Then: Why the Derby got so big, Kyrie Irving might be growing, and Pat Beverley played chess with the media.
Joe’s Notes: Doc Rivers Has Lost With Some Great Players
The best championship-less players these last 15 years all played under Doc. Also: Details on the potential House v. NCAA settlement, Cubs vs. Brewers, and Braves vs. Dodgers.
Joe’s Notes: Shōta Imanaga’s MLB Debut Is the Best One Yet
Plus: The NBA is ok with the Scott Foster implication, the NHL is probably right about injury reports, and those injuries are doing wonders for Doc Rivers.
Stu’s Notes: We Were Right. Beekeepers Belong in Sports.
Also: Joe Kelly’s groin, these Brewers’ first real scrap, and why we stopped liking Georgia.
Joe’s Notes: How Often Do Series Go to Game 7?
Also: Tyrese Maxey vs. the Process, the 2022 NBA Draft went well, and talking about Dansby Swanson’s defense.
Stu’s Notes: The NIT Is Dominating the Transfer Portal
Also: Revisiting the opt-outs, spin rate and the NBA, and Kawhi Leonard should have retired young.
Joe’s Notes: Will the 2025 NFL Draft Be Deeper Than 2024’s?
Our best guess at Howie Roseman’s reasoning. Then: A potential settlement in House v. NCAA, Mike Trout’s knee surgery, and is LeBron worth the hassle?
Stu’s Notes: Which NBA Teams Are Deserving of Respect?
Four of them are still in action. Then: Which NHL teams should exist? Is Arizona the most tortured sports state? And take a look at baseball players’ privates while the opportunity is there.
Joe’s Notes: The Toronto Maple Leafs Are Rich and Bad
Uniquely so. Also: Will the Suns and Kevin Durant part ways? Should the Braves be World Series favorites? And how good will UConn’s latest additions be?
Stu’s Notes: Is Josef Newgarden Becoming the Villain IndyCar Needs?
Newgarden has made a bad situation good. Just not for himself. Also: The LeBron James hour, theories about Sean Payton, and a theory about Michael Penix Jr. and Robert Kraft.
Joe’s Notes: Big 12 Football Needs a Juggernaut
The New Big 12 just produced only one first-round draft pick. Also: Which first round series are over, Jackson Holliday’s demotion, and the Bears’ real accomplishment.
Stu’s Notes: If the Bears Don’t Draft Caleb Williams
It would be a great joke. We offer some alternatives. Then: The Astros might hate America, the White Sox might make history, and Sean Dyche still has it.
Joe’s Notes: What Conventional Wisdom Gets Wrong About Home-Ice Advantage
The good thing about getting a series to 1–1 is not stealing home-ice advantage. It’s avoiding going down 0–2. Also: The problem with “hit rate,” the good thing for the Celtics, and Iowa State’s going to Dublin.
Stu’s Notes: Is Luka Dončić Soft?
Soft-type vs. Dog-type. Then: What to do about the Jokić brothers, why NIL’s not that relevant with Reggie Bush’s Heisman, and celebrating Nelly Korda.
Joe’s Notes: A Better Idea for a Group of Five Playoff
Why November makes sense for a mid-major FBS championship. Also: Will the Bears stadium get built? Will Pete Crow-Armstrong produce? And that weird IndyCar scandal.
Stu’s Notes: Three Terrible Ways to Lose
How do you bounce back if you’re the Sixers, Lakers, or Islanders? Also: Caleb Williams and Eli Manning, designated scapegoat Zach Wilson, and April’s place among the sports months.
Joe’s Notes: Replay Review Is About Fairness, Not Perfection
The ending of last night’s Knicks game was imperfect. Was it fair? Also: Mark Stone and LTIR, Kyle Hendricks’s injury, and Tyrese Hunter is transferring to Memphis.
Stu’s Notes: At Talladega, Michael Jordan Seemed Happy
Good for him. Also: Grounding the Rockies, the Broncos’ bad look, and Joe Kelly’s bad luck.