By Mike Ball
Cincinnati Enquirer

Thumbs up

1. The World War II Veterans Memorial. The Greatest Generation finally gets its due. Remember, Ted Williams, Hank Greenberg, Bob Feller, Joe DiMaggio and Pee Wee Reese either were drafted or volunteered.

2. Ken Griffey Jr. His glare into the Marlins dugout following his three-run homer Tuesday night was classic. Showing up Trader Jack? Who cares? It's obvious he plays better with a chip on his shoulder.

3. The NHL. Enjoy it while you can. Ratings plummeting. The commissioner warns of labor war on the eve of the Stanley Cup playoffs.

4. Cricket. The U.S. and Canada are meeting on American soil for a sanctioned three-day match in Florida. Just what Generation X needs: A sport that takes so long they have to take a lunch break.

Thumbs down

1. The Indianapolis 500. Al Unser. Gordon Johncock. A.J. Foyt. Johnny Rutherford. Bobby Unser. Rick Mears. Johnny Rutherford . . . Bruno Jungueira. Buddy Lazier. Tomas Scheckter . . .

2. The French Open (men). Rod Laver. Bjorn Borg. Ivan Lendl. Michael Chang. Mats Wilander . . . Carlos Moya. Guillermo Coria. Albert Costa.

3. Nolan Richardson. Good for him for pushing for minority opportunities in coaching. But his latest shot at Oklahoma State, on the heels of his lawsuit against Arkansas, is simply tarnishing a great coaching career.

4. Hooligans. Bad news for British soccer fans. The U.K. government has banned 2,188 fans from attending next month's European Championship in Portugal. Be careful Raider nation.