The Week That Was (May 26-30, 2025)

A roundup of what I wrote, read, watched, etc. over the past week.

May 31, 2025

In this space on Saturdays, I do a weekly round-up of sorts: Sifting through what I wrote that you might have missed during the week, what I’ve been reading and watching myself, and some other fun things that have been going on. Let me know what you think about the format in the comments (or email me!1), and if there are running sections you’d like to see on a regular basis.

What I did this week

Here are the things I wrote or podcasted about during the previous week, sorted in descending order by quality, popularity and/or current relevance.

🏀 Be Afraid of the Oklahoma City Thunder. Be Very Afraid. - Not only is Finals-bound OKC a huge favorite to win the 2025 NBA title; they might also be on the verge of a full-blown dynasty. The Thunder enter the championship round with an 80-19 record, a +12.2 point differential and the youngest Finals rotation since the 1977 Blazers, raising historical comparisons to MJ’s Bulls and Steph’s Warriors as well. So I looked at the chance that this core wins at least one ring in the next five years with its rare mix of dominance, star power and youth.
🏀 Please Come Back Soon, Caitlin Clark — Signed, the WNBA - Clark’s recent quad strain — a rare injury after years of seeming invulnerability — puts the league’s momentum at risk, as she’s been the driving force behind its record-breaking ratings and attendance. As a result, the WNBA now faces a crucial test of whether the “Clark Effect” can endure in her absence.
⚾ Baseball Bytes: Here Come The Phillies - Philadelphia is off to another scorching start — one of the best in team history — but the clock is ticking on a veteran, expensive core that has come close to a title without sealing the deal. Elsewhere, Royals lefty Kris Bubic has improbably emerged as the franchise’s next Cy Young candidate, and I track Juan Soto’s puzzling power decline in Queens.
🏒 Are We Headed for a Panthers-Oilers Stanley Cup Rematch? - Florida took out Carolina (again) in the East and Edmonton breezed past Dallas (again) out West, setting the stage for a Stanley Cup Final rematch — something that’s happened only once in the past four decades.
⚾ The Fascinating Legacy of Andrew McCutchen - McCutchen helped lead the Pirates' brief renaissance in the 2010s and has returned to Pittsburgh late in his career, only to find the team floundering again — a full-circle arc that highlights his status as one of the best players of his era to spend most of his time on losing teams.
🏁 Ross Chastain isn’t as fast or wild as he used to be, but he might be a better driver - After he grabbed a dramatic worst-to-first win at Charlotte, I took note of how Ross Chastain is driving these days. His raw stats have slipped since his breakout 2022 campaign, but Chastain is finding ways to out-execute opponents with efficient driving and a knack for maximizing results. No, he’s not the fastest anymore, but other numbers show a maturing driver who’s winning with craft and grit rather than chaos.
- 🏁🎧 The Melon Method - This week on Podracing,
  Tyler
  and I broke down a wild Coca-Cola 600, where Kyle Larson’s Indy/Charlotte double came up short again, and William Byron and Denny Hamlin dominated… until Ross Chastain swooped in to "vulture the Vulture”. Then we dove into my piece on how Chastain’s more measured driving style might be making him better than ever. And we made our picks for this week’s betting slate and one-and-done contest.

Some interesting things I read/watched this week

A collection of articles (with a heavy focus on my fellow Substackers), videos and other media that I enjoyed and/or found thought-provoking over the past week. I don’t always 100% agree with what’s linked here… but that’s also sort of the point.