Fun and Games

No, Rutgers has not hired Greg Schiano at this time. It has been imminent for awhile. Which has created much angst among the Scarlet Knight faithful. What seems to be holding up this inevitable re-marriage? Is it money? Length of his contract? Written promises to build the new facilities Schiano had demanded? Perhaps it is the protests of rights groups over his role or lack thereof in the Sandusky situation when he was an assistant coach under Joe Paterno,  which tore apart Penn State and its football team and cost Schiano the job as head man at Tennessee? Or is it the trepidation Schiano has about rebuilding Rutgers in the Big Ten, where the odds are stacked firmly against him?

Whatever is holding up the announcement of Schiano’s hiring is driving the RU fans crazy. Maybe it is as simple as waiting until the end of the season or even just after the final home game against Michigan State. We, who read the blogs and the columns, searching for answers, are at a loss. I guess the process is going to take longer than anticipated. Unless it is not going to happen at all. 

Then Rutgers is on to Plan B. Which isn’t going to sit well unless a name coach comes to Piscataway. Except that will not happen in that instance. Possibly an up and coming coach or somebody who wants the lure of coaching in the Big 10, or heavens, a coaching retread. Let’s all hope, for Rutgers’ sake and that of the Big 10, that Plan B is not the option RU must use.

The Myles Garrett saga continued this week with Garrett’s trip to NFL Headquarters in New York City for an appeal of his punishment. At that time, Garrett first alleged that Pittsburgh QB Mason Rudolph uttered a racial epithet towards him during the melee. Rudolph categorically denied this and the NFL did not find any evidence that this had happened. It is just another sad part of this unfortunate episode which, because it occurred on prime time TV, made it even larger and more grotesque. 

I sense that this will not pass until the Browns and Steelers renew hostilities in Pittsburgh next weekend. Rudolph will be a marked man. But isn’t the QB always the target of the defense?  The Browns will be mercilessly booed. The game will go on. Barring any further unnecessary roughness, perhaps this Garrett thing can go on the back burner. 

I watched a documentary on Showtime about Sonny Liston, the former world heavyweight champion. It talked about the seediness of Liston’s past, his mob connections, and it queried whether fights were thrown with Liston cashing in or if he had defied what the mob bosses wanted and he was killed in the midst of drugs and alcohol, both of which had defined the last chapter of his tawdry life. It is worth seeing.

Catcher Yasmani Grandal made the first big splash in the free agent market, signing a lucrative 4 year deal to join the Chicago White Sox. The rumors swirl about who is going where, including the Phillies and Manager Joe Girardi having keen interest in former Yankees SS Didi Gregorius. 

Meanwhile, the Yankees designated for assignment 1B Greg Byrd. Byrd’s tenure with New York was marred by numerous, debilitating injuries. Such a shame, because he could field his position, and he had a fluid swing which was well suited for the short porch in right field at Yankee Stadium.

Then the Yankees did the unthinkable. They got rid of the albatross contract of Jacoby Ellsbury. Injured even more acutely than Byrd, Ellsbury did not come close to playing in even half of the team’s games for which he was being paid so exorbitantly. 

What the Yankees brass knew when they released Ellsbury was that he sought medical advice and treatment from outside of the organization. The Yankees believe that this voided the contract and they will not be paying Ellsbury’s final $26 million. I sense litigation and a settlement.

New York added pitching prospect Delvi Garcia to the 40 man roster. There are high hopes for him to emerge in the Bronx in 2020. This could add depth to the staff and replace either Dellin Betances or another starter. Or he might be trade bait to secure a proven starting pitcher.

Also overheard is the Yankees purported idea to trade JA Happ and his burdensome $17 million salary. Got to hand it to the Steinbrenners—when they seek to reduce payroll, they can almost do it…

I read an article on ESPN.com about the Rams and Chargers fighting over everything in the LA market as they get ready to enter the gleaming SoFi Stadium next season. In the midst of not so great seasons, both franchises are having difficulty drawing fans to temporary venues. Supporters of other teams out number Rams and Chargers fans. TV rating are down in LA. Plus soaring costs have made the construction of the stadium in Inglewood, visible on the flight path into LAX, in the range of an incredible $5 to $6 billion. And I thought American Dream was a nightmare?

But the article is an in depth view of how Stan Kroenke of the Rams and Dean Spanos, the Chargers owner, constantly try to outmaneuver each other over PPL’s, profits, and a whole lot of other things essential to making a go of football in LA, a town that loves the Dodgers and Lakers much, much more. 

It is also a tell all about the NFL, and what has gone on behind the scenes to make this LA venture happen. Instrumental in this is Jerry Jones, the shrewd owner of the Dallas Cowboys and how he has led this return to LA where he, along with Legends Corp. a company he owns with the Steinbrenners, is going to make a bundle irrespective of what the NFL and the two owners can make.

If you have some significant time, it is worthwhile reading. Go to ESPN.com to read the marvelous expose by Seth Wickersham and Don Van Natta, Jr entitled “Inside the Rams-Chargers marriage as the NFL fights for LA.”

