Best of Yardbarker: Derek Jeter takes his place among the greats

The number retirement ceremony comes at a very opportune time now that the Yankees are back to playing tremendous baseball — the way they did in Jeter's heyday.

Unfortunately, if you're a fan of the other New York baseball team, things aren't quite as comfortable. While the Mets are in second place in the National League East, controversy continues to swirl, whether we're talking Matt Harvey's no-show and suspension, a blush-inducing tweet that made the rounds, or the continual injury woes to some of the team's biggest stars. The Mets are treading water, but they aren't sunk just yet: "Despite all of the early season disarray and distress, the Mets just may need to grin and bear it as they wait for reinforcements. A resurrection could be on the other side of the weeds for the reeling yet talented club."

You would think given all the issues the Mets have had to deal with they'd be in the NL East cellar as opposed to hovering around .500 and in second place. However, the current team bringing up the rear in the division is one some people thought may actually improve this year: the Atlanta Braves. They have not, but there is still reason to watch the putrid Braves. What reason might that be? First baseman Freddie Freeman, who won't stop raking at the plate: "Freddie Freeman has been playing at an extremely high level for a while now, and while there's not too much reason for fans outside of Atlanta to pay attention to the Braves, there's still plenty of reason to keep an eye on their first baseman — if only to see if the hot-hitting slugger can keep up this amazing run of form at the plate."

Keeping with the AL and NL East theme, two Phillies, two Yankees, one Oriole, one Ray and one National are among the most surprising MLB players at the quarter mark of the season:

Yes, the baseball season is already a quarter of the way through, while in the NBA, the Western Conference Finals tip off Sunday. The finalists aren't set yet, but everyone expects the defending champion Cleveland Cavaliers and 2015 champion Golden State Warriors to battle for a third straight time in the NBA Finals.

Given how both squads have swept their way to the conference finals, that matchup really does seem inevitable. Thus, we thought, why wait? So here's our too soon Cavaliers-Warriors NBA Finals preview: "Durant is only 5-18 lifetime against LeBron — and 1-4 in the Finals — though he averages 29 points per game. He is on a one-game winning streak, however, thanks to finally having teammates who happily pass him the ball."

The Warriors quickly disposed of the Trail Blazers and Jazz to get to the Western Conference Finals, while the Cavs ran through the Pacers and, once again, the Raptors. It was a particularly painful sweep for Toronto, a team that tried to ready itself to really challenge Cleveland by acquiring Serge Ibaka in-season. Things may only get more complicated, as All-Star point guard Kyle Lowry has opted out of his contract.

That bring us to the 'Are the Lowry-era Raptors now extinct?' quiz:

The season may be over for the Raptors and winding down for the entire NBA, but the WNBA is just gearing up. Keep an eye out for the five WNBA storylines that will shape the 2017 season: "The improved pace of play in the league has largely been a result of a deep and constantly evolving talent pool coming out of the college ranks. This year was no exception, headlined by the number one draft pick and the NCAA’s all-time leading scorer Kelsey Plum, who has already impressed onlookers in spite of the San Antonio Stars’ seemingly crowded backcourt."

Finally, we leave you on this Mother's Day weekend with our latest video, going to the brink with Sacramento Kings big Willie Cauley-Stein: