7 can’t-miss sports events to watch on Memorial Day weekend

Memorial Day weekend. It’s a time for remembrance, spending time with family, and appreciating the things we have. This weekend is also the official sign that summer is here. Pools will open, TV will get drastically worse, the NBA Finals and Stanley Cup will hurtle towards completion, and soon baseball will have its time alone in the sun.

How much you enjoy this weekend will be directly proportionate to the amount of grilled meat you’re able to consume, paired with how hot it will be wherever you are. I, for one, hope these are in perfect balance — because I love you like that.

All times Eastern.

Matt Harvey v. Tyler Glasnow for ESPN Sunday Night baseball is a matchup of two pitchers in the middle of some ... stuff; let’s go with stuff. Harvey’s velocity is all over the place, and he keeps getting hit. Glasnow was a Rookie of the Year candidate, but he can’t throw strikes. Mets vs. Pirates, Sunday 8 p.m. on ESPN.

There’s another cup to decide this weekend. It’s been a disastrous season by Arsenal standards, while Chelsea are polishing another Premier League championship. A win for the Gunners would work wonders to try and make fans feel better, while a loss would punctuate just how bad it’s been. Arsenal vs. Chelsea in the FA Cup final Saturday, 12:30 p.m. on FOX

The longest race of the year, the Coca-Cola 600, takes place in Charlotte on Sunday night. The great thing about the 600 is that you can start smoking a rack of ribs just before it begins and still have time to eat before it’s over. That’s what America is all about. The broadcast begins at 5:30 p.m. on FOX.

There’s early-morning racing for you to wake up to on Sunday with the Monaco GP being broadcast live at 7:30 a.m. on NBC. Monaco is always a delight because the course looks like something out of a video game. The tight streets of Monaco make this THE race to watch if you only catch one F1 race this year.

Indianapolis 500

My goodness, you can spend your entire Sunday watching motorsports if you want. What a time to be alive. The 101st Indy 500 takes place at 12:20 p.m. on ABC. While it’s not quite as iconic as the 100th last year, it’s still one of those things that’s baked into the DNA of America.

Golf

The final rounds of the Dean and Deluca Invitational are on Saturday and Sunday, broadcast live on both days from 3-6 p.m. on CBS. Some chill afternoon golf is just what you need when your family becomes overwhelming. It’ll let you appear like you’re chilling with your fam, when in reality you’re just recovering.

College Lacrosse

The men’s and women’s NCAA lacrosse Final Four and championship are this weekend. The women’s title game is at 11 a.m. Sunday on ESPNU and the men’s is at 1 p.m. on ESPN2. Four of the eight remaining schools are from Maryland because crab cakes and football lacrosse is what Maryland does.

We’re celebrating the refresh of our 300+ sports blogs. So this week, read stories from fans of how they came to love their teams.

Utah Jazz basketball helped a father and son connect.

The 1972 Super Bowl was the beginning of a deep love with the Cowboys.

The WNBA is only getting better, and the future is bright.

The 1997 playoffs and a father-son relationship helped create a lifelong Wizards fan.

“Making goofs about the Flyers is one of my favorite things to do in this horrid hellscape we call the human experience” — Allison J. from Broad Street Hockey

Immigrating to the USA helped forge a dedicated Oklahoma Sooners fan.

How the Predators took over Nashville, Jordan Ritter Conn, The Ringer

LeBron’s always been on a crusade to be more than ‘just a scorer,’ Banksy Gonzalez, Dime

Mike Trout somehow found a way to get better, Neil Payne, FiveThirtyEight

You don’t know Diana Taurasi, Mechelle Voepel, espnW