Random Observations on the Wonderful World of Sports

In the words of the great San Francisco Chronicle sports columnist, here are my deep thoughts, cheap shots, and bon mots:

--- My beloved Giants are off to a winning start, despite a rocky performance by Tim Lincecum. Hopefully, Timmy was just experiencing some opening-day jitters, because we need him to again perform at a Cy Young level if we are to win the division.

---It was great to see such an offensive explosion from the Giants, who have been chastised for having an inadequate offense. Randy Winn, Bengie Molina, and Aaron Rowand all homered, and Travis Ishikawa and Pablo Sandoval came up with clutch hits.

---Tonight, the Big Unit is on the mound. Let's pick up win number 2. Go Giants!!!!

---Obviously, it's way too early to panic in Philadelphia, but the Phillies have looked awfully flat to start the season. However, Philly will recover. The bigger question regards the Braves. With a dominant Derrick Lowe and a healthy Chipper Jones, can Atlanta possibly contend in the NL East? Maybe, but I still think the Marlins pose a bigger threat to the Mets and Phillies. With the incredible athleticism of Hanley Ramirez and Emilio Bonifacio, the Fish are a legitimate contender for the division title.

---6 runs, 5 walks, 0 strikeouts. Yankees fans, say hello to your 161 million dollar man, CC Sabathia. In all seriousness, Sabathia will be fine. He just needs to stop trying to live up to all that money and start focusing on pitching. Sounds simple, but this is a psychological mind game that CC must overcome.

---Congratulations to your 2009 National Champion North Carolina Tar Heels. The Heels demolished Michigan State, quickly putting to rest the possibility of a feel-good Spartans title. Much has been made about the will and tenacity of Tyler Hansbrough, and rightfully so, but the player with the best chance of being a star at the next level is Ty Lawson. The speedy point guard reminds me a lot of Chris Paul.

---Congratulations to your 2009 National Champion Connecticut Huskies. Sadly, because women's college basketball is largely overlooked, this UConn team has not received the credit that it so richly deserves. Geno Auriemma's team completed a perfect season, winning 39 games, all by double-digits. Wow. That kind of domination is rarely seen in the world of sports.

---Big blow to the Spurs: Manu is done for the season. San Antonio's title hopes took a major hit with the loss of Ginobli, but I wouldn't count them out just yet. Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, and coach Gregg Popovich always find a way to win, no matter the circumstances.

---Barring an epic collapse by Dirk Nowitzki and the Mavs, the Phoenix Suns will be watching the playoffs from home, and General Manager Steve Kerr will have one extraordinarily busy offseason. With all due respect to Steve Nash and Shaquille O'Neal, this Suns team is getting old, and Kerr needs to find a way to bring some much-needed youth to the franchise, or Phoenix will be on the outside looking in for years to come.

---The Masters, one of the greatest events in all of American sports, commences tomorrow in Augusta, as Tiger Woods looks to win his fifth green jacket. Tiger is obviously the main attraction, but there are other intriguing storylines as well, including Padraig Harrington's quest to win his third consecutive major and Greg Norman's return to the tournament in which he has finished an agonizing second three times before. It should be fun, and when all is said and done, Tiger Woods will be celebrating his fifteenth major championship.

---I like the new West Coast "SportsCenter", live from Los Angeles. Stuart Scott, Stan Verrett, and Neil Everett have an excellent rapport, and the show feels more relaxed than its Connecticut counterpart.