The jockeying for playoff position in the NBA is over. The NHL enters its last week. Baseball is through 10% of its games. The Masters field has completed its annual trek through the lush and colorful azaleas planted on the course. More on those shortly.
Yet those sports collectively pale in comparison with one event. Because the 2024 WNBA Draft is being held and the presumptive number one choice is America’s sports sweetheart, Caitlin Clark (Sorry, Swifties—being the girlfriend of the Kansas City Chiefs’ tight end and flying halfway around the world to attend the Super Bowl to see her beau play is in a different category of Americana).
As many hits as “Traylor” has been getting on social media, Iowa’s superstar is keeping pace if not doing better. We know she has said goodbye to the University of Iowa fans and in turn, the school will being retiring her number 22 jersey in the near future.
Without much digging, the web tells us that Clark is a marketing major with a minor in communication studies. We also know she was classified as a senior this past season but we do not know if she will be graduating.
Unless she flies in from Indianapolis on that date, Clark can attend graduation virtually. She will be in the midst of the WNBA pre-season at that time. From the April 15th draft through to the start of the WNBA season on May 14 (look for her to be featured in the season opener that night when the Indiana Fever visits the Connecticut Sun, to be telecast on ESPN 2) and beyond, Clark will be busy adapting to the professional ranks and the demands of expected stardom.
Her stamina will be tested with such a hectic schedule so close after the NCAA Women’s Championship. By happenstance, or maybe in anticipation, Clark’s boyfriend just happens to be living in Indianapolis, working for the playoff-bound Indiana Pacers.
Connor McCaffrey is his name. Basketball fans will recognize him as a member of the Iowa Hawkeyes’ men’s team, where he played for his father, Fran McCaffrey, and ended his career in 2023 as the program’s all-time leader in assist-to-turnover ratio. For the record, Connor did graduate with a dual degree in finance and political science; how this relates to becoming a basketball coach like his father is unclear.
While the couple has been balancing their respective jobs—his as a team assistant for Head Coach Rick Carlisle and she as the women’s college basketball college G.O.A.T. (which is definitely open to debate)—he has been so supportive of his girlfriend.
With the WNBA going through September and the Olympics in the middle, it’s going to be a lot for Clark. Not that McCaffrey won’t be working hard during that time.
He does have her back. When Iowa lost to South Carolina, McCaffrey summed up his affection and respect for Caitlin on Instagram: My GOAT @catlinclark22. This guy sounds smart and could be a keeper. Will they someday be known as “Conlin?” Or “30/22” for their uniform numbers?
Certainly we will get daily updates on Caitlin Clark similar to how one can easily find out what is the latest for Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce. I hope Clark has enough privacy to live her life away from the sanctitude of Iowa City. And do not worry about her income—I have feeling State Farm, Nike and other corporations will gladly renew or include her in the ad campaigns.
The pressure on her will be enormous. If she remains with her guy and endures the frustrations sure to come with a team which finished last in the league in the past season, the future will be bright.
Before I get to other sports, the death of O.J. Simpson must be mentioned. Bigger than life as an athlete, first at USC where he won the Heisman Trophy, then in the NFL as the record-breaking star running back for the Buffalo Bills, Simpson parlayed good looks and what appeared to be a great temperament into a career in commercials and on the big screen. Which came tumbling down with the murder of his wife Nicole, the low speed chase on the Southern California freeways and the subsequent trial and acquittal.
Simpson became a polarizing figure in American society, a lightning rod among the races and how things were viewed at that time. Never convicted of his wife’s murder, Simpson was held accountable in a civil trial. His persona became non grata and he lived a life denying his culpability. Ultimately, his bravado caught up with him in a botched retrieval of his memorabilia which landed him in a Nevada prison for over nine years. Prostate cancer summarily ended the pathos.
Think what you want about “The Juice.” His life was one of the most complicated I have seen in my lifetime, and with so much remaining unknown. O.J. truly was an enigma.
The NHL chase to the end of the season is scrambled. Much to the joy of Commissioner Gary Bettman, the person who is universally booed in all the league’s rinks.
