GOLDEN STATE CAN MAKE HISTORY BY SWEEPING NBA PLAYOFFS FRIDAY NIGHT
Not everyone is jumping on the Golden State Warriors bandwagon as one of the all-time great NBA teams, but a victory Friday night in Cleveland would give them a sweep in the Finals and an unprecedented 16-0 record in the playoffs. You couldn’t argue that.
The trusty FiveThirtyEight sports computer gives Golden State a 99 percent probability to win the Finals. Is there a single Cleveland fan alive who wants to buck those odds?
The Warriors are favored by 6 points in Game 4. The next game would be Monday night at Golden State.
Cleveland stars LeBron James and Kyrie Irving were spectacular Wednesday night but Golden State scored the last 11 points when the chips were down to beat the host Cavs 118-113 and take a commanding 3-0 lead.
A few more thoughts on the Finals:
Cleveland is a very good team but Golden State is obviously the better team and has a much deeper bench.
Warriors point guard Stephen Curry has been terrific in the Finals but Kevin Durant is the obvious Finals MVP so far. He has elevated Golden State from a very good team in the 2014-15 and 2015-16 seasons to an excellent team in the 2016-17 season.
I figured three-point shooting would be a huge factor in the Finals. It has been:
Cleveland – 31-for-104 (.298)
Golden State – 46-for-109 (.422).
The Cavaliers relied even more on three-point shooting than sharp-shooting Golden Stater in the regular season and in the first three rounds of the playoffs, but the Warriors consistently play much better defense against three-point shots than Cleveland.
TAPWRIT IS BOB’S PICK TO WIN THE BELMONT STAKES
The 149th Belmont Stakes is lacking in starpower but that makes it an attractive betting race. With no superstar starters, the looks like an interesting race. For only the fourth time in history, the Belmont Stakes post-time favorite could go off at odds above 3-to-1. There could produce some juicy payoffs.
Kentucky Derby winner Always Dreaming, Preakness Stakes winner Cloud Computing and two-year-old champion Classic Empire all will skip the 1 ½-mile Belmont Stakes to rest and recuperate for rich races this summer and fall.
Here are Bob’s worst-to-first picks for the Saturday’s Belmont Stakes (6:37 p.m., post time; NBC):
12th – Hollywood Handsome. His two career wins were against maidens and modest allowance company. A one-run closer who figures to be too far behind to catch up. Belongs on this racing card but not in this particular race.
11th – Twisted Tom. This New York-bred gelding won his last three races against far much weaker competition. Figures to be with the leaders but fade when the serious running starts. Javier Castellano is a great jockey but he can’t carry the horse.
10th -- Meantime. He has early speed and could set the pace but few horses win this race wire-to-wire. A tall order in only his fifth career start.
9th – Multiplier. Mommy and day both were sprinters. Finished a decent sixth in the Preakness Stakes and can’t totally ignore him in this spot.
8th – Epicharis. Invader from Japan must be respected but the last international winner of the Belmont Stakes was Go And Go in 1990. Was treated for lameness Wednesday night. That’s obviously not good. How good can he be if his connections would run him at less than 100 percent on Saturday? If he isn’t scratched, I’ll be wagering on healthier animals.
7th – J Boys Echo. Had a very tough trip and finished 15th in the Kentucky Derby. Has some late foot and could pass enough tiring rivals to at least pad the exotic wagers.
6th – Gormley. He has some potential but his speed figures have been declining. Some wise guys are giving him an upset chance.
5th --Lookin At Lee. If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again. The only horse in this field to run in all three Triple Crown races: second in the Kentucky Derby and fourth in the Preakness Stakes. Can handle the distance but might not have the speed. Prefer fresher rivals to finish in top fpor.
4th– Senior Investment. A game third in the Preakness Stakes. Has been improving and might surprise from off the pace.
SHOW -- Patch. This one-eyed sentimental favorite skipped the Preakness Stakes for this spot. Trainer Todd Pletcher and jockey John Velazquez are a tough combination. Shouldn’t mind the extreme outside post position.
PLACE – Irish War Cry. The likely favorite despite a disappointing 10th in the Kentucky Derby. The last New Jersey-bred to win the Belmont Stakes was Price Eugene in 1913. But this son of Curlin has the mixture of speed and stamina to ace this test.
WIN – Tapwrit. Won the Tampa Bay Derby and then had a horrible trip in the Kentucky Derby but finished a game sixth. Good connections (trainer Todd Pletcher and jockey Jose Ortiz). Can take top honors here on a top effort and if he stays out of trouble.
