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Trash Talk: NBA Finals Games 1+2, French Open Tennis, MLB, NFL

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Because there’s just so much bloody sportsing going on right now we’ll have a few more Trash Talk posts over the next week or two to prevent other threads from being trashed.

Please confine your sports chatter to these sports-dedicated posts, thanks.

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NBA FINALS

The 2022 finals are already underway with the Boston Celtics leading the series over Golden State after winning last night’s Game 1, 120 to 108.

The next games in the series:

Sunday evening, June 5 8:00 pm ET at Chase Center in San Francisco, CA.

Wednesday, June 8, 9:00 pm ET at TD Garden, Boston, MA

Friday, June 10, 9:00 pm ET at TD Garden, Boston, MA

The entire series will be carried by ABC.

Thankfully no game is scheduled for June 9 when the House J6 Committee hearings begin, but noted above there’s a game on June 10. A fresh Trash Talk thread will be posted next Friday to prevent finals chatter bleeding into the J6 thread.

If the series isn’t wrapped up on Friday, the next game will be Monday evening and yet another Trash Talk post will be published for sports chatter.

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FRENCH OPEN

On his 36th birthday today, Rafael Nadal (Spain) met 25-year-old Alexander Zverev (Germany) in the semifinals today in Paris, but Zverev was forced to retire after a hideous ankle injury late in the second set.

Nadal will meet the winner of the semi-final between Casper Ruud (Norway) or Marin Cilic (Croatia); the meetup to be held this Sunday will Nadal’s 14th as a French Open finalist.

Iga Swiatek (Poland) and Coco Gauff (U.S.) will meet in the women’s finals tomorrow.

Also in Paris this week is Billie Jean King; she was awarded France’s Legion of Honor:

King, who is in France as the French Open concludes, received the award in recognition of her contributions to women’s sports, gender equality and the rights of LGBTQ people in athletics. She took part in a short ceremony at the presidential Elysee Palace at the invitation of French President Emmanuel Macron.

A perfect way to celebrate this year’s LGBT Pride Month.

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MLB and Other Baseball and Softball

These teams are currently leading their divisions:

AL East: NY Yankees

AL Central: Minnesota Twins

AL West: Houston Astros

NL East: NY Mets

NL Central: Milwaukee Brewers

NL West: LA Dodgers

NY Yankees lead the American League and LA Dodgers lead the National League.

Meh. I can’t get excited about this at all especially since Detroit is third from the bottom of the AL.

However the NCAA DI Baseball Men’s College World Series has started; here’s the schedule:

Regionals: Friday, June 3 through Monday, June 6
Super Regionals: Friday, June 10 through Sunday, June 12 OR Saturday, June 11 through Monday, June 13
First day of CWS games — Friday, June 17
CWS Finals — Start Saturday, June 25 (best out of 3)
Final championship game — Monday, June 27

The NCAA Softball Women’s College World Series began last night with eigth-finals or fourth round in Oklahoma City. I’m going to back Oregon State tonight against Arizona State because I really want to know as others have asked if the Beavers can be stopped or not.

Schedule for the WCWS finals:

Game 1: 8:30 p.m. on Wednesday, June 8
Game 2: 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, June 9
Game 3: 8:30 p.m. (if necessary), on Friday, June 10

It’s a damned shame there’ll be a conflict on Thursday with the House J6 Committee’s first hearing.

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NFL

What the actual fuck, people? There’s an Oversight Committee hearing this month into the NFL?

Why are elected officials who represent the entire country caught up with the Washington Commanders’ football team’s workforce problems instead of the Department of Labor?

From NBC Sports:

The House Committee on Oversight & Reform has announced that it will hold a hearing on June 22. The Committee has requested the attendance and testimony of two key individuals: NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and Commanders owner Daniel Snyder.

“The hearing is the next step in the Committee’s months-long investigation into the Commanders’ hostile workplace culture and will also examine the NFL’s handling of allegations of workplace misconduct, the NFL’s role in setting and enforcing standards across the League, and legislative reforms needed to address these issues across the NFL and other workplaces,” the Committee said in a press release.

What really annoys me is the breathless manner in which this hearing and the underlying problems are discussed in sports media while far more important hearings about the near-overthrow of U.S. government have been scheduled and precede the Oversight Committee hearing. NFL fans are far more worked up about Roger Goodell’s invitation to appear before Oversight than whether anyone subpoenaed by the House J6 Committee has made any effort to comply.

