Rooting for Goliath

(What Tiger Woods did on the last three days of the US Open was unreal.)

Hear that? Yep, that sound you hear is the collective sigh from the sports world. After a whirlwind week, the land of sports pretty much will be on cruise control until the baseball all-star game. Except for your everyday, run-of-the-mill June baseball games, there aren't any major events on tap until baseball's best show up at Yankee Stadium for the Midsummer Classic.

But what a month it has been. And out of everything that has happened (Boston dismantling my Lakers in the Finals and tarnishing Kobe's legacy, etc.), one thing stands above everything else. The US Open. In my opinion, the absolute greatest golf tournament I have ever watched. And watch I did. All 91 holes of it.

Tiger Woods. Goodness. What is there left to say? What he did at the US Open propelled him to another level – which is saying a lot considering he's the greatest golfer ever to pick up a club (narrowly edging out Happy Gilmore and yours truly). I mean, I was CAPTIVATED by what he did on Saturday. Those final five holes or so were amazing. The long eagle putt, the chip in on 17, the eagle on 18. Sheesh. And his clutch birdie on 18 on Sunday to force a playoff was equally amazing. I just don't remember being that entertained by a golf tournament in a long, long time. And to know now just how bad his knee actually was makes it that much more amazing. I know there are a lot of people out there who are tired of Tiger winning. Tired of everyone rooting for him. But you know what, I can't help it. I mean, I doubt I'll be telling my grandkids about Sergio Garcia, or the time I saw Zach Johnson win the Masters. But you know what? I will be able to tell them that I got to see the greatest golfer of all time playing in his prime.

As Americans, we are naturally drawn to rooting for the underdog – the USA to be the Soviets in the Olympics, Rocky to beat Drago, Tweety Bird to get away from Sylvester... you get the picture. But for the most part, we don't root for the underdog when it comes to Tiger. When he's playing – and especially in contention – ratings are through the roof and the galleries are insanely big and loud. People want Tiger to win. They want Goliath to crush David. Why? I'm not sure I can speak for everyone, but I know why I want him to win. I want to see greatness. I want to be a part of history. And Tiger's an easy guy to root for. For as successful as he has been, his arrogance is relatively controlled. Sure, he has a swagger (who wouldn't), but he takes every shot, every round very seriously. His focus is unmatched. It doesn't matter if he's matched up against Rocco Mediate or Phil Mickelson, Tiger takes no one lightly. We've watched him grow up in front of our eyes, from the charismatic kid who took the Masters by storm back in 1995, to the man who lost his father, to the stoic champion battling through an extremely painful knee injury to win one of the most difficult golf tournaments on the planet.

And that is why the golf world won't be the same for the rest of the year as Tiger sits out.

Side note: I actually wrote this entry last week, but our site has been down more times than Simmie Black. Hopefully we've got all the bugs worked out and I'll be able to post more often this summer.

Cassebaum to be inducted into Big 33 HOF

Former E-town football coach Jack Cassebaum is being honored again. This time, it's by the Big 33. Coach Cass will be inducted into the Big 33 Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame tomorrow morning at 10 a.m. at the Hershey Lodge. He will also be introduced at halftime of the Big 33 game on Saturday night at Hersheypark Stadium.

I'll be doing a feature on Cass for this week's print edition of the Chronicle and will be sure to post it here as well. Congratulations to Coach Cassebaum on the honor – which is very well deserved.

Here we go....

Now that EAHS sports are officially over this season, I'm going to start blogging more about the rest of the sports world. In fact, this is going to become a regular thing at the Bears Den. Sure, you'll still get everything E-town here, but I need a place to write about pro and college sports, too. And my diary's full, so looks like it's here. Lucky you.

I'm going to start things out with a look at the NBA Finals, which begin tonight and feature my beloved LA Lakers (more on this later) and the Boston Celtics. Here we go...

