Big Bear Nolan's Blog

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  • I went to the three Dodgers at Twins games this past week. Here’s the five most notable things I noticed from the week.

    When your two favorite teams play at your hometown stadium, you know you definitely have to go attend that series. So that’s what I did and I want to give some thoughts on what the environment was like and what I noticed on the field.

    1. All 3 crowds were in the 30,000’s with Wednesday being a sellout

    The last two years that the Dodgers came to Target Field in 2022 and 2024, those two series were part of the Twins’ Opening Homestand in mid April. This year, LA finally was scheduled to come in the middle of summer. And predictably the crowds did not disappoint. While the amount of Dodger Blue in the stands in ’22 and ’24 with small crowds made it predicable that there would be even more in packed summer crowds. The Twins fans did pack Target Field too over these three games. And yesterday’s game which had Shohei Ohtani pitch against Joe Ryan was a sellout at 39,853. Again, it was mostly a Dodger crowd but to see Target Field packed all three games was really cool to see. It made it feel like a big series.

    2. Ironically the best experience I had was the game I did not buy a seat for

    I went with my friend to game one and he got tickets to the lower level with being a Twins season ticket holder. And then yesterday I went with my family and we also were on the lower level cause my Dad being a Military veteran got discounted tickets from the Twins Military deal with GOVX.com. What was ironic was is those two games even with them being the best ones on the field, weren’t really fun from the experience around with other fans. Cause for some reason there was an ungodly amount of foot traffic up and down the sections. On Monday, my friend and I were sitting behind a group from the Special Olympics that was happening over at the University of Minnesota. You had to be patient with them but it was really hard when it seemed like every single inning they were getting up and down and blocking your view, especially in big moments when your team was batting in the late innings. Especially when they were switching seats almost all game. Same thing happened yesterday, two folks in the section in front of my parents came back from getting beer and them coming through blocked my mom from seeing a stolen base in the late innings. Tuesday I did not have a problem because I bought a Student SRO ticket and a kind usher actually gave me a seat to sit in for that game and it was one of the folding chairs above a section and no human blocked or was able to block my view.

    3. Despite a strike, food and drink lines didn’t seem to be bad

    The Target Field concession workers began a strike on Monday’s game. And despite it, the group that helps the food run said that they had a plan incase of it and it seemed to work. There were lines, but that’s normal for a sold out game. The service though seemed to be fast, I did only get food at the same stand at two of the games but it went pretty quick. Maybe it also helps that I got my food right away and not DURING the game.

    4. Dodgers star power was the difference for them

    Even in a 12-3 blowout loss in game 2, the Twins played the Dodgers pretty well. LA won game 1 2-1 behind two homers from Ohtani and Freddie Freeman and game 3 4-3 behind a 3-run 3rd inning. Game two was close for the first half but LA took advantage of a couple of Twins defensive mistakes early in that game. But the Dodgers gold glove defense of Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman seemed to have been at the forefront of a lot of run saving plays in the series. Also Ohtani showed why he is so good of a player in game 3. After communication issues with him and his catcher Daulton Rushing, Ohtani was calling his own pitches and that helped him get back on track after Minnesota put up 3 in the 2nd.

    5. Twins couldn’t come up clutch when it mattered most

    The Twins again had their chances all series. In game one, they left runners on second and third in the first inning and after that, Dodgers pitcher Eric Lauer who has not been good this season followed with six hitless innings. Then they had a runner reach with no out in the 8th down 2-1 just to get stranded there. Game 2, Twins got on Justin Wrobleski in the 2nd and 3rd to tie it at 2-2. Betts gunned down Austin Martin at home to keep the Twins from scoring on a hit in the third but two more reached anyway, and Brooks Lee came up with a chance to blow it open and nearly did in the third by just missing a 3-run homer to go up 5-2, after that Minnesota went down with a whimper. Then in the final game, Twins again had chances, especially in the last 3 innings. Byron Buxton popped out in the 7th with two runners on to end that inning, then in the eighth the Twins had Alex Vesia on the ropes with two on and two out but Lee went chasing to allow Vesia to get out of it. And in the ninth, Buxton again came up as the winning run with two outs but struck out. This game especially reminded me a lot of this game on 8/16/25 that I was also at when the Twins lost 8-5 to Detroit, Minnesota had a lot of chances to take the lead in the late innings but couldn’t get the clutch hit.

