Joe Torosian's Outsiders Sports

By Joe Torosian

Kick it!
It wasn’t pretty, but watching Game One of the NBA Finals was like watching Balboa-Creed circa 1976.

The Knicks beat the Spurs, 105-95, but the winner was retired Villanova HC Jay Wright.

“The Villanova Effect” was the difference when things got messy and tight late in San Antonio last night.

Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart, and Mikal Bridges are great basketball players. Not the greatest of all time, or the greatest at one particular thing, they’re just great players—schooled at Villanova…under Wright.

Karl-Anthony Towns always struck me as a guy who was cool. Win or lose, Towns was going to say, “Yeah, it’s cool”–until last night.

Last night, Towns was decidedly not cool about anything and played with more energy and attitude than I ever saw before.

What came to mind watching Towns in Game One was how dudes change their play when the cheerleaders or girls come into the gym.

Effort spikes, and guys who never led a fast break—basically guys who couldn’t walk and chew gum at the same time—suddenly turned into Magic Johnson.

Dudes, who wouldn’t shoot a 20-footer with a gun to their back, suddenly start casting threes with confidence of Steph Curry.

But, since I’m a Knick fan, I’m all good with KAT. Check with me after Game Two and I might ‘Always have been a Karl-Anthony Towns fan.’

The San Antonio Spurs looked gassed, and it was clear Mitch Johnson—a good coach—was outcoached by New York’s more experienced Mike Brown.

The Spurs may be young, but they have so much talent. Which makes me ask, where does Gregg Popovich rank all time with basketball minds like Jerry West, Red Auerbach, John Wooden…etc…etc…

And, does it seem like Popovich—with all of his titles—is given less due because he accomplished everything in San Antonio?

What about Jose Alverado? Philly relief pitcher by day and spark off the bench for the Knicks at night.

I’m positive Deuce McBride called the bank on his trey from the corner at the end of the third.

Landry Shamet seems to have had more NBA stops than Taylor Swift had boyfriends before Travis Kelce.

So I did the math, and I was wrong. Swift had 11 boyfriends before Kelce — and now she looks happy.

Shamet, a first-round pick of the 76ers in 2018, has played for only six teams, but with the Knicks, he looks happy. And without him last night, they don’t win.

Sideline Reporter: “What do you have to do to cut down on the turnovers?”
Player: “We’ve got to take better care of the ball.

Regarding the Munson who ran on the court during the game, someone should have given him a taste of Mike Curtis or Aaron Donald.

Does anyone outside of Philadelphia know who Cristopher Sanchez is?

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

For $773, you can see Game Two of the Stanley Cup Final tonight at the Lenovo Center in Raleigh, North Carolina.
By contrast, 17-zops will get you into the Grainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis to see the Atlanta Dream play the Indiana Fever.

Does Angel Reese vs. Caitlin Clark still have the same star-power?

Are you sold on Sam Darnold? Because I’m not. I want to see how he does without Terry McAulay’s help.

Yes, I’m still bitter.
By the way…as a sports fan…bitter, may not be happy, but it’s a warm and comforting place to wallow in.

The Dude abides…

1,306
2 Corinthians 10:3-5
jtbank1964@yahoo.com
“RamView” M-W-F
Follow Joe on X: @joet13b

By Joe Torosian

Kick it!

Note to McSnead: If it’s a carrot Aaron Donald is interested in…offer him some snaps at fullback this season.

I think the New York Knicks steal Game One tonight in the NBA Finals, but I think—only think/don’t know for sure—the San Antonio Spurs take the series.

Rooting for the Knicks.

I know how it sounds, but spending 737-zops for a seat to Game One of the Stanley Cup Final last night would have been worth it.

Unbelievable first game. At first, I found myself enjoying the contest, and then I caught myself rooting for the Vegas Golden Knights.

It wasn’t the plan, but I got Vegas Fever (and I’m not even thinking about going to a buffet.)

Last Add Knicks: Is it just me, or is the NBA world making too much of Mitchell Robinson’s broken finger? His job is not to score or handle the ball; his job is to defend, be physical, and grab boards.

If Rudy Gobert can be on the floor when completely healthy, then Knicks HC Mike Brown can find minutes for Mitchell Robinson in his current condition.

Next Add Rams: The addition of Myles Garrett, and (I don’t want to jinx it) a possible return of Aaron Donald, coupled with a fast start, will have Rams fans forgetting Jared Verse faster than a Bible verse.

Last Add NHL: As of today, it’s been 12,047 days since a Canadian team hoisted the Stanley Cup.

Remember that time when the San Diego Padres were considered a threat to the Dodgers?

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

Really Last Add Stanley Cup: I’ve never interviewed a hockey player or covered a hockey game. I wish I could have done both last night in Carolina.

(Although I have played Broomball.)

On Aaron Donald coming back–my thought is the sooner, the better. I heard it mentioned that the Rams have no more cap space, but the two most reliable sites (OverTheCap & Spotrac) show the Rams having 16 to 21-Rocks still at their disposal.

I’m going to whisper this, but how about bringing back Bobby Wagner? (At the right price, of course.)

What I am getting a little apprehensive about is the talk that the Rams are a lock to win the Super Bowl.

I’m not superstitious, but I am a little stitious about saying something’s definite when so much can happen and/or go wrong.

Also, I’m really glad it’s a Chicago Bear on the cover of Madden ’27 and not a Los Angeles Ram.

Note to WNBA: I’ll take the Caitlin Clark-Stephanie White blow-up on the bench over the Brittney Griner-Angel Reese dance last night.

Last week I asked what it’s like to be a Clippers fan…So I went over their roster—saw a lot of age—and decided that it is very hard to be a Clippers fan.

The Dude abides…

1,305
1 John 1:6-8
jtbank1964@yahoo.com
“RamView” M-W-F
Follow Joe on X: @joet13b

By Joe Torosian

Kick it!

Who won the Philadelphia Eagles trade of A.J. Brown to the New England Patriots?

The Rams.

The Rams completely flip their cornerback room, and now that cornerback room doesn’t have to deal with A.J. Brown in Week Four or in the playoffs?

As a receiver, Brown is practically species unique. Heaven help the defense that has to face him with a quarterback who knows how to deliver the football.

One Add Stanley Cup: For 737-bones, you can see the Golden Knights and Hurricanes play Game One in person. Of course, the seat will be on the wall at Fort Sumter—in South Carolina!—but you’ll be able to say you were there.

Next Add Rams: Like the Rams’ rescue of Matthew Stafford from the abyss of Detroit, they have now rescued Myles Garrett from a similar situation in Cleveland.

Most Underrated Woman in Sports?

Rachel Nichols.

You don’t have to agree with everything Nichols says, but you have to agree that she is always prepared and ready to roll. She’s really impressive.

And there were times last week, Nichols absolutely embarrassed Jason McIntyre as he hosted “The Herd.” Not because I agreed necessarily with her takes, but because it was obvious she put in the work.

Last Add Rams: Regarding the two #1s the Rams gave up for Stafford. The Lions dealt the 2021 first-rounder to the Vikings, and Minnesota took at #32 safety Lewis Cine, who only played in 11 games over three seasons. The second first-rounder was traded to Arizona, and the Cardinals took tackle Paris Johnson Jr. with the sixth overall pick in 2022.

Johnson has been solid. In the last three seasons, he played in 17, 14, and 12 games.

Yeah, I’d give up those picks to bring Garrett to SoFi.

Speaking of women in sports.

I’m getting hassled about mentioning the WNBA so much in FanView. I’ll tell you the reason: the ladies play hard.

Much of the basketball in the WNBA is horrible, but so is, with few exceptions, the entire NBA regular season.

The NBA becomes competitive during the playoffs. The WNBA is competitive every night. And in the WNBA, you actually get to see some fundamentals. I know, right? What a strange universe it is.

(Oh, I’ve always been a Jessica Shepard fan!)

As I’ve said, Las Vegas Aces center A’ja Wilson is not someone I’ll hit the record button for, but she’s a force on the court.

Regarding Caitlin Clark and her struggles with attitude. I want to see how you respond when you “legally” get the crap kicked out of you in every contest.

(If you’re the youngest of five, you know exactly what I mean.)

Does Clark need to put on some muscle and weight, and be willing to throw a punch? Absolutely. Does she need to get in the grill of opponents and go back and forth with her coaches in the locker room? Yes.

But let’s reject the low-hanging fruit that the uninformed are grasping to hang on her defense.

