After a weekend filled with drama, chaos and pants, we first check in to MLB. A league's directive to enforce rules against sticky stuff, illegal grip aids and other pitches has already resulted in a decrease in pitchers' spin rates. This could help solve some of baseballs larger problems. Pitchers aren't taking this in stride. The incentives for the past few years have all been about increasing spin rates. Big names like Gerrit Colley will likely have the time to adjust. However, pitchers who are on the margins of keeping their rotation spots will likely be hit hard. Although the midseason spot checks can be messy and haphazard, the team believes that it is better to enforce the rules than tinkering more with the ball or the dimensions of the field. Sara suggests that you leave the mound as it is and to forget about sunscreen.Next we will turn our attention to the NBA. The conference finals are looking very entertaining, but Twitter has been complaining about how this group of small-market teams and rising stars is bad for the league. Atlanta and Phoenix are the two largest cities and most vibrant sports towns in the U.S., Los Angeles and even the areas of L.A. where the Clippers are supported by the Clippers are not far behind. People often refer to small-market teams as teams that have a local following, and not national. Devin Booker, Trae Young and others have already spoken out about this. The conference finals are growing the game even though the league did not plan for these matchups or for the injuries that were sustained. We may discover that ratings are no longer a useful indicator when we get out of the pandemic fog and look at the changing ways people express their NBA fandom.Neil, the Rabbit Hole, takes a look at Neil's unlikely Stanley Cup Final run by the Montreal Canadiens. They would need to beat the Tampa Bay Lightning in six games or less to complete the season with a winning record. Although the Cup has been won by teams below 500, it is not clear that the Canadiens are up to the task. The crew talks about how they are not the underdogs they appear to be given their Cup-filled and storied history. This could make this year's squad look more like the 96 Yankees.What were you looking at this week?
