The sports of May

Right now, it would appear the NBA playoffs have taken center stage. With all the compelling game seven match-ups on tap over the weekend, and the multi-channel TV hype that goes along with it -- even if it's only the opening rounds -- it's pretty tough to ignore.

Sure, the NHL playoffs are going on as well, and Stanley Cup fever will likely reach a fever pitch for those teams and fans lucky enough to still be in contention in a couple weeks. Yet for some reason, hockey has never generated the same interest in the USA as basketball (though it could be fairly said quite the opposite holds true in many other countries -- particularly Canada). Maybe the NHL needs one of their owners to do a Donald Sterling to boost their popularity. Say something outrageous that will garner massive media coverage. Couldn't hurt. As they say, even bad publicity is better than no publicity. Hollywood and Washington DC are chock full of clowns that continue to provide ample evidence of that.

Baseball purists are -- well -- what they are. Nothing beats the grand old game, national pastime, and all that. I say gimme a break. It's barely May. Well over 100 games to go before the playoff picture even begins to come into focus. Enjoy the ball park franks, but wake me up in September.

The Kentucky Derby is about to go off again. This is a big deal in the world of thoroughbred horse racing. Too bad it only lasts for about two minutes, then mainstream sports fans will totally forget about the ponies until the party and mint juleps roll around next year.

Same thing with the Indy 500 at the end of May. Though yours truly wouldn't miss it, the "Greatest Spectacle in Racing" is a shell of what it used to be. After the notorious feud a couple decades ago that divided rival factions, it has never recovered to gain the popularity it once had. The race itself lasts for about 4 hours, and then many forget about Indy cars. Like the Kentucky Derby, there are many other events on their respective calendars over the year, but the mainstream sporting public pays little heed.

The upcoming NFL draft is similar. Good grief, "experts" have been falling all over each other trying to predict which team will pick which player at which position in which round for the last few weeks. The draft itself only lasts a couple days. After it's over, all the teams will crow about how well they did, the talking heads and scribes will dissect, analyze, and give their opinions on it for a week or so -- and then it will fade away. Bottom line?  Some "afterthoughts" (see Tom Brady) will go on to become great players. Some "can't miss" prospects (see Ryan Leaf) will crash and burn. And everything else in between. In the end, it's basically a crap shoot. Some guys work out at the next level -- and some don't.

Tennis anyone? They've probably been playing all along somewhere every week, but have you even heard of such things lately? The French Open will fire up in late May on the clay courts of Roland Garros Stadium. That will get attention. Remember two names. Rafael and Serena. Also, given the time difference, if one is a big-time tennis fan and wishes to watch these matches in "real time", it might not be a bad idea to familiarize oneself on how to program their DVR, if so equipped.

Since Bubba Watson won the Masters's again a few weeks ago, the PGA still features a tournament every week, but their next really big deal is the US Open. Will Tiger Woods be ready to compete again after recovering from his latest surgery? Unknown.

But perhaps I'm getting ahead of myself. That doesn't start until June 12. Likely just on the heels of the NHL and NBA Finals. That might work out just fine.

After that, it's on to the dog days of baseball for a couple months. Yawn.