Backdraft

It's amusing how, after a pro sports draft, experts are so eager to evaluate every team's picks. It's amusing because it's absurd. While we might have an idea, we never really know how these guys are going to turn out as professionals.

That's why it's fun to look back after some time, and a season, has passed.

When Tyreke Evans was named the NBA Rookie of the Year on Thursday, my initial reaction was disappointment that Bucks point guard Brandon Jennings didn't win the honor. Then again, I didn't really think he would, even though he's in the playoffs while Evans and runner-up Stephen Curry are done for the year.

I suppose I can just be happy that the Bucks seem to have made a quality pick at No. 10 in the 2009 NBA draft. Some questioned Jennings at that pick, since he'd only played sparingly in one season for a pro team in Europe. But there are a few teams who probably wish they'd taken a closer look at Jennings.

To refresh everyone's memory, the top pick was forward Blake Griffin, who spent most of the season hurt instead of helping the Clippers become relevant. One year does not a bust make, but Hasheem Thabeet is well on his way. The Grizzlies actually demoted the former UConn center to the D-League this season.

The Thunder got a solid bench player in James Harden, but maybe not the kind of value they'd hoped for at No. 3 overall. Evans went fourth to the Kings and Curry seventh to the Warriors.

The rest of the top 10 was kind of a mess.

The Timberwolves picked about a dozen point guards, including one (Ricky Rubio) who decided not to play for them, choosing instead to stay in Spain. There are rumors he'll play for Minnesota in 2011, but don't believe it until he's in uniform. Jonny Flynn, the other lottery point guard pick for the T-Wolves, was decent this year, averaging 13.5 points and 4.4 assists a game.

Jordan Hill, the No. 8 pick, scored 4 points a game for the Knicks, before they sent him to Houston, where he averaged 6.4. DeMar DeRozan scored 8.6 points a game for Toronto after the Raptors took him at No. 9.

Obviously, with some more experience, any of these guys could turn out to be stars in the league. But teams that pick in the top 10 almost always are looking for immediate results. Only a few teams found those results.

Get well soon, Harry Doyle

They hit me every spring, like allergies. When Major League Baseball teams are back in the news, Harry Doyle quotes pop back into my head.

Some of the best from Bob Uecker’s character in the “Major League” movies aren’t fit for print, but here are some of my PG-13-rated favorites:

“The post-game show is brought to you by … Christ, I can’t find it. To hell with it.”

“Remember, fans, Tuesday is Die Hard Night. Free admission for anyone who was actually alive the last time the Indians won the pennant.”

“Heywood leads the league in most offensive categories, including nose hair. When this guy sneezes, he looks like a party favor.”

“Personally, I think we got hosed on that call.”

“Juuuuust a bit outside. He tried the corner and missed.”
That’s a Uecker original, which he regularly uses while broadcasting Brewers games on the radio. In the movie, he was describing a Rick Vaughn wild pitch, which led to …

“Ball four. … Ball eight. … And Vaughn has walked the bases loaded on 12 consecutive pitches. How can these guys lay off pitches that close?”

And while “Major League II” didn’t come close to living up to the original, Uecker again stole the movie, as Doyle spent most of his scenes drunk in the press box, lamenting the Indians’ disappointing start to the season.

“Bottom of the 9th, Cleveland down 1 to nothing. Baker steps in, he’s 0-for ... I don’t know. Who cares?”

I bring these up, not only because they’re hilarious, but because Uecker, a Hall of Famer, will have heart surgery on Friday to repair a leaking aortic valve and an enlarged aorta, according to a Milwaukee Journal Sentinel report.

At least publicly, Uecker, 75, isn’t too worried about the procedure. Uecker began a Tuesday press conference by saying, “I have been added to the active roster of the club.”

Jokes aside, the original “Ueck” — as opposed to the “Youk” with whom Red Sox fans are more familiar — insists he’ll be back this season.

