Joe Torosian's Outsiders Sports

By Joe Torosian

Kick it!

OG Anunoby, in New York or in proximity to any transplanted New Yorker around the world, will be on scholarship for the rest of his life.

He won’t pay for another drink, another meal, better still, he’ll probably never have to pay for parking again. (And Josh Hart will be his personal assistant.)

If he wants to run for any public office, it’s his when he takes the escalator down.

That comeback was as beautiful as anything I’ve ever seen in sports. The greatest comeback I’ve ever seen in basketball.

But not the greatest game I’ve ever seen.

Last night was a validation of “The Villanova Effect.”

While I do not believe in a spiritual karma, I fully subscribe to a sports karma. And that karma will assert itself if a door is left open.

The San Antonio Spurs are young and athletic, and in the first half, they hit everything but never shut the door.

You can be young, athletic, and hit everything…but the team that continues to play basketball will ultimately prevail. That’s how sports karma comes into play.

The Knicks, a team influenced by the three Jay Wright disciples (The Villanova Effect), have built their roster with a discipline that will not allow them to melt when the fire turns white-hot.

After going up by 29, the Spurs morphed into “Get Mine” mode, and the Knicks kept grinding.

Watching it unfold, I was wondering what the Spurs and their coaching staff were thinking down the stretch.

When Jalen Brunson gave the Knicks the lead late, it became apparent the Spurs weren’t thinking. At all.

I refuse to believe a veteran like Harrison Barnes was silent in those huddles. I want to know why no one listened to him.

While I was locked in on D’Aaron Fox swallowing the jalapeño and Wemby clanking two free throws down the stretch…I didn’t realize before it was brought up that Dylan Harper didn’t take a shot in the final ten minutes.

It’s okay for me not to see. Great work by an analyst for spotting it, but absolutely criminal for the Spurs braintrust to allow it to happen.

Knicks HC Mike Brown is proving to be leaps and bounds above Johnson.

The call to insert Jose Alverado in place of Mikal Bridges was brilliant, and Alverado had the game of his life.

Outside of Taylor Swift, I’m 99% down all the celebrities are legitimate Knicks fans.

The only thing missing from the comeback was Frank Reich.

Last Add Spurs: Nothing can help you more in life than a public butt-kicking—physically, verbally, athletically, they all appropriately scar you up, and get you ready.

My greatest NBA game of all time? June 9, 1987, the Lakers beat the Boston Celtics 107-106 (Ironically), on Magic Johnson’s baby sky-hook, to take a 3-1 lead in the series.

The Stanley Cup Final has been great, but tuning into Game Five tonight after the Spurs-Knicks last night feels like I’m going from Six Flags to Santa’s Village.

#64—May the San Francisco Giants rot and lie stinking in the earth…

The Dude abides…

1,311
Colossians 2:13-15
jtbank1964@yahoo.com
“RamView” M-W-F
Follow Joe on X: @joet13b

By Joe Torosian

Kick it!

If you want to attend Game Four of the NBA Finals tonight at Madison Square Garden, you’ll need $130,000 to sit next to Detective Oliva Benson near the New York Knicks bench.

If you only want inside of MSG, it will run you about $4,700.

If you’re looking for something a little more economical, seven bucks will get you a seat to see the Los Angeles Sparks play the Seattle Storm tonight in the Emerald City.

Under-reported reason the Knicks lost to the San Antonio Spurs Monday night? New York lost by four, 115-111, and Landry Shamet only scored three.

In the first two games of the series, Shamet averaged 13 on 46% shooting beyond the arc. Monday night, he was 1-for-7.

And role players generally play better at home than on the road–at least that’s the thought.

Note to Knicks HC Mike Brown: Stephon Castle is a beast. You’ve got to get the ball out of Jalen Brunson’s hands. Someone else needs to initiate the offense—and that’s KAT.

I did a whole opening monologue on RamView Monday about how the key to this golden age of Rams football is the character of the guys they bring in.

It’s true, arrests and scandals involving Rams players over the last ten years are usually equal to an offseason for the Chiefs and Bengals.

But yesterday, Alaric Jackson, starting left tackle, under contract through the 2027 season, got popped and cuffed on charges of domestic violence.

