Last night, perhaps to the chagrin of many, the Miami Heat won the 2011-12 NBA Championship.

There exists for many a desire to see the best fail. As a young Bulletin, I rooted against Michael Jordan. Today, as an old, bitter, tired Bulletin, I regret that choice. Despite my allegiances to a certain team in green and white, I should have rooted for MJ. I should have truly appreciated his dominance.

In 2008-09, the Boston Celtics won the NBA Championship with a roster sewn together from excellent pieces of fabric that had yet to win a Championship. They were celebrated. By me. By you. By everyone (except Lakers fans).

In the summer of 2010, LeBron James decided to leave Cleveland, Ohio to join forces with a friend and fellow elite basketball player, in the hopes of winning an NBA Title. The world, myself included, reacted poorly to this.

Much of that blame fell on LeBron and ESPN for turning his free agent decision into “The Decision.” But some of that blame also belongs on us.  We were cruel to LeBron. We made LeBron James out to be evil. LeBron James, who by all accounts is a great, selfless teammate. All of a sudden, we were on Team Kobe. “Kobe is the best player in the NBA.” “Kobe is a winner.” “LeBron will never be Kobe. Etc. Etc.”

(It’s worth noting, Kobe Bryant made a trip to Colorado in 2003. Read about that in case you’ve forgotten.)

We were overcome with joy last year when the Dallas Mavericks beat the Miami Heat in the NBA Finals. We chastised LeBron for not winning the title on his own. What, was he not a good enough basketball player to carry a terrible team (and the Miami Heat were TERRIBLE, outside of the Big 2 ½)? In the year after “The Decision” LeBron reacted poorly to our poor reaction. He played up the villain role. It was a role not suited for a man with a great smile, a receding hairline, a sense of humor, and unparalleled skills on the basketball court.

He entered the 2011-12 season wanting to shed the villain tag. He didn’t pout. He didn’t talk about “me.” He played, perhaps, the best basketball of his career. And unlike what we had seen previously, he saved the best for last.

LeBron James’ 2012 NBA Finals performance was remarkable, capped off by a triple-double last night. The numbers aren’t important. What we saw was a player, after 9 seasons, reaching his full potential. For some, that would be too little, too late. Or just not enough. But consider the potential of 18 year old LeBron. It was near limitless. He was going to be a little Michael Jordan (scoring), some Scottie Pippen (defense…more so the ability to guard any position on the floor), Magic Johnson (passing), and (the most apt comparison) Oscar Robertson (overall impact in all areas).

The LeBron of the 2012 NBA Finals was that historic amalgamation of greatness. He scored like MJ, defended like Scottie, passed like Magic, and impacted every area of the game like the Big O.

You won’t find a bigger Kevin Durant fan outside of Oklahoma than the Bulletin. I was moved by how emotional he was at the conclusion of last night’s game. But I know that Durant will win NBA titles. He’s 23 with a lot of room to improve, remarkable as that may seem.

LeBron James has reached his pinnacle. He’s young enough that he could keep playing at this level for a handful of years before he returns to earth. Earth, of course, for him, being other-worldly for most.

Now is the time to celebrate LeBron James. Now is the time to put aside our desire to see the best fail. It’s not a particularly noble cause. LeBron made himself better, on the court and off. Perhaps it’s time that we do the same.

The quarterfinals of Euro 2012 begin today, as Portugal faces Czech Republic (2:45/ESPN)

Stephen Strasburg stopped the bleeding and, perhaps, the feud between the Nats and Rays stopped as well, as the Nationals snapped their 4-game losing streak, beating Tampa Bay 3-2.

Strasburg pitched 7 innings and struck out 10, while surrendering just 2 runs. After a rocky first inning, Rays starter Chris Archer settled down and at one point, threw 5 consecutive hitless innings.

The teams will play the rubber game of the series tonight. Temperatures will be around 100 degrees at first pitch (7:05/MASN) when Gio Gonzalez opposes Matt Moore.

The Miami Heat will look to capture their second NBA title tonight. Game 5 starts at 9:00 p.m. on ESPN

You can hope beyond hope, but the Miami Heat are going to win the NBA Championship.

Despite 43 points (on an efficient 32 shots…) from Russell Westbrook, the Oklahoma City Thunder could not overcome a near triple-double from LeBron James last night. The 104-98 loss puts OKC in a must-win situation for the remainder of the series.

LeBron James missed much of the 4^th quarter due to leg soreness (I refuse to open the door for silly jokes by calling them “cramps). Regardless, James turned in another statement-type performance, putting up a 26/9/12 line. He also had 2 steals, despite being a bad defender.