Worth noting – Only 2 post-time favorites won the last 20 Belmont Stakes and 6 of the last 30...Over that span, long-shot winners included odds of 70.25-to-1, 38-to-1, 36-to-1, 29.75-to-1, 24-to-1, 18.80-to-1, 15-to-1. 13.90-to-1, 13-to-1 and 12-to-1...Eight of the last 11 winners of the Belmont Stakes skipped the Preakness Stakes.
A RETURN TO FORM BY BYUNG-HO PARK WOULD BE A BIG LIFT FOR THE RED WINGS
The Rochester Red Wings lost 3-2 at home Thursday night to the lowly Syracuse Chiefs to drop three games below .500 (26-29) for the first time this International League season. Korean slugger ByungHo the 30-year-old Park did not play Thursday night after striking out four times Wednesday afternoon in a home loss to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
Park is in a terrible slump: 0-for-20 with 14 strikeouts. His batting average has dropped to .188 (21-for-112). He has 3 HRs, 9 RBI and 37 strikeouts this season. He’s better than that and the Red Wings desperately need him to return to form.
Park tore up South Korea’s major league from 2012 through 2015:
2012 -- .290...31 HRs...105 RBI in 133 games
2013 -- .318...37 HRs...117 RBI in 128 games
2014 -- .309...52 HRs...124 RBI in 128 games
2015v-- .343...53 HRs...146 RBI in 140 games.
The Minnesota Twins paid $12.85 million for exclusive Major League Baseball rights to sign Park. On Dec. 1, 2015, he signed a four-rear contract worth $12 million. The money if fully guaranteed – no matter what level he plays at. The Twins expected him to be their full-time DH/first baseman. They did not expect him to become the highest-paid full-time pro athlete in Rochester sports history.
His career batting lines:
With Minnesota – 62 games; .191 batting average (41-for-215); 9 doubles; 1 triple; 12 HRs; 24 RBI; 21 walks; 80 strikeouts.
With Rochester – 60 games; .206 batting average (47-for-229); 13 doubles; 13 HRs; 28 RBI; 17 walls; 69 strikeouts.
HOME COOKING COUID REVIVE THE PREDATORS
The Pittsburgh Penguins are on the verge of becoming the first Stanley Cup repeat champions since the 1997-1998 Detroit Red Wings with a 6-0 romp Thursday night over the Nashville Predators.
The Predators trail the series 3-2 with Game 6 at Nashville Sunday.
Nashville on home ice is 9-1 and has outscored opponents 34-15 in the postseason. The Predators are 5-6 and have been outscored 31-26 on the road.
The home-ice advantage has been a huge factor since the conference finals began. In the first two rounds, visiting teams had a 34-33 advantage. Home teams are 13-5 since, including 5-0 in the Finals.
HERE’S HOPING THE TWINS PICK A HITTER NO. 1 OVERALL
The Major League Baseball entry draft starts Monday.
The Minnesota Twins had the worst record in Major League Baseball last season, thus “earning” the No. 1 overall pick for only the third time in their history. They selected pitcher Tim Belcher No. 1 overall in 1983 (he didn’t sign with them; he was picked by the New York Yankees in the 1984 January secondary draft and signed with them) and hometown hero and catcher Joe Mauer in 2001.
As a history major and rooter for the Rochester Red Wings, I’m hoping the Twins select a hitter and not a pitcher with that pick.
The main reason: So many more things can go wrong for pitchers.
Since the MLB entry draft began in 1965, here is how I categorize the pitchers selected No. 1 overall (2013 through 2016 too early to judge):
Excellent MLB careers – David Price (2007)...Stephen Strasburg (2009)
Very good – Andy Benes (1988)...Gerrit Cole (2011)
Good – Mike Moore (1981)...Ben McDonald (1989)
Fair – Floyd Bannister (1976)...Paul Wilson (1994)...Kris Benson (1996)...Matt Anderson (1997)...Matt Bush (2001)...Luke Hochevar (2006)
Poor -- David Clyde (1973)...Bryan Billington (2002)
Never reached MLB – Brien Taylor (1991; picked by Yankees; injured his left shoulder in a fight).
