Monday Morning Musings, May 4

The Muse is tired from a weekend filled with Mint Juleps and Mariner marathon comebacks. We're like a fat kid after too much cake -- we need a nap. Nevertheless, our somnolent state will not prevent us from randomly musing about sports this, and every, Monday morning.

-Hummer stretch limo-sized win for the Mariners last night. Jose Lopez continues his tradition as the "Even Steven" of the team: for every terrible play he makes in the field, he gets a game-winning hit. I'll take it.

What I'm gathering from watching this team, from what's being written by print columnists and bloggers (even The Doubter isn't so doubtful anymore!), is that this team is mentally tough and hungry. And what's more: they actually like each other. Crazy, right? Just look on the front page of the Times sports site. Ichiro looks as giddy as a Japanese school girl (and is about the size of one) jumping into what looks like the beginning of a massive man-hug between Lopez and Beltre. Inspiring? Definitely. Slightly homoerotic? Absolutely.

-The Seahawks signing of Leroy Hill gives us the best linebacking trio in the league, period. But without pressure from the front four -- Hello undnerachieving Lawrence Jackson, Kearney "the Gurney," Daryl (Un)Tapp(ed Potential) -- they will still have trouble stopping teams on third down.

-Spent Saturday afternoon working on a column about my obsession with the Bulls-Celtics series, but then the Kentucky Derby and a bottle of Maker's Mark happened.

Horse racing is not something we usually write about here, mostly because none of us know anything about it, but, if you missed it, Saturday's race was fascinating and thrilling. Mine That Bird was nowhere to be seen until the last turn. From that point on, Bird looked like he was moving in fast-forward while the rest of the field was in slow mo. He darted in an out of the pack like Barry Sanders and absolutely crushed the competition.

-Bulls-Celtics, bottom line: Best. Series. Ever. If nothing else exciting happens for the rest of the playoff, at least the NBA gave us this.

-Blazers were manhandled by the Rockets. Hit the weight room this summer kids.

-My English mate, James, paid $15 to get into a bar to watch his fellow countryman, Ricky Hatton, get his face turned into Shepherd's Pie by Manny Pacquiao. I felt he got ripped off, but James said Pac Man was so impressive it was worth it. When Pac Man fights Pretty Boy Floyd Mayweather, I might even shell out the $15 to watch it.

-Thanks to a gift from my sister, I'm once again a Sports Illustrated reader. They've rewarded me with a great story on Ken Griffey Jr. two weeks ago and brief about the Sounders last week. I don't care what people say: SI still has the best writing in all of sports media.