CHICAGO, IL - MAY 12: Isaiah Evans participates during the 2026 NBA Draft Combine on May 12, 2026 at Wintrust Arena in Chicago, Illinois. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Melissa Tamez/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
Isaiah Evans has had a nice few years. First, he was North Carolina’s Gatorade Player of the Year in 2023 and 2024, and then spent two years at Duke. In his first season, the Blue Devils got to the Final Four, and this spring, his sophomore year, Duke just missed getting back. And in less than two weeks, he’ll find out his future when the NBA Draft is held.
Obviously, no one gets that far alone, and the biggest person who has helped Evans achieve all of that is his mother, Marieke Lemon.
Representatives say increase is ‘a signal of intent’
Tennis stars had boycotted media at French Open
Wimbledon will avoid the threat of player protests after representatives of the world’s top players welcomed the significant prize‑money increase offered by the All England Club.
“Leading players from the ATP and WTA Tours welcome Wimbledon’s 2026 prize money announcement as a genuine and significant step forward – the 20% increase is the largest single-year uplift in the tournament’s history and a meaningful signal of intent,” the player group said in a statement.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JUNE 10: OG Anunoby #8 of the New York Knicks drives to the basket against Dylan Harper #2 of the San Antonio Spurs during the second quarter in Game Four of the 2026 NBA Finals at Madison Square Garden on June 10, 2026 in New York City. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images) | Getty Images
When NBA fans think of the greatest NBA Finals performances ever, Michael Jordan, Shaquille O’Neal, Jerry West, Kevin Durant, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Dwyane Wade, Hakeem Olajuwon, Kareem-Abdul Jabbar, Tim Duncan, Larry Bird, LeBron James, and Larry Bird are the kinds of names that come to mind. All-time legends who either were, or are going to be, unanimous first ballot Hall of Famers. But if things keep going the way they have, could a certain Knick buck that trend, and force his name into conversations often reserved for the greatest players to ever play the sport?
After his second dominant two-way performance that was capped off with one of the most memorable plays in Finals history, Anunoby catapulted himself into serious Finals MVP conversations. Through four games, he is averaging 23.8PPG, 4RPG, 1.3APG, 1SPG, and 1.5BPG while shooting 58% from the field, 56% from three, and 92% from the free-throw line. Now, his counting stats don’t pop off the page. Were the Finals to end right now, he’d rank 41st out of the 57 Finals MVPs in scoring, while ranking third lowest in rebounds per game, lowest in assists per game, tied for 36th in steals per game, and tied for 16th in blocks per game. Not a great case to be made for Anunoby being an impressive MVP Finals winner, right?
'26 OG Anunoby Finals Tape
• 23.8 pts on 78.4% Ts • 2.5 stocks • Game-winner to go up 3-1 • 58/56/92 splits pic.twitter.com/gJpFgE3xEI
— Basketball Performances (@NBAPerformances) June 11, 2026
If you were to take a look at his efficiency, though, that’s where he really stands out among the greats. Anunoby currently has the highest Finals true shooting percentage ever among players who’ve attempted at least field goals, and the highest true shooting percentage among all players who averaged 20+PPG over any four-game stretch in Finals history. Wednesday night, he also became the only player in NBA Finals history to score at least 30 points, make at least seven threes, and do so while shooting 60% or higher from the field. His Game 4 performance was also the third-most threes made in a Finals game ever. The All-Defensive Second Team member is also averaging the sixth most fourth-quarter points per game in the modern era, and joined a lot of the earlier names (West, Abdul-Jabbar, Olajuwon, and Jordan) as the only players in Finals history to score 30 points and score a go-ahead field goal in the final three seconds. He’s done all that on the offensive end while holding De’Aaron Fox, Devin Vassell, Victor Wembanyama, and Derrick Harper all to 46% or lower shooting on a combined 50 attempts as the primary defender.
As you can see, digging past just the surface-level stats shows just how incredibly efficient and valuable the forward has been. But going back to the original question, where does this rank him among the past Finals MVPs? Despite all of the history he’s made, he still ranks outside the top 30. As mentioned earlier, there are a lot of great players who have averaged more points, assists, and rebounds than him while also averaging more steals and or blocks. Even with the unrivaled efficiency and great defense, it doesn’t make up for some of the stats that he lacks. Now, that’s not completely fair because part of that is a lack of volume and his role.
But that is precisely one of the things that is also hurting him. Those two things, while holding him back from potentially averaging more points and assists, could be argued as one of the main reasons for his efficiency. That doesn’t do Anunoby justice, and it discredits his incredible play and all of the work he has put in. If you go back and look at the shots Anunoby has converted on, it’s not like he’s wide open on all of them. He isn’t just a spot-up shooter being spoon-fed easy looks. He’s still taking and making very difficult shots that are often heavily contested or off the dribble. But the truth is, he doesn’t face the kind of game planning or attention that guys like Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns have faced. Those two are tasked with having to do more offensively in terms of self-creation and creation for others. That doesn’t fully take away from what Anunoby has done and the undeniably pivotal role in helping the Knicks go up 3-1.
When taking in all of that context into account, I do think it kind of comes down to subjectivity. To someone who prioritizes role, gravity, and attention, players with similar stats, even at the cost of efficiency, may win out. To others who may prioritize raw stats, Anunoby could easily win out. I think his Finals MVP, if it continues on a similar trajectory, would be better than those of Paul Pierce, Chauncey Billups, Jaylen Brown, Cedric Maxwell, Willis Reed (1973), Andre Iguodala, Wes Unseld, and a player he’s recently been compared to, Kawhi Leonard. Tony Parker, for me, is a great comparison, averaging 24.5PPG, 5.RPG, and 3.3APG in 2007, while shooting 56.8% from the field, and 57.1% from three. He wasn’t the defender Anunoby is, but he was also tasked with initiating way more than Anunoby is. And that should place him right around the 40th to 45th best, especially because stat and pace inflation should be taken into account as well. That may seem low, but for a player who was unranked by many high school recruiting sites and was drafted 23rd overall, that’s still quite an unexpected accomplishment.
Overall, though, it’s an interesting conversation, and one that also shines some light on the makeup of the Knicks and what makes them so good. Brunson is the obvious best player and engine of this team, but he isn’t burdened with as much responsibility as some of the other names mentioned above, and as much as I hate to say it, nor is he as good as those guys were. But what Brunson and the Knicks do have is an incredibly talented team with depth and multiple players who can give you 20 points on any given night. We’ve seen Brunson, Towns, Anunoby, Mikal Bridges, Josh Hart, and Deuce McBride do it, and we’ve seen Landry Shamet get close. It’s a team that can beat you in multiple ways and often does.
With how close the Finals MVP race looks right now, there’s a very real chance Brunson ends up with it, especially since he’s also the captain, the best player, the biggest name, and the main ball handler/creator. But it is coming down to the wire. If the Knicks, who currently are a -500 to win the Finals on FanDuel, close it out and Anunoby takes home the award, it will make for some very interesting conversations about how to evaluate secondary and tertiary creators when it comes to Finals MVP.
NEW YORK, NY - JUNE 10: Victor Wembanyama #1 of the San Antonio Spurs looks on during the game against the New York Knicks during Game Four of the 2026 NBA Finals on June 10, 2026 at Madison in New York, New York. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE(Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
The Spurs melted down in the second half. What was the play that let you know the loss was coming?
Marilyn Dubinski: There were several plays within the downward spiral that had me losing hope, from Wemby missing three threes in one possession and two clutch free throws, but the moment for me was when Fox got the loose ball with them up one with very little time left, and he had the choice to race to the bucket and get the lead up to three or dribble around and eat some clock. Hindsight is always 20-20, and now it seems obvious he should have dribbled and gotten free throws, but I can’t entirely blame him for going for two guaranteed points to get the lead to three over two non-guaranteed ones. The problem is, of course, he missed, with seemingly a slight hesitation while deciding what to do allowing the defense to recover and the Knicks the chance to take the game-winner. (I’ll also give him the benefit of the doubt and say he gets there and makes the shot without a bum ankle.)
