June 13--Well, LeBron James could have done that in the Cleveland Cavaliers uniform. He took his talents to Miami for an opportunity to win a ring and wound up turning the country into Mark Cuban fans. Cuban's Mavericks won their first title in franchise history by beating the Heat Sunday night and virtually everyone outside of South Florida is elated. At least LeBron can enjoy some R&R on South Beach. ... UConn's run to the College World Series hit a wall in Columbia, S.C., where the Huskies were eliminated from their super regional with an 8-2 loss to the Gamecocks. We'll remember George Springer's acrobatic catch in the eighth inning.
* As the week begins, Derek Jeter's task is simple. He needs seven hits in four games to reach 3,000 before a home crowd in the Bronx. Jeter had two hits in a 9-1 win over the Indians Sunday, leaving him seven shy of the milestone with four games left in the Yankees' homestand. He'll face the Indians Monday before the Yankees host the Rangers for three games. And if Jeter doesn't reach 3,000 at home, the Yankees will be off to Wrigley Field this weekend. History at Wrigley is great and all, but Yankees fans deserve to witness the franchise's first 3,000-hit milestone in their park.
* The Red Sox can't be beat. Their 14-1 win in Toronto was their ninth in a row, including six on the road. The weekend in Canada produced 35 runs in three games, as they beat up on Blue Jays' pitching while holding Toronto to six runs. The numbers during the winning streak are staggering: Adrian Gonzalez (.341, 60 RBI) has driven in a run in each of the nine games, while Jacoby Ellsbury (.318) is 20-for-45 (.445). David Ortiz has four home runs and 15 RBI during the streak. Now it's off to Tampa, Fla., for a three-game series that begins Tuesday. Rays' pitchers are already flinching. ... Almost six weeks after tossing a no-hitter against the White Sox, Francisco Liriano was on his way to no-hitting the Rangers Sunday. After sitting through a long bottom of the seventh, Liriano allowed a leadoff single to Adrian Beltre to lead off the eighth. He wound up allowing two hits in eight innings of a 6-1 win, Minnesota's ninth in 11 games. And Liriano (1.38 ERA in his past four starts) is pitching like an ace. Does this mean the Twins will be buyers instead of sellers next month? Stay tuned. ... Liriano's former team is spinning its wheels. The Rock Cats ended a homestand with a 2-0 loss to Erie and are 4-7 in June. The Cats (33-28) are 6-11 since May 26, yet they're only four games behind first-place Trenton in the Eastern League's Eastern Division.
* The International Boxing Hall of Fame inducted Mike Tyson, Julio Cesar Chavez and Sylvester Stallone Sunday. For those keeping score at home, that's two boxers and an actor who played a boxer. Look for Kevin Costner to hang around Cooperstown this summer. ... The Canucks were caught trying to peddle the TV rights to their Stanley Cup victory parade, but the Boston Globe reports that the NHL nixed the idea. Apparently, the Green Men are in charge of planning the celebration. ... And on the eve of Game 6, Bruins goalie Tim Thomas refused to engage in any trash talk with Vancouver's Roberto Luongo. Asked about Luongo's critiques of his game, Thomas said his focus was on the game and he refused to answer his counterpart. We'll see how he answers him Monday night.
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