A few nights ago, my friend Susan Werner began her show in Franklin, Mass. in an unusual way. Werner, a crafty singer-songwriter and genius multi-instrumentalist, donned her old, beat-up Red Sox hat (despite being from Chicago by way of Iowa), sat down silently at the piano, and tenderly plucked out the melody to Neil Diamond's "Sweet Caroline." Whether they were sports fans or not -- though by osmosis, heredity, and peer pressure most folks in the Boston metro area are -- the audience immediately recognized the song and sang the rest of the words as Werner simply grinned. It was a lovely moment of catharsis after a week that had left even the most stoic or cynical person weary.

I too have found myself looking for some similar kind of antidote to the strained voices of my local broadcasters, the cable outlets all jockeying for scoops, and the breakneck true-false-true rumor mill of own Twitter feed. So I spent the weekend recording, sitting in with my friend songwriter-cellist Ben Sollee, performing at my local shop for Record Store Day, and joining Susan onstage for the rest of her show. I was reminded of how music is such a lovely counterweight to panic and anxiety.

While music offers a certain type of emotional solace and respite after public tragedy, sports is also often pointed to as a place of “healing” -- a word used far too often for my taste when describing the experience of going to a game. Healing takes time, healing is personal, healing lasts longer than an anthem sung together. Or the generous gesture of a front page to an out of town sports section. Or a surprise visit to Fenway park by Neil Diamond to perform his “Sweet Caroline.”

At one point during her show, Susan made a comment about the height of my hair, and how it had some unique vertical, like Chicago Bullsʼ guard Derrick Rose. I responded, “Well, at least it doesnʼt have an ACL tear that is taking a suspiciously longtime to heal." Was I being too obscure? Was I speaking from the heart? The folks in the audience who knew the reference laughed appreciatively. The rest laughed at the non-sequiter.

Reflecting on that moment, I would propose that after public tragedy, sports offers not healing or metaphors for revenge (as some would have it), but appropriate distraction and community. And as we saw this weekend, music found a unique place in that alchemy.

I imagine that for a lot of folks, this coming week will be a return to normal. But I really want to remember the long arc of real healing that will happen slowly for the bombing victims. Theyʼll need much more than a game, or a song.

That said, the tragic events in Boston last week did obscure some compelling and important sports news. In the spirit of appropriate distraction, here's a quick round-up with some good news that might possibly cheer you up:

-- Passing almost under the radar was last Mondayʼs WNBA draft, and the coming out of overall No. 1 pick Brittney Griner. Congrats to her for her amazing on-court accomplishments, off-court courage playing at an anti-gay university, and her unbelievably natty white suit on draft night.

WNBA's overall No. 1 draft pick Brittney Griner and musician Erin McKeown seem to share a love of white suits.

-- The NBA playoffs started this weekend. This is the one time of year, I pay more than passing attention to menʼs professional basketball. Iʼd like to see the Denver Nuggets make it to the Western Conference finals, meeting Oklahoma City Thunder, and win because Nuggets star Kenneth Faried has two moms and that is awesome. However, I cant imagine anyone stopping LeBron James now that his image has been so successfully rehabilitated. Seriously, how is it that I love this guy so much?

-- The Major League Baseball season is now into its third week, and teams are settling in. I live in a Red Sox-centric universe, but I donʼt think anyone expected this yearʼs team to be both winning as much as they are and be so likeable. The players have struck just the right tone with their #BostonStrong hashtag. And any time the FCC commish gives you permission to cuss, you know youʼre the boss.

But in another somewhat of a surprise to me, the Atlanta Braves are running strong where I thought the Washington Nationals would dominate. Plus, itʼs nice to see two brothers who contribute something lovely to the world, as opposed to what we saw last week.

-- This weekʼs big sports event will be Thursdayʼs NFL draft. While I watched some of the Scouting Combine (via NFL.com), I must admit to not caring very much about who goes to what team. Especially when teams may have asked some shady questions of potential draftees. The whole thing reminds me of a cattle call, and Iʼll just wait a couple years to see who can hack it in the NFL before I hitch my wagon to a particular player.