STARTING FIVE

1. We Are One Gone

June Gloom arrives two weeks early in L.A, as the NBA soap opera that is the Los Angeles Clippers wraps for the season. OKC overcomes an early 16-point deficit to take Game 6 and hence, the series. So, the winner in each of the last two games at Staples overcame being behind by 16 points.

I hear that Jack Nicholson attended the game (Et tu, Nathan Jesup?). Also, that while Doc Rivers plans to play his $25,000 fine, owner Donald Sterling does not intend to pay his 100-times-that fine.

Kevin Durant scores 39 and grabs 16 in the clincher.

2. Johnny Fever!

Johnny Football. He’s up in Cleveland.

Johnny Baseball. He’s in Cincinnati.

Red ace (would that make him a Red baron?) Johnny Cueto pitches nine shutout innings in Cincy’s 5-0 disposal of San Diego (so is he also Johnny Padres?). Cueto now has a big league-best 1.25 ERA and has pitched at least 7 innings and allowed two or fewer runs in each of his nine starts, the first pitcher to do since Harry Krause of the Philadelphia A’s (you remember him) in 1909.

As you may know, Cueto is the latest model of Pedro Martinez: both are sub-six foot righties from the Dominican Republic.

Cueto also leads all of baseball in both WHIP (.71) and Batting Average Against (.135) and has already thrown three complete games, or more than any other team.

3. The Grey Lady Cans Its First Lady

By now you know that Jill Abramson, the executive editor of The New York Times, was fired by the newspaper on Tuesday even though you will hear nothing but praise from the paper’s readers, and from fellow journalists, as to how good the paper looked during her three-year tenure.

This piece in The Nation details some of the reasons why Abramson might have been pink-slipped, none of which are suitable.

Of course we NYC journalists are going to be more interested in this story than the average bear, and of course we are far more likely to take up for a female who appears to have been pushed out by corporate muckety-mucks and stiff-pooping middle-aged white guys who wanted to drop the guillotine before the Southampton Beach Club opens fully for the season. I’m sure they’ll be discussing this at length at Nick and Toni’s.

Something to keep in mind: being a talented reporter, writer or editor has nothing to do with being a solid manager. I happen to work for two men right now, Jim Impoco and Bob Roe, who are both terrific editors and approachable and supportive managers. They even seem to be –gasp!–decent communicators.

But that isn’t always the way in this business. I’ve never worked for Abramson. She seems to have been widely respected, if not necessarily easy to work with. But it certainly seems like she got, as a former Sports Illustrated managing editor who was a horrible communicator described to me his own fate, “shit-canned.”

4. I Am Sam

Remember back when Michael Sam just wanted to be known as a football player?

Those days are over: Sam’s agents have signed a deal with Oprah (no surname necessary) to produce a reality-based show around the seventh-round pick’s quest to make the St. Louis Rams. So, you can’t blame a player, especially a football player, for trying to make as much Bitcoin as he can while the getting’s good, given the illusory nature of their NFL longevity. On the other hand, you can’t blame Sam’s teammates for not being on board with it. Or Rams’ management for wondering how much trouble the 249th pick in the draft is worth.

Does this makes Vito Cammisano  the LGBT Katherine Webb, by the way?

I think Drew Magary handled the topic well, pointing out the disparity between “distraction” and “authenticity.”

5. Bombaywatch

India just elected the world’s most important, at least by number of constituents, leader. Narendra Modi will lead the nation of 1.2 billion humans, none of whom can throw a baseball fast enough to please Jon Hamm. Modi is 63. As soon as the election results were announced, the entire country headed to the nearest train station and staged a huge production number. Jai Ho!

Reserves

Yes, that buzz in the air is what you think it is. WNBA season tips off tonight! The Seattle Storm, the league’s only team named in honor of an ESPN anchor (whose dad, it must be noted, was a honcho in the ABA) hosts the Los Angles Sparks, who should be inking a branding deal with a certain apparel company any day now to be known as the Los Angels Spanx.

