Greetings from the sports desk located somewhere below the main deck of the Good Pirate Ship RedState. I had planned on this post being an examination of the NHL playoffs, but much to Sammy the Shark and Karl the Kraken’s displeasure, other sports demand attention this time through. However, we have sourced news of a comforting nature for our favorite sea monsters. Although their respective favorite NHL franchises did not make it into this year’s Stanley Cup playoffs, their primary minor league teams not only worked their way into the postseason but have both advanced to the second round. The Seattle Kraken’s AHL (American Hockey League) affiliate, the Coachella Valley Firebirds, is set to take on the Abbotsford Canucks. At the same time, the San José Sharks’ AHL squad, the San José Barracuda, will head for the mountains and a series against the Colorado Eagles. Let’s see if that is sufficient to keep those two happy …

That, and a fresh box of fish crackers.

Anyway, even with the NBA and NHL playoffs in full swing and baseball chugging along, the prime time (SWIDT) sports story from April 24 through 26 was the NFL Draft, held this year in the shadow of Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin. Presumably, the tundra has thawed by this time of year. If it hadn’t already, the heat emanating from Deion Sanders’ forehead over his son Shedeur, who played quarterback for his dad at Colorado, not being drafted until the fifth round by the Cleveland Browns would have sufficed to melt any and all ice instantly.

My colleague Bonchie has written twice about the media kerfuffle over Sanders the younger remaining undrafted until long after most professional football prognosticators and pundits believed would be the case.