Yes, sometimes these things are lies and fraud—see Trevor Bauer—but not always. Jackson got grounded for two games last year for something we were never told about.

The Rams have had a great offseason, Puka Nacua looks like he’s screwed his head back on straight, and there’s talk of Aaron Donald coming back.

All that is good, but left tackle is a choke point. I’m not saying Jackson won’t be a Ram going forward, although he will miss some time this season. But come 2028, I believe the Rams will think twice about extending him.

“RamView broadcasts LIVE Today on YouTube”

I’m not going to excuse Jackson if he slapped his girlfriend or wife around, but it’s hard to see a guy who was undrafted and worked so hard to become a starter at left tackle for the Los Angeles Rams throw it all away.

After all that work, how do you give all that up? I don’t know, but I do know, bad company corrupts good character.

Great hockey game last night, but do you realize the Vegas Golden Knights have had three goals in the last two games taken off the scoreboard because of reviews?

(Note: Those reviews were correct.)

I literally wrote in a college column back in the 1980s when the Kings were making a playoff run, that nothing seemed so final as a goal scored in hockey.

Not anymore, and I’m just wondering if any of you feel like we lost something in going to the review?

Of course, this has nothing to do with me rooting for Vegas and wanting to declare to the world that I was a Mitch Marner fan when he played in Toronto.

(And I kind of was, I do have a Maple Leafs sweater.)

Last Add Hockey: I can definitely get into more 4-on-4 action. That should be the setup when a game goes into overtime.

I like 3-on-3 for regular-season OT… but 4-on-4 seems more reasonable when dropping the puck in postseason.

But what do I know? I’m still sore about the Marty McSorley shafting in 1993.

How excited am I about the World Cup?

I’m rooting for Argentina, against Team USA, and 75% of the time, I’m going to choose a Seinfeld rerun over a soccer match.

And 85% of the time, I’m going to choose Caitlin Clark, the Indiana Fever, and Dallas Wings over soccer.

Still, (for family harmony) Go Messi!

One MLB Add: As I ignore the Mets and the greatness of Freddy Peralta, I noticed the only Dodger who didn’t get a hit last night was Lee Lacy.

#63—May the San Francisco Giants rot and lie stinking in the earth…

The Dude abides…

1,310
Philippians 2:1-4
jtbank1964@yahoo.com
“RamView” M-W-F
Follow Joe on X: @joet13b

By Joe Torosian

Kick it!

The San Antonio Spurs are too young to win…but, apparently, they didn’t get that memo. LOL!

Everything was primed for them to be blown off the floor, the long-time fans, the bandwagon fans, all of them were there and paying the big bucks to see it happen…

And it didn’t happen.

The Spurs in Game Three were stone-cold killers. Instead of melting when the heat rose, they hardened. Even as I was rooting for the Knicks, I couldn’t help but be impressed by them.

Tough, resilient, and when Wemby gets that sky-hook down, he’ll be the greatest ever. Maybe I should qualify that as an “if.”

He also has another gift/skill set/quality that will separate him from 98% of his peers: Victor Wembanyama cares.

Next Add NBA Finals: D’Aaron Fox is 28, he’s been in the NBA for nine seasons, but with 12 seconds to play last night, he hit the biggest shot of his career.

Observation: Knicks fans explode when Mitchell Robinson hits a free throw with the same passion Dodger fans use to explode when Manny Mota got a pinch hit with two outs in the bottom of the ninth.

I feel bad if you never got to experience Manny Mota coming off the bench with the game on the line — with Vin Scully on the call. As the late Stuart Scott would have described it: “Like gravy on a biscuit, it’s all good!”

While I’m optimistic about the Lakers’ future under new ownership and management, I don’t think a fat contract for Austin Reeves will accomplish anything after seeing the Spurs last night.

Note to LeBron: You want another shot at a title? “Go East, Old Man!”

If I were Trump, even as a long-time fan, I wouldn’t have gone to Madison Square Garden. I’m not saying he didn’t have the right to go, I’m only saying I wouldn’t have gone.

Is gambling a bigger issue than domestic misconduct/violence?

I think everyone would agree that beating, hurting, or otherwise harming someone is much worse, but gambling is an issue that affects the integrity of sport.

