NIAGARA FALLS, NY – Hello on this Memorial Day Monday. I just got a lesson in how Memorial Day started as Decoration Day. Apparently, a bunch of Union soldiers during the Civil War were killed and buried in a giant mass grave. Following the end of the Civil War, freed slaves in the town dug up the bodies and placed red, white, and blue decorations on the graves. The cemeteries and churches in the area held a celebration and sang hymns, and apparently that’s how Memorial Day started. Never knew. Well, that history lesson is over. Let’s get to today’s topics: the Mets’ weekend review, and the Knicks in the Eastern Conference playoffs.
NY Mets Week in Review
The Mets went 2-5 on this road trip. They essentially split the four-game series with the Nationals and then let themselves get swept by the Marlins. In the split series against the Nationals, the Mets struggled with scoring when they got runners on base. They were able to overcome it a couple of times—notably against the Nationals, because there were some very solid pitching performances, with guys giving up only two or three runs.
Then they landed in Miami, and that only worked once. They only scored two runs over the three games, losing 2-1, 4-1, and 4-0.
Knicks Update
Someone needs to have a word with the NYC Office of Emergency Management (OEM). Are they truly prepared for when the Knicks make the Finals? It’s been a long time coming. I mean, it should have happened last year, but they blew it. But this year, it’s not just the fact that they have a chance to go to the Finals—it’s how dominating they’ve been since Game 5 against the Hawks. They went on from those two big wins, including one of the largest playoff victories ever, to sweeping the Sixers and then this series. The series against the Cavs is over after being up 3-0. The Knicks were rusty, and the Cavs didn’t take the chance to put them to bed and steal Game 1. Then the Knicks made a 22-point comeback in that first game, won in overtime, and basically ripped the heart out of the Cavs. I mean, the body is still breathing for a few more games, but this series is over. Now the Knicks are up 3-0 and will be closing it out tonight. We’ll see what happens out West—the West is tied 2-2. That might go to seven games, and the Knicks might get another week of rest in between.
Stanley Cup Playoffs
As far as the Stanley Cup playoffs go, it looks like it’s already over in the West. Las Vegas stole both games on the road in Colorado and just won the third game. Colorado might try to avoid a sweep this week and push it to five or six, but there’s no way they come back to win four straight.
In the Eastern Conference, it’s the old guard of the Montreal Canadiens versus the new guard of the Carolina Hurricanes. The Hurricanes are formally the Whalers, and yes, they’ve been good and had a good run in Carolina, but I’m always against one of the teams winning the Cup. I’m moving toward Montreal because I want to root for a Canadian team to win it, and as they were the ones to knock out the Sabres, it would be nice for Buffalo to say they were beaten by the champs. Montreal seems to be getting things done on the road, as they’ve been in the dogfight in both games. The problem they had against the Sabres, and what they cannot let happen here, is letting down the intensity and energy at home.
Thanks for coming. Stay tuned tomorrow for The Big Aristotle
