With no Happy Hour today, I thought I’d still share some thoughts.  Its not quite as cathartic as speaking loudly in our cramped studios (sponsored by the Sports Zone!) so I usually end up going home and yelling blindly in the garage for about 15 minutes when I don’t have a show. 

US Olympic Roster announced

• Kobe, Lebron, Wade, Carmelo, Kidd, Tayshaun Prince, Boozer, Bosh, Howard, Redd, Paul, Williams fill out the roster. 

•  I think all of us can agree the United States has struggled in International competition in recent years, including an embarrassing bronze in Athens.  The biggest culprit has been, according to most, a lack of cohesion against international teams that play together for years and years; in other words, teamwork.  So, how is this team any different?  You have 3 guys leading this team who go by first name only; Kobe, Lebron, Carmelo.  After Kobe, you have Jason Kidd as your next veteran.  What do both Kobe and Kidd have in common?  A reputation that despite being more talented than just about anyone else to have ever played their position, they aren’t the leaders people expected them to be.

•  In fact, only 2 players from this years team have even won an NBA Championship in their careers.  Compare that to the original Dream Team in 1992 or in 1996 when there were double digit rings between the players and you begin to see why this team has struggled.  In 2000, a team that barely won gold had very little championship material and in 2004, only one player in Tim Duncan.

•  f this were the Olympics of advertising (and its slowly turning into that anyway), the United States would be beating everyone in endorsements like they beat Angola in 1992.

•  Despite all of that, there’s some serious pressure on this team.  The credibility of American basketball and in some respects, the NBA are on the line.  Someone please take Kobe off this roster.

Dbacks vs. Red Sox

•  Beginning today, the Diamondbacks start a 3 game series at Fenway, thus the reason Ill be playing Spider Solitaire all day (not really, but I suppose I could).  Arizona was swept by the Twins, including being baffled by Livian Hernandez on Sunday. 

•  I’m convinced part of the reason Livo signed with the Twins is because they are affectionately known as the Twinkies and he just got confused. 

•  Either way, not a good weekend for the Snakes, especially considering their lead in the NL West is now just 3.5 games over the equally hard-to-figure-out Dodgers. 

• Eric Byrnes returns to the lineup which for now just means more hair in the lineup, not necessarily any more power.

Ill be blogging every day this week as I won’t be back on the air until Thursday.