  • A rant that I have about sports on TV

    What I am about to talk about will be heavily focused on MLB but it is also something that I also want to highlight in other sports too. I am sick of having the same big market teams force fed to us sports fans on national tv channels not only for MLB but other sports like NFL, NBA or even college every single season. I know I am not the only fan that has thought about this but I also am not saying lets get two last place teams every night either which ironically is partly why I am writing about this.

    In MLB there are seven teams that get a lot of national tv games every year. Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Yankees, New York Mets, Boston Red Sox, San Fransisco Giants, Chicago Cubs, Saint Louis Cardinals and Atlanta Braves. Oh wait, I just named the lineup of the teams ESPN used to show almost every week when they had the rights to Sunday Night Baseball. The problem is over the last six years, only three of these teams have been perrenial contenders every year (Dodgers, Yankees, Braves). At least now the Cardinals are having a good year and the Cubs are in playoff contention for the second straight year. But besides an ALCS appearance in 2021 and a postseason appearance last year. The Red Sox haven’t really done anything since. The Giants really besides a flash in 2021 where they had the best record have been mediocre to bad since their last World Series in 2024. And the Mets, outside of the 2024 run that was powered by Grimace and the OMG Mets. All that followed after was a historic collapse in 2025 and a really bad 2026 despite having one of the highest payrolls in MLB.

    Baseball needs to advertise their stars I do get that, but big market bias exists in that standpoint. MLB has gotten better at it, like just last night, TBS aired Dodgers at Twins cause it is Shohei Ohtani vs Byron Buxton. However, that game unfortunately lost some luster because Twins starter Joe Ryan was sick and had to get moved the next day so Minnesota was in trouble from the start. NBC, who just took the reins at Sunday Night Baseball has gotten somewhat better at advertising different teams. But they still have the same issue that ESPN had and other major tv networks still have. Feeding big market matchups that just are not good. Almost every year, the Yankees-Red Sox rivarly takes a lot of national tv windows, and while there has been past history it is not really a rivalry now. Especially with this year and Boston being an absolute dumpster fire. Or this past weekend, Mets and another team I didn’t mention in the Philadelphia Phillies had all three games on MLB Network, FOX and NBC. But why do I want to watch a Mets team with poor roster construction even with the payroll play a Phillies team that hasn’t been not performing to what we thought? Again I get big stars especially the ones that both of those teams have but that matchup is literally worse team wise than a Cleveland Guardians vs Tampa Bay Rays matchup.

    I remember in 2024, FOX did a matchup between the St. Louis Cardinals and Milwaukee Brewers. Milwaukee was leading the division when they weren’t “projected to” and St. Louis was a couple under .500. But my Dad and I were making fun of how John Smoltz kept on saying “The Cardinals will get better they just have to” meanwhile the overperfomlng Brewers who weren’t supposed to be good because they lost Manager Craig Counsell and then ace Corbin Burnes were getting little to no love. Maybe it was more both teams were playing at the time on how good they truly were.

    The same thing I see in NFL and College Football and Basketball too. The Dallas Cowboys get a lot of the 3:25 FOX and CBS “America’s Game Of the Week” slots or primetime games. While they have had occasional success in the regular season, Dallas has won FOUR playoff games total since the 2009-10 season. And last year, Dallas had a 7-9-1 record which caused them to miss the playoffs for the second straight year. But that doesn’t stop them from starting 2026 off with the Sunday Night Football week 1 window against the New York Giants who went 4-13 last season. Again, what is so special about this matchup?

