Baseball. Basketball. Hockey. Golf. Horse racing. That’s this weekend’s agenda for sports hungry fans. You simply don’t have to travel far from your TV or mobile device to watch or listen to your favorite sport.
Let’s start with the least important one first. At least by my standards. That would be Saturday’s running of The Belmont Stakes.
Why is The Belmont not that important to me? Because Rich Strike, the long shot winner of the Kentucky Derby, ridden by the then-obscure Sonny Leon, didn’t run at the Preakness in the second leg of the Triple Crown.
The lack of an opportunity for a Triple Crown winner makes me feel like it a just another horse race which is a spectacle because of the hype and TV coverage. Yes, the stands and infield will be packed in Elmont (imagine the traffic headaches on the Cross Island Expressway!). And yes, history would be made if Rich Strike wins, becoming the first horse to win both the Derby and Belmont without entering the Preakness (Rich Strike would be the 12 th to accomplish the feat; all of the others entered all three races).
Those facts are not enough for me to predict that Rich Strike might win the race. Rich Strike may well be a one hit wonder. And indeed, that was some hit. It will make his owners rich for years to come with breeding rights. I
In my mind, the horse is still a long shot to win this race, which is the longest of the Triple Crown series. It doesn’t mean that I won’t be rooting for him.
The big thing in golf is the start of LIV Golf. Saudi Arabian money has richly funded this venture, and it has attracted some big names who fled the PGA Tour. Phil Mickelson is the enfant terrible of LIV. Excoriated by the US media, he lost plenty of sponsors when he attached his name to the Saudis and their brand of human rights and politics, foreign to Western ways.
Other talented players have been attracted to the lure of big bucks and shortened weekends—the LIV format is over three days. It is getting plenty of worldwide media coverage for its initial stop in England.
While the PGA is suspending players who defect to LIV, the majors are not because, other than the PGA Championship and other PGA-designated tournaments being more important than the Greater Hartford Open, they are not affiliated with the PGA. The stars still want the hardware, money and prestige associated with The Masters and US Open in this country (The British Open is a different animal, in a different nation, but one which seemingly embraces LIV events).
Some have likened LIV to the ABA in basketball, the AFL in football, the WHA in hockey. I think this is a different scenario, because of the Saudi money and the location of play. Moreover, with three majors not per se choosing sides, but ostensibly siding with LIV players, I believe that there is a good chance that this will truly shake up professional golf.
Whether the two tours can live in parallel universes remains to be seen. The future of golf is now upon in the air.
Sorry, New York Rangers fans. The writing is on the wall. Tampa Bay is the defending champion and they are going to win out and play for their third consecutive Stanley Cup.
The Rangers are a young and talented group. The team made major strides this season. Reaching the Eastern Conference finals is a big plus heading into next season.
This team is not as talented or experienced as the Lightning. TBL may have coasted a bit during the regular season and now they are healthy. And hungry for that third Cup. Which would cement them as a dynasty.
Edmonton and Rangers icon Mark Messier remarked that, in this day and age, back-to-back Stanley Cup wins is remarkable. So, too, is getting to the third try for the trophy.
Tampa has the best goaltender in the league come play-off time. Russian netminder Andrei Vasilevski is an all-timer. He has led the NHL in wins for five consecutive seasons; he won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the 2021 M.V.P. of the playoffs; and he holds the record for most wins in a single postseason. Steven Stamkos, Nikita Kucherov, Brayden Point, Patrick Maroon and Victor Hedman are names which resonate with me and the true hockey fan.
In many ways, the Bolts remains me of the Islanders dynasty of the 1970’s and 80’s. Many Hockey Hall of Fame players throughout the squad, with a HOF coach.
Should they win, they face a rested Colorado Avalanche team which is no slouch, having dispatched the Edmonton Oilers in four games. Led by star centerman Nathan Mc Kinnon, this meeting ought to be fun.
What has not been fun is watching the NBA Finals. Outside of a blowout in Game 2, the Boston Celtics are literally head and shoulders better than the Golden State Warriors. Up 2 to 1 as the teams collide on Friday night on the parquet floor at TD Garden, this seems like a last gasp for the Warriors if they have any hopes of winning the title.
Steph Curry has been his incredible self, but even with his shooting at nearly 50% for the three games, it seems like it isn’t enough. Fellow Splash Brother Klay Thompson awoke from his slump in Game 3, yet was this a one game renaissance or just a flash?
`Draymond Green is his usual agitating self. Other than for brief moments, he has not been the star of past championships. Media consensus is that he needs to step it up.
Which may still not be enough. Whether it is Jayson Tatum, Marcus Smart, Jaylen Brown, Al Horford, Derrick White or Robert Williams III, the C’s are playing smothering defense and hustling to get second and third chances to score. Which they aren’t missing too many of those opportunities.
Curry suffered an ankle injury late in Wednesday’s contest. He has said he’s fine. Without a mobile, active Curry on offense and defense, Golden State has no chance against a talented Celtics team.
Two managers went down recently. Both had previously won the World Series with different teams. And the post-firing results have been widely different.
When Rob Thompson replaced Joe Girardi in Philadelphia, it was like a breath of fresh air. They caught the stumbling Angels and swept them. Then the Phils traveled to Milwaukee and swept the Central Division leaders. Winners of seven straight, which has raised their record to 28-29, the Phillies still trail the Mets by 9 games and surging Atlanta, the defending champs and winners of eight in a row, by 2.5 games. What they have done is interject themselves into the Wild Card race, sitting only 2.5 games out of a berth.
Conversely, firing Joe Maddon by the Angels did very little to stop the bleeding. The Halos lost 14 straight before picking up a victory. Once in decent position in the AL West and the Wild Card, they have tumbled to a 28-31 mark and sit 2.5 games out in the AL Wild Card standings. Seemingly heading in an opposite direction than Philadelphia.
Oh, yeah. The Yankees beat the Twins 2 out of 3 in Minneapolis. Yawn. The Yankees have dominated Minnesota, winning more games against the Twins than any other team has against another MLB opponent. Plus New York has shut out Minnesota in the playoffs. So it wasn’t surprising that when ace Gerrit Cole incredibly served up 5 home runs in the first inning, the Yankees, MLB leaders in homers, used the long ball to come back and win by a score of 10-7.
This is some lineup, one which has great confidence. With moribund Aaron Hicks and enigmatic Joey Gallo showing signs of finally heating up, that will be scary for the rest of baseball, starting with an intra league visit by the Cubs to Yankee Stadium on Friday night.
Finally, a shout out to the Oklahoma Women’s Softball team on their winning the Women’s College World Series. That’s four titles in the last six tournaments. Not too shabby.
A cornucopia for the sports fan. A whirlwind for me.
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