Thomas Gase Guide: Get ready for some soccer!
"Halfback passes to centre, back to wing, back to centre. Centre holds it ... holds it (takes a big sigh) ... holds it."
- Kent Brockman, fictional television broadcaster, bored out of his mind on "The Simpsons"
"Halfback passes to centre, back to wing, back to centre! Centre holds it! Holds it!!! Holds it!!!!"
- Wildly passionate Spanish-speaking commentator who repeats the same pass but with intense, rapid-fire emotion.
Look, you either love soccer or can't stand it. There is no in between. The sport is either "The Godfather" or "Caddyshack 2". The Beatles or Milli Vanilli.
But every two years and every four years for the men's side, even the people who find soccer as boring as a root canal find it as awesome as winning the lottery.
Yep, that's right. The World Cup is back, and this year it's back in the United States, including the Bay Area.
Action kicks off on Thursday, and you can either watch in person, at home, or even at some local gathering spots. Spain, France, and England are the favorites, but you can also cheer for Mexico and the United States. After all, the United States won the gold medal this year in hockey, and no Canadian team has won the Stanley Cup since the first "Jurassic Park" movie came out.
So dare to dream.
There are also a lot of New Yorkers hoping to have their dreams come true as the Knicks try to win their first NBA title since Pink Floyd's "Dark Side of the Moon" came out on vinyl. The Las Vegas Golden Knights, up 2-1 in the Stanley Cup finals heading into Tuesday, are looking for their second title in four years.
The college baseball and softball series continues, and the A's play in Vegas?
It's a lot to gauge, so let's get going with another edition of the Thomas Gase Guide.
Tuesday
The Stanley Cup Finals continue with Game 4 in Las Vegas in a series that has gone up and down more often than the final scene on the highway of "One Battle After Another." Vegas was on the verge of going up 2-0 on the road, but a goal by Vegas forward Pavel Dorofeyev that would have put them up 3-2 in the game was waved off. Carolina then took the lead, but moments later, Vegas tied it on a power play. Carolina then won in overtime, 4-3.
In Game 3, Las Vegas went up 4-0 after four second-period goals. However, Carolina fought back to tie it at 4-4 on a flurry of four third-period goals. The game went into a second overtime when Las Vegas scored to avoid the letdown.
So what will happen in Game 4? Stay tuned. Game time is 5 p.m. on ESPN.
The A's and Giants both play on Tuesday night, but don't go anywhere near Sacramento. It will be as empty as a school library in the summer. The A's play this week at Las Vegas Ballpark in downtown Summerlin, just a few miles from where the A's are expected to play in 2028. The first series is against the Milwaukee Brewers, while the second is against the Colorado Rockies.
The Giants, coming off a series win over the Cubs, are at Oracle Park against the Washington Nationals. The Tuesday night game is a night contest, while the Wednesday night game is a matinee.
Wednesday
Well, if you're a Knicks fan, tonight is the night you have been waiting on for five decades ... maybe. If New York wins Monday's scheduled game (after the Times-Herald went to press), then New York can sweep on Wednesday night. The Knicks looked good in San Antonio (sans most of Game 2's fourth quarter), and now the Knicks will play in front of their home crowd. The Knicks may want to keep playing on the road, however - they have won six straight away from New York, with three of those wins coming by at least 30 points. Game 4 is on ABC at 5:30 p.m.
If basketball isn't your game, then tune into some good baseball series, like the New York Yankees at the Cleveland Guardians, the Los Angeles Dodgers at the Pittsburgh Pirates, the Atlanta Braves at the Chicago White Sox, or the Philadelphia Phillies at the Toronto Blue Jays.
Thursday
Like the Simpsons say, "Open wide for some soccer!"
The World Cup starts today, kicking off (pardon the pun) with Mexico against South Africa at noon. One place to watch might be the venue in American Canyon, the Ruins. The Ruins is an abandoned cement factory built in the early 1900's that has become a new venue. It's located at 100 Ruins Court in American Canyon. Or just watch the game at home. Later that day, Czechia takes on South Korea at 7 p.m.
Depending on how the Golden Knights do on Tuesday, Las Vegas may have the chance to win the Stanley Cup in Carolina on Thursday. If not, even better - a Game 5 in a series tied at 2-2. Either way, you'll want to check in on ESPN.
Friday
The College Softball World Series ended last week with Texas beating Texas Tech in a sweep, but the College Baseball World Series playoff bracket begins today with matchups of West Virginia playing Troy at 2 p.m., followed by North Carolina and Ole Miss at 7 p.m. This bracket will go on for about 10 days.
At 6 p.m., you'll want to check out the United States soccer team in its opener against Paraguay, while Canada takes on Bosnia and Herzegovina at noon. Once again, the Ruins will be hosting a watch party if you're looking to cheer on your favorite country.
The A's kick off their second series in Las Vegas against the Rockies, while the Giants are also at home playing the Cubs for the second time in a week.
The weekend
If the NBA finals continue, the fifth game is in San Antonio Saturday at 5:30 p.m. At this point, the series could be over, the Knicks up 3-1 or tied at 2-2. So if there actually is a game, watch it.
Or tune into some more soccer with four more games on Saturday, including Brazil and Morocco at 3 p.m., Qatar and Switzerland at noon, or Haiti and Scotland at 6 p.m. On Sunday, Germany takes on Curacao at 10 a.m., while the Netherlands and Japan play at 1 p.m. Sweden and Tunisia play at 7 p.m.
The college baseball World Series resumes on Saturday with Alabama and Oklahoma at 3 p.m., while Georgia takes on Texas at 8 p.m.
The NHL finals will continue if needed on Sunday at 5 p.m. for Game 6 in Las Vegas. In fact, make a day out of it and see the A's play the Rockies, followed by Game 6. Then no matter what the dice says, you'll be a winner.
Read
"The Basketball 100" by David Aldridge and John Hollinger with Athletic Staff (To read while watching NBA Finals).
Watch
"30 for 30: The Two Escobars." (To watch while the World Cup goes on and to realize how passionate some soccer fans are).
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