Game 5 is tomorrow night in Miami. Expect the expected.

So, um, things didn’t work out so well for Ukraine yesterday…

Here are your quarterfinal matchups. All matches begin at 2:30 p.m.

Thursday: Portugal v. Czech Republic

Friday: Greece v. Germany

Saturday: Spain v. France

Sunday: England v. Italy

The Nationals lost their 4^th straight game last night. No one is talking about that.

In the bottom of the 8^th, Rays manager Joe Maddon went to his bullpen and former Nat Joel Peralta.  Before Peralta could throw his first pitch, Nats manager Davey Johnson approached home plate umpire Tim Timmons and asked for him to check Peralta. Timmons confiscated the pitcher’s glove and upon a cursory examination, discovered pine tar inside of his glove. Peralta was ejected. Joe Maddon was not so happy.

Maddon had Nats reliever Ryan Matteus checked (he was clean), and the Rays won the game 5-4. After the game, Maddon implied that Johnson was a part of the female anatomy, located somewhere below the waist yet above the knee.

The two teams will play a very friendly Game 2 tonight. Stephen Strasburg will look to stop the bleeding (and perhaps start some). He’ll be opposed by Rays prospect Chris Archer, who will be making his big league debut. 7:05/MASN2

So, there’s no European soccer today. There isn’t an NBA game. And the Bulletin has people coming over for dinner tonight. So why don’t we all just take the night off? Or we could sneak into our bedroom to repeatedly check the score of the Nats game. You know, whatever you feel like doing.

Robert Allen Dickey began pitching in the Major Leagues in 2001 with the Texas Rangers. He had been drafted in the first round of the 1996 draft by the team out of the University of Tennessee. During his 5 years as a spot starter/long reliever for the Rangers, Dickey was terrible. Terrible would be an understatement. Over 5 years, his WAR was (-0.3).  For those unaware of WAR, that means that his performances took away .3 wins from the Texas Rangers.

Dickey stopped over in Minnesota and Seattle and was never a solid contributor.  His WHIP of 1.60 during those two stops was clearly indicative of that.

Few expected anything, or even noticed, when Dickey signed with the New York Mets in 2010. He was a knuckleballer with a terrible career record. He had never finished a season with an ERA under 4.60. His K/BB ratio fell in the pedestrian 1.25 range. He was, at best, a replacement level player.

That 2010 season was a bit of a revelation for Dickey, though. He began to control his knuckleball (if that’s even possible) better than he had previously. His statistics improved drastically. A WHIP of 1.19. An ERA below 3.00. Dickey had a breakout season.

If 2010 was a breakout season for Dickey, I’m not sure what to call 2012, other than the best. Dickey has been, unquestionably, the best starting pitcher in baseball in 2012. To say that seasons like this don’t happen normally would be an understatement.  Dickey is a 37 year old journeyman knuckleball pitcher. He’ll earn $4.25 million for his services; not chump change, but nowhere near the number that a pitcher of his statistical caliber should earn.

Last night, Dickey threw his second consecutive complete game, 1 hitter. He struck out 13 Baltimore Orioles. He leads the National League in Wins, ERA, WHIP, and Strikeouts.

The knuckleball is but a fleeting, fluttering thing. No pitcher has been able to control the knuckler like Dickey has in 2012. He’s on a collision course with the Cy Young award and an All-Star Game start, 6 years after it appeared like he was a major draft bust.

Dickey’s next start will come on Sunday night in front of a national TV audience against the red hot New York Yankees. What Dickey is doing right now is a once-in-a-lifetime thing for a pitcher with his repertoire. Make a point to tune in.

Thanks to a late goal by Jesus Nava, Spain advanced to the Quarterfinals of the European Championship as the winner of Group C. That, combined with a 2-0 Italy win over Ireland, meant happy times for the Italians, as they advanced as well to the quarterfinals. Both teams will watch Group D action today to see who their opponents will be.

The Nationals did not lose to the New York Yankees yesterday. So there’s that…

The Nats were off yesterday. They begin a three-game series tonight with the Tampa Bay Rays in D.C.  Chien-Ming Wang will oppose David Price. In the world of sport, that is referred to as a “mismatch.”  Game time is 7:05 on one of the MASN networks.

NBA:

Oklahoma City @ Miami (MIA leads 2-1): 9:00 p.m./ABC

Euro (2:45/ESPN and ESPN2):

England v. Ukraine (England advances with a win or draw. Ukraine advances only with a win.)

