FanNation - The Republic of Sport

   A few thoughts at 1 a.m., as Barak Obama keeps the ball on the ground and Hillary Clinton burns her last timeout:

   * Just when you thought it didn't get uglier than the Democratic presidential campaign, along came Game 1 of the Celtics-Cavaliers series. Boston suffers through three long cold streaks. LeBron James manages just 12 points, and Paul Pierce counters with four. I could rebuild my garage with all the bricks both teams chucked. It came to Kevin Garnett finally making a big shot with 21 seconds left and big contributions off the Celtics' bench: Sam Cassell hitting two treys early in the fourth quarter and grabbing a big rebound down the stretch, and James Posey's two clinching free throws and plus-17 (love this new stat stolen from the NHL) in 25 minutes.

   * It'll be a little while before pennant fever grips Hub, but the Red Sox have won seven out of eight while still weathering a storm of flu, broken fingers, bad hip flexors, appendectomies and Big Papi struggling to push his batting average over .200. The starting pitching arrived in force, with Tim Wakefield allowing just two hits in eight shutout innings in Detroit tonight after Dice-K's brilliant display of brinksmanship last night (he's 5-0 because he gets away with crimes like eight walks over five innings last night - the fact that he only gave up one run may speak more to the Tigers' surprising mediocrity at the plate).

   * Thank God I did not watch the Kentucky Derby Saturday. I've had an increasingly difficult time watching horse racing since that Saturday two years ago that we all stopped work to gather around the TV and root on Barbaro in the Preakness. I can still watch boxing, and I've seen a couple of TV fights which ended in fatality and tuned in again the next week. But as the owner of four pets (three cats and a dog), I have trouble watching injured animals. If you don't understand what I'm talking about, Google Go For Wand someday. 

   * So Roger Clemens is allegedly a raving womanizer with a taste for the young'uns. Shocked, shocked, shocked. But does cheating on one's spouse mean one used steroids? Brian McNamee's role in the outing of extramarital Rocket ride allegations begs some questions about their credibility. As for Mindy McCready, I think her father is the bigger ho.

   * Six games. Four to overtime. Five decided by one goal. The series is clinched midway through the fourth overtime in the longest game in NHL history. Without the larger sports world's notice, Stars-Sharks put on one magnificent show.