“I don’t want to quit. I don’t think I’m ready until someone tells me to,” he said. “Then we’ll probably have a scuffle.”

While I haven’t been able to listen to Uecker on the radio since I moved here, I hope Brewers fans will him back on the air sooner rather than later.

Happy birthday, Ryan Westmoreland

Ryan Westmoreland turns 20 years old today.

And what better way to celebrate his birthday than to be at home with family and friends. The Boston Red Sox announced today that the former Portsmouth High School star, the team's top prospect, was released from the Spaulding Medical Center in Boston. He's been at the facility for almost a month after undergoing brain surgery on March 16.

Here's the team's release:

"The Red Sox announced that minor league outfielder Ryan Westmoreland was released from Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital last Saturday. General manager Theo Epstein made the announcement.

Westmoreland will continue to undergo physical and occupational therapy as an outpatient at Spaulding.

'He has been making steady progress and is in great spirits,' said a team release.

Westmoreland, 19, underwent surgery at the Barrow Neurological Institute at St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center in Phoenix to remove a cavernous malformation in his brain. After spending several days at that facility, he made significant gains in his rehabilitation and was cleared to return to Boston to continue the recovery process."

Here's to wishing Ryan a speedy recovery and a happy birthday.

Pats bid adieu to Adalius

(This was the beginning of the end)

After a tenure that only could be viewed as tumultuous, linebacker Adalius Thomas was released by the Patriots on Monday. Like someone here in The Daily News newsroom said, “His first game was his best game,” referring to the interception returned for a touchdown he had against the Chargers in Week 2 of the 2007 season.

When Thomas signed his 5-year, $35 million deal, most Patriots fans were excited. Here was a Pro Bowl player coming from Baltimore, which boasted the league’s most dominant defense, to play in a scheme designed by Bill Belichick. What’s not to love?

Well, let’s just say the relationship between Thomas and his coach became icy. As were the roads on the day Thomas was a late to a team meeting, for which he was sent home by Belichick. Last season, he twice was sat as a healthy scratch.

In three seasons, Thomas had 35 starts, 148 total tackles and 14½ sacks. Clearly his production didn’t match his price tag or the hype.

Rumor is that Thomas be reunited with New York Jets coach Rex Ryan, who coached Thomas in Baltimore. Perhaps the most earth-shattering part of this move is that Belichick and the Patriots — notoriously cheap when it comes to signing big-name free agents — must admit failure.

If that is the case, and the Thomas experiment was indeed a failure, Belichick had better figure out how to create a pass rush with the lone veteran at outside linebacker, Tully Banta-Cain. And he’d better hope rookie Jermaine Cunningham doesn’t play like a rookie.

Sewall gets his shot

Just a few years ago, Bobby Sewall was the star quarterback for the Portsmouth High School football team. Now, after a stellar career at Brown University, the QB-turned-wide receiver will get his chance at an NFL career.

Sewall, a 6-foot, 197-pounder with the ability to run, throw and catch the ball, was signed as a free agent by the Tennessee Titans. He was at home in Portsmouth watching the draft, hoping his name would be called. During the seventh round, the Titans — one of 10 teams to show interest — called and said if nobody else drafted him, they’d be interested in signing him.

“I’m real excited about going down there,” Sewall said. “They want me to play wide-out, catch some kicks and punts and maybe do a little holding. I’ll do anything I can to make the team.”

Sewall is the second Portsmouth graduate to embark on a professional sports career, joining Red Sox prospect Ryan Westmoreland. Should Sewall make the NFL, he and Mike Cloud would be the only players from the school to do so.

Although Sewall was a two-time All-America selection at Brown, he’s coming from a fairly small school, making his climb to the NFL a little steeper. Still, he knows this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and he’s out to make the most of it.

“I’m going to work as hard as I can and show them they made the right choice,” said Sewall, who leaves for the team’s first rookie training camp on Wednesday.

To read Josh Krueger's exclusive interview with Sewall, pick up today’s edition of The Daily News.