What’s the buzz from the world of sports? Here are some items that will have people talking:
1
Here’s what I hope.
I just hope nobody associated with the Heat says anything regrettable at Monday’s championship parade.
Nothing too cocky.
Nothing too arrogant.
No guarantees of a repeat championship.
No echoes of LeBron James’ introductory celebration two summers ago, the last time we saw the Big Three as giddy as they were after closing out the Thunder in Game 5 of the NBA Finals.
“Not four, not five, not six …” has already been done.
Oh, don’t we all know that by now.
But what about, “Let’s do it again next year!”?
Is that safe enough for LeBron or somebody else associated with the Heat to say come Monday’s downtown party?
— Mike Berardino, The Miami Herald
2
Amazing things happen when you ask stock car drivers to turn both right and left.
Sunday, the most amazing thing was that they almost never turned into each other. There were no serious wrecks and only two yellow caution flags during the entire 112-lap Toyota/Save Mart 350.
For the record, that’s the fewest yellows ever for a NASCAR event on the twisty-twirly Sonoma raceway.
“It felt like a genuine gentleman’s road race today,” said gentleman Kurt Busch, who finished in third place.
Clint Bowyer, the gentleman winner, went even beyond that.
“I thought it was the best race I’ve literally ever seen,” said Bowyer, tongue planted firmly in cheek. “I thought it was the best race in NASCAR history. I promise.”
Hard to say if fans agreed. Contrary to stereotype, the NASCAR crowd doesn’t show up entirely to see crashes. But it’s possible that some of the estimated 91,000 in attendance — which comprises Northern California’s largest annual single-day spectator sporting event — hungered for more of the mayhem and skirmishes that characterize the series.
If so, too bad. This was a race where skill and finesse prevailed, though it still involved plenty of smarts and guts.
— Mark Purdy, San Jose (Calif.) Mercury News
For more Talking Points, follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/talkpoints360