{"id":1918485,"date":"2026-05-05T10:12:11","date_gmt":"2026-05-05T07:12:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1918485"},"modified":"2026-05-05T10:12:11","modified_gmt":"2026-05-05T07:12:11","slug":"a-new-contender-in-the-west-plus-saying-goodbye-to-john-sterling","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1918485","title":{"rendered":"A new contender in the West, plus saying goodbye to John Sterling"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"Article_ContentContainer__jBNW3 article-content-container bodytext1\">\n<p><strong><span>The Pulse Newsletter <\/span><\/strong>\ud83d\udce3<span> | This is <em>The Athletic\u2019<\/em>s daily sports newsletter. <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/newsletters\/the-pulse\/\"><span>Sign up here<\/span><\/a><span> to receive The Pulse directly in your inbox.<\/span><\/p>\n<hr>\n<p><span>Good morning! Wear <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7254079\/2026\/05\/04\/eileen-gu-lindsey-vonn-met-gala-2026-athletes\/\"><span>something bold<\/span><\/a><span> today. Inside:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span>\ud83d\ude24 Minnesota\u2019s <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7254281\/2026\/05\/05\/timberwolves-spurs-game-1-nba-playoffs\/\"><span>grit<\/span><\/a><span>\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span>\ud83d\udcfb <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7252712\/2026\/05\/04\/john-sterling-new-york-yankees-radio-mlb\/\"><span>RIP<\/span><\/a><span>, John Sterling<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\">\ud83c\udfc8 Dion Jordan\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7178481\/2026\/05\/05\/dion-jordan-head-football-coach-eureka-college\/\">incredible path<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<hr>\n<h3><b><strong>While You Were Sleeping<\/strong>: The playoffs are getting better<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span>Each year, the first round of the joint NBA\/NHL playoff calendar takes a toll on me. Some nights can include eight postseason games, all shouting for their own attention. It becomes overwhelming in the nicest sense of the word.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"ad-container\">\n<div class=\"ad-wrapper article-treatment\">\n<div class=\"ad-slug-container\">\n<p class=\"ad-slug\">Advertisement<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"mid1\" data-position=\"mid1\" class=\"ad place-ad\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><span>Then the second round begins. Things quiet a bit, and the matchups get even better. They bring me back in, which happened like clockwork last night.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p id=\"article-pickem\">\n<p><span>Quickly:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>In the NBA:<\/b><span> There is no grittier team in these playoffs than the Timberwolves, who edged the juggernaut Spurs 104-102 on the road in Game 1 of their conference semifinal series. Anthony Edwards played on a bum knee. Victor Wembanyama had more blocks than points. Somehow, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7254281\/2026\/05\/05\/timberwolves-spurs-game-1-nba-playoffs\/\"><span>Minnesota is up 1-0<\/span><\/a><span>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>Oppositely,<\/b><span> the Knicks obliterated the visiting 76ers in Game 1 of their series, and are the East favorite in my eyes. Since losing to the Hawks in Game 3 of their first-round series, New York is 4-0 with an average margin of victory at 33.75 points per. <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7254049\/2026\/05\/04\/knicks-76ers-nba-playoffs-game-1-score-result-takeaways\/\"><span>Yowza<\/span><\/a><span>.<\/span><span><br \/>\n<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>In the NHL:<\/b><span> We had two close games, led by another overtime, of course. Carolina skated past Philadelphia, 3-2, in extra time, stifling what felt like the Flyers\u2019 best chance to get back into this series. <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7252625\/2026\/05\/04\/hurricanes-flyers-nhl-playoffs-game-2-score-result-takeaways\/\"><span>The Hurricanes have not lost a game in the playoffs<\/span><\/a><span>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>Vegas and Anaheim tried to hit OT, too, but a late icing wave-off pushed the Golden Knights ahead and left the Ducks irate. <\/b><span>A late empty-netter from Mitch Marner put the game out of reach for Anaheim.<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7254454\/2026\/05\/05\/golden-knights-ducks-nhl-playoffs-game-1-score-result-takeaways\/\"> <span>Read more on that here<\/span><\/a><span>.