NEW YORK, NY – Golly gee willikers! It’s the final Wednesday of May. Memorial Day is in the rearview mirror and summer stands before us, in all its radiant glory. The Knicks had a basketball game in Indiana last night, but I’m deciding not to write about it because 1) I’m putting this column to bed well before it airs and 2) I’ve decided not to watch it. I don’t need to, really. I live in NYC. I can tell by my neighbors’ screams (or deathly silence) how well or woeful it’s going. [SPOILER ALERT: Indiana won]. Let’s look at some other stuff instead. For the heck of it, I’ll start with the other Conference Final.
OKC/Minnesota. I don’t have a ton of thoughts on the Thunder/Timberwolves series but, as I expected, I think OKC has got this one. The blowout loss in that first game in Minnesota almost seemed like Oklahoma City was taking a “mental health day.” I was thinking about who would be the tougher opponent for the Knicks if they were to advance to the finals, and I just thought “OKC, for sure.” They clearly have the most talent, and the league MVP. BUT… I’m now thinking that Minnesota would bring a component against the Knicks that the Thunder can’t match, and that is emotion. I just think that Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo would be super-motivated to beat their former club. Not the same with a guy like Isaiah Hartenstein, who left New York on his own accord. Just a random thought. Let’s move on.
Has Anyone Seen Aaron Rodgers? No? Fine by me.
An Ace in Detroit. While Pittsburgh’s Paul Skenes gets considerably more ink and hype, the best pitcher in baseball right now plays for the Detroit Tigers. 2024 Cy Young-winner Tarik Skubal is already looking like he may go back-to-back with that award. He doesn’t just have great stuff, he seems to be a throwback in terms of competitive attitude. It’s fun to see someone play the game with emotion after an entire generation of ballplayers cloned themselves after Derek Jeter. This past Sunday, Skubal pitched a complete game shutout over divisional rival Cleveland, but that’s not all. He gave up two hits, no walks, and struck out 13 on just 94 pitches. The last time that happened was NEVER. At least since pitch count records started in 1988. Last year I thought Skubal and the Tigers were the only legit threat to the Yankees in the AL playoffs, but they got knocked out by the Guardians. This year, we’ll see if they can take that next step. But at least for now, when Skubal’s on the bump, it’s appointment viewing.
French Open Tennis. Just checking to see if you’re still awake.
Juan Soto. I’ll finish up with everyone’s favorite baseball hot take, Juan Soto, because, why not? Let’s get the obvious out of the way first. Currently Juan Soto is making over three quarters of a billion dollars and his hitting .233. But, it’s still only May. He also seemed supremely bummed out to be treated so callously by Yankees fans. Not sure what he expected there. He played for the team one year, everyone loved him, and he decided to take a little bit more to play with the Mets. Yankees fans have always been d!cks, so their behavior should come as no surprise. I sat in the Bleachers back in the day and listened to morons tell Ken Griffey Jr. that he sucked. Laughable. But, really, in this instance you would have a lot of teams’ fans react the same way, if they felt slighted. So, there’s still a lot of season left. Hopefully, for Soto and Mets fans, he puts last year behind him and starts playing up to his potential. If not… it’s gonna be a loooooong year.
Okay, I’m done for today. Buddy Diaz is in the on-deck circle with Knicks news. Yes, I’m mixing my sports metaphors. I care not.