France v. Sweden (France advances with a  win or draw. Sweden advances only if the other three teams forfeit their previous games.)

America may be rooting for the Oklahoma City Thunder to win the NBA Championship, but until Kevin Durant becomes a better defensive player, the Miami Heat are going to win the NBA Title.

Last night, in Game 3, the Miami Heat took a 2-1 lead over the Thunder, winning a back-and-forth game 91-85.

Miami was led, nay, continues to be led, by LeBron James who is finally proving his worth and his hold on the title of “Best Basketball Player In The World.” LeBron dropped in 29 and 14, for another double-double.

The Thunder were put into a tough spot due to Kevin Durant’s foul trouble. The Thunder shooting star could not defend LeBron James if he was weighted down with an anchor. And it showed. James consistently took the ball at Durant, who at times was forced to back off of James.

Games 4 and 5 will be played in Miami. That means that the Heat may not have to board a plane again during this NBA season. And unless the Thunder do something drastically different, that looks like it will be the case.

4 teams have advanced into the Euro 2012 quarterfinals.

From Group A, the Czech Republic and Greece are the surprise representatives (certainly more so for the Greeks). Greece was able to shock Russia and eliminate them from the tournament on Satuday.

In Group B, tournament favorites the Netherlands managed to win 0 games for the first time ever in a major tournament, following a 2-1 loss to Portugal. The Germans, meanwhile, continued their dominance, beating Denmark 2-1.

Germany will play Greece in the Economy Bowl on Thursday, while the Czechs will draw a suddenly hot Portugal squad.

The Bulletin cannot hide from the results of this weekend’s series with the New York Yankees. So let’s put the series to bed:

The Yankees came into DC, brought a lot of fans, and whopped on the Nationals. The offense was relentless and the pitching was very good. There are few holes in the Yankees lineup and they showed that. They’re playing like the best team in baseball right now. The Nats ran into a buzzsaw and were not ready for that impact. The hitters need to be more patient. The pitchers need to have more faith in their stuff. Pitch counts were the key in this series. The Nats starters need to find a way to pitch deeper into games, while the hitters need to stretch out the opposing starter.

A much needed off-day today for the Nationals (at home) to rest and maybe clear their heads. Which is good, because on Tuesday, they’ll face the best pitcher they’ve seen all season.

It’s all Euro 2012 today. Both matches at 2:45 on ESPN and ESPN2.

Spain v. Croatia (Spain advances with a win. Croatia advances with a win. A draw (with an Italian victory) would lead to tiebreakers. A draw (with an Italian defeat) would advance both teams.)

Italy v. Ireland (Italy advances with a win and a non-draw in the Spain v. Croatia match. Ireland has already been eliminated.)

Last night, the Miami Heat did what no other team has done in these NBA playoffs: they beat the Oklahoma City Thunder in OKC.  And, again, they did so due in large part to LeBron James.

James led the way for the Heat with 32/8/5, thanks primarily to his ability to knock down his free throws (12-12).

The Heat opened up a big first quarter lead that the Thunder ultimately could not overcome, falling 100-96.

Much of the blame, so to speak, has fallen on Thunder guard Russell Westbrook and for good reason. The Thunder “point guard” was 10-26 from the field. Those are not exactly ideal numbers for a point guard.

The Thunder and Heat will play Game 3 in Miami on Sunday night.

The Spanish national team showed yesterday why they’re the Spanish national team, beating Ireland 4-0 in a match they could have won 10-0. Spain abandoned their “no strikers” approach from their weekend draw with the Italians and were rewarded with 2 goals from Fernando “Major Disappointment” Torres.

Elsewhere in Group C, Croatia and Italy drew 1-1.

This weekend marks a major point in the history of the Washington Nationals franchise. On the schedule, it’s just 3 games. It’s also 3 games in June. However, the Nationals are welcoming the New York Yankees into the Park for a weekend set, with two games on national TV. The Yankees are in first place in the AL East. The Nats are in first place in the NL East and coming off of a 6-0 road trip. Bryce Harper, the best teenager since Alex Rodriguez, will play on the same field as Alex Rodriguez. The national media will get a high profile look at Gio Gonzalez. It’s a landmark moment for the Nationals. Every day seems to bring a new slew of national profiles of the team. Last week, thisran in the Boston Globe. And if I read Canadian journalism, I’d check out what they were saying. Point is, we could be looking at a glowing New York Times piece about the Nats on Monday morning. And with it, perhaps, a new dawn in baseball.

