Welcome to Saturday Scorecard. Is that a vuvuzela in your pocket, or are you happy to see me?

Enough with the lame jokes (for a few sentences, anyway). There is too much going on this weekend. Let's get to a couple thoughts before the guy in suspenders have his say. Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there.

On to the notes ...

A kick in the grass: I know the announcers have peculiar accents, the constant horns are annoying and the referees can be grossly incompetent (see Coulibaly, Koman), but I have derived far more enjoyment from the first week of the 2010 World Cup than I did from the NBA Finals.

The Lakers and Celtics are two of the game's most storied franchises. The series featured one of the greatest coaches (Phil Jackson) and individual players (Kobe Bryant) of all time. It went seven games.

But, I still found myself wondering why the action seemed putrid.

The World Cup has its flaws. Americans are still adjusting to a sport with tie scores and no commercials. They're still coming to grips with the fact that an official can blow a pivotal call like Coulibaly and nobody from the governing body, FIFA, is compelled to come forward with an explanation.

(Sidebar: If U.S. fans are mad about what happened, they should consider the plight of the Irish. Last November, France's Thierry Henry hit the ball with his hands -- twice -- and then crossed a pass to William Gallas, who was offside, to score the winning goal and keep Ireland out of the action in South Africa. France offered to replay the game, but FIFA said no.)

Back to the NBA, though ... I wanted to enjoy the series. I tried to watch with interest. I know the players on both sides gave great efforts at times, particularly in Game 7.

But, I can't help feeling cheated that a series that had all the makings of a classic fell flat.

Remember the Pistons-Spurs final from 2005? Of course you don't. The Lakers-Celtics series that ended this week will end up in the same category.

Lake Placid vacation ends: Many Brewers fans have bemoaned Ken Macha's lack of emotion in the dugout, in post-game interviews and on the field. They see Macha's calm facade as a reason for the Brewers' lack of success.

The manager isn't intense, they say. Therefore, the players don't show enough emotion to be successful.

To coin Macha's phrase from earlier this year, that's pure "poppycock."

People used to say the same thing about Macha's predecessor, Ned Yost. They hated that he stood stone-faced with his arms folded while things on the field went haywire. They wanted him to scream, kick a water cooler and throw batting helmets on the field.

Then, near the end, Yost got tossed out of a couple games and the same people who derided his lack of emotion chided him for a lack of self-control.

The Brewers' problem this season has had more to do with talent than emotion.

That said, it was pretty silly of Macha to go out of his way to avoid ejections until Friday night in Colorado. Sometimes, a guy has to blow a gasket. It's therapeutic. It's cathartic. And, it takes away a talking point from fans who can't come to grips with the idea that their favorite players might be under performing.

LARRY KING LOUNGE

Who are you, and what have you done with Manny Parra?. On second thought, don't answer that. We like him the way he is ... Did you know that, in Mali, the words "Koman Coulibaly" translate to "Jim Joyce?" ... I wonder if all the bars that are doing booming early-morning business thanks the World Cup will keep the party going for Wimbledon. Maybe not ... So, Ken Macha really does have a temper -- not to mention a pulse. You learn something new every day, don't you Brewers fans? ... In the annals of Wisconsin sports history, Bob Lang will go down in a place near George Petak. Lang is the developer who conceived Erin Hills ... Is Tiger Woods playing in a major this weekend? Have you heard anything about him? ... Decades after Dylan sang "The Times They Are A-Changing," DEVO appears with Regis and Kelly. Seriously ... I like that Casey McGehee is a standup guy, but he shouldn't beat himself up too badly. He's in a down cycle now, but he carried more than his load earlier this season ... When push comes to shove, I still think LeBron James is going to be a Knick ... The Bucks could be eyeing Virginia Commonwealth forward Larry Sanders in the draft on Thursday night. Then again, you hear so many rumors at this time of year that anything seems plausible ... Here is hoping that MU's Lazar Hayward gets the call on Thursday. In the right situation, he could be the Wes Matthews of 2010-11 ... I just saw Corey Hart do a commercial for a local car dealer. Fortunately, he looks much more comfortable in the batter's box than he did in that convertible ... Part of this column was written while the author listened to The Gaslight Anthem. Scrappy band from New Jersey. Check ‘em out ... Speaking of music, there are rumblings that there will be a pretty significant concert this fall at Miller Park. I can't give any clues, but it rhymes with "Farm Aid." ... TV ratings for the NBA Finals were up this year. I credit the Laker Girls ... "The Sports Reporters" on ESPN hasn't been the same since Dick Schaap died, but Howard Bryant has been a great addition ... While they are looking for ways to stay ahead of the drug cheats, Major League Baseball officials should find a way to clone Stephen Strasburg. They could use a guy like him in Pittsburgh ... and Kansas City ... and Milwaukee ... and (insert city here) ... Happy Father's Day, everyone.