It's a Smile...

• It's good to know that Rip Hamilton has not thrown in the towel and is continuing to keep up the intensity in the face of a disastrous Pistons season. Phhhhhh. Yeah, either that, or the complete opposite of that. Rip was absolutely corpse-like on the court over the weekend, going scoreless (with 3 turnovers) in a loss to Indiana, and then knocking home 1 of 8 in the blowout defeat to the Cavs last night. Your 2009-10 Detroit Pistons, ladies and gentlemen. "Going to Work, Every Night. Well, not Every Night...but at Least Two or Three Times a Month."

• The Joe Nathan injury will not wind up hurting the Twins nearly as much as everyone thinks it will. The closer spot is one of the most interchangeable positions in all of sports. Look at a guy like Ryan Franklin, a journeyman right hander who tried unsuccessfully for years to be a solid major league starter, but wound up getting the ball in the 9th for St. Louis last year, and reeled off 38 saves for a playoff team. Examples like this can be found every year around the league. The Twins will plug in veteran guys like Matt Guerrier and Jesse Crain when the 9th inning rolls around, and they will be just fine. And worse comes to worst, they can always go bring Everyday Eddie Guardado back to town. It seems like the big boy's about due for another go-round with the Twinkies, doesn't it?

• Boy, that John Malkovich sure was scary in Con Air. He made Charles Rane from Passenger 57 look like an upstanding citizen.

• Fictional Boxer Bio of the Week: JaSharkus Cummings

-This fighter has zero idea that he is actually in the ring to "box." He merely smells another human's blood and instinctively attacks. Has two legs and two arms just like your average American male; the only difference with this guy is that he has a moon-shaped fin sticking out of his back. JaSharkus can live above or below water, making him half platypus, half man, and about three-fifths pure psycho. A 5-foot-5 omnivore, this cat will slice you, dice you, marinate you...then he'll go to work on ya. Just watch your back; but don't even dare look at his. Because if you do, and he sees you "checkin' out his fin," you'll have slept your last wink.

• I get abnormally fired up about 8-second violations in the NBA. Whenever a team is bringing the ball up court, and I see that shot clock start to tick down in the 19-18 range, all bets are off. There is generally screaming involved, and rarely am I able to remain seated until the ball crosses the timeline. This is not just the Pistons, either. Any game, any team, any situation. I just find this whole sequence to be extremely dramatic; and if the violation actually does wind up occurring...well, let's just say the biggest mess ain't taking place on the court.

• Defense is purely optional under Don Nelson in Golden State, and most times, it is deemed downright unacceptable. In the month of March alone, the Warriors have surrendered 123 to Memphis, 124 to Kobe and Friends, 127 to the Hawks, 135 to New Orleans, and a scoreboard-bursting ONE HUNDRED AND FORTY-SEVEN POINTS on Friday night to a middle of the road offensive club in the San Antonio Spurs. I'm fairly certain Geno Auriemma's girls from UCONN could hit the century mark against this squad. Yikes.

• Is there anything better in life than a real good bowl of macaroni and cheese? The answer to that question would be "No, there is not." It's such a cozy choice, allowing even a little baby like myself to feel like an adult by ordering a grown-up "pasta" dish like all the other sophisticates around the table. I've often had dreams of a restaurant where all they serve is Mac, in various forms with multiple cheese options at your disposal. You tellin' me you wouldn't go to this place a couple times a day, maybe 8-9 times a week? Of course you would. And there's probably a good chance you'd see me there, too.

NCAA Tournament Thoughts and Sweet 16 Predictions Coming Later in the Week. Reach me at highsockslegend@gmail.com