Pitching matchups:

Friday: Phillip Hughes v. Gio Gonzalez (7:05/MLB Network)

Saturday: Andy Pettitte v. Jordan Zimmermann (1:05/Local Coverage)

Sunday: Ivan Nova v. Edwin Jackson (1:35/TBS)

NBA: Thunder @ Heat (Tied 1-1)/Sunday at 9:00 p.m.

Euro 2012:

Friday: England v. Sweden (2:45/ESPN2)

Saturday: Czech Republic v. Poland (2:45/ESPN)

Sunday: Netherlands v. Portugal (2:45/ESPN)

Enjoy your weekend!

Thunder forward Kevin Durant scored 36 points and the Thunder (again) used a solid defensive effort in the second half to take Game 1 from the Miami Heat last night.

Durant started out hot, scoring OKC’s first 8 points and didn’t look back. Durant’s efficient 36 points (12-of-20 from the field) continued to add to the growing legend of the young scorer.

At the other end, despite a 30 point, 9 rebound performance, all anyone can talk about this morning is how LeBron James only scored 1 basket in the first 8 minutes of the 4^th quarter (that’s the new metric we’re using to determine how good a player is). Dwyane Wade finished with 19 points on 7-of-19 shooting. Crickets.

Game 2 will be played in Oklahoma City tomorrow night.

Clown question, bro.

Enjoy the new meme, courtesy of Bryce Harper.

Following last night’s performance (see below), Harper was asked by a Canadian journalist, eh if he planned on going out for a beer afterward (folks under 21 can drink legally in Canada, eh). Harper, not missing a beat, cut off the PR person who tried to bury the question, looked at the journalist and said, “That’s a clown question, bro.”

So start using the meme now before it gets older than corgis and “Call Me Maybe.”

Yesterday’s Group A matchups managed to include every bad American stereotype about soccer: Overtly political riots outside of the stadium, flopping, Eastern Europeans, possible match fixing, and ties.

In Game 1, the Czech Republic took a 2-0 lead within the first 6 minutes of their game against Greece. What followed was an 84 minute nap by the Czechs. The Greeks (led by Spiros Vondas) managed to pull within a goal of the Czechs but could not get over the hump and gain control of West Baltimore. No word on Prop Joe’s re-up.

Game 2 (the one with the riots) featured Russia and Poland playing on Russia Day. Because, good idea. The Russians controlled much of the first half, but could not keep the Poles out of the net in the second half. Unable to sustain any sort of second half attack, the Russians just managed to keep Poland from pulling the upset. The game ended in a 1-1 draw.

Thanks to a Bryce Harper home run that is still on its path towards Nunavut and another solid performance from their bullpen, the Nats extended their winning streak to five games, heading into this afternoon’s contest in Toronto.

Starter Chien-Ming Wang, in what may have been his last start, barely escaped the 5^th inning, but was saved by Ross Detwiler, Craig Stammen, Sean Burnett, and Tyler Clippard, who combined to surrender just one hit in 4 innings of work.

Danny Espinosa added a homer to give the Nats a 4-2 victory.

Stephen Strasburg will take the hill in the series finale today, as Washington goes for the sweep. He’ll be opposed by Kyle Drabek. Game time is 12:37 p.m. And no, I’m not making up that start time.

Our first Euro game of the day is a must-win for the Portuguese as they take on Denmark at Noon.

However, our Euro game of the day is also our outright game of the day. 2:45 p.m. Germany v. Netherlands. ESPN. A huge showdown that could be a preview of the Euro finale, even with the Dutch loss to Denmark on Saturday.

Rejoice, those who dislike hockey, for this will be the last time you’ll have to read about hockey in this space!

The LA Kings, behind a 6 goal performance, and thanks in large part to a penalty, put away the New Jersey Devils to earn the franchise’s first Stanley Cup.

Midway through the first period, Devils winger Steve Bernier committed a major penalty (which, in hockey, grants the other team a 5 minute power play ) and received a game misconduct (ejection).  The Kings took advantage of their 5 minute power play, scoring 3 times to take a commanding 3-0 lead. They would not look back from there, scoring another goal in the second period, before the Devils added one heading into the 3^rd period. LA didn’t rest on its 4-1 lead, as they added two more goals in the third (scored within 15 seconds of each other).

The win is an improbable one for a team that barely made the playoffs. The Kings are the only team in NHL history to win the Stanley Cup as an 8 seed. Goalie Jonathan Quick won the Conn Smythe Trophy (playoff MVP).