Sue Bird, who sat out last season with an injury, returns to the Storm.

****

Fun Notes: From last night’s Yankees-Mess game, in which both pitchers, Chase Whitley and Jacob deGrom, made their Major League debuts:

1) Both pitchers got a hit in their first at-bat, which hadn’t happened to two such pitchers (in first game,  that is) since 1963.

2) The Yankees were facing a pitcher making his MLB debut for the second time in as many nights. The last time they did that? 1915.

3) The last time the Yankees were involved in a game in which both pitchers were making their big-league debut? 1908, when they were the Highlanders, and it was against the Red Sox. Both pitchers who started that game never appeared in the big leagues again.

4) The Yankees shut out the Mets for the second night in a row.

5) Neither Whitley nor deGrom allowed a truly earned run in nearly 12 full innings of pitching. Whitley left with two outs in the fifth, the score knotted 0-0, and the Mess with runners on second and third thanks to a pair of walks. Dillon Betances got him out of that jam. deGrom left after seven, having given up one earned run, though if the Mets had completed a double play they should have, he would’ve escaped before allowing Alfonso Soriano’s two-out, run-scoring, game-winning triple.

6) deGrom’s base hit was the first by any Mess pitcher this season, breaking an 0-for-64 drought.

 

The Hall

Charter Inductees: Ty Cobb, Walter Johnson, Christy Mathewson, Babe Ruth, Honus Wagner

1937:  Tris Speaker, CF; Cy Young, P ; 1938: Grover Cleveland Alexander, P; Eddie Collins, 2B 1939:Nap Lajoie, 2B; Joe Jackson, LF; 1940: Billy Hamilton, OF; Cap Anson, 1B; 1941: Wee Willie Keeler, RF; George Sisler, 1B; 1942: Rogers Hornsby, 2B; Pie Traynor, 3B; 1943: Mickey Cochrane, C; Frankie Frisch, 2B 1944: Ed Walsh, P; Old Hoss Radbourn, P 1945: Lou Gehrig, 1B; Kid Nichols, P 1946: Ed Delahanty, LF; Lefty O’Doul 1947: Pud Galvin, P; John McGraw, INF 1948: Carl Hubbell, P; Addie Joss, P 1949: Harry Heilman, OF/1B; Monte Ward, P/SS 1950: Cool Papa Bell, CF; Jimmie Foxx, 1B 1951: Mordecai “Three Finger” Brown, P; Josh Gibson, C 1952: Paul Waner, RF; Charlie Gehringer, 2B 1953: Mel Ott, RF; Hank Greenberg, 1B 1954: Eddie Plank, P; Dan Brouthers, 1B 1955: “Wahoo” Sam Crawford, OF; John Clarkson, P 1956: Chief Bender, P; Bill Dickey, C 1957: Sam Rice, RF; Joe DiMaggio, CF 1958: Bill Terry, 1B; Heinie Manush, LF 1959: Dizzy Dean, P; Tim Keefe, P 1960: Gabby Hartnett, C; Mickey Welch, P 1961: Bob Feller, P; Ducky Medwick, LF 1962: Luke Appling, SS; Jesse Burkett, LF 1963 Jackie Robinson, 2B; Zack Wheat, LF 1964: Jake Beckley, 1B; Rube Waddell, P 1965: Ralph Kiner, 1B; Lefty Grove, P 1966: Ted Williams, LF; Smoky Joe Wood, P/OF 1967: Roy Campanella, C; Max Carey, OF 1968: Goose Goslin, LF; Rabbit Maranville, SS 1969: Stan Musial, 1B/OF 1970: Ferris Fain, 1B; Earle Combs, CF 1971: Warren Spahn, P; Yogi Berra, C 1972 Satchel Paige, P; Sandy Koufax, P 1973: Robin Roberts, P; Whitey Ford, P 1974: Mickey Mantle, CF; Eddie Mathews, 3B 1975: Lefty Gomez, P; Hack Wilson, CF 

