THIS WEEK IN SPORTS: May 23rd – 29th

Written by FRESH IRC PODCAST (@SS_2FRESH on Twitter)

Yes, i know it’s late May and we’re about 100 days until Week 1 of the College Football season. That doesn’t mean the sports schedule is empty or lacking excitement. We are in the middle of the Stanley Cup Playoffs and the NBA Conference Finals this week. In addition to those championship chases, there is plenty of sports action to capture your attention.

The sports schedule is jam packed as we close out May, but please take a moment to reflect on the reason for the long Memorial Day weekend. Many sacrifices have been made for us to watch and compete in these sporting events. This is much more than a long holiday weekend for thousands of people, so i ask that you be mindful of their pain and grateful for the fallen heroes.

NFL:

The NFL is quiet this week, but the rumblings of other NFL Owners counting votes to get rid of the scumbag Daniel Snyder is worth watching. We also should hear from the NFL regarding the status of Deshaun Watson. Outside of those headlines, a few teams are hosting mini-camps and OTA’s.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL:

After the awesome drama this past week between Saban and Jimbo, what can top it? Unless that drama sparks again this week, expect a very quiet time as teams conduct preparations for the 2022 campaign. We are on Arch Watch as Top Recruit, QB Arch Manning prepares to take his on campus official visits during the first 3 weekends in June to UGA, Alabama and Texas respectively.

MLB:

This week will see the conclusion of the 2nd month of the season. As Spring comes to a close and the weather continues to feel like summer, expect offense to pick up. We are starting to see some teams separate themselves. A few series to keep an eye on this week are below.

• Brewers (26-15) at Padres (27-14) Monday thru Wednesday
• Phillies (19-22) at Braves (19-22) Monday thru Thursday
• Mets (28-15) at Giants (22-18) Monday thru Wednesday
• Yankees (29-12) at Rays (24-17) Thursday thru Sunday
• Blue Jays (22-19) at Angels (26- 17) Thursday thru Sunday
• Records as of 8am on May 23rd

NHL:

All 4 2nd round matchups will see action this week. The 2 Time Defending Stanley Cup Champion Tampa Bay Lightning go into the week up 3-0 over the President’s Trophy winning Panthers. The other 3 matchups are much more competitive and will see multiple games this week to decide the winner. The Avalanche go into Monday’s Game 4 up 2 games to 1 over St.Louis. The New York Rangers made it a series on Sunday afternoon with their 3-1 win over Carolina. Game 4 from Madison Square Garden is Tuesday night and expect fireworks all week. The Battle of Alberta will see Games 4,5 and maybe 6 this week. If you want to see goals, tune into this series. Through 3 games, there have been 28 goals scored. The Oilers have won the last 2 games.

• Tampa Bay Lightning vs Florida Panthers ( Lightning up 3-0)
• New York Rangers vs Carolina Hurricanes ( Hurricanes up 2-1)
• St.Louis Blues vs Colorado Avalanche (Avalanche up 2-1)
• Edmonton Oilers vs Calgary Flames ( Oilers up 2-1)

NBA:

This week will see the conclusion of both conferences finals. The Warriors have a strangle hold on the West after 3 games. The Eastern Conferences Final currently sits at 2-1 in favor of the Heat. Game 4 is Monday night and if Boston can bounce back, we’ll see Game 5 on Wednesday and Game 6 on Friday night. If Luka and the Mavericks can fight back, Game 4 and 5 are scheduled for Tuesday and Thursday nights.

UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE:

The Champions League Final is set for Saturday at 3pm EST from Paris. Real Madrid and Liverpool face off for the greatest trophy in European club soccer. This is a rematch of the 2018 Final where Real Madrid’s Gareth Bale found the net and Liverpool’s star Mohamed Salah was forced to exit early due to injury. Real is a the champion of Spain, winning La Liga. Liverpool is looking for their 3rd trophy to cap off an amazing season. They captured 2 domestic titles and fell 1 point short of winning the Premier League. They have accomplished an extraordinary feat by playing the maximum possible matches an English club can play. If they can win the day and capture the title, they could be remembered as one of the greatest clubs in European soccer history. This match will not be handed to them by any stretch. Real produced a magical comeback in the semi-final against Premier League Champion Manchester City and they have the squad to do it again. This match will be televised on CBS and Paramount+.

MLS:

We are 13 games into the MLS Season. The Philadelphia Union are leading the Eastern Conference with 24 points. LAFC sits a top the Western Conference table with 26 points. An interesting thing is that CONCACAF Champions League Champion Seattle is sitting in 12th place in the West. They have played only 11 matches, but only have 13 points and a -2 goal differential. Expansion club Charlotte FC has recorded 16 points through 13 matches and sits in the middle of the East. There is a long way to go in the 2022 campaign. Considering the club in last place in each conference is only 5-7 points out of a playoff spot, every match matters. A few games to watch this weekend are below.

• Orlando (21 pts) vs Dallas (22 pts) on May 28th at 7pm EST
• CF Montreal (20 pts) vs Cincinnati (19 pts) on May 28th at 7:30pm EST
• Real Salt Lake (22 pts) vs Houston (18 pts) on May 28th at 9:30pm EST
• LA Galaxy (20 pts) vs Austin (24 pts) on May 29th at 4pm EST

OTHER SPORTS:

-The French Open started on Sunday, May 22nd. This week will have tennis everyday in the Men’s and Women’s brackets. Novak Djokovic looking to get back to his winning ways, but Roland Garros is owned by Rafael Nadal. You can watch the matches on NBC’s streaming service Peacock, as well as NBC/ Universal channels and The Tennis Channel. It’s a 2 week tournament with the Men’s and Women’s Final set for June 4th and 5th.

Per tradition, The Indianapolis 500 will run once again on the Sunday of Memorial Day Weekend. Tune into the Brickyard and watch one of the greatest races in America. The champion gets to kiss the bricks and drink milk. After a race on a hot summer day, i’d probably quote Ron Burgundy by saying ” milk was a bad choice.”

In the collegiate arena, there is a lot of postseason activity:

Women’s Lacrosse Final 4 – Saturday, May 28th.

• UNC, Maryland, Northwestern and Boston College

Men’s Lacrosse Final 4 – Saturday, May 28th

• Maryland, Rutgers, Princeton and Cornell

NCAA Softball Super Regional Weekend

NCAA Baseball Conference Tournament Week

Don’t forget to tune into The Irrational Confidence Podcast (@IRConfidencePod) on Twitter, YouTube and all Podcast platforms. Another Podcast within the Spinnable Sports (@SpinnableSports) Network is the Photo Finish Podcast.

Have a great week!