You can probably get used to stories like this in the Bulletin. As the NBA and NHL seasons wrap up, I’ll be diving a little deeper into baseball “stuff.” This morning’s “baseball stuff” includes a contract extension for Dodgers OF Andre Eithier. Namely a 5 year/$85 million extension.

Eithier has not batted over .300 in a season since 2008. Granted, batting average is not a very important statistic, but it’s certainly worth noting. His career .363 OBP is perfectly acceptable. The fact that as a 30 year old he has exactly 1 season with more than 25 HR? I’ll let you decide there.

Eithier will be 36 by the time his deal expires, as it is reported to include an easy vesting option for the 2018 season. The Dodgers need look only as far as their dugout to find an example of how a contract of this magnitude can handcuff an organization. Or, since they’re playing the Angels this week, perhaps go talk to them about that Bobby Abreu contract.

Just as we all predicted, the Ukrainians now lead Group D, following their surprising 2-1 victory over Sweden yesterday.

In the earlier Group D match, the English and French played to a 1-1 draw.

The hits kept on coming last night in Toronto for the Nationals (14 of them) as they defeated the Blue Jays 6-3 to extend their winning streak to 4 games.

The Nationals were given a solid outing by Edwin Jackson, who threw 8 innings, surrendering 2 runs, and striking out 3. The Nats were also the beneficiaries, unfortunately, of an injury to Toronto ace Brandon Morrow, who left after facing one batter in the first inning with an oblique strain.

Game 2 of the series will be played tonight (presumably in front of about 39 people) at Rogers Centre. Chien-Ming Wang will take his astronomically high WHIP into action against one of the AL’s best hitting teams. He’ll be opposed by Henderson Alvarez (7:05/MASN)

Two matchups in Euro 2012 play today. Neither are particularly sexy.

12:00-Greece v. Czech Republic

2:45- Poland v. Russia

The real Game of the Day will be Game 1 of the NBA Finals. Miami @ Oklahoma City (9:00/ABC)

Saturday night, the Miami Heat showed how unstoppable they could be. Granted, it didn’t occur until the 4^th quarter, but it eventually happened. When the Heat are playing hard defensively, baskets on the offensive end come easier for them. Saturday’s 4^th quarter showed that. And thus, the Miami Heat will meet the Oklahoma City Thunder tomorrow night in Game 1 of the NBA Finals.

But this isn’t about the Miami Heat (at least yet). Saturday night’s Heat win likely put an end to the most exciting period in the last quarter century for the Boston Celtics.

At the end of the 2006-07 season, the Boston Celtics had the best odds to land University of Texas scorer Kevin Durant. The same Durant who will lead his OKC Thunder into the NBA Finals tomorrow. There was no luck of the Irish that night, and so the Celtics brass got creative. Rather than continuing to restock with middle-of-the-road young players, the Celtics went all in, acquiring veterans Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen, pairing them with Paul Pierce and a young point guard named Rajon Rondo, and seeing what happened.

What happened was that the 2007-08 Boston Celtics won the NBA Championship. The Celtics would make another appearance in the finals (in 2009-10) and a trip to Game 7 of the 2011-12 Eastern Conference Finals.

Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett are now unrestricted free agents. It’s very unlikely that the Celtics will re-sign both players, especially given the rise in stock of 2^nd year guard Avery Bradley. Allen is the most likely to move elsewhere. We’ll have to wait and see with Garnett. Regardless, the Celtics aren’t young and they’re only getting older. Paul Pierce appeared, at times, to be about 3 steps slower than his competition in these playoffs. The Celtics have no real interior size. There’s a good amount of work to be done. Next year’s Boston Celtics will look a lot different. In fact, next year’s Celtics might look more similar to the 2006-07 version than the 2007-08 version. But maybe that’s not so bad. Because the last five years truly have been a blessing for Celtics fans.

Devils won Saturday. Game 6 tonight.

It took 3 matches for a shocker in the Euro 12 tournament. The Danes, thought by nearly everyone to be the weak link in the so-called Group of Death, (Group B) shocked the masses on Saturday with a  1-0 victory of Group (and for some, tournament) favorite the Netherlands.

If there was any good news for the Dutch it didn’t come on Saturday, as in the 76^th minute of the Germany/Portugal matchup, German striker Mario Gomez buried a header to give the Germans a 1-0 lead, which they would hold onto.  The German victory means that they and the Danes only need to draw in their next two matches to advance to the knockout stage of the tournament.