(Seriously, one of the best video games ever.)
OK, let's start by explaining my seemingly inexplicable allegiance to the LA Lakers. I've never been to California, no one in my family is a Lakers fan. But I can assure you, I'm no bandwagon jumper. I'm better than that. It all began when I was a kid.

No one in my family was a professional basketball fan (the Maryland Terps are pretty much the only team in the state that the locals root for). So growing up, I had no one to push me toward a specific NBA team. We also didn't have cable, so there were limited NBA games on to watch. And, for reasons beyond my own understanding, I wanted to be a shortstop (thanks, Cal) or a point guard more than anything in the world. Nevermind that I didn't hit the 5-foot mark until I was 20 and you couldn't slide construction paper under my feet when I jump – I wanted to be a point guard. And guess which point guard made me want to be one? Yep, Magic Johnson. I remember being mesmerized by watching Magic play. When I first saw him, I didn't even know who the Lakers were or where LA was, or that they were one of the most storied franchises in league history, all I knew was this was the guy and the team I found myself watching more than any other team, so they became my favorite team. Can you tell I've spent the last 20 years explaining why a kid from Baltimore is a Lakers fan?

All right, that's out of the way. Now let's talk hoop. Short of Kevin Dolan, I'm not sure if anyone reading this blog really cares about the NBA. There are more hockey fans in this area than NBA fans (probably because Penn State's basketball program is a joke and the Sixers stink out loud). But I love the NBA. Granted, it's gone through a sour patch (mmmm...sour patch kids...sorry, back to the column), but I'm telling you, the NBA is FULL of talent guys that you want to see succeed. People who still think this is a league filled with thugs are wrong. Guys like Kevin Garnett, Chris Paul, Dwight Howard, LeBron, Dwayne Wade, etc. are everywhere and the NBA is the strongest it's been since His Airness last laced up his Air Jordans. (By the way, MJ never played for the Wizards. It didn't happen. Seriously.)

And tonight, the two best teams in the league, the best rivalry in the NBA (not counting Charles Barkley vs. Dick Bavetta) and the best player on planet Earth tip off the Finals tonight. Finally. So let's break down each team, player by player and figure out who gets the edge. We'll start with the starting five.

Point Guard
Rajon Rando vs. Derek Fisher
This is an intriguing comparison. Rondo is only 22 and has grown by leaps and bounds since Boston acquired Garnett and Ray Allen. I think that, if the Celtics are to have a chance here, Rondo has to play well. He's got all the talent in the world, but has played in as many NBA Finals games as I have. (Zero for those who weren't sure.) The Boston Three Party (Garnett, Allen and Paul Pierce) will need to keep him calm and relaxed.

For LA, Derek Fisher has been there. Remember that shot he hit against San Antonio in a few years back in the Wester Conference finals? I do. Fisher knows Phil Jackson's offense inside and out. He knows how to play with Kobe Bryant (harder than you may think). He won't be intimidated by Boston's raucous crowds. And while he might not drop 40 on you, he will hurt you if you don't keep an eye on him.
SLIGHT EDGE: Lakers

Shooting Guards
Ray Allen vs. Kobe Bryant
These two have a history. Both were drafted together (doesn't Allen SEEM much older than Kobe? Like much, much older?), and they've had their spats in the media – something about Allen calling Kobe selfish (duh), etc.
Ray Ray has the prettiest jump shot in basketball – there's no arguing that. But he hasn't exactly been lighting it up in the postseason. He's also the equivalent of a cardboard cutout on defense thanks to his ankles, which are more fragile than the Leg Lamp in "Christmas Story." Frageelay. But Allen can get hot in a hurry and drop 30 points in the blink of an eye.

