Former Florida Panthers AHL goaltending coach Sylvain Rodrigue has been hired by the Minnesota Wild.
Rodrigue will serve as the goaltending coach for both the Wild’s NHL team and their AHL affiliate, the Iowa Wild. Rodrigue will also assist in amateur and professional player evaluation and work with drafted and signed goaltenders in a developmental capacity.
The 52-year-old had spent the past two seasons working with the Charlotte Checkers as the goaltending coach. He worked in close contact with young netminders like Cooper Black and Kirill Gerasimyuk, both of whom had strong 2025-26 campaigns.
Prior to working with the Panthers, Rodrigue spent 11 seasons working in various goaltending roles with the Edmonton Oilers. He served as the goaltending coach at the NHL and AHL levels, while also serving as a goaltending consultant and development coach.
Dating even further back, Rodrigue was a goaltending coach in Germany, Switzerland, Sweden, and in the QMJHL.
Although the Montreal, Que., native never played in the NHL, he did play four seasons in the QMJHL, where he recorded an .863 save percentage and a 4.38 goals-against average.
Joining the Wild, Rodrigue will now have the opportunity to work closely with Jesper Wallstedt and Filip Gustavsson, two of the top goaltenders last season. While there are some reports that one of the backstoppers could be on the move this off-season, he’ll still have plenty of talent to work with.
In the AHL, Rodrigue will work with Samuel Hlavaj, a top performer at multiple international events with Team Slovakia.
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RICHMOND, VA - APRIL 26: Cesar Perdomo #57 of the Richmond Flying Squirrels pitches during the game between the Somerset Patriots and the Richmond Flying Squirrels at CarMax Park on Sunday, April 26, 2026 in Richmond, Virginia. (Photo by Matthew Mitrani/Minor League Baseball via Getty Images)
The rookie ball teams were off on Wednesday, but the San Francisco Giants quartet of A-ball teams were all in action. So let’s dive into the Minor League baseball results!
All listed positions in the roundup are the position played in that particular game.
News
Just a tiny bit of news. AA Richmond activated LHP Jack Choate (No. 37 CPL) off the Injured List, while placing recently-signed RHP Christian Alvarado on the Development List.
AAA Sacramento (33-24)
Sacramento River Cats lost to the Tacoma Rainiers (Mariners) 5-1 Box score
Not a very good game for the River Cats, who are scuffling through their roster churn. They’ve lost 4 of their last 5 games, and have opened this series by getting held to 1 run in each of the 2 games thus far.
The big news for Sacramento is that LHP Matt Wilkinson made his AAA debut. Wilkinson, a burly 23-year old who was taken in the 10th round of the 2023 draft, came to the Giants in the Patrick Bailey trade, and was promoted to AAA after just 9 starts in AA (and just 3 in the Giants’ system).
Unfortunately, Wilkinson, as happens with most Sacramento prospects, reminded the Giants that there is a cavernous gap in talent between AA and AAA, which makes it all the more confounding that they opted to have Jonah Cox skip the level entirely (but that’s a rant for another day).
After thoroughly dominating the Eastern League, Tugboat ran into some issues with the hitters in the Pacific Coast League. More specifically, he ran into some issues with the strike zone in the Pacific Coast League, and with the hitters’ ability to stay within it.
Wilkinson threw just 26 of 49 pitches for strikes, and had as many walks (4) as outs recorded. He wasn’t particularly hittable — he gave up just a single, while striking out 2 — but walking 4 of the 9 batters you face is no way to make a living, and so he gave up 2 runs while getting pulled after just 1.1 innings. That will be an adjustment for the southpaw, who only had 4 walks in 15 innings with AA Richmond. But adjustments are why AAA exists … except, again, for Cox apparently.
Rehabbing RHP Jason Foley also pitched, which was a big deal because it was his 1st time pitching in back-to-back games. That’s a critical part of the rehab process for a reliever, and while he didn’t pitch particularly well (he gave up 2 hits, 1 walk, and 1 unearned run in an inning of work, without a strikeout), it’s a big milestone to reach. Foley is now 9 games into his rehab assignment, and about a week away from maxing out his 30-day rehab window. He should be making his Giants debut very soon.
RHP Braxton Roxby pitched well, tossing 2.2 shutout innings with just 1 hit allowed, while striking out 3. Those numbers are good as is, but underscore his performance, as he replaced Wilkinson in the 2nd inning and inherited a bases loaded, 1-out situation. Tugboat’s ERA could have been disastrously ugly, but Roxby didn’t allow any of the inherited runners to score, which included striking out MLB veteran Miles Mastrobuoni with just 1 out.
Roxby, who came to the Giants in the Taylor Rogers trade, is starting to settle in following a tough beginning to his 1st full season in AAA. Through his 1st 9 appearances of the year, Roxby allowed 11 earned runs in just 9 innings; in 7 games since, he’s given up just 1 earned run in 11.2 innings.
The hitters did very little. Second baseman Nate Furman (No. 39 CPL) had a nice game, hitting 2-4 with a pair of doubles and a strikeout. Furman’s really been hitting the ball lately, and the 24-year old lefty has an 11-game hitting streak going on. Over his last 14 games, the 2022 4th-round pick (by the Guardians) is 22-61 with 3 home runs, 1 triple, 5 doubles, 4 walks, and 9 strikeouts. He’s up to an .802 OPS and a 116 wRC+, with just a 12.3% strikeout rate … assuming the Giants trade Luis Arráez this summer, I expect we’ll see Furman in the Majors at some point this year.
Designated hitter Jared Oliva continued his rehab assignment, and hit 1-4 with a stolen base. Recently-optioned Jesús Rodríguez (No. 16 CPL) hit 0-4 with 2 strikeouts, but made his season debut at third base, the position he played most when he 1st came up through the Minors. The Giants still view him primarily as a catcher, but it seems they’re happy to let him develop into a super-utility player, which would have a ton of value (not many utility players can catch!).
AA Richmond (35-17)
Richmond Flying Squirrels lost to the Erie SeaWolves (Tigers) 4-2 Box score
This game was all about the starting pitcher, LHP Cesar Perdomo. With Matt Wilkinson and Joe Whitman (No. 26 CPL) promoted to AAA, Perdomo takes over the title of staff ace. And he did a damn good impression of that pair of more well-known prospects on Wednesday, with one of the top pitching performances on the farm this year.