    College Sports issue is the networks main broadcast partners get a lot of the attention. Yes, FOX airs a lot of Michigan and Ohio State games for college football. But they do also air some other interesting matchups like last season when they sent their Big Noon Saturday crew to do Iowa at No. 16 Iowa State. ESPN however has had more of an issue recently. Their College Basketball coverage has been known to be ACC biased, especially towards Duke and North Carolina and now since they signed a deal with the SEC, it’s affecting their coverage too. One of the big things that is really noticeable is how their flagship pregame show College Gameday has been. In College Basketball, they always go to Duke v UNC every year no matter how good any other game is or how bad both are. But the football College Gameday used to be known for picking some wild games like 2019 when they went to the Dakota Marker game between No. 1 NDSU and No. 3 SDSU in the FCS division. Now it’s just a lot of SEC games no matter how big or unique any other game is. And one of the most notable things I noticed last year was during the Conference Championship weekend. In the Big Ten Championship, it was No. 2 Indiana vs No. 1 Ohio State. All that was on the line was only the B10 chip, the No. 1 seed in the CFP, the potential Coach of the year race between Curt Cignetti and Ryan Day, and the hiesman race between QB’s Fernando Mendoza and Julian Sayin. You would think that would have nearly every eye on it right? Nope, not ESPN’s eye! Gameday instead went to the SEC Championship for the rematch between No. 3 Georgia and No. 8 Alabama. The Bulldogs blew out the Tide 28-7 in the game to win the SEC. Yes I know that is where their No. 1 crew with Chris Fowler and Kirk Herbstreit would’ve been but why send everyone to that matchup over No. 1 vs No. 2. I know that they also had Ohio State the week before in their game vs Michigan too, but again it is No. 1 vs No. 2 so I don’t really know what else to say.

    As a sports fan I love uniqueness and parody, I know eventually that sometimes when a sport suffers from too much parody it might create a matchup that not many may care about. But a Milwaukee Brewers at Tampa Bay Rays matchup or a Detroit Lions at Seattle Seahawks matchup sounds a lot better then San Francisco Giants at New York Mets game or a New York Jets at Dallas Cowboys game.

  • My five intriguing series in the week of June 22-25 for MLB

    1. Los Angeles Dodgers (49-29) at Minnesota Twins (38-41) June 22-24

    A lot more is at stake between these two than one that isn’t familiar with these teams might think. Dodgers are in the tight race with the Atlanta Braves and Milwaukee Brewers for the NL No. 1 seed. Meanwhile the Twins who have been involved in a LOT of trade talks surrounding superstar Byron Buxton and ace Joe Ryan are coming off a 5-1 road trip and sit just one back in the AL Wildcard and 3.5 back in their division. The Twins were what looked to be an incorrect called check swing away from taking the series at Dodger Stadium last season. I think the Dodgers should win, but with the Twins being hot and LA having a massive series next at Petco Park there’s a real chance that the Dodgers escape with two close wins or lose this series.

    2. Cleveland Guardians (41-37) at Chicago White Sox (39-37) June 22-24

    The first meeting between the two AL Central leaders takes place tonight. The White Sox have stumbled here with a 1-5 road trip, which is why Cleveland currently holds a game lead over them. Cleveland also isn’t hot either, going 2-4 in their current road trip against the Brewers and Houston Astros. Not only would the winner of this series benefit with coming out with the lead in the division and maybe get back on track. But the with the Twins looming in the back only 3.5 back from the lead, the loser of this series could fall closer to the Twins or get passed for second.

    3. Atlanta Braves (48-28) at San Diego Padres (39-37) June 22-24

    Two very different scenarios right now for both of these teams. Atlanta with the help of the series win over Milwaukee holds a 6.5 lead in the NL East and currently holds the tie breaker over the Dodgers for the NL and MLB No. 1 seed. San Diego on the other hand is now trying to keep pace with the NL as the Padres right now sit just 0.5 out of the Wildcard. Don’t get me wrong, they are still well in it but for a team with the players they have and the World Series aspirations being 0.5 out of the Wildcard and NINE games behind the Dodgers feels so lackluster.

