One of the big stories out of the Orioles’ gloomy season is how many players — Gunnar Henderson, Colton Cowser, Jordan Westburg, et al. — have rehabbed in Norfolk. Good for visitors to Harbor Park, but bad for a team that at last check has placed 18 players on the injured list. That’s second-most to the Dodgers, who, it goes without saying, are a lot better equipped to absorb their setbacks.
Surprising: After coaching the Knicks to their first conference final in 25 years, Tom Thibodeau received a thank-you note in the form of a pink slip. Baffling.
Backbreaker: As many point out, Thibodeau might still be the Knicks coach if the last-second shot by the Pacers’ Tyrese Haliburton in Game 1 doesn’t hit the back of the rim, carom five feet — seemed more like 10 – into the air and drop through. That’s the way the ball — and a career — bounces.
Quick hit: After Luka Doncic was traded to the Lakers, should anything about the NBA surprise us?
No thanks: UConn’s Dan Hurley was quick to rule himself out as a Knicks coaching candidate. Smart man.
Who’s watching? When the NBA Finals draw poor TV ratings, media will make a big deal over the relative apathy for a couple of small-market teams. At the same time, coming under less scrutiny will be America’s greater indifference to the Stanley Cup final between the Florida Panthers and Edmonton Oilers. Traditionally low expectations help shield the NHL from criticism.
Numbers game: Are seven different champions in seven years good for the NBA? Whatever you think about that, the league’s collective bargaining agreement that discourages dynasties by making it tougher to hold onto a championship core should change the way we view the legacies of great players going forward.
One of the best: For another year — his 14th — Norfolk’s own Tony Brothers is part of the officiating crew for the NBA Finals.
Good intentions: A USA vs. the World All-Star Game proposed for next season by NBA commissioner Adam Silver sounds like a good idea. Whatever can elevate the mid-season exhibition above the farce it has become is worth a try. Unfortunately, there are complications. With the 70% to 30% imbalance of American to foreign players, more deserving All-Stars would be left out in favor of players needed to fill the World’s roster. American players won’t go for that.
Business today: I don’t know what stories to believe related to the money universities shell out to athletes. But the InsideCarolina website claims that the North Carolina men’s basketball player payroll this year is $14 million. I’m not clear how that compares with other blue bloods, but if true, Hubert Davis’s seat is getting even hotter.
In the Triangle: It’s a trivial matter of only regional concern, but with the ACC reducing its conference basketball schedule from 20 to 18 games, North Carolina and North Carolina State will not play twice this season for the first time since 1919. OK, no big deal. But how about the league office showing a little more respect for in-state tradition.
Future watch: NCAA president Charlie Baker wants to expand the basketball tournament field from 68 to 72 or 76 … on the way, more than likely, to 96 teams. At which point, Americans will need larger refrigerators for their bracket sheets.
Rocky Mountain low: First to 50 losses, the Colorado Rockies already have one hand on the MLB’s Dubious Achievement Award.
As it was: It’s been a while since I’ve heard or read anything about the impact of the torpedo bats that were all the rage in the early spring. Most likely, it’s because, as we might have guessed, they don’t turn .230 hitters into All-Stars.
Bob Molinaro is a former Virginian-Pilot sports columnist. His Weekly Briefing runs Fridays in The Pilot and Daily Press. He can be reached at bob5molinaro@gmail.com and via Twitter@BobMolinaro.