Perdomo, a 24-year old who signed in 2021 out of Venezuela, was nearly unhittable against Erie. He threw 6 scoreless innings, and gave up just 2 hits (both singles) and 2 walks. And best of all? He struck out 9 batters.
That’s been the story of his season so far, which is always exciting. You expect players to lose some strikeouts as they climb the Minor League ranks, but Perdomo — who has some nasty pitches — has done the opposite. He had a strong 2025 with High-A Eugene, but it featured just 8.3 strikeouts per 9 innings … this year, at a higher level? 10.6!
And while you expect an increase in strikeouts to be accompanied by an increase in walks, it hasn’t been a huge raise for Perdomo, whose BB/9 number has gone from 2.7 to 3.5. Room for improvement, to be sure, but not exactly a concerning figure.
In all, the strikeouts — and the fact that he’s ceded just 1 home run in 46.2 innings — have given Perdomo a nice ERA (3.86) and a stellar FIP (2.86). That latter figure is 2nd among the 49 Eastern League pitchers with at least 30 innings thrown this year, trailing only his (now former) teammate Whitman. All of that is to say: we should probably be talking about Perdomo more!
No one else on the team, however, really deserves to be talked about in this game. RHP Ryan Vanderhei made his AA debut and struggled, giving up 2 hits, 1 walk, and 1 run in 1.2 innings, with 1 strikeout. RHP Manuel Mercedes struck out the side in a scoreless inning, but also allowed a hit and a walk.
Second baseman Diego Velasquez (No. 31 CPL) and catcher Ty Hanchey both hit 2-4 with a double. Velasquez has been quietly chugging along in his 3rd year in AA, where he has a .764 OPS and a 108 wRC+. Critically for the 22-year old switch-hitter, who has always been a all-contact, no-power hitter, his isolated slugging mark of .133 is higher than it was in his 1st 2 AA stints combined. He probably deserves to be in AA, but with Nate Furman there, it doesn’t really work logistically.
Hanchey has been a player that the Giants send wherever they need a roster hole filled this year, as he’s seen time with Eugene, Richmond, and Sacramento. The 26-year old UDFA has done quite well with the Squirrels, posting a .987 OPS and a 163 wRC+ in 50 plate appearances.
Center fielder Bo Davidson (No. 4 CPL) had his 2nd consecutive multi-hit game, as he went 2-4 with a strikeout, while also showing off his tremendous athleticisim.
— Richmond Flying Squirrels (@GoSquirrels) June 4, 2026
High-A Eugene (37-16)
Eugene Emeralds lost to the Everett AquaSox (Mariners) 5-3 Box score
Eugene is the most talent-stacked team in the Giants system right now, but all eyes are on one player: Jhonny Level (No. 3 CPL). The just-turned 19-year old switch-hitter earned a quick promotion from Low-A to High-A, and now he’s even more of a must-watch and must-follow prospect, as we all want to see how he’ll handle higher competition.
So far, so good. After going 2-5 in his High-A debut on Tuesday, Level one-upped himself on Wednesday, hitting 2-4, getting hit by a pitch, and stealing a base, though he struck out twice. We’ll have to wait to see the power play — he had 26 extra-base hits in 44 Low-A games this year — but reaching base 5 times in 2 games, with a stolen base, is quite an introduction to the Northwest League. So far it sure doesn’t seem like he’s fazed by the better pitching at the level.
Interestingly, Level has now played second base in both of these games, with Gavin Kilen (No. 7 CPL) playing shortstop. I still think that they’re likely to fairly evenly split time between the 2 positions, but it’s something to keep an eye on. Maybe instead of having them rotate game by game, they give the pair a few games at each position before making the switch. Or maybe they’ll just keep Level at second for a while. Stay tuned to find out!
Kilen, on that note, went 0-5, and he’s in a bit of a slump at the moment. In his last 9 games, the 2025 1st-rounder is 4-36 with 2 doubles and 4 walks, though he only has 4 strikeouts in that time. I’m guessing the Giants were hoping that Kilen would be ready for a promotion at the same time as Level, but with just a .762 OPS and a 109 wRC+, they’ll probably keep him in Eugene for a while.
Left fielder Carlos Gutierrez (No. 18 CPL) had the team’s only extra-base hit, as he went 2-4 with a double. The 21-year old lefty continues to show a massive power improvement, as he’s boosted his year-over-year isolated slugging from .101 in Low-A to .186 in High-A. The quality of contact is way up, though the rate of contact is way down: his average has dropped from .351 to .256, while his strikeout rate has risen from 13.7% to 18.0%, and his swinging strike rate from 6.9% to 10.4%. Still, a fabulous year for Gutierrez, who has an .803 OPS and a 121 wRC+, with 13 stolen bases in as many attempts and some strong defense. And a reminder that he’s only played 127 games in his professional career!
Eugene’s other top hitting prospects had pretty nice days, as designated hitter Dakota Jordan (No. 5 CPL) went 1-3 with a walk, while center fielder Trevor Cohen (No. 15 CPL) hit 2-5 with a stolen base and 2 strikeouts. Jordan now has an .806 OPS and a 119 wRC+, while Cohen has a .766 OPS and a 115 wRC+, with 17 stolen bases in 21 attempts.
But a day to forget for third baseman Walker Martin, who struck out in all 4 plate appearances, while committing his 14th error of the year. Martin has shown some flashes this year on both sides of the ball, but ultimately is hitting below league average (.696 OPS, 92 wRC+), striking out a ton (31.1% rate), and committing a lot of errors.
Unfortunately, it was also a day to forget for Eugene’s starting pitcher, LHP Jacob Bresnahan (No. 11 CPL). Like Wilkinson in AAA, Bresnahan struggled to find the strike zone, with just 33 of 59 pitches going for strikes. The soon-to-turn 21-year old issued 5 walks on the day (and hit a batter), while recording just 6 outs.
That said, Bresnahan was utterly dominant for 2 innings, before falling apart in a 3rd inning in which he failed to record an out. He hit the 1st batter he faced in the game, but that batter was then thrown out by catcher Jancel Villarroel (No. 42 CPL), and Bresnahan responded by striking out the next 2 batters. He issued a leadoff walk in the 2nd, then struck out the next 3 batters. Elite!
But he walked 4 consecutive batters to open the 3rd inning, and then gave up a grand slam, ending his night and tattooing him for 5 earned runs in just 2 innings. It’s a brutal part of being a pitcher: sometimes everything is going great, until it all goes awful.
