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“NBA-NHL…A TEST OF WILLS”
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The Oklahoma City Thunder and the Florida Panthers are trying to impose their wills in the NBA and NHL finals.  The people on the receiving end of this punishment, the Indiana Pacers and Edmonton Oilers are being challenged like never before.

Oklahoma City responded to its opening night home-court loss, by choking Indiana into a second game loss to even the series.  In doing so, they made a statement, about their smarts, their athleticism, their depth.

OKC took Indiana hero Tyrese Haliburton out of the second game, holding him to 1-basket in a 36-minute window.  The Thunder built a 23-point lead and gave the Pacers virtually no chance of coming back.

Top firepower guy off the bench, Obi Toppin had 1-basket for the entire night.  Indiana’s bigs, led by Myles Turner, got nothing done in the paint either.

At the other end of the floor, OKC went to a spread offense, hit threes, got lots of rebounds, pushed the tempo all night, got guys open and watched Indiana’s defense melt down.

It only counted for one win, but it was really dominant and sets the stage for Wednesday’s 3rd game back in Indianapolis.  Now we see what the Pacers can do to knock the Thunder out of rhythm?  Foul them?  Make it a grit-grime game?  Get Haliburton going from the opening tip?

The Pacers have led in this series for all of (1:54) in two games.

In the NHL, the Florida Panthers are in the face, in the head, on the body of the Edmonton Oilers.  They lead the series 2-1 in what has become ugly, tough guy, big boy hockey.

Florida was built for this.  Fierce forechecking, cheap stunts, dirty tricks, late hits, and tons of shots and lots of traffic infront of the Oilers goalie.  Call them ‘Team Ill-Will’.

Add on, Edmonton came unglued, trying to retaliate and taking 25-penalties, spending a ton of the night killing penalties, and just not getting into a skating game to feature Connor McDavid-Leon Draisaitl.

It was ugly, it was vintage Florida, it was back to back games in which the refs seemed to lose control.  It was borderline assault with intent to run the Oilers out of the playoffs.  And they got away with it.

So the Oilers will have to figure a way not to retaliate, let their hockey skills get them back in the game.  They need goalie Stuart Skinner not to get rattled either and let in soft goals.

Wednesday-Thursday nights will be a test of wills.  Can the Indiana Pacers counteract all things Oklahoma City?  Can the Oilers respond on the ice, and not go to the penalty box on Thursday?  We find out shortly.

=====================

=====Hacksaw’s Monday Bonus Podcast
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======
“BROWN & GOLD-VS-THE BLUE”
======

It was what I expected, but then again it was not what I really expected.

The Dodgers-Padres opening game of a 3-game series.

I expected it to be like a playoff atmosphere, and the 45, 678-fans who jammed Petco did not disappoint.

I expected Nick Pivetta to dominate, because he has pitched so dominantly at Petco Park.  Did not happen.

I expected Dustin May to get knocked around, and he did, but then he settled down and it became a very different game.

I expected the Dodgers to hit balls everywhere, and they did early, often going after Pivetta’s first pitches.  Obviously their analytics guys saw things on video they would exploit.

I did not expect May to settle down and grind his way thru 5-innings of solid pitching, exiting when it was 6-6.  He looks like a very different pitcher now, different delivery, more sidearm than before, and once he got his release point down, he was pretty strong.  2-elbow surgeries make you re-evaluate your mechanics.

I did not expect the Dodgers to play so poorly in the field.  A wild throw by Will Smith on a stolen base attempt.  A throwing error letting in another Padres run.  Teoscar Hernandez failing to get to a fly ball, then an ill advised dive, that led to a 3-run triple by Tyler Wade.

I never expected it to become a pitcher’s battle, bullpen battle, from the 5th inning on after the starters were chased either.  It did.

Of course there were typical situations you had to expect.

Pivetta was pulled after laboring for 93 pitchines in 4-innings.  And the Padres having to empty the bullpen much earlier than they wanted.

And the Dodgers kept running lefthanded relievers out there, showing how important this game was to them.  At one point they retired 14-Padres in a row

And the fans were in full throat, chanting Beat LA from the minute the lineup cards were exchanged.  And oohs and ahhs at the Ohtani swings and the Will Smith big swings and hits.  And then it was ‘Let’s Go Padres’ late in the game everytime LA threatened to rally.  It felt like an NFL playoff game.

It was an electric atmosphere, and there was  alot of Dodger colors  in the seats around the Friars fans wearing their colors.

Didn’t expect the managers to keep it ‘low key’ in their pregame meetings in the dugout with the media.  Great rivalry, but just counts as one game in June, not something as if it were October.  Sorry don’t buy ‘it’s just 1-of-162’.  They wound up managing it like it was sometime in postseason October.

And then it ended badly.  The Dodgers big bats rallied in the 10th.  The Padres, who had used their bullpen up early, lost.  And LA beat them again (8-7) to take a 2-game lead in the NL-West Standings.