Mark Barrington: I think it was when Wembanyama missed both free throws. At that point I knew he was spent and couldn’t save the team, and nobody else was going to step up. Of course, I was yelling at my TV when Fox took an unnecessary shot with a few seconds left, as no one wearing Silver and Black had anything resembling court awareness. That play, like Wemby’s pass off of Castle’s back in Game 2, was the final nail in the coffin, but they had been building that coffin for the entire second half.
Devon Birdsong: I *knew* it was over when Fox made one of the biggest mistakes in Spurs history, but my first real suspicion was the out-of-bounds call on Castle (which the NBA has now admitted was wrong). My hope momentarily lifted when Fox had an open mid-range jumper, but when he missed it (even though Castle redeemed himself on the rebound), my heart sank into my bowels. After Game 3, I wrote that most of this series has felt like a horror film, and I’m not sure if that was predictive or just bad timing, but I had no idea that it could get worse. Watching the 2nd half of that game was like watching characters do clearly stupid things in one of those movies (or the ‘Good Choices’ Geico commercial), and I could almost hear the faintest echo of Fred Herman Jones saying “Let’s split up gang!” in the distance.
Jeje Gomez: I’d love to be less predictable here, but it was Fox’s mistake. Even though the collapse started much earlier, the Spurs were still in the driver’s seat for most of the last few minutes and it seemed like the Josh Hart miss was going to be the Knicks’ version of the Wemby to Castle botched pass, an error that would determine the winner. I was optimistic until the end, and when Fox tapped the rebound to himself, I could taste the win. Then, the second he took the shot, and it got blocked, I thought a New York win was almost inevitable.
True or false: The Spurs’ lack of experience is the biggest reason for their struggles in the Finals.
Dubinski: It’s hard to say. It seemingly wasn’t a problem against the defending champions last round, in which they didn’t even have homecourt advantage, so why is it a problem now? There is zero doubt the Finals are an exponentially bigger stage than the conference finals, and going against a historical and charged-up franchise like the Knicks adds yet another level, so maybe this is just too much for a young team with little to no playoff experience before this year. Closing tight games has been an issue almost all season, and the Knicks are the polar opposite and the last team you want to falter against in the clutch against. I guess I’ll go with true since they’re playing a team of hardened, grizzled veterans with more experience to learn and build off of. (Although I think the Spurs win this series against any other Eastern Conference opponent.)
Barrington: True. De’Aaron Fox is supposed to be the playoff closer for the Spurs, but before this year, he had been in only 7 playoff games, and he had the most playoff experience of any starter. You could say that the 22 playoff games they’ve played this season would be a lot of playoff experience, but I don’t think players can absorb that quickly on the fly with only one or two days off between games. They’ll handle these kinds of situations better next season, if they make it this far, but nothing is guaranteed. They’ve had a lot of things go right for them in this year’s playoff run to get to the finals, but their luck ran out Wednesday night in the Garden. You have to give the Knicks credit for continuing to fight even when down by a ton of points, but you also have to be a little mad at the Spurs for losing their focus and falling apart under pressure. It’s a hard lesson, and thinking it would never happen to this team on a storied run from a 34-win season to the NBA Finals was a vain hope.
Birdsong: Absolutely true. Lost in the hubbub about Fox is the very real failure as a team to recognize a need for a strategy change midway through the 3rd quarter. The Spurs should have been grinding out possessions instead of still trying to jump-shoot the Knicks out of the building. The inability to recognize that they no longer had the hot hand, as well as that they weren’t effectively draining the clock + failing to create, take, and make easier shots, is largely what let the Knicks back in. Some of that was pure hubris (I’ve written before about how these Spurs are sometimes not satisfied with just carrying a lead and prefer to embarrass the opposition), and some of it was execution. But both are symptoms of the same thing, inexperience. A Twitter/X account last night tweeted out that if Chris Paul had still been on the team (even hardly playing) he would never have let them keep that up for the entire 2nd half, and I think that’s right. Last night wasn’t just the players’ inexperience showing, but Mitch’s too.
Gomez: True-ish. There’s no denying that some of the mistakes the Spurs have made are probably a reflection of not only their lack of experience in the biggest stages, but a lack of experience playing with one another. The Fox gaffe can be explained by the former, and the Wemby-to-Castle pass by the latter. Without those two massive blunders, the series could easily be 3-1 the other way. But there are other, arguably deeper problems. San Antonio doesn’t have a bench or reliable size at the forward spots. They don’t have an established half-court offense, which technically could be chalked up to Mitch Johnson’s lack of experience, but it seems more to do with the coach’s philosophy of giving his players freedom. Since the Spurs have so much talent, they have been able to hide those flaws at times and overcome them at others, but against a team that matches up so well against them, it’s been harder to do. Youth is to blame for some of the issues, but focusing solely on it can distract from other weaknesses in the roster and the offense that are being exposed.
How confident are you that the Spurs can get it to Game 7?
Dubinski: Not at all, but maybe I should give them more than a 10% chance. One thing they have done well in these playoffs is bounce back, and they likely know just as well as we do that they could just as easily be up 3-1 (or even have already won 4-0) if they weren’t shooting themselves in the foot in the final minute of games. They have what it takes, but they have to stop beating themselves and execute for three straight games. The question is, can they do it, considering consistency has not been their forte in these playoffs? (I will say, my only goal for them right now is to just get to Game 6, and not just for the obvious “one game at a time” reason, but also because the only thing we have never had to endure as a franchise is watch another team celebrate a championship on our home court, and I don’t want that to change now.)
Barrington: I’m not confident, but I’m hopeful. Game 5 is the key. This series isn’t over yet. If they play like goldfish and don’t internalize the failure of Game 4, they will be in good shape to take Game 6 in the Garden. If they do that, it’s a matchup for the ages, as the league can see one of the most exciting back-and-forth series in history.
The reason why I think that won’t happen is that I remember the Spurs in the 2013 finals. After Ray Allen’s miracle shot stole Game 6, the Spurs were mentally and physically spent and didn’t put up that much of a fight in Game 7. I could see that happening again in Game 5 this year, but this team is younger and they could overcome the fatigue. The only good thing about remembering the 2013 Finals is that that wasn’t the end of the story. There was a redemption arc, and who knows, that could happen again.
This team is going to be good for a long time, and the mental hardening from the lessons of this season should make them tougher to take down in the future. That, and some roster improvements, as the bench was really exposed by the Knicks in this year’s finals, and the lack of playable bigs led to an overdependence on Wembanyama, who can’t play over 40 minutes in every game.
Birdsong: I think it’s all about Game 6. Supposing the Spurs win Game 5 (and I expect they will, if not purely out of sheer anger with themselves), they have a very tall order going back to the Garden down 2-3. That being said, they’ve already pulled that off down 0-2. It’ll be a different kind of pressure, though. The Knicks will do everything they can to not go back to San Antonio for Game 7, but if the Spurs pull it off, I can still see them winning it all. Right now, they need to focus on a reset in familiar surroundings and take every positive thing they can out of an extremely embarrassing and public lesson. They’ve risen to the occasion before, so I think they can do it again. In fact, in spite of the loss, I’m more confident in their ability to beat the Knicks; it’s just going to come down to execution. The margin separating these two teams is razor-thin, and that bodes well for series extension. I give them 50/50 to get to Game 7, but if they do, I’m putting my money on them. At that point, they’ll know they can overcome anything, and that’s money in the bank(shot).
