Late May Randoms: NCAA Baseball, Indiana Jones & More

-Arkansas's college baseball team can't possibly make the 2008 NCAA Baseball Tournament now, right? Already on the bubble, the Hogs missed out on the SEC Tournament by losing 2 of 3 games to last-place Mississippi State in the season's final weekend. The Razorbacks' year-end league record was 14-15---straight yuck in a conference that's clearly down this year. I just hope Razorback fans don't overract and start blaming skipper Dave Van Horn or any of his coaches. Injuries were a major problem all year long, but frankly, this year's team just wasn't very good. No doubt they'll be back with a vengeance next year.

-Last Crusade was the best of the first three Indiana Jones movies, if only because of Sean Connery's top-notch performance as Indy's dad. But after going back and watching all three Indy flicks again, it's clear that Raiders of the Lost Ark and Temple of Doom were influential adventure movies as well . . . The special effects in those films come across as dated now, but the influence is obvious. 19 years later and we've got Indy 4: Crystal Skull. I'll check out a matinee showing this holiday weekend and I'll let you know what I think on Monday morning's show.

-The NBA Playoffs are rolling toward the Finals, and it's bound to be an exciting matchup, regardless of who gets there. Out West, it seems like Los Angeles is the best team in the conference, but the Spurs have won 4 of the last 9 league titles because of their resiliency. Down 2-0 to New Orleans, it looked like San Antonio was done, but Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobli upped their games and rallied to win that series in seven. Taking on Kobe Bryant and the Lake Show is a different challenge entirely, but I still think the Spurs are up to the task. However, they've got to find a better way to bottle up Kobe Bryant when he ups his energy level. I realize Kobe's the best player in the world today, but that doesn't mean you can't knock him on his behind every time he drives the lane. The only way to beat Kobe is to rattle him physically; he's too mentally tough.

Back in the East, the Celtics and Pistons are relying on defense to decide their matchup. Both teams have star players, but neither club is as offensively potent as some people make them out to be. The bottom line is that Ray Allen needs to get hot and stay hot if Boston is going to outgrudge Detroit in an all-out grudge match. And winning a road game might help there too. Speaking of which, how clutch is Chauncey Billups? The guy pulled his hamstring early in last night's Game 2, a highly debilitating injury, but still gutted it out and finished the game. Chauncey's final line: nothing short of a highly respectable 19 points on 5 of 10 shooting from the floor with 7 assists and no turnovers. If there's a star player on the Pistons, it's definitely Billups. He's probably the best overlooked player in the league.

-What's wrong my Mets? I wish I had the answers right now, but probably not as badly as manager Willie Randolph wants them. Starting pitcher Johan Santana was supposed to be a sure thing ace, but even he has struggled to meet his average career numbers. You could say Pedro Martinez's leg injury in the first week of April has really revealed New York's glaring lack of quality starting pitching depth, but I feel like the Mazins' problems go a lot deeper than that . . . Supposed superstar shortstop Jose Reyes has been in a terrible offensive funk ever since the middle of last year (nobody seems to know why), and his lack of production in the leadoff slot has had a trickle down effect on the rest of the lineup. All-Star 3B David Wright is swinging a decent bat so far this year, but outside of Ryan Church's surprising start (9 HRs already), the lineup doesn't have a lot of pop. Carloses Beltran and Delgado are performing well below what Mets fans have grown accustomed to (maybe Delgado's just past his prime, but Beltran shouldn't be), and Moises Alou just qualified for Social Security. Throw in skipper Randolph's recent struggles in dealing with the fierce New York media and karma just doesn't appear to be on New York's side this year. I hope I'm wrong.

-JAB