In the Eastern Conference, the New York Rangers look like they will have the most points, followed by Boston, Carolina and Florida. What needs to be sorted out is which team secures the third and final spot in the Metropolitan Division presently held by the New York Islanders and which among the Islanders, Capitals, Penguins, Red Wings and Flyers takes the second Wild Card slot. Washington and Philadelphia meeting in the final game could be pivotal. As could the Islanders playing the Penguins.
It is just as unsettled in the Western Conference. Dallas has a chance to catch the Rangers for most points. Vancouver, Colorado, Edmonton and Winnipeg are closely bunched entering the last week of play. Nashville has clinched one of the Wild Card openings. Vegas is ahead of St. Louis, with the Golden Knights having to play an extra game; they can catch the Los Angeles Kings for third place in the Pacific Division, relegating the Kings, who have clinched a playoff berth, to the Wild Card. Both LA and Vegas play the final four games at home.
Sunday marked the conclusion of the NBA regular season. While the playoff participants were set, the positions weren’t set until the final whistle. Which made for some TV ratings and scoreboard watching.
Boston has the top record in the league. That does not necessarily make the Celtics the prohibitive favorite; defending champion Denver is more than ready to defend its crown. Minnesota and Oklahoma City, along with the Nuggets, form a formidable trio atop the Western Conference standings.
The play-in games have been set. In the East, the Bulls and Hawks meet, with the loser eliminated and the winner taking on the loser of the 7-8 contest between Miami and Philadelphia. All for the right to face the Celtics. The Knicks nailed down the #2 seed and await their opponent from the 7-8 game. Milwaukee faces Indiana in the 3-6 matchup and the Cavs and Magic tangle in the 4-5 game.
Out West, the games which played on Thursday night began the process of setting the lineup. When the dust settled on Sunday evening, OKC wound up with the top seed while ending up in a three-way tie with Denver (#2 seed) and Minnesota (#3 seed). The Clippers and Dallas meet in the 4-5 series, while the Lakers and Pelicans play the 7-8 game while Golden State travels to Sacramento with the winner continuing and the loser heads home.
Let’s talk a little baseball. Not too much can be discerned from the first few weeks of the season. After all, this is a marathon and the runners may have just gotten off of the Verrazano Bridge. There is a long way to go to Central Park.
Pittsburgh started strongly. So what? Last season the Pirates opened 20-8 and came nowhere near making the playoffs.
I am also dubious as to how good Kansas City and Detroit really are, and whether the Astros are as bad as they seem at the start. Perhaps the retirement of the venerable Dusty Baker as manager is having a big impact on the team at the outset. We can tell that Colorado isn’t very good, neither are the Marlins.
Sure, the Yankees looked good coming out of the gate. The karma is outstanding and Nestor Cortes and Carlos Rondon have pitched well. Anthony Volpe seemingly has fixed his swing and knows the tight strike zone better. Recently, Giancarlo Stanton has really been hitting with authority. Juan Soto is, well, Juan Soto superstar. Aaron Judge is still coming along and Anthony Rizzo is getting here. However, Gleyber Torres is struggling in his contract year and the catchers are hitting abysmally. Plus injuries have hit the bullpen, which is always taxed the way the starters pitch. That showed up on Sunday in the extra inning loss to Cleveland.
New York is not going to run away with the division with Baltimore right there. This is not like the Los Angeles Dodgers playing well thanks to the bat of one Shohei Ohtani added to the already potent lineup.
Maybe by Memorial Day the picture will be clearer. At least the weather is beginning to get better in the East and Midwest. That will help to see who really is good.
Former Yankees, Cardinals and Rangers left-hander Jordan Montgomery ditched super agent Scott Boras when the latter could not land a multi-year deal for the pitcher. Montgomery was not the only one Boras did not come through for. Could this be the start of a trend? Remember that Juan Soto is in his free agent year and is represented by Boras.
One more thing about Caitlin Clark. Fresh off her outrageously funny cameo on Saturday Night Live, I wonder if her management team has been approached by the Boyer Candy Company in western Pennsylvania. That company makes the confection called the Clark Bar. Revisiting the great past advertising slogan, I wonder what #22 would do to have a Clark Bar?
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