Elsewhere, many had written off the Italians coming into this tournament. Yesterday, they showed why that may have been a bad move, as they were able to draw 1-1 with the Spain. In the other Group C matchup, Croatia blew out Ireland 3-1, to take sole possession of first place in the Group.

The last time the Washington Nationals played a series at Fenway Park, their starting pitchers were Tony Armas Jr., Livan Hernandez, and Shawn Hill. Jose Guillen was in RF. The Nats logo was different. Their manager was different. Their management was different.  In short, everything was different. So much so that the Nats were swept in that June 2006 series by the Red Sox. Washington would finish that season 71-91, 26 games back of first place.

Today, in June 2012, the Washington Nationals are coming off of a three-game sweep of the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park. Their starting pitchers were Stephen Strasburg, Gio Gonzalez, and Jordan Zimmermann. None would be confused for Tony Armas Jr. Instead of the volatile and inconsistent Jose Guillen in RF, the Nats were anchored by a 19 year old who is on his way to greatness at a much faster rate than anyone ever imagined.

The 2012 Washington Nationals are now on pace to finish the regular season 101-61. If the playoffs began today, they’d be hosting the Pittsburgh Pirates. There are at least 5 players who deserve mention for All-Star bids. My, how things have changed.

The Nats will begin a three-game series in Toronto tonight against the Blue Jays. They’ll send Edwin Jackson to the hill to oppose Brandon Morrow (himself having an All-Star season). Game time is 7:05 p.m. on MASN.

The LA Kings will look to avoid an historic embarrassment tonight as they try for a third time to win their first Stanley Cup. A Kings loss would set up a dramatic Game 7 on Wednesday in Newark. (8:00/NBC)

Euro 2012 continues with a marquee matchup, regardless of who’s playing. England v. France (12:00/ESPN). The other game will feature host’s Ukraine taking on Sweden at 2:45.

You know what? Let’s just talk about something else.

Today marks the beginning of the second biggest soccer tournament in the world. There is no acceptable argument to disprove this. The World Cup is #1. The European Championship is #2.

This cycle of the UEFA European Championship will be played in Ukraine and Poland. For those interested (and really, you all should be. I’ve never understood what people dislike about soccer. At least soccer at the highest level. And I’m not talking about MLS. The month to follow will present us with some of the best, most competitive soccer imaginable. Nearly all of the world’s best players (save for, well, the best) will be playing for national pride and all of the games will be available on ESPN. Soccer is not boring. If you’re bored watching a soccer game involving the Spanish National Team, or the Dutch, Germans, French, or Portuguese, you’re doing something wrong. You just are. It’s not soccer. It’s you.) a primer:

There are four groups of 4 teams each. Just like in the World Cup, you play one match against each team in your Group. The two teams with the most points after Round 1, advance to the “Knockout Stage,” which is simply a single-elimination bracket.

If you’re interested, and again, you should be, tune in to ESPN every day (beginning today) at Noon and 2:45 p.m. There will be a live game being played. And chances are, it will be a very good match. In fact, here’s a list of the Euro 12 Game of the Day for the next week. Consider it your reference point (all times Eastern):

June 8: Poland v. Greece (Noon)

June 9: Germany v. Portugal (2:45)

June 10: Spain v. Italy (Noon)

June 11: France v. England (Noon)

June 12: Poland v. Russia (2:45)

June 13: Netherlands v. Germany (2:45)

June 14: Spain v. Ireland (2:45)

For the 103^rd time this season, the Washington Nationals failed to sweep a series yesterday, falling to the New York Mets 3-1. The Nats were unable to hit Mets starter RA Dickey throughout. The Nats lone run came in the 9^th inning off of a Ryan Zimmerman HR.

The Nats start an exciting 3 game series tonight in Boston against the Red Sox. They’ll send their top 3 pitchers to the hill. Here are your weekend matchups:

Friday: Stephen Strasburg v. Felix Doubrant (7:10)

Saturday: Gio Gonzalez v. Daisuke Matsuzaka (4:05)

Sunday: Jordan Zimmermann v. Jon Lester (1:35)

NBA: Celtics @ Heat (Series Tied 3-3)/Saturday, 8:30 (ESPN)

NHL: Kings @ Devils (LAK leads 3-1)/Saturday, 8:00 (NBC)

MLB: Mets @ Yankees (Johan’s first start since the no-hitter)/Friday, 7:05 (MLBN)

Horse Racing: Belmont Stakes (I’ll Have Another attempts the Triple Crown)/Saturday, 6:00 (NBC)

Have a wonderful weekend!