It's Memorial Day, so it must be time for Carnaval! The two-day multicultural festival on 17th and Harrison, filled with big headdresses, drums, and tasty-smelling food! (note to self: is our car parked near there? Better move it.) This year's theme is LOVE HAPPENS, and, as you can see in the above YouTube clip, this year's Carnaval King and Queen can really shake it! It's an action-packed two days: Saturday is the festival, with......

OK, so we've gotten some flak about picking the Warriors to take down the Dallas Mavericks in six games in the opening round of the NBA's western Conference playoffs. We'll be the first to admit it's a homer pick, because, well, we do really want the Warriors to win, and we'll be the first to admit it.

But our pie in the sky has an empirical basis. Here's five reasons why the Warriors will beat the Mavs in this playoff series.

-Ray Ratto thinks Carole Migden's proposal to keep the 49ers in San Fran is a load of hooey. -That new stadium, BTW, is polling at about 73% in favor down in Santa Clara. ...

New year, same crap. Actually, it's still 2006, so maybe the Warriors are just clearing their pipes of the last dregs of bad karma before starting a new year and a new franchise era -- one that will be known to future Warriors fans as The Warriors Decade. Either way, Saturday night in Sacramento, fate and bad planning teamed up to dish the Warriors a cosmic double-tap, with the Kings throwing in an unhappy ending, for good measure.

Jason Richardson broke his hand, first round draft pick Patrick O'Bryant was optioned to the minors, and the Warriors took a 116-97 facial from the Kings.

The roster is set, and there is an energy and a spark and a focus that hasn't been apparent in past years, but it will take more than a great preseason to wash away the skepticism forged by 12 long, frustrating, painful years spent wandering in the wilderness.

There is hope, but hope is a fragile beauty.