I’m writing this intro from my hometown of Toronto, a place with which I have a fractious relationship but to whose basketball and baseball teams I’ve pledged lifelong loyalty. Still, the city itself disappoints. Every time I come back there is less Toronto to come back to. Sure, cities change, but sometimes change is actual evolution and sometimes it’s condo developers ruining everything that means anything so that people who don’t even live here will buy something. Maybe all cities are like this, and maybe I’m just trying to avoid talking about last night’s disastrous catastrophe of a cataclysmic Game 5 vs. the Celtics, but regardless, like the subtitle advises, I won’t get too high or low. Whatever happens is going to happen, and besides, as of today the Raptors have been NBA Champions for 454 days, and that’s a long ass time. — DJ
P.S. Raptors in 7.
#warmup
Think you understand basketball and how defensive assignments and rotations work? Click on this and prove it. (h/t Tyler Munro)
New Toronto Blue Jay pitcher Ross Stripling is a finance bro.
Former Toronto Blue Jay pitcher Todd Stottlemyre is a finance bro.
If the season ended today, our Baby Blue Jays would be in the playoffs.
(Yes, we’re experimenting with buttons. Keep it in your pants.)
#stephquery
Outside of Jamal Murray and Donovan Mitchell, who did it in the same series (!), what two players have had multiple 50-point games in one individual NBA playoff series?
#robertoclueongo
Who is the all-time (regular season) points leader amongst NHL goaltenders?
(Hint: it’s not Roberto Luongo.)
#philiptrivers
Seven quarterbacks on the top 20 career (regular season) touchdown pass leaders in NFL history are active. Four of those seven have only played for one team over the course of their careers. Two of those four were not first overall picks. Of those two, who has the most TD passes?
#nickmarkaquiz
The number 21 is commonly worn by pitchers, most notably Warren Spahn and Roger Clemens. Name the three position players — all outfielders — who spent the most MLB seasons with the #21 on their back.
(Hint: One of them was the inspiration for the other two players’ number selection.)
#scoutingreport
I'm gonna go about my daily life. If I get it, I'm gonna ride it out. I'm gonna let nature do its course. Survival-of-the-fittest kind of approach. And just say, if it knocks me out, it knocks me out. I'm going to be OK. You know, even if I die. If I die, I die. I kind of have peace about that.
— Kirk Cousins had to walk back a stupid thing he said
I wasn’t happy and I wanted to leave. I have not been allowed this in any way and I will stay at the club so as not to get into a legal dispute. The management of the club led by Bartomeu is a disaster.
— Lionel Messi is staying at Barça, but talking some shit
#stephquery [answer]
Michael Jordan (vs. Cleveland in 1988) and Allen Iverson (vs. Toronto in 2001) are the only two players, other than Mitchell and Murray, to accomplish the feat. Coffee is for closers.
#robertoclueongo [answer]
Tom Barrasso amassed 48 points — all assists — over his 19-year career, including four seasons of 5+ assists. Just behind him are Martin Brodeur and Grant Fuhr, tied at 47 points. The active career leader is Henrik Lundqvist (27 points).
(Incidentally, Roberto Luongo is tied for 19th with 23 points.)
#philiptrivers [answer]
Aaron Rodgers (24th overall) has 364 touchdown passes and famous sexual misconducter Ben Roethlisberger, who has a grey penis and was an 11th overall selection, has 363.
#nickmarkaquiz [answer]
Roberto Clemente, the original Great One, wore #21 for 18 seasons with the Pittsburgh Pirates. Trailing him are Paul O’Neill (17 seasons) and Sammy Sosa (15 seasons), both of whom chose their jersey number to honour Clemente.
Fun fact: the right field fence at PNC Park is 21 feet in height, for Clemente.
#postscript
However hard you think it is to get anyone to read anything in any context at any time, it’s harder. Especially now, when we all get too much email and we all have too little time to read it. Still, we believe in this little newsletter of ours, and would love it if you could evangelize for it. TL;DR share Oddball with friends and whoever you think would like it, and click the heart. It actually helps us get seen by more people.
Also: you can actually leave comments on this newsletter. Try it!
Also: click this for more trivia questions you’ll need the internet to help solve. Yes, this is play testing.
Also: many thanks are extended to Wardell Stephen Curry II, Roberto Luongo, Philip Rivers, and Nick Markakis for being named their names.
DJ/JY