Joe Torosian's Outsiders Sports

By Joe Torosian

Kick it!

Question: Does anyone hate to lose? Or is the idea of hating to lose a jejune concept these days?

Again, why are so many NBA playoff games ending with 20+ point differentials? It requires me to ask, again, does anybody hate to lose?

I liked the energy between the OKC & San Antonio, but dog-gone get angry, do something, knock somebody down–throw a towel!

The winner between the Thunder and Spurs last night was the Knicks, in the form of another day’s rest.
Cheapest ticket for tomorrow’s Game Seven is $323…I hope for the purchaser’s sake it’s not a Thunder blowout.

Last Add OKC: I always thought of Isaiah Hartenstein was solid, but never as a factor. But he’s playing well and has become a factor.

As discussed on RamView (M-W-F/YouTube/FB/X), I’m good with signing Joey Bosa, Von Miller, or even a return of Bobby Wagner–at the right price.

When Sean McVay speaks about a player from spring through the end of August, history tells us, he likes that player. McVay likes 6th-round rooking WR CJ Daniels.

Three Rams to keep an eye on in terms of employment and possible unemployment?

Jarquez Hunter, Beaux Limmer, Ty Hamilton

I asked Grok who his Top Five NFL QBs are. This was spit back:
1—Josh Allen (Buffalo)
2—Lamar Jackson (Baltimore)
3—Drake Maye (New England)
4—Joe Burrow (Cincinnati)
5—Patrick Mahomes (Kansas City)
(Honorable Mention: Matthew Stafford (Rams), Jayden Daniels (Washington) )

Note to Self: Never ask Grok any more questions.

As of May 29th, every team in the National League Central has a winning record.

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

Cool, Phillies-Dodgers are on Apple TV tonight. I have Apple TV. Have you seen an Apple TV baseball broadcast?

I’ll be watching Philly-Dodger highlights later tonight on YouTube.

Freaky to see Montreal Canadien legend Claude Lemieux carry the torch out on Monday night, and then read this morning that he was found dead via suicide. Dude was only 60, what a tragedy.

Montreal’s at Carolina tonight, down 3-1, and hoping to avoid elimination.

I thought Azzi Fudd was so so at UConn. I thought Dallas should have taken Lauren Betts #1 overall, but then I saw Jessica Shepard. Now, I understand.

And Fudd, next to Paige Bueckers, looks really solid. Throw in Shephard, and that’s why they beat the Vegas Aces last night.

Again, A’ja Wilson is very good, but I wouldn’t click on to see her. The Golden Valkyries, however, are worth watching. They made Caitlin Clark miserable last night.

Intensity, intensity is always interesting.

Last Add Clark: Clark only needed 59 games to reach 500 assists. Sue Bird needed 82.

Really Last Add Clark: Put on some muscle and weight. Have a cheeseburger, or two.

In the last 70 working days (Monday through Friday), this is column #70.

The Dude abides…

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2 Peter 1:16
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By Joe Torosian

Kick it!

The more hockey I watch, the more I miss Bob Miller.

Will Shohei Ohtani be the first person in major sports to be cloned?

Think what his DNA/Blood is worth to the folk who work with genetics?

…And the Los Angeles Angels couldn’t find a way to win with him, keep him, or even market him.

Note to Arte: Sell the team and go sailing with Frank McCourt.

Do Clippers fans feel as hopeless as Angels fans do?

Note to Rams Fans: Don’t drink the Kool-Aid being poured that says if Ty Simpson doesn’t beat out Stetson Bennett for QB2, it means he’s a bust.

Bennett is in the last year of his rookie deal. The Rams have kept him for a reason. Simpson being QB2 is a better question for next year.

Montreal’s fate was decided in advance. Game Four was a circus, the Habs never had a chance. The fans made an effort and, oh, how they tried…But Carolina took them all for a ride.

Yeah, this is the story of the Hurricanes. Who went to the Great White North and stole their game. And after having so much fun…The Land of the Maple is all but done…And Carolina is heading home, leading three…games…to one!

I once spent a week in Toronto–nice town, polite people, and really good corned beef. I didn’t think to ask at the time how they felt about Montreal.

So I did some research and discovered that 70% of Canada wants to see a Canadian team break the Stanley Cup drought. But the majority of the other 30% that would rather see an American-based team win the Cup is in Toronto.
The Toronto Maple Leafs have not won the Stanley Cup since beating Montreal in 1967. That’s also the Leafs’ last finals appearance…and they hate the Canadians.

Now that’s a level of bitterness a Mets fan like myself can embrace.

