Weekend primer

By Michael Rushton
Phanatic Magazine

I wish I could declare the Phillies back, but I just can't do it yet.

Sure, they swept the New York Mets, as they did the Atlanta Braves, but two of those games needed extra innings. And lets not forget how they responded after rolling past the Braves.

This time around, it should be different though. Rather than hosting one of the NL West's best clubs in Arizona, the Phils travel to lowly Kansas City before welcoming the very beatable Chicago White Sox to the City of Brotherly Love.

The Mets, meanwhile, travel to Detroit, to LA to face the Dodgers and then to the Bronx for a set with the Yankees. While the Mets are at Yankee Stadium, the Phils will be hosting Detroit.

So, if the Phillies go 5-1 over their next six games (maybe extreme, but very do able), and the Mets drop four of their next six, the Phils could get within two games of New York.

And then we can declare the Phillies back.

LeBron is not Jordan

How many times have we heard it this playoff season. LeBron James did this when Michael Jordan would have done that.

Air Jordan would never have done/thought/acted like King James just did.

Stop it. LeBron is not Jordan. Not yet, and maybe not ever.

Let us be fair to James. The 22-year-old is being compared to arguably the greatest player ever to grace the NBA hardwood. You wouldn't compare your youngest son to your valedictorian college grad while he is in elementary school, would you?

Sure, you can tell junior that is what he should strive to be, just as James, given his talent level, should be. But to expect James to have the maturity and composure of his Airness is unfair.

It never gets old

Tennis officials got their wish as Roger Federer will battle Rafael Nadal in the French Open final on Sunday.

Nadal has all but owned Federer on the clay, besting him in the French final last year and in the semis in 2005. The title at Roland Garros is the lone one missing from Federer's resume, and in turn is preventing him from easily being named one of the greatest ever at the sport.

Federer, though, has been playing better against Nadal as of late, and my money is on him to best Nadal on Sunday and fill out his legendary career once and for all.