5 at 10: Dan Uggla, Mr. 3000 and the Mavs win in six

PANAMA CITY BEACH, Fla. -- We're on vacation so here's the structure -- we're going to have one or two comments and then a top three or four list and call it a day. From our satellite studios here along the Gulf, here we go.

photo Dallas Mavericks' Dirk Nowitzki, Jason Kidd and Jason Terry hold up their trophies after Game 6 of the NBA Finals basketball game against the Miami Heat Sunday, June 12, 2011, in Miami. The Mavericks won 105-95 to win the series. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

Mavs win in 6

The 5-at-10 did not see that coming at all. Not before this series (we had Heat in six) and surely not before the playoffs (we had Dallas losing in round 1 -- ouch).

Dallas won its first NBA title with a 105-95 victory over LeBron James and the Miami Heat. It was a good -- not great -- final game that crowned a champ in a very good -- almost great -- Final Series.

Where to begin:

-- Mark Cuban was way more mature than expected in his post-title interviews. Well-played, indeed. (He may have had a drink or three by the time he got to the ESPN booth.)

-- Dirk earned this title. So did Kidd and Terry and an underrated supporting cast. (How about that J.J. Barea?)

-- This will be either a springboard or the historical footnote for the Heatles. Bosh looked like his was crying afterward. Let's just move on.

-- Wow, Dan Gilbert sent out a Twitter message that said, "Old Message for all: There are no shortcuts." You stay classy Dan.

-- As for the overflowing amount of LeBron angst, well, it has taken on a new level. And he has done little to help his cause with postgame interviews talking about how his critics can return to their bitter lives now and Twittering that the Man upstairs knows when his time will be. (Sidenote: Of course the Big Guy upstairs knows, but be better than that LeBron. Tossing out the "It wasn't our time..." or Destiny references is weak at best and religious insulting to some. The Lord has bigger fish to fry than worrying about the NBA Finals, in our opinion.)

-- As for LeBron the player, well, where does he go from here. Athletically he's unmatched, but there were times you had to look really hard to see if was on the floor. And his fourth-quarter performance will be fairly questioned until he wins a title. Period. Here's hoping he spend this summer working on a "go-to" offensive move (for the love of unstoppable objects, somebody needs to get that guy working on his post-up game).

Stunning.

photo Atlanta Braves' Dan Uggla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Say what

Friend of the show McPell sent this along Sunday: "Do my eyes deceive me? Jeff Gordon winning a race and Dan Uggla hitting a homer? Is the rapture finally upon us? Next thing you'll tell is that my beloved War Eagles gave Coach Chizik a raise so he'd stay."

Our response: "Uggla homered? When did he get sent to Double-A?"

photo New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter hits an RBI single off of Cleveland Indians' Chad Durbin in the eighth inning of a baseball game Sunday, June 12, 2011, in New York. Jeter hit two RBI singles during the Yankees' 9-1. (AP Photo/Kathy Kmonicek)

In honor of Jeter

As our man EC reminded us, Derek Jeter is closing in on 3,000 hits. He'll likely be there before the all-star break and truth be told, it may be a long, Long, LONG time before we see another player get to 3,000. Here are the top three hitters (thinking contact) of the last 30 years:

1) Albert Pujols -- Great power hides how truly great Albert is as a pure hitter. He needs a nickname.

2) Paul Molitor -- Amazing hands and balance.

3) Tony Gwynn -- Called his bat the "Pea Shooter." Here's the tie-breaker: He owned Greg Maddux, who was the best pitcher of his generation.

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