    4. Milwaukee Brewers (46-29) at Cincinnati Reds (37-39) June 22-24

    This series lost its hype from how it was originally looking a month or two ago. But this is still a very interesting series to me and I will tell you why. In the final weekend of 2025, the Reds needed to do something they haven’t done since 2022 to get into the Postseason. Beat the Milwaukee Brewers, and Cincinnati did that. The Reds also aren’t completely out of it yet, despite a lot of teams in front of them they are just 2.5 games below the wildcard. Now Cincinnati is coming into this series with back to back series wins over both New York teams. So with some momentum and the blueprint discovered on how to beat Milwaukee for the Reds. This is a sneaky good series coming up at Great American Ballpark this week.

    5. Texas Rangers (37-40) at Miami Marlins (40-38) June 22-24

    I want to give some love to the Miami Marlins. So far in the month of June the Fish have put together a 14-4 record. led by the 2B and SS duo of Xavier Edwards and Otto Lopez along with a solid pitching staff headlined by 2022 Cy Young winner Sandy Alcantara, Max Meyer and Eury Perez. The Marlins are just half a game out of the NL Wildcard. Their opponent in the Texas Rangers have had a perfectly mediocre June at 9-9 but sit just one out of the AL Wildcard and 2 back in the AL West so they’re still alive in this. By the end of this week, the winner of this series could most definitely see their name above the cutline for the Postseason.

    (NOTE: These records are how they stand right now as of 10:46 am CT on Monday, June 22. For up to date standings check here.)

  • My five intriguing MLB series for fathers day weekend 2026

    1. Milwaukee Brewers (45-27) at Atlanta Braves (46-27)

    Easily the biggest series of the weekend with two of the top three teams in the NL and MLB competing. The Braves have cooled off here recently with three straight series losses which has allowed the Dodgers to catch them and pass them for the NL No. 1 seed. Now to make matters worse, the Brewers come to town. Milwaukee continues to roll coming off a winning homestand against Philadelphia and Cleveland. The Brewers top two pitchers in Jacob Misiorowski (who is coming off of his historic 19 K complete game shutout) and Kyle Harrison will go this series. Both teams are 2 and 3 games below the Dodgers for the No. 1 seed in the NL and the best record in baseball.

    2. Toronto Blue Jays (37-39) at Chicago Cubs (40-36)

    Two playoff hopefuls that have had disappointing 2026 season’s square off. The best thing for both Chicago and Toronto? Right now both are in the thick of it. After the two teams first matchup wrapped up today with a Chicago 16-2 win. The Cubs hold the final spot in the NL Wildcard by a half a game and the Blue Jays sit just half a game below in the AL Wildcard as I type this.

    3. Minnesota Twins (36-40) at Arizona Diamondbacks (38-36)

    A very interesting one takes place at Chase Field this weekend. The Twins who have won 4 in a row and are coming off a series win over St. Louis at home and a sweep at Texas now travel to Arizona. The Twins have been in a lot of trade deadline talks involving star Byron Buxton and ace Joe Ryan, but Buxton himself told The Athletic reporter Dan Hayes “I don’t give a f—” when talking about the trade talks with his no trade clause. So while looking to quiet that and get in contention, the Twins opponent in the D-Backs are also in the race in the NL. Arizona is only 1 game back in the NL Wildcard race. This is a series both could afford.

    4. Washington Nationals (39-36) at Tampa Bay Rays (41-30)

    The penultimate weekend of June and the Nats are well in the Postseason race just half a game under the wildcard how about that. Led by CJ Abrams and James Wood, Washington has a big series this weekend at Tampa Bay. The Rays have been on a lull recently with a 5-10 record this month. It doesn’t get any easier for the Rays as they face the Nats this weekend. Can the Rays get back going again or will Washington pull off a series win?

    5. Cleveland Guardians (40-35) at Houston Astros (35-41)

    Cleveland who just lost the lead in the AL Central looks to keep pace with the fellow leading White Sox as the Guardians travel to Houston for a weekend series. The Astros who have struggled still have life as Houston currently sits 2.5 back of the Wildcard and 4 back of the division lead.

    (Note: these records are how they are right now at 5:42 pm on June 19. for up to date records check here.)

