Send In the Clowns?

     I question how much change I accept in the sports world. This is not about the athletes, who are far superior to those of 50 years ago. The stadiums and the playing fields and the equipment they play with--all far better than in the past. But that is not the problem I have.

     My dilemma goes to the traditions of New Year's Day and how they don't resemble what I saw in 1968. Has this change been good for sports? Or am I just an out-of-touch old man who thinks  things were better back then than they are now?

     I didn't do much on New Year's Eve in 1967. I was with my girlfriend until 12:01 on January 1, when my father expected me to be home by 12:30. Considering that I did not have a driver's license and I was nearly a mile away from home, I thoroughly enjoyed the invigorating run up the hills rising away from the Raritan River in Highland Park, New Jersey. And, for the record, I made it home with 2 minutes to spare.

     My New Year's Day consisted of not too much riveting excitement. But the sporting events of New Year's Day 1968 were important to me. They followed the 79th annual Tournament of Roses Parade from chilly Pasadena, where it might have been a cloudless sky, but at 7:00 in the morning P.S.T., it was downright cold. I like seeing Roy Rogers and Dale Evans on their horses, parading down Colorado Boulevard as much as the awesome floats (I think they were as our family did not yet own a color TV) or the loud, high stepping bands from the University of Southern California--the Spirit of Troy and Indiana University Marching Hundred. Also telecast was the Mummer's Parade, a bunch of crazily festooned marchers, strumming their stringed instruments, along with a bevy of clowns adding to the Philadelphia madness. See the picture below, from the Temple University photo archives, of the Liberty Clowns, as shot by Jack Tinney of the Philadelphia Evening Bulletin.





The Orange Bowl Classic held the King Orange Jamboree Parade down Biscayne Boulevard in Miami the night before the game and they even had a basketball tournament. That was second rate to the aforementioned spectacles.

     It is what followed the parades which was my main focus. The four bowl games that were always held on New Year's Day. Orange, in the Orange Bowl in Miami; Sugar, in Tulane Stadium in New Orleans; Cotton, in the Cotton Bowl in Dallas; and the "Granddaddy of them all," the Rose Bowl in Pasadena. Only the best teams went to these games. And invariably, a mythical National Champion (or sometimes two) emerged from the day's play, based upon the votes cast in the Associated Press and United Press International polls. Many times, a Heisman Trophy winner, symbolic of the best collegiate football player in America, participated in one of the four games.

     Back in 1968, there were other bowl games--the Gator, in Jacksonville, FL; the Sun, in El Paso, TX; the Bluebonnet Bowl, in Houston; and the Liberty Bowl, which had relocated from Philadelphia to Memphis, TN. They did not have the stature of the New Year's Day games--merely because they weren't played on New Year' Day.

     The New Year's Day games were nearly all day games in 1968. The major television networks, while covering the contests, had started to make demands to move the games to a more suitable hour for a national audience, which began with the Orange Bowl going to prime time night game in 1964 when Texas and Alabama, with Joe Namath vied for the trophy.

     The culmination of the college football season was New Year's Day, absent post-season all-star games. Fans, many of them in various of states of disrepair from revelry on New Year's Eve, could watch these games bleary eyed in the stands or at home on TV. It was an annual ritual. A smorgasbord of college sports, bands, cheerleaders on display in warm, serendipitous settings. Certainly a sharp contrast to the cold, sometimes snow-covered turf of the Northeast. It seemed like it was a non-stop party, an extravaganza that could only be held on New Year's Day, advertising the four destinations for 8 schools whose record was deserving of playing in an elite contest.

     The day always opened with the Cotton Bowl on CBS. 75,000 hooting and hollering fans entered the stadium on the Texas State Fairgrounds to watch Texas A&M defeat Alabama 20-16. Football was religion, especially in the South and Southwest, so the game always featured an invocation by a man of the cloth prior to the teams trying to beat each others brains in. I always got a kick out of the Tyler Junior College Apache Belles marching group of smiling women in cowgirl gear and boots, who normally performed during the halftime show. It is unclear whether they were at the 1967 Cotton Bowl, but they did make Lady Byrd Johnson an honorary Apache Belle in 1967.

     Conflicting with and competing for a TV audience was the Sugar Bowl. Nearly 70,000 fans found  a way to get off of Bourbon Street to cheer their home standing Louisiana State University Tigers over the #5 ranked and only unbeaten major school, the Wyoming Cowboys. The score was 20-13, but proud UW alums noted that there were as many Cowboys fans in New Orleans as there were LSU fans--probably an apocryphal statement of pride from the UW faithful--LSU dominated the Louisiana football scene.

     What a colorful picture the marquee match up Rose Bowl spectacle must have given us (remember, no color TV in the Sperber den). NBC showed us the beautiful cheerleaders in their sweaters, representing USC. Tommy Trojan, on horseback, patrolling the sidelines; a tough, venerable mascot symbolizing a warrior mentality on the gridiron. USC, the champions of the Pacific 8 Conference, moving up the road from Los Angeles to nearby Pasadena, to play the upstart Indiana Hoosiers, the Big Ten representatives. O.J. Simpson, the U.S.C. tailback, led the #1 ranked Trojans over the determined #4 ranked Hoosiers, before 102,000 in the stadium and countless millions who watched the telecast anchored by the legendary Curt Gowdy and his partner, Al De Rogatis. Simpson, who would have later fame in the NFL, in movies and on TV before notoriety enveloped him, was the M.V.P.

     The Orange Bowl, which followed the lengthy Rose Bowl, had the halftime spectaculars that stopped people in their seats rather than head to the concession stands or the rest rooms. Bands, pageantry, entertainment, dancing--the precursor to the incredible Super Bowl halftimes. For the record, in a tightly contested affair, the Oklahoma Sooners from the Big 8 Conference eked out a 26-24 win over the Tennessee Vols of the South Eastern Conference that night.

     So, the Big 8 won two games while the SEC went 1-2. Such was the state of the southern tier bowls--they preferred the teams from the SEC or the Big 8--in fact, the Orange Bowl, by contract, had to take the Big 8 champ.

