Second Thoughts: Warriors look way too athletic for Cavaliers


Knucklehead of the Week

Phil Mickelson made his first public appearance since being named in a federal complaint concerning an insider-trading scandal. Mickelson, who made $931,000 in a single trade of Dean Foods in 2012, was not criminally charged and the Securities and Exchange Commission said he benefited only from illegal deeds of others, including a Las Vegas gambler who knows Mickelson. Lefty will have to pay back the money. Speaking at the Memorial in Dublin, he said he’s “glad it’s over and in the past.” Sounding like Mark McGwire, he added that he’s “ready to move on.”

I made it through National Donut Day without sampling a delicious chunk of fried heaven. I will try to show similar self control today — National Moonshine Day. I was 19 or 20 the first and only time I tried moonshine. Spit it out like it was gasoline. I should’ve poured it into my Monte Carlo’s gas tank.

The Cavaliers need more than the Big Three to win an NBA championship. And they might want to play some defense around the basket. Cleveland lost Game 1 of the NBA Finals to a Golden State squad that came at them in waves. Some guy named Barbosa, last seen in Pirates of the Caribbean, scored 11 points and didn't miss.

Cleveland simply isn’t as athletic as Golden State. The Cavs’ shots were contested and LeBron James is the team’s only inside factor. Tristan Thompson looks like an overpaid journeyman and J.R. Smith is setting himself up for another miserable Finals performance. For the second straight year, Warriors in six.

Muhammad Ali was maybe the most popular and polarizing athlete of the 20th century. He was a wildly gifted boxer at a time heavyweights were king. He was a conquering hero in the Thrilla in Manila. But he became a villain for refusing military service and talking … and talking … But time heals many wounds, and Ali's lighting of the Olympic torch in 1996 while batting Parkinson's disease was a spectacular moment, a fitting public farewell for The Greatest.

Adam Duvall is one of the few bright spots for the Reds. He's smacked 15 home runs and has 32 RBIs one-third of the way through the season. He could be Cincinnati's answer in left field. Duvall is a Kentucky native so he should feel comfortable in the Queen City. Only problem: His contract is up after this season. He's making "only" $510,000. Joey Votto makes more than that in one week.

Wright State was on the wrong end of four "either way" calls in its 7-6 loss to Ohio State in an NCAA baseball regional opener. You're telling me the umpires didn't respect the small school playing a Big Ten team with a national brand, that they assumed OSU was a better team? Nah, that never happens. (Wink, wink.)

Trending up: Alexander Rossi, Jeff Hornacek, John Lamb. Rossi won the Indianapolis 500, cruising to the finish line on fumes. He ran out of gas but had a big enough lead to take the checkered flag. The victory was worth $2.5 million to Rossi, the first American-born rookie to win the race since 1928.

Trending down: Marlon Byrd, Lionel Messi, Ian Poulter. Byrd, who for part of last season patrolled left field for the Reds, has been suspended for 162 games for his second failed PED test. That should effectively end the career of the well-traveled 38-year-old, who was batting .270 for the Indians.

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