Same as it always has been.  Dodgers beat the Padres.  Expected.
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===

Hacksaw’s Monday Podcast..1-30pm
You Tube-Lee Hacksaw Hamilton
Hot Topics on Table..Stay for Fans Forum
===
“PADRES-RIVALRY TIME”
====

It’s time to really play ball.
It’s time for the Padres to play the Dodgers.
It’s time to renew what has become a really intense rivalry.
Hard to believe they haven’t played each other yet this season
Equally hard to believe there is only 1-game difference between the Dodgers-Padres-Giants in the NL West and we’re in June.

The Dodgers and Padres are embroiled in what likely will be a season long grudge match to see who can win the NL West-and-who will travel the Wildcard road to the postseason.

When last seen, there are so many flashbacks to remember:
..The Padres going 24-straight innings without scoring against LA in the playoffs
..The Dodgers using a bullpen day to save their season
..Manny Machado throwing a ball at the Dodgers dugout
..Dodgers pitcher Jack Flaherty, a real red-ass, screaming at the Padres
..Shohei Ohtani’s record 50-50 season
..The terrible decision to start Dylan Cease on short rest in the postseason
..The Dodgers analytics department beating the Padres smart guys
..The video board cartoon of Clayton Kershaw crying
..Michael Kopech-Blake Treinen-Evan Phillips star and glare into home plate
..Dave Roberts calling SD-LA their biggest rivalry
..The chants of Beat-LA..Beat-LA before they even exchanged lineup cards
..The look on Padres faces when it was over-knowing they choked the series away

That’s all the backdrop to what happens Monday-Tuesday-Wednesday, when they face each other again.

New season, sure, but lots of old issues here.

The Dodgers have put 17-pitchers on the disabled list already this season.  LA has gone thru 27-pitchers already on the mound this year.

There is no Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow, nor Roki Sasaki to use in the rotation vs the Friars.

Shohei Ohtani has yet to make his return to the mound.

The Dodgers top 5-relievers are all on the disabled list.

LA’s bats are booming, slugging their way into a tenuous hold on 1st place.  Ohtani has 23-home runs.  Freddie Freeman was hitting (.343) into the weekend.  Teoscar Hernandez, Mookie Betts, Will Smith have all had good starts to the year.  Even young flychaser Andy Pages has become dangerous the plate.

There are issues with the Padres, trying to sell themselves that they can stay in a chase for first place with just Nick Pivetta and an up and down Dylan Cease at the front of the rotation.  Michael King is likely out 6-weeks with the shoulder.  Yu Darvish seems a month away barring a setback.

The bullpen is borderline burned out, as witnessed by the fact they asked Jason Adam to pitch ten times in a 16-day span.  They are holding up, but for how long.

Manny Machado is having a superstar season.
Luis Arreaez is slap hitting close to .300
Jackson Merrill has weathered a strange slump and is at (.314).
Fernando Tatis has hit (.188) since May 3rd’s beaning.
Jake Cronenworth has returned to being (.240) Jake Cronenworth.
Xander Bogaearts, his longterm contract, is stapled to a (.238) average.
The collective left fielders are hitting (.178).
The team is averaging an anemic (2.9) runs per game
The catchers combined average is under (.200)

Surely not a complete team right now either.

Won’t matter.  This is the first of 13-times they face each other, so it shapes up a ‘long hot summer of baseball’ between the two rivals.

But by first pitch today, you can forget the problems and just screech ‘Beat LA’.

But be realistic, the Dodgers don’t look like a World Series team.
The Padres seem a long ways away from being a 1st place team.
==============

 

========

Hacksaw’s Great Sports Weekend Podcast
You Tube-Lee Hacksaw Hamilton
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========
“HOT HEADLINES–HOT TAKES”
========
OKLAHOMA CITY-INDIANA:
..What did you expect?  This shocking upset?  Not me-not anyone.  Probably not even Indiana.  Definitely not OKC.  Indiana comes from 15-points back, hits 18-3’s and wins on another Tyrese Haliburton desperation shot with 3/10th of a second to go, to win.  Amazing.  The Thunder took 98-shots in the game..but shot just 39%.  Alot of guys disappeared in that game, leaving Shai Alexander to score (38) and everyone else miss a ton of shots.  It only counts as 1-win, but Indiana out-toughed Oklahoma City and just never gave up.  The grinders upset the glitter guys.  Here I was about the write, Indiana scored a ‘Moral Victory’ by getting back into the game and nearly winning it.  Instead they scored a ‘Real Victory’ on the road in a hostile environment.  Something to see.  But maybe it shocks the OKC system into playing with more intensity.  No one expected this, except Haliburton, who has now hit 4-final second jump shots to win games in the playoffs this spring for Indiana.I expected a blowout much earlier.  Credit the Pacers grit that a double digit deficit early did not wind up a 30-point loss. They believe and they have a 1-0 lead in what was supposed to be a torch job series.

