STARTING FIVE

1. Strange-Bred Fellows

I think that Andrew Romano of The Daily Beast is on to something here: Arya Stark and the Hound; previously, Kingslayer and Lady Brienne; and now Lady Brienne and Rodrick; Tyrion and Oberyn; Khaleesi and Jorah.

Isn’t it funny in this life of ours how, when things do not go according to plan, when everything isn’t as wonderful as it could possibly be (see: the Lannisters), that it actually works in our favor? To be paired with someone you might not necessarily have chosen as an ally, to have a formidable task ahead of you…

We live in a fragmented nation…where you either watch Fox News or everything else, where we yell across the aisle at each other without actually listening. And we are allowed to remain in our comfort zones.

We also live in a world where people think The End is the payoff (College Football Playoff!!!!) when it’s the journey and the overcoming hurdles that is the true gift of existing. I know I’m going off on a tangent here, but back when the OKC Thunder got rid of James Harden, “smart” people explained to me that this had to happen, because how could he turn down the money? And I thought, James Harden is wealthier than he will ever need to be and someone just robbed him of 10 years with not one but two once-in-a-generation teammates, Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook,..for what? So that he can diamond-encrust the bottom of his pool with his initials?

And maybe, if you look around, you’ll notice that there’s a very, very successful NBA team that, like our favorite characters from Game of Thrones, have been tossed together for a common cause from either shore of the Narrow Sea. And they seem to be enjoying themselves…and faring well…and no one is crying poverty. Tyrion, Oberyn and Daenerys, meet your NBA analogues: the San Antonio Spurs.

And, of course, Andy Greenwald’s recap on Grantland.com is nearly as satisfying as the episode itself.

2. Septumtariat*

Affirmed: California Chrome will not be given a Citation if he wears a nasal strip for his Assault on the Triple Crown at the Belmont Stakes in June.

*Courtesy of loyal reader Greg Auman

 3. The Death of Ari Gold

Imagine how compromised Entourage would have been as a series if Ari Gold, or the actor who portrays him, Jeremy Piven, had died in the midst of the show’s first season?

That’s the dilemma facing “Silicon Valley” two shows into the post-Peter Gregory era. Actor Christopher Evan Welch, who was (and still may be) headed to a Best Supporting Actor Emmy nomination, died of complications related to cancer just four episodes in to his magnificent, idiosyncratic portrayal of the billionaire (and I’ll always love and be spooked by his final scene, in which he is asked how he feels and in which his closing line is “This is…displeasing.”).

The parallels between the two shows — a group of young men in California trying to make it big, mostly off the coat tails of one friend in particular.

Richard is Vince, minus the dreamy eyes.

Jared is E., just taller and (even) more sensitive.

Erlich is the id of Johnny Drama, while Dinesh and Gilfoyle (Martin Starr is killing it here; he’s the downbeat Kramer of Pied Piper) represent the Turtle-Drama friendship.

Bighead is kinda Turtle.

Monica is definitely Llllloooyyyyyyydd!

We just don’t have an Ari any longer. This past week he was on safari with Lorne Michaels, which of course makes no sense because there was no way he’d miss TechCrunch Disrupt. Gavin Belson had even promised to see him there.

So what do you do if you’re Mike Judge? You either go Darren from “Bewitched” and give an entirely new actor the same role and just rely on the grace of the audience, who understands why you must do this…or you go “Two and a Half Men” and create a similar character and a story line in which this angel investor has somehow stepped into Peter’s role.

I still like “Silicon Valley.” But there is a void here. And you don’t have to be able to write Java code to compute that.

4. It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Madrid World

Since 2004 La Liga, Spain’s national football league, has been the domain of two sides and two sides only: Real Madrid, which boasts sometimes naked Cristiano Ronaldo, and FC Barcelona, which has Lionel Messi, who may ultimately be a superior footballer even if he has Paul Simon’s hairdo.

And, since 2008, Spain itself has ruled football, winning the 2008 European Championships and the 2010 World Cup.

So what Atletico Madrid has done this season is magnificent. The New York Mess of Madrid, Atletico won La Liga last Saturday, its first league title in 18 years, and this coming Saturday it will meet Real Madrid in an all-Spain, all-Madrid, Champions League final. It’s the first such final, intra-city, in Champions League final history. The match will take place in Lisbon.

5. And Now, The End is Near…

As Alan Sepinwall notes, Don Draper slow-dancing in the office with Peggy Olsen would have been, could have been, the perfect closing scene of “Mad Men.” Now the pressure is on Matthew Weiner to improve upon it.

Why would it have been ideal? Because for all the tumult of the Sixties, Don never really stopped being the Fifties Male Professional Paragon. And Ol’ Blue Eyes, Frank Sinatra, one of the planet’s few men who bedded more lovely ladies than ol’ Don, was seen as past his prime almost ten years earlier.

But here, in the spring of 1969, “My Way” was released and it became his defining tune. It spent all of spring on the charts, while in the UK it spent 75 weeks on the charts.

And the parallels between Frank and Don are unmistakable. Before Paul Anka wrote the song for the Chairman of the Board, he had confessed to Anka that he was getting out of the music business. Everyone inside of it had dismissed Sinatra as washed up. But by writing the tune for his friend, Anka was pulling a Freddy Rumsen (“Do the work!”) and it paid off.

Frank Sinatra and Don Draper: two men full of unrepentant swagger. Regrets, they’ve had a few/but then again too few to mention.

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, Tom Glavine, P

2018

Ivan Rodriguez, C; 1991-2011, Rangers, Others

The other “Pudge” was a 14-time All-Star and arguably the best backstop with the most lethal arm in the game’s long history. A 14-time All-Star who also hit .296, Pudge played more games at catcher (2,427) than anyone ever has in the MLB.

Manny Ramirez, LF; 1993-2011, Indians, Red Sox

Has any right-handed hitter ever had a more beautiful swing? For as poor and disinterested a fielder and baserunner as the inscrutable Ramirez could be (“That’s Manny being Manny”), his looseness allowed the 12-time All-Star to hit .312 while stroking 555 home runs. As clutch a hitter as you’ll ever come across. Impervious to, or simply unaware of, pressure moments.

Remote Patrol

Thunder-Spurs, Game 1

TNT 9 p.m.

This is all that you should or could want. Two teams representing four different continents –five, if you want to include the heavy African lineage. I doubt the Finals will feature basketball played at this level, so settle in and enjoy. And let’s hope that Parker and Ibaka can play.