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

The Spurs host the Thunder tonight. If you want to see Game Six at Frost Bank Center, you’ll need a 170-zops and a good streaming service where you sit.

I find myself being drawn in by the WNBA. No, it’s still not good basketball, but the ladies compete. Maybe it’s my age, not longing for slash, but substance. I want to see competition.

Outside of football, the NHL, and Padres-Dodgers, there’s a lack of competitive “bad” attitudes in the sports we watch. So I’m taking it where I find it.

(This is why the expansion of the college football playoffs and the NCAA tourney is a bad idea.)

Last night I was introduced to Minnesota Lynx guard Courtney Williams.

The Prime slate tonight of Las Vegas at Dallas is interesting, but there’s potential for fireworks when Indiana tips off against Golden State.

The Dude abides…

1,301
Mark 1:24
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By Joe Torosian

Kick it!

I’m requesting a urinalysis test for Alex Caruso. Dude’s good, but I think he’s swigging the form of purple drank that the Dodgers give journeymen when they arrive at the Ravine.

Victor Wembanyama at the foul line makes Pedro Baez seem fast on the mound.

The 2026 San Antonio Spurs are starting to look like the 1984 Lakers.

They have superior talent but can’t seem to push back. Yes, many of the calls and non-calls last night in OKC were—what the late great Jim Healy would refer to as—of the horseshoe variety.

So what?

When that happens, you’re supposed to punch back. Maybe you lose the game, but you exact a toll. And you don’t leave it to the 13th, 14th, and 15th guy on the bench to do the dirty work.

In the 1984 finals, when Kevin McHale clotheslined Kurt Rambis, the Lakers didn’t push back. There was a mild scuffle, and the Celtics won in overtime.

(That was McHale, not Carlos Clark, who took Rambis down.)

The response should have been a brawl, and in the end—when they could have taken a 3-1 lead in that series—Los Angeles lost the title in seven.

Spurs have more talent, but the Thunder, now up 3-2, are the better team and playing like defending champs.

With that said, OKC is easy to hate…and they should embrace it.

Last Add Wemby: He looked gassed in Game 5, so I’d like to suggest San Antonio add a little more caffeine to his diet.

Oh, sure, now everybody is a Golden Knights fan.

I don’t talk much about the Chargers, but I do like Derwin James. All for keeping him, but he’s 29, and they just gave him 3yrs/75.6-Rocks with 57.5-Rocks guaranteed.

Feels a bit pricey for a safety, and I know that James is more than just a safety, but it’s a lot of bread.

The good news for Bolts fans regarding the James contract is that Jim Harbaugh is exerting influence over Dean Spanos.

Note to Mookie Betts: For the inspiration that led to last night’s 4-for-5, 2-homer, 5-RBI performance, I accept Venmo, Zelle, and PayPal.

Let me see if I can help Kiké Hernandez. The dude’s turning 35 this August. He’s worked his butt off to take a body of marginal talent, a .237 career batting average, a .305 career OBP, and turned it into 13 MLB seasons—including three World Series rings.

Congrats! But you can’t win an argument with the body. I think it’s over.

(Note: Compensation available through Venmo, Zelle, and PayPal.)

The Trevor Bauer situation and under-reported outcome is a good approach to take regarding the arrest of Green Bay Packers running back Josh Jacobs for five counts of domestic abuse.

Even if cleared of the charges (as Bauer was), the question remains: who is Jacobs hanging with?

I read somewhere, more than once, that bad company corrupts good character.

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

Speaking of something of the horseshoe variety, that’s the kind of seat $395 will buy you in Montreal’s Bell Centre tonight to see the Canes and Canadians.

The Dude abides…

1,300
James 4:6-7
jtbank1964@yahoo.com
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By Joe Torosian

Kick it!

How do Dodgers fans feel about the new logo headed their way?

At first I thought it was a joke…but, wow…

Please allow UNIQLO to introduce themselves, they’re a company of wealth and fame…Came to the Ravine early this year and stole the fans’ hope and faith…Pleased to meet you, hope you guess my name.

(Note: I’m a Mets fan, I’m looking for anything to troll the Dodgers over. It’s all I got.)

Dodgers fans always defend their team, but after a while, doesn’t it become exhausting? Yes, you’re winning— a lot!—but aren’t you losing a little bit of your soul with every turn?

What went through my mind as I saw the Knicks punk the Cavaliers in Game Four—in Cleveland—was whether anybody on the Cavs was angry?

It might have been a stupid and futile gesture given how the Knicks were playing, but someone in a Cleveland uniform needed to be demonstrably upset.

Throw a chair, start a fight, knock somebody down. Instead, Cleveland played with all the fight of a Rhode Island Republican.

