This week was hard to pick a Dude of the Week. Between the OKC vs. Spurs series being a complete mess because of the refs and the Thunder flopping all over the place, the NHL playoffs that I honestly don’t know much about, and football just starting back up with voluntary OTAs, it felt way too early for football content. I was in a real predicament.

But I think this week we should change things up and not give the honor to just one person, but instead to a group of people. With Memorial Day weekend just passing, many people look at the holiday as simply a day off work. However, I believe it is important to take time to recognize and appreciate those who made the ultimate sacrifice for our nation.

No matter your political views or opinions, the United States is one of the few places in the world where you can freely have them. Our country was built on the idea of “the land of the free and the home of the brave,” and that rings true every day. People you have never met have put their lives on the line — and some have lost them — to protect your rights and freedoms. Freedom is not guaranteed; it is a privilege we have because of the men and women willing to sacrifice for it. So congratulations to this week’s Dude of the Week: all active and retired members of the United States military.

- Carter

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander reportedly sent a cease and desist through his lawyers to Underdog Sports over a parody promotion mocking his foul-drawing tendencies. The letter demanded they stop using his name, image, and likeness across virtually every platform imaginable, including social media, ads, merch, and even a satirical board game.

An all-time soft move. Filing legal paperwork over free-throw jokes is like suing a strip club because someone called you horny. If the allegations aren’t true, you probably don’t launch a full legal task force over memes about pump fakes and head snaps.

- Jack

On Tuesday night the Vegas Golden Knights swept the presidents trophy winning Colorado Avalanche. Something NO ONE saw coming.

I was even dumb enough to say I’d put my life savings on the Avalanche to win the cup:

Now the question becomes, how the fuck did this happen? The Avalanche were a juggernaut all season and throughout these playoffs. Going into the conference finals, they had the best forward and defenseman on the ice against any team. Sure they were a little banged up, but hell it’s the end of May, everyone is banged up.

There’s only one viable reason why Vegas was able to sweep Colorado… THE VEGAS FLU. When asked about the Vegas Flu, Vegas star Jack Eichel said, “the Vegas Flu is a very real thing.”

If your new here and don’t know what the Vegas flu is, it means everyone is fucking gambling and slugging beers on the Vegas strip during the damn conference finals. Now you may say, “Chuck these are professionals, they would never be out gambling and partying before some of the biggest games of their lives.” WRONG!!! Avs head coach, Jared Bednar, was seen gambling at the cosmopolitan the night before game 4. 

It starts from the top boys, and although we are very pro-gambling, maybe save it for the off season fellas.

That said, give me Vegas / Carolina cup. Although emotionally I’ll be pulling for the Canes, I think the Knights bring it home in 6. Sue me.

- Chuck

If you have been a fan of the PGA Tour over the past five years, you have probably heard about all the ways the Tour is trying to make the game more difficult for the pros. In my opinion, all of the club adjustments have done absolutely nothing to slow them down. If anything, things like ball rollbacks and club modifications are only going to hurt the average golfer. I do not think there is a single amateur golfer who truly believes the pros are playing the same clubs we are. I have been inside a TaylorMade tour truck, and let me tell you, they have equipment and adjustments you have never even seen before. The level of customization they can make is insane, and it is not something the average player can replicate.

This week, though, we got to see a golf course try to make things harder and fail miserably. TPC Craig Ranch hired Lanny Wadkins, a 21-time PGA Tour winner, to help redesign the course and make it much more difficult. Wadkins reportedly doubled the original renovation budget, leading to nearly $25 million worth of changes to the course. Because of that, initiation fees for new members jumped from $75,000 to $150,000.

Now, some people are saying the renovation worked. Last year, Scottie Scheffler won the tournament at -31, while this year Wyndham Clark won at -30. So technically, maybe the course played one stroke harder. But realistically, these guys looked like they had a personal vendetta against the Tour for trying to make golf more difficult. There were two players sitting at -18 after just TWO DAYS of play. More than anything, it just shows how insanely good these players are.

Sometimes a birdie fest is entertaining, but it is also objectively hilarious to watch a course fail this badly after spending that much money trying to toughen it up. Honestly, it is also satisfying to watch the PGA Tour lose this battle. Ever since LIV Golf came around, it feels like the Tour has had its panties in a bunch. Like a lot of major sports leagues, the PGA Tour seems completely disconnected from what fans actually want. Jay Monahan feels out of touch with the average golf fan, and I am looking forward to watching these players continue to embarrass the Tour’s attempts to “fix” the game.

- Carter

In one of the biggest upsets in tennis history, Jannik Sinner falls to Juan Manuel Cerundolo. Sinner was -10000 pre match. The collapse was almost impossible to comprehend — Sinner was up two sets to love and serving for the match at 5-1 in the third before completely unraveling. From that point on, he lost 18 of the final 20 games.

Just to put it into perspective, Sinner entered Roland-Garros as the biggest betting favorite the tournament has ever seen — even surpassing prime Rafael Nadal, who went on to win the French Open 14 times.

- Jack