In the spirit of Peter King’s “10 Things I Think I Think”, I give you 22 Random Thoughts for my 22nd Birthday. Please, feel free to take notes, there will be a test at this same time next year.

1) Quick Picks
AL East - Boston
AL Central - Chicago
AL West - Anaheim
AL Wild Card - Detroit

NL East - New York
NL Central - St. Louis
NL West - Los Angeles
NL Wild Card - Houston

1B)  I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Tigers’ first-round pick, Andrew Miller, up with the big club come September. Miller’s a hard-throwing lefty who consistently tops out at more than 100 mph on the radar gun when he comes out of the bullpen. As the old story goes, you can never have too much pitching come October, especially when your closer is Todd Jones.

2)  I will give my Duhaime stamp of approval to “The Ticket Reserve” (www.theticketreserve.com) which set yours truly up with luxury suite tickets for the Stanley Cup Final. “The Ticket Reserve” allows fans access to major sporting events at face value for a small “futures” fee in your respective teams. Basically, it works like the stock market and it’s a pretty cheap way to get to the Super Bowl if you’re willing to risk a few bucks along the way.

3)  There are three reasons why I’m confident that Beijing will be a great Olympic host. First is the food; Who doesn’t like Chinese food? Secondly, I think there’s a good deal of trust when it comes to the Chinese government and potential terrorist threats. Finally, everything, for the first time since Salt Lake, seems both on time and on budget.

4)  I’m not a big fan of “Summer Reading Lists” but I’ve got a few recommendations for those looking for a good read; The Last Night of the Yankee Dynasty, Game of Shadows and The Same River Twice.

4B) Also, I don’t know why but I find it endlessly amusing that Carly Patterson’s (2004 Olympic All-Around Gold Medalist) favorite book is “Are You There God, It’s Me Margaret” by Judy Blume.

5) Hottest Athlete You’ve Never Heard Of – LPGA golfer Erica Blasberg, check her out at http://www.ericablasberg.com/.

6) Jennie Finch had her first child on May 4. Two months later, she’s pitching the U.S. to a World Cup of Softball title. Where do the feminists currently stand on three-day maternity leave?

7)  I’m still ticked off the U.S. got screwed over by poor officiating in the World Cup but Zidane’s burst of stupidity and France’s epic World Cup defeat has eased that somewhat.

7B) Why hasn’t Thierry Henry been criticized for waving his own white flag and pulling himself out of the final? Isn’t he one of the best players in the world? Why exactly is he pulling himself out of the biggest game of his career? You didn’t see an injured Roberto Baggio pulling himself out of the 1994 World Cup final did you?

8) Note to ESPN: The Red Sox - Yankees rivalry changed on October 20th 2004, and it will never, ever be the same again.

8B) The rivalry would be a bit more interesting if George Steinbrenner hadn’t completely mellowed these past few years.

8C) Okay, I’ll admit, I’d love to see Sidney Ponson pitch at Fenway Park in a Yankees uniform. He’d last 1-2/3rds, give up 5 runs, 7 hits, 3 walks, and A-Rod would make a critical error somewhere in there.

9) If anyone has the link to the “This is SportsCenter” commercial where Kenny Mayne and Stuart Scott are part of the “Big Buddies” program, I’d really appreciate it. My email address is at the bottom of the screen.

10) The next random-ass person to ask me for tickets via “The Facebook” will be unfacebooked by yours truly. Trust me, I’ve done it before and I’ll do it again. I don’t care how hot you are either…

10B) I don’t even accept my little brother’s friend requests on that site.

11) Note to Vince Young. I hope you’ve started to study that Titans playbook. It’s going to be a hundred times harder than anything you pulled off at the University of Texas.

11B) Even if Vince Young is a bust, he’s still going to make millions in public-speaking appearances throughout the state of Texas.

11C) I’m going to be hard on Vince Young because there were more than a few games last season where UT was up by 50 midway through the third quarter and still trying ala Steve Spurrier at Florida.

11 D) Speaking of Spurrier, I’m expecting big things from South Carolina this year.

12) I think Diana Taurasi could make it in the NBA…..

12B) I think her and Amare were alongside Steve Nash & Co. last season the Suns would have made the NBA Finals.

12C) I’m not crazy. I’d take Dee’s passing ability and court sense over almost anybody, guy or gal.

