World Cup fever?   No way.

As the saying goes, I’d rather watch paint dry.

Soccer may be a fun game for kids to play, but it can be downright boring watching it in person and, moreso, on television.  

But if you enjoy watching the World Cup soccer on television, go for it!  You still have another 35 days to go.  I’ll tune in whenever I need a nap.

My weekend television viewing was spent watching more traditional sporting events.  Let’s jump right in.

NBA Finals – New York Knicks took the title 94-90 on Saturday night

The New York Knicks have won their first NBA title since 1973.  Finals MVP guard Jalen Brunson played like a dead ringer for Knicks legend Earl “The Pearl” Monroe from that 1973 title team.

The now 81-year old Earl Monroe was named one of the NBA’s top 50 players of the 20th century.

He was known for his uncanny ability to “shake and bake” defenders in order to get his shots away.  He and teammate Walt Frazier were both inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall-of Fame.

Jalen Brunson (who is generously listed at 6’1”) weaved his way in, around, and through the giant San Antonio Spurs defense for one great shot after another during this series. 

His 45 points in Saturday night’s deciding Game 5 in San Antonio accounted for nearly half of his team’s 94 point total.

The San Antonio Spurs came into this series considered as a slight favorite after knocking-off defending champion Oklahoma City in the Western Conference finals.

San Antonio played like Wile E. Coyote for this entire series.   I blame their coach for that.

Every game in this five game series had the San Antonio Spurs racing out to a double digit lead.  In each game, the New York Knicks patiently waited for their chance to blow past their unfocused opponent.

Much like legendary cartoon character Wile E. Coyote, the Spurs looked and acted overconfident at the beginning of every game in this series.  At the end of all but one game, it was the Spurs going over the proverbial cliff and going “poof” at the bottom of the canyon.

San Antonio’s coaches and players should have learned a few lessons during home losses in Games 1 and 2 of this series.

After grabbing a close win in Game 3 in New York, these “Same Old Spurs” reappeared in a big way midway through Game 4 last week.  San Antonio blew the largest lead ever in an NBA Finals game (29 points) to fall behind 3-1 in the series.

There was no way that San Antonio could lose a third straight home game in Game 5, right?

Saturday night’s Game 5 in San Antonio had the Spurs doing exactly the same thing they had done in every other loss.

They raced to an early double digit lead (16 points in Game 5) and then folded like a cheap beach chair during the second half once again.

I place the blame for poor strategy and on-court execution on the San Antonio coaches for making the same second half mistakes in this series over and over again.

The feckless Spurs appeared dazed during the fourth quarter of these five games.  They averaged a paltry 21 points during the all-important fourth quarters of these NBA Finals.

When the chips were down, the Spurs functioned like a rudderless ship, while their head coach seemed to push all the wrong buttons.  

San Antonio guard De’Aaron Fox is paid $51 million per year.  He averaged nearly 19 points per game in the regular season but tanked to just over 14 points per game during the NBA Finals.  Fox tallied only 7 points on 3-15 from the field in Game 5 in San Antonio on Saturday night.

Meanwhile, the Spurs 7’4” center-turned-point guard named Victor Wembanyama continued to take and miss a significant number of unnecessary 3-point shots.

Why is he allowed to shoot those shots instead of play closer to the basket?   The coach allows it.

These collapses occurred under the watch of San Antonio’s 39-year old head coach Mitch Johnson.  He took over the head coaching job after apprenticing under Spurs 5-time NBA champion coach Gregg Popovich.  Mitch Johnson took over this team in 2025.  This was his first time coaching a team in the NBA playoffs.

Coach Johnson curiously kept Spurs’ dynamic sixth man Dylan Harper on the bench to start pivotal Game 5 while leaving ineffective De’Aaron Fox as the starter.  Harper (who scored 25 points in 31 minutes of action) was clearly the better player in this series. 

Why wasn’t he played more?

ESPN’s Charles Barkley asked the same question during halftime of Game 5.  The former NBA player-turned-commentator said the Spurs would be better off putting De’Aaron Fox on the bench in the second half.

That didn’t happen.  Barkley turned out to be right.

The Spurs are now done for this season.

Congratulations to the New York Knicks.  A ticker tape victory parade for the team will take place on Thursday in Manhattan.

Carolina Hurricanes won the 2026 Stanley Cup title Sunday night

The Carolina Hurricanes took a 3-0 road win to close out the Stanley Cup four games to two over the Las Vegas Golden Knights.

It was the second title for the Raleigh-based NHL team in the past 20 seasons.  Congratulations to the Canes!

(OK – I don’t watch enough hockey to have any further thoughts on this subject)

Surprising Louisville Kings dethrone DC Defenders in UFL United Bowl III title game

The expansion Louisville Kings started their first season 0-3.  This team came together to finish the regular season at 6-4 and earn a spot in the UFL playoffs.

Louisville was just 2-3 at home but a solid 4-1 on the road during the regular season.  The Kings had to travel to Washington DC to play the 2025 champion DC Defenders in the UFL title game on Saturday.

A sellout crowd of more than 19,000 fans at Audi Field in Washington saw Louisville come from behind after halftime to take a 27-20 win over ol’ DC.

The Defenders led 16-7 at the intermission and were clinging to a 16-13 advantage after three periods.  Louisville then tallied two fourth quarter running touchdowns to win the title in Season #3 of spring’s United Football League.

DC finished their season with a 7-5 record.

PGA journeyman golfer finally wins.  This Bud’s for you, Mr. Cauley!

Bud Cauley was a three-time college All-American golfer at the University of Alabama.  He turned professional 15 years ago in 2011.  He played well enough during his first few years on the PGA Tour to keep his playing card despite no first place finishes.

Cauley suffered a broken leg, five broken ribs, and a collapsed lung in an automobile accident while playing in Jack Nicklaus’ Memorial Tournament in 2018.  After several complications in his recovery, he finally resumed playing professional golf six years later in 2024.

Bud Cauley was winless in his 238 career PGA Tour starts prior to last weekend’s Canadian Open near Toronto.

The 36-year old journeyman golfer rediscovered his youthful putting stroke on Sunday. Cauley’s birdie barrage (along with a few key breaks) led to a closing round 65 and his first PGA Tour win.  His 17-under par total was two shots better than Matt Fitzpatrick and three better than Viktor Hovland.

Bud Cauley’s first win came at the same golf tournament which was also the site of golfing great Arnold Palmer’s first victory.

Arnie pocketed $2,400 for his win back in 1955.

Guess how much money that would be this year in 2026?  Answer: $30,000

Bud Cauley’s win on Sunday carried a first prize of $1,764,000.  Even the worst finisher in the field (74th place) at the 2026 Canadian Open took home more than $19,500.

Sunday’s first triumph will bring some nifty fringe benefits, too.

The win put Cauley into this week’s US Open at Shinnecock Hills.  He will also be in the field for July’s Open Championship (British Open) and next spring’s Masters. 

More importantly, the win made Bud Cauley exempt from having to qualify for future PGA Tour events for two years after this season ends.

Cauley’s wife and his two young sons ran onto the 18th green to greet him and celebrate after he tapped in for the win.

It’s now off to Long Island in New York and a spot in Thursday’s US Open for the rejuvenated Bud Cauley!

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