The NBA and NHL championships have been decided.
Baseball is in the midst of its slowest stretch.
The NFL and college football won’t kick off for another two-plus months.
It is official. The slowest stretch of the sports calendar is here.
Still, there is much to look forward to before a new school year begins in September:
NBA Draft (June 22): Victor Wembanyama, the best NBA prospect since LeBron James, is a lock to be taken by the Spurs with the No. 1 pick.
Good luck guessing what happens next.
Guard Scoot Henderson would be the top pick in most draft years. Multiple teams reportedly are trying to trade up. The potential trade availability of Bradley Beal and Damian Lillard — Portland holds the No. 3 pick — could make for a chaotic night.
NHL Draft (June 28): The Blackhawks will kick off a new era by (most likely) selecting Connor Bedard.
The Rangers are the only local team with a first-round pick (23rd overall).
Wimbledon Championships (July 3-16): Novak Djokovic is the heavy favorite to win the tournament for the fifth straight time. An eighth Wimbledon title would tie him with Roger Federer for the most all-time.
Djokovic, who hasn’t lost at a grand slam event in more than a year, also could keep alive his hopes of a calendar grand slam, which eluded him in 2021 and hasn’t been achieved by a men’s player since 1969 (Rod Laver).
MLB Draft (July 9-11): The Yankees select 26th overall, 10 years after finding Aaron Judge with the 32nd pick. The Mets pick 32nd in this year’s draft, dropping 10 spots as punishment for exceeding the competitive balance tax threshold by more than $40 million.
MLB All-Star Game in Seattle (July 11): Though each of the past nine games have been decided by three runs or fewer, the National League still is looking to claim victory for the first time since 2012. As of the most recent round of voting, Judge is the only New York player leading the tally at his respective position.
Lionel Messi’s MLS debut (TBD): Messi, perhaps the greatest soccer player of all time, hasn’t officially signed with Inter Miami yet, so it is unclear when he will play his first game in MLS.
It could come in July.
Whenever he steps on the field, it will mark the biggest moment in the history of the league.
British Open (July 20-23): Last year’s Open was a classic, with Cameron Smith shooting a final-round 64 to edge out Cameron Young and Rory McIlroy. This year’s tournament will be held at the Royal Liverpool Golf Club, where McIlroy won his lone Open Championship in 2014.
Women’s World Cup (July 20-Aug. 20): The United States is vying for an unprecedented three-peat in Australia after winning the world’s biggest tournament in 2015 and 2019. Team USA is the betting favorite (+275) to win it again, but England (+350) is a threat to steal the crown.
Leagues Cup (July 21-Aug. 19): The MLS season will pause for this reconfigured — essentially, brand new — month-long, World Cup-style tournament, featuring MLS and Liga MX clubs.
Subway Series at Yankee Stadium (July 25-26): More than a quarter-century after its inception, the Subway Series still holds unique buzz. This week’s pair of one-run games again demonstrated that the atmosphere is never dependent on the standings.
Las Vegas Aces at New York Liberty (Aug. 6): The defending WNBA champion meets the newest superteam in a potential preview of this year’s title matchup.
In addition to a June 29 meeting in Las Vegas, the two powers could also end up facing off for the Commissioner’s Cup in mid-August.
Little League World Series (Aug. 16-Aug. 27): Will New York make noise again? Last year, Massapequa Coast became the first team from Long Island to go to Williamsport in 44 years.
Angels at Mets (Aug. 25-27): The greatest show in baseball makes the rare trip to Queens. Shohei Ohtani is on track for another MVP award, batting .301 with an MLB-best 22 home runs, while going 6-2 with a 3.29 ERA.
U.S. Open (Aug. 28-Sept. 10): If Djokovic doesn’t capture the career grand slam, Carlos Alcaraz, 20, could repeat as champion with his unparalleled, exhilarating style. On the women’s side, Iga Swiatek will be the favorite to repeat. The 22-year-old recently became the youngest player since Serena Williams to win four grand slam events.
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Add the Men’s College World Series to the list, too.
The eight-team field kicks off Friday in Omaha — featuring Wake Forest, Florida, LSU, Virginia, Tennessee, TCU, Stanford and Oral Roberts — and is among the most intriguing in years:
• Oral Roberts is the lowest seed since Stony Brook (2012) to advance to the College World Series and just the third No. 4 seed to reach this stage in the past 24 years. This Cinderella — making its first CWS appearance since 1978 — is already charming Omaha.
During my trip to Nebraska in 2012, I encountered fans wearing Stony Brook merchandise and waiting in line to receive player autographs just days after learning of the school’s existence. The Golden Eagles could make a greater impact than the Seawolves on the field, having won 23 of their past 24 games. Center fielder Jonah Cox is batting .420 and enters with a 47-game hitting streak, which is tied for the third-longest in Division I history.
• Wake Forest is looking to become the first No. 1 overall seed to win it all since 1999 (Miami). The Demon Deacons have cruised through the NCAA Tournament, winning their games by a combined score of 75-16. Wake Forest hasn’t been to Omaha since winning the title in 1955.
• LSU, the title favorite much of the season, features the top two projected picks in the upcoming MLB Draft. Outfielder Dylan Crews is batting .434. Pitcher Paul Skenes consistently throws over 100 mph, and has a 1.77 ERA with 188 strikeouts and 18 walks.
• Florida’s Wyatt Langford, the projected No. 3 pick in the MLB Draft, is batting .373 with 17 home runs. The Gators may have an even more entertaining prospect in sophomore Jac Caglianone, who is batting .337 and leads the nation with 31 home runs, while boasting a 7-3 record and 3.78 ERA as the team’s No. 3 starter.
Play begins Friday with TCU (42-22) vs. Oral Roberts (51-12) and Florida (50-15) vs. Virginia (50-13). Saturday, Wake Forest (52-10) battles Stanford (44-18), and LSU (48-15) takes on Tennessee (43-20). Games are on ESPN.
Rickie Fowler made history, notching the first-ever round of 62 at the U.S. Open.
Less than 20 minutes later, he had company.
After shooting the all-time lowest round in a major dating back to 1895, Fowler was equaled by Xander Schauffele, who also opened the 123rd U.S. Open at Los Angeles Country Club with a 62.
No player has ever shot better in a round at a major: Branden Grace’s third round at the 2017 British Open is the only other 62 in major history. Six players — beginning exactly 50 years ago with Johnny Miller — had shot 63 at the U.S. Open.
Fowler finished with 10 birdies, and Schauffele completed a bogey-free round.
Each player is seeking his first career major and enters the second round with a two-shot lead (over Dustin Johnson and Wyndham Clark).