There have been a lot of things bouncing around in my head over the last few weeks. With so much going on, instead of focusing on everything individually, I thought that I would take a few minutes to ponder over the collective arena of sports, whether it be the most dominant team of the '90s, the Bulls, or the most dominant team in the area, the Triton baseball team.

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First, Karl Malone as MVP. What a joke. Michael Jordan was hands down the best player in the NBA this year. No question, Malone deserves recognition for all that he has done over the past 15 or so years, but giving him the MVP. is not the answer. He will get that recognition five years after he retires when he is voted into the Hall of Fame. Until then, let the most valuable player win the MVP award. As one sports writer wrote, Michael Jordan will just have to settle for the NBA championship again.

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The Manchester softball team is beginning to come around. After starting the season 3-7, the Squires have won five of six games, including a 24-0 win over Fort Wayne Canterbury and a 31-3 win over Northfield. They are 3-1 in the conference, and the only loss came to Rochester in which none of the seniors played because of the senior trip. This team could surprise some people before all is said and done.

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After game two of the Atlanta series, from all that was being said, I would have thought the Bulls were dead in the water. But, truthfully, Chicago should have little trouble in winning its fifth title of the '90s. Miami's strengths, Tim Hardaway and Alonzo Mourning, play right into Chicago's weaknesses, but Miami is still one player from making a serious run at the Bulls. Utah does not have a dominant big man to expose Luc Longley and Brian Williams inside, while Houston is no more than a three-man team without a point guard that can penetrate and cause problems in the interior the way Hardaway and Stockton can.

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If Ken Griffey Jr. stays healthy, he will not only break the 61-homer record, but he could break 70. He has 19 already and at this pace would hit 72. And Griffey is not the type of player to hit a bunch early and then tail off, like a Larry Walker or a Tino Martinez could.

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This Triton baseball team is good, very good. At 19-2, the Trojans have won 13 straight games and have one of the most potent offenses you will see in the state to go along with a solid pitching staff. They have a better record than 15 of the top 20 teams in the state and avenged their second loss of the season with a 9-5 victory over Bremen after losing to them about two weeks earlier. But the schedule strength and small school image is killing them with the state voters. Thursday's game with Warsaw should be a great indicator of just what this team can do against a school that size.

If P.J. Brown creates the havoc against Chicago that he did to New York, the Bulls could be out of the playoffs. Malone may have been the NBA's Most Valuable Player, but Brown singlehandedly gave his team an edge that New York could not overcome. In game six, he held Patrick Ewing, Allan Houston and Charlie Ward scoreless. In game seven, he shut out John Starks and Larry Johnson. Not even Jordan could do that to the Knicks.

There is one more area high school team on a major upswing. The Whitko golf team won the TRC title on Saturday by nine shots. Less than one week earlier, Whitko had lost a match to Tippecanoe Valley. Valley ended fifth in the tournament. Whitko's fourth best score was better than three teams best score at the TRC Championship. Even better, the Wildcats do not have one senior on their team. They will gain valuable experience this year and then be primed for a major run next year. For further proof, Eli Butterbaugh, the team's No. 2 golfer, shot the second best score at the TRC match.

Finally, my early front runner to go to the NBA finals next year is the San Antonio Spurs. To think that a team with David Robinson, Avery Johnson and Shawn Elliott could add a player of Tim Duncan's ability to that mix. If the Spurs return healthy, they will be every bit as good as the Seattles and Utahs of the Western Conference. And they will be one of those special teams as far as attitude is concerned. Robinson and Johnson are two of the finest men in the NBA and Duncan has never created a stir at Wake Forest. They will be a team full of role models. There are no Dennis Rodmans or Derrick Colemans on this team.

So, that's it. As the Bulls continue to impress as the second-best dynasty ever next to Auerbach's Celtics, the Atlanta Braves lead the National League again, and the Colorado Avalanche, Detroit Red Wings, New York Rangers and Philadelphia Flyers fight for the Stanley Cup, not much is changing among the heavyweights of the sports world. However, with the Bulls possibly dismantling after this year and some good, young baseball teams, it won't be long before there is a changing of the guard among championship contenders. [[In-content Ad]]