Here is one man's take on the top five sports topics of the day…

1. Pierce opts out of final year of contract

First, we can all agree that there is no way a (when the 2010-11 season begins) 33-year-old -- let alone a 33-year-old with the wear and tear on Pierce's body-- would have walked away from $21.5 million if the collective bargaining agreement wasn't a factor. It's probably the only reason this is happening. The players (and their agents) are terrified. Sure sounds like David Stern and the owners are prepared to go to the mattresses on this one. 

So what happens to Pierce? The great unknown, of course, is this: Does Danny Ainge want him back? Pierce and (agent) Jeff Schwartz must know the pulse of the NBA free agent scene. And I suspect they know that teams aren't going to be tossing max deal offers at Pierce. His value around the league doesn't call for it. Sure, a desperate GM might try and land the biggest fish in the pond after the LeBron-Wade-Bosh-Johnson group find homes, but that's a tough one to bank on. 

This seems a play for an extension in Boston. I still think that's what will happen. Pierce will want four years, Ainge will want to sign him to a two-year deal, which would mean his contract would expire at the same time as Kevin Garnett's, and then let the rebuilding begin.

The compromise, three years, makes enough sense both sides to get it done. I wrote yesterday that three years, $42 million sounds about right. And that would be "take it or leave it" time from Ainge. Ownership wants to keep Pierce, the idea of a "career Celtic" appeals to them. Ainge, though, has seen this before. He watched the Big Three get old, and that (plus Bias) led to 22 years between championships. If The Truth somehow lands a four or five-year deal with the Clippers or Nets or Knicks I suspect Ainge will watch that press conference with a smile at least as big as Pierce's.

2. Will the Red Sox pick up David Ortiz's option?

Nope. They aren't paying him $12.5 million next year. But the idea of bringing him back has to be gaining steam in the front office, right? 

What do you think? As long as Ortiz is realistic about where he stands (meaning he doesn't think it's 2005) I wonder if a one-year deal (with a mutual option for a second year) at $8 or $9 million would be enough. If I'm the Red Sox I think I'd make that offer. Is there a better option at that price? Think he could put up 20/80/.250 next year? That would be OK value in today's world for nine million bucks. 

But if Ortiz keeps hitting he's going to make a case for some serious cash at the end of the year. We are a day away from July 1 and David Ortiz -- who many were calling to be released a couple of months ago -- is ninth in the American League in OPS (and raise your hand if on Opening Day you had Ortiz and Adrian Beltre in the top 10 in OPS on June 30). The Red Sox, though, will shake hands and walk if Ortiz wants big money. The lesson of the Mike Lowell contract resonates. And doesn't Ortiz owe this organization something? Does that count for anything?

3. Can Adrian Beltre keep this up?

Four more hits on Tuesday, now hitting .349, second only to Robinson Cano among all AL players. If the MVP balloting happened today, Beltre would probably finish somewhere in the top five. This is shaping up to be his best season since the monster 2004 campaign. That was, of course, also a free agent year for Beltre. Just looking at the rest of his career numbers vs. 2004 and what he's done so far in 2010 it isn't unfair to at least wonder if he might push himself a little more when the prospect of a big payday is close. Does that factor in when the Red Sox brass sit down and figure out if they are going to make a real push for Beltre. Because if he plays at anywhere close to this level the rest of the year it is going to take something in the neighborhood of (best guess) five years and $70 million to at least enter the conversation. This is a Scott Boras client, don't forget. 

4. Penalty kicks decide Paraguay-Japan World Cup games

As dopey as it gets. This is the World Cup, not a Columbus-Kansas City MLS regular season game. The best team has to advance, not the team that has better penalty kick options. Come on. Imagine if the Patriots and Cowboys played in the Super Bowl and were tied after three OT sessions. You think Roger Goodell would stop the game and call for each team to pick three guys for a "Pass, punt and kick" contest to determine the winner of the Lombardi Trophy? Hey, you know why there wasn't there a game of HORSE between John Havlicek and Paul Westphal after the second OT in Game 5 of the 1976 NBA finals? Because that would have been a  travesty of a mockery of a sham of a mockery of a travesty of two mockeries of a sham. Terrible way to end a World Cup game. I guess it beats flipping a coin, but just.

5. Tyler Seguin gets No. 19

Bad public relations Rule No. 1: The next savior can't take the same number as the last next savior. There is a reason why that number is available. If Joe Thornton had met the expectations No. 19 would have been untouchable. I understand that Seguin chose No. 19 as a tribute to Yzerman. That's nice, I guess, but the problem is that is same reason Thornton chose No. 19. Rule No. 2 in getting away from the last next savior: At least use a different reason to choose a number.