Bresnahan, who missed the start of the season with an injury, is still trying to find his rhythm in High-A, and his numbers (4.97 ERA, 5.53 FIP) don’t resemble the guy who won Pitcher of the Year honors in his league in each of the last 2 seasons. But there sure are some reminders as to his talent, most notably the 11.4 strikeouts per 9 innings.
LHP Esmerlin Vinicio had an awesome game, pitching 3 shutout innings with 5 strikeouts. Vinicio didn’t allow a hit or a walk, with Martin’s error being the only thing that kept him from perfecting in his 3 innings. It’s go time for the 23-year old, who is in his 3rd High-A season, and so far he’s going all right: he has a staggering 0.35 ERA on the year, and a very nice 2.58 FIP. Vinicio remains one of the best groundball pitchers in system, with a 53.8% rate this year. That, combined with his 10.5 strikeouts per 9 innings, has resulted in allowing only 10 hits all year, in 25.2 innings pitched. What a great season he’s having!
Low-A San Jose (31-22)
San Jose Giants beat the Inland Empire 66ers (Mariners) 10-3 Box score
Finally, a win!
This was a hitfest for the Baby Giants, who had 13 knocks and 4 walks on the day, en route to 10 runs. The biggest day belonged to third baseman Dario Reynoso, who just refuses to slow down. A day after bopping a pair of home runs, Reynoso was back at it on Wednesday, hitting 2-4 with a 2-run blast and a strikeout.
Yesterday I wrote about Reynoso’s power surge, so let’s update it: after hitting 0 home runs in his 1st 30 games with San Jose (spanning the end of last year and the start of this year), Reynoso has bopped 9 dingers in just 26 games. He’s figuring it out, folks!
If you read this space often, you probably know the scouting report on Reynoso, a recently-turned 21-year old from the Dominican Republic who signed with the Giants almost 3 years ago to the day. He gets a ton of hits, a lot of extra-base knocks, and a kajillion walks … and also strikes out like it’s going out of style. To wit: of the 84 California League hitters with at least 100 plate appearances this year, Reynoso is 14th in batting average (.306), 4th in isolated slugging percentage (.272), 18th in walk rate (16.0%), and 66th in strikeout rate (29.8%).
At higher levels he’ll probably have to improve the swing-and-miss to have success, but in Low-A it’s a mighty fine equation, as he has a 1.006 OPS and a 147 wRC+. Just an awesome season for the right-hander.
Also putting a ball over the fence was catcher Fernando Gonzalez, who hit 2-4 and smashed a solo home run, his 1st big fly of the year. We haven’t talked much about Gonzalez, a 24-year old righty who was taken in the 20th (and final) round of the 2024 draft. The Giants are using him fairly sparingly, as this was just his 16th game of the year. He has a .704 OPS and a 75 wRC+, a year after having a .726 OPS and a 104 wRC+ in his debut season at the same level. He doesn’t do a lot of damage with the bat, but he has just a 6.5% strikeout rate this season.
More nice games for second baseman Isaiah Barkett, who hit 2-5 with a double and was caught stealing, and first baseman Hayden Jatczak, who went 2-3 with a double and a walk. Barkett, a 22-year old taken in the 10th round last year, has a .901 OPS and a 131 wRC+; Jatczak, a 24-year old UDFA, has a .947 OPS and a 135 wRC+. It’s the 1st season of pro ball for both players.
A strong, if unconventional, outing for LHP Jordan Gottesman, who started the game. The team’s 6th-round pick in 2025 tossed 5 shutout innings, and struck out 5 batters, while allowing just 3 hits. That’s excellent! He also walked 3 batters and hit another, which is less excellent. It’s been a very solid debut season for Gottesman, and it’s only been getting better: he’s tossed 5 shutout innings with at least 5 strikeouts in 4 of his last 5 starts, and that’s phenomenal. The primary stain on Gottesman’s debut resume is that he’s allowed 5 home runs, but we can give him a little bit of a pass there, as 4 of those 5 occurred in April as he was getting his feet wet. Those dingers are the primary reason why his FIP is a not-very-good 5.23, but his 2.45 ERA sure is glistening. He’s allowed just 32 hits in 44 innings, with 46 strikeouts, and the Giants are surely pleased with those numbers.
RHP Alix Hernandez pitched well in relief, with 3 strikeouts in 2.1 no-hit innings, with 1 walk allowed. I’ve always been a fan of Hernandez’s stuff, and he’s shown it off this year with 29 strikeouts in just 23.2 innings … though 11 walks and 3 homers allowed have given the 21-year old a 3.80 ERA and a 5.52 FIP.
On Thursday, the USHL announced plans to partner with stakeholders, including the NHL and USA Hockey, to establish member clubs in California, Arizona, and Nevada, marking the league's first major expansion into the western United States.
Los Angeles Kings President Luc Robitaille on what USHL expansion means for the future of player development in the West.
"This will create a whole new competitive layer to the western region that will allow junior-level players to develop and compete closer to home," Robitaille said Thursday morning.
THE USHL IS HEADED WEST! More opportunity. More access. More pathways for the next generation of players.
"This expansion is about more than adding teams. It is about expanding opportunity." — USHL President and Commissioner Glenn Hefferan
The USHL currently operates 16 teams, all in Midwestern markets, and is now considering expanding to 19 franchises, moving beyond its traditional Midwestern footprint.
Thursday's announcement brings major excitement for junior players, who will increase their chances of making it to the NHL, providing the right opportunities and mentorship to play in their home country.
More details regarding club ownership, markets, and timelines for when the teams will begin play will be announced on June 24.
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.
CHICAGO, IL - APRIL 05: Jalen Brunson #11 of the New York Knicks chats with referee Scott Foster #48 during the second half against the Chicago Bulls at the United Center on April 5, 2024 in Chicago. (Photo by Melissa Tamez/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Blaming officiating is something every fanbase in every sport has done. A lot of times, it’s overblown or unreasonable. Sometimes, it’s not. A lot of Knicks fans would argue that last night’s Game 1 would be categorized as the latter. And they may have a very good case.
At one point in the game, the Spurs had taken seven free throws to the Knicks’ zero. Not too long after, the attempt discrepancy ballooned to 10-1 Spurs. And at halftime, the Spurs had 12 attempts, while the Knicks had managed to scrape together a paltry three attempts. Thanks to a few calls in the second half and some garbage time free throws, the Knicks did end up taking 18 free throws, while the Spurs took 25 in total. Now, looking at free-throw attempts alone as a way of judging the quality of officiating can be a slippery slope.
