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Dot dot dot

What happens when you combine an uninspired writer, many things going on in the world of sports and too much Tucson heat? You get a notes column with three dots (the pros call them ellipses) that I like to call "dot, dot, dot." It's like a sports column for people with attention deficit disorder. So here we go:

The Los Angeles Lakers are NBA Champions. Imagine that -- the team with the best players - Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant - the best coach in Phil Jackson, and one of the largest payrolls in the NBA won it all. The Lakers are the New York Yankees of professional basketball. Talented yet overpaid, coach Phil's boys are exciting to watch but impossible to root for...

On that topic, Lakers fans have already used the "nobody thought they could do it" line on me. This just in: EVERYBODY thought the Lakers would win the NBA Championship. That's why they were the heavy favorite throughout the season...

It's official: UA shortstop Keoni DeRenne signed with the Atlanta Braves last week, officially ending his career as a Wildcat. DeRenne, who is just 5-foot-9 but hit around .300 in his three seasons as UA's starting shortstop, would have been more well known in baseball circles had the Wildcats not had a lackluster 2000 season...

Father's day was last Sunday. I wonder where Cleveland Cavalier forward Shawn "seven illegitimate children with six different women" Kemp was? Probably hiding...

A recent ESPN The Magazine story told the story of UA kicking recruit Doug Jones. The Miami native was in Tucson for a visit when he attended a barbecue held by UA head coach Dick Tomey. While at the dinner, UA president Peter Likins approached the recruit and told Jones how much he would help the football team. Jones was so impressed by the gesture that he signed a letter of intent shortly thereafter, turning down a walk-on spot at Florida State...

The previous story is just one of numerous instances in which Likins has rolled up his sleeves in order to help the program. Following last February's basketball victory against Stanford, I ran into the president while he was walking to his car. Instead of talking about the up-and-coming basketball team, Likins insisted on talking football, telling me that there is no better coach and no better fit for Arizona's football future than Tomey. Talk about dedication...

UA Athletic Director Jim Livengood isn't saying much, but he's secretly optimistic about the upcoming football season. Livengood believes the Wildcats, projected by many publications to finish in the bottom half of the Pacific 10 Conference, seemingly have the talent to suprise some people. "To cut to the chase, I'm hoping we win some games," he said in an interview yesterday. "We have a great chance"...

Ex-UA football player Chris McAlister was vacationing in Florida last week when he received word that he was under suspicion by police for possession of marijuana. It seems that police responded to his Maryland home when the house's alarm went off. Once there, Maryland cops allegedly found a stash of pot. A first team All-American following the 1998 season, the Baltimore Ravens' cornerback is known as one of the nicer guys in the game. He claims the weed's not his...

Former UA basketball player Reggie Geary is back in town and has been seen playing pick-up games at McKale Center with the likes of Richard Jefferson, Jason Terry and Justin Wessel. Geary, who had been mysteriously losing weight for the past two years, was diagnosed with a thyroid problem a few months ago and is trying to make a comeback into the NBA...

It appears that Braves pitcher John Rocker may spend the rest of the season between Atlanta and Richmond, Va., home of the Braves triple-A minor league affiliate. Wait - wasn't Richmond the capital of the Confederacy during the Civil War? I'll leave that one alone...

Looking for something to do during another boring Tucson night? Head down to Tucson Electric Park and check out the Sidewinders, the Arizona Diamondbacks' triple-A affiliate. Granted, the baseball isn't major league quality, but ticket prices ($8 for the best seat in the house) and "Thirsty Thursdays" - nights in which beers sell for one dollar - make 'Winders games the best deal in town...

The United States Golf Association and former Wildcat golfer Jim Furyk have donated $100,000 to the UA to start up a golf business program. I, on the other hand, will be at my counselor's office first thing tomorrow morning to change my class schedule...

Ryan Finley is a sophomore majoring in journalism and can be reached at sports@wildcat.arizona.edu.