Opining on Wesley Johnson, our soccer victory and the phenom named Strasburg

Wesley Johnson wowed several NBA teams with his workouts this spring and could go as high as third to the New Jersey Nets tonight – though most mock drafts have him being chosen No. 4 by the Minnesota Timberwolves, where he’ll be reunited with former Syracuse teammate Jonny Flynn.

The sleek forward’s rise is pretty remarkable when you consider that coming out of high school, Johnson received just one Division I scholarship offer. (The answer to that trivia question is Louisiana-Monroe).

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Johnson’s Orange teammate Andy Rautins is on the draft bubble. Some mock drafts have him being selected in the second round (there are only two rounds). While others have him not being chosen. I believe Andy is better off not being drafted. By going the free-agent route, he’ll be able to choose a team that most needs his skills. Either way, I think he’ll wind up on somebody’s roster as a solid reserve off the bench.

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I was excited to see Team USA score its dramatic 1-0 victory and advance to the knockout round of the World Cup. Even soccer-haters (of which I am NOT one) had to be impressed. But for some commentators to compare the victory to the Miracle on Ice is pure lunacy. Methinks their perspective has been impaired by too much exposure to the incessant drones of those obnoxious vuvuzelas.

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On the fourth day of Strasmus (that’s what baseball folks are calling Stephen Strasburg mania), my phenom gave to me . . . nine more strikeouts and a 1-0 loss to the Kansas City Royals. Hey, the kid wasn’t going to go undefeated for his major-league career. He’s going to have many hard-luck games like this playing for an improving, but not quite there yet Washington Nationals team. So, Strasburg is now 2-1, but he continues setting records. His 41 K’s in his first four big-league starts is a new standard. And I’m sure he’ll set another record during his fifth big-league start.

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Volunteered at the 18th annual Challenger Little League World Series at Frontier Field last Saturday morning and came away – as always – feeling inspired by the kids and the volunteers. A record 263 kids played ball at the downtown Rochester ballyard this year. It continues to be one of my favorite sporting events.

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I was climbing the stairs of our townhouse when that 5.0 earthquake struck yesterday afternoon. Didn’t feel a thing. But my wife did. The computer was moving. She initially thought the tremors were caused by me running up the stairs. Guess I better work a little harder on my diet.