Gomez: Can they bounce back and win Game 5? I’m not confident about it. The loss was too painful, and while the Spurs have been surprisingly resilient in the face of adversity, at some point, they will break. If we use the stonecutter’s credo to describe the situation, they might be the rock, and the OG Anunoby game-winner, the final blow. If they somehow manage to once again respond well to a tough loss, I think anything is possible. I expect the Knicks to be confident in Game 5, but if they lose, they might get anxious about trying to finish it all at home since they don’t exactly have much championship experience themselves. Is it likely we’ll get a Game 7? Not really, but I won’t call the series over until someone actually wins four.
One quick hand motion has some in San Antonio up in arms.
Some extra attention has been brought to Karl-Anthony Towns’ deflection on the final play of Wednesday’s miracle Knicks Game 4 Finals win after it appears he motioned to the fans sitting courtside to crowd Spurs rookie Dylan Harper for the critical inbounds pass.
With the Knicks leading 107-106 with 1.2 seconds remaining, Towns walked toward Harper — positioned on the left sidelines if looking straight at the basket from midcourt — and discretely motioned toward Harper with his left hand to a man in a suit and a man in an orange shirt.
Should the @nba and @OfficialNBARefs review this incident where Karl Anthony Towns asks Knicks fans to crowd Dylan Harper as he attempts to inbound the ball on the final play of Game 5?
As Harper took one step to his right, the two men also moved in that direction closer to the guard.
When Harper eventually received the ball to inbounds the ball for a potential game-winning shot, the two men could not have been more than two feet away with the fan in orange clapping.
X user @SpursReporter quote tweeted the clip with another frontward-showing angle that displayed the fan in orange getting rather close to Harper and pondered whether the referees did enough.
Towns discretely waves his hand toward Harper. @_angel218_/XMoments later, the fans are right on top of Harper. @_angel218_/X
“Should the @nba and @OfficialNBARefs review this incident where Karl Anthony Towns asks Knicks fans to crowd Dylan Harper as he attempts to inbound the ball on the final play of Game 5? ,” the individual wrote.
“NBA rules explicitly state that fans are strictly prohibited from entering the playing area or intentionally interfering with players, whether the player is inbounds or out of bounds. Furthermore, rules state that fans must remain within the physical limits of their own seats.
“In an instance like this, Arena security staff is required to back the front row up, and offenders should be ejected. The second video in the tweet below also shows how egregious this violation was.”
Another angle of Towns motioning in Harper’s direction. @SpursReporter/XThe fan in orange getting quite close to Harper. @SpursReporter/X
The NBA rules on out-of-bounds and throw-in plays does not specifically state any stipulation about fans, although they are not allowed to interfere with play.
However, in these instances, there’s only so much the referees can do since the play happens right in front of those sitting courtside.
Whether the fans affected Harper or not, he and the Spurs missed a golden chance for a great look on their final play when Towns deflected his pass to Stephon Castle.
That tip led to Castle fumbling the ball, and he did not get a shot off in time as the Knicks rallied from a 29-point hole in the second half to grab a 3-1 series lead.
Game 4 will go down as one of the most dramatic games in NBA Finals history. The Knicks erased a 29-point deficit — the largest comeback ever in a Finals game — to steal a 107–106 win and take a commanding 3-1 series lead.
San Antonio dominated early, building a massive halftime lead (76–49) behind hot shooting, including a Finals-record 14 first-half threes. But everything flipped in the second half: the Spurs went ice-cold and settled for the long-range jumpers they were hitting in the first half, while the Knicks stepped up their defense and began making shots of their own. Call it a lesson in coaching malpractice and inexperience in the big moment by the Spurs or credit the Knicks for calling on their experience as players and coaches. Either way, it has the look of a series-defining win for New York.
OG Anunoby (33 points) delivered the signature moment — a tip-in with 1.2 seconds left to complete the rally. Victor Wembanyama led San Antonio with 24 points and 13 rebounds, but the Spurs managed just 30 second-half points, a collapse goes beyond defining this series.
The result: New York is one win from its first title since 1973, while San Antonio faces elimination and must somehow regroup emotionally and tactically. Can the Knicks carry over the momentum earned in Game 4 and close out the series? Or will the Spurs be able to overcome the emotional toll the Game 4 loss must have taken on them to stay alive in Game 5?
Lets take a closer look at tonight’s matchup and take into consideration lineups, injuries, and other factors affecting the line and total.
We’ve got all the info and analysis you need to know ahead of the game, including the latest info on how to catch tipoff, odds courtesy of DraftKings recent team performance, player stats, and of course, our predictions, picks best bets for the game from our modeling tools and staff of experts.
After 24 years, the NBA was back on NBC and Peacock this season. Thanks for tuning in and all the positive feedback as we combined the nostalgia of an iconic era with the innovative future of basketball coverage. The NBA on NBC YouTube channel continues to deliver fans must-see highlights, analysis, and exclusive and unique content.
Game Details and How to Watch Game 5 Live: Knicks vs. Spurs
Date: Saturday, June 13, 2026
Time: 8:30PM EST
Site: Frost Bank Center
City: San Antonio, TX
Network/Streaming: ABC
Rotoworld has you covered with all the latest NBA Player News for all 30 teams. Check out the feed page right here on NBC Sports for headlines, injuries and transactions where you can filter by league, team, positions and news type!
NBA Finals Game 5 Odds: Knicks vs. Spurs
The latest odds as of Friday courtesy of DraftKings:
Moneyline: New York Knicks (+164), San Antonio Spurs (-198)
Spread: Spurs -5.5
Total: 216.5 points
This game opened with the Spurs favored by 5.5 and the Game Total set at 217.5.
Be sure to check out DraftKings for all the latest game odds & player props for every matchup this week on the NBA schedule!
Expected Starting Lineups for NBA Finals Game 5: Knicks vs. Spurs
New York Knicks
PG Jalen Brunson (36 points, 12-25 FG in Game 4)
SG Mikal Bridges (7 points, 2 assists in Game 4)
C Karl-Anthony Towns (13 points, 10 rebounds in Game 4)
SF Josh Hart (6 points, 8 rebounds in Game 4)
PF OG Anunoby (33 points, 7-9 from 3-point range in Game 4)
San Antonio Spurs
PG De’Aaron Fox (18 points, 7 assists, 4 TOs in Game 4)
SG Stephon Castle (13 points on 2-7 FG in Game 4)
SF Devin Vassell (18 points, 5-8 from 3-point range in Game 4)
PF Julian Champagnie (5 points, 5 rebounds in Game 4)
C Victor Wembanyama (24 points, 13 rebounds, 1 assist in Game 4)
Injury Report: Knicks vs. Spurs
New York Knicks
No injuries to report
San Antonio Spurs
David Jones Garcia (ankle) has been declared OUT for tonight’s game
Important stats, trends and insights: Knicks vs. Spurs – Game 5
The Knicks are 30-20 on the road this season
The Spurs are 38-13 at home this season
The Spurs are 59-44-2 ATS this season
The Knicks are 56-44-1 ATS this season
The OVER has cashed in 47 of the Knicks’ 101 games this season (47-54)
The OVER has cashed in 48 of the Spurs’ 105 games this season (48-57)
Jalen Brunson is shooting 39.6% from the field in the NBA Finals (42-106)
Dylan Harper was 8-12 from the field and 3-6 from 3-point range in Game 4
OG Anunoby is shooting 58% in the NBA Finals (29-50)
OG Anunoby was 7-9 from 3-point range in Game 4
Rotoworld Best Bet
Please bet responsibly. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call the National Gambling Helpline at 1-800-522-4700.
Our model calculates projections around each moneyline, spread and over/under bet for every game on the NBA calendar based on data points like recent performance, head-to-head player matchups, trends information and projected game totals.
Once the model is finished running, we put its projections next to the latest betting lines for the game to arrive at a relative confidence level for each wager.
