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Very, very cool when an elite athlete finally crosses that last mental hurdle and proves he or she is the one of the very best at what they do. Unlike past tough finishes for Dustin Johnson in majors he stuck a six iron from a 190 feet and closed the door on his first major win on the tour.

This should have happened long ago, but kudos to Johnson for never giving up and showing the world he’s one of the best golfers on the planet.

Hope Durant and Westbrook were watching this.

Since I’m to assume LeBron James, Doris Burke, and Tyron Lue are still crying somewhere in Oakland—I think I’ll wait till tomorrow for my Game 7 recap.

I’m happy for the sports fans in Cleveland to finally be having a championship celebration after fifty-two years of waiting.

There’s a very clear moral to this story…if you have a team down 3-1 and are going back to your home court to ostensibly close out the series—there is no reason in hell to give LeBron a reason for caring by clipping his balls in front of the world. Plus, it became apparent in the last three games Andrew Bogut is somewhat needed by the Warriors.

Anyway, nice to see Dustin exorcize the demons and hope he wins some more majors down the road.

 

 

I very much enjoyed all five segments of the film. Such an American tragedy the tale of O.J. Simpson. From meager beginnings to the height of wealth, fame, and adoration the story of his fall is epic in terms of human storytelling.

This wasn’t a story of compelling courtroom drama. Unless you’re just incredibly dense…he did it. He murdered these two people to the extent of overkill.

But more to the point, it’s story of one human’s journey from the bottom to the pinnacle to hell with all of us watching.

Most compelling stories are fairly simple with an intriguing central character. This one is no different.

Two thumbs up to the 30/30 film making crew at ESPN for producing a movie which once again reminds us it’s the human factor in our sports stories which should always remind us to never put athletes on a pedestal above the rest of us.

They’re human just like us.

A great deal going on sports related this Father’s Day week-end. We get the final episode of the Making of OJ Simpson documentary on Saturday night. I’ve enjoyed it. Forgot had bad Marcia Clark and Chris Darden were in ‘prosecuting’ the case. I’m in complete agreement with Vince Bugliosi in giving them both an F-.

On the golfing front, Dustin Johnson once again finds himself in the lead at the U.S. Open. Hope for his sake he has a happier 72nd hole this time around.

And, of course, we’ve got Game 7 looming on Sunday evening from Oracle as the Warriors seek to avoid becoming the first team in NBA history to choke on a 3-1 Finals lead. In all candor, this series has done little for me. The games have lacked competitive drama, been one-sided, and how ironic would it be if the whole series turned on Draymond Green cupping LeBron between his legs. Not a classic Finals from my standpoint.

Some great sports stuff this week-end, plus Oklahoma State playing in the College World Series in Omaha. Plus, it’s Father’s Day.

Can’t believe I’m writing this but if Game 7 turns out to be another dud—then I’m going the Making of OJ Simpson > NBA Finals as far as viewing entertainment.

 

Have to admit I’ve been watching the ESPN film on the double murderer OJ Simpson. It’s kept my interest more from a standpoint of the racial history of Los Angeles than of the trial itself. It was never a trial with Simpson being tried for the horrific murders of Nichole Simpson and Ron Goldman, but rather a trial of the Los Angeles police department being tried for years of racial bias towards blacks.

It should have been an easy conviction, but instead Simpson walked after brutally murdering two young people in the primes of their lives.

I’ve read several books on the trial, but the best is by former prosecutor later turned criminal defense lawyer Vince Bugliosi. In my lifetime, there’s probably never been a better prosecutor than Bugliosi. One of the great courtroom minds of our time.

If you think OJ Simpson didn’t murder those two people then I have no idea what I could possibly write to change your mind. My guess is you’ve probably got a Trump yard sign about to be planted in your yard—so what could possibly be my hope in changing your mind.

Interestingly, there was a picture of Simpson and Trump together in Simpson’s home amidst all his other pictures of him interacting with prominent whites. In hindsight…you’d have to give OJ the edge in size of ego because he actually did murder two people, left his blood all over the murder scene, basically confessed, almost committed suicide — yet walked.

Like when Trump says he could shoot someone in broad daylight and wouldn’t lose any of his core supporters.

Anyway, for anyone interested in the law and the facts of the case this is pretty good.

No one in America understands domestic violence as well as Oklahomans from the Murrah Building bombing tragedy in the 90’s. What happened today in Orlando was clearly domestic violence as this ‘person’ was born in New York and raised in Florida. Thought for the politicians who are owned by the NRA…maybe being able to get this type of weapon in a week’s time shouldn’t be available to the public as an option. Very, very tough day for the families of the victims.

