MICHAEL KIRAL

Points to ponder while waiting for pitchers and catchers to report… Just when you didn’t think television could get any lower, along comes TNT with its lead in into the 3-point shootout during All-Star game festivities Saturday night. With the events of the past week with the gunman at the White House, putting a crosshairs on the U.S. Capitol building to promote the contest was in extreme poor taste.

Speaking of the All-Star game, if Kobe Bryant truly wants to be considered in the top eichelon of NBA players, he has to take that shot at the end of the game. Of course, at least Bryant was there unlike some of the game’s stars. As it turned out, they weren’t missed.

Hey, it looks financial sanity has returned to baseball. Derek Jeter got only $189 million over 10 years. That’s a bargain compared to Alex Rodriguez.

Any weekend golfer had to get a kick out of the playoff between Phil Mickelson and Frank Lickliter at the Buick Invitational Sunday. When was the last time you saw a player win a tournament with a double bogey on the final hole? And if you were Lickliter, wouldn’t you have played it safe after Mickelson went into the woods? Somewhere, Jean Van de Velde is smiling.

And even though he has yet to win a tournament this year, there is nothing wrong with Tiger Woods. Despite putting woes, he finished fourth at the Buick Invitational Sunday. His shot two weeks ago from a fairway bunker is one of the best shots so far this season. Just wait till he gets to the majors.

Hey, United States and Spain, nice Davis Cup. Wait till next year.

The XFL gets a 10.3 rating and NBC wins Saturday night on the first night of the league. Then the network changes announcers and the ratings drop to 5.1. What’s the old adage about if it’s not broke, don’t fix it. Actually, the play on the field has been better than expected. Too bad it’s often overshadowed by a lot of hype.

It was another memorable night for the ESPYs Monday night. The highlights of the show was Cathy Freeman getting Arthur Ashe Award for Courage and the opening film clip. About the only change ESPN needs to do is can the canned jokes of the presenters.

How do you beat a team 35-1 in the opening week like Florida did Savannah State last week?

With two teams in the top 20 (LSU and Tulane) and Louisiana-Lafayette undefeated, Louisiana should be well represented in the NCAA Regionals. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for March Madness.

Speaking of March Madness, try to pick the national champion right now. Going in as the top ranked team may be the kiss of death this year. There are about 10 teams that have legitimate shots at winning the title. As usual, it should be interesting.

Forget the groundhog, spring is here. Pitchers and catchers report next week.