  • This weekend’s national TV viewing schedule

    This Fathers Day weekend (June 19-21) brings a lot of excitement to the sports world. A country playing on the national stage, a racing league at a military base and fun baseball games. I want to highlight some of these games and where and when you could watch them.

    Friday June 19:

    • USA vs Australia (2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup): 2:00 p.m. CT on FOX
      • The United States takes the field again in front of the home fans for their second game in the 2026 World Cup vs Australia. A win or draw (with help) for the US will lock them into the Knockout stages of the international tournament.
    • St. Louis Cardinals at Kansas City Royals (MLB): 7:15 p.m. CT on Apple T.V.
      • In the second game of the second series vs the two Missouri rivals. The Cardinals look to keep in touch with the Brewers in the NL Central while staying above the cutline in the NL Wildcard race. The Royals on the other hand are just trying to make something happen with the first month and a half of the season being disappointing.
    • Navy 250 (NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series): 6 p.m. CT on FOX Sports 1
      • NASCAR begins a historic weekend at the Naval Base Coronado in San Diego, California this weekend with the Truck Series. It is the first opportunity to see how the racing will be on the track there.
    • Minnesota Twins at Arizona Diamondbacks (MLB): 8:45 p.m. CT on Apple T.V.
      • The red hot Twins who are coming off a sweep over the Texas Rangers arrive to a hot environment in Arizona. Minnesota, who has been involved in a lot of trade talks only sit 4.5 games behind in the AL Central and 1.5 games behind in the Wildcard. The D-Backs are only a half game behind in the NL Wildcard race, so a very intriguing series at Chase Field will start tonight.

    Saturday, June 20

    • United Rentals Driven To Serve 250 (NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series): 4 p.m. CT on CW
      • It will be the OAPS turn on the streets in the Naval Base. No SVG in the field so it is open to anyone.
    • Cleveland Guardians at Houston Astros (MLB): 6:15 p.m. CT on FOX
      • The Cleveland Guardians look to build a gap this weekend to the White Sox after being ran down in the AL Central. The Astros on the other hand look to just stay alive in the AL West that is open to almost anyone in the division.
    • New York Mets at Philadelphia Phillies (MLB): 6:15 p.m. CT on FOX
      • The Mets who have been a disappointing 34-41 this season look to keep some hope alive as they play in game two of the series at Philadelphia. The Phillies are 40-35 and hold a game lead in the NL Wildcard. New York won game one on Thursday with a 6-4 score.

    Sunday, June 21

    • Xpel Grand Prix and Road America (INDYCAR): 1 p.m. CT on FOX
      • Indycar makes its annual trip to Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin this weekend. The field will try to spoil it for defending champion Alex Palou who won three of the last five races at Road America and four races this season overall.
    • Minnesota Twins at Arizona Diamondbacks (MLB): 2:15 p.m. CT on Peacock
      • It will be the final game of the inter league series with the Twins and D-Backs. A possible series win could be on the line for two teams that need it to get into the Wildcard.
    • Andruil 250 (NASCAR Cup Series): 3 p.m. CT on Amazon Prime
      • The Cup cars will compete on the Naval Base streets for Fathers Day. SVG has won all but two road course races dating back to 2025. Is this going to be another SVG show or will someone else get a win on the new track.
    • New York Mets at Philadelphia Phillies (MLB): 6:20 p.m. CT on NBC/Peacock
      • The final game between the NL East rivals will take place on Sunday Night Baseball. Both of these big market hopefuls need to cap off this series with a win.

    (Note: the events on Apple TV, Amazon prime and peacock you need a subscription to watch)

  • Predicting this weekend’s NASCAR winners at the Naval Base Coronado

    This fathers day weekend (June 19-21) in 2026, the sport of NASCAR is trying out something different as all three series are going to Naval Base Coronado in San Diego, California for a race weekend. It will be a street circuit that will replace the Chicago Street Course on the schedule and I want to predict who I think will win each race.

