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Lakers 83-Celtics 79: THAT's American!

By John Lillpop

On an otherwise dreary day in the world of sports, the Los Angeles Lakers nipped the Boston Celtics by a score of 83-79 to claim the NBA basketball title for the second year in a row.

Fans all over the world were treated to 60 action-packed minutes of in-your-face, rough and tumble basketball at its best, where the athletes actually scored-and when you get down to it, isn't that the objective of all sports?

Prancing up and down a grassy field without actually scoring a goal is sort of like kissing your spinster aunt: Might have been a minor thrill 50 years ago, but in 2010, why bother?

A grand total of 162 points were scored as the east versus west drama gave fans plenty to cheer about, made all the more exciting as the outcome of the game remained uncertain until the last 7.5 seconds.

Meanwhile for those who consider scoring of any sort to be a distraction, World Cup soccer provided another exhilarating day of zeros and near zeros!

Serbia stunned Germany 1-0.

Mexico upset France 2-0.

As Joe Biden might say, "BFD!"

Other bits and pieces about the basketball championship:

Although Los Angeles and Boston fans are insanely fanatical about their teams and folks in Los Angeles got a bit rowdy after the game, no one was trampled to death, no government was taken over by a military coup because the local five lost.

And best of all, Los Angeles was not burdened with tens of thousands of drunken "vuvuzela" players making life miserable for spectators, players, the press, and all other living organisms within 100 miles.

Loud, screaming fans, yes. Vuvuzelas, no!

Still, there may be a way to salvage soccer by making it more provocative, a bit more physical as it were.

For example, I might be tempted to tune in to watch North Korea and South Korea do battle. Might be persuaded to do the same with a match between Iran and Israel!

But Mexico and France? Or Serbia and Germany?

Don't be silly!

John Lillpop is a recovering liberal, 'clean and sober' since 1992 when last he voted for a Democrat. Pray for John: He lives in the San Francisco Bay Area, where people like Nancy Pelosi are considered reasonable!