Here are the best bets our model is projecting for Saturday’s Game 5 between the Knicks and the Spurs:
Moneyline: Rotoworld Bet is leaning towards a play on the Knicks on the Moneyline
Spread: Rotoworld Bet is recommending a play on the Knicks +5.5
Total: Rotoworld Bet is leaning towards a play on the Game Total OVER 216.5
Player Props:
OG Anunoby 19+ Points (-103) - the Game 4 hero has blown past this number in each of the last 2 games / missed cashing by 2 points in each of the first 2 games
OG Anunoby 25.5 PRA (-109) – this too has cashed the last 2 games / missed by 0.5 in Game 2 and by 5.5 in Game 1
Follow our experts on socials to keep up with all the latest content from the staff:
We step outside the lab to look at a situation that is becoming more and more dire. However. we have to constantly remain guarded against the hyperbolic. People are often drawn to the extremes on managers. It was Whitey Herzog that said he was two players away from the pennant when he managed the Kansas City Royals: Babe Ruth and Cy Young. The clear implication is that players drive championships.
I don’t know if there has ever been a comprehensive study of how many games a good manager is worth or how many games a bad manager can cost a team. I can promise you it isn’s as much as most people think. For instance, on Monday night, Joe Espada made the same move as on Wednesday night. It worked once and backfired the second time. Therefore, it would be fair to assert that he is batting .500. However, I would argue that he was wrong on both nights, but that is besides the point.
I’ve already made this argument before and regular readers will be well aware of that. The difference is that the team is playing better baseball over the last month. They were nearly .500 in May and seem to be on the same trajectory in June. That means that every blunder is actually magnified that much more. A bad baseball team doesn’t need a good manager. A mediocre one could use a good manager if the rest of the league is mediocre.
Two teams have already made managerial changes and they were arguably in the same boat as the Astros. They were bigger payroll teams that came into the season with some level of expectations. The differences between how they have performed are as different as their situations. Suffice it to say that interim managers can sometimes work out, but much of the time it is more of the same. Obviously, it depends on whether they were fired for specific malpractice or just generic underperformance. Let’s look at those two situations.
Boston Red Sox
Alex Cora: 10-17 Chad Tracy: 17-22
It is just one man’s opinion, but this one is on Craig Breslow the general manager. He has the most similar situation in baseball to Dana Brown and the Astros. The two were dancing most the winter, but they were dancing to two different songs. I suppose in some sense the winning percentage under Tracy has improved, but I would call this spinning their wheels.
Philadelphia Phillies
Rob Thomson: 9-19 Don Mattingly: 28-12
This was clearly a situation of a team underperforming. I can guarantee that the Phillies were not as bad as they were under Thomson and they aren’t as good as they have been under Mattingly. However, results are results. The Phillies are now right back in the wild card race where they likely would have been to begin with.
Obviously, I’m not comparing the Astros situation to either situation. Every team is in their own soup so to speak. However, there are a few reasons why I think now is the right time to move on from Espada. It is more specific to what he is actually doing than how the team is playing.
He regularly gets outmanaged
This doesn’t happen nearly as often as it used to when pitchers hit, but the end of games is a chess match between managers. Managers choose when and if to pinch hit for certain regulars or bring in defensive replacements. They choose when to bring in certain relievers based on matchups against the other team. Espada regularly gets outmaneuvered by more experienced and more intelligent managers. In some cases he just overthinks things and makes moves for the sake of making moves.
The example I can think of was the Friday night game against Milwaukee. He broughtin Brice Mathews as a defensive replacement for some reason and then he had to hit with the bases loaded and one out. Pat Murphy manuevered right into that situation. He was thinking a couple of moves ahead. Espada was throwing darts at a board. That move likely cost the Astros that game.
He mismanages the pitching staff
I have come to call Espada Joe “One inning too long” Espada. He is constantly trying to get an extra inning out of relievers and starters. I get it on a certain level. This is epsecially true early in the year when the starters were trash. However, even now he is leaning way too often on multiple inning relief outings and there have been numerous occasions where the relievers throw a scoreless frame and then give up runs in the subsequent inning. It is to the point where they should be charged as managerial runs.
I mentioned Monday and Wednesday night. Why is Hader coming into a tie game in the ninth? Why is Abreu the guy taking the ball in the 10th. Heck, why is Abreu within 300 miles of a close game at this point? Just because a gamble works doesn’t mean it is a good gamble. Managers are generally more successful when they play the percentages. Espada doesn’t do that nearly often enough.
Sunday Fun Day
In all fairness, Espada is not the only manager to do this. Jimy Williams used to do it all the time. I called the “YMCA Everyone gets to play” Day. You empty out your bench and sub for as many regulars as you can. That waves a white flag. Obviously, it happens a lot on Snnday but Sunday is not the only day of the week Espada raises the white flag. Smarter managers stagger their load management. The rest one guy at a time.
This doesn’t even mention the fact that with all of the injuries you are hampering yourself when you give guys days off. I get that an occasional breather helps keep guys fresh but when you are starting your backup catcher (who was hitting under .100), that is probably not the best time to start both backup infielders and a backup outfielders.
Putting it all together
This is a simple math problem. If you want to get into the playoffs you need to get to between 83 and 87 wins. If you are doing that then you need to finish 11-15 games above .500 the remainder of the season. This can be a good baseball team but it is not a great one. The good news is that every team is in the same board. However, it means that you cannot afford to give away close games through routine managerial blunders. The sooner you make the change the better.
PITTSBURGH, PA - JUNE 11: Shohei Ohtani (17) of the Los Angeles Dodgers hits a solo home run in the third inning during an MLB game against the Pittsburgh Pirates on June 11, 2026 at PNC Park in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Shohei Ohtani has set the baseball world on fire on the mound despite his most recent start on Wednesday, and he’s been picking up the pace with the lumber as well since May 12.
Ohtani capped off the three-game set in Pittsburgh with his second home run in as many games while reaching base four times in the Dodgers 8-6 win, but the two-way superstar was an early exit on Thursday due to left knee inflammation. It wasn’t that long ago that on May 26 against the Colorado Rockies, Ohtani also exited early after getting plunked on the wrist.
Dave Roberts spoke with Kirsten Watson about Ohtani’s exit, noting that he acknowledged the discomfort around the sixth inning on Thursday. Roberts doesn’t expect him to miss Friday’s opener against the Chicago White Sox.
I feel good about him being in there tomorrow, but obviously with the travel tonight, we just gotta see how he comes in… I don’t know if it was when he tried to steal second base, but I didn’t hear about it last night, didn’t hear about it today until about the sixth inning.
Justin Wrobleski was also an early exit on Thursday, as after a collision with Bryan Reynolds on a play at first, the left-hander came up limping and was removed with two outs in the bottom of the fourth inning.
Wrobleski left with a left hamstring contusion, but when speaking with the media postgame, he’s not worried about his injury and noted that his poor performance on the mound resulted in his departure.
“I didn’t throw the ball very well today just as a whole… It was just one of those outings for me where I just wasn’t synced up perfect, but felt good. Thank God I’m okay, Reynolds is okay, so thankfully for that situation, everyone’s good.”
The Dodgers bullpen struggled over the final two games of the three-game set in Pittsburgh, with Kyle Hurt and Jack Dreyer allowing the lead to slip on Tuesday while the bullpen accounted for eight runs allowed in the series.
Tanner Scott managed to bounce back over what has been a worrisome past two weeks, getting a four-out save while striking out a trio of hitters that managed to account for four home runs against the Dodgers in the bottom of the ninth inning. Scott spoke with Watson after recording his seventh save of the season about the bullpen’s ability to quickly turn the page after a rough outing.
“Confidence is huge. We have a great bullpen and we have a lot of special arms. One game happens, you just gotta flush it and move on to the next one.”
Old friends in new places
Outfielder James Outman has found a new home in the AL Central, as the Detroit Tigers announced on Thursday that they claimed him off waivers from the Minnesota Twins.