Every team is different, which means shot diet, physicality, and pace can all play factors in how many free throws a team deserves to get, or doesn’t deserve to get. But in general, players, coaches, and fans alike ask for one thing- consistency. And that’s where the Knicks have a justifiable argument.
On one end of the floor, Victor Wembanyama was getting to the free-throw line for some marginal contact and ticky-tack fouls. As you can see below, Wembanyama benefited from some soft calls considering it’s the Finals.
UNWATCHABLE 🤯
Wembanyama flops onto the ground for no reason, so refs reward him two free-throws!!
Now, yes, some of the calls Wembanyama got were warranted. By the books, they are fouls. But what fans didn’t understand was that the same kind of calls were not going the other way. Below, you can argue that Landry Shamet tries to sell the call. And if the refs were allowing the Knicks to play with the same kind of physicality, I don’t think there’d be as much of an uproar. But those seem like odd no-calls considering the whistle Wembanyama was getting. But that wasn’t even the worst parts.
Wembanyama wasn’t paying attention, so Shamet planted his feet, he runs through him — No whistle 😂
— That’s A Bad Call (@BadCallOfficial) June 4, 2026
It’s one thing for Shamet not to get a call, because as good as he’s been, and as beloved as he’s become, he’s just not a star. Brunson, on the other hand, is. A multiple-time All-Star and All-NBA player, while being the face of one of the most popular franchises in the league. What’s his reward? A measly four free throw attempts. And it’s not like he was taking only three-point shots.
Brunson spent much of the first half driving to the rim and taking contact. I think fans understood that the whistle may be Spurs-friendly due to the location of the game. But some of the no-calls were just too egregious. In the play below, Dylan Harper gets a handful of Brunson’s jersey, and it’s clear as day. Somehow, this resulted in a no-call.
NBA Finals Refs were looking at the Spurs grabbing Brunson’s Jersey, no whistle.
And the play below was almost just as bad. While this one hasn’t been talked about as much because it did result in a call, Scott Foster misses a clear swipe across the arm, and only calls it when Brunson is fouled a second time on the shot.
Jalen Brunson is fouled by Julian Champagnie, gets two free throws, and he has some words for Scott Foster (with a replay) pic.twitter.com/GHmTR16Ec2
If anything, the 25-18 free-throw discrepancy doesn’t do the one-sided officiating job justice. While things did balance out a bit in the second half, it was one of the more egregiously biased whistles in recent memory. Again, all the Knicks want is some consistency. San Antonio should not be allowed to shove, grab, and step on players if they are getting to the line for marginal contact.
With the Knicks’ odds of winning it all at -132 on FanDuel now, it will be interesting to see if the officiating continues to be a topic of discussion. A more Knicks-friendly whistle could sway the odds even more in their favor, while the continuation of last night’s whistle could swing the odds back in favor of the Spurs, who do currently have a -235 odds to win tomorrow night’s Game 2.
Boston, MA - November 3: Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla talks with assistant coach Tony Dobbins in the third quarter at TD Garden on November 3, 2025. (Photo by Matthew J. Lee/The Boston Globe via Getty Images) | Boston Globe via Getty Images
Celtics assistant coaches Tony Dobbins and Tyler Lashbrook could both become NBA head coaches next season. Lashbrook is a finalist for the Portland Trail Blazers head coach position, while Dobbins is in the mix for the Dallas Mavericks head coach position.
Dobbins has been with the Celtics since 2017 and is one of Joe Mazzulla’s four front-of-bench assistant coaches, while Lashbrook has been with the team since 2023 and works primarily on the offensive (and player development) side.
What Tony Dobbins brings to the Celtics
Tony Dobbins is one of the Celtics’ longest-tenured assistants and an important member of the defensive team. He is a former professional basketball player who went undrafted after an illustrious career at Virginia Tech (1999-2000) and Richmond (2001-2004) as a defensive specialist. Dobbins spent a few years in the G League, but the majority of his 13-year pro career took place overseas, where he laced up for professional clubs in Italy, Greece, France, and Spain.
Dobbins has been a Celtics assistant coach since 2017, beginning in the film room and rising through the ranks over the past decade. Dobbins was the Celtics’ Summer League head coach in 2023. This past year, he was the assistant coach who worked most closely with Jayson Tatum as he rehabbed his Achilles injury.
“He’s one of the best people you’ll ever be around,” Jayson Tatum told CelticsBlog last year.
“I can’t thank him enough for his selflessness and just really being engaged with me every single day,” Tatum said after making his return from his Achilles injury.
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – JULY 12: Head coach Tony Dobbins of the Boston Celtics looks on in the first half of a 2023 NBA Summer League game against the Los Angeles Lakers at the Thomas & Mack Center on July 12, 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada. 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. The Celtics defeat the Lakers 95-90. (Photo by Louis Grasse/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Before that, Dobbins worked most closely as Jaylen Brown’s lead coach. He’s widely known as one of the most patient and even-keeled people on the Celtics’ sidelines.
“Tony is always keeping everybody level-headed – reminding me, and reminding our team just to breathe,” Brown said in February. “Managing the emotions of the game is what he speaks to a lot, because the better players — the better professionals — can manage their stress levels and their emotions during the game, so that they can see the game clearly.”
Marc Stein reported on Thursday that the Mavericks are expected to interview a dozen or so prospects to replace Jason Kidd as head coach. In addition to Dobbins, that list includes Minnesota Timberwolves assistant Micah Nori, Houston Rockets assistant Royal Ivey, Toronto Raptors assistant Jama Mahlalela, and Miami consultant Noah LaRoche.
What Tyler Lashbrook brings to the Celtics
Tyler Lashbrook is one of the lead voices in the Celtics’ offense team and a key part of the team’s player development. He was the head coach of the Maine Celtics during the 2024-2025 season before returning to the parent club this year.
DETROIT, MI DECEMBER 29: Maine Celtics head coach Tyler Lashbrook talks with Ron Harper Jr. #24 during the first half of the game against the Motor City Cruise on December 29, 2024 at Wayne State Fieldhouse in Detroit, Michigan. 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 2024 NBAE (Photo by Brian Sevald/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
Before joining the Celtics in 2023, Lashbrook was with the Philadelphia 76ers since 2014. He began as an intern in the film room and worked his way to becoming a video coordinator and player development coach.