     Which leads us to this New Year's Day. The Rose Bowl is still intact on the first of January. It just won't feature the Pac 12 and the Big 10. Instead, it is in the rotation of games leading up to the National Championship game, thereby providing the audience with the Georgia Bulldogs taking on Oklahoma. The other National Semi Final, at the Sugar Bowl in the Mercedes Benz Superdome,  pits Alabama meeting the defending National Champions, the Clemson Tigers, in a rematch of last year's exciting finale.

     I could not wrap my head around the Goodyear Cotton Bowl (naming rights are so valuable) being played on December 29th--3 days from its traditional perch, among such noteworthy games as the Belk Bowl, Sun Bowl, Music City Bowl and the ever-popular Arizona Bowl in Tuscon, with 5-6 New Mexico State having played 6-6 Utah State.

     The Capital One Orange Bowl was on December 30th. 12-1 Wisconsin played 10-2 Miami. Two top football teams. This game is lumped in with the Taxslayer Bowl, the successor to the Gator Bowl, the Liberty Bowl and Glendale, Arizona's Fiesta Bowl, which has risen in status to become one of the bowls in the rotation for the National Semifinals.

     Instead, on New Year's Day, the Outback Bowl, named after a steakhouse chain, puts Michigan against South Carolina; the Peach Bowl, in Atlanta, has undefeated Central Florida trying to cap a perfect season versus Auburn; and the Citrus Bowl, with Notre Dame taking on LSU in Orlando. All three games start between Noon and 1:00, acting as preludes to the Rose Bowl in its normal evening slot and the Sugar Bowl nightcap.

     No games are scheduled for December 31st. That day belongs to the National Football League to finish its regular season. None are on at night, which really stinks, since I won't even have comedienne Kathy Griffin to watch, insanely railing at Anderson Cooper on CNN.

     There just are too many bowl games (40--30 of them are prior to the Cotton Bowl) with too much TV money. Mediocre teams or at least average teams get to compete in another contest and a share of the pot for themselves or for their respective conferences.

    In setting up a four team National Championship, tradition went by the wayside. There is enough controversy over how the four participants are selected. Unless the Finals, this year to be held at the sparking new Mercedes-Benz Stadium in downtown Atlanta on January 8th, has the two SEC schools (Alabama, Georgia) facing off, Ohio State, winners of the Big Ten title and victorious over USC in the Cotton Bowl, will be squawking as to why weren't they selected instead of one of the 2 semifinals losers.

     I have hated to see the diminution of the New Year's Bowl games.  Prior to the start of the National Championships, there were usually 6 games on the slate--the Fiesta and Outback Bowls joined the Cotton, Fiesta, Rose and Orange Bowls. Still way too many games for one day.

     With the clamor for a true National Champion to be determined on the field, change was inevitable. From December 16th through New Year's Day, 49 contests involving 98 "deserving" teams, will have been played. This year I may have watched parts of 10 of those affairs, important to the networks and sponsors, but fairly meaningless overall.

     What will I be doing on New Year's Day? Probably watching portions of the three afternoon bowl games along with the now annual NHL Winter Classic from baseball's Citi Field, home of the New York Mets, where a rink was constructed so that the New York Rangers can host the Buffalo Sabers.

     And yes, I will be watching the National Semifinals. They still involve two of the four 1967 New Year's Day bowl games. At least I can cling to some semblance of tradition when I watch the Rose and Sugar Bowls. Then again, the four aforementioned New Year's Day games loom on Monday, and I hope they are truly exciting.

     What more could this New Year's Day football junkie want anyway in this new era of college football? I don't think I will get the Mummers Parade on TV anyway...

For What Happens In Vegas...

     I traveled cross country with my father in the summer of 1959. I was 8 years old. I had just started playing in the Highland Park Midget League as a second baseman because I was under the age of 9 and quite small (big mistake there--I was born to play the outfield). My mother had just given birth to my sister, Laura, and he needed a break form his general dentistry practice in Edison, New Jersey.

     So off we went--driving across the continental United States as the Interstate Highway System was being built. That meant driving through the hilly roadways of Wheeling, West Virginia; the seemingly endless cities of Columbus, Ohio and Indianapolis, Indiana on U.S. 40, a mostly two lane highway with too many cars, stop lights and enough reasons for my father to curse a blue streak.

     We survived St. Louis and made it through Missouri, stopping at the Mickey Mantle Holiday Inn in Joplin, Missouri where a display showcasing his Triple Crown feats from 1956 was prominently displayed in the lobby. We traversed Oklahoma and crossed a swollen Red River to Wichita Falls, Texas where my father met his former Commanding Officer in the U.S Air Force Dental Corps when he was stationed in Albany, Georgia--my birthplace. I had the best steak I had ever eaten there in Wichita Falls.

     I steered the car in Texas when he used his Bell & Howell zoom lens to shoot pictures of cattle. We went to the Grand Canyon. I actually saw Disneyland in its formative years when it was surrounded by acres of orange groves instead of ballparks, arenas, office buildings and suburban concrete. We made it to Denver. Back through Oklahoma and the rest is a blur to me.

     What is not a blur to me is the place I first went to in 1959 and I have been to nearly 15 times--Las Vegas. The one in Nevada, not New Mexico. The imagery was unforgettable.

     What Las Vegas has always been to me is glitz and glitter. Even in its infancy in 1959, Las Vegas was all neon lights and welcome air conditioning from the the oppressive dry heat. Vegas, its shortened moniker, was a mobbed up town, full of casinos and motels to go with the distinct two areas--downtown and the famous Strip--which was Las Vegas Boulevard heading to Mc Carran Field, the city's airport. Just as the downtown hotels and casinos still sparkled and gave more than a hint of the Western cowboy town, the Strip symbolized the future of the city--where the big action would eventually draw families as much as high rollers. Where the big names in entertainment would perform--from Frank Sinatra to Celine Dion, from Johnny Carson and Jay Leno to Bill Maher, where nudity was acceptable on stage with the Follies Bergere. The idea was to attract people to come and spend money. Which has worked so well.

     Las Vegas knew it had to have a sports connection, so when the bigger places--first the Las Vegas Convention Center just off of the Strip and then the opulent Caesar's Palace started holding major boxing events on site in stadiums built as needed, it gave the elite and the gamblers a reason to spend, spend and spend. Vegas also was a place where sports betting was legal--odds makers for games that people bet on legally in the city's sports books came from Vegas; their odds also allowed the illegal gambler to have a line on a game that he could bet in his own city.

