NBA
In what will certainly go down as the biggest, most dramatic shot in Toronto Raptors' history, maybe even the NBA, superstar forward Kawhi Leonard's spectacular off-balanced deuce with no time left on the clock allows them to meet the Milwaukee Bucks in the Eastern final. It seemed, just for a moment, that "time stood still" as the bouncing ball did the "two-step" before eventually kissing net.
Oh, did I mention that the ball bounced off the rim four times before settling into the net and that this was a game seven? WOW, could anything be more thrilling! By the way, it was also the first time in NBA history that a shot that won game seven had no time left on the clock.
Trivia time, what is the diameter of a basketball, and the hoop (rim), in inches? No cheating!
NHL
We're into round three in the Stanley Cup playoffs and I'm sticking with the Bruins and Blues reaching the finals. Now, as far as super antagonist Boston forward Brad Marchand is concerned, if the refs aren't going to penalize him for his continuous unsportsmanlike conduct, Carolina should, like the good old days, take it upon themselves to physically remove the peskiest player in the league today.
LNHL
Ladies professional hockey is currently sitting at an extremely critical crossroad and I'm not sure if they have a winning hand in this showdown. One league has folded and the other one, according to their players’ association, will not operate next season unless the owners increase their salaries. Are they bluffing? Players are paid between $2,000 to $10,000, a season. That is not a misprint.
The problem for the players is that their game isn't exactly appealing to the masses, if you know what I mean, which means very little corporate or TV money is flowing into the league's and owners' coffers. There are definitely some extremely talented athletes on the ice but the overall product isn't lucrative enough to warrant what the players want. Something tells me that this won't end well for these young ladies, unless of course they drop their demands.
SWBL
The Virden Oilers kick off their 2019 season with two home games next week, Tuesday (May 21) vs Reston and Friday (May 24) vs Oak River. Pitching could be a real problem during the early phase of the schedule as Curtis Plett recovers from a broken wrist, which will put additional pressure on co-ace Jeff Peel to throw more innings than he would normally like. Manager Des Koop may also not like the fact that he could find himself, out of necessity, toeing the rubber on the hill.
Trivia answers: the ball's diameter is 9.5 inches while the hoop, believe it or not, and many don't, measures 18 inches across. Until next time....