Lashbrook was a player development coach in Boston during the championship season before becoming a head coach in the G League for the first time last year.
Lashbrook is reportedly one of three finalists for the Trail Blazers head coach position, a list that also includes interim head coach Tiago Splitter and longtime Minnesota Timberwolves assistant Micah Nori, per Marc Stein.
If either Dobbins or Lashbrook is selected for their respective head coach roles, they’ll become the latest in a long line of former Celtics assistants to land head coach positions. Charlotte Hornets head coach Charles Lee and Utah Jazz head coach Will Hardy were both recently Celtics assistants, while Houston Rockets head coach Ime Udoka was the Celtics’ head coach in 2022.
The Jalen Brunson-Spurs fan mystery that stemmed from Game 1 continues.
After the Knicks’ 105-95 series-opening win at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, the ESPN broadcast caught the three-time All-Star in a spat with fans near the scorer’s table.
Referee Scott Foster quickly noticed and tried to turn Brunson’s attention elsewhere before his Knicks teammates came over to do the same.
The NBA is reportedly investigating a pair of “vulgar” courtside fans, though the San Antonio crowd offered a lot of potential persons of interest.
X account New York Basketball posted a series of clips from the final minutes of the ESPN game broadcast, with the incident beginning in the final seconds of the fourth quarter.
The video begins with 20.6 seconds left on the clock while OG Anunoby is at the foul line and Brunson wandering toward the scoring table and seemingly hearing chirping from the sidelines.
The video shows Brunson appearing to have words with a fan in a white hat.
Jalen Brunson #11 speaks with referee Scott Foster during an interaction with a fan in the fourth quarter of Game 1. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
The two seemingly went back and forth for a bit before Foster took notice and the woman next to the fan in the white hat seemingly chimed in.
Later, Brunson dribbled the ball over to the same sideline as the scoring table as the final buzzer rang out. Foster stood between the guard and the fans Brunson appeared to be conversing with.
Jalen Brunson has words with a San Antonio Spurs fan at the end of the game. Jason Szenes for The New York Post
The Post’s photographers snapped pictures as a heated Brunson chatted with Foster, gesturing behind the official, as Jose Alvarado and Miles McBride made their way over to the fuss.
It’s unclear what was said in the brief exchange with Foster.
Jalen Brunson gets into a spat with a Spurs fan at the end of Game 1. Jason Szenes for The New York PostJalen Brunson has words with a San Antonio Spurs fan at the end of the game. Jason Szenes for The New York Post
Alvarado tried to pull Brunson away twice before pushing him along to the Knicks’ sideline area to talk with ESPN’s Lisa Salters for the broadcast.
While walking away, Brunson looked back as he walked with McBride, and as Karl-Anthony Towns passed them to head toward the fans, the backup guard seemingly said, “Hey, don’t.”
Additionally, before Brunson started his interview with Salters, Alvarado came by to say something in Brunson’s ear.
Karl-Anthony Towns turned away from Foster and the fan incident after Jalen Brunson already walked away following the Knicks’ Game 1 win. Jason Szenes for The New York Post
He delievered as the Knicks crawled out of a 14-point third-quarter deficit and tallied 30 points on 12-of-31 shooting across 37 minutes.
The Spurs host Game 2 on Friday before the series heads to New York, and it seems some courtside seats for the second go-round may have just opened up.
Oct 4, 2025; Seattle, Washington, USA; Former Seattle Sonics Gary Payton hypes up the crowd before the game between the Seattle Mariners and the Detroit Tigers during game one of the ALDS round for the 2025 MLB playoffs at T-Mobile Park. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-Imagn Images | Steven Bisig-Imagn Images
Hooting, hollering, things of that nature. These activities have found fertile ground at T-Mobile Park this spring, whether the tarps have been off, on, or unnecessary thanks to Seattle’s most beloved roof. If it’s seemed particularly packed at the park so far, you’d be correct.
The Seattle Mariners have drawn 1,158,012 fans to the stadium thus far through a league-leading 35 home games. That’s nearly half 2025’s total of 2,538,053 attendees with 46 games here to go. But contrasting those numbers undersells things a bit.
As Seattle heads out for an extended East Coast road trip, they leave home averaging 33,086 fans per game at home. It’s expected for a team that just had a deep playoff run and a competitive offseason, to see a bump in attendance the coming season, and that sum exceeds 2025’s overall numbers, when the eventual AL West champions drew 31,334 fans per game. It’s a jump of 1,752 tickets sold per game that’d already be one of the top 10 growths in MLB this year.
But that undersells the waves of Salish Sea Supporters who’ve flooded T-Mobile Park. Seattle is up a massive 6,163 fans per game against this point last year, when, helpfully, they’d also hosted 35 home games. That’s over 200,000 more butts in seats so far, the second-largest gain by any club in MLB this year trailing only the Toronto Blue Jays. Understandably, the top three clubs are Toronto and Seattle, whose best seasons in a generation have spurred excitement and trust, along with the Tampa Bay Rays who are both playing brilliantly and, more importantly, back in Tropicana Field where they are physically capable of filling more than 10-12,000 seats.
And it’s still June 4th. That 1,752 per game number over 2025’s final attendance total would still represent growth, but it’s likely to be outpaced even faster. Most local public schools conclude in mid-to-late June, representing one of several milestones that conspire with summer weather to swell attendance nationwide as the season progresses. At this stage, uncompetitive clubs see lesser bumps, or even full degradation. But Seattle, even if they maintain their flirtation with mediocrity for a longer period, is likely to remain a first place team or right amidst the race. The Jerry Dipoto era has been all-but-exclusively a variation on #StillInIt in September. For the first time this early, they are in the driver’s seat by roster quality AND playoff odds, in addition to the actual divisional standings at press time.
Add that with the hotter than usual spring and it’s a recipe for the highest attended Mariners season in more than 20 years. Every season’s attendance from 1997-2004 except 1998 (2,651,511) exceeded 2,900,000, and three eclipsed three million. My preseason bold prediction was Seattle would set their attendance record, the 3,542,938 welcomed for the 2002 season. That’s not likely to occur, but they are drawing like a team who might actually reach the three million mark for the fifth time in franchise history.
To get there, they’d need to be bringing in 37,037 fans a night. A year ago, Seattle saw their per game attendance improve from June 3rd to the season’s end by 4,411 folks. It’s hardly plug and play to expect identical results in 2026, but if Seattle saw that same increase in attendees from now through summertime and the stretch run, they’d be at 37,497 each game. That’s 3,037,257 for the year, which would’ve been 6th-most in MLB a season ago.