As for Kobe. Where do I start? Love him or hate him (and I'm assuming everyone who isn't an LA fan DESPISES him), you have to give the man credit. He is the best player on the planet. But he's also been known to be a ball hog and an awful teammate who belittles other players on the court. Kobe's faults are well-chronicled, but his abilities are undeniable. The league MVP, after asking out of LA in the off season, has changed this year. He now trusts his teammates, he does things with them off the court, he smiles. Is this all a facade? Possibly. But as long as that Kobe shows up for the finals instead of the Kobe that existed for the past three seasons, the Lakers will not lose. He won't allow it. Listen, Kobe knows his place in history. He knows that people don't think he would have 3 rings if it wasn't for Shaq. He's out to prove people wrong, and he knows to do that, he has to do all the things I listed earlier. He wins this finals and he'll be a top 15 player EVER. Boston cannot stop him, they can only hope to be speed bumps.
MAJOR EDGE: Lakers

Paul Pierce vs. Lamar Odom
In my opinion, Pierce is the main reason why the Celtics are in the finals. He is an extremely underrated player for the most part. He can torch you for 40 on any given night and will not get flustered on the big stage. Pierce will be the second best player on the court these Finals (behind No. 24). Yes, that includes Garnett. I really can't say enough about this guy. Great team leader, great player.

Odom is finally getting comfortable in LA. He's not quite consistent enough to be a No. 2 guy, but has just the right skill set to be the third option. I still know he'll miss a clutch free throw eventually, but you can expect 15-8 out of him for the most part. His free throw shooting and rebounding need to improve against Boston's big bodies.
EDGE: Boston

Kevin Garnett vs. Vladimir Radmonovic
Nobody despises Boston sports like me. But, you know what, nobody in the NBA deserves to be in the Finals more than Kevin Garnett. I mean, how can you NOT be happy for the guy? This is one of the five best power forwards of all-time who KILLS himself night in and night out for the betterment of the team, not for himself. He isn't driven by performance bonuses or all-star votes, he wants to win. Period. And his intensity and drive is contagious. Want proof? Watch a Celtics game. No matter the score, when one of their players hits the ground, there is at least three teammates RUNNING over to help him up. The bench players never sit down. Might not sound like much, but it goes a long, long way in a grueling NBA season. All of this is because of Garnett. Oh, he's a pretty good player too.

Uhhh...Radmonovic shoots the three ball pretty good. Uhh...umm....he, uh, seems like a nice guy. Ah, who am I kidding
MAJOR EDGE: Boston
(Seriously, though, Radmonovic needs to get physical in this series from the opening tip. He needs to bang bodies with Garnett, fight for rebounds and try and get the Big Ticket in foul trouble.)

Kendrick Perkins vs. Pau Gasol
Perkins is quietly having an excellent postseason. He is a rebounding machine, something that the Lakers simply cannot match. If he does have an achillies heel, though, it's that he tends to get into foul trouble, which is the last thing Boston needs. That is, unless they want some guy named Big Baby playing crunch time minutes in the fourth quarter of the Finals. And Perkins will be matched up with a predominantly offensive center, giving him plenty of chances to foul.

Gasol (by the way, I'm still amazed that the Lakers got him for 2 cents on the dollar. I can't remember a more lopsided trade in my lifetime, except when I swindled a fantasy football owner into giving me Randy Moss and Clinton Portis for Philip Rivers and a bag of rocks.) is a very good offensive player and is exactly the type of center the Lakers need in this offense with Kobe running the show. He will put up 20 on you and is a fantastic passer, which really opens up the offense for the Lakers. He isn't a really great rebounder or defender, though, which means it could be a long series for him.
SLIGHT EDGE: Lakers

So there you have it. Remember, Boston has homecourt advantage, so LA needs to take one of two in Boston before going home for games 3, 4 and 5. They don't want this thing to go to Boston for games six and seven. Both teams play very good defense, but Boston definitely has more overall size and is the better rebounding team. It should be one heck of a Finals. Lots of star power, two great TEAMS, a ton on the line.

But in the end, I'm going with the team that has the best player. (Yes, I'm a homer.)

THE PICK: Lakers in six.