    Truck Winner: 34 Layne Riggs

    The last street course that the Trucks ran was at St. Petersburg and guess who won that one? Mr. Layne Riggs did. And what else was similar to that one? No Cup guys were down for that race, so I expect the points leader in Riggs to do his thing and take another one.

    OAPS Winner: 19 Brent Crews

    I’ll be honest, I do not know much about this kid. But I do know in both road course races this season, he has finished sixth in both of them. And in the last one at Watkins Glen, Crews led the most laps (32) and posted the fastest lap in the race at 71.93. Neither Shane Van Gisbergen or Connor Zillich are in this one so maybe this is Crews’ weekend.

    Cup Winner: 97 Shane Van Gisbergen

    Until someone can prove that they can A. simply just hang with him or B. do that and BEAT him. I can’t pick against SVG. I mean come on, at every road course besides Circuit Of The Americas, he has won at and hasn’t lost on a street/road course besides COTA since 2025. SVG also won the debut of the Chicago Street Course in 2023 and the one off race at Mexico last season. With another new track coming up, I just don’t expect him to lose. There’s guys I think that can compete and maybe pull off the upset like Zillich or the 45 of Tyler Reddick or the 9 of Chase Elliott. But until the field shows it like I said, SVG all the way.

  • My five intriguing series in the week of June 15-18 for MLB

    1. Tampa Bay Rays (41-27) at Los Angeles Dodgers (45-27). June 15-17

    Both teams are coming into this series off rough road series’ over the weekend where the Rays dropped 2 of 3 to the Angels and same with the Dodgers against the suprising first place White Sox. The Rays, who were in first place in the AL East for a long period of time over the last month or so has fell a game behind the New York Yankees and now gets to face the Dodgers. LA on the other hand is still holding a decent 7 game lead over second in their division but are still in the thick of it for the No. 1 spot in the NL postseason. The Dodgers are 1.5 games behind the Atlanta Braves for first while Milwaukee is right behind them with a 43-26 record. It is is only June but this series can do a very long way for both these teams.

    2. San Diego Padres (37-33) at St. Louis Cardinals (38-31) June 15-17

    Massive Wild Card implications are on the line for this one. The current top seed in the NL Wild Card standings in the Cardinals face the team holding the last spot in the Padres. St. Louis holds a 1.5 game lead over the cutoff where the Padres are a game ahead of the first team out of the postseason. Both of these teams split the four game series at San Diego earlier this season so a potentially big tiebreaker is on the line here for both of these teams. St. Louis lost a series at Minnesota over the weekend and now are 5 games behind the Brewers in the NL Central. While they aren’t completely out of that race, they lost huge ground to the Brewers and got closer with flirting along the cutoff.

    3. Chicago White Sox (38-32) at New York Yankees (43-27) June 16-18

    Look at these White Sox go! The AL Central leading Chicago White Sox are coming off a winning homestand against the top two teams in MLB (Braves and Dodgers) and now get another opportunity at a giant. This time it is on the road against the AL’s No. 1 team in the New York Yankees. The Yanks are coming off a big road series win at Toronto and get to spoil the fun for the White Sox. With Chicago holding a tiebreaker with Cleveland and New York one game up over Tampa Bay, this is a big opportunity for either the Sox or Yankees to get a multiple game lead in their division. Especially with the Rays going on the road to Dodger Stadium and Guardians going to Milwaukee this week.

    4. Cleveland Guardians (39-33) at Milwaukee Brewers (43-26) June 16-18

    That leads to my next series, which is the Cleveland Guardians at Milwaukee Brewers. Cleveland is coming into this series off an defecto sweep over the Detroit Tigers (game 3 was PPD). While the Brewers cooled off the Phillies behind a historic 1 hit complete game shut out from Jacob Misiorowski on Friday (June. 12). Milwaukee could really use this one to keep a lead in the NL Central while staying alive in the race for the NL No. 1 seed. Same with Cleveland who’s now in a very tight race with the White Sox.