The factors involved go beyond just wins and losses, although they are typically most impactful. Seattle had Randy Johnson’s number retirement this May, which drove up attendance for the usually-chillier early games. The weather has been a boon thus far, but the El Niño conditions are likely to bring a heat wave and likely the return of smoke season, which has innumerable more important impacts but would also likely hurt Mariners attendance. The club could completely nosedive, rendering this and much more moot. But as it stands, Seattle is packing out T-Mobile Park, and looks poised to continue doing so all season long.
Sylvain Rodrigue was hired by the Wild on Monday as the Director of Goaltending.
Rodrigue, 52, will work with the organization's goalie coaches in both the NHL and American Hockey League (AHL) while assisting in amateur and professional player evaluation and working with drafted and signed goaltenders in a development capacity.
He joins the Wild after most recently working two seasons (2024-26) in the Florida Panthers organization as a goaltending coach for the Charlotte Checkers (AHL).
The native of Montreal, Quebec, Rodrigue previously spent 11 seasons (2013-24) holding various roles within the Oilers organization, including goaltending consultant, goaltending development coach, and assistant goaltending coach, as well as serving as goaltending coach for the Bakersfield Condors, the team's AHL affiliate.
He played four seasons in the QMJHL and recorded a 4.38 goals-against average (GAA) and a .863 save percentage (SV%) in 167 career games.
In the last two seasons, the Wild rank first in the NHL in save percentage. Under Rodrigue, the Panthers rank 27th.
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BOSTON, MA - MAY 28: Chris Sale #51 of the Atlanta Braves looks on prior to the game between the Atlanta Braves and the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park on Thursday, May 28, 2026 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Natalie Reid/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
There will be no rubber match this time for the Braves, with the series already in hand entering Thursday’s home finale against the Toronto Blue Jays.
Instead, Atlanta is going for its first sweep since early May. And it’ll be doing it with its ace on the mound.
Chris Sale (8-3, 2.01 ERA) gets the start for the Braves as they turn the page from Toronto to the Pittsburgh Pirates this weekend.
Just past a third of the way through the season, Sale isn’t really in the conversation at the moment to win his second Cy Young in three seasons with the Braves.
However, that has much more to do with what other pitchers (Jacob Misiorowski, Cristopher Sanchez, Shohei Ohtani) are doing than what he isn’t. His ERA and hits/nine are lower than they were in 2024 — although his FIP is higher (2.91 to 2.09) — and he continues to be a stabilizing force on the mound for Atlanta.
He’s allowed two or fewer earned runs in eight straight starts, finishing May with a 1.69 ERA and 0.97 WHIP.
It shouldn’t surprise anyone what his Statcast profile looks like:
While Toronto hasn’t formally announced its starter, multiple reporters have said that Mason Fluharty (3-0, 3.97) will serve as an opener for the Blue Jays.
The left-hander threw two-thirds of an inning of scoreless relief in Tuesday’s series opener. He’s tied for the major league lead with 32 appearances this season and has allowed one total run over 11 2/3 innings and 16 appearances since the start of May.
After that, things seem to be trending towards a prospect making his major league debut as the bulk pitcher behind Fluharty. Chad Dallas was in Atlanta on the Toronto taxi squad Wednesday and is reportedly a target to debut Thursday.
A former fourth-round pick in the 2021 MLB Draft, the right-hander has an 0-3 record and 4.50 ERA in 10 games (eight starts) this season at Triple-A Buffalo. He has 38 strikeouts to 13 walks in 36 innings, allowing just two home runs.
We’ll find out soon enough how the Blue Jays approach their pitching as they look to salvage a game and if the Braves can deny that opportunity.
Despite improved presentation during Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Wednesday night with vintage trademarks returning, the network is under scrutiny Thursday morning as keen-eyed observers caught something bizarre.
ESPN aired an AI-generated image of former Spurs star point guard and four-time champion Tony Parker smiling and waving his finger up and down.
San Antonio Spurs legend Tony Parker poses in a racing jacket with confetti falling in the background. ESPN is under scrutiny after using this AI-generated image during Game 1 of the NBA Finals Wednesday night.
The image had Parker wearing a racing Spurs jacket with the Western Conference logo on one sleeve and what looked to be an American flag on the other.
Parker was also wearing a black and gray hat sideways with confetti falling in the background.
Several fans took to X to voice their concerns over the image, which ESPN showed while cutting to a commercial break in the second half.
“Could ESPN really not find a genuine shot of Tony Parker as they cut to an ad break? Just had to use AI,” ABC News journalist Jon Healy said on X Wednesday night.
“AI sucks. This isn’t Tony Parker. Do better. Gross,” WFLA sports anchor Jeff Dubrof posted to X.
Parker, a six-time All-Star and the 2007 Finals MVP, formed a dynamic duo with all-time great Tim Duncan in San Antonio.
NEW YORK NY – JANUARY 17th: San Antonio Spurs guard Tony Parker #9 drives down court during the first half as the Brooklyn Nets play the San Antonio Spurs at Barclays Center. Wednesday, January 17th, 2018 @ACAUSI
The point guard spent 17 seasons with the Spurs before joining the Hornets for his final year in 2018-19, and averaged over 15 points per game in 11 of those years.
He posted a career-high 22 points per game in 2008-09 while shooting over 50 percent from the field.
In their first NBA Finals game since Parker was on the team back in 2014, the Spurs blew a 14-point second-half lead and fell to the Knicks 105-95.
Phenom Victor Wembanyama struggled to find his footing, with the 22-year-old shooting just 6-of-21 from the field despite tallying 26 points and 12 rebounds.
San Antonio looks to even the series in Game 2, which is set for Friday night at 8:30 p.m. ET.
As noted by BCB’s JohnW53 in the game recap, Happ is the 37th Cub to produce 1,000 hits in the blue pinstripes. He likely moves up five or six spots on that list before the end of the season. The two doubles gave him 12 for the year and 229 for his career. That ranks 22nd on the Cubs’ all-time list (next up: Bill Buckner with 235). And, it seems likely he’ll hit his 200th career home run later this year. He’s already got 13 for the season and 186 for his career. Only nine players have hit 200 or more home runs in a Cubs uniform, so Happ could become the 10th.