Since departing from the Dodgers in the Brock Stewart deal last year, Outman struggled to find any significant playing time with the big league level with Minnesota. He slashed just .151/.224/.302 with four home runs and 10 RBI, posting a -0.6 fWAR across 86 combined games before being designated for assignment on June 6.
New Zealand’s most prolific run-scorer and arguably greatest-ever batsman Kane Williamson announced his immediate retirement from international cricket on Friday.
There's an understanding that, to this point in their search for a new head coach, the Toronto Maple Leafs have narrowed down their list of candidates to some degree.
Not long ago, TSN's Pierre LeBrun provided a report saying the Leafs have entered the second phase of their process in landing their next bench boss, and that phase includes in-person interviews with "about five candidates."
On Thursday, during OverDrive, Darren Dreger guested on the show and added a name to the mix that he believes should be included in this next round of interactions.
To add to the discussion of Eakins being in the mix for the Toronto job, he was spotted with former NHL executive Brian Burke, taking in Game 3 of the AHL's Eastern Conference final between the Toronto Marlies and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.
Eakins has a history with the Maple Leafs organization. According to eliteprospects.com, Eakins' first coaching job was as an assistant coach for the Marlies in 2005-06.
For the next two years, he was an assistant coach for the Maple Leafs, followed by a year as the director of player development. In 2009-10, he rejoined the Marlies in the AHL, but this time as a head coach.
After four years of leading the Marlies behind the bench and taking that team to the final once in that span, he took his talents to the NHL.
In total, Eakins has been a head coach in the NHL for six years and has been behind the bench in that role across 404 regular-season contests.
Eakins last coached in the NHL in 2022-23, his fourth year behind the bench with the Anaheim Ducks. He also coached the Edmonton Oilers for two years in 2013-14 and 2014-15.
Since then, the 59-year-old has been coaching in Germany for DEL Mannheim. He's coached Mannheim for the past three seasons, losing in the final of this past campaign.
See more of The Hockey News on Google — Save us as Preferred Source
For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.
The Vancouver Canucks have announced that Richard Seeley has been hired as the newest GM of the Abbotsford Canucks. The 47-year-old has spent the last eight years as GM of the Ontario Reign, as has a local connection as he is from Powell River, BC. Not only will Seeley serve as Abbotsford GM, but he will also be an Assistant General Manager with Vancouver.
Judging the work of an AHL GM is often not easy. The NHL affiliate often assembles the majority of the roster, as they send prospects and young players down to the AHL to develop. The job of an AHL General Manager is focused on ensuring these players improve while also filling out the roster to compete for the Calder Cup.
During Seeley's time with the Reign, Ontario won over 300 regular-season games. Last year, they won the Pacific Division while setting a new franchise record with 47 wins. The Reign and Canucks met once in the playoffs as Ontario swept Abbotsford in the second round back in 2024.
Several now-NHLers have gone through the Reign since Seeley took over as GM. Those players include Matt Roy, Michael Eyssimont, Gabriel Vilardi, Arthur Kaliyev, Sean Durzi, Quinton Byfield and Brandt Clarke. While Seeley did not play a part in drafting these players, he was tasked with teaching them how to become pros both on and off the ice.
It is also important to note that this will be the first time Seeley has the title of NHL Assistant General Manager. While with Ontario, he was not listed as an AGM with the Los Angeles Kings. Being an NHL AGM should present new challenges to Seeley, as his sole focus will no longer be just on the AHL.
Overall, Seeley has a strong track record in the AHL. The Reign have surpassed the 40-win mark in four of the last five seasons and have finished in the top three in the division in each of the last three years. Ultimately, his tenure will be judged on his work with the AHL Canucks and on whether he can not just build a strong team but also ensure that players are developing properly.
Abbotsford Canuks (Photo Credit: Kaja Antic/The Hockey News)
Make sure you bookmark THN's Vancouver Canucks site and add us to your favourites on Google News for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more. Also, don't forget to leave a comment at the bottom of the page and engage with other passionate fans through our forum. This article originally appeared on The Hockey News.
For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.
SEATTLE, WA - MAY 02: Kyle Isbel #28 of the Kansas City Royals looks on prior to the game between the Kansas City Royals and the Seattle Mariners at T-Mobile Park on Saturday, May 2, 2026 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Rod Mar/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
The big news yesterday was the Kyle Isbel injury. Anne Rogers reported it:
On Thursday, he was diagnosed with a Grade 3 tear of a portion of his left plantar fascia, which is a severe tear and will take some time to heal before he gets back to baseball activity. The Royals are hoping to have a better understanding of a timeline for his return after Isbel is further evaluated in the coming days.
Isbel began limping as he got aboard with a single. He knelt on the base before walking slowly toward the Royals’ dugout.
“I think it was like my first step past the base,” Isbel said. “Kind of tried to turn it on and get a double and felt it in my foot.”
The Royals placed Isbel on the 10-day injured list Wednesday. Now, he will begin the long road to recovery.
It sounds like this recovery is going to be measured in weeks or months, not days.
The team got better news about Seth Lugo and his scary injury. Again, per Anne:
Lugo went through the necessary testing and protocol Wednesday night, and his CT scan came back clear, which is an even better sign. With the welt that has formed on his head, Lugo said he feels the throbbing when he bends over but hasn’t had any headaches. His left elbow is cut up and actually hurts the most from falling on it.
Lugo received a lot of support from his teammates. Multiple players came up to check on him as he got ready for Thursday’s game.
“It’s family in here,” Lugo said. “When something like that happens, it’s scary. You know, it’s one of the dangers of baseball. And as a pitcher, you know, you can’t think of that before it happens. You would never throw a strike. We all feel for each other when something bad happens out there, but you know, it’s part of the game.”
The Royals haven’t determined Lugo’s next steps. It’s still too early to tell how his symptoms will progress in coming days. He had a large bump on his forehead and a few scratches on his arm.
How about three stories from The Athletic ($) about the Royals?
On June 18, Under Armour will drop a player-exclusive cleat and turf shoe for Bobby Witt Jr., a move that, on the surface, reads as a standard brand decision for one of baseball’s best young players. But for Witt, it’s the ultimate “Dream Pull.”
…“Dream Pull” is inspired by the thrill of ripping a pack of baseball cards and chasing a big hit. It’s that collector’s high that has driven recent growth in the hobby and prompted pro players like Witt to collect.
…Collectors and fans have multiple ways to get the new footwear. Starting on June 18, limited quantities of the Dream Pull will be available in both cleat and turf versions on Under Armour’s website and mobile app, Dick’s Sporting Goods, and Academy.com. Anyone who purchases through Dick’s Sporting Goods or Under Armour receives an exclusive Panini card in the box. But on June 20, the Under Armour Factory House in Kansas City will stock pairs with some boxes containing randomly placed autographed Witt Jr. cards. (The Dream Pull PE will be playable in MLB The Show 2026’s “Road to the Show” game mode.)
This is my second or third shoe story in the last couple of months. I’m currently working on a shoe-related OT, but it’s not ready yet. Can you do a little better on your timing, guys?
When the Kansas City Royals traded catcher Freddy Fermin to the San Diego Padres at last year’s deadline, they were happy to acquire right-handers Stephen Kolek and Ryan Bergert. They also knew Carter Jensen was nearly ready for the majors, making them deep enough at catcher to pull off such a move.
The Royals lack the pitching equivalents of what Jensen was, potential candidates for next year’s rotation in the upper minors. So, even if they fall out of contention, they likely will not be as comfortable moving starters such as right-handers Seth Lugo (under club control through 2027) and Michael Wacha (through 2027).
Left-hander Kris Bubic, a potential free agent, would be more likely to go, along with others on expiring contracts — outfielder Lane Thomas, lefty reliever Matt Strahm and righty reliever John Schreiber, among them.