Lost in everything is the remarkable start of the season that the New York Islanders team is having. This team has lost just once in its last 16 games and has accumulated a ton of points in the process. They remain behind Washington, only because the Capitals have played 5 more games. Barry Trotz, a proven winner in D.C., has the Islanders playing at a level that is reminiscent of the championship teams. Hockey is not entirely dead in New York as the Rangers and Devils try to find their identities. It is found in both the building that used to be called the Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale as well as the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. These nomads know how to play under adverse circumstances, which will make them tough in the playoffs.

Speaking of tough, the St. Louis Blues have picked up right where they left off after capturing their first Staley Cup this past season. Could a repeat be in the offing?

As distasteful as the Myles Garrett incident was to the NFL, the NHL had Washington’s Garnet Hathaway spit at an Anaheim player. He received a 3 game suspension for his actions. At least in the NHL, some justice prevails in Washington. 

The Philadelphia Eagles did a wonderful thing this week. They hosted the end of the Camden-Pleasantville high school playoff game which was halted after gunfire erupted, causing the death of an innocent 10 year old in the stands on the homestanding Pleasantville side. Eagles coaches and players came to the game, which was held in Lincoln Financial Field on Wednesday evening before a small gathering of invited guests. 

For those kids, it was a gem stuck in the midst of something horrific. They will not forget what happened. They will take away a very positive experience offered by the Eagles. For this I say, “Fly, Eagles, Fly.” Great job. 

Rutgers downed Stephen F. Austin 68-57 in a relatively uninspired contest on Wednesday. RU is still looking to find its identity, especially after its loss to St. Bonaventure in Toronto last Saturday. I look at this team and wonder how it will do against steeper competition, which will come in the form of Pitt, Seton Hall and Michigan State in the upcoming weeks. 

As for SFA, they suffered their first loss of the campaign. They next play at Cameron Indoor Stadium against #1 Duke, who handily beat Cal and Georgetown in a two day tournament at Madison Square Garden. I want to see how the Lumberjacks do against the Blue Devils—either they will be pesky or they will be routed. P.S.: Patrick Ewing is doing a fine job at Georgetown. He reminds me of the Thompsons—coaches who brought winning to D.C.

Hofstra beat UCLA the other night. Yes—Hofstra beat UCLA. The ghosts of Westwood must be turning over very uncomfortably right now, let alone the howling boosters of the legendary program. It is sad to see the decline of UCLA basketball is still ongoing. Their dominance under John Wooden was remarkable—he did get tremendous talent and he had them work his system to perfection. Since then, a legion of coaches have had middling success, to the consternation of its fan base. Here’s hoping that the Bruins right their ship without anything untoward and become relevant again, with their name among Duke, Kentucky, North Carolina—the basketball royalty which has succeeded the Wooden-led dynasty.

Saturday I journeyed to the 155th edition of the rivalry between Lafayette and Lehigh. The teams are both below .500 and the rumblings about firing John Garrett, the Fred M. Kirby ’42 Head Football Coach and brother of the Dallas Cowboys coach, are rumbling through the Lafayette alums. Yet they went into the game with an outside chance of winning the Patriot League if they could prevail in Bethlehem and Holy Cross lost at home to Georgetown. At an abysmal 3-8.

Lo and behold, the Leopards won a thrilling contest with the winning field goal kicked with 47 ticks left on the scoreboard clock. The game was defensive at times, with a smattering of offense by Lafayette and a bit more by Lehigh. It also had a strange sequence where the officials mistakenly moved the action to fourth down when a penalty against Lafayette had occurred. Lafayette actually punted the ball before a lengthy stoppage leading to the correction and Lafayette returning to the field with the appropriate third down. This didn’t change the outcome and, since Holy Cross did defeat Georgetown, made the game meaningless for the Patriot League championship but not to the Lafayette fans, who saw their team stop a four game losing streak versus Lehigh.

In the NBA, the two favorites in the West met last night at the Staples Center when the Clippers won a close game over the Houston Rockets . The debate has begun about which is the better duo—Russell Westbrook and James Harden of the Rockets, the latter averaging nearly 40 points ppg or Kawhi Leonard and his new partner in Los Angeles, Paul George? Talk to me in April about this debate. Still no contest with these impressive duos in comparison with Steph Curry and Klay Thompson in their primes,

Luka Doncic of Dallas has been making a big splash thus far this season. Then again, so has the reigning M.V.P., Giannis Antetokounmpo of Milwaukee. The Miami Heat and Boston Celtics have had good starts along with the Word Champs, Toronto, and Philadelphia. In the West, the Lakers lead the early returns, followed by Denver, Houston, the Clippers, Mavericks and Jazz. Poor Golden State is at 3-14, just behind three teams at 4-11, Cleveland, Atlanta and the Knicks. 

And a welcome back to the NBA to Carmelo Anthony, as he tries to shore up losses at the forward spots for Portland. He hit for 18 points the other night. See how easy it is to play in the NBA after some significant time away? 

Finally, F&M’s field hockey team finally beat Johns Hopkins on Saturday on their third try to reach the National Championship on Sunday against the Middlebury Panthers. F&M defeated Albright in men’s basketball and football closed out its season at 7-4 in the CC-MAC Bowl with a 31-13 win over Misericordia . Woohoo!! 

This is why teams compete. Fun and games this week. Nothing but fun and games.