Don’t Forget The Belmont Stakes, Too

First, we’ll take a moment to congratulate the Washington Capitals on winning their first Stanley Cup. Their 4-3 victory on the road Thursday night over the Vegas Golden Knights put the hardware in their hands after a five-game series in which they won the last four. Nice work by Conn Smythe Trophy winner Alex Ovechkin and his mates, and what a great season by the expansion Knights.

We still have some dramatic competition ahead of us. We always find something to watch. So put your heiner in the recliner and get ready for Friday night’s NBA Finals matchup at 9 p.m. ET on ABC between the Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers. The Warriors lead the best-of-seven series 3-0 and are looking for their third title in four seasons.

The French Open concludes this weekend, with the women’s championship at 9 a.m. Saturday on NBC. Simona Halep of Romania, the No. 1 seed, meets No. 10 Sloane Stephens of the United States. The men’s semifinals are Friday morning, and their final is Sunday at 9 a.m. on NBC. We’re thinking Rafael Nadal will be there.

Justify, the heavy favorite, goes after the Triple Crown on Saturday at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y., in the grueling 1 ½-mile Belmont Stakes. The last Triple Crown winner was American Pharoah in 2015. Pharoah’s trainer, Bob Baffert, also trains Justify. Post time is 6:46 p.m. but NBC will start its coverage at 4 p.m. Justify won the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes in the mud. Here’s hoping for better weather.

The guys who go round and round in NASCAR’s Monster Energy Cup Series take their show to Michigan for the FireKeepers Casino 400 on Sunday. Fox shows this at 2 p.m.

Yes, we know, there is such a thing as baseball. We’ll offer you ESPN’s Sunday nighter at 8 p.m. featuring the New York Yankees at the New York Mets. The Yankees are hot, holding first place (as we type) in the American League East. The Mets, losers of six straight, are struggling in the National League East.

 
 
Post By: Larry Weisman, a longtime sportswriter for USA TODAY, blogs for Twistity.com. Follow him on Twitter @MrLarryWeisman