There’s a distinction between succeeding on defense and effort on defense. Effort is not the issue with Clark on defense—she’s not Luka.

Since it’s June, the month that sports officially crosses into politics, I’ll give my opinion about AB Hernandez.

I have nothing to say about the kid (no one should hate the kid), a whole lot to say about those who enslave him, but in the end, it doesn’t matter what I think.

All I can say to the ladies is refuse to share a platform with him. In the end, you’ll be doing him a favor and humiliating the powers that are allowing it to happen.

If you don’t want to create those kinds of waves—and if their parents don’t want to create those kinds of waves—then keep riding the current wave.

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

The Dude abides…

1,304
2 Corinthians 10:4-5
jtbank1964@yahoo.com
“RamView” M-W-F
Follow Joe on X: @joet13b

By Joe Torosian

Kick it!

As he was dying, Walter Jameson uttered, “Nothing lasts forever—thank God.”

And neither do the rosters for your favorite teams.

I’m into Myles Garrett coming from the Cleveland Browns to the Los Angeles Rams.

However, I wasn’t into it for Byron Young, two #1s, and a 3rd…and I especially wasn’t into it with Jared Verse replacing Byron Young.

It turns out to be Garrett to the Rams for Verse, a 2027 #1, a 2028 #2, and a 2029 #3.

Not against it —as long as Garrett checks out as a locker room guy — he’s the meateater we were talking about back in January.

Note: That #1 in next year’s draft is expected to be either number 31 or 32, and outside of quarterbacks, it won’t be a deep draft.

My initial thinking is that McSnead believes Verse has topped out. And before paying him bigger bucks, they decided to give those dollars to a more established wrecker of QBs.

It also tells me they’re high on Josiah Stewart and believe he pairs well with Byron Young as a running mate. And right now, both Young and Stewart are making third-round money.

I was against Green Bay giving up two first-rounders for Micah Parsons. In every draft, you can find a wide receiver and an edge rusher…but Parsons isn’t Myles Garrett. And if they believe this is the best Verse is going to be then the the price was right for Garrett.

The Rams also have their future quarterback in Ty Simpson, so dealing a first-round pick is fine.

It also speaks to their absolute confidence in their scouting department. They know they’ll continue to find top talent outside of the first round.

I like Verse a lot, and I’m not a big fan of Garrett… but feelings and nostalgia are not hang-ups with the Rams.

Sometimes, you have to make people cry.

I had this column done three hours ago.

In the old days, I’d write a hard copy column, and it would be relevant for days. Today, FanView was completely jejune before I could press publish.

There’s so much more to this Rams story. The buzz on social media—and it’s right—is that the coverage guys they brought in (Trent McDuffie & Jaylen Watson), and the depth along the front is such that double-teams are a high risk.

Kobie Turner and Braden Fiske are going to feast.

Early Winner in Myles Garrett Trade: The Cincinnati Bengals.

Finally…

I’m rooting for Vegas, but if I had to put money down, I’d put it on Carolina in the Stanley Cup Final.

Two plays stood out in the Spurs’ Game Seven victory over the Thunder on Saturday night.

Yes, Luke Kornet’s block on Isaiah Hartenstein’s breakaway was amazing, and if a dynasty ensues, it will age into the realm of iconic.

The other play came at the eight-minute mark when Keldon Johnson filled the lane on a fast break. Johnson met the ball at the spot for the layup. It was pure hustle, and great basketball.

Who suffered the bigger loss? The Oklahoma City Thunder or Chet “Whereabouts Unknown” Holmgren? Kind of like his alma mater, Gongaga, Chet vanished in Game Seven.

Question For UCLA Softball: With two out and two strikes—how do you get caught taking strike three right down the pipe?

The New York Mets have won five of their last ten and trail the Atlanta Braves in the N.L. East by just 13.5 games. They also have a better record than the Marlins, Giants, Rockies, Red Sox, Angels, Royals, and Tigers.

The Mets are also just 5.5 out of a wild-card spot. Oh yeah, now it’s all coming together.

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

Sports seem to have gotten really political this first day of June…

The Dude abides…

1,303
Ephesians 2:4-5
jtbank1964@yahoo.com
“RamView” M-W-F
Follow Joe on X: @joet13b