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span>More tonight. Let\u2019s keep moving:<\/span><\/p>\n<hr>\n<h3><b>News to Know<\/b><\/h3>\n<div id=\"attachment_7252732\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\">\n<div class=\"wp-caption-image-container\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-7252732 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/athletic\/uploads\/wp\/2026\/05\/04120118\/GettyImages-89159552-scaled-e1777911798518-1024x683.jpg\" alt width=\"1024\" height=\"683\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"inline-credits\">\n<div class=\"inline-credits-container\">\n      <span class=\"credits-text\">Jim McIsaac \/ Getty Images<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><strong><b>Sterling dead at 87<\/b><\/strong><br \/>\n<span>John Sterling, owner of one of the most iconic radio careers in baseball history, died yesterday at 87 years old. Sterling spent 36 years as the voice of the Yankees and called 5,060 consecutive regular-season games. <\/span><i><span>Thuhhhh Yankees win! <\/span><\/i><span>Andrew Marchand wrote <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7252712\/2026\/05\/04\/john-sterling-new-york-yankees-radio-mlb\/\"><span>a great remembrance worth your time today<\/span><\/a><span>.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong><b>Skubal out indefinitely<\/b><\/strong><br \/>\n<span>Tigers ace Tarik Skubal will undergo surgery to \u201cremove loose bodies\u201d from his elbow, a phrase I always find unsettling for a procedure experts insist is routine. It is definitely a blow for both Skubal, who\u2019s in line for a record payday this offseason, and the Tigers, who have World Series hopes due in large part to the back-to-back Cy Young Award winner. <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7253061\/2026\/05\/04\/tarik-skubal-tigers-elbow-surgery\/\"><span>Deep, deep sigh<\/span><\/a><span>.<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"top-league-content-root\"><\/div>\n<p>    {&#8220;endpoint&#8221;:&#8221;https:\/\/api-prd-nyt.theathletic.com\/graphql&#8221;}<\/p>\n<p><strong><b>Mavs tap Masai<\/b><\/strong><br \/>\n<span>Masai Ujiri will be the new team president and alternate governor in Dallas, the Mavericks announced yesterday, an intriguing new path for a franchise under intense scrutiny. Ujiri, the architect of Toronto\u2019s 2019 championship team, must officially clean up the residual mess from the Luka Don\u010di\u0107 trade and subsequent roster teardown, though Rookie of the Year Cooper Flagg is clearly a big draw. <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7252730\/2026\/05\/04\/masai-ujiri-mavericks-basketball-nba\/\"><span>Still, it\u2019s a big task<\/span><\/a><span>.<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"ad-container\">\n<div class=\"ad-wrapper article-treatment\">\n<div class=\"ad-slug-container\">\n<p class=\"ad-slug\">Advertisement<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"mid2\" data-position=\"mid2\" class=\"ad place-ad\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><strong>More news:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>\u201cPablo Torre Finds Out\u201d<\/b><span> won a <\/span><b>Pulitzer Prize<\/b><span> yesterday for its reporting on the Kawhi Leonard\/Aspiration scandal. <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7253399\/2026\/05\/04\/pablo-torre-finds-out-pulitzer-prize-the-athletic\/\"><span>It\u2019s a first for <\/span><i><span>The Athletic<\/span><\/i><\/a><span>.<\/span><span><br \/>\n<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>Liberty star Sabrina Ionescu<\/b><span> will miss two weeks with a foot injury, a source told <\/span><i><span>The Athletic<\/span><\/i><span>. <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7253615\/2026\/05\/04\/liberty-sabrina-ionescu-injury-sidelined\/\"><span>A bummer with the WNBA season starting Friday<\/span><\/a><span>.<\/span><span><br \/>\n<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>Celtics star Jaylen Brown <\/b><span>accused <\/span><b>76ers center Joel Embiid<\/b><span> of flopping too much. <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7251421\/2026\/05\/03\/jaylen-brown-twitch-stream-criticizes-joel-embiid-flopping-officiating\/\"><span>Read his full comments<\/span><\/a><span>.<\/span><span><br \/>\n<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span>Two sides of a series: The <\/span><b>Magic<\/b> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7142634\/2026\/05\/04\/jamahl-mosley-fired-magic-coach\/\"><span>fired<\/span><\/a><span> coach <\/span><b>Jamahl Mosley<\/b><span> after the team\u2019s meltdown against the<\/span><b> Pistons<\/b><span> \u2026 who <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7253393\/2026\/05\/04\/j-b-bickerstaff-detroit-pistons-contract-extension\/\"><span>signed<\/span><\/a><span> coach <\/span><b>J.B. Bickerstaff<\/b><span> to an extension.<\/span><span><br \/>\n<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span>The <\/span><b>SEC<\/b><span> will use the <\/span><b>ABS challenge system<\/b><span> in its upcoming conference baseball tournament. <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7253672\/2026\/05\/04\/sec-baseball-abs-umpires\/\"><span>It\u2019s a first for college baseball<\/span><\/a><span>.