1. MLB - Travis Bazzana. 'TBaz' continues on his merry way leading the averages now with the Cleveland Guardians. Since being called up three weeks ago, he has even come into reckoning for the MLB Rookie of the Year. They lost today v the Red Sox but he hit two doubles in their loss.
He has such outstanding belief and talent. He has played 29 games, 104 at bats, 32 hits, including 8 doubles and 3 home runs. He is surging and is the lead off bat now. He is their leading player right now. Incredible. Averaging .308. It is very early of course, but that is an elite number at the highest level of the game.
2. NRL. Congratulations to the bye on their 200th game. They have been really dominant on the Bull Crap Momentum Tracker all season!
Key NRL questions:
- Is the six tackle repeat hooter a sign of an imminent try? The NRL would have us believe it.
- Is the failed attacking raid in the red zone inevitably rewarded with a penalty? So it seems.
- When will there be a clear penalty for players not surrendering the ball instantly at the break down in play? The AFL have this right. Yardage penalties with scope for a quick tap.
- Should every NRL coach walk the sidelines like the NFL? It certainly adds more spice to the game. One team on either side?
The Tigers bounce back; Parramatta looked like pretenders again (still spoon favourites, especially now the Dragons can win) with coach Ryles not getting the blowtorch like many other coaches; Newcastle look so much better every week and Dylan Lucas is pure class. The Sharks also suddenly looked a tougher proposition. The Roosters and Storm was a classic game of arm wrestling defence. So hard to score a try now. The Roosters were ordinary sadly...so many errors.
Booing of Lachlan Galvin is surely overdoing it a year later. His try was clever.
St George had an excellent win, but the Broncos...dear oh dear. The Dragons have a brighter future than most. Look at the Newcastle Knights under Justin Holbrook. Coming fourth now! Awesome turn around. The Raiders continue their characteristic mid season turn around too. The colder it gets in Canberra, the more successful they become.
3. AFL. Carlton have bounced back since the change of coach to Josh Fraser and have put three successive wins together now. They had a magnificent win v Geelong who have been on fire. The Swans absolutely whacked Richmond in a record breaking afternoon at the SCG on Saturday. Charlie Curnow kicked 8 goals which is incredible.
The Western Bulldogs scored a cracking win v Collingwood and GWS continue their recovery with a win in the Alice against Melbourne. What a spectacular ground! Finn Callaghan had a game (1km gained!). They are screaming into eighth spot now. One to watch with their big run to September after their shock loss to West Coast.
4. ODI Cricket v Pakistan. Why are we playing this series? Guaranteed that in two weeks you won't remember anything that happened. Great to see Liam Scott rewarded with an Australian gig. Ex Hunters Hill Pirates player before getting across to South Australia.
However, not selected. The pitch was woefully inconsistent, but typical sub continent...low, slow and turning. Too much for Marnus and Cameron Green. Patience must surely be shortening with both. Our bowlers were ineffective, but Kuhnemann continues his excellent form in the sub continent. That is a handy skill as lucrative IPL options may open up as well.
5. County Cricket. Who is starring from Australia? The recent Aussie turned Englishman, Jake Lehmann has hit 549 runs at 62.11. Daniel Hughes (539 at 44), Jake Weatherald (483 at 60), Nathan McSweeney (392 at 49) and Marcus Harris (366 at 45). Not spectacular.
6. IPL Final. Gotta love the IPL! The Gujrat Titans (GT) play the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the final tonight. GT have Shubman Gill, Jos Buttler, Jason Holder, Rashid Khan, Rabada and Mohammad Siraj. RCB have the legend Virat Kohli, Tim David and Josh Hazlewood. RCB should whack them. Wait for Kohli to produce under pressure. RCB won it last year too (6 other second/ third places). GT have one win and one second/ third place.
7. Super Rugby. The wheels have fallen off the Brumbies and they have a week to tighten them up. They have plummeted, losing to Pasifika, but the Reds threaten for semi final success. The Crusaders knocked over the Highlanders in a terrific win. That franchise is incredible.
With the top six in the semi finals now, the Hurricanes (1) play the Brumbies (6) next Friday in Wellington. Crusaders (3) play the Blues (4) in Christchurch and then the Chiefs (2) play the QLD Reds (5) in Waikato. Can anyone but the Hurricanes, Chiefs and Crusaders win - especially in New Zealand?
Can a semi be played on a Sunday afternoon? TV/ viewer ratings missed yet again.
8. French Open Tennis. Jannik Sinner was unceremoniously turfed out and Novak too in a tournament without Carlos Alcaraz. Alex de Minaur faded out too in the scorching heat. He seems incapable of grappling with those big opportunities, as solid a player as he is. The youth of a few players is rising finally, like young gun Fonesca and Zverev. We will finally see a new winner of a men's tennis Grand Slam.
Iva Swiatek and Sabalenka will be hard to beat in the women's as it heads to the fourth round tomorrow. Gauff was ousted in yet another upset that only the clay can bring.
9. F1 Grand Prix. McLaren are in huge trouble. A DNF for Norris and a 11th place for Oscar Piastri. In the Canadian GP, the Mercedes cars dominated. Antonelli already has four wins and leads gthe Drivers Championship on 131 points in a canter ahead by 43 from George Russell (Mercedes). Piastri is back in sixth place on 48 points.
10. EPL. Tottenham survive...just, despite West Ham winning 3-0 v Leeds. With all games finishing within an ace of each other, the drama and pressure on the field was countered by a 1-0 win by Tottenham. The Hammers join the second tier layer of English football and lose money, players and reputation. They will bounce back.
Arsenal could not ice their season, losing in penalties in the Champions League clash with Paris St Germain (PSG). Typical Arsenal. They could really have made a powerful statement there. A shame, but the EPL title is under their arm.
11. The NBA Finals. It is decided: New York Knicks v San Antonio Spurs. The Knicks were commanding winners in straight sets. They are so tall. A dauting opponent. The Spurs got through in a tight and tough Game 7. A great achievement. Starts 4 June.
12. NHL Final. The Carolina Hurricanes take on the Las Vegas Knights for the Stanley Cup. Both convincing winners in what should be a cracking final. Awesome athleticism. Starts Wednesday.
13. World Cup Soccer. It is nearly underway. The fake injury and the dodgy ref were in full flight in the Socceroos 1-0 friendly loss to Mexico. Interesting that refs don't often preside over losses to Mexico in friendlies. I suspect "a good tight loss" may be our WC mantra, but a wonderful spectacle and showcase of talent ahead.
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