Stamford, CT: There’s a lot going on in sports right now and I’ve got a serious half-chubb baseball bat going. Ok, bowling pin. Ok, dart. But with all the blood flowing to my dart, I’m having trouble keeping a thought in my head. So let’s pop around and check in with the Yankees, Giants, the NBA Finals, and the NHL’s Perfect Bubble.
Baseball’s Re-seeding
Baseball’s decision to go with the hard bracket instead of re-seeding is dumb. The Yankees Rays, and the Dodgers Padres would be on a possible collision course in the CSs instead of DSs. Now we’re guaranteed to get two of the Marlins, Braves, A’s, Astros in the final four. There’s only one major tournament where they should use the bracket.
Yankees Rays
The Yankees were impressive against Cleveland and showed they can flick the switch on come playoff time. Tampa is a taller order, though. Fun fact: The Rays broke the record for most pitchers with a save (13) in only 60 games. Great Goose Fingers Quinsenberry! The Yanks might have the bigger names on the back end, but the Rays have a lot more depth in their pen. That could really be an advantage in a series with games on five straight days.
If I hear one more time about how much these teams hate each other, I might puke. This ain’t the Yankees Red Sox guys, settle down.
Bubble Bron
When I heard a LeBron James talking about how much he hated the #BubbleLife, I didn’t think the Heat had a chance. That dude cannot fathom the thought of coming out of this without a ring. And every loss just means more time in there. I thought the Heat, especially down two key players, were going to pack it in.
But Jimmy Buckets went absolutely apesh!t with a 40 point triple double. I did not see that coming. We still might be looking at a “gentleman’s sweep” but I’m hoping the Heat can maybe get Bam back and sneak out another one. An angry LeBron is good fun.
Hockey’s Perfect Record
The NHL pulled off a fantastic Stanley Cup Tournament without one positive test. Can we put Bouncer Bettman in charge of the White House? Nothing gets by that mother pucker.
New York Giant Disappointments
Danny Rupees
It’s easy to forget that Daniel Jones is learning a totally new offense in his second year without the benefit of a preseason. He has no running game to speak of and is protected like Lincoln at Ford’s Theater. It’s not good that stopgap Cam Fleming was their highest rated O-lineman by PFF on Sunday. Jones played like a guy trying hard not to turn it over, and he didn’t until the end. That one hurt, especially since it looked like he could have easily trotted for the first down.
But I still believe. Patience.
The Giants’ Defense
These guys played pretty well yesterday and have shown signs of late. Usually they start out pretty well and then the offense’s struggles put them right back out there so often that they eventually break. They’ve been brutal on third down, but were better on Sunday vs a good Rams offense on the road. The D is definitely way ahead of the offense. But I guess that’s like bragging about being way ahead of Adam Gase and Dave Gettleman on Jeopardy.
That’s all I got. I sure hope the Yankees won last night. Come back tomorrow for a guy with PFF ratings that don’t reflect his full value, Angry Ward. Follow us on Twitter at @BenWhit8, @MeetTheMatts, @Matt_McCarthy00, Instagram @MeetTheMatts and like our Facebook page, Meet The Matts
