The NBA Playoffs have determined the two conference finals matchups; in the East it will be the Knicks and the Pacers; in the West it will be the Thunder and the Timberwolves. The Western Conference finals start tomorrow night in Oklahoma City. I suspect that the people who work at NBA HQs are quietly pulling for the Knicks to win in the East simply because of these numbers courtesy of the good folks at Nielsen:
- NY: Largest TV market in the US,- – 7.5 million TV Homes
- Twin Cities: 16th largest TV market in the US – – 1.9 million TV Homes
- Indy: 25th largest TV market in the US – – 1.2 million TV Homes
- OKC: 47th largest TV market in the US – – 0.8 million TV Homes
The number of TV Homes in the NY market is almost double that of the total number of TV homes in the other three markets. To put the OKC market in perspective, Oklahoma City is slightly larger than Albuquerque/Santa Fe as a TV market but not quite as large as Greensboro/High Point/Winston Salem.
An NBA Finals between the Pacers and the Thunder might be an exciting pairing but it could also be a TV disaster in terms of audience size. Were I part of the “media division” at NBA HQs, I would be ever so happy to see the Knicks win in the East.
Sadly, in 2025, I need to add a disclaimer here. I do NOT think, nor do I believe that the NBA will manipulate the games in any way to achieve a NY presence in the NBA Finals. Please do not misinterpret my comment about the league being happy to see the Knicks as the East representatives in the Finals.
Moving on … The Orioles fired manager Brandon Hyde as I suspected might be the case once the Pirates and the Rockies made it clear that it was “open season” on MLB managers of disappointing teams. The O’s qualify as “disappointing” as they check in with a record of 15-30, a current losing streak of 6 games and a run differential of minus-85. That looks bleak indeed but there is reason to believe that the O’s might be able to improve on their showing to date.
Three young promising players for the O’s have all gotten off to disappointing starts:
- Adley Rutschman is only hitting .209 with an OPS of .640. He is better than that.
- Gunnar Henderson is only hitting 2.58 with an OPS of .774.He is better than that.
- Jackson Holiday is only hitting .275 with an OPS of .787. He is better than that.
I will not be surprised if those three players provide significantly more offense for the balance of the O’s season than they have to date. Maybe some of those improvements will be related to the managerial change but I suspect it will just be part of the normal ebb and flow of athletic performances.
The real problem for the Orioles has been the pitching staff. As of this morning, the staff ERA is 5.55. If I have counted correctly, only the Marlins’ and the Rockies’ pitching staffs have higher ERAs as of today.
- Seven starting pitchers for the Orioles have ERAs over 5.00.
- Two of those starters have ERAs in double digits.
Once again, if the Orioles’ pitchers simply “revert to the mean” for MLB pitchers over the rest of the 2025 season, the team will improve with a different manager in place.
Switching gears … The Niners and Brock Purdy have come to an agreement that will keep the QB with the Niners for years to come. The terms of the contract extension are 5-years and $265M. I think there needs to be perspective here.
The Niners had a terrible year in 2024 finishing at 6-11-0 due to injuries and some degree of discontent on the roster. The team purged a lot of the problems in the off-season and seems to have decided that Purdy is indeed their franchise QB, and they are going to build around him and his cap numbers. I think that conclusion is demonstrated by the fact that the contract has a full no-trade clause in it and that would be the first time the Niners have ever signed on to one of them.
Obviously, Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch are sold on Purdy as their QB going forward. There are other points of view in the football punditry world. My view is that Purdy is a much better than average QB – one who would be welcomed with open arms in at least 15 locker rooms. He is not the best QB in the league, but he has been to two NFC Conference Championship games in his short career meaning that a team can “make a run” with him at the helm.
Finally, these words from PJ O’Rourke:
“When buying and selling are controlled by legislation, the first things to be bought and sold are legislators.”
But don’t get me wrong, I love sports………
Thank you for the Purdy no-trade clause information. I think 49er analysis is better served by discussing the “Super Bowl loss letdown.” This team came within one Chris Jones pressure in Super Bowl LVIII–a pressure that should have been foreseen. There was a 49er receiver (who was it?) racing open across the back of the end zone, and Brock Purdy did not see him. That’s the beauty and terror of football. Every team in the NFL suffers injuries in a seventeen-game season.