     While Vegas became a destination for so many to act silly, wild, out of character and to let their hair down, to eat top notch food or cheaper buffets, there remained an element of sin which kept away the righteous big league teams. The University of Nevada at Las Vegas became a basketball powerhouse under legendary coach Jerry Tarkanian, Tark the Shark, who was known for his towel which he bit on during games as much as his fast paced style of play with players other schools wouldn't touch. His teams won a National Championship, became known as the Runnin' Rebels and built the first big arena in the city besides the Convention Center. His downfall was consorting with alleged game fixers, that led to a power struggle with the UNLV President, which Tark lost.

     For years, the major sports leagues avoided Vegas, feeling that the gambling and seedy side of the town would invade the sanctity of the game. The first foray into Vegas was by the NBA's Utah Jazz, who set a couple of games at the Thomas & Mack Center, the large campus venue that UNLV built for its team, which was within a mile of the Strip. The Jazz was playing to small crowds in the Salt Palace in Salt Lake City and they felt that a couple of games in Vegas would help with the payroll.

     One of those games turned out to be a milestone in NBA history. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the towering superstar of the Los Angeles Lakers, a lanky, tough  and very tall center from New York City and the NCAA champion teams of the great John Wooden at UCLA, came to Vegas to play the Jazz on April 5, 1984. A huge crowd of over 18,000, mostly Lakers fans who could easily drive or fly into town from Southern California, came to witness NBA history. With a patented sky hook of 12 feet,after a pass from Hall of Fame guard Earvin "Magic" Johnson, the 37 year old Abdul-Jabbar became the all-time leading scorer in NBA history, surpassing another great 7 footer and former Laker, Wilt Chamberlain.

     The Jazz built a new building and the NBA was reduced to coming to Vegas for exhibition games and a Summer League which debuted in 2004. The exception was for the one grand showcase February 18, 2007 NBA All-Star Game. The game itself was a success, but the aftermath of fans urinating and acting out of control after the game marred what was a testing of the waters by the league. The NBA said that it needed a more contemporary arena to establish a franchise in the city.

     Las Vegas really began to grow in population due to its moderate winter climate and its becoming a destination for conventions, bachelor parties and stunts like motorcycle daredevil Evel Knievel's jump over the 141 foot long fountains at Caesar's Palace in 1967. Of course there is the horrific act of evil by a deranged man who mowed down innocent concertgoers attending an outdoor show. With the third largest rate of growth in the U.S., only behind Harris County , Texas (Houston) and Maricopa County, Arizona (Phoenix), Clark County now has a population of 2.5 million individuals. Nevada is the second-fastest growing state, trailing only Utah. Las Vegas itself is the 28th largest city in the U.S. The Las Vegas TV market is 42nd in the U.S.

     Having been described by famed sportswriter Jerry Izenberg as "Gomorrah in the Desert" and nicknames "Sin City" for its adult brand of entertainment, the statement of "What Happens In Vegas Stays in Vegas" is an apt description of the city, located in a basin of the Mojave Desert. Without the advent of casino gambling in 1931, air conditioning to battle the summertime heat and the migration of the casinos to the Strip, Las Vegas would never become the destination it is.

     Yet the major sports teams have avoided Vegas due to the rowdiness and lawlessness associated with the city. The worry over gamblers taking over and influencing sports teams establishing themselves in Vegas is a relic of the 1950's-70's. Bowl games are held in Vegas. College basketball tournaments have found homes in Vegas. All without incident.

     The mot notable invasion of the major leagues is via the National Football League's Oakland Raiders. Owner Mark Davis, tired of the antiquated stadium his team plays in, sought a home back in Los Angeles, where the Raiders had once resided when they first vacated Oakland. Facing stiff opposition form the league owners who favored the Rams relocating back from St. Louis, the NFL would only allow the Raiders to be a secondary tenant in the stadium that developer Stan Kroenke, husband of billionaire Wal-Mart heiress Ann Walton Kroenke, would build to house his Rams team.

     Davis then sought refuge in San Antonio, a city which has a big stadium. San Antonio became a temporary home to the New Orleans Saints after Hurricane Katrina devastated the city and the Louisiana Superdome. But that wan't enough for the astute Davis.

     He negotiated with the people of Las Vegas and Clark County and with Las Vegas Sands owner Sheldon Adelson and he came away with plans for a domed stadium which would seat 65,000. Adelson and then Goldman Sachs pulled out of the plan and only when the Bank of America came to the rescue, did the NFL agree and vote 31-1 to permit the Raiders to relocate, which is expected to happen in 2020. On November 13th, the Raiders broke ground for the $1.9 billion facility in nearby Paradise.

     Las Vegas could be a Super Bowl site--it certainly has the hotel space. The Raiders and the NFL will reap a bonanza from this coup.

     However, there is another team that is magically enthralling its league. That team is the expansion Golden Knights of the National Hockey League. Opening their maiden season in the T-Mobile Arena, they have zoomed to the top of the standings in the Pacific Division. More on the team later.

     Hockey was not new to Vegas. In 1991, the New York Rangers and Los Angeles Kings played an exhibition game in a rink built at Caesar's Palace. The Kings and Colorado Avalanche have also played exhibition games in Vegas, in a series called Frozen Fury; San Jose and Phoenix have also played in this competition. Moreover, Las Vegas has been home to the NHL Post-Season Awards Show. And rumors abounded that Hollywood producer Jerry Bruckheimer would seek to move the Coyotes from Phoenix to Vegas.

     In 2014, the NHL permitted billionaire Bill Foley to solicit interest in hockey in Las Vegas. A season ticket drive which started in February, 2015 reached 10,000 deposits in April. In June of that year, the NHL opened expansion competition to Las Vegas and Quebec City, who sought to re-establish the Nordiques, who had moved on to Colorado and became the Avalanche. Las Vegas, with the solid fan base and lots of money behind the effort, was awarded the one expansion franchise in June, 2016.

