May is here! That means .
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1. The NBA Playoffs Move to The Heavyweight Matchup Phase
Round 1 is over. No more playing around. Oh the Brooklyn Nets are such a nice stor — DONE. Maybe OKC can put it all togeth— NOPE. DONE. Sure the Spurs are ancient but, maybe Pop could coax them past the first roun — UH UH. And what is that last one, oh yeah, Utah. BOOOORING. DONE. OVER.
What we are left with are the true contenders. The Alpha Dogs of the NBA.
We’ve got:
- Golden State vs. Houston!
- Raptors vs. Sixers!
- Bucks vs. Celtics!
- Trailblazers vs. Nuggets!
Which means, we’ve got the Slim Reaper vs. The Beard. Do you like your transcendent scorer lean and lanky or burly and swarthy? Take your pick.
Do you like Playoff Kawhi leading a deep talented cast North of the Border or the loaded with All-Stars Sixers. Do you still trust The Process?
Giannis against the pesky experienced Kyrie-led Celtics?
Dame and CJ against Murray and The Joker?
THAT is the stuff. Pump that into my veins all day and night long!!!
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2. The Second Coming of Vladimir Guerrero. Jr. Arrives.
Has there been a more anticipated debut in MLB?
Vladimir, Jr. is an offensive powerhouse. (All you have to do is listen to the stat-heads gush about his 80 “hit tool” AND his 80 “power tool.” That’s on – you know – an 80 point scale. Guy hit .380 last year in the minors and hits rocket-launcher HRs.
He has cool Predator-esque hair and an infectious smile.
Finally, HE IS VLADIMIR GUERRERO’S SON!
For those of us who grew up watching baseball in the 1990s, Vladimir Guerrero was simply one of your favorite players to watch. Cannon for an arm. Liquid athleticism. Hand-eye coordination that allowed him to reach any pitch. Like ANY pitch. Even when they bounced.
That’s Vladimir on the left, and Vlad Jr. on the right:
Come for the wonderful father-son story. Stay for the offensive fireworks.
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3. What Do You Call 600,00 People Gathered In Nashville Tennessee? The NFL Draft. We Laughed. We Cried. But Really, Mostly We Cried.
Well, if you say you’re going to read placards of drafted players apparently They Will Come. And come they did. To Nashville, TN, where 600,000 people streamed in to town, making the NFL Draft look a lot like Times Square on New Years’ Eve.
The actual draft for my home-town NY Giants was less fun. After trading Odell Beckham, Jr. this off-season for a second first round pick (#17) and some scraps, the Giants went into the night with two first round selections. They inexplicably went and drafted not the first best or second best or even third best QB available at number 6, passing on sure-to-be-HOF pass-rusher and local kid, Josh Allen. Then at number 17, they took at DT, Trevor Lawrence, who if he’s lucky will one day become the player that Damon “Snacks” Harrison was last year when the Giants traded him for a 5th round draft pick. Follow?
The rest of the draft seemed better for the G-Men, but that rough start shook up the fan-base something fierce.
That wasn’t the only sad thing going on. Kansas City was AGAIN seen dealing with a high-profile domestic violence situation with one of their players, this time Tyreke Hill. Who could have seen this coming? Oh, wait. Everyone. Tyreke Hill dropped in his Draft years ago due to “character concerns” that included a guilty plea for beating up his then-pregnant girlfriend. Two years later, all was forgiven and forgotten, because – well – Hill is fast. Real fast. Until last week, when his behavior against caught up with him. Perhaps KC might want to reconsider its strategy for identifying draft day bargains…
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Photo Credit: AP/File (cover), MLB Youtube(screen cap)
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