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Weekend winners
› LSU baseball. LSU won its eighth College World Series Sunday with a 5-3 win over pitching-rich Coastal Carolina. Apparently LSU is even more pitching rich, riding great starts from Kade Anderson and Anthony Eyanson. I think it’s time to ask: Is LSU the greatest college baseball program ever? The eight nattys are second-most all-time — USC has 12 — but that’s akin to saying UCLA is the best hoops program because of a dominant run before 1980. Thoughts?
› Keegan Bradley. Yes, Tommy Fleetwood opened the door, but 39-year-old Keegan Bradley charged through it. Look, Captain Keegan is fired up to be the Ryder Cup leader, but should he be considered to be a Ryder Cup player too?
› Houston Rockets fans. Lots more hoops to come on a busy weekend — and did you know the draft is Wednesday; I love the draft, but Phoenix completing its total destruction of its franchise got its first step in redirection when the Suns gift-wrapped Kevin Durant to the Rockets. The West is going to be a dogfight next season.
› Jacob Misiorowski. If you are asking who, that’s fine. The Miz is a rookie lefty who throws triple digits and at 6-foot-7 is drawing comps to Randy Johnson because of his port-side delivery, his height, his velocity and his biting slider that when on seems unfair. How’s this for a cool stat to start a career? In two outings and 11 innings, Big Miz has more wins (two) than hits allowed (one).
› Shohei Ohtani’s Sunday. The most uni of unicorns in all of sports pitched one inning with 2 Ks and reached 99 mph on the gun. He also tripled and homered in the Dodgers’ win.
Weekend losers
› Everyone involved in the first-inning ejection of Coastal Carolina coach Kevin Schnall. Know this: The most dangerous question an ump or official can ask a player or coach is, “What did you just say,” and the only answer should be “nothing.” Schnall got tossed because of an extended argument with home-plate umpire Angel Campos in LSU’s title-winning victory Sunday. Conversely, no one pays to see umps and refs doing their craft and no one ever, Ever, EVER wants the ump or ref to become a central part of the story. Sadly, both of these can be true, and everyone loses because of it.
› Caitlin Clark. Yep, the 5-at-10’s fav is mired in a wicked shooting slump, and it cost Clark’s Fever a chance to end what is now a 16-game losing streak to the Las Vegas Aces. Clark is now 10-for-34 over her last two games — both losses — and a bricktastic 1-for-17 from 3 in that span.
› The Braves. Right when they grab your attention, they drop two of three in Miami to the lowly Marlins. To make matters worse, Chris Sale has been moved to the IL. Or as Spy — a devoted Red Sox fan — noted over the weekend, “When Chris Sale is healthy, he’s a horse. Problem is, he comes up lame at some point every season. He’s so brittle he makes the folks in line for the early bird specials in Lakeland seem healthy and hearty by comparison.” Side note: Six Braves starters are hitting .253 or lower. The Marlins have four. Is that good, Spy?
› Players in the NBA playoffs wearing 0. Wow, the Tyrese Haliburton injury was crippling for the Pacers in the first quarter of last night’s Game 7, and becomes an all-time “what if” for every Indiana basketball fan. But Haliburton is the third name-recognizing star with 0 on his jersey who suffered a torn Achilles in this postseason. The others are Dame Lilliard and Jayson Tatum. Yikes. Is 0 the new 13? Which leads us to …
› Knicks fans. Yes, the Knicks are discussed way too much for a team looking for its first title in 52 years, but with the Achilles injuries above and the wide-openness of the Eastern Conference, don’t you have to match and surpass Houston’s offer for KD and take a step toward being the beast in the East?
Next dynasty?
We are quick to think any champion is destined to be back over and over again.
It’s the Jordanization or the Bradyism of our view of champions. Especially young champions.
We got an especially young champion last night when OKC — the second-youngest NBA championship roster in the shot-clock era and multiple OKC players not only had their first drink of alcohol celebrating the trophy, some did not know how to open the champagne — topped Indiana to hoist the Larry O’Brien trophy.
Those aforementioned dynasties had all-timer superstars, legendary coaches and different circumstances that allowed them to win six NBA titles in eight NBA seasons and six Super Bowls during Brady’s time in Foxboro.
As for the superstar, well, Hamilton Heights alum Shai Gilgeous-Alexander certainly looks the part. He became the fourth NBA player ever to collect a scoring title, an MVP, an NBA title and an NBA Finals MVP in the same season. The others are one-name universal stars — Jordan, Kareem and Shaq.
That’s the list.
As for legendary coaches, well, I’m not sure if the OKC head coach walked into the TFP newsroom, I would recognize him. But the Thunder do have an organization wizard in GM Sam Presti.
Did you know Presti is the only GM the Thunder have had since moving to OKC from Seattle?
What other sports exec has gotten anything close to that runway to craft something like this?
What other sports exec had a legacy of drafting and acquiring and ultimately trading more Hall of Famers than winning them than Presti, who has traded Durant, Harden, Westbrook, Chris Paul and more?
As for the circumstances, well, Jordan’s NBA was not as salary-constrictive as today’s — a key factor since SGA, Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams are up for extensions this summer — and Brady consistently took less to keep the Pats’ cap flexible.
While this moment should be Thunder’s crowning of what was — they became just the third team in NBA history to win 84 or more combined games in a regular and postseason — it’s impossible not to look toward what could be.
This and that
› Speaking of the NBA, can I get an “Amen” from the congregation since a) ESPN has said the “Inside the NBA” crew from TNT will handle halftime duties starting next season, and b) that means no more Screamin’ A making the halftime show about Screamin’ A.
› Nice to have disposable income, huh? Josh Harris, the guy who owns the Washington Commanders, went to a card show with star second-year QB Jayden Daniels and bought the former LSU’s star rookie card. For the tidy sum of $500,000. Think Harris Venmo’ed the money or just wrote a check?
› Man, I was looking up MLB home run leaders to see where Shohei ranks. He’s third after his 26th Sunday. Yes, Aaron Judge is ahead of him. Judge is second with 27. The leader? Seattle catcher Cal Raleigh.
› Tough time to be an announcer since WNBA analyst Rebecca Lobo felt the need to rephrase her description of the ability for sports debaters to disagree amicably is what “makes America great” because it’s too close to you know whose catchphrase. Man, when someone feels like they are stepping on their tongue for praising our freedoms in America and describing them as great, well, we are through the looking glass.
› Can someone please explain to me how Joe Burrow is THIS bad at throwing a baseball? Anyone?
› You know the rules. Here’s Paschall on one of the most-experienced players on the 2025 UT roster.
› Speaking of golf, Harris English finished T4 and made $880K at the Travelers. Fellow Baylor School alum Stephan Jaeger finished T34 and collected $108,750.
Today’s questions
Weekend winners and losers. Go.
As for Multiple Choice Monday, which was the biggest basketball story of the weekend:
> OKC winning the title;
> KD getting dealt;
> Tyrese Haliburton’s Achilles;
> Caitlin shooting 3s like Fat Vader after celebrating LSU’s most recent CWS title;
As for today, June 23, let’s review:
› “David Letterman Show” debuted on this day in 1980. Second-best late-night show ever behind Johnny. This is not debatable.
“Batman” with Michael Keaton and Jack Nicholson premiered on this day in 1989.
Does Jack as the Joker make the Rushmore of best superhero movie villains? Go.