Over the hump and safely on the other side. Whew. What a week ... and it's only halfway through!

The NBA Finals are, shockingly, taking over the world right now. I'm man enough to admit that, and HATE the NBA. But fair is fair, and these games have delivered.

Credit to the league, and to ESPN. That's right. I said it. To ESPN. I despise that place, but Mike Breen is probably the best play-by-play man in the booth right now (next to all the FOX guys, of course!).

They've steered clear of the nonsense, and just let the games play out. And it's worked! What a concept. Sure, the angry libs running the show back in Bristol must be seething after Trump's visit to Game 3 made it the most-watched NBA game in decades, but whatever.

A win is a win!

NBA FINALS RATINGS SURGE AS THE LEAGUE WELCOMES TRUMP, DROPS WOKE MESSAGING — BUT IS IT SUSTAINABLE?

Anyway, welcome to a Thursday Nightcaps — the one where the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders work though some internal drama (allegedly!) on the eve of their big Netflix premiere.

What else? I've got a 77-year-old ball ... boy ... in San Francisco putting it all on the line, Knicks fans going NUTS at JFK, a couple heated responses to my rib-smoking earlier this week, and Apple TV MLB reporter Tricia Whitaker checks in with a quick June update by the pool.

Spoiler alert: It's going great!

OK, grab you one of these new Coors Light tall boys to celebrate the return of the World Cup, and settle in for a Thursday 'Cap!

Look at that. You know, there really is beauty all around us. You just have to open your eyes and see it.

Or, you know, something like that.

Anyway, for those far more excited for that than the actual World Cup (hand raised), I've got some bad news for you ...

It appears we were duped. Coors misled us. Crooks! From the official website:

The Tallerboy is designed to hold three actual Coors Light cans and keep them cold and ready to share with friends and family.

Huh? We were led to believe this was one giant can of beer, right? At least that's how I read it. And now on launch day — they're all sold out, so don't bother — we find out it's just a big cooler.

What a sham. It's a cool product, don't get me wrong. Just not what I thought. Wishful thinking on my part, I reckon. One day.

OK, let's get this class going. I've got a yard to mow and a driveway to edge.

For those keeping count at home, we've got 90 (!!!) days till NFL kickoff. Still a ways off, but we're getting close. The good news? We've only got five days till the new season of America's Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders on Netflix!

And buddy, there is apparently some drama brewing in Big D. According to internet sleuths, veteran cheerleader Karley Swindel was CUT by the squad recently, leading to a viral fan campaign dubbed, "#JusticeForKarley".

Huge news out of the cheerleading world. I had no idea who Karley Swindel was before this, but people are PISSED.

And, according to People, if you mess with one veteran Dallas Cowboys cheerleader, you mess with all of them.

Fellow Cowboys cheerleader Marissa Lescheber said via DM that the entire squad rallied around Karley after she got the boot.

"Many of us immediately went to be with Karley and our staff members were very respectful and understanding of the gravity of the situation, while still trying to show support for the new rookie candidates," she said.

Whew. What a mess in Dallas! And just think, we're still months away from the inevitable late-season meltdown on the actual field. Don't love the vibes right now. Let's get this thing turned around!

OK, enough football talk in June. Let's head out west and check in the San Francisco Giants, who pulled off the second-biggest comeback of the day against the Nationals.

And it all started when this DEMON put his body on the line for a foul ball:

Incredible.

The Giants were down 9-1, 77-year-old "Lefty" made a diving grab on a foul ball, and then they rattled off 10 runs and won the game on a walk-off grand slam in the ninth.

Look at that effort. Look at the form. I'd score 10 runs after that, too. Lord knows I'd at least try. You better believe that I'm locking it back in after seeing a 77-year-old dive for a foul ball in a 9-1 game.

He's out there baking in the sun, miserable, annoyed like the rest of us. But he's diving for foul balls in the eighth inning and leaving it all out on the field.

How in the world can you not be romantic about baseball? What a sport.

PS: While that was a great play, with all due respect to Lefty, THIS will always be the best play by a ball boy in Giants history:

MAGGIE SAJAK APPEARS AT SAVANNAH BANANAS GAME AS JACKSON OLSON'S GIRLFRIEND, E-BIKE NEAR DEATH & MEAT!

Amazing.

OK, let's quickly rapid-fire this Thursday class into a big Thursday night and get outta here. First up? You've seen all the highlights out of MSG from last night, but this scene out of JFK Airport was second to none:

One minute, you're sitting at the gate, waiting to board what I assume will be another miserable flight. The next, you're watching the greatest comeback in NBA Finals history with a bunch of random people, and going absolutely nuts.

The best.

Next? I got ... a few ... emails about my ribs earlier this week. Apparently, everyone is pissed that I didn't remove the membrane.

From Guy G:

I’m offended by your lack of silverskin removal. No one wants to chew through that!

And, from Alex in NC:

Be a man and pull the membrane, you can't pull that off and think "Oh dang I wish I left that on so I could eat it."

Both fair points. I will add this disclaimer: I normally pull it off on baby backs. These were spare ribs, which are tougher. I was also short on time when I got home with them and needed to get them on the smoker by 1 p.m. or they wouldn't be done in time for dinner. I chose to skip that step out of necessity, not laziness.

OK, maybe a little laziness. But still.

That's it for today. Good class. Good work, everyone. Apple TV's MLB reporter, Tricia Whitaker, takes us home!

OutKick Nightcaps is a daily column set to run Monday through Friday at 4 p.m. (roughly, we’re not robots).

Is my excuse valid enough for you? Email me at Zach.Dean@OutKick.com.