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This is the best of the Ben Mallor show on Fox Sports Radio.

We will get to the middle finger heard around the baseball world in a moment.

But first, the fallout is in.

The ratings report card is complete. Game 5 of the NBA finals, as seen on network television between Cleveland and Golden State.

Another ratings bonanza.

A huge number that had everyone have an orgasm that works for the NBA.

24.5 million souls witnessed at least some, enough to get a rating of Game 5.

That's what the ratings tell us the most watched Game 5 of the NBA finals in 19 years.

The top TV markets outside of the obvious ones, which is San Francisco and Cleveland.

After that, you've got places like Columbus, Ohio, which is another obvious one, Sacramento.

And then outside of non-Ohio or northern California locations, places like Atlanta, Miami, Memphis, and Los Angeles.

So the NBA Finals did not play well in the Big Apple.

It didn't play well in Chicago.

Didn't play well in Boston.

Places like that.

Houston, I don't see them among the top five.

So I'm trying to think of some of the other top television markets.

But you go by the television ratings, which is what they go by, that's the Bible, that's what they care about, the NBA finals drew the best ratings that they've had in the NBA in almost 20 years.

We'll have more on that later, but I want to pivot over to baseball.

And the reason I wanted to pivot over to baseball is because several of you were very excited

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