The Big Story – Red Sox Sweep the Yanks: Just when Red Sox Nation was about to throw 2025 overboard the local team came alive to win five straight, with the last three coming against the Yankees. And you can thank the pitching, which held the Yanks to just four runs in their weekend of 2-1, 4-3 and 2-0 wins.

Even more unbelievable was Alex Cora letting both Garrett Crochet (107) and Brayan Bello (114) exceed 100 pitches in their starts, while Roy Hobbs, er, Hunter Dobbins has come out of nowhere to tell tall tales about his dad once playing for the Yankees and win games as he is now 4-1 after six scoreless innings on Saturday.

Sports 101: Ty Cobb won the AL batting title every year between 1907 and 1919 except 1916. Who won it that year?

News Item – Roman Anthony Arrives While Raffy Devers Goes: It took the brass long enough, but they finally grew a pair to send the me-first Devers out of town to SF for four players. It’s more a deal for the future, as they got three players under 22 in return for their best hitter, including two big-armed but unproven pitchers, along with journeyman hurler Jordan Hicks. But there’s also the addition-by-subtraction benefit of removing his selfishness from a clubhouse stocked with young players. Plus it clears more than $200 million off the books to hopefully be invested in pitching at the trade deadline or next winter.It also clears a permanent spot for baseball’s top prospect, Roman Anthony, who arrived earlier in the week. He won’t replace Devers’ production immediately of course. But they feel he’s ready, and given the crowd at OF/DH he wasn’t gonna stay unless somebody was moved and Devers made the most long-term sense.As for Raffy’s past contributions: Thanks for the memories but don’t let the door hit you on the way out.

News Item – NBA Finals Update: Two thoughts on Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle: (1)he’s a great bench coach and (2) with that shaved head he looks like Uncle Fester from the Addams Family.

News Item – New York State of Mind: Knicks owner Jimmy Dolan’s (non-)plan to replace Tom Thibodeau despite his taking them to their first conference final since 1999 ain’t working too well. It offers typically arrogant New York thinking that everyone wants to coach the Knicks because they’re NEW YORK. Even though they’ve only been relevant this year during Dolan’s 25-year ownership reign.

The plan was to steal a coach like Ime Udoka, Jason Kidd or Chris Finch even though they were all under contract and had compelling reasons to stay with their promising teams. Predictably, when asked for permission to pursue them their teams told the Knicks to go fly a kite. So now they’re scavenging the bottom of the failed-coaches barrel for guys out of work for a reason.

The Numbers:

1.8 – chance out of 100 Dallas had to get the first overall pick in the recent NBA lottery.

17 – margin between the AL team with the second most errors and the Red Sox’s league-leading 64.

64 – foot putt J.J. Spaun buried on the final hole at Oakmont CC to give him a gritty two-shot win in the 125^th U.S. Open after bogeying five of the first six holes on Sunday.

… Of the Week Awards

Thumbs Up – Carlos Alcaraz: For the class and sportsmanship the French Open winner demonstrated in (1) conceding a point to opponent Jannik Sinner originally given to him by telling officials Sinner’s shot was actually in bounds and (2) gathering all the ball boys together to celebrate the win in a giant group photo and joyous shoutout. Well done, young fella.

Random Thoughts:

How could the Red Sox possibly wear their Oakland A’s look-alike uniforms in any game vs. the Yankees, let alone at Fenway as they did Friday!

With Pete Alonso closing in on most homers in New York Mets history it amazes me with 252 Darryl Strawberry is still their all-time leader 35 years after leaving the team.

Sports 101 Answer: Ex-Red Sox star Tris Speaker hit .386 for the Cleveland Indians to stop Cobb’s streak. But he wasn’t far off as he finished second to Speaker with a .370 average.

Prediction: Devers eventually becomes SF’s first baseman.

Final Thought: NCAA Court Settlement: It was the right ruling on antitrust grounds that allows schools to now pay players directly in college sports. Especially in light of how much money coaches and the NCAA have raked in while the players got zilch until recently. But can we please finally stop calling it “amateur athletics” and ban the phrase “student a-tha-letes” forever. Call them what they are: mercenaries who’ll move from school to school annually for better paychecks without a care for the new school or the classroom.

Email Dave Long at dlong@hippopress.com.