——
EDMONTON-FLORIDA:
..Game two is Friday night and you ask can the Oilers-Panthers take it up another notch after the electric first game that went deep into overtime before Leon Draisaitl  won it for the Oilers.  Edmonton beat Florida at its own game, turning a 3-1 deficit into a tie game, hitting the Panthers, finishing their checks, disrupting the Florida forwards, and owning not only the final 20-minutes but also the overtime.  Yes it may only count as one win, but there is quite a message to be delivered there, the Oilers are deeper, tougher, griffier than the team that got taken out by Florida last spring in the Cup finals.  Game On-bring it on.

——-
PADRES:
..Is it an injury?  Is it a problem off the field?  No one is asking questions.  No one is talking, but this is not typical Fernando Tatis, an MVP candidate in April, a struggling veteran in May.  He has not been the same at-bat since getting hit on the forearm.  Has he lost power in his left forearm?  Is it a rib cage injury?  Is he trying to over compensate by changing his batting stance and mechanics?  Heading into the Milwaukee series on Friday, El Nino is (24-122) hitting (.196)…that’s right (.196). Not an MVP month is it?  And now Xander Bogaerts has pain in the same area he suffered a fractured shoulder last season.  And Luis Arraez seems to strain his knee reaching for a ground ball.  Looking for healthy players and some players to get hot on their road trip.

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======

Hacksaw’s Thursday Podcast-1:30-pm
You Tube-Lee Hacksaw Hamilton
Hot Topics on the Table-Stay for Fans Forum
======
“IN NEED OF PITCHING–JUST ASKING”
======

Your name is the San Diego Padres, or the Yankees, the Braves, or Angels, or the Reds, or the Pirates, or nearly half the teams in baseball.

Your pitching staffs have been ravaged by injuries.  Your bats cannot carry your teams the rest of the pennant race summer.

I study the stats in baseball constantly.  Baseball teams have a 26-man roster, and mandate the most pitchers you can have are 13-per team.  And that’s not enough.

So here we are into June, and some of the top teams are staggering because they have so many pitching injuries.  The bottom feeders don’t have enough pitching, and there seems to be no way to bridge the gap.

But there is, if a team’s GM is bold enough, the owners strong enough, to give a guy a second chance.

Modern day MLB baseball has allowed guys back into the game after serving suspensions for a wide variety of things.  PED violations, gun violations, domestic abuse incidents, DUIs, even gambling.

And so we sit in San Diego, at Yankees Stadium, and a number of other places, short on starting pitchers.  Not many solutions, nobody trades you a 20-game winner.  Few will deal a frontline pitcher even if he is on the brink of free agency.

AJ Preller, Brian Cashman and others need to be creative before the pennant race gets away from them.

The Padres have Nick Pivetta, a hot-cold Dylan Cease, an ailing Michael King.  Who knows if there will ever be another Yu Darvish sighting?  Who can really trust the likes of Randy Vasquez or Matt Waldon?  Do you really believe career minor leaguers Sean Reynolds or David Morgan or Ryan Berget can hold up in the heat of a pennant race.

At Yankees Stadium, it’s the same.  Aaron Judge can hit only so many home runs.  6-of his batting order teammates are hitting below (.240).  Ginacarlo Stanton has not returned.  There is no Gerritt Cole coming back this year.  Luis Gil is still on the DL as are a chunk of the bullpen.

Need I say more about the lowly Angels pitching staff, the faltering Orioles, the trashed Braves pitching staff or a wide variety of others.

Many solutions out there?  Not really.  Except one big gamble.

If you had the chance to pick up a starting pitcher who was (83-69), at a low level make good contract, wouldn’t you?  If you could take a flyer on a pitcher that was (20-4) pitching in Mexico and Japan, why would you not at least make a call?

Yes Trevor Bauer comes off as an intellectual sleaze, disciplined, exiled, suspended, blackballed for sexual misconduct with a groupie baseball fan.
He served his sentence, 190-games in all.  He lost some big bucks, (31M) in his Dodgers contract by virtue of his suspension.

His reputation seems shot, but we know this.  The ex-Indians-Reds-Dodgers starter can still pitch.  His records with the Yokohama Bay Stars and Mexico City Rojos prove that.

He has kept his mouth shut, let his pitching do his talking, and has stayed off the stupidity of social media that got him into hot water to begin with.

You can get him for the major league minimum for the rest of the season.  He is in game-shape.  Wants a second chance.  And would do almost anything to resurrect his career and rebuild his reputation.

Who gives a crap about what a columnist or a talkshow mouth or TV guy would say.  If you give him the ball every 5th day and he wins, you win, and that is what the game is all about.

As the old phrase goes, ‘nothing ventured-nothing gained’.

I’d take a chance on Trevor Bauer now, compared to some of the other pitchers some of these teams are dragging out there masquerading as starting pitchers.

It’s real simple. This is the veterans minimum contract.  Take the ball and pitch.  Keep you mouth shut aside from baseball.  Take a summer off from social media.  If you screw up, you repay us what we paid you after we gave you a chance.

2nd chance = last chance.  You are trying to get to the World Series aren’t you?
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