NBA
Now that was pretty cool.
The final day of the NBA regular season featured a barn-burner to decide the final playoff spot in the West, the first triple double from a teenager and a 20-rebound performance from a player's who excellence has become commonplace.
Before we get to any of that, let's review the NBA playoff match-ups. In the West it's 1) Houston vs. 8) Minneosta, which survived an overtime thriller against Denver to end the NBA's longest playoff drought and return to the postseason for the first time since 2004; 2) Golden State vs. San Antonio; 3) Portland vs. 6) New Orleans; 4) Oklahoma City vs. 5) Utah.
In the East it's 1) Toronto vs. 8) Washington; 2) Boston vs. 7) Milwaukee; 3) Philadelphia vs. 6) Miami; 4) Cleveland vs Indiana.
And while our preseason predictions got seven of the eight playoff teams in each conference, our award picks from the preseason are pretty spotty.
Sure we had "a motivated" LeBron as the MVP and he likely will finish second to James Harden. We also had Rudy Gobert as the defensive player of the year. But those being right or close are devalued greatly with the picks of Lonzo Ball as the top rookie and Steve Kerr as the coach of the year. Ouch-standing.
One thing that is not debatable is how much fun Wednesday night was.
Russell Westbrook gobbling 20 rebounds to put the exclamation point on his second-consecutive season of averaging a triple double. Last year we were fascinated with Westbrook's pursuit to become the first player since Oscar Robertson to average double figures in scoring, rebounds and assists.
Now he's done it twice. Amazing. More amazing than doing it once and we as a sporting public for the most part have shrugged our collective shoulders. "Been there. Seen that. Where's the T-shirt."
As for the teenager with a triple double, well, Markelle Fultz, the top-pick for the 76ers who has missed a lot of the season, had his best game as a rookie last night as Philly won its 16th straight game. Couple of thoughts: If Fultz gives them quality point play and Joel Embiid returns sooner rather than later from the orbital fracture he suffered last month, the 76ers are going to be a very tough out for everyone - Cleveland included - in the East. Secondly, if we can call Philly Philly, has anyone ever tried to call Milwaukee Milly? Discuss. (The previous record holders for youngest player with a triple double was Lonzo Ball, who was 20 years and 15 days when he had his first triple double of the season. Fultz is 19 years and 317 days.)
Couple other numbers that count. LeBron James lead his team in scoring, rebounds and assists, the fifth time he has done that in his Hall of Fame career. That passes Elgin Baylor for the most ever.
The Timberwolves ended the league's longest playoff drought? How's this for lengthy: The last time Minnesota made the playoffs, it was the 1 seed in the West with MVP Kevin Garnett, Latrell Sprewell, Sam Cassell, Trenton Hassell and occasionally Michael Olowokandi in the the starting lineup.
Giddy-up
Brawl in the Bronx
OK, baseball fights more times than not are like choreographed group hugs.
"Hold me back."
"You don't want me to come over there."
You get the idea.
Well, baseball's biggest rivalry got truly heated Wednesday night as the Yankees and Red Sox got huffy with each other.
It started with a hard slide into second base. It escalated when Joe Kelly hit Tyler Austin with a 97-mph heater.
It ended with the image of Aaron Judge - a mountain of a man - hauling a Red Sox player off in a headlock. (Side note: Getting in to it with the Yankees with Judge at 6-6, 270 and Giancarlo Stanton 6-6, 250 is risky play.)
"Red Sox-Yankees," Boston pitcher David Price told reporters afterward. "That's what everybody wants. That's what they got."
But is that what we want? Is that what baseball should want?
On one hand it has the sport buzzing. Normally an April game, even between the most-heated rivals in the sport, would be a shoulder-shrugger. Even if Price had the shortest start of his MLB career.
But now it's the talk across ESPN. (There was also a 'brawl' - and if you have actually every been a real brawl, then you know the term used in baseball scuffles should always be in air-quotes - between the Padres and the Rockies on Wednesday too.)
And, at least in my eyes, Austin had every right to go after Kelly. Austin was the runner that slid into second and, at least in the view of some of the Red Sox, had his spikes high.
Then he gets plunked with a high-90s fastball. What if that breaks a bone and sidelines him for an extended period?
We're headed to the mound for a discussion in that scenario too. But the question remains, is this something the sport wants?
Discuss.
Speaking of baseball
We are all for this, and we know this will be a dicey call for the Angels.
But according to this story, baseball's most talked-about newcomer since Fernando - Mr. Shohei Ohtani - is lobbying for more playing time.