Add to that his defense in left field — four Gold Gloves and likely a fifth this year — and for me personally, Happ has been a rock-solid Cub for his 10 seasons in a Cubs uniform. He turns 32 in August and becomes a free agent at the end of this season.
It seems as if he makes plays like that all the time. He makes them look easy. Trust me, those are absolutely NOT easy plays.
And yet, Happ seems to be the most polarizing Cub in recent years. Many don’t like him. Why is that?
I’m honestly not sure and perhaps if you’re not a fan of Ian Happ, you can tell us why in the comments. My perception — and I could be wrong — is that the Happ dislike is focused on his low batting average.
Happ is batting .232. That’s… low. It’s below his career average of .246, which is also a below-average BA. My response to that is: So what? BA is a poor way of analyzing a hitter. Happ draws lots of walks. He’s walked 37 times this year, on pace for 100. He walked 87 times last year, 80 in 2024 and 99 in 2023. His OBP is .350, which, okay, could be higher, but it still ranks just outside the top third of qualified hitters in MLB this year (56th of 162 qualified hitters). His .473 slugging percentage leads all Cubs qualified hitters and ranks in the top 25 percent of qualified hitters (39th of 162). Lastly, his .823 OPS is just outside the top 25 percent (45th of 162).
Happ has posted 2.0 bWAR in a bit more than a third of this season. He’s generally around a 4 WAR player and should be about there again in 2026.
Is Ian Happ a superstar? No, he is not. What he is, is a remarkably consistent year-to-year player who is prone to long cold spells and long hot streaks. But when things average out, he’s likely to hit 25 home runs, walk 90 or more times, score around 90 runs and have an OPS around .800, while playing Gold Glove defense.
What team wouldn’t want a player like that?
Even though he’ll be going into his age-32 season in 2027, I would not be opposed to signing Happ to a two-year extension with a third-year vesting option. I think he can continue to be this productive for at least that long. And he’s meant quite a bit to this franchise and, at the very least, to left-field bleacher fans, who have a long-standing love relationship with the Cubs left fielder.
Just thought I’d give some praise to a baseball player who deserves it.
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - AUGUST 10: Maikel Garcia #11 of the Kansas City Royals makes the out against the Minnesota Twins at Target Field on August 10, 2025 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Adam Bettcher/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Twins were big-time sellers at last year’s trade deadline, making many feel they were going for a rebuild. But they retained big stars like Byron Buxton and Joe Ryan, and have been a fairly middling team this year hovering near .500 most of the year. They have lost six of their last eight games, and they lost their earlier series against the Royals in Kansas City at the start of the season.
Kansas City Royals (24-38) vs. Minnesota Twins (29-34) at Target Field, Minneapolis, MN
Byron Buxton is sixth among all American League outfielders with a 132 wRC+, and is tied for the third-most home runs in all of baseball with 17. Luke Keaschall is hitting .302/.396/.395 in his last 26 games. Trevor Larnach is hitting .284/.442/.418 at home. Austin Martin is hitting .306/.457/.435 against lefties.
Brooks Lee has been one of the worst defenders in baseball in Outs Above Average at -7. The Twins have just a 71 percent success rate on stolen bases, one of the lowest in baseball. The Twins have allowed more stolen bases than any team in baseball, and have only thrown out 17 percent of attempts.
Rookie Andrew Morris will get the start Thursday after spending most of this season in the bullpen. He likely won’t be stretched out to go deep in the game – his longest outing this year is 3.2 innings. The 24-year old had a 4.09 ERA in 94.2 innings as a starter in Triple-A last year. Seth Lugo has a career 7.29 ERA in 21 innings at Target Field.
The Friday game will air exclusively on Apple TV. Zebby Matthews has made 29 career MLB starts and has a 5.71 ERA. He allowed just two runs in 13 innings at home this year. Byron Buxton is 0-for-10 in his career matchups against Michael Wacha.
Joe Ryan has been the sixth-most valuable pitcher in baseball, according to Fangraphs WAR. He has the 12th-highest strikeout rate and the sixth-lowest walk rate. He is 8-2 with a 2.58 ERA in 12 career starts against the Royals.
Rookie Connor Prielipp was ranked as the #5 prospect in the Twins organization by MLB Pipeline before the season. He has given up 16 runs in 14.1 innings over his last three starts. He throws a 95 mph fastball and relies heavily on a slider that opponents are hitting just .157 against with a 30 percent whiff rate.
The Twins have a 4.75 ERA out of their bullpen, eighth-worst in baseball, with the second-lowest strikeout rate, and sixth-highest walk rate. The team acquired Yoendrys Gómez from the Rays, and he has allowed just one earned run in 12.2 innings since the trade, picking up three saves. Lefties are hitting .186/.314/.279 against Anthony Banda.
The Royals are facing a team with a few elite talents, but with a roster largely filled with castoffs and underperformers. The Twins should be a team the Royals can beat, but with a league-worst 9-21 record on the road, every opponent away from Kansas City will be a challenge.
SCOTTSDALE, ARIZONA - FEBRUARY 23: Kyle McCann #55 of the Colorado Rockies at bat during the spring training game against the Chicago White Sox at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick on February 23, 2026 in Scottsdale, Arizona. (Photo by Ric Tapia/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Kyle McCann did not choose catching.
Catching chose him, the way it tends to do in youth baseball, suddenly, out of necessity, because someone else didn’t show up.
He was 12 years old, on a travel team somewhere in Georgia, and the regular catcher was sick. When the coach and the players who would step in, McCann raised his hand.
“Ever since then, I fell in love with it,” he said. “I wanted to catch every day after that.”
What he loved, he said, was the involvement. Other positions offered bursts of action — a ground ball to the shortstop, a fly ball to center — with long stretches of waiting in between. Behind the plate, there was no waiting. Every pitch was his.
“I was in every pitch of the game,” McCann said. “I wasn’t in the infield or outfield, just hoping a ball would get hit to me. I was calling pitches. I was in every play.”
That instinct — to be in the middle of everything, all the time — has followed McCann through a career that has required a great deal of patience.
Getting to The Show
McCann grew up in Suwanee, Georgia, attended Lambert High School, and went to Georgia Tech, where he spent his first two seasons largely at first base while Joey Bart — the second-overall pick in the 2018 draft — handled the catching duties.