     After paying the $500 million expansion fee, Foley hired former Washington Capitals' General Manager George Mc Phee, who went to work constructing the first team. Mc Phee established his minor league affiliations. He signed free agent Reid Duke, selected Gerard Gallant as the first head coach, and then selected Marc-Andre Fluery, a goalie from Stanley Cup Champion Pittsburgh Penguins along with James Neal, a tough, scoring winger from the Nashville Predators.

     Gallant has taken a roster of non-household names in hockey and rounded them into a really good hockey team. While they are a respectable 8-7-1 on the road, at home in T-Mobile Arena before a very boisterous crowd, the Golden Knights are an astounding 15-2-1. Dubbed the "Vegas Flu," something seems to overcome top teams when they visit the Golden Knights. Maybe it's the water. Or maybe it's the nightlife. Or perhaps Gerard Gallant has molded a really good squad from from the expansion draft.

     The initial success of the Golden Knights is unparalleled for an expansion franchise. Look back at the futility of the New York Islanders and those Washington Capitals, who could not win even 10 games in their inaugural seasons. The Florida Panthers of 1993 are deemed to have been the best expansion team, amassing 33 wins and almost reaching.500 for the year. Although the NHL season has only reached 35 games for the Golden Knights and they have 23 wins, barring a total collapse and major injuries, they have the capacity to be above .500 for the season and make the playoffs. Some experts have said that the Golden Knights are the second best team in the NHL. Heady stuff for an expansion franchise. Bill Foley is getting a great return on his investment. And playing hockey in Vegas was not at all too risky a gamble for the NHL.

     Given the spectacular debut of the Golden Knights and the expected good fortune of the Raiders when they finally are in Vegas, the burning question is who will be coming next--the NBA or Major League Baseball. While Vegas is an established college hoops town, there is plenty of room for the NBA to come to town. With success.

     MLB, on the other hand, will take a different approach to relocating or establishing an expansion team in Vegas. While there is Triple A baseball with the Las Vegas 51's in an outdoor venue, the need for a stadium with a roof is a necessity, as there is in Phoenix where the Arizona Diamondbacks play in the enclosed Chase Field.  But MLB is wary, as the D-backs do not draw well and like the Arizona Cardinals, who do draw well, NFL attendance cannot act as a barometer for financial success when it comes to baseball.

     Still, MLB will be wise to watch how the Raiders, the Golden Knights and any NBA team may do in Las Vegas. I am willing to bet that by 2030, MLB has a team in Vegas, given the continued  population growth and the corresponding increase in TV market size.

     Las Vegas has come a long way from a dusty railroad town on the Union Pacific line. Or even when I first visited in 1959.

     The lights shine even brighter today in the desert. There are more attractions for families and for gamblers. For me, I am thrilled that the Golden Knights are winners. Because Vegas always has more losers than winners-the odds are stacked against those who gamble.

     I intend to make another trip or two to Las Vegas. It is a far different city than when I first arrived, or even when I last visited over 15 years ago. Sports has greatly helped in the resurgence of the gambling mecca. I applaud the NHL and the NFL's foresight in placing teams in Las Vegas.

     Perhaps the Golden Knights will be a record-setting team in its first season. That Gerard Gallant will be feted as the NHL Coach of the Year. Could the inconceivable occur--the Golden Knights win the Stanley Cup?

     Dreams like that should only stay in Vegas. For what happens in Vegas...

Baseball Battiness

     This week has been a strange one around Major League Baseball. A number of trades to dump salary to avoid the dreaded luxury tax. All started by the systematic dismantlement of the Miami Marlins by minority group owner Derek Jeter, who is in charge of baseball operations for investment capitalist Bruce Sherman.

     Before I reach the Marlins and the frenzy which has enveloped them, I need to address the recent announcement that the Modern Era Committee had voted for Jack Morris and Alan Trammell, two Detroit Tigers teammates in the 1980's to enter the Baseball Hall of Fame. Ted Simmons, a switch-hitting catcher and infielder for the St. Louis Cardinals and Milwaukee Brewers, missed entering the HOF by 1 vote.

     Morris and Trammell did not qualify for the HOF in the 15 years they were on the ballot after waiting required the 5 years to be eligible for the HOF. I thought both were very good players who did not deserve to enter the HOF by the original ballot. I am not going to quibble about their upcoming enshrinement. If the Committee, comprised of Hall of Famers George Brett, Rod Carew, Bobby Cox, Dennis Eckersley, John Schuerholz, Don Sutton, Dave Winfield and Robin Yount; baseball executives Sandy Alderson (Mets), Paul Beeston (Blue Jays), Bob Castellini (Reds), Bill De Witt (Cardinals) and David Glass (Royals); and veteran media members/historians Bob Elliott, Steve Hirdt and Jayson Stark, felt these two stars deserved to enter the HOF, then so be it.

     It is who did not make it via this Committee's voting that bothers me. Two names. Tommy John and Marvin Miller. Names known by people outside of baseball. Two individuals who changed baseball forever.

     Marvin Julian Miller, a Brooklyn native, was the Executive Director of the Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA) from 1966 to 1982. Under the direction of Miller, the union dramatically changed the economics of baseball.

     Miller, trained in economics at NYU, became aligned with labor unions as an advisor and then a negotiator, most notably with the steelworkers. In 1966, he campaigned for and won the MLBPA Executive Director's position. In 1968, he negotiated the first Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) between the owners and players, which modestly raised minimum players salaries and per diem expenses. More importantly, it set out procedures for arbitration of grievances and provided a formal structure between the owners and the players. The subsequent 1969 agreement, set forth arbitration before a three person panel, not the Commissioner, as was the case in the prior agreement.

     Miller actively counseled player Curt Flood in his challenge to baseball's restrictive reserve clause, prohibiting player transfers, as the players were deemed to be property of the owners and without their own rights. Flood may have lost the case in the U.S. Supreme Court, but his actions opened the way for Miller to establish free agency and end the reserve clause.

     With Jim "Catfish" Hunter, Miller helped Hunter gain free agency when Oakland owner Charlie Finley failed to pay the Cy Young Award winner and future Hall of Famer according to his contract. Hunter then signed a big contract with the New York Yankees.