    5. Pittsburgh Pirates (36-36) at Athletics (35-36) June 15-17

    It is June 15 and the Athletics still have not fizzled out yet. While it does help that their division and the AL itself is not super strong this year, these A’s are still very well keeping up in this thing just 2 1/2 months into the season. The Athletics currently hold a tiebreaker over Texas for the last spot in the AL Wild Card while are just one game back of the Seattle Mariners in the AL West. Pittsburgh on the other hand has kinda started to fizzle out, while the Pirates have lost pace with the Brewers in the NL Central race sitting 8.5 behind. The Buccos aren’t out of the Wild Card just yet but do need to not fall behind that as right now there are four teams between the Pirates and the last WC spot. But Pittsburgh is still only 2 games out. If one of these teams wants to be here when the season really heats up from mid-August to September. Winning this series is a good way to make sure that you are there.

    (NOTE: These records are how they stand right now at 1:01 pm of Monday, June 15. For up to date standings. Check here)

  • How I view this New York Knicks run in the NBA Finals

    For my closest friends and family that know me, they know that I don’t really have a dog in the fight when it comes to NBA (I like both the Timberwolves and Bucks). But this New York Knicks run which they can end it tonight by holding up the Larry O’Brien trophy for the first time since 1973 has been fun to watch. Yes, they are in a massive market in New York City but being a fan that is neutral it has the feel of a cinderella team that is having a dream run.

    I know a lot of people have been saying how painful these last 53 years have been for Knicks fans. As long as I have been alive, all I have known when it comes to the New York Knicks is failure. I still remember the 2019 NBA Draft lottery when they were supposed to land Zion Williamson after having the worst record that season and only got pick #3. All of those Stephen A. Smith rants on ESPN every morning, that’s what I associated with the Knicks. Heck that scene from Pixar’s Soul when Tina Fey’s character cursed a Knicks player and all you heard was the announcer saying, “And the Knicks lose another one!”

    Now slowly and slowly the Knicks went from the bottom of the NBA back to becoming a contender again. This year it’s really paying off, led by Guards Jalen Brunson, Mikal Bridges, and Josh Hart along with Forward Karl Anthony Towns and Center OG Anunoby (who hit the winning basket in game 4). This Knicks team rests on the heels of basketball greatness. As a Minnesotan and a Timberwolves fan, it would be along the long line of former Minnesota athletes winning a championship with another team but a lot of T-Wolves fans are rooting for KAT to go get that title. And it’s because of how he was in his time here on and off the court. Like KAT, really none of the Knicks players are truly easy to root against which is why I want to see them get this done.

    It has been also fun to see how the city of New York City has been embracing it. The Sidetalk videos of Knicks fans going bonkers are insane and hilarious to watch. Everything that Mayor Zohran Mamdani has done has been awesome, especially when he signed that bedtime is postponed so kids can watch the Finals, that moment itself was really cute and awesome. It also has been cool to see how the diehard celebrities like Spike Lee, Ben Stiller and Timothee Chalamet have been. Because when we associate people like them with sports, usually they are just folks going for the attention aspect. But those three and many others have showed how much of a fan for their team they are like us.

    I know I am not the only one that has this stance or the exact opposite, but personally I’m really rooting for the Knicks because that fanbase has suffered for long enough and I know they will be awesome to see if New York win it. I was even asked to go with friends to go to NYC TONIGHT and it sounded fun to possibly be in the middle of the chaos after a Knicks title but due to constraints I had to decline.

  • Predicting the winners for NASCAR this weekend at Pocono

    This weekend (June 13-14), the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series and NASCAR Cup Series head to the mountains of Long Pond, Pennsylvania for the sport’s annual weekend at Pocono Raceway. As always, the track that is dubbed “The Tricky Triangle” because of its triangle shaped layout should hopefully be another fun weekend. And I want to try to predict who will win the two races and explain why I think this.

    O’Reilly Series winner: 17 Corey Day

    The young Hendrick Motorsports prospect has found his footing recently and earned his first two wins of his OAPS career at Talladega and Dover. Day, who is sitting third in the point standings goes to a track where the 17 car when it was ran part time for the HMS Cup drivers has been successful at. Just last year, Chase Elliott powered the 17 to a dominating day at Pocono just to fall in the end due to a lot of chaos. Now I know that there is a massive difference between a young driver like Day and a proven veteran like Elliott. But the one similarity both have is Adam Wall is still the crew chief of that No. 17, so if Wall can find what worked last year we might just see Day in victory lane for the third time this season.

