Z leaves too; other thoughts

• OK, in my last post, I said that I hope my next post about the Cavaliers would be about the players we do have, rather than the ones we don't. Then Zydrunas Ilgauskas signed a contract with the dreaded Miami Heat — the same team that managed to land a somewhat more prominent ex-Cavalier. Z has long been one of my favorite players, and I'll miss him, but I don't begrudge him the chance to go gunning for a title in Miami. His situation is totally different from that of his teammate (whom I've chosen not to name in this post, for my own childish, petty reasons). If Miami does win a title next year, Z's presence on the roster will be the only saving grace, for me.

• The Cavaliers signed erstwhile Houston Rockets guard Kyle Lowry to an offer sheet yesterday. Under the NBA's labyrinthine salary-cap rules, the Rockets have a week to match the offer, if they so choose, because Lowry is a restricted free agent. Lowry is a tough defender who averaged 9.1 points and 4.5 assists in 21 minutes a game last year. ... Is he a high-impact guy? Heck, no. Let's hope this isn't the only move the Cavs make this offseason.

• Last night, the National League won its first All-Star Game since 1996, thanks to a three-run double by the Braves' Brian McCann — who's on my fantasy team, but I don't get any credit for that hit, which I think is BS. If the All-Star Game counts for something (home field advantage in the World Series), I think the stats should count in fantasy leagues. I'm dead serious about that.

• As I predicted, the Indians' lone All-Star, Fausto Carmona, did not get into the game. He wouldn't have gotten in unless the game went to 15 innings or so. But I hope he had a good time watching it from the bullpen.

• Overshadowing the All-Star Game, of course, was the death of Yankees owner George Steinbrenner, 1930-2010. Steinbrenner was born on the Fourth of July in Rocky River, the son of a world-class hurdler. Long before he bought the Yankees, he revitalized the dying Kinsman Marine Transit Company and parlayed that into a majority share in the American Shipbuilding Company, in which he made enough money to buy the Yankees for $8.8 million in 1973. Never mind what the Yankees have done on the field since then — that was a remarkably sound investment. The team is now worth an estimated $1.5 billion, with a B. That's a 17,000% return on his initial investment. Steinbrenner owned the one team in American sports that I hate the most, but I've never held that against him. In fact, I kind of liked the old poop. The good news is, now that he and Billy Martin are reunited in the afterlife, he can hire and fire Martin again.