Published: April 28, 2008 09:33 am            

This is the year of the Cubs — I hope

Don’t look now but my beloved Chicago Cubs are in first place. Iknow my boss, Les Dixon, took a bit of a cheap shot at the Cubbies in his column the other day, but now it’s my turn to get my shot in.

Ithink this ISthe year of the Cubbies. I used to believe that they would never win the World Series again, but Sweet Lou has me having fun cheering for my team again. Ithink we...uh... the Cubs have enough talent and all the right ingredients to win it all this year.

Les is just mad at me because of our ping pong battle in Lexington back in March. Iknow it still causes him sleepless nights, because he is more competitive than you may believe.

Ihave seen the guy make diving catches on concrete during wiffle ball game. Iam sure there will be a rematch soon in the ping pong game, but that is the one game in which he doesn’t stand a chance.

Since we are talking about my favorite pro teams, how can we not talk about my Boston Celtics? Yep, the Celtics are the team to beat in the NBAPlayoffs. They are sitting pretty with a commanding 2-0 lead over the Hawks.

NOTE - The Hawks happen to be Les’ favorite basketball team. Chalk another one up for me.

Oh brother, is it going to be a long week at the office next week?

Now on to the NFL. The Cowboys have signed Pacman Jones. I don’t know how happy I am about that. Iknow he can really help sure up the Cowboys’ defense, but there are a couple of factors to consider.

1 - Is he ever going to be eligible to play in the NFLagain?

2 - Will he stay out of trouble long enough to play a full season with the Cowboys?

Time will tell, but I guess Ihave to trust Jerry Jones’ decision. He does have three Super Bowl rings as the owner of America’s Team.

Let’s switch things up and talk about high school sports for a bit. Here are some things Iam starting to notice as the softball and baseball season progresses.

Just when you think you know who the best team in the area is, you get smashed with an upset. North Laurel beating South Laurel in softball wasn’t an upset, but the LadyJaguars winning the game 9-0 was surprising to me. I think Shane Weaver’s team may be untouchable right now. At least in the 13th Region.

How about Corbin? The Lady Redhounds were struggling and it looked like it may be a long season, but then they upset South Laurel. Yes it was a split of a doubleheader, but the first game, which South Laurel won, went into extra innings. The Corbin win was a double-digit victory. Chris Hart’s team has proven they can play with anybody.

Irecently covered a rivalry game between WhitleyCounty and Williamsburg. I was impressed with both teams. I think both teams have excellent coaches. Whitley County’s David Halcomb has his team on a three-game win streak right now. First year Williamsburg coach Andrea Ellis is getting the maximum out of her team every time they take the field. Ican’t wait until the 50th District Tournament. The only bad thing is there can only be one winner.

Hey, congrats to Lauren Wombles. She made the Kentucky All-Star basketball team. She didn’t get selected by stats she compiled. She tried out with 39 other girls and made the final 10 to be on the team. Iknew all along that she was one of the best in the state.

TheTri-County baseball teams are too close to call for me right now. Idon’t know how Les handles that Diamond Ratings every week. Williamsburg, Corbin, Whitley County, North Laurel, South Laurel, and Knox Central are very close.

        

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