The spring playoffs are nearing the final round, with plenty of compelling storylines still remaining.
The Rangers have a chance to win their first Stanley Cup in 30 years.
By winning the conference finals, the Celtics could surpass the Lakers as the team with the most titles in NBA history.
And Dallas There’s still a chance They are the first city to win both the NBA and NHL titles in the same year.
But historically, once Memorial Day passes, summer attention shifts to MLB, where there have been some interesting trends and newsworthy events both nationally and locally that will likely shape the remainder of the 2024 season.
Here are five topics to watch in the coming weeks and months.
Hey guys, are all the bats there?
Through Sunday, the 30 major league teams had a combined batting average of .240, the lowest since the league hit just .237 in 1968 (aka the Year of the Pitcher). For me, who was born that year and now needs glasses for the first time in 56 years, that was a long time ago.
And that’s despite the fact that well-known aces like Gerrit Cole, Clayton Kershaw, Jacob deGrom and Max Scherzer have not thrown a single pitch this season.
But Mets fans should find solace in this: The Mets’ .236 team batting average entering Tuesday’s doubleheader with the Dodgers was somehow better than 12 other teams, including the MLB-worst White Sox’s .215 and the National League-worst Reds’ .217.
Here we go again, Ronald
Braves superstar Ronald Acuña Jr. had a memorable MVP season in 2023, becoming the only player in MLB history to hit 40-plus home runs and steal 70 bases in the same year.
It’s heartbreaking that the All-Star outfielder suffered his second torn ACL in three years after undergoing season-ending surgery in 2021.
One has to think his injury will severely reduce the Braves’ chances of catching or even overtaking the powerhouse Phillies in the National League East, but remember that three years ago, Acuña was watching from the dugout when a rebuilt Atlanta team won the World Series.
Central Casting
Of course, there are still four more months of the season to go, but if it ended today, three teams from the weak AL Central division would make the playoffs: the Guardians, who came out of the holiday break just half a game behind the Yankees with the best AL record at 36-18, and the surprising Royals and Twins. The resurgent Tigers are also a potential wild-card contender.
The situation is different in the AL West, where only the division-leading Mariners are (barely) over .500 in winning percentage, but the experienced Rangers and Astros, despite getting off to slow starts, are within striking distance with about two-thirds of the remaining 162 games.
But do they like M&Ms?
Even though I’m not old enough to have seen the glorious pinstriped duo of Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle from over 60 years ago, watching the epic batting duo of Juan Soto and Aaron Judge every day feels like the closest thing I’ve come to that since becoming a baseball fan.
Both sluggers rank in the top six in MLB in OPS, slugging percentage, on-base percentage and home runs, so watching both players pound the ball out in a variety of ballparks will be a sight to behold.
Admittedly, I’m not the first to point this out, but there’s no way Hal Steinbrenner is going to let Soto leave as a free agent this offseason.
on the other hand…
When Steve Cohen took over as owner in 2020, even the most ardent Mets fan could not have predicted the team’s second straight losing season like this.
What a terrible situation, especially with Edwin Diaz and the bullpen as of late.
And the flip side of Soto on the Yankees: It’s becoming harder to imagine a scenario in which Cohen would shell out big money to keep Pete Alonso, which will be a constant daily storyline surrounding this sinking team if the losses continue to pile up ahead of the trade deadline.
Fighting power
The Rangers’ power play was one of their biggest strengths during the regular season, ranking third in the NHL with an efficiency rate of 26.4 percent.
But that potent unit was held scoreless in eight chances with the numbers advantage, and the Blueshirts hold a 2-1 lead over the Panthers heading into Game 4 on Tuesday night (8 p.m. ET, ESPN) in Sunrise, Florida.
That’s one reason why front-line center Mika Zibandeged, linemate Chris Kreider, leading scorer Artemi Panarin and former Norris Trophy-winning defenseman Adam Fox have yet to score in the series.
In fact, Barclay Goodrow’s shorthanded goal in Game 3 meant Peter Laviolette’s team scored more goals on the penalty kill than on the power play.
The unexpected offensive contributions from players like Goodrow and Alex Wennberg are what add to the story of any successful NHL team during this time.
But throw in the power play and the Rangers might actually be able to pull off a win.
Bill Walton (1952-2024)
Hall of Fame center Bill Walton, who played for UCLA as perhaps the most successful player in college basketball history, went on to win an NBA MVP award and titles with the legendary Trail Blazers in 1977 and the Celtics in 1986, and later became known as an eccentric announcer with a love of the Grateful Dead, died Monday after a long battle with cancer.
He was 71 years old.
The Post’s Mike Vaccaro wrote:
“If there was one word to describe Bill Walton it would be ‘authentic.’ He was who he was, he did what he did, he believed what he believed. Depending on your worldview, you may find that flattering or unpleasant. He didn’t care.”
“…Walton may have actually been the most unselfish superstar of all time, and he played for a team that embodied the most basic and pure spirit of the game. At UCLA, under Coach Wooden, the Bruins won the first 73 games Walton played in, the last of a record 88-game winning streak. Walton was a central figure on two national championship-winning teams, but he wasn’t the only one; he played with 10 other players who would go on to play in the NBA.”
Today’s back cover
Bye, Rafa?
It’s a rare sight to see a top-ranked tennis player walk away from the post-match interview after a straight-sets win and hand over the microphone and the attention of the crowd to his opponent, ranked 275th in the world.
Of course, it’s not often that the opponent in such a situation is Rafael Nadal.
The 14-time French Open champion lost to fourth-seeded Alexander Zverev in the first round at Roland Garros on Monday.
The 37-year-old Nadal has an astounding 112-4 record in Paris and has dominated the tournament for nearly two decades, but he declined to say after the match whether this would be his final appearance.
“For me it’s difficult to say what will happen in the future. I will probably not play here at Roland Garros, but I can’t say 100 percent,” Nadal said after the match.
“I feel a little better now than I did two months ago. In two months I might think, ‘That’s enough. I can’t do this anymore,’ but it won’t really hit me yet.”
What we’re reading 👀
🏒 Rangers captain Jacob Trouba was fined $5,000 for hurting his elbow in Game 3, but Panthers head coach Paul Maurice wasn’t impressed. “Poor boy. Poor Jake. He’s not gonna be able to eat,” Maurice said. Yes, the heat keeps rising in this series.
⚾ The Washington Post’s Joel Sherman takes a deep dive into the Yankees’ resurgence led by a Gerrit Cole-less starting lineup. The Yankees have had a phenomenal run, but they face questions about their final composition.
⚾ As if Kodai Senga’s absence couldn’t get any worse, the Mets ace hinted at a disagreement with the team over his rehab process.
🥊 It looks like the Netflix mega-fight between Mike Tyson and Jake Paul will still air as Tyson recovers from a health scare he experienced while on a flight this weekend.
⚾ Notorious MLB umpire Angel Hernandez has been persuaded to retire.
⚾ St. John’s University returns to the NCAA baseball tournament.
⛳ We I really know Nelly Korda, ranked number one in the world?