The Royals, like all teams, are open to anything. If they could trade Wacha and/or Lugo for quality pitchers under longer club control, they would need to consider it. Any form of teardown, though, is likely not an option. The Royals want to win with shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. and third baseman Maikel Garcia, both of whom are under contract through at least 2030.
Keith Law released his Mock Draft 2.0 yesterday and had the Royals taking “Jacob Lombard”.
Over the past few weeks, the manager Matt Quatraro has been shuffling around his lineup. Maikel Garcia has not led off for the Royals since May 27, partially to place him in the heart of the batting order, and partially due to a hamstring injury. Since May 27, Quatraro has favored Carter Jensen to lead off against right-handed pitchers and Lane Thomas against left-handed pitchers. However, Jensen has been slumping lately, and it could be time to shake up the order yet again.
…Massey is far from the perfect leadoff hitter. His current on-base percentage of .283 is less ideal. His baserunning does not stand out in particular. His sprint speed is below average in the 37th percentile. He has only one stolen base attempt this season and has been thrown out more often than he advances when trying to take the extra base on the basepaths. If Massey can‘t improve his baserunning, he could be a frustrating fixture on the bases with stars like Bobby Witt Jr. at the plate.
Also at Royals Keep, Matt Crossland writes about one of my… do I say “favorite” topics(?)… in “The Tragic Tale of Gil Meche”:
In a memorable game against the Diamondbacks, Meche pitched a complete game shutout, only giving up four hits and striking out six. At the time, it was seen as Meche’s masterpiece, but there was only one stat that stuck out like a sore thumb: his pitch count. Meche threw 132 pitches, which is too many pitches to throw for a shutout, and it would eventually take a toll on him. Manager Trey Hillman again gave Meche too long a leash in his next two starts as he threw 121 and 114 pitches in back-to-back starts. He would finish 2009 with a record of 6–10 and an ERA of 5.09 while giving up almost 8 earned runs per game over his last nine starts. He would not be the same pitcher after that.
And this is the perfect time to link to Poz’s article from the time. The “how would you wash a unicorn” analogy has stuck with me to this day:
I don’t know. Maybe at some point, when you’re SO FAR down the wrong road, you just go: “What the hell, might as well keep going and hope we run into something good.” Maybe it would have been more damaging to have Meche throw 117 pitches and then pull him before the inning was done. I don’t know. I really don’t know. We are in such la-la land here, there can be no logical questions … these are like “How would you wash a unicorn?” questions. I do know that Meche threw four more pitches and did get Morneau to fly out to right.
We have a couple of blogs that don’t post very often.
Actually, that’s unfair to Jeff Wayman at The Diamond Chronicles. He posts mostly on Mondays. But I never get to link to his stuff because, well, it wouldn’t be very timely for “Friday Rumblings”. Still, I’ll do it this week to remind you to check him out on Mondays.
Patrick Glancy is mostly posting to his new blog, Powder Blue Pulp. But he did some baseball writing this week, too: “Back to Baseball”. He wrote about what has happened with the team this season so far.
I’m writing this on my birthday, the day before I actually publish it on Substack, and it feels a little strange to be back in baseball mode again. As most of you know, I’ve been hard at work on my debut crime novel, Shivering in Hell, which I announced in my most recent post. I’ve also been publishing short fiction through my other newsletter, Powder Blue Pulp, and I haven’t actually written about baseball since I made my preseason predictions back in March.*
A few weeks ago, over on another blog, we were talking about dinosaurs and the idea of paleontology came up. I was also in Chicago over the past weekend and we were at the Field Museum.
We joke all the time about civilizations from the future that dig up our current time and make bad assumptions. You know, the jokes about how future archeologists will dig up Memphis and assume large swaths of the population worshipped a god-king named Elvis. Better authors than I have come up with great angles on this idea.
But I was having fun noodling around with the (literally) mind-boggling concept of time and had a little fun.
I’m not a great student of history so we’re going to fall down a wiki rabbit hole. I know Wikipedia is imperfect, but it’s good for general knowledge like this.
* * * * *
We’re going to start with this concept: Events from 50 years ago seem old to an individual human. We only get, at best, maybe 100 years on this earth. 300 years ago is another civilization entirely. It seems like a good “block” to measure time in this exercise.
300 years ago (1726), the world was a very different place. Humans hadn’t achieved space flight, automobiles, or flight. But there were crude trains and civilization had sailed the seas for much longer. There was no United States, but there were a lot of other modern countries you could name. How many people could you name that were alive in 1726? Benjamin Franklin? Isaac Newton? Johan Sebastian Bach? Voltaire? Maybe you couldn’t have told me with certainty they were alive then, but you know who they were and that we were in the ballpark. It’s history, but it’s nowhere near ancient history. And this is where our journey starts.
We’re going to use a quick little “o” to represent each 300-year block. A graphic designer, I am not.
Another 300 years before that (1426) is the late Middle Ages and the start of the Renaissance. I could probably give you a few bits off the top of my head. I’d be wrong about some of it, but I’d be right about quite a bit. Joan of Arc, Vlad the Impaler, Johannes Gutenberg? We know those names. Gotta be honest, I only know of Donatello because of TMNT. But anyone with a real appreciation of art would know him. FYI: Leonardo, Michelangelo, and Raphael don’t come along until later in the century.
Suffice to say, I feel like we have a “decent” grasp of these first two sets of “300-year” blocks. There are many major events logged in many parts of the world. There’s just a lot of written history from these times. Modern history is aware of so much happening at these times that Wiki’s editors have to spend a significant amount of energy to limit pages to “important” things.
I think this is our first major jump. Could you even tell me anything about 1126? Maybe a couple of things, but it wouldn’t be many. Dark Ages, Indeed. How much do people even know about that time? I asked Gemini who are the most famous people alive at that time and didn’t recognize any names. Anyone here a big fan of Peter Abelard, Henry I, Imad al-Din Zengi, or Emperor Huizong of Song? I’m not saying they aren’t famous – Gemini assures me that Huizong is one of China’s most famous rulers – I just don’t know who they are. Looking at the map, there’s a few countries that have their modern name, even if they’re in different shapes (England, Scotland, Denmark, Norway, France, Poland, Hungary, Ethiopia, Oman, Yemen, Japan, etc). But there’s no Spain, no Germany, no Turkey, no Greece, no China, no India, no Russia.
Our information is becoming sparse very quickly. Know anything about 826? 526? Each of those years barely has a page worth of stuff on Wikipedia. We just don’t know much. How about that 500 AD map above? I don’t think there’s a single country there that has the same name. Maybe Nepal? Ghana and Albania exist, but not where they are today. 226 has an artifact in modernity: Saint Valentine! He was born in 226 and died in 269.
Now we’ve crossed over into BC. 74 BC and 374 BC have a couple of entries of known events. 674 BC only has one. Just think about that for a second. This is less than 3000 years ago. It’s in a time when there was paper and civilization. Various estimates have the world population between 50M and 150M, so let’s split the difference. There were 100M people wandering around and we know of exactly one thing that happened in the entire world. 100,000,000 people! That’s more than France, the UK, Germany, Turkey, or Iran. That’s Italy plus Canada put together. That’s California, Texas, New York, and Illinois combined (using 2022 estimates).
And we know next to nothing. If you’re curious:
Esarhaddon puts down a revolt in Ascalon supported by Taharqa, king of Kush and Egypt. In response, the Assyrians invade Egypt, but Taharqa is able to hold them off.
Here’s our next big gap. When I search Wikipedia for 974 BC, it redirects me to the page for 970s BC. We can’t even tell you anything that happened in 974. But we know that Egyptian pharaoh Shoshenq I was born and King Zhao of the Chinese Zhou dynasty ascended to the throne during that decade. In Israel, King Solomon may have had his coronation and King David might have been born – but it’s listed as “possible”.