It’s no wonder this country is in such a fucking mess — just look at its priorities. Entertainment and its corporate masters über alles.

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Got some other sports issue you need to air out? Do it in this thread, thanks.

Fast Times At Monaco High – Memorial Day Trash Talk

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Hey there fellow lugnuts at the Emptywheel garage, how about some Memorial Day Holiday Trash Talk? We haven’t taken out the trash lately, so it is time. There are a few things on tap to chat about.

First up is the Gran Prix de Monaco, the crown jewel of the Formula One season. F1 is a sport of the masses across the world in many ways, but the constructors, participants, and the circus that follows them are without question the elite, rich and beautiful. You see the elegance at any F1 race, but nothing compares to Monaco. Technically speaking, Monaco is somewhat of a processional – passing is nearly impossible and the key to the race is qualifying position and pit stop strategy. If you start in the front you have a good shot at finishing there. But no race is as valued by the drivers and history, nothing has the cache of a win at Monaco.

It has been an interesting season to date. Mercedes, Ferrari, Lotus and Red Bull are all solid and in the hunt. Sebastian Vettel leads the drivers’ standings with 89 points, Kimi Raikkonen just behind with 85 and Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso closing in with 72. Hamilton Massa and Webber are in a second group well back of the three leaders, but still well within contention for the year.

The all important qualifying is proceeding as I write this here trash; I will update when it is completed. Okay, qualifying just ended as I put this post up. Mercedes took the front row with Nico Rosberg on pole and Lewis Hamilton in P2. The second row is Red Bull with Vettel in P3 and Webber P4. Row 3 will be Raikkonen and his Lotus in P5 and Alonso and the red Ferrari in P6. You can bet the farm the winner will come from the first three rows, and likely the first two rows.

In a real holiday treat, NBC Sports Channel is airing the absolutely fantastic documentary “Senna” tonight, Saturday night, at 8 pm EST (5 pm PST). This is one of the finest sporting documentaries you could ever hope to watch whether you are an F1 fan or not. My wife, who knew nothing of Aryton Senna and F1 went with me when it premiered in the theaters two years ago and still raves about it. Highly recommended for viewing and/or DVRing.

Also this Sunday is, of course, the Indianapolis 500. The “Biggest Spectacle in Motorsports” is a far cry from what it once was, but it is still a great race to watch and always provides some excitement. The pole is held this year by Ed Carpenter, with Carlos Munoz and Marco Andretti sharing the first row. But Indy favors those that know the way to the winner’s circle, and there are two proven champs in the field I would watch out for, Helio Castroneves and Dario Franchitti. Both are three time winners. There are only three men who have won Indy four times – AJ Foyt, Al Unser and Rick Mears. It is an elite club, will there be a new member when the milk drinking is over?

There are also the NBA Playoffs underway, with both conference finals in progress. Last night the Indiana Pacers upset the Miami Heat in game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals in Miami. A huge win. Even more shocking, but for some boneheaded coaching and player selection in the last seconds of game one, the Pacers might be up 2-0 on the defending champs. Now the series heads to Indy. Both games have been nail biters; really good basketball. In the Western Conference finals, the Spurs are up 2-0 over the Memphis Grizzlies and appear to be well in control of the series.

Also underway is the NCAA College softball postseason. My ASU Lady sun Devils are 5th ranked and in a west Super-Regional against Kentucky, with a berth in the Women’s College World Series on the line. The best 2 out of 3 match is in Tempe at Farrington Stadium though where the Devils are 28-3 in post season play, so their chances look good for advancing. Also in an east Super-Regional is Jim White’s beloved, and 2nd ranked, Florida Gators. The Gators are heavy favorites over the University of Alabama-Birmingham. Will there be another showdown in the world Series between the Devils and Gators? I hope so, that would be big fun! Also looming large are powerhouses Oklahoma, Texas and Alabama. Believe it or not, Marcy’s team, the Michigan Wolvereenies are in play and already up a game in their Super-Regional. This could be a big time Emptywheel grudge smackdown World Series!

Lastly, holidays are about FOOD! Here at Casa de bmaz, we are grilling copious amounts of bird and beef, chased by a lot nice Mexican beer. What you got going, and why?