When Bart departed, McCann stepped in and made the most of it, hitting .299 with 23 home runs and 70 RBI in his junior season and earning All-American recognition. The Oakland Athletics took him in the fourth round of the 2019 draft — 134th overall — and signed him for $500,000.
Five years in the Oakland system followed. He hit 17 home runs at Triple-A Las Vegas in 2023, posted an .825 OPS, and earned his way on Oakland’s Opening Day roster in 2024, making his major league debut on March 30 of that year.
He appeared in 54 games, hit .236 with five home runs, and then — as the Athletics began their transition to Sacramento — was released the day before the following season.
“I got released from Oakland the day before the season, didn’t get picked up,” he said.
Finding a way forward
“So I chose to go to Mexico to keep playing,” McCann said.
The league was the Liga Mexicana de Béisbol. His team was the Piratas de Campeche. His first game was in Mexico City, in a stadium holding 30,000 fans, with air horns blaring and an atmosphere unlike anything he had experienced in affiliated ball.
“Everyone’s screaming, air horns — the environment was very, very cool to see,” he said.
He enjoyed it. He learned things about elevation that would prove useful later — that at 7,000 feet above sea level, the ball behaves differently; that hydration matters more than you think; that running hard to first base in thin air will leave you more gassed than expected. Denver sits at roughly 5,280 feet. Mexico City had prepared him for what was coming.
Finding the Rockies — and another injury
It almost didn’t come at all. About a month and a half into the Mexican season, McCann was involved in a collision at first base — a season-ending injury that sent him home to rehab. He spent the rest of 2025 recovering. In early January 2026, his agent reached out to the Colorado Rockies. A minor-league contract was signed by early February. Spring training arrived.
Then, in one of the cruelest twists the sport offers, a cutter came in hard and up, McCann put a check swing on it, and the ball hit his wrist. He walked down to first base, thinking it hurt a little but when he tried to go out and catch, he knew it was more than that.
He didn’t fight Warren Schaeffer when the manager came to remove him from the game.
“Yep,” he told him. “We’re going to go see what this is about.”
An X-ray confirmed a fracture of the ulnar styloid. Six weeks of healing. Two weeks of progression. A week and a half of games. And now, finally, here — with the Albuquerque Isotopes, behind the plate again, doing exactly what he loves.
Enjoying Albuquerque
McCann is 28 years old and has been around long enough to have a philosophy about how he approaches the job. Ask him about working with pitchers, and he talks about reading people — figuring out which ones need encouragement and which ones need a more direct conversation.
“Some pitchers need a little more loving than others,” he said. “Some guys, you kind of got to get in their grill and say, ‘Come on now, lock in right here. We need to do this pitch in this situation.’ It’s really just learning what each guy likes.”
Regarding the ABS challenge system, he has mixed feelings, which he articulates with precision. As a hitter, he loves it — the ability to challenge a called strike and get it overturned is a real advantage. As a catcher, it cuts the other way. Framing has always been part of the craft, a skill catchers develop over the years, and the ABS system limits how much that skill can influence outcomes.
“It kind of hurts us a little bit,” he said, “because now we can’t steal many pitches.”
He doesn’t think it changes the game as dramatically as some have suggested, but he acknowledges the shift.
He also discussed Albuquerque’s pitch-suggestion system — where the dugout calls pitches for the first four batters of opposing lineups, with the catcher and pitcher able to shake off the suggestion. McCann has embraced it.
“They give us a sheet at the beginning of the game — here’s how we’re going to pitch each guy — so we kind of already have an idea of what we’re going to do,” he said. “I trust what they have in the dugout, what they have on hitters. I don’t mind at all.”
Welcome to Albuquerque, Kyle McCann!!
A two-run homer (428 feet) onto the berm and we're back in this one!
There is one more Georgia Tech connection worth mentioning. Charlie Blackmon — the longtime Rockies outfielder, a Tech alum himself — used to come back to the Georgia Tech facility in the offseason to hit and work out. McCann and his teammates would seek him out.
“We’d always go up to him and ask questions, trying to pick his brain, because obviously he had a great career,” McCann said.
It’s a fitting footnote for a player who has spent his entire career collecting lessons wherever he can find them — from Blackmon at Georgia Tech, from the veterans in the Oakland system, from 30,000 fans and 7,000 feet of altitude in Mexico. All of it is in the bank now.
The wrist is healed. He’s back behind the plate, for every pitch, right where he belongs.
Flub-prone Knicks fan Gov. Kathy Hochul on Thursday dribbled up another awkward show of support for the team’s bid to win the franchise’s first NBA championship in 53 years.
Hochul, during a news conference about readiness for soccer’s upcoming World Cup, declared herself a fan of all sports.
“I’m fired up. I’m a huge sports fan, whatever it is,” she said.
“If there’s a ball involved, I love it. So, we’re excited, New Yorkers.”
Hochul said if there’s a ball involved, she loves it. Robert Miller for NY Post
The cringey comment came at the end of Hochul’s remarks and dovetailed with her recent failed attempt to dunk on President Trump’s own Knicks fandom.
Hochul last week tried to undercut Trump’s claim to be a lifelong Knicks supporter by snarkily saying, “I’d ask him to name the starting lineup from the 1993 championship team and see how he does.”
As any long-suffering Knicks fan knows, the orange and blue team last won a championship in 1973.
During 1993, the Knicks blew a 2-0 lead in the Eastern Conference Finals to the Michael Jordan-led Chicago Bulls — who went on to win the championship that launched the team’s first “three-peat.”
The Knicks did make it to the NBA Finals in 1994, but lost to the Houston Rockets. They also did so in 1999, falling to the San Antonio Spurs.
The Knicks are hoping for their first trophy since 1973. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
“Let’s keep it going, Knicks,” she said. “I was just reflecting on the crack of dawn — literally crack of dawn — when the skies are orange and blue, early this morning when I took my walk and you know what I noticed? New Yorkers are making eye contact again. It was shocking. People looking up and have an extra lift in their step and wearing their Knicks gear as I was trying to go incognito but everybody seems to notice.
“There’s something magical in the air. So, it’s a very special day. Go Knicks. Make us all so proud.”
Hochul then tempted fate by invoking a jinx.
“They will be up until the fourth game and then they’ll be done,” she said, before catching herself, “I didn’t say that. I did not jinx anything, OK?”
Could The Panthers Take Advantage Of The Goaltending Situation In Minnesota?If the Florida Panthers are in the market for a goaltender this off-season, could they look to take advantage of the situation with the Minnesota Wild?