      Another arbitration decision allowed high profile pitchers Andy Messersmith and Dave Mc Nally, to become free agents and no longer property of their respective clubs, when their contracts were completed. Free agency ultimately was the signature of Marvin Miller, even surviving the owners' attempt at collusion in not negotiating with free agents.

     Under Miller's strong guidance, the players engaged in 3 job actions and the owners retaliated with 2 lockouts of their own when negotiations for a new CBA were upcoming. Average salaries rose to $326, 000 in 1982. Baseball has no salary cap and became the first professional sport to have a CBA. Miller's legacy is enormous and players even today are indebted to Marvin Miller for his courageous actions on their behalf. The MLBPA is considered to be one of the strongest unions in this country even today--a true testimonial to the hard work of Miller on behalf of the players.

     Two icons in baseball announcing--Red Barber and this year's Ford C. Frick award winner, Bob Costas, have been outspoken in their praise of Miller and the travesty that has taken place in repeatedly denying Miller his rightful place in the Baseball Hall of Fame. Joe Torre, Hall of Fame manager and a star player, spoke about the achievements that Miller gave each player during Torre's career and up to today and he felt honored to have "sat alongside him."

     But Hall of Fame voters in 2003 and 2007 never came close to enshrining Miller in Cooperstown. Some of the committees were full of players of eras prior to Miller and the MLBPA, and others had former MLB executives voting, men player/author Jim Bouton described as people who Miller" had kicked their butt." Bouton, in referring to the players on these committees, added: "Do they think they became millionaires due to the owners' generosity?" Former Commissioner Bud Selig and home run champion Henry Aaron agreed with others who campaigned for Miller's entry into the HOF.

     Miller, who died in 2012 at age 95, was disdainful of what he called a "rigged Veterans Committee" ever voting him into baseball immortality. Even with rules changes as to the committee makeup, the closest Miller would come to garnering the numbers he needed was in 2010 when he fell 1 vote shy.

     So it is no surprise that, once more, the players and executives could not agree on voting Marvin Miller into Cooperstown, giving him only 7 of the necessary 12 votes. The hope remains that they finally get it right in 2019 when another vote is upcoming and he is on the ballot again. Unfortunately, and very sadly, what remains is only a hope.

     Tommy John was a pitcher for a number of good teams in the 1970's--the Dodgers and Yankees stand out. He started his career in 1963 with the Cleveland Indians as a young lefthander. He ended it in 1989 with the New York Yankees with 289 career wins and 4 All Star appearances. En route to a 13-3 start with the 1974 Dodgers, John tore the ulnar collateral ligament in his throwing arm. On September 25, 1974, Dr. Frank Jobe performed a radical surgery on John's pitching arm, replacing the affected ligament in his elbow with a tendon from John's right forearm. John re-learned how to pitch, using a different motion to put less strain on his arm and elbow. The success that followed was astounding. He had a 10-10 record in 1976 with Los Angeles. John won 164 more games after the surgery, 40 more than he had won prior to going under the knife--that total was only one less than the great Hall of Fame pitcher Sandy Koufax won in his illustrious career. John went on to play an incredible total of 26 years, winning 289 games.

     The ligament replacement surgery John underwent became so successful and now routine, thateveryone who knows baseball to recognizes it as "Tommy John Surgery." Yet with his totals and his legacy as the pathfinder for those who routinely have the surgery and extend their careers with better results than before the surgery--and in the process garner millions of dollars from owners to pitch--the HOF voters never came near to placing John in the Hall. And just like Marvin Miller, veterans committees have completely overlooked the iconic place in history that Tommy John is known for.

     Miller's snub is somewhat understandable given the continued resentment of the big business types of baseball and the mistreatment of his stature by former players who reaped the benefits of his tenacity.

     But with Tommy John, the failure to place him in Cooperstown boggles my mind. He and Dr. Jobe revolutionized baseball with a primitive surgery that could have easily failed. John's achievements on the field set the way for so many other pitchers, young and old, with over stressed arms, to rejuvenate their careers. Michael Pineda, a pedestrian pitcher who is not pitching this season after undergoing Tommy John Surgery while a member of the New York Yankees, signed a two year, $10 million contract with Minnesota as a free agent, with the Twins anticipating Pineda's return to the mound in 2019.

     Therein lies the absurdity in not having both Miller and John in the HOF. Without Tommy John's miracle via Dr. Jobe's brilliance, and the free agency that Marvin Miller so gallantly fought for, Pineda would be just another pitcher with a dead arm and no further chance to extend his career and reap the financial rewards of his profession.

     I plead with the voters in 2019--get it right as far as Tommy John and Marvin Miller are concerned. I'll live with Ted Simmons being voted in along with these two forces in Major League Baseball.

     Now onto the bizarre act known as the house cleaning of the Miami Marlins. Ridding themselves of Stanton's enormous contract, and exchanging stars Dee Gordon and Miguel Ozuna for minor league prospects, leaves the team decimated.

     Sure, Stanton's back loaded $325 million contract was an albatross. Yet ridding the team of stars in order to take a 77 win team and make it into a virtual non-contender with a payroll, already low for a major league franchise even with Stanton's bloated contract, takes the heart out of baseball in South Florida.

     Bruce Sherman sits in the wings as Jeter does the handiwork. Famously, Sherman did this kind of paring to the Knight-Ridder Newspapers, leaving them tattered and with skeleton staffs.

     Miami baseball has notoriously fickle fans. The Marlins ranked 27th in MLB attendance last season--even with Stanton launching long home runs in the Art Deco futuristic Marlins Park, an edifice saddled with an enormous amount of debt service--as is the team itself stuck with over $400 million in debt foisted upon it by reviled former owner Jeffrey Loria. Those fans will probably stay away this season, in line with Stanton's urging them to watch form "afar,"a not-so-veiled shot at Marlins' management and the debacle they have created. I cannot blame them for this stance--who wants to pay good money to see an inferior product?

     Who is really to blame here? I put a lot of this on MLB and Commissioner Rob Manfred. To permit the Marlins to continue to sell off its assets fails to prioritize the on-the-field product and the best interests of baseball. Marvin Miller would have been aghast at how this is proceeding and he would have railed at the MLB owners for this sham while rallying his troops to oppose this attack on competitive balance.

