It's just a beautiful song with Betts and the late, great Duane Allman playing dual lead guitars. Dickey also sings the lead vocals usually reserved for Gregg Allman. The three minutes or so guitar bridge just weaves its way perfectly for some backyard times.

Blue Bayou by Linda Ronstadt: The greatest female vocalist of all time gives her take on this Roy Orbison song. Listen on a beach, on a patio, sweating or with a fan cooling you. Right when you hear that opening bass line it's relax time. She just has the purest, most perfect tone to her voice and Don Henley provides nice backing vocals.

It's All Right by Curtis Mayfield and the Impressions: Much like Rundgren, I feel Mayfield is an under-appreciated genius. He wrote civil rights and feel-good songs with the Impressions, and then in his solo career put out some of the sweetest soul and funkiest tunes. And most all of it with a message. He was a brilliant composer, multi-instrumentalist, and sweet singer. This particular song just puts you in a good place, it's great for any time of day when you just wanna "listen to the beat, kinda pat your feet...'cause you got soul, and everybody knows that it's all right".

Start out with those, there's multitudes more. Of course the Beach Boys are perfect for the season, really any album. Put in Stevie Wonder's under-the-radar classic album Music of My Mind, catch some rays, and let Steve paint a picture for you. Neil Young's Harvest or After the Goldrush chillin' on a hot summer nite. The Shangra-Las, Martha Reeves and the Vandellas, or the Chiffons for some classic girl-group harmonies and relaxation. And when you have some laid-back company over, you can't go wrong with a huge jazz playlist filled with Coltrane, Chet Baker, Miles Davis, Dave Brubeck, Stan Getz, Jimmy 'Pork Chop' Smith etc. The girls just kinda flow along in those summer dresses to the vibe, sippin' on Chardonnay...

I've been re-arranging my house, because I get tired of seeing the same old shit in the same places every day.  Anyways, I started working on my office room, looking at my sports memorabilia, and it made me start thinking back how I acquired some of it. Man, when I was a kid  I loved collecting autographs. I mean autographs personally obtained, not purchasing them. Mainly at games and sometimes thru the mail. I started realizing the impact athletes can have on kids as I was reminiscing on where this shit came from. These guys have remained some of my all-time favorites, probably largely due to my personal experiences with them. So I figured I'd write about a few of them.

Mike Schmidt- The greatest third baseman of all time. When I was about 10-11 years old  I took to sending baseball cards out to players at the their stadium's address. Real simple shit, just a short note with the card and a self addressed stamped returned envelope. I got tons of replies, and a lot of stuff never returned. The replies usually came back within a month, so after about 4 months of no answer I figured no luck with Schmidt. I mean, hell, he's a 3 time MVP, he probably gets way too much crap. But then one day I get home and there it is, an envelope from Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia. Open it up, and there's my autographed Mike Schmidt card. But I'll be damned, there's more- this guy added a personal letter. And the shit was detailed- "Dear Mike,..thanks for taking an interest in the Phillies...I was happy to sign what you sent....Sorry I wasn't prompt as I like to read each letter personally..." and so on. And it too was signed, not facsimile or stamped, but the real ink deal. A quarter century later that letter is sitting framed on my office desk.

Charles Barkley- I lived in Montgomery, Alabama for one year as a little kid. Barkley was at Auburn then, and I went to a few games and saved the programs. A few years later, he's in the NBA and I'm living in San Antonio, so I go check out a Sixers-Spurs game with my Auburn program in hand. Get there early and approach Sir Charles for an autograph while he's taking pre-game shots. He starts acting all impressed that I got an Auburn program with him on the cover. Next thing I know he's going to spots on the court- at the elbow, the low post, behind the arc- and passing the ball to me for me to set him up. That was the shit for a little kid, I'll always love Chuck.

