1. Is there any hope left for Brandon Morrow as a reliable closer this season?

Christian: No. I miss Bobby Ayala.

Maks: There is as much hope for that as there is for Ken Griffey Jr. to fit into his old uniform — not much.

Allen: Yes. He’s still young, and he’s got great velocity. I think he’ll have to learn a solid out-pitch and prove he’s still got it in order to be back in as closer.

Scott: Morrow got me a ridiculous amount of negative fantasy points last week. I think he still has a ton of potential, but as for being a reliable closer this season, I’d have to say no.

2. What’s more impressive: Danielle Lawrie throwing 15 innings to beat UMass, or Yuniesky Betancourt taking enough pitches to see a 2-2 count?

Christian: I’d be more impressed if Betancourt drew a walk from Lawrie.

Maks: How about Barack Obama taking an impressive shot at Notre Dame football? “That’s an issue we may not resolve within my four years,” he said at a Sunday night fundraiser in Indianapolis.

Allen: I’ve always known Danielle Lawrie to be an impressive pitcher, so her feat, while amazing, isn’t that surprising. Betancourt, though, taking pitches — that’s impressive. It’s got to be a fluke.

Scott: If you add up Betancourt’s walks from the two seasons preceeding this one, he had 32 in 1,095 at bats. The leader in walks this year in the majors is Marco Scutaro, and he has 35 in 155 at bats. That’s embarrassing. The answer is clearly Betancourt taking pitches.

3. Are the Lakers still invincible out West?

Christian: Probably. I don’t see David Stern letting them lose to Denver.

Maks: They’ll look invincible against the Nuggets, yeah. We shouldn’t look too much into the Rockets series. I mean, even the Celtics went to seven games with the Hawks in the first round of last year’s playoffs. Everyone was writing them off, too.

Allen: Kind of how Kobe is invincible on trial? In other words, Kobe and the Lakers will get challenged by the Nuggets in a court of law, but they’ll escape after a tough battle when Denver offers a settlement; they’ll blow it in six.

Scott: No, but their postseason is looking a lot like the Celtics’ last year, when they lose games that they shouldn’t but seem to win whenever they need to.

4. Who do you think is more hated at Notre Dame: Tyrone Willingham or Barack Obama?

Christian: Willingham. Losing football games is way worse for Notre Dame fans than abortion.

Maks: Freedom.

Allen: Something tells me the hatred toward Obama will be temporary. They still blame Ty for everything.

Scott: I would say that most Notre Dame fans would gladly drop their anti-abortion stance for a return to the glory days in football. They hate Willingham more.