Even people with big money, who on the surface have no reason to get caught up in gambling, can be overtaken by its fever.

I’ve seen it, and it’s becoming more invasive in the culture.

Understandably, the desire to give someone a chance to redeem themselves is important. And if they fail, at some point (see Steve Howe), you cut them loose…But gambling can morph into something else. Things can appear to be going well, and then, before you know it, you’re dealing with Art Schlichter.

And people will have doubts about a game’s integrity.

I’ve had a lot of fun talking about Terry McAulay, Amazon Prime’s rules analyst for football. McAulay’s call to the NFL office about the disputed two-point conversion in the Rams-Seahawks game last December does raise an eyebrow.

It may not be anything, but given the growth of gambling, it raises a question. Questions a major sport doesn’t need, while hypocritically continuing to align itself with gambling platforms.

Such confusion, especially for a young person.

Speaking of the Rams: Discussions about the Rams’ defense are not just centered around a possible Aaron Donald return (from this page to the football gods’ ears), but also on the different looks available to DC Chris Shula’s scheme with Myles Garrett in the house. As in a 4-3 front versus the long-time 3-4 look the Rams have used for years.

Timing is everything…I had just made a note about Cailtin Clark looking like she’d lost all her confidence after clanking a pair of free throws in the final minute…and then ka-boom! She hits a game-winner from 31 feet.

#62—May the San Francisco Giants rot and lie stinking in the earth…

The Dude abides…

1,309
Philippians 4:4-8
jtbank1964@yahoo.com
“RamView” M-W-F
Follow Joe on X: @joet13b

By Joe Torosian

Kick it!

The Indiana Bears sounds like tax revenue going someplace other than Chicago. (Yes, I know they’ll still be called the Chicago Bears.)

Heck, I’d change my name to Herman if it could score me some extra-ducketts in the paycheck—but I’ll never wear the ribbon.

Caitlin Clark going from Indiana to Los Angeles sounds like it won’t work even if it happens.

Is it just me, or are there a lot of rich nuns in San Antonio?

Not only is the San Antonio Spurs roster young, but their public relations/marketing team is even younger. Only an inexperienced double-dumb-butt would have produced and okayed that introduction of the New York Knicks on Friday night.

At that point, the Spurs were down 0-1 and had lost home-court advantage in the series. It wasn’t a time to be cute or a time to have fun. It was a time for everyone to get focused.

Knowing how petty I could be at the low level of sports I played, I’m certain it instilled a little more “blank you!” into the Knicks veterans.

Game Three of the Stanley Cup Final had an interesting opening, but it wasn’t insulting to the visiting Hurricanes.

Old Complaint Department: No one should collect fives from teammates after a missed free throw. It is a repugnant sight.

I don’t even know who this Karl-Anthony Towns is…So I asked my friend Brian Setzer what he thought.

“Knicks KAT strut, he’s the Knicks KAT
A New York Knickerbocker
(Hey, man, that’s KAT)
Spurs throwing at him everything they can
Even Wembanyama can’t stop this man.”

I’m pro Wemby, but something’s off when the big man doesn’t pick up his first foul until there’s eight minutes left in the third.

I know he’s light in the frame, and his length affects his center of gravity, but the Fighting Frenchman spends too much time on the perimeter. In the next few years, he needs—desperately—to add a sky hook to his game.

Spurs are down by nine to start the fourth, but HC Mitch Johnson—instead of working with his team—has to speak to Lisa Salters so that we can learn nothing!

If anything is jejune in sports, beyond giving fives on a missed free throw–it’s these mid-game interviews.

Last Add Game Two: Wemby should have rolled to the hole on the final play.

Wow! Blake Treinen refused to wear the ribbon.

#61—May the San Francisco Giants rot and lie stinking in the earth…

Sunday Night Baseball on NBC, Giants-Cubs,…talk about a yawning festival.

Last Add WNBA: In some ways, many ways, it is the poster child for the Welfare State.

Did it get settled, or is the SoFi Workers Union going out on strike with the World Cup set to begin?

Not a sports thing, but I prefer “Frasier” to “Cheers.”

