Random Thoughts from the Weekend

1. So the Cavs need to win their last two games in order to match their record from last season. That is in no way depressing.

2. They also need to win their last two and pray that Chicago loses to New Jersey. Fantastic.

3. I don't see Chicago losing, they've been killing teams lately. Windhorst has more:

I decided Friday night when I saw Ben Wallace make an 18-foot jumper that the Bulls will not lose again in the regular season. Today, they killed the Wizards. Cavs fans, prepare for the Heat.

4. The Cavs have been scouting Miami for awhile now.

5. Speaking of, scouting sure seems like a lot of fun....

6. Windhorst says that Pavlovic could be the key to the Cavs playoffs. I'm with him there; if Sasha can stay out of foul trouble and make the Heat work at both ends, it will do wonders for the Cavs.

7. James has been putting in extra work on his jumper and taking extra precautions for his knees and ankles:

The Cavs' training staff has put James on a new weight program designed to strengthen his knees. He's dealt with tendinitis in both knees this season. It is a common ailment for pro athletes, especially basketball players. James has proven to be very resilient during his short career, but has started several different precautionary measures to protect his ankles and knees, which are already starting to bark at him at age 22.

8. The highlighted section above is one of the reasons why I constantly bitch and moan about LeBron's nightly minutes (though I'll probably stop during the playoffs- he's gonna log close to 48 every night and why not, it's the playoffs). He takes a lot of punishment and he logs a ton of minutes- it's OK now, but it'll come back at some point.

9. Charlie Weiss wants Quinn to be a Brown and Quinn wants to be a Brown. Great. The headline is Quinn, Browns a Perfect Marriage. I'm gonna be sick.

10. You know who else wants to be a Brown, Adrian Peterson (says Peter King):

Running back Adrian Peterson wants to be a Brown. So does Quinn. I met both of them the other day in New York, where they were promoting the Sprint draft phone. (How bizarre. You can get a cellular telephone and watch the draft on it.) Anyway, I asked Peterson: Got a gut feeling where you're going to get picked? Now, when you ask most guys this question, they've been well-schooled in not favoring one team over another. Said Peterson: "My gut feeling? Cleveland at three. Sitting down with them [coach Romeo Crennel, GM Phil Savage], I get the feeling they're very, very interested. I would love it there. The fans in Cleveland are the closest to college fans in the NFL. I love the Dawg Pound. I think I can be a franchise back and really help the Browns turn it around.''

11. I'm definitely OK with an offense that revolves around Peterson, Kellen Winslow and Braylon Edwards.

12. But I still would like Joe Thomas. Mel Kiper Jr. has Thomas rated as the number 2 overall prospect and Peter King wonders if Thomas looks so good because the rest of the OL prospects are weak or because he's simply awesome:

More people like Joe Thomas than don't, but there is some question about his ability to overpower defensive ends. No question, though, he's one of the quickest left tackle prospects to come out in years, and he and Calvin Johnson are by far the top prospects with the fewest questions. "He's got no holes,'' Tampa Bay GM Bruce Allen told Thomas' agent, Peter Schaffer, after Thomas visited the Bucs last week.

13. So let's review: the Browns line blows. They need a left tackle. Joe Thomas is the highest rated left tackle in the draft and there is a large drop off, not just from him to other OL prospects, but from him to all other prospects as well. And the Browns shouldn't draft him because?

14. I'm not a fan of JaMarcus Russell either.

15. So let's review, part II: Russell vaults into the top pick discussion after a great game versus Notre Dame, even though he had average/bad games against Auburn and Florida. Troy Smith falls out of the first round due to a horrible game against Florida, but he played well the entire season beforehand and killed Notre Dame in the previous Fiesta Bowl. Now, I'm not saying that Smith is better than Russell, but I'm not sure the difference isn't as huge as everyone thinks.

16. Plus, I wonder how much conventional wisdom is based upon the last game of the season.

17. Tony Grossi has the Browns taking Quinn in his mock draft. He also says Calvin Johnson may be too good to be true.

18. One of my biggest worries about the draft is that the Browns will neglect the line and point to the Eric Steinbach signing as proof that they're 'fixing the line'.

19. I feel the same way about the Jake Westbrook signing. I'm worried that the Tribe will let CC and Pronk walk in two years and point to Westbrook saying, "see, we re-sign our players".

20. Both Steinbach and Westbrook are (great) steps in the right direction, but if you want to fix the line or prove to fans that you're serious about keeping your stars, these signings are only the start. At least one first day pick needs to be a lineman and either Sabathia or Pronk has to be re-upped.

21. The Tribe is winning with going 5-51 with runners in scoring position. And they won yesterday with only one hit. I don't care how ugly it is, I'll take it.

22. The Tribe is currently in first place, they are 4-2 against the Chi Sox and Pronk and Victor haven't taken off yet. Yes.

23. Ryan Garko is 8-21 right now with a home run and he's playing decent defense at first. Please keep him in the lineup.

24. WTF, Marlon Wayans?

25. Greg Oden made his decision to go pro. Wait, no he didn't.

26. Confused? Here's what we do know: Oden, Mike Conley Jr and Daequan Cook are meeting with Thad Matta today.

27. This is good.

28. From the 'Better Late than Never" file: Paul McCartney is going to have a song about the Lennon breakup on his new album (which is also about his Heather Mills split AND his first wife Linda)

29. Which is better, the first Presidents of the United States album or their follow up? (Their eponymous debut was the first CD I ever bought).

30. I agree with this:

[T]here’s one aspect of this story that seems to have attracted no editorial mention or public interest. Implicit in all the coverage is the assumption—by Democrats and Republicans alike—that the Attorney General is going up to Capitol Hill to lie. As far as I can tell, this is a universal assumption. The Republicans are rooting for Mr. Gonzales to be successful in his perjury, to tell a coherent story that his enemies cannot break down. The Democrats are rooting the other way, off course. They’re hoping that their ace interrogators will be able to shoot enough holes in Mr. Gonzales’ story that they can destroy his credibility. But nobody seems to find it shocking or tragic that the Attorney General of the United States is going to lie to congress

31. Why would people assume he's lying? He's been practicing and he still can't keep his story straight.

32. Anchorman and 300 mash up. Awesome.

33. Finished up HBO's Rome last night. Fantastic series. It's really too bad that it only went two years (it cost a ton of money and didn't start getting good ratings until after they decided to only do two years).

34. After seeing how HBO has handled Rome and Deadwood, I'm both excited and aprehensive about their handling of The Song of Ice and Fire. I'm sure the series will be good (and well made and produced and all that), but I wonder how long they'll be able to afford it (if it doesn't get stellar ratings).

35. Music: Kings of Leon have a new CD and it is delightful:

Kings of Leon - On Call