.oooooooooo <- You are here (974 BC)
The 1270s BC were surprisingly busy. While 1274 doesn’t get its own page, there are a number of events on the 1270 page listed as happening in 1274. For instance, the Battle of Kadesh is noted as being “the largest (5,000–6,000) chariot vs. chariot battle in antiquity”. The 1570s BC page is starting to look like the pages for 826 and 526 AD. Only instead of knowing of only a couple of events those years, it’s only a couple of events from that decade.
Did you know that the Bronze Age isn’t a specific set of years for the world? It’s different for different parts of the world? I guess that makes sense, but I didn’t know that until I started looking this up.
.oooooooooooo <- You are here (1574 BC)
* * * * *
So, after 12 hops of 300 years, we get another major jump in Wikipedia chronology. Our 13th jump gets us to 1874 BC. It doesn’t even redirect me to a decade. Now it’s just a century. None of the dates are exact, and there are only about 20 major events. Kansas City gets a mention(!): “1836 BC-1818 BC: Head of Senusret III is made. Twelfth dynasty of Egypt. It is now kept at The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, Missouri.”
.ooooooooooooo <- You are here (1874 BC)
This is both fascinating and boring at the same time. For each entry I run across, the picture gets fuzzier and fuzzier. I’m not going to keep stretching this out one by one.
We’re going to skip a few to 20 jumps of 300 years. A nice, round 6000 years. This is the last page Wikipedia has for a single century: 40th century BC. There are no entries on the page that can point to a single year. There are things like “approximate time of the construction of the Merheleva Ridge complex”, “the Linear Pottery culture gives way to the Funnelbeaker culture in the north”, and “plough in use”. That’s it. That’s all we’ve got.
Also, here’s a sobering thought for anyone trying to make a name for themselves across history. Population estimates have the world at anywhere between 7M and 50M people. And you know what? There isn’t a single name of a single person known from that century. Or for the next century. Or even a few more. Seriously.
Writing doesn’t come about until about 3300BC and do you know our best bet at who is the oldest name in history? A guy named “Kushim the Accountant” who signed his name to a number of stone tablets counting barley shipments. Eat your heart out, Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk. The first person in recorded history? Kushim, a late Stone Age Excel guy.
I’m hesitant to add this because of the sensitive nature of the topic. But we’re all adults here, so we can talk about it. Biblically, this is about how old the Earth is. That is, if you add up your begats, take your ages literally, and claim the Earth was created in six literal 24-hour days. It assumes fastidious record-keeping with very limited corroborating evidence, documents people who are hundreds of years old (969-year-old Methuselah, 950-year-old Noah, and 930-year-old Adam come to mind), and even whistles past some minor genealogical conflicts in different books of the Bible. Personally, I could also argue that it misses the main message, claiming it as literal and perfect records rather than trying to point towards the idea of God keeping his covenant.
.oooooooooooooooooooo <- You are here (3974 BC)
* * * * *
After that, Wiki skips to millennia. Not just our individual years, but our whole 300-year blocks aren’t good enough to have their own page – we have to lump them in with a couple of others. But I don’t even see the point anymore. We don’t know years, we don’t know people, we’re making best guesses at places, and we’re often heavily speculating on events. We’re well past “they worshipped Elvis” territory if you’re trying to study history.
As I was writing, I needed a pause here. That’s a lot to take in. We’ve gone back 6000 years and the picture is very fuzzy. This is more-or-less what is considered “recorded history”.
On the one hand, that’s after “only” 20 of these 300-year blocks. Or 60 of 100-year lifespans. If you want to call 20 years a generation, that means 300 generations. That sounds a lot longer. It really depends on how you want to chop this up. In short, for an individual human, it’s a long time. For humanity, it’s the blink of an eye. For the history of the Earth, it’s imperceptible.
* * * * *
Humans, as in homo sapiens, have been around for 300K years, give or take.
We barely know anything after 6K years or 20 blocks.
“Modern” humans have been around for 1000 blocks.
At this point, my simple visualization starts to break down. This probably will look pretty bad, but we’ll see how it goes.
oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo <- You are here
We were just at 20 blocks and that seemed an almost unfathomable time ago. And this is 50x that. Humans, as we understand them, have been around that long. But we’re really in the “making best guesses” territory now. So little is around from 6000 years ago, much less 300K years ago.
If you want to take the whole “Homo” genus, that’s roughly 3M years. It was probably closer to 4M years that we evolved from Australopithecus. But let’s just roll with the 3M number to keep it an even 10,000 blocks.
Before you start thinking “well, 10K blocks, that’s not very many”. I mean, we just jumped from “we know very little about the world from 20 blocks ago” to “10K is pretty similar”? I mean, it’s just 3 more 0’s 20 -> 10000. Yeah, the logarithmic scale is rough. No, I’m not going to take that block of 1000 o’s above and draw 10 of them here. Use your imagination.
I considered taking that 6K span of time, that time we have gone from knowing nothing about it to modernity and making a block to represent that. But, really, when we’re getting into these numbers, does it even help? I think we’re just too abstracted at this point.
Besides, how different could Australopithecus be?
The brains of most species of Australopithecus were roughly 35% of the size of a modern human brain with an endocranial volume average of 466 cc (28.4 cu in). Although this is more than the average endocranial volume of chimpanzee brains at 360 cc (22 cu in) the earliest australopiths (A. anamensis) appear to have been within the chimpanzee range, whereas some later australopith specimens have a larger endocranial volume than that of some early Homo fossils.
Jokes about your friend who uses only a third of his brain aside, it kind of feels like we’re talking more monkey than man at this point. So in the time it takes to get from monkey to modern man, it’s 3M years.
…
At this point, I think our exercise has broken down and we’re just having funsies.
Want to walk back to the age of dinosaurs? That’s the Mesozoic Era. I think most of us know about the 65M years ago number. So, if we use 3M year blocks to go from monkey to man. You have to jump through 20 of those just to get to the end of dinosaurs. And dinosaurs were around for 60 of those. So, in short: the time after dinosaurs is one giant honking block. Dinosaurs lived for three of those.
Do you know how hard it is to find a timeline to scale using search? I just can’t find a good one to link here. We’re so egocentric that everyone wants to make the Paleozoic (252-539 Ma, Mesozoic (66-252 Ma), and Cenozoic (now-66 Ma) the same sized blocks. Since we lived in that later period, we want to make it as big as other periods that are much longer. Never mind that humans are only a tiny, tiny, tiny, tiny fraction of the Cenozoic.
How tiny (using round-ish numbers)?
The genus Homo is around 1/20th of the Cenozoic
Homo sapiens only 1/200th
Recorded history is only about 1/10000th
And, your entire life, if you’re lucky and get to 100, are only 1/660,000th
One more? There are about 70 of those periods (from now to 65M years ago) between the start of the Earth and now.
Homo has been around for 1/1500th of that
Homo sapiens for 1/15,0000th
Recorded history for 1/750,000th
And, you, maybe 1/45,000,000th
How’s your little corner of existence feel right now?
* * * * *
This whole conversation came up because of Tyrannosaurus Rex. T-Rex was around 69-66 Ma, though it could have been around as early as maybe 80 Ma. So it was around at least as long as the Homo genus. Want a rough estimate of how many ever existed: “Over the span of the genus’ existence, it is estimated that there were about 127,000 generations and that this added up to a total of roughly 2.5 billion animals until their extinction”. Add this up with “Lastly, the study suggests that in most cases, only one in 80 million Tyrannosaurus would become fossilized, while the chances were likely as high as one in every 16,000 of an individual becoming fossilized in areas that had more dense populations.”
Obviously, there are huge error bars for something like thi- wait, what did that say? Roughly 2.5 billion (with a “B”) T-Rexes existed in history. No kidding? Wow!