Watching the Golden Knights’ Mitch Marner record a hat trick on Saturday night reminded me of the time I saw one in person.

December 12, 1981, Kings’ defenseman Ian Turnbull scored four goals in a 7-5 win over the Vancouver Canucks. When he scored the third one, all the hats came sailing onto the ice. I’d never seen anything like it.

Do people come to a hockey arena with an extra hat to throw in case of a hat trick? I doubt they throw their own.

The Golden Knights are like that guy who goes to Vegas, wins some dough, but doesn’t know when to leave. So his friends have to drag him away from the tables before he loses his savings, his house, and his soul.

Note to Vegas: Shorten sail when up by three in the third.

I don’t watch much college baseball, but I thought USC had North Carolina beat…until the Tar Heels got some mail-in runs at the end.

It used to be nothing was over until the Fat Lady sings, now nothing is over until the mail-ins are counted a week later.

Last Add NBA Finals: A seat in the Madison Square Garden rafters for Game Three will run you $4,877. For a seat in Section Four, behind the Spurs bench? $152,033.

The Dude abides…

1,308
Matthew 18:10
jtbank1964@yahoo.com
“RamView” M-W-F
Follow Joe on X: @joet13b

By Joe Torosian

Kick it!

Number one reason for watching and not playing hockey?

It’s not about talent or an inability to skate, but about getting blasted in the face with an 87-mph slapshot.

That Vegas Golden Knight defenseman Brayden McNabb was able to leave the ice under his own power is a miracle.

Who do I like in the World Cup? Any team but Team USA.

I’m rooting for The Home of The Tango.

Happy about the trade, but I’m going to hold off on the “Oh, I’ve always been a Myles Garrett fan” bit until he gets a few sacks under his belt.

I’m thinking about starting a GoFundMe for Game Two of the NBA Finals. To sit court-side in San Antonio tonight, all I need is $9,927.

Back to Hockey: I know enough about football, basketball, and baseball that I can sit down anywhere and start talking. I can roll out of bed on Christmas morning and crank out 500 words on any one of these sports. But the 500 words will have a built-in prejudice incurred over a lifetime.

It’s really hard for me to watch an NFL game without bringing some attitude or having some emotional investment in it.

With hockey, it’s rooting for the Kings, hating the Canadians, Canucks, and the Soviets, and that’s it. I’m really glad I don’t know enough about hockey to have it get in the way of a great game.

And the Hurricanes’ 4-3 win last night over the Golden Knights in overtime was a monster.

Vegas was up 2-0 with ten minutes to play in the third, and I don’t have to fret about what I missed, what they didn’t do (keep the puck moving behind the net!), and got to enjoy it all.

Speaking of the NBA Finals: While always having a soft spot for the ABA franchises (I think Game Three on Monday, at Madison Square Garden, should be played with an ABA ball.), I’m rooting for the Knicks and a third (technically fourth) Villanova title.

Still thinking San Antonio pulls this off tonight and then melts in the Apple on Monday.

I think it’s a fair question to ask, so here I go: Does LeBron really want to win another title? Does he understand that almost every team wants him, but that the cap prevents them from paying a guy his age the kind of money he wants?

Are people happy, or even aware, that Ryan Leaf is alive and well on planet Earth? I think, methodically, slowly, he’s turning into a great story. Happy for him.

So, yeah, the Angel Reese-Caitlin Clark thing feels dead.

Of course—who else?—it was Tanner Scott who gave up the game-losing blast to the Snakes Ketel Marte last night. Now, that’s something I’m emotionally invested in.

#60—May the San Francisco Giants rot and lie stinking in the earth…

Last Add Dodgers: Lost in the loss for the Bums was Justin Wrobleski giving them another six scoreless innings, striking four, and issuing zero walks.

Last Add MLB: Did Aaron Judge participate in a Jets or Giants OTA? How does a Yankee center fielder get a stress fracture in his ribs without running into a wall or taking a fastball to the torso?

Nick Saban speaking or offering a solution for college sports in 2026 is like an LA politician saying they care about homelessness. No one’s buying, and no one wants to hear it.

The Dude abides…

1,307
1 John 5:5
jtbank1964@yahoo.com
“RamView” M-W-F
Follow Joe on X: @joet13b