Bob Feller- Yeah, pretty crazy- a HOFer from the 30s and 40s. There was this little sports card shop I used to go to in San Antonio, and one day the owner tells me he's gonna have Feller in the store in a couple weeks signing autographs. He tells me to come over before they open, so I can talk to Feller. So I did, and sure enough it's just me and the owner and fuckin' Bob Feller shootin' the shit about old time baseball for about an hour. There was a donut shop next door, I got Rapid Robert some coffee. Still have that autographed baseball on my book shelf.

Chet Lemon- Lemon was a hard-nosed cat that was usually in the league leaders in hit-by-pitch and running into the wall. He was usually good for 20 homers and an .800 or so OPS. Not a star, but a really solid player. One year my dad took me to Spring Training down in Florida, and we made the rounds. So I'm at a Detroit game and here comes Lemon towards the dugout. Lots of calls of  "Hey Lemon" or "Hey Chet". By then I'd learned that using "Mr." really helped. Sure enough he's ignoring everyone, but hears "Mr. Lemon" and looks at me and says, "I gotta go shag some flies, I'll get you when I'm done".  So I wait, and when he's finished he runs back into the dugout, seemingly ignoring me. But a few seconds later, he pops out with a baseball. A fuckin' real major league baseball, and signs it for me. Then he goes back in the dugout without signing for anybody else. Me and Chet, lifetime bros. It's sitting on my bookshelf.

Al Oliver- My favorite athlete of all time, probably my favorite human being of all time. I've completely frozen around someone twice in my life. One of those times was in Denton. There was this girl named Paige that I just was lightning-struck by. You know the scene in the Godfather when Michael sees Apollonia? That was me with Paige. One nite I'm at an outdoor party out in the country, one of those 'Dazed and Confused' type parties. I'm refilling at a keg, by myself, and here comes Paige batting those doe eyes with her bee-stung lips. She says, "Hi", and I say nothing. I just grab her cup and refill it. She says, "Thanks, see you later?". I say nothing. Fuck me...I met Al Oliver before a Braves-Expos game one day, and did the same thing for much different reasons. Man, I just couldn't speak around Scoop. The best...Paige and AO, my silencers.

Man, there's so many more...Dominique Wilkins is the nicest superstar, Stan Musial-I met Stan the Man, Ruben Sierra signing a foul ball I caught off the bat of Jose Canseco...I met the Mick, the Mantle autographed ball is probably up there with the aforementioned...and so on and so on... It's kinda fun being a kid.

The great Kevin Johnson retired after the '99-'00 season. Along with Larry Bird, KJ is my favorite non-Maverick NBAer of all time. Dude was special, went 20 PPG and 10 APG four years in a row. He also had two 19/10 seasons. He was 6'1", but has three of the greatest dunks of all time. Check 'em out on YouTube- over Hakeem(yeah, Hakeem Olujawon), Hot Rod Williams, and 7'5" Mark Eaton. You know how Chris Paul just takes over games with that mid-range jumper? That was KJ, you had to give him space or he'd cross you over and drive the rim...'92-'93 was the year KJ and Barkley shoulda won a title. They lost the first two to Jordan's Bulls, and then won Game 3 in triple OT behind KJ's 25 points, 9 rebounds, and 7 assists in 62 of a possible 63 minutes. Bulls took it in six, winning that last one 99-98. John Paxson hit a three with 4 seconds left to win it. That was the only Bulls' points scored by someone other than Jordan in the entire 4th quarter. Game 7 woulda been in Phoenix...oh well.

Anyways, my modern-day KJ is Joakim Noah. Holy shit, I love watching this guy play. The 2 national titles at Florida were just a primer for how much I'd like this guy. I remember after one title, when they went to the White House, Noah showed up wearing a dashiki and sandals...Fuck stupid protocol. Now in the NBA he's just a fuckin' warrior on the court. Dirk tweeted last nite that he was a beast. I once worked a Mavs-Bulls game doing some audio/video for FSSW. Anyways, there was like 4 hours down time between setup and game time, so I sat in the arena and watched the Bulls early shootaround. An assistant had Noah running sprints and he seemed to be doing them at the slowest, laziest pace possible. He was crackin' me up, bitchin' about the tedious task. Come game time, dude had more energy than anyone. Must be those tennis bloodlines.

