The Key for the week of June 1
Just when you think it can’t get any worse..
You run out of shortstops. Or at least run out of healthy shortstops. For the next week and a half, Reds Country will be holding its collective breath to see how Elly De La Cruz responds to giving his right hamstring a rest for a few days. The Reds shortstop insists it was just precautionary when he pulled up lame after rounding first base Sunday, then an MRI Monday confirmed a strain. The bright spot is, highly touted prospect Edwin Arroyo gets his chance at short while Elly is out. Arroyo has been hitting the cover off the baseball at AAA Louisville, with a .323 average, and while primarily a shortstop, has been playing other positions to hasten his promotion to the bigs. If Arroyo can hit major league pitching like he has in the minors, Terry Francona may be forced to find a place for him in the lineup.
Sacre Bleu!
For the first time, the 2026 French Open has no former tournament champions still in the draw in the second week. When three-time defending champion Iga Swiatek lost in the fourth round, that left the women’s bracket without any past Roland Garros winners. On the men’s side, Novak Djokovic’s loss in the third round took out the only remaining past winner. With Coco Gauff and Madison Keys both losing this past weekend, American women have said au revoir to Paris as it’s time to get ready for the grass courts of Wimbledon.
The Finals are set
Now, if you could only afford a ticket to see them. San Antonio and New York in the NBA, Carolina and Las Vegas in the NHL. Want to see the Knicks at Madison Square Garden? Cheapest (and that’s a relative term) are $4,200 in New York. Fly to San Antonio, and the price drops to $1,000. If you’re a hockey fan, you can get upper level seats in Raleigh for about $920 and from $1,400 to $1,800 in Vegas.
Ben’s Best Bet
Since we’re talking finals, let’s see who the sharps at Bet MGM like. In the NHL, it’s Carolina slightly favored to win the first game and the finals, while San Antonio is a heavy favorite to defeat the Knicks, with Victor Wembanyama the odds-on pick for MVP. No surprise here, lots of action on the NBA, thanks to New Yawk fans.