     The only thing that the Marlins might do, in the interests of baseball, is bring back 73 year old Tommy John and let him pitch for the team. Heaven knows, but he could possibly win 11 games and reignite his Hall of Fame credentials as a 300 game winner.

     Wouldn't that be ironic?

Pre-Holiday Madness

     The purpose of this blog is to engage the sports fan and educate the not so rabid enthusiast in the sports world as I see it. The world may be in distress on so many levels. Sports, as a metaphor, is a microcosm of that state of mind which has enveloped our daily thoughts and actions. We use sports as escapism, a place to go for a couple of hours to root for our teams, to see gifted athletes perform, coached by men and women who are trying to win games and titles while teaching values to those willing to listen. We try to find ourselves a way to enjoy the event, but many times we come away with sadness and a distaste for what used to be a sanctuary from our fears, a destination for our hopes and expectations.

     I watched two National Football League games this week with some interest. Both were full of carnage, even if the outcomes were exciting. This level of battle, injuring so many stars and causing viewers  to wince at the level of violence, has become the norm. And the injury lists abound with stars and key players on the sidelines, the recipients of vicious play condoned, to a certain degree, by the NFL. Respected TV journalist Brent Musberger told us "snowflakes" to "quit preaching", because the guts and glory associated with the violence in the NFL goes back over 50 years, which, along with sex from the likes of the Dallas Cowboys' cheerleaders, sold the product to the masses.  Musberger specifically mentioned New York Giants middle linebacker Sam Huff and his glorification when CBS, for its show Twentieth Century, hosted by Walter Cronkite, miked up the Giants' defensive leader in 1960. We heard the hard hits and the sounds of the football like never before. The NFL took off and never looked back. But now that product is breaking apart due to the wanton violence present in most contests.

     The Pittsburgh Steelers journeyed to Cincinnati to play the Bengals on Sunday night in a nationally televised affair on NBC. Pittsburgh. led by Big Ben Roethlisberger at quarterback and Antonio Brown, his favorite target at wide receiver,  were looking to win their 10th game this season. The Bengals were having a mediocre season which was, unlike the Steelers, going to result in a trip to the playoffs.

     Division rivalries are bitter. Fueled by the two home and away games, which are a schedule constant, both the players and the fans are familiar with the past histories and come ready for confrontation. Bad blood abounds.

     This distaste for each other was clearly evident in the Queen City, under the lights of Paul Brown Stadium, in the cold rain of Sunday night. A capacity crowd was in attendance, anticipating the Bengals bashing the opposition on the way to a win over the division leaders. A large national audience on NBC were ready to view a bloodletting.

     Yes, some good football was played. Pittsburgh came from behind to win with a field goal as time expired. The better team won.

     The score is not what fans and viewers will remember from this early December brawl. Instead, it was the viciousness of the play which will be the memory. Play after play seemed more designed to maim and injure than show us great athleticism.

     NBC analyst Chris Collingsworth, himself a former Bengals' wide out, repeatedly decried the well-known dirtiness of his former team. In a violent collision, Pittsburgh linebacker Ryan Shazier was taken off the field immobilized after a vicious attempted tackle. Viewers were left believing he was possibly paralyzed. Shazier stayed in a Cincinnati hospital before coming back to Pittsburgh. He will require spine stabilization surgery. There was no penalty nor any suspensions associated with the play.

     Cincinnati linebacker Vonzase Birfect, himself a notorious headhunter, was also carried off of the field but returned. A couple of other times he left the game after hard hits, only to return. JuJu Smith-Shuster received a 1 game suspension for his hit on Birfect. And Birfect laid some heavy hits on Roethlisberger, who was seen wincing and gasping for breath in the huddle. Plus, for good measure, Bengals DB George Iloka received a 1 game suspension for a targeted hit in the helmet of Steelers' All-Pro receiver Antonio Brown as Brown held on to make a great touchdown catch late in the game. In a sordid twist of irony, Pittsburgh, not Cincinnati, leads the NFL in the most penalties for unnecessary roughness.

     Thursday night the NFL brought us the important game between NFC South rivals Atlanta and New Orleans. The Saints had been leading the division, one game ahead of the Carolina Panthers and with last year's NFC Champions, the Falcons, in hot pursuit. Atlanta had to win this contest and every other one to win the division; New Orleans could have delivered a decisive blow to Atlanta's chances with a win.

     New Orleans has a high octane offense led by prolific QB Drew Brees and running back Alvin Kamara, who has won five straight Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Week honors. Atlanta, behind its exceptional tandem of receivers, former Rutgers star Mohammed Sanu, Sr. and Julio Jones, catch a ton of passes from top flight QB Matt Ryan.

     Kamara and Brees started to march thorough Atlanta, torching the field in all-too-familiar way. Then one well-placed helmet to helmet hit by Atlanta sent Kamara head down to the sidelines and into concussion protocol. No penalty would be called on that play.  However, the officials were busy, calling 11 penalties on the Saints, including an illegal formation which negated an end of the first half field goal. New Orleans would lose more players during the game, relying on backups on the offensive line and complaining bitterly about the short week from Sunday to Thursday after losing.  The Saints could have tied or won the game in regulation time if they had not been so aggressive to score a TD by attempting an ill-advised end zone pass which Atlanta picked off. Or if the officials had not called an unsportsmanlike penalty on Saints' head coach Sean Payton, who was vainly calling for a time out after the Falcons had recovered their own fumble.

     What is certain is that the NFL continues to hemorrhage, losing key players due to injuries in games marred by head hunting and retaliatory hits like that of New England's beefy tight end Rob Gronkowki leaving a defenseless Buffalo Bills defensive back prone on the ground and after the whistle. Gronkowski received a one game suspension for his actions. Most flagrant fouls are handled in the same manner. Yet substance abuse and domestic violence receive far greater penalties. That is a bad morality play.

     I say to the NFL stop the hypocrisy. Police your game better than simply handing out 1 game suspensions. Stop the unnecessary violence which plagues the game and leaves players crippled and unable to recover from CTE caused by the blows to the head. I don't know if Aaron Hernandez would not have become a gang-related thug. But I am sure that his head was a mess due to CTE. How many more suicides and murders do we want after the playing days are over? And do we really want to see a death on the field because the NFL is not vigilantly curbing the thuggish behavior which is now routine? Keep it up, NFL, and you might even lose me as a fan...