<\/span><span><br \/>\n<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span>The <\/span><b>PWHL<\/b><span> suspended <\/span><b>Minnesota Frost forward Britta Curl-Salemme <\/b><span>one game for an illegal check to the head in Game 1 of Minnesota\u2019s first-round playoff series. <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7252745\/2026\/05\/04\/frost-britta-curl-salemme-suspended-pwhl\/\"><span>Read more here<\/span><\/a><span>. <\/span><span><br \/>\n<b><\/b><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span><b>Juke Harris<\/b>, the top available men\u2019s college basketball transfer, chose <b>Tennessee<\/b> over North Carolina and Michigan. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7252723\/2026\/05\/04\/juke-harris-tennessee-transfer-portal\/\">He will have a huge impact<\/a>.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span>\ud83d\udcf0\u00a0<a style=\"font-weight: 400\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/news\/\">Find more news here 24\/7<\/a><\/span>.<\/p>\n<hr>\n<h3><b>Turnarounds: <strong>The unbelievable tale of Dion Jordan<\/strong><\/b><\/h3>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/athletic\/uploads\/wp\/2026\/04\/30182107\/0506_DionJordan-scaled.jpg?width=1920&amp;quality=70&amp;auto=webp\" width=\"1920\" height=\"960\"><\/p>\n<p><span>If Dion Jordan had followed a normal path for a first-round NFL Draft pick, he\u2019d probably be resting off his riches somewhere after a lengthy career in the league. None of that is true for him, but that\u2019s not a bad thing, either.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Jordan has done enough living over his 36 years to last a few \u201cnormal\u201d lifetimes, as Dan Pompei wrote in <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7178481\/2026\/05\/05\/dion-jordan-head-football-coach-eureka-college\/\"><span>a beautiful story<\/span><\/a><span> today. Two things I want to highlight:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span>After the Dolphins picked Jordan, a talented defensive end out of Oregon, at No. 3 in 2013, he lasted just two seasons in Miami and tallied only three sacks in that time period. He lost a year due to multiple violations of the league\u2019s substance abuse policy. He bounced around for four more seasons before bowing out of the NFL entirely.<\/span><span><br \/>\n<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>The story is not just of a bust, though.<\/b><span> Jordan\u2019s traumas have been consistent throughout his life, from birth to college and beyond. He has dealt with depression and addiction, not to mention consistent injury issues that took their own mental toll.<\/span><span><br \/>\n<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Now?<\/b><span> Jordan is the head coach at Eureka College, a DIII school in rural Illinois. He makes $40,000 a year. He is happy.<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7178481\/2026\/05\/05\/dion-jordan-head-football-coach-eureka-college\/\"><b>Make time for Dan\u2019s piece today<\/b><\/a><span>.<\/span><\/p>\n<hr>\n<h3><b>Watch Guide<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><b>\ud83d\udcfa UCL: Atletico Madrid at Arsenal<br \/>\n<\/b><b>3 p.m. ET on Paramount+<br \/>\n<\/b><span>These two are tied on aggregate heading into this final leg of the Champions League semifinal, which means the match winner advances to the final. The first leg was <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7242338\/2026\/04\/30\/atletico-arsenal-arteta-simeone\/\"><span>a brutish 1-1 draw<\/span><\/a><span>. Let\u2019s hope for more action here.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>\ud83d\udcfa NBA: Conference semifinals<br \/>\n<\/b><b>7 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock<br \/>\n<\/b><span>We start this evening with Game 1 of Cavaliers-Pistons, where anything could happen. Both teams have top-line talent and regular-season success. Both looked horrendous at times in the first round. Wild cards everywhere. Lakers-Thunder follows at 8:30 p.m., and I suspect L.A. runs into a wall here.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>\ud83d\udcfa NHL: Wild at Avalanche<br \/>\n<\/b><b>8 p.m. ET on ESPN<\/b><span><br \/>\n<\/span><span>Just one hockey game tonight, and let\u2019s hope it\u2019s another doozy. Game 1 of this series ended with 15 combined goals. I don\u2019t know if we\u2019ll get there, but it\u2019s worth a watch nonetheless.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>\ud83d\udcfa MLB: Dodgers at Astros<br \/>\n<\/b><b>8:10 p.m. ET on TBS<\/b><span><br \/>\n<\/span><span>Houston isn\u2019t great this year, but <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7252702\/2026\/05\/04\/shohei-ohtani-pitcher-of-the-month-award\/\"><span>Shohei Ohtani<\/span><\/a><span> is pitching for L.A., and that should be enough to watch for all of us.