Hitters selected No. 1 overall have been more successful overall:
Excellent MLB careers – Harold Baines (1977)...Darryl Strawberry (1980)...Ken Griffey Jr. (1987)...Chipper Jones (1990)...Alex Rodriguez (1993)...Adrian Gonzalez (2000)...Joe Mauer (2001)...Bryce Harper (2010)...Carlos Correa (2012)
Very good – Bob Horner (1978)...Darin Erstad (1995)...Pat Burrell (1998)...Josh Hamilton (1999)...Justin Upton (2005)
Good – Rick Monday (1965)...Jeff Burroughs (1969)...Shawn Dunston (1982)...B.J. Surhoff (1985)...Phil Nevin (1992)
Fair – Ron Blomberg (1967; no extra credit for being the first DH)...Tim Foli (1968)...Mike Ivie (1970)...Bill Almon (1979)...Shawn Abner (1984)...Delmon Young (2003)...Tim Beckham (2009)
Poor – Danny Goodwin (1971 and 1975; only player to be the No. 1 overall pick twice)...Dave Roberts (1972)...Al Chambers (1979)...Jeff King (1986)
Never reached MLB – Steve Chilcott (1966).
THE HOT FOUR PLAYERS FOR THE NO. 1 OVERALL PICK ARE...
RHP Kyle Wright (Vanderbilt)
RHP/SS Hunter Greene (Sherman Oaks High School, Calif.)
LHP Mac Kenzie Gore (Whiteville High School, NC)
1B/LHP Brendan McKay University of (Louisville).
The Twins already might be sold on the No. 1 overall pick, but I’m hoping it will be McKay. He appears to be the best hitter of the quartet and I believe college players are less risky than high school players.
FOR ONE GAME, RIZZUTO WASN’T THE BEST “SCOOTER”
Philip Francis Rizzuto always will be Baseball’s all-time greatest “Scooter”, but the New York Yankees Hall of Hamer never had a game as amazing as Ryan Joseph “Scooter” Gennett enjoyed Tuesday night.
Gennett had 4 home runs and 10 runs-batted-in for the Cincinnati Reds in a 13-1 romp over St. Louis.
Only 17 players have had 4-HR games and only 15 players have had at least 10 RBI in a game.
Gennett probably is the most unlikely player on each list:
4 HRs in a game – Bobby Lowe (in 1894; he had 71 career HRs)...Ed Delahanty (1896; 101)...Lou Gehrig (1932; 493)...Chuck Klein (1936; 300)...Pat Seerey (1948; 86)...Gil Hodges (1950; 370)...Joe Adcock (1954; 336)...Rocky Colavito (1959; 374)...Willie Mays (1961; 660)...Mike Schmidt (1976; 548 )...Bob Horner (1986; 218)...Mark Whiten (1993; 105)...Mike Cameron (2002; 278)...Shawn Green (2002; 328)...Carlos Delgado (2003; 473)...Josh Hamilton (2012; 200)...Ryan Joseph Gennett (2017; 42).
At least 10 RBI in a game – 12 RBI: Jim Bottomley (in 1924) and Mark Whiten (1993)...11 RBI: Wilbert Robinson (1892), Tony Lazzeri (1936) and Phil Weintraub (1944; 10 RBI: Rudy York (1946), Walker Cooper (1949), Norm Zauchin (1955), Reggie Jackson (1969), Fred Lynn (1975), Nomar Garciaparra (1999); Alex Rodriguez (2005), Garret Anderson (2007), Anthony Rondon (2017) and Ryan Joseph Gennett (2017).
Rondon and Gennett are the only players to have games with at least 10 RBI in the same season – and they did it within 38 days.
Gennett has the fewest career HRs and RBI on the two lists. He has plenty of time to add to his totals and his big night Tuesday could wind up prolonging his career.
SHORT SHOTS
I still think the feeble bats of Chase Headley and Chris Carter are killing the New York Yankees, but Headley had two hits and Carter had a big three-run home run in Wednesday night’s 8-0 home romp over the Boston Red Sox.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...
Friday, June 9 – Josh Cribbs (34)...Odonis Haslem (37)...Jeff Saturday (42)...Tedy Brusci (44)...Don McSween (53)...Dave Parker (66)...Dick Vitale (77). Natalie Portman (36), Johnny Depp (54) and Michael J. Fox (56) are invited to the birthday party.
Saturday, June 10 – Jeff Teague (29)...Mike Mitchell (30)...Al Albuquerque (31)...Tata Lupinski (35)...Brent Sutter (55)...Dan Fouts (66)...Ken Singleton (70). Kate Upston (25), Elizabeth Hurley (52) and Prince Philip (96) are invited to the birthday party.
Sunday, June 11 – Maya Moore (28)...Brock Holt (29)...Jose Reyes (34)...Diana Taurasi (35)...Scott Mellanby (51)...Joe Montana (61). Shia LeBeouf (31) is invited to the birthday party.