Last nite he went for 24 points, 14 rebounds, and 6 blocks in the Game 7 victory over the Nets. The entire second half I just isolated on him. The help defense, switching, boxing out, offensive cuts, etc. were just a joy to watch. Try it out in this Heat series, it's something. LeBron is probably gonna play the role of Jordan and end Joakim's run, but Noah gonna bring it...

I had to add this because it's just incredible. Simply the best.

Secretariat was the baddest muthafucka...I thoroughly enjoy living in modern times with modern technology, modern conveniences, and modern women. But there's something really romantic about the '30s, '40s, '50s-sportswise. The big three were baseball, boxing, and horse racing. Baseball, obviously, is still a major player but the other two are far back...I can't really see boxing ever making it even close to back. It's been 2 decades since heavyweights had a face with Tyson and Holyfield. The '90s and early '00s had a good run with the lower classes- Roy Jones Jr., Felix Trinidad, Bernard Hopkins(still doing it, bad man), Oscar DeLaHoya, Shane Mosely, Marco Antonio Barrera, Arturo Gatti, Micky Ward, Erik Morales, Pernell Whitaker, etc..I miss it, the sweet science-brutality juxtaposed with grace.

My childhood sports' memories were heavily seeped in the great bouts of the '80s. Hagler, Hearns, Duran, Mugabi, Mancini, Arguello, Pryor..Great fights, and they were on free TV, or at worst, HBO. There's something so pure about the mano y mano, enclosed in a ring, spotlighted for spectators spectacle that the big fights produced. It's not just some brutal battle, but a beautiful dance of defense and striking. And endurance and heart... MMA has overtaken boxing in popularity, and while I can appreciate the skill that they possess, it will never capture my imagination like the great pugilists once did.

Today is the one day a year when horse racing gets the spotlight, not like in the past, but still forces its way into the public consciousness. And if today's winner captures the Preakness, then the attention grows chasing that elusive Triple Crown. Its only happened 11 times in over a century, the last time in 1978 by Affirmed. I've never seen one, but I never saw one in baseball, either...until Miggy Cabrera last year. We've come close, the most disappointing for me was Silver Charm losing the Belmont by a nose. Love that gray horse. Gray horses are the best, I remember going out to Trinity Meadows in Weatherford. It was before they built Lone Star, and we'd always bet on the grays. Selective memory tells me they came thru. My first big Derby win was out there, as well. They simulcast the Derby, and the joint was packed, I bet $10 across the board on Lil E. Tee at 17-1 odds. As he hit the final turn, some random stranger next to me was going crazy, jumpin' up and down and grabbin' my shoulder. Turns out he had Lil E. Tee for $100 across the board. Good times.

The first time I ever booked any bets was my freshman year in the dorm at UNT. It was for the Derby, and I just took random $2-$20 bets from other cats in the dorm. About everyone bet on the favorite, and he came in 11th, I think. Made a quick $200 and was hooked... I guess it's in the blood, I remember going to Expo Raceway in Sacramento with my parents as a child. We'd go on the weekends and my dad would let me place some $2 bets with my chore money. It was harness racing- some crazy shit. One nite my mom hit the Pick 6(the winner in six races in a row), paid $15,000. Brought her out on the track and presented her one of those golf-sized checks. Good times.

I tend to lean towards the Arkansas Derby winner when handicapping Kentucky, and this year's no different. I'm going with Overanalyze for the win. The Arkansas race was slow this year, but he wasn't really challenged. He's going off at 15-1 right now. I'll go with the Orb, the favorite, to take the place. And Rick Pitino's horse, Goldencents, for the show. 

It's the most exciting 2 minutes in sports, so check it out.