When ESPN showed a list of the five longest playoff-winning streaks in NBA history, I was amazed that the Lakers were on it twice.

The 1989 Lakers were tied with this year’s Knicks and the 2001 Lakers for 11 consecutive playoff wins.

Does anyone remember what happened to the 1988-1989 Lakers?

I have to admit, I’ve been disappointed in the last two games between the Spurs and Thunder—especially Game Four.
(I don’t think Chet Holmgren was happy either.)

Tonight’s game should be a battle, and it will only cost you 241 bones to get into the Paycom Center in OKC… of course, the seat will have a Stillwater zip code, but the Jumbotron will keep you updated.

I wish UCLA’s Donovan Dent well in retirement, and I’m curious to see how other players in this NIL Era will follow. Think about going to a major university on a full scholarship, making millions of dollars, and, with wisdom and sound counsel, being set for life at 22. Incredible.

(I should have learned to play the guitar. I should have learned to play them drums.)

Let me tell you the story of the Hurricanes…the team the Canadians came to play…Back-to-back Carolina overtime wins…Couldn’t help but make Marty McSorley grin…for all things Montreal has done…when the Kings could have been the champions of the world.

I started watching the Hurricanes and Canadians, indifferent, and just wanting to see two teams compete. But talk about bringing up buried memories? I hate Montreal, almost as much as I hated Darcy Rota and the Vancouver Canucks.

With that said, the Canadians Steve Shutt needed more ice time last night.

Believe it or not, there was a time, briefly, when Dolphins DT Manny Fernandez was the gold standard in the NFL.

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

The Dude abides…

1,299
Ephesians 3:16-19
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By Joe Torosian

Kick it!

Oh, I have always been a Vegas Golden Knights fan!

Just call me, Pavel.

OKC on Friday night looked like the defending champions. On Sunday, San Antonio looked like future champions, and Wemby like the Chosen One.

I’ve been open-minded on the Thunder-Spurs. I only wanted to see competitive basketball. Right now, I’m rooting for the healthiest: San Antonio.

I can hear OKC fans already whining about not having Jalen Williams and Ajay Mitchell.

I like the feisty version of Caitlin Clark. Although I’d like less arm waving at the refs and more trash talk against the defenders.

How do I know that you don’t know anything about basketball? Tell me that Clark is lazy on defense.

Are the Knicks this good, or have the Cavs spent themselves after back-to-back seven-game series against Toronto and Detroit? You can see for yourself, a ticket for tonight’s game will only run you 115-clams.

Had no idea Spurs HC Mitch Johnson is the son of former Seattle Supersonic small forward John Johnson. I hated those Sonic teams…because they were good. Johnson, Jack Sikma, Dennis Johnson, Lonnie Shelton, Gus Williams, and Downtwon Brown coming the off the bench? The basketball IQ of that team alone would allow them to compete present day.

(Note: I didn’t say win a championship.)

Last Note Supersonics: Answer: “Sun Young Moon, Jimmy Hoffa, and Jack Sikma.”….Question: “Name a church, a search, and a Lurch.”

I didn’t watch the Indy 500, but I did see the highlights. And I forgot to breathe for two minutes. Felix Rosenqvist finished like James Worthy on a fast break. It was awesome.

Last Add Golden Knights: The Colorado Avalanche had 121 points this season, the best in hockey, but the Knights, 95, on the season, lead the Western Conference final 3-0.

Game Four at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas is Tuesday night. I want to go to this game. Can someone lend me $250 for a ticket…and maybe give me some gas money…and a hotel room (I’ll keep it cheap and stay at South Point)…and, of course, I’m gonna have to eat. A grand should cover it. Anyone want to hook me up?

I’m not a 49er fan, but if PETA’s angry with George Kittle for killing a spider in his bathroom, I’m gonna have to reassess my thoughts about Kittle.

As everyone jumps on Jaxon Dart’s case, remember he wasn’t the guy asking for Lawrence Taylor’s jersey number when he got to New York.

Did anyone have Dodgers centerfielder Andy Pages projected to hit 33 home runs this season? Freddie Freeman, Mookie Betts, and even Ohtani—to some extent—have gotten off to slow starts, but Pages has been amazing.

While Yoshi Yamamoto is heating up (yesterday he went seven and allowed one run), rumors are building that Betts—now 33—is in full decline.

When it comes to the Mets, I’d like to say my fantasy baseball team has gone from ninth place to third.

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

Last Add Betts: Betts is in his seventh season with the Dodgers. He’s been in LA longer than he was in Boston.

The Dude abides…

1,298
Joshua 1:9
jtbank1964@yahoo.com
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