     This is where I was going to insert three feel good stories. First, Sports Illustrated named two Houston players as their Sports Persons of the Year--Jose Altuve, the diminutive AL. M.V.P. of the Astros, and J.J.Watt, the premier pass rusher and humanitarian not able to play this season for the Texans due to injury. Great choices for their on the field and off the field actions.

     Then there is Rafael Nadal, named as the top male tennis player for 2017. At age 31, Rafa has experienced a true renaissance in recapturing the number 1 ranking in the world. Left behind in the wake of injuries, he has shown his famous grit and overcome these maladies to be the first 31 year old to secure this award. Bravo to his on the court genius. He and Roger Federer have staged some epic matches throughout the years. It is great to see Nadal join Federer in the over 30 bracket where they continue to perform at such a high level in a sport traditionally dominated by younger players.

     Thirdly, Army hung on to win by a point over Navy in a snowy game in Philadelphia. Navy missed a field goal with no time left to secure the win for the Black Knights, who have now won 2 in a row after enduring a long losing streak to the Midshipmen. One thing everyone noticed--there was no kneeling or protest during the playing of the National Anthem.

     All well and good until all hell broke loose Saturday morning when the New York Yankees and Miami Marlins announced they were on the verge of a blockbuster deal involving N.L. M.V.P. Giancarlo Stanton playing for the Yankees. Staggering. The Yankees lose 2 prospects plus second baseman Starlin Castro, a .300 hitter. It is rumored that the Marlins will dump his salary via trade. A virtual Murderer's Row of Aaron Judge, A.L. Rookie of the Year with his 52 home runs and a ton of walks; catcher Gary Sanchez, who hit 33 homers; Stanton, providing more punch with 59 homers and 132 R.B.I, last year; first baseman Greg Byrd, who came alive at the end of the season when he returned from the disabled list; and Didi Gregorius, the shortstop who batted fourth and hit a career high of 25 homers. Should New York re-sign Toms River product Todd Frazier to play third base, another slugger is in the lineup. This move also tells me that Gleyber Torres, the phenom in the minors, is ready to take over for Castro at second base this season, if he has recovered from his Tommy John surgery which concluded his 2017 season; otherwise, Ronald Torreyes and Tyler Wade are the candidates to play there.

     The Yankees starting pitching is still questionable despite having Masahiro Tanaka, Luis Severino, Sonny Clay and Jordan Montgomery. Will they offer a contact to C.C. Sabathia, who showed how valuable he was down the stretch and in last year's playoffs?  Could somebody emerge from the minors like Chase Adams or Luis Cessa? While the bullpen looks awesome, the big question is this--can reliever Dellin Betances regain his dominant form after his late season meltdowns?

     Sure, the Stanton acquisition makes the Yankees' lineup perhaps the most potent in the majors. Nonetheless, GM Brian Cashman and rookie Manager Aaron Boone have to figure out how to juggle the Yankees' roster, given that Stanton now creates a glut of outfielders (Judge, Stanton, Brett Gardner, Aaron Hicks, Clint Frazier and Jacoby Ellsbury) Someone or a rotating group of outfielders and Sanchez when he needs a day off will be the designated hitter. Which brings into question what Chase Headley's role with the team will be--he was inefficient at third base, played adequately at first base until Byrd arrived, then thrived as the DH.

     One thing is for certain--the baseball off season in New York became a whole lot more interesting. Pitchers and catchers report to Tampa in under 70 days. More roster moves are forthcoming. Even if it snowed on Saturday, it certainly feels like baseball season is almost upon us.

     While I cheered for Eli Manning to have a great game against Dallas today and for the Jets to pick up a win in Denver, I join the legion of Yankees' fans rejoicing and eschewing the harsh reality that Winter is officially 11 days away but has arrived a little early. Then again, Christmas and Chanukah may have come early, too. A perfect antidote to the current misery in the NFL and in our world.

   

   

Three Dog Night Appreciated

     Some of the big stories in the New York area this week involved sports. Two to be specific--Eli Manning's demotion as the starting quarterback of the New York Giants and the selection of Aaron Boone as manager of the New York Yankees.

     A firestorm of disapproval rained down on Giants' brass when the decision to sit Manning this week when the 2-9 team travels to Oakland to face the Raiders. The Head Coach, Ben Mc Adoo, vilified by the Giants' faithful for this dreadful season, felt obligated to go in a different direction to see if there was a future within the roster--namely backup Geno Smith, formerly a starting QB for the New York Jets, or rookie Davis Webb. Backed up by owner John Mara, this potentially means that Eli's storied career in New York is coming to a unceremonious end.

     Let's face it--the Giants are a mess this year. Injuries keep mounting up, most notable among the injured were All-Pro wide receivers Odell Beckham, Jr. and veteran Brandon Marshall. The depleted receiving corps, a porous offensive line, the lack of a verifiable running game along with a patchwork defense has doomed the team.

     As a result, some blamed Eli Manning for the offensive woes. In reality, a 37 year old QB who is not mobile is not the best fit when improvising might be in order. His decline began in 2016, when he was the 27th rated QB in the National Football League. Without a good offensive line and wide receivers, it only got worse for Manning and the Giants.

     The Giants felt constrained to sit Manning this week to audition its other quarterbacks in the remaining 5 games. This led to the abrupt end to his consecutive game streak at 210. tThe Giants were willing to let Manning start to keep the streak alive. He declined. To put his accomplishment in perspective, the woeful Cleveland Browns have started 24 at QB  during the course of Manning's streak. Division rival Washington has used 8 starters during that span. The list goes on.

     Notwithstanding his durability and the inordinate number of hits he has endured, Giants' fans can savor the great moments of 2 Super Bowl wins for the franchise. But the end comes for all QB's and the streak may have been part of the cause for Manning's demise.

