Between sips of morning coffee...

♦ When the Pistons lose their next game, do you think anyone will speculate that assistant coach Sidney Lowe is "causing a distraction" by taking the North Carolina State head-coaching job during the playoffs? (I'm surprised Lowe's name wasn't brought up sooner. Was he really the Wolfpack's sixth choice?)

♦ MLive's A. Sherrod Blakely explains what Lowe is thinking.

♦ Speaking of the N.C. State job, did you see this shot taken by a Tar Heels fan in the Raleigh News & Observer? Love those inter-state rivalries. (Via Deadspin)

♦ Maybe I'm in the minority here, but does anyone else not give a $#!+ about how much Charles Barkley has lost gambling? When you see the amounts of money that he and John Daly have squandered, it's mind-boggling. And it's nice that Barkley was so honest on the subject (though he certainly sounded like an addict in denial during his ESPN interview). But was it really worth all the coverage it's received over the past day or two?

♦ I probably just listen to too much sports talk radio. That's the problem.

♦ Here's a hilarious story on the "gambling addiction expert" ESPN interviewed on "Outside the Lines" after the Daly and Barkley stories broke. (Via The Sports Pulse.)

♦ Can steroids help pitchers the same way they do hitters? Many people say no, which basically let pitchers off the hook during the past couple of years of increased steroid scrutiny in baseball. So then why are so many pitchers testing positive? Here's an interesting article from last Sunday's Washington Post on the subject.

♦ Did anyone watch the NFL Network's draft coverage last weekend? (I'm still sadly NFL Network-less. And yes, I talk to someone about it.) If so, do you agree that Mike Mayock did a better job than ESPN's Draft Guru Godfather, Mel Kiper? Just curious.