The Public Turns Cold Shoulder to NHL Finals

The Washington Post recently conducted an online poll, asking which teams would be in the Stanley Cup finals. The largest response, 42%, was: “Didn’t realize the NHL playoffs were going on.”

That was no surprise to Post columnist Thomas Boswell, who wrote that the league is in jeopardy of losing its place as a major team sport:

“The NHL just doesn’t get it. The owners and players are living in a parallel universe of complete delusion. Because they love hockey, they think everybody cares about it. Because they can’t imagine a world without the NHL, they don’t realize the majority of sports fans care little whether the NHL even exists.”

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Trivia time: Who holds the record for averaging the most minutes a game in an NBA Finals?

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You don’t say: A man identifying himself as Tom somehow broke into the radio transmission between driver Sarah Fisher and her pit crew during a caution period in Sunday’s Indianapolis 500, Associated Press reported.

Tom’s message? “Get up front.” Fisher failed to heed his advice, finishing 21st.

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Memory lane: David Letterman, telling the Kansas City Star why childhood memories of Indianapolis Motor Speedway led him to become an Indy car co-owner: “I can’t begin to describe the magic that there was when you were a kid and you just tough it out through those lousy Indiana winters.

“I, of course, lived outside.”*

Caring thought: From Greg Cote of the Miami Herald: “Hope you had a nice Memorial Day weekend. It’s the time we stop and reflect upon those men and women who throughout history have sacrificed and truly given the most in terms of suffering.

“But enough about Cubs and Red Sox fans.”

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Not quite like Mike: Jim Nolan of the Philadelphia Daily News reported that Smarty Jones had been fitted with new racing plates for the Belmont Stakes -- “the equine equivalent of Air Jordan basketball sneakers, with one big exception. A pair of Air Jordan XIXs costs $175. Smarty’s new kicks go for about $20, hind legs included.”

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Poles apart: Las Vegas oddsmakers don’t believe the Detroit Pistons have much of a chance to defeat the Lakers in the NBA Finals. The money line has the Pistons at plus-350, meaning someone would win $350 for a $100 bet. The Lakers, who are 5-1 favorites to win the series, are at minus-500, meaning someone would win $100 for a $500 bet.

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It figures: From Bud Geracie of the San Jose Mercury News: “Seattle has a pitcher named Putz, appropriate considering the kind of season the Mariners are having.”

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Trivia answer: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar averaged 49.3 minutes for the Milwaukee Bucks in a seven-game series against the victorious Boston Celtics in 1974.

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And finally: Calling it another sign that the end of the world may soon be here, the Arizona Republic responded to a Times report that the Dodgers were considering adding a mascot:

“Good grief. We’re betting they go with ‘Dodger Dog’ and have some weenie dressed in a pooch costume.”