    Cup Series winner: 45 Tyler Reddick

    This pick is definitely due to his massive points lead in 2026. But in the next gen, these Toyota’s have been really good at Pocono, and the 45 team especially at these big tracks have been excellent. Reddick has never won a race at Pocono in any level but has been oh so close many times. Like he was in the OAPS race in 2019 when he led going into the last corner but got loose and was passed by Cole Custer to finish second. Usually, Reddick himself is fast at this track but needs some luck. You’ll need luck this race especially with the strategy aspect but for the amount of times that the 45 has struck gold this season with the season high 5 wins. I think that Mr. Reddick this time will tame the tricky triangle and leave with a trophy.

  • My five intriguing series for MLB the weekend of June 12-14

    1. Philadelphia Phillies (37-31) at Milwaukee Brewers (41-25)

    Over the last month or so, both the Phillies and Brewers have found their footing. Milwaukee posted the best record of all of MLB in May while the Phillies have begun to look like the Phillies of old since the firing of manager Rob Thompson. Most people forget that both of these teams went into the Postseason last year with the best two records in MLB. This weekends series is also huge for both of them, Milwaukee holds a 4 game lead in the NL Central over the St. Louis Cardinals while the Phillies are 1.5 above the Wild Card and are only 1.5 behind the Cardinals for the fourth seed in the Wild Card race.

    2. Los Angeles Dodgers (43-25) at Chicago White Sox (36-31)

    As I am typing this, this game is currently between two first place teams. Who would’ve thought that when talking about the Dodgers and White Sox. Dodgers have more game at Pittsburgh, same with Chicago against Atlanta tonight (June 11). But The White Sox took the first two against the Braves who hold the best record in all of baseball and get the defending back to back champs in the Dodgers. A .500 homestand for the Whiteys will be a massive success but if they can beat the Braves and Dodgers in back to back series, that would be incredibly impressive and show that they are 100% a true contender.

    3. San Diego Padres (35-32) at Baltimore Orioles (32-37)

    Massive Wild Card implications are on the line for this one. As it sits right now, San Diego holds just a 0.5 game lead for the final spot in the NL Wild Card where the Orioles sit just 2 below in the AL Wild Card race. Two teams that were playoff hopefuls to start 2026 need to get going before it gets late fast.

    4. Detroit Tigers (29-40) at Cleveland Guardians (37-33)

    The slumping Cleveland Guardians who are currently 3-8 in their last 11 games just lost the lead in the AL Central for the first time since April. To make matters worse, the Guardians now welcome in the red hot Tigers who since the beginning of June has lost only two games. Detroit was also the favorites by a lot of people to win the AL Central and now get the Guardians who stole the division from them last year. While Detroit is 8 games behind in the Central, last years collapse by the Tigers proves to them that there is still plenty of time left. And the first step to reclaiming a playoff spot and more importantly the division is to beat one of your biggest competitors in the Guardians.

    5. St. Louis Cardinals (37-29) at Minnesota Twins (31-39)

    Before you say WHAT? Let me explain this to you. The Twins this year are 18-18 at home and over the past couple years this year included, they have had a knack for giving Postseason contenders in the NL a hard time at Target Field. Last season, the Twins beat both the Cubs and Padres at Target Field and that Padres series came after the deadline fire sale. The Cardinals come into this series right behind Milwaukee in the NL Central while currently sitting in the No. 4 seed for the Wild Card just 2.5 games above the cutoff. The Twins aren’t looking too hot right now but aren’t completely out of the AL Wild Card race just yet with only being 3.5 back. So this has the making of a trap series for the St. Louis Cardinals and one the Redbirds need to be very aware of.

    (NOTE: These records are how they stand right now at 3:56 of Thursday, June 11. For up to date standings. Check here )