1976: Jack Pfiester, P; Johnny Mize, 1B 1977: Ernie Banks, SS; Mickey Welch, P 1978: Roberto Clemente, RF; Chuck Klein, RF 1979: Willie Mays, CF; Luis Aparicio,  SS 1980: Al Kaline, RF; Enos Slaughter, RF 1981: Bob Gibson, P; Harmon Killebrew, 1B 1982: Hank Aaron, RF; Frank Robinson, OF 1983: Brooks Robinson, 3B, Juan Marichal, P 1984: Hoyt Wilhelm, P; Arky Vaughan, SS 1985: Lou Brock, LF; Pete Browning, OF 1986: Sidd Finch, P 1987: Willie McCovey, 1B, Roger Maris, RF 1988: Willie Stargell, 1B, Catfish Hunter, P 1989: Earl Averill, CF, Billy Williams, LF 1990: Johnny Bench, C, Carl Yastrzemski, LF 1991: Jim Palmer, P, Joe Morgan, 2B 1992: Rod Carew, 2B; Gaylord Perry, P 1993: Reggie Jackson, RF, Tom Seaver, P 1994: Phil Niekro, P, Rollie Fingers, P 1995: Pete Rose, INF, Mike Schmidt, 3B 1996: Steve Carlton, P, Denny McLain, P 1997: Jim Rice, LF, Don Sutton, P 1998: Dick Allen, 1B, Dave Parker, RF 1999: Nolan Ryan, P, George Brett, 3B 2000: Robin Yount, SS, Carlton Fisk, C 2001: Kirby Puckett, CF, Mark Fidrych, P 2002: Ozzie Smith, SS, Gary Carter, C 2003: Eddie Murray, 1B, Tommy John (Surgery) 2004: Paul Molitor, INF, Dennis Eckersley, P 2005: Wade Boggs, 3B, Ryne Sandberg, 2B 2006: Hughie Jennings, SS, Herman Long, SS 2007: Cal Ripken, Jr, SS, Tony Gwynn, RF 2008: Tanner Boyle, SS, Crash Davis, C 2009: Rickey Henderson, LF, Duke Snider, CF 2010: Lee Smith, P, Garry Maddox, CF 2011: Roberto Alomar, 2B, Dave Winfield, LF 2012: Barry Larkin, SS, Johnny Vander Meer, P 2013: Phil Rizzuto, SS, Ferguson Jenkins, P 2014: Greg Maddux, P, Craig Biggio  2B/C 2015: Mike Piazza, C, Randy Johnson, P 2016: Ken Griffey, Jr., CF, Pedro Martinez, P

2017

Frank Thomas 1B/DH; 1990-2008, White Sox

The nickname itself, the Big Hurt, given him by Ken “The Hawk” Harrelson, is Hall-worthy. A two-time AL Most Valuable Player, Thomas was one of the most feared hitters of the Nineties, leading the league in OBP four times (he’s 19th all-time at .419). Retired with a .301 batting average, 521 home runs and 495 doubles.

Tom Glavine, P; 1987-2008, Braves

What Glavine did as well as anyone who ever pitched? Stay healthy. The Tom Verducci doppelganger made at least 32 starts per season in 17 of 20 seasons in the heart of his career. A 300-game winner (305-203) and two-time Cy Young Award winner, Glavine led the N.L. in wins five times corresponding to his five 20-win seasons.

Remote Patrol

Captain Phillips

STARZ 9 p.m.

I haven’t seen this movie yet, so I’ll at least DVR it (as I spend a Friday night swanking it up, I’m sure, at some posh Manhattan drinkery.). Anyway, some day there will be an entire film festival devoted to “Tom Hanks in Trouble in Oceans” films, none of which are Ocean’s 11, Ocean’s 12, or Ocean’s 13.