Idle Thoughts, while waiting for the Sun to begin, Tiger to hit one straight and for UConn baseball's Big East title:

• Mr. Idle, Mr. I to his close friends, has never endorsed politicos using sports references.

Like the time the late Ted Kennedy cited "Mike" McGwire and "Sammy Sooser."

(Check it out on You Tube. Just punch in "Sammy Sooser.")

Sigh.

Now the following comes from Mr. I spy Diane Smith of WTIC Radio:

"Senate President Pro Tem Don Williams at (last week's) signing of the budget bill called for the Governor to 'pull out his inner Mariano Riviera (SIC)' and close the deal with the unions on concessions."

Mariano Riviera.

(No relation to a Buick Riviera).

Plus, you wonder how he could possibly have overlooked Pap.

• Not to suggest Mr. I is, like, wildly popular or anything, but his loyalists are starting to send their own fictitious marriages.

(Mr. I, as you know, is a big fan of fictitious marriages).

The latest, from Dr. Joseph Panza:

"Just saying: If Jessica Alba married Joe Torre she would be Jessica Alba Torre. If she divorced Joe and then married (Texas catcher) Yorvit Torrealba, she would be Jessica Alba Torre Torrealba. I know, I need to get outdoors more."

• Mr. I never thought he'd yearn for Michael Kay.

But four games last week with somnambulant Bob Lorenz?

Holy Lethargy, Batman.

Somebody get that man a greenie.

• So let's see. In the wake of Osama bin Laden's death, ballparks and arenas across the country go Fourth of July on us, unfurling flags, 10-minute Star Spangled Banner ballads, God Bless America, "USA! USA!" chants … blah, blah, blah.

Not so much of that this week.

Thus making it a giant affectation.

And proving, apparently, that true patriotism must be theatrically overt to count.

Know what that's called?

Jingoism.

• Cliff Lee: two wins this season. Salary of $11 million.

Ivan Nova: three wins this season. Salary of $432,900.

• If all goes well, Little I, Mr. I's 10-month old son, will play baseball for Roger Bidwell at Avery Point.

If Roger hangs around for another, say, 18 years.

Because the guy is the best. Period.

• Mr. I would like to devote this part of today's discourse to the Vancouver Canucks vs. San Jose Sharks.

Moving on …

• Glad Doc Rivers is staying.

Doubt Doc would be staying if he thought the Celts were ready for the rocking chair.

Which they're not.

And still not sure why Danny Ainge is getting hammered for the Kendrick Perkins deal.

Jeff Green is, like, way better.

So go get a functional center between now and November and then let's play.

• If you ever liked Mattingly, check out Mike Shalin's new book on him: "Donnie Baseball: The Definitive Biography of Don Mattingly."

Tremendous read.

• Maybe someone in the big, bad, New York media can ask Joe Girardi why Joba didn't start the seventh Friday night.

Colon was already at 100 pitches.

It only lost the game.

Mr. I knows. It's May. Still the Red Sox time of year.

Still, though. Joe doesn't have to help out.

• Manchester United just won the English Premier League soccer title.

With a tie.

This is the opinion of Day sports columnist Mike DiMauro.