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i>Get tickets to games like these <\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/stubhub.prf.hn\/l\/jXBQP09\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\"><i>here<\/i><\/a><i>.<\/i><\/p>\n<hr>\n<h3>Pulse Picks<\/h3>\n<div class=\"wp-caption alignnone\">\n<div class=\"wp-caption-image-container\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/athletic\/uploads\/wp\/2026\/05\/01145731\/0501-pitchers.jpg?width=1920&amp;quality=70&amp;auto=webp\" alt width=\"1920\" height=\"960\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"inline-credits\">\n<div class=\"inline-credits-container\">\n      <span class=\"credits-text\">Graphic via The Athletic<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><span>I don\u2019t know if I could love the conceit of a story more: Every superstar <\/span><b>MLB<\/b><span> hitter has his kryptonite pitcher, which could be a Cy Young winner or a random journeyman. <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7246701\/2026\/05\/04\/pitcher-hitter-head-to-head-nemesis\/\"><span>Read this today<\/span><\/a><span>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"ad-container\">\n<div class=\"ad-wrapper article-treatment\">\n<div class=\"ad-slug-container\">\n<p class=\"ad-slug\">Advertisement<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"mid3\" data-position=\"mid3\" class=\"ad place-ad\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><span>Our <\/span><b>MLB Power Rankings<\/b><span> are always full of great nuggets. This week\u2019s version is out this morning, featuring a new team at No. 1 and a never-before-seen bottom two. <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7250310\/2026\/05\/05\/mlb-power-rankings-week-6\/\"><span>See all of it here<\/span><\/a><span>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>We talked about the Oilers\u2019 situation with star Connor McDavid. Look across Canada to Toronto, too, where the <\/span><b>Maple Leafs <\/b><span>are <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7253990\/2026\/05\/05\/maple-leafs-auston-matthews-contract-trade\/\"><span>now on the clock with <\/span><b>Auston Matthews<\/b><\/a><span>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Sam Amick has a new <\/span><b>NBA mailbag<\/b><span> full of news, led by a big one: <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7254027\/2026\/05\/05\/tom-thibodeau-billy-donovan-nba-coaches-draft-lottery\/\"><b>Tom Thibodeau <\/b><span>wants back in<\/span><\/a><span>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>It\u2019s time for another round of<\/span><b> answering your questions<\/b><span> in The Pulse. <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7141155\/2026\/03\/24\/sports-questions-the-pulse-newsletter\/\"><span>Submit them here<\/span><\/a><span> and we\u2019ll do our best to answer them, or find someone who can.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Most-clicked in the newsletter yesterday<\/b><span>: <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7249668\/2026\/05\/03\/caviar-hot-dog-100-dollars-f1-miami-gp\/\"><span>The Golden Glizzy<\/span><\/a><span>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Most-read on the website yesterday<\/b><span>: Jayson Stark\u2019s <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7244775\/2026\/05\/01\/mason-miller-stats-padres-closer-mlb-history\/\"><span>story<\/span><\/a><span> on the unhittable Mason Miller, again.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\ud83d\udceb That\u2019s all for now! Say hello at <a href=\"mailto:thepulse@theathletic.com\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">thepulse@theathletic.com<\/a>, check out <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/5803046\/2025\/12\/31\/the-athletic-newsletters-sign-up\/\">our other newsletters<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/realchrisbranch\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">connect with me on Instagram<\/a> for more.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Pulse Newsletter \ud83d\udce3 | This is The Athletic\u2019s daily sports newsletter. Sign up here to receive The Pulse directly in your inbox. Good morning! Wear something bold today. Inside:\u00a0 \ud83d\ude24 Minnesota\u2019s grit\u00a0 \ud83d\udcfb RIP, John Sterling \ud83c\udfc8 Dion Jordan\u2019s incredible path While You Were Sleeping: The playoffs are getting better Each year, the first [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[226,241],"class_list":["post-1918485","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-crawlmanager","tag-nytimes-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1918485","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1918485"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1918485\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1918485"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1918485"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1918485"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}