Morning: Los Suns

I absolutely love this.


For those who missed it, the Phoenix cagers won game 2 against the Spurs wearing uniform tops that said "Los Suns." The specialty jerseys were made "as a celebration of Cinco de Mayo and as a political statement in opposition to Arizona’s new law dealing with illegal immigrants," per the NYTimes and others.

I've always made an explicit effort to avoid politics in this blog,* so I'll keep it simple: I think it's an awesome gesture to a community that probably feels pretty ostracized right now. And I think it's a brave choice for Robert Sarner, the Suns owner, to make. You can read his brief statement here if you want.

*Of my 15 blogs, the only one that really delves into politics is "Warren_Harding_Was_A_Cocksucker.blogspot.com," which I barely update anymore.

Jokes aside, this is an instance where sports can make a small positive contribution to the community. I'm not Hispanic, and I don't live in Arizona, but my guess is that "Los Suns" made a few people feel good last night. If you're like me and were looking for an NBA team to root for in these playoffs, look no further. Also, let's be honest, Steve Nash is one of the 5 coolest humans in the world. I'm not going to list the other 4, but I'll tell you who's not on the list:

THAT BLUSTERING DOUCHEBAG WARREN HARDING!

Another great part of that ESPN recap was Phoenix coach Alvin Gentry's quote about a former Dukie:

"Grant Hill never ceases to amaze me," Phoenix coach Alvin Gentry said. "There's a 37-year-old -- he hates when I say that. Here's a guy who plays on our team that's been in the league for a long, long time. He just does a good job. Everything we ask him to do, never complains. He's always on the best perimeter player. He never complains. He just plays. He'll forever be my favorite player. He really will."

Damn. I got a few goosebumps reading that quote. Hill has always seemed like a very nice, humble dude to me, and I'm clearly biased because of the Duke connection. This validates what I've always thought of him. It would be great if he and Nash could win a title, and it'd also be great if Los Suns could finally beat San Antonio, who I'll always believe stole the series, and by extension the title, in '07 when Stoudemire and Diaw were wrongly ejected after Horry body-checked Nash. They're up 2-0 now, and if they can steal one of the next two in San Antonio, they'll have two shots to win at home.

The Yanks are on the road to Boston today, and I've got the off-day blues, but that doesn't mean there's no news.

*Andy Pettite's injury was revealed to be mild elbow inflammation after yesterday's MRI. He's day-to-day, and may miss his next start, but as Bob Klapisch points out in the linked article, the slew of (mild) injuries to the "Core Four" is problematic. Some people are even talking about an SI cover jinx. They grace the latest issue of the magazine, and it turned out like so:


Is it just me, or is that photo a little...awkward? Why is Jorge grabbing for Mariano's left knee? Why is Andy reaching his leg crosswise over Mariano, like- let's be honest- he's humping him, and palming Jorge's shoulder? Why do all three of them look like giddy schoolgirls vying for the attention of the big man on campus (Jeter)? Whatever the answer, it's clear I'll be adding this to my collection of effeminate Yankee photos. Finally, A-Rod has a partner!


Hey, did you know we're about a month away from the World Cup, and USA-England? That's kinda wild, right? Back later with some of that, and more about the NBA playoffs.