The Har-Rah of it all!

The Yard was participating in the annual Har-rah Cup golf event at La Quinta this past week. This prestigious cup in the brainchild of three Yard brethren in a noble effort to distill wild male testosterone through an alcohol maze using $4 golf balls in pursuit of the elusive first cut of grass. Attempting to quell the voices in your head with Cuban Cigars and Colorado fire water, while fighting thirty mile an hour afternoon winds is not exactly our sweet spot for athletic prowess. Fortunately, there was a team competition and even the last kid picked sometimes ends up on a winner.

It has been a brilliant week in Los Angeles with the Lakers racing to a 2-0 lead in the NBA Finals and struggling Andre Ethier hitting two walk off bombs to beat the world champion Phillies at the Ravine. The Lakers hit the wall just outside of the Magic Kingdom in Orlando last night but the Dodgers continue their take no prisoner’s bus ride through the NL West. And last night, Tim Floyd called Arizona to see if there was still an opening after he resigned from “the last job he will ever have” as head coach of the USC Trojans. Under the current tsunami of punishable allegations, the unemployed Floyd might be right about the last job thing.

From Orlando, the Yard is waiting for all of the “We will take it one game at a time” sound bites and the comparisons with all of the other 1-2 comebacks in the history of the NBA. Magic fan visit the Kingdom this week that is as close as you are going to get to a crown this season. The Magic shot 62.5% for the game and held the Lakers to 62% shooting from the foul line. Kobe shot 11 for 25 from the field which happens given the shots he takes. Kobe never shoots 50% from the free throw line as he did Tuesday night. All of those shitake mushrooms and the Magic squeak out a four point win that was not decided until the final moments. The Magic had to win game 3 because no team has ever come back from a 0-3 deficit and the franchise was 0-6 in the NBA Finals. They need to win Game 4 before we all start loosening our seat belts on the bandwagon. Kobe is not going to let that happen.

Lakers win game four with Kobe lighting up three different defenders for 36+. Lamar has a double/double and Dwight Howard does something stupid. Lakers do not show for game five so the good doctor can get another home game in LA and the championship bus rolls down Figueroa on their way to City Hall on June 23. Mark Madsen is already on board to provide the dance moves and Kobe has a DJ gig lined up in NYC night club so he can shout out to ask Shaq how his ass tastes!

Dodgers may not be able to come back to the pack in the NL West. The wolves are getting close to the campfire for some of these teams already. The Padres are a five game losing streak away from unloading Jake Peavey and Adrian Gonzales. Colorado and Arizona are already doing what they do best, rebuild. The Giants are the over achievers who will swoon now that Randy has his 300th win. Giant clean up hitter Benji Molina would not bat clean up for any other major league team. The Dodgers will need some adversity to get to their first World Series since 1988. Winning your division by double digits and coasting in September is a recipe for a first round upset. See Angel Team video from last year. The Dodgers need someone else to hit homeruns and another starter. An ornery Manny is coming back to fill the first job. The trading deadline has been Ned Colletti’s friend the last few years and there will be starters on the block. Adversity has a way of finding the front runners in Yard lore and the Dodgers have been walking on rose petals so far, Manny’s gonads notwithstanding. Many months to go but at least Nomar’s hamstrings are in Oakland this summer.

USC Fan, your wolves are getting close to the campfire as well. The myopic fire still burns bright with National Championships and March Madness victories spiking the flames of the chosen ones. The Reggie Bush civil suit looms with your erstwhile Heisman winner being deposed under oath to explain his relationship with those pesky sports agent plaintiffs this summer. Tim Floyd resigning is just the first domino in that maelstrom of allegations, payoffs and lack of institutional control. When all is quiet after the NBA playoffs, you do not want to be the lead story. USC Sports has already been on the front page of the LA Times twice in the past two weeks for all of the wrong reasons. Wait until the real games begin with the NCAA suits start sifting through the trash. USC will be on the front page of all of the nation’s newspapers for all of those same reasons.