Jeff Anderson: When is King Kaufman going to take up the issue of Joe Mauer's poor voting numbers in the All Star balloting?

Never. The fans are almost always abouut a year behind when a player's fortunes spike upward or downward. Lately, with the advent of the Internet, I believe, the gap has tended to close in the last few weeks before the All-Star Game as people start to read columns and/or listen to sports talk radio guys whining about how it's an injustice that Player A isn't getting votes despite hitting like Babe Ruth and/or Player B is getting votes despite hitting like Ruth Buzzi.

Yawn. It usually works out, and if it doesn't, the guy who gets screwed usually makes the team anyway, and anyway, I've got no problem with the fans deciding it, for better or worse.

JLS: But doesn't the rousing, gutty effort the US displayed Saturday against Italy's finest, after everyone had written them off, merit at least a paragraph?

It may or may not, but I chose not to write one because I didn't have anything to say about it. The fact that it was a Saturday game influenced my decision. I believe a Google search will reveal coverage elsewhere.

jaw: Was the only sporting event held this weekend game 5 of the NBA finals?

No. Why do you ask?

I distinctly remember watching 6 World Cup matches, 1 games 6 Stanley Cup game, and checking in on Phil Mickelson's meltdown at Winged Foot. Plus the College World Series continues on in Omaha.

Hey, good weekend. Also, the Frontier League pennant races are starting to heat up. The Chillicothe Paints leapfrogged the Traverse City Beach Bums and moved into the East Division lead, and the Rockford RiverHawks caught the Evansville Otters on top of the West.

And the L.A. Sparks beat the Sacramento Monarchs, 80-69.

I get it I'm supposed to only care about the NBA right now.

What? Who told you that?

The United States holds Italy to a 1-1 draw, playing 2 men down and that doesn't warrant anything.

I believe a Google search will reveal coverage elsewhere. I'm sure of it. I read lots!

Give me a break. Make the Mavericks play a man down because of Jerry Stackhouse's suspension and then maybe I will care.

Noted. How do I reach you in case for some reason they make that rule change? Or do you think you'll just hear about it?

geoman: Mark Cuban has every right to be pissed. NBA officals are attrocious!

and

spike24: This is why people hate the NBA.

I agree this is the NBA's biggest problem.

Valley: You complain that the constant fouls "mar" the end of the game. Then turn the game off!

Wha? But I like the game.

You are so certain that the strategy will not work and the winning team will still win, right?

Wha? No. Of course the strategy works. That's what sucks about it. It's the fact that the strategy works that leads to all the fouls, which mar the ends of games. You shouldn't be able to benefit from breaking the rules. If you can, the punishment isn't great enough. And aside from that, instead of watching basketball, we're watching a free-throw shooting contest. If you don't think that sucks, fine, but I do.

Or do you watch because deep inside, you know that there is a chance that the free throws will be missed, and the game will end with a great come-from-behind rally.

I watch because I like basketball, which is what they play for about 47 and a half minutes. And by the end, you know, I'm hooked. And then I sit there and think about how much it sucks that I'm watching a free-throw shooting contest instead of an exciting finish.

Granted, it almost never happens. But what law says that you have to watch the end of the game?

OK, I know this one. There's no law, right?

P.S. Stackhouse threw a body check into Shaq. That was a flagrant foul and deserved to be punished. I am neither a heat nor mavs fan. Just an honest observer.

We agree there.

chas: Am I right in assuming the free-throws and time-outs will never be eliminated because of commercial pressures? That these features of the game allow more time for commercials? That'd make sense, if true.

Yes and no. Yes, even if there were real sentiment outside of my house to eliminate fouls and timeouts, then yes, there wouuld be commercial pressure to keep them. But we're talking about fundamentally changing the game, and most people are against that because, well, it's kind of a crazy idea, even if it makes sense to me. People don't like fundamental changes to something they like.

smileyy: What's the alternative to prevent end-game fouls?

I'm so happy you asked that. In the last two minutes, the 24-second clock becomes a 10-second clock. Period.