     Lurking in the shadows are three major themes that the Giants must address. First, are the quarterbacks of the future on this team? Will Smith and Webb show enough in their appearances to make management believe that the team can go confidently into the 2018 season with either one as the presumptive starting QB? Or with the Giants horrible record, one which will guarantee a high draft choice, do they seek to find another franchise QB like Manning when they make their selection in April? Do they try to get a Sam Darnold from USC, a Josh Allen from Wyoming or a Josh Rosen from UCLA and attempt to catch lightning in a bottle as the Philadelphia Eagles, Houston Texans and the Los Angles Rams managed to do?

     This is buttressed by Manning's huge salary.  His cap hit for this season is $19.7 million. In 2018 that amount jumps to a staggering $22.2 million--way too much for an aged QB. The Giants will save a ton of money if they release Manning--they will have $12 million of "dead" money that counts against them, but they will have $9.8 million to enter the free agency market. If Manning is a post-June 1 cut, the Giants will save even greater salary cap money which will be split between 2018 and 2019; however, this comes after the 2018 free agency period. If he was cut now, it is unlikely that a team would take his contract on unless he renegotiates his deal. Plus Manning has a no-trade clause, which gives him the right to veto a deal to a team he would not feel comfortable with.

     The outrage in the papers and on the airwaves dealt with the Giants' handling of the situation. There simply is no way to do this correctly if the season is lost. A fairwell tour isn't always mandated. An aged QB may recognize that there comes a time when talent evaluators decide that the QB cannot contribute any longer in the team's system. It happened to Eli's brother, Peyton, who was a star with the Indianapolis Colts and resurfaced with the Denver Broncos after extensive neck surgery, to win a Super Bowl. Joe Montana ended his career in Kansas City because the San Francisco 49'ers went in a different direction with a more mobile Steve Young. Johnny Unitas concluded his career in San Diego, not with the Colts. Joe Namath did not finish his illustrious career in New York with the Jets--he went to the Rams. Both Namath and Unitas were riding the bench when they retired. Speculation abounds where Eli Manning may resurface; he could prove to be valuable, like his brother, or he could become a someday Hall of Fame inductee destined to ride the bench after limited success.

     Two aging stars at QB, Tom Brady with New England and Philip Rivers of the Los Angeles Chargers, both destined for the Pro Football Hall of Fame, complained of the Giants' handling of the situation. For them, the end could come just as swiftly and horribly for both teams' fans bases. Yet if the Giants find their next star QB on the roster or via the draft, the followers of Big Blue will rejoice with the new star. Such is life in the NFL and this week, in New York.

     More recently, the New York Yankees concluded their search for a new manager with the hiring of the unproven Aaron Boone to replace Joe Girardi, himself a victim of his longevity and other internal factors which compelled General Manager Brian Cashman and owner Hal Steinbrenner to move in another direction. Somewhat unrealistically, the Yankees, under the Steinbrenner family's reign, have demanded nothing less than winning the World Series every year.

     Boone leaves the ESPN booth with that mandate to win the World Series in 2018. Girardi had guided a young, talented team to within one game of making it to the Series, having lost to the eventual champions, the Houston Astros, in an exciting seven game series.

     Even with a plethora of unanswered questions as to how the 2018 roster will be filled out, the onus is squarely on Boone to magically overcome the Astros, the Boston Red Sox and Cleveland Indians, all who had better 2017 records than New York. He comes from a family of major leaguers--his grandfather Ray Boone, father Bob Boone and brother Bret Boone were very good players. Aaron had a less distinguished career, which was capped in 2003 with his lone All Star appearance and the momentous homer  for the Yankees in the 2003 playoffs against the arch rival Red Sox. He did marry a Playboy Playmate (Miss October 1998).

     Boone understands the importance of analytics in baseball.  He comes with a communicative presence, which was a knock against Girardi. Boone was tremendously prepared in the TV booth and he will take that preparation with him to the ballpark. Boone thrives on the ball field and he is no stranger to pressure as exhibited by his 11th inning, Game 7 heroics. Still, is this enough to translate into victories and a World Series win? Brian Cashman and Hal Steinbrenner think so, notwithstanding his lack of managerial experience. World Series managers A.J. Hinch of Houston and the Los Angeles Dodgers' Dave Roberts came to their respective teams without having managed previously.

     Joe Torre, a manager fired three times, had to succeed a successful Buck Showalter in 1996. Look at that pressure and then look at his record and that is why Joe Torre, a great communicator with the younger Yankees, is headed to the Hall of Fame. Girardi won Manager of the Year in Florida, then was dumped. He amassed a 988-794 record over 11 years, which included a 2009 World Series title. But just like Showalter and Torre, Girardi too was fired for not winning enough or perhaps clashing too much with the ego and control of Cashman.

     This decision to hire Boone as New York's 35th manager is Cashman's gamble. Boone can either do what is expected--win. Or Boone can fail, which places Cashman in jeopardy, even after all of his success since he became the Yankees' GM in 1998.

     Hiring Boone to manage the Yankees is a gutsy, almost illogical choice. Yankees' fans pray that Cashman once more has struck gold. Boone says he has been preparing for this opportunity for 44 years given his exposure to the big leagues through his family.

     Time will tell if Boone was the right choice to succeed the popular Girardi. However, that time frame for this experiment may be very short. Any blame for Boone's failure resides with Cashman.

     Finally, last night we attended a wedding at the Orange Lawn Tennis Club. Orange Lawn was a prestigious stop on the tennis tour, going back to the early part of the 20th century. The walls are adorned with the names of the past winners--Tilden, Budge, Perry, Riggs, Hoad, Laver, Ashe, Nastase, Mc Enroe. Tournament play moved on from the toney grass court clubs like Orange Lawn, Forest Hills and Newport into the hard court stadiums as tennis popularity grew. Being in a hallowed clubhouse, for a Jewish wedding in a place Jews hardly graced during the halcyon era, brought back great memories to this tennis fan, even with the inherent prejudice of the past-- distant but unforgettable.

     My week ended on a positive and rewarding note. I like weddings. For Eli Manning, he is seeking a second football marriage after a bad divorce. Aaron Boone apparently married well in his private life, so he seeks a new marriage as intoxicating as the first. For both of them, the lyrics from Three Dog Night echo in my brain and are so applicable: "...One is the loneliest number that you'll ever choose.." I hope that Boone and Manning, on their separate journeys, can carry a tune.