America is praying with you. Hang in there.

 

Draymond Green finally hit his third or fourth strike for punkish behavior this post season and will sit a game. I wouldn’t exactly cry a river for Steve Kerr as he has the reigning NBA Finals MVP at his disposal to move into the starting lineup at Oracle tomorrow night. Iguodala started almost eight hundred games for the Sixers before becoming the pivotal sixth man for the Warriors. Green will be missed, but this shouldn’t be huge. This will mark the third straight season in which the championship team had an elite sixth man… 2014-Ginobli, 2015-Iguodala, 2016-Iguodala.

Ironic for the Thunder that Harden and Jackson could never grasp the championship consequences of the position. Now both make plenty of money and have no chance in hell of winning anything with their current teams. The times we live in I guess.

 

Warriors in complete control of the Finals leading 3-1 heading back to Oracle for what could be the clinching game for the repeat championship. The Warriors are clearly the better team as Andre Iguodala is my Finals MVP pick heading into tomorrow night. Great all around player who doesn’t get the attention he should be given.  It’s what you do in post season which matters–not meaningless regular season games against bad teams. Iguodala and Kawhi Leonard are two players who do it all. Maybe not flashy scorers, but they do everything well.

Draymond Green has once again hit an opposing player between the legs and since it was LeBron and not Steven Adams he might actually get suspended this time.

Either way–I’m looking for the Warriors to close out the series and celebrate at Oracle with their fans.

I haven’t done anything political on here in a while, but since the NBA Finals and the Sam Presti exit interview have both left much to be desired–I thought I’d put this on here to kind of alter the flow, feel of things. You see, it’s okay for journalists to sometimes write things others may not openly welcome and embrace with open arms. Ostensibly…that’s why we need journalists.

 

I listened to all forty-five minutes of Sam Presti’s  press conference and in all honesty didn’t learn anything I didn’t already know. The highlight for me was the Teddy Roosevelt quote from 1910 which Presti evoked.  TR is my favorite president of all-time. Maybe.. if I’d been there we could have had some interesting talk in regards to Roosevelt and my second favorite president in James Polk. I think maybe Presti was a history major at Emory College if I recall his profile. I have a history degree as well and we’d have had an interesting talk if we could have pushed the OKC media dullards out of the room.

In all candor, I thought  our local Prestettes didn’t ask many questions which interested me much at all. Very bland. Not one question about the meltdown at the end of Game 6. Not one question in regards to Russell Westbrook and what the WTF happened in those five minutes of horror. Not one question if Presti himself thinks Durant may possibly doubt if Westbrook and Durant can win a championship together. This is why Bill Simmons calls them the Prestettes.

I never heard Tramel. I have no idea where he was. Usually—he’s good for one tough question or two. Slater appears to be regressing, seems scared to ask tough questions like he used to when he first started. He and Royce Young must have sleepover parties where they compare off the record notes is all I can figure.

I don’t even know why this presser took place other than perfunctory courtesy.

Anyhow… here it is all forty-five minutes of nothingness. Don’t expect OJ to confess to killing Ron and Nichole is all I’m saying. I wonder how a guy like me who runs a small, ecsoteric rogue Thunder blog could get a press pass to these events? Keep in  mind, my father is a tough in your face courtroom lawyer. I understand the process of cross examination. They’d never let me back in the room after one presser would be my guess.

Here’s Sam Presti and his Prestettes. Yawn.

 

A pretty horrible NBA Finals so far with the Warriors obliterating the Cavs in Game 2 in a game which was not remotely competitive in any sense. Again, what makes this scary for the Cavs is Curry and Thompson have been relatively quiet. They haven’t been needed all that much.

When you think about it, there’s really only been two good series this post season with OKC-San Antonio and OKC-Golden State giving NBA fans some bang for their viewing participation.

Putting aside my bias for OKC,  I in no way can see how Kevin Durant moving to the already loaded Golden State Warriors does anything positive for the NBA or basketball as a whole unless you’re into little league load up teams where it’s a gut cinch one team wins the championship every season.

When you think about what Golden State already has with Curry, Thompson, Green, and Iguodala, it would make LeBron’s move to Miami pale in comparison.

The Bulls dominated with six championships, but they basically did it with the two stars and role players. This would be something altogether different.

It would be horrible for basketball as far as competitive interest because unless Cleveland has something in them we’ve not seen in these first two games this series will be over before it ever started.