The Big Story – World Cup: The four-year wait is over for soccernauts. The first game is today (Thursday) between Mexico and South Africa in Mexico City. Then comes the first game in the U.S. when Scotland faces Haiti in Foxboro Saturday.
There are changes underway, as the tournament has controversially expanded from 36 countries to 48. That was done, of course, for, what else?, the extra dough to be racked in from the extra games. That’s before we even talk about the outrageous expense being charged for tickets, parking, hotels, merch and train rides to Foxboro, etc.
But since no one is being forced to buy any of those things, and I’ll only be watching on free TV, what’s to complain about?
So enjoy the best way you can.
Sports 101 – Name the first African American players to be MVP in the AL and the NL.
News Item – Red Sox Week: Things got worse, not better. No stat points more to the importance of power when you play at Fenway than their astoundingly being only 10-21 at home so far!
It’s been 43 days since Red Sox ace Garrett Crochet first went on the 15-day IL with simple shoulder irritation. With him being moved to the 60-day IL last week it probably wasn’t as simple as first thought.
The ERA was 6.34 when Brayan Bello got sent to AAA last week. And after last week’s debacle vs. Baltimore, the first-inning ERA alone was an incredible 16.88.
News Item – NBA Finals: Game 3 goes off after I file this. But having won 13 straight playoff games to take a 2-0 Finals lead over San Antonio, the New York Knickerbockers are on one of the greatest playoff runs in NBA history.
Karl-Anthony Towns and Mike Brown are changing their under-achieving reps around the NBA.
How dumb does Dallas look after letting Jalen Brunson walk for less money than they handed over to keep the always hurt Kyrie Irving instead?
News Item – World Cup Thoughts:
I’m taking the over on the Vegas line whatever it is, probably around 96.7% of the games will end in a 1-1 tie before shootouts are needed to break ties.
The only thing I don’t like is how the Final 4 will be played out in three separate sites rather than those three games played in the same city to close it out. But the needed recovery time between the Round of 4 and the Final negates the one local idea. So never mind.
Since I probably know five players in the whole thing, no phony predictions from me. Just hoping USA makes it out of opening-round play.
The Numbers:
0.74 – after 10 starts and 61.0 innings the earned run average of 6-2 Dodgers hurler/DH Shohei Ohtani.
1.75 – the ERA of the guy the Red Sox got for Raffy Devers and dumped this spring for .196-hitting Caleb Durbin as the headed-for-the-All-Star-game Kyle Harrison has gone 7-1 for Milwaukee.
844 – longest in the majors consecutive games played by Atlanta first baseman Matt Olson, which came ironically on MLB’s annual June 2 “Lou Gehrig Day” when his 17th homer knocked in the winning runs in a 4-3 game.
… Of the Week Awards
Thumbs Up – The BBC: For announcing they will not air the World Cup’s Americanization of their event in the form of a half-time musical show a la the Super Bowl’s idiotic half-time show for the first time. The British broadcaster will instead air their usual half-time analysis show.
Bravo for the Brits.
Sports 101 Answer: Jackie Robinson was MVP in the NL in 1949, just two years after breaking the color barrier. Yankees (and eventual Red Sox) catcher Elston Howard was named American League MVP in 1963.
Final Thought – A.J. Brown Deal Called “Overpay” by Critics: The Patriots finally made the deal with Philly for wideout A.J. Brown. And while it gave them their first dynamic downfield threat since Gronk left the building, it was immediately labeled an “overpay” by Ben Volin of the Boston Globe and the always see the negative afternoon rocket scientists on the Sports Hub.
I said last week I’d give a second pick for him, so giving up a 2028 first-round pick and a fifth in 2027 is an overpay for that. But I look at the deal like this: What would be a bigger catastrophe for the Pats?
Not getting a 1A deep threat to complement the most accurate down field thrower I’ve seen since Roman Gabriel in the ’60s, but with the ego satisfaction of not having overpaid for him, or being forced to overpay a little (but delayed to 2028) by making sure their biggest need (by far) was filled to prevent someone else from swooping in with a better offer to steal him?
No doubt it would be the first option. I’ll be happy to take Brown and live with the overpay.
Email Dave Long at dlong@hippopress.com.