I have been inundated with sports of consequence. I will get to that later in this edition.
Mind you, I am still not watching the New York Yankees, as the team has been on an unbelievable roll, spearheaded by Aaron Judge and despite a slump by Juan Soto, who broke out of it in a big way Saturday by reaching base five times for the 11th time in his still young career and smashing two 400’ plus homers. I wear my Yankees cap proudly these days, as the Bombers sit in first place, still in a season-long fight with Baltimore for AL East supremacy.
To the Philadelphia fans who still haven’t gotten over the Sixers going out in the first round to the New York Knicks, take a gander at your Phillies. Sitting atop the NL East, in possession of the best record in baseball. The Phils have the only winning percentage above .700. They have gone 10-0 against the formidable NL West, winning series against the Padres, Rockies and Giants. In the NL East, the Phillies are 10-5; they have a MLB-leading 18-8 home record and have gone 15-6 on the road. Only playing the NL Central have the Phillies struggled, going 7-7. The team’s run differential is 74, tied with the Yankees and trailing only the offensive-minded Los Angeles Dodgers.
Star player Bryce Harper leads the way with 10 home runs and 33 R.B.I. Alec Bohm has blossomed, carrying a .329 batting average. J.T. Realmuto is solid behind the plate and is competent with the bat, hitting for a .275 average.
There are some low batting averages from mainstays like Nick Castellanos, Kyle Schwarber, Whit Merrifield and Garrett Stubbs. Edmundo Sosa has filled in well at shortstop with Trea Turner hobbled with a hamstring injury.
Ace Zach Wheeler, who began the season 0-3, is now 5-3 with a 2.52 E.R.A. Aaron Nola is 5-2 and has a 3.10 E.R.A. When Taijuan Walker returns from injury, the Phillies starting rotation will be that much stronger. While Jeff Hoffman has a stellar 0.90 E.R.A., he has blown three saves in six chances; that could be trouble as the season progresses.
The team still has to face the Orioles in Baltimore; host the Yankees; play the Dodgers home and home; and contend with NL East rival Atlanta in a number of crucial games. For now, the perpetually dissatisfied Phillies fans should be cheering, not booing (too much).
And those Dodgers keep on rolling. Mookie Betts and Shohei Ohtani form one of the top two slugging duos in baseball (Judge and Soto being the other one), augmented by the ever-steady Will Smith. Freddie Freeman, currently hitting just below .300, hasn’t hit full stride yet. That make the Dodger super scary.
The LAD pitching has been outstanding. Tyler Glasnow has a 6-2 record with a 2.90 E.R.A. and 81 strikeouts. With Walker Buehler back in the rotation, the Dodgers are even tougher. Closer Evan Phillips has an 0.66 E.R.A. and has converted all eight save opportunities.
Los Angeles was the heavy favorite to win it all. They are right in the thick of things. With Betts and Ohtani playing for NL M.V.P. honors, expect LAD to continue its onslaught.
Enough baseball. It is playoff time in the NBA and NHL. This year, fans in Dallas, Denver, New York and Boston were able to see their respective two teams from the winter season continue playing in May, as the Mavericks and Stars, Nuggets and Avalanche, Knicks and Rangers, and Celtics and Bruins all made it to the second round. Now, only Dallas fans have teams in conference finals.
The Celtics have manhandled their opposition thus far. Not sweeping the series isn’t a sign of weakness; as the team goes forward, we will see if the Kristaps Porzingis injury make the team more vulnerable.
Dallas survived a nip-and-tuck Game 6 at home against a young and determined Oklahoma City squad, winning when Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the star of the Thunder, tried too hard to block the final three point shot attempt of P.J. Washington. Washington made the first two free throws then intentionally missed the third, causing OKC to unsuccessfully heave the ball down the court towards the basket as time ran out.
Both victorious teams awaited the results from two Game 7’s. Upstart Minnesota had blown out defending champ Denver three times en route to tying the series at 3. The last rout was by 45 points, setting up the deciding game on the Nuggets home floor.
New York came from a bruising six game soiree with Philadelphia and took a 2-0 lead over Indiana. Once the Pacers returned home, they held serve. Back at Madison Square Garden, the Knicks returned the favor by smashing Indiana. Playing with a ferocity that came from their head coach, Rick Carlisle, a member of Boston championship teams led by Larry Bird and Kevin Mc Hale, the Pacers stunned the Knicks.
Heading into the seventh game, an already banged up New York team entered the game unsure if forwards O.G. Anunoby and Josh Hart would play. O.G. hurt his hamstring in Game 2 and hadn’t played since. Hart hurt his abdomen in Game 6, reducing his effectiveness on the boards and as a defender.
Nobody told Indiana that they weren’t headed to the Eastern Conference final. In a record-setting shooting display, the Pacers thoroughly dismantled a feisty but in the end, overmatched New York team which made a gallant effort. Don’t dismiss Indiana as a huge underdog—they have the moxie to take it to Boston.
And no reigning champion will repeat for the sixth straight year. With a stunning second half comeback, Minnesota dethroned the Nuggets. Dallas and Minnesota will vie for the
Western Conference berth in the NBA Finals.
In the NHL, New York stunned Carolina in Raleigh with a three goal third period outburst by Chris Kreider, the Blueshirts’ all-time playoff goal scorer. Florida shocked Boston, scoring in the last two minutes of Game 6, and holding on to silence a frenzied TD Garden crowd and end the series. The Florida-New York Rangers matchup will be a tough one, with whoever survives being a good prospect to win the Stanley Cup.
Out West, Dallas was just better than Colorado. The Stars are a complete team. They await the winner of a Game 7 between two Canadian franchises—Vancouver and Edmonton. Whichever team emerges from the winner-take-all battle in Vancouver will be the last chance for Canada to win a Stanley Cup.
All of the games have been high-octane battles. So much fun to watch, even if the New Jersey Devis never made the tournament and still are searching for a head coach. That is the essence of playoff hockey.
If all this wasn’t enough, we had the announcement of NFL schedule on May 15th—the New York Jets host four night games and play in three more prime time clashes, including meeting the Vikings in England. When the Jets fans complained, the snide NFL reminded them that the Jets owed the NFL this season—referring to star acquisition Aaron Rodgers going down with a season-ending Achilles tendon injury six plays into the 2023 season. Lucky us.
Caitlin Clark made her WNBA debut. Fresh off a second place finish in the recent NCAA Tournament, her not-ready-for-prime time Indiana Fever team lost its first three games. Clark will adjust to the physicality of the league; that she scored 20 points twice shows how good she can be.
The PGA Tournament was contested in Louisville, Kentucky. With 15 players within five stokes of the American twin leaders Colin Morikowa and Xander Schauffele as play began on Sunday, the finish was poised to be truly exciting. Xander won it all, besting Bryson DeChambeau by one shot.
Except that World #1 ranked Scottie Scheffler got into a heap of trouble on Friday morning at the scene of a pedestrian fatality near the golf course. Whatever the outcome, sports fans and non-sports fans alike will remember this rather than the level of play exhibited all four days.
If all this tension wasn’t enough, The Preakness went to the wire where Seize the Grey ended Kentucky Derby winner Mystic Dan’s chance at a Triple Crown. And the Core Hydration Classic featured three US Olympic All-Around champions meeting for the first time as the US women head to the Olympic Trials and then onto Paris, the site of the 2024 Summer Games. Simone Biles once more showed her greatness, winning the title in Hartford.
Whew. I’m tired from this summary. While my eyes need a rest, that just isn’t happening. TV sports is my life—just no Yankees games for me.
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