Rafa’s injuries, Tiger’s run at Jack & back to Ryan Braun . . .

I’m usually a silly old romantic, but I always had this feeling that the Jenny McCarthy-Brian Urlacher deal wasn’t going to last.

When you see Rafael Nadal breaking down this way, you wonder if he has any chance to be winning majors at 30 the way Roger Federer did this year at Wimbledon.

And wonder once more, going into the US Open, how in the world Jimmy Connors ever did what he did in 1991, at the age of 39. Once Tiger Woods seemed to dominate par-5’s at Augusta National and everywhere else major championships were played.

Only now Woods hits too many crooked shots on those holes and keeps giving strokes away to the rest of the field left and right.

If he keeps doing that, he’ll be lucky to get to 15 majors, forget about passing Jack Nicklaus. Oh and by the way? He needs a new coach, whether he’s won three tournaments this year or not.

It really is kind of amazing: Once the magic number was Jack’s 18 majors, now it’s Tiger going 18 majors without winning one of them.

Derek Lowe is going to be a big Yankee in October, wait and see.

The White Sox sort of don’t go away, do they?

I see where Ryan Lochte trademarked the word “Jeah,” and I’m just wondering if that’s a word that means not being Michael Phelps. The difference between Melky Cabrera and Ryan Braun is that Braun beat his rap for reasons that had nothing to do with a positive drug test.

Other than that, there is no difference.

And if you still think that the guy who collected Braun’s samples did him in, you’ve still got to explain how the guy un-triple-sealed those A and B samples, spiked them both perfectly, re-tripled-sealed the container, and then somehow fooled one of the most sophisticated labs on the planet.

It was a ridiculous version then, it was a ridiculous version now, it will always be a ridiculous version.

Braun just ended up with an arbitrator who rolled over for him.

One last time for him: Tampering with a drug test is a federal offense, so how come he wasn’t yelling for the feds to come after anybody?

Watching the Closing Ceremonies from London and seeing some of those bands they rolled out, I kept waiting for Herman’s Hermits. Wouldn’t the Jets have helped Mark Sanchez more with better wide receivers and a better offensive line than with Tim Tebow? What, I can’t even ask? If Chad Johnson not only headbutted his soon-to-be-ex-wife and left her with a three-inch laceration on her forehead, then he’s not only a has-been, he’s a bum for trying to act like a victim on television.

How come everybody gets blamed for what’s happened to the Red Sox over the last year or so except Theo Epstein?

Okay, who’s got a plan to get Chris Paul to the Garden? Nice to see Celebrity Bratton throwing his hat into the ring to replace Ray Kelly while Ray Kelly is still the best Police Commissioner the city has ever had.

Have you noticed that the Giants hardly ever play their best unless Justin Tuck is playing HIS best?

Boy, looking back, it’s probably a good thing that Derek Jeter didn’t go out and test the market the way the Yankees suggested he should. Right? Who told Hope Solo she’s the world’s most interesting person?

The Mike Lupica Show can be heard Monday through Friday at noon on ESPN-98.7.