When is King Kaufman going to take up the issue of Joe Mauer's poor voting numbers in the All Star balloting? I mean, come on, the guy is leading the majors in batting average and is one of the best defensive catchers in the game. It's almost as shameful as Santana not getting the Cy Young last year because he played for a team that couldn't score any runs for him.

The fact that the Yankees and Red Sox can basically buy a playoff entry shouldn't mean that their fans should overwhelm the voting. Also, having the White Sox manager load up the reserves with his team's players is shameful, especially when home field advantage is on the line. What kind of wimpy manager can't stand up to players on his own team and explain to them that there are better players out there.

geesh, I almost forgot it was time, as a Yankee fan, to start systematically overwhelming the voting system for the all star game. Thanks for the reminder.

I think it's just sort of the combination of everything that makes it feel at times like the Mavericks aren't getting a fair shake.

1.) All the roughhousing down the stretch of game 3 the refs allowed the Heat, which helped them overcome a 13 point deficit with 6:30 left. Shaq pushing Damp in the back on a critical rebound, Haslem running through Dirk to get a crucial steal.

The Heat needed the refs to swallow their whistles to make that improbable comeback, and the refs obliged.

2) The Stackhouse suspension. In the 80's and 90's, just a run-of-the-mill hard foul; in the 00's, borderline suspendable.

Mike Breen and Hubie Brown, at the time, thought it was just a hard foul. Many columnists and league watchers thought the suspension was the wrong decision. In other words, there was no clear consensus among league watchers. The league had a choice, at the very least.

Again, it feels like, given the choice, the league office will always try to screw the Mavericks. Mavericks fans tend to think enmity for Mark Cuban is the reason.

3) Wade's free-throw parade. A lot of touch-fouls are randomly called, yes -- 1 in 5 sounds like a pretty good formula.

Unless you're Dwyane Wade, in which case you get every single one. NBA finals record for free throws attempted and made.

4) The winning play. Foolish or not, there's an NBA tradition of not calling ticky-tack fouls on the final play of the game. Again, unless you're Dwyane Wade, it seems.

Fantastic young player, already getting MJ levels of respect from the refs.

Intellectually, I know it's probably just the breaks of the NBA game. Emotionally, everything taken together, it's hard for it not to feel like a raw deal.

I still believe - Mavs in 7.

I realize very well I am in the minority on this, and that a crucial, controversial Game 5 in an excellent NBA finals is the lead story out of this weekend. 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?

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

I get it I'm supposed to only care about the NBA right now. The United States holds Italy to a 1-1 draw, playing 2 men down and that doesn't warrant anything. Give me a break. Make the Mavericks play a man down because of Jerry Stackhouse's suspension and then maybe I will care.

ticky tack fouls with 1.8 seconds left are just ridiculous. That was a bail-out call. Wade was completely out of control, had no idea where he was going, barely got touched, and when he went up for his shot, clanged it off the backboard hard enough to send the rebound to the foul line. Total bail-out call. You can tell me that those things are called from time to time, but not with 1.8 seconds left in game 5 of the NBA Finals. You have to make the players win the game if you're an official. They didn't do that on that play, they won it for Wade.

Maybe the Mavs shouldn't be whining as much as they are, maybe the best way for them to win is to focus on what they can change. But I'm not playing, so I can whine as much as I want. Ever freaking borderline call went the Heat's way for every minute of that game. I don't even have more than a passing interest in this series except I'm a Knicks fan and I don't like Pat Riley. I even like Wade, but he's getting every single call. And the Mavs can't buy a call when they're on offense.

This is why people hate the NBA.

I'm a fan of basketball. But the NBA Finals officating is beyond excuses. This stuff is getting to be more like the World Wrastlin' "drama" than true competition. Mark Cuban has every right to be pissed. NBA officals are attrocious!. Could it be they're thinking more of keeping home-fans and sponsors happy? I think so. And the NBA has now joined the dust bin of foolishness.

And I used to think World Cup soccer games were poorly officiated! The NBA is the new champ.

Rule 4, Section VI seems to pertain: "Frontcourt/backcourt status is not attained until a player with the ball has established a positive position in either half during (1) a jump ball, (2) a steal by a defensive player, (3) a throw-in in the last two minutes of the fourth period and/or any overtime period or (4) any time the ball is loose." No violation is the correct call.

You complain that the constant fouls "mar" the end of the game. Then turn the game off! You are so certain that the strategy will not work and the winning team will still win, right? 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. Granted, it almost never happens. But what law says that you have to watch the end of the game?

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.