13) Um…yea…Anna….Do you see Maria? She‘s a tease AND she‘s won a tournament! How bout that!

http://sports.yahoo.com//

13B) It’s nice to see that Ashley Harkleroad is on the comeback trail.

http://www.rowztennis.com/imgs2/picoweek/picoweek_133_lg.jpg

14) I’m glad to see that Peter Gammons is getting better by the day. I think the highlight of my journalism career to this point was getting to interview him on the field at Fenway Park last April. I still can’t believe, listening on tape, that I’m asking the questions and there’s Peter Gammons giving me these great detailed answers. Such a cool moment!

14B) Perhaps the greatest lead line ever written in the history of journalism…

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/gammons/story?id=2118859

15) July 19th marked the 10th Anniversary of the Opening Ceremony of the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta. Despite the security mishap and the technical glitches, those games were an astronomical success to the tune of $5 billion (U.S.) in to the local economy. Throw in the major events Atlanta has hosted since landing the games, including the Super Bowl, PGA Championship, Sugar Bowl, MLB and NBA All Star Games and the Final Four, and it becomes abundantly clear that the 1996 Olympics turned Atlanta from also-ran into the nation’s premier sports tourism destination.

15B) The 2007 NCAA Final Four is in…you guessed it….Atlanta.

16) How exactly are Oksana Baiul and Steve Garvey qualified to judge ABC’s “Master of Champions?” It’s not that they don’t have any credentials but how exactly did ABC say….man….I want Oksana Baiul as a judge for this thing. And is Steve Garvey available? Yeah! Let’s get him! What… was Tommy Lasorda unavailable or something?

17) The best 15 minutes of the sports day come when Sports Radio WEEI in Boston plays “The Whiner Line.” A caller-driven segment where talented low-life shut-in’s make funny jokes and impersonate various local, political and sports figures. They even have their own awards show, which last year took place at the TD BankNorth Garden. “The Whiner Line” can be streamed online through www.weei.com at 5:45 P.M., Monday through Friday.

18) Story Update: Between various public appearances and summer classes, Ayla Brown, who finished 13th on American Idol this past spring, is currently working out with her Boston College teammates in preparation for the 2006-2007 NCAA season.

19) I find it amusing that Coach K and USA Basketball would invite Greg Oden to its 2006 World Championships tryout camp and not invite Tyler Hansbrough. Oden hasn’t even played a college game, much less a pro game, not to mention he’s currently sidelined with a torn ligament in his wrist. It should also be pointed out that Hansbrough’s fundamentally sound game translates well on an international level as opposed to Oden’s raw, power-based game.

20) How did Chris Paul win the ESPY for “Best Breakthrough Athlete” over Kimmie Meissner? Dick Vitale’s been drooling over Paul since his freshman year at Wake Forest. He single-handedly beat Duke a few years back in Winston-Salem. It’s not like the guy came out of nowhere to win a world title like Meissner did this past March.

21) Well, it looks as if the Senators have finally solved their goaltending problems by bringing in Martin Gerber. It’s just too bad he won’t have a big strong defensemen like Zdeno Chara helping him at the blue line. Gerber, who’s fantastic season was lost in Cam Ward’s spectacular Stanley Cup run, did end up winning 38 games and had a GAA of 2.78. He also pulled off what might be the biggest upset of the year when the Swiss beat the high-powered Canadian hockey team in Torino.

22) YouTube Fun..

I mentioned the Patriots Super Bowl XX music video in a previous article…here it is.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MKiuhnmDbY

There are no words for how creative this is…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H079KmVZwTE

Nobody’s even come remotely close to this record in the ten years since it’s been set.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BeK0Kw2kMAQ

The other magical moment from Atlanta. It’s just too bad this cuts out before John Tesh finishes the classic line; “Kerri Strug is hurt….she is hurt badddly.” I remember reading that Strug is currently working with the Department of Justice.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lIImbyIBm-s

It was stupid then and it’s stupid now. Almost as stupid as Zidane.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iThQ1po1JLU

“MOMMM!! THE MEATLOAF!!!”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lK_8mF2Tr0U

Jake Duhaime is a regular contributor to Atomic Sports Media. He can be reached at jake.duhaime@atomicsportsmedia.com.