We know his pitching has been off the charts. The numbers are Kershawian in his two starts on the mound.
He has five starts at DH, meaning he's played in seven of the Angels' 13 games so far. The team has, so far, rested Ohtani on the day before and the day after he pitches.
And Ohtani wants to play more. And we want Ohtani to play more. He's the best story in baseball and there's not a really close second.
"I talk to the medical staff every day, and they see how I'm doing, my strength level, to see if I can play that day," Ohtani told reporters via his translator after Wednesday's 7-2 win.
"It's the beginning of the season, so I think they are being pretty careful with me right now. Once the season gets tougher and the schedule gets tougher throughout the summer, hopefully I can make them want to play me more. I would like to play more. If not, that's what it is. I have to follow what they have to say."
His numbers - 2-0 on the mound with an ERA of 2.08 with 18 Ks in 13 innings; at the plate he has three homers, a .364 average and eight RBIs - certainly would want any team to want more of Ohtani on the field.
And yes, baseball is a game of ebbs and flows and streaks of each extreme. So there will be a stretch in the future where he's 0-for-22 rather than 8-for-22 like he has been to start the season.
But right now, the more Shohei shows everyone, the more there is to like.
This and that
- Here are some recruiting updates from The Opening in Atlanta, which is one of the best-attended offseason combines for rising seniors. Of interest in that group are some familiar family names like quarterbacks Taulia Tagovailoa (brother of Tua) and Bo Nix (son of Patrick) as well as right end Tyler Fromm (brother of Jake).
- Wow, Aldon Smith, the much-troubled former first-round pick of the 49ers, turned himself in to authorities last week. When he did he had a blood-alcohol content of .40. Yes, point-4-0, which means for every three drops of blood in his body there were two drops of alcohol. Dude is lucky to be alive.
- Here is the news about the 2018 NFL preseason schedules. We know you are stoked.
- After last night's opening to the NHL postseason, the Las Vegas Golden Knights have the rarest of distinctions in that they are the only team in North American team sports to have never lost a playoff game.
- In a time when a lot of the stories we hear about high school sports make us cringe, this one makes us smile. And it makes us sad a little. Bill McMahan, the long-time Baylor School track and field coach, told TFP sports editor Stephen Hargis that this will be his final season. McMahan is one of the truly great people among a lot of good ones in area high school sports. He will be missed.
- Speaking of crazy NBA numbers, did you see this story? Vince Carter is "90 percent" sure he will return for a 21st season. Wow.
- Cool story from UTC's football program signing Ben Foster, a 15-year-old freshman from North Georgia who suffers from neuromuscular disorder. Congrats Coach Arth and Ben.
- Fun start for the Baylor School pair of Harris English and Luke List at the Heritage. There's no sense in posting scores, since the leaderboard could go any number of directions by the time you read this. But List started with a hole-out from the right rough from 148 yards on No. 1 for an eagle 2. English opened with a messy double bogey before making four birdies on the next eight holes. English made more than 43 feet of putts for those four birdies.
Today's question
We've got a couple of T or Fs on a Thursday.
True or false, brawls are good for baseball.
True or false, you would take Warriors and Cavs against the rest of the NBA playoff field.
True or false, the Angels should play Shohei Ohtani every day.
David Letterman is 71 today. We miss you Dave. Yes, Johnny Carson may be the Jordan of the late-night TV hosts, but Letterman was better than everyone else. (And while he did not have Carson's career consistency, at his apex, Letterman was every bit as good if not better than Carson.)
Tom Clancy also is 71 today. Fellow author Scott Turow is 69.
Henry Clay was born on this day in 1777. He was known as the Great Compromiser, but his momma call him Clay, I'm gonna call him Clay.
FDR died on this day in 1945. Two of boxings all-timers died on this day - Joe Louis in 1981 and Sugar Ray Robinson in 1989.
Ed O'Neill is 72 today. Kudos Al Bundy/Jay Pritchett. Does any actor have a better pair of TV sitcom roles than those two?
We could have crafted a Rushmore for Mr. O'Neill because that's a strong pair of comedy roles gang.
But as many of you have passed along, today is national grilled cheese day. The grilled cheese is a monster and there are not a whole lot of folks I know who are anti-grilled cheese. In fact, true or false, you should not be friends with someone who does answers the later to the "Grilled Cheese: Friend of foe?" question. We say true.
We will ask for nominations for the Rushmore of sandwiches. Easy peasy grilled cheesy.
Go, and remember the mailbag.