Sadly, we’ve only found about 60 specimens. It’s hard for things to survive 100 years, much less millions
FYI: The estimated number of humans who have ever lived is a little over 100 billion. There’s a cool graphic at the top of the wiki page about that.
* * * * *
Finally, as I went back further, I ran across the name Rodinia. Most people have heard of Pangaea, but there are other supercontinents (theoretically) before that. It was from roughly 1130-750 Mya.
How was it?
Unlike later supercontinents, Rodinia was entirely barren. It existed before complex life colonized on dry land. Based on sedimentary rock analysis, Rodinia’s formation happened when the ozone layer was not as extensive as it is now. Ultraviolet light discouraged organisms from inhabiting its interior. Nevertheless, its existence significantly influenced the marine life of its time.
Yikes.
That page also had a link to something called the Snowball Earth hypothesis.
Then again, supercontinent theory gets really theoretical really fast.
Growing up, I loved the book “An Incomplete Education” (which is probably a bit outdated now). An entertaining reference book? Catnip for adolescent me.
In the science chapter, there’s a section on different types of numbers: integers, rationals, reals, etc. Then it starts getting a little out of control, with things like transfinite numbers and ending with quaternions. This is its explanation of them:
The feeling that, once having learned to walk, one can run. Also fly. The lesson here is that when you extend numbers beyond the complex stage, you do so at the expense of something called permanence; one by one, properties you took for granted fall away. For instance, with quaternions, you have to give up either the role 0 plays or multiplicative commutativity (i.e., x times y no longer equals y times x). Say good night, Gracie.
Yup, I think it’s bedtime.
* * * * *
This seems like the perfect opportunity to revisit Chrono Trigger.
Today’s song plays with the idea in the previously linked to Canticle for Leibowitz.
“Corridors of Time” is the overworld theme for the Kingdom of Zeal. The game starts in the present (modern-ish) times. Shortly after, you’re thrown into a dystopian future and the assumption is that civilization had peaked before the Lavos cataclysm. It’s not until late in the game that you come to find out that a much more advanced civilization existed long before, in 12000 BC. However, their hubris set in motion the events that doomed Zeal and would doom the future. But no one in the present even knew, because nothing of their civilization remained.
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - AUGUST 23: General view during a game between Bay FC and Washington Spirit square off before a record-setting crowd at Oracle Park on August 23, 2025 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Karen Hickey/ISI Photos/ISI Photos via Getty Images) | ISI Photos via Getty Images
Good morning, baseball fans!
The San Francisco Giants are home this weekend, so let’s take a look at what Oracle Park has on deck for fans who are thinking about taking in a game.
First up, tonight is Pride Night at Oracle Park. The special event tickets are sold out, but if you happened to get your hands on those there’s a pretty great jersey giveaway. Everyone else can look forward to some Pride Night fireworks after the game!
As with all Saturday home games this season, Saturday will feature a Fiesta Gigantes celebration throughout the park. Additionally, soccer fans will want to get there early, because the first 20,000 fans in attendance will receive a Giants themed soccer jersey, just in time for the World Cup!
Sunday is Hello Kitty Day! The special event tickets for this are sold out as well, but fans who got them will be getting a pretty cool jacket. Everyone else can still get their hands on a Giants themed Hello Kitty plush keychain, if they’re one of the first 25,000 fans in attendance that is. So get there early!
If you’re headed to the park this weekend, have fun and make sure to share pictures in the comments!
What time do the Giants play today?
The Giants welcome the Chicago Cubs to Oracle Park tonight to begin a three-game series starting at 7:15 p.m. PT.
Max Scherzer might be in the last years of his career, but what a career it has been. Without a doubt, he will be headed to the Hall of Fame, but now he’s gunning to make it to the top 10 strikeout leaders of all time, and he doesn’t have far to go. This week, Scherzer notched his 3,500th career strikeout, and he only needs seven more to take the tenth overall spot away from Walter Johnson. There is only one active MLB pitcher on the board ahead of Scherzer, and that is Justin Verlander, who currently sits at 3,554 strikeouts. Verlander has been on the IL this year for the Tigers, but is poised to return to the majors soon, so he and Scherzer can continue to deck it out to see who can get the most Ks before they wrap up their respective Hall of Fame careers.
We’ve got that and more in today’s links roundup, so let’s just dive in and get to the news.
The @SFGiants are the first team in MLB history with a walkoff grand slam to cap off a comeback from 8+ runs down in the 8th inning or later. pic.twitter.com/bm10N5hUKk
Apr 17, 2026; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Baltimore Orioles relief pitcher Ryan Helsley (21) delivers a pitch in the ninth inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images | David Richard-Imagn Images
The Redbirds outhit the Tides 13-3 in a lopsided seven-inning result. Nestor German started Game 1 and failed to complete two innings. German allowed five earned runs on six hits, two walks and two strikeouts.
Despite the result, Baltimore fans should be happy to know that Ryan Helsley looked sharp in his first rehab appearance. The closer struck out three batters and allowed a single in a scoreless inning. The Baltimore Sun’s Jacob Calvin Meyer reported that Helsley averaged 97.7 MPH and topped out at 99.7 MPH with his fastball.
The Tides managed to get on the scoreboard in this one, but Memphis completed the Thursday sweep. Former Oriole Bruce Zimmermann allowed two runs (one earned) on three hits over 5.2 innings.
Dietrich Enns started a bullpen game for Norfolk and failed to complete the first. Enns allowed five runs after issuing four walks and surrendering a two-run homer.
Tommy Pham went deep in what was likely his last game in a Tides uniform. The Sun’s Josh Tolentino reported yesterday evening that Pham plans to opt out of his minor league deal.
Enrique Bradfield Jr. finished 0-for-4 with a pair of strikeouts. Johnathan Rodríguez tallied Norfolk’s other two hits.
The Baysox took a no-hitter into the seventh inning, but the Curve managed a two-out single. Luis De León tossed five hitless innings with seven strikeouts and two walks. Alex Pham, Keagan Gillies and Micah Ashman completed the shutout for Chesapeake.
Aron Estrada gave Chesapeake an early lead with a solo shot in the first inning, and Fernando Peguero doubled the advantage with an RBI-single in the second. Estrada manufactured two more runs with a pair of ground outs in the fifth and ninth innings. Six of Chesapeake’s ten hits came from the seven, eight and nine hitters. Carter Young went 2-for-3 with a walk, a double, and two runs scored.
High-A: Frederick Keys 3, Brooklyn Cyclones (Mets) 2
Frederick scored in the fifth, seventh, and eighth innings to squeak out a 3-2 win. Elis Cuevas got the Keys on the board with a solo homer in the fifth inning. Cuevas evened the score at two with a sacrifice fly in the seventh, and Victor Figueroa drove in the go-ahead run with a sac fly in the eighth.
Leandro Arias finished 2-for-4 from the leadoff spot. Ike Irish went hitless in four trips, and Wehiwa Aloy managed a hit and a run in four at bats.
Vance Honeycutt left the game with left quad tightness.
The Tides scored the tying run off of former Orioles prospect Justin Armbruester. Armbruester found his way to High-A on a rehab assignment.
Low-A: Columbia Fireflies (Royals) 9, Delmarva Shorebirds 8
Delmarva led this game 8-0 and still found a way to lose. Eat your heart out, San Antonio Spurs.
Brendan Parks and Eccel Correa allowed nine runs (eight earned) in the seventh and eighth innings. Delmarva starter Stephen Still did his part with four scoreless frames. Still limited Columbia to two hits and two walks. He struck out seven.
Edwin Amparo extended the lead to eight with a two-run homer in the fourth inning. Amparo, Braylon Whitaker, Stiven Martinez, and Raylin Ramos all recorded multiple hits. Jose Perez doubled and scored a run.
