RetiredLawyerSportsOp: Tumultuous Times

RetiredLawyerSportsOp: Tumultuous Times: First, a couple of people I know are venturing into areas where the coronavirus is rampant. I wish them nothing but safe travels and good ...

Tumultuous Times

First, a couple of people I know are venturing into areas where the coronavirus is rampant. I wish them nothing but safe travels and good health. 

Second, my synagogue held its supposed last weekly service on Friday night. As of June 30, our doors will be closed. A brave few are suggesting that the temple might continue in some undetermined form after failed attempts at merger, suggested years ago with a view to declining demographics and poor finances. 

And what a way to go out, if this is our end of the line—a Zoom service. No hugs. No kisses. Just chatter and hearing those who were computer challenged, singing aloud and off key. That alone has set me back religiously. 

Our Rabbi dislocated or broke a couple of fingers on her left hand, trying to help her son become a wide receiver on his school’s team. I have chided her about the need for those big gloves all the wide outs wear for a reason, and reminded her that she is no Julian Edelman. 

We ventured out today, visiting my son and his partner in Astoria, Queens, for a quick Greek cuisine lunch. On the streets, as well as traveling through Manhattan on the way home, significant numbers of people, more young than old, eschewed the use of masks, the tried and true method for minimizing the spread of a disease. With the meteoric rise of the pandemic in so many other states now reaching crisis proportions, smugness in states like New York and New Jersey should not be the norm. Unfortunately, this virus is alive and quite well, and it isn’t going away quickly, devouring those who are uncaringly getting in its way. I recall one of my favorite lines from the classic Tom Hanks (an early COVID-19 survivor) movie, “Forrest Gump”: “Stupid is as stupid does.”

With what has happened in the U.S. and around the world, name changes are in order. The heated Oregon-Oregon State football rivalry is no longer called “The Civil War.” Nicknames like the Rebels, Cowboys and Indians are no longer acceptable at the high school and collegiate levels. 

The Minnesota Twins removed a statue of former owner Calvin Griffith, a racist when owned the team as the original Washington Senators. His NFL counterpart in D.C., George Preston Marshall, even more of an avowed racist, had his statue removed from its place outside of R.F.K. Stadium, the former home of the Redskins, and his name was removed from the team’s Ring of Honor. 

Which then begs the politically-correct question which has popped up repeatedly over the years—shouldn’t the Redskins finally change their name? Owner Daniel Snyder would not only be doing the right thing, but the merchandising bonanza which would come about as a result—new jerseys, hats, etc. as well as collector’s items bearing the old name. Same logic applies to the Atlanta Braves and the Cleveland Indians.

There will be a 60 game baseball schedule, mandated by MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred in accord with the desires of his owners. It’s far from perfect. A very well written article on ESPN.com noted all the inherent risks which might arise and questions the ability of the sport to function in this environment—one which is taking no timeouts. 

Texas Rangers staff has been mandated to work at the new Globe Life Field. There have been positive tests of personnel and Texas is struggling mightily with the onslaught of the coronavirus’ severe impact on the state. Those who work inside the building are panicked and terrified to be in such a hostile setting. The Rangers are taking corrective measures starting with sanitizing, but this will no stop unscrupulous and demanding supervisors to take advantage of a situation to force people needy of a job to support themselves to be placed in harm’s way. I am going to guess that they won’t be the only franchise to be so unsympathetic.

I saw that Rockies’ star outfielder Charlie Blackmon contracted COVID-19. How many more will be exposed? When will competitive advantage be fractured—if half the Yankees get infected? Or Mike Trout? And what abut the long-term effects of those who even have a mild case of the coronavirus? That hasn’t really been determined. 

An ESPN poll showed that over 70% of baseball fans support the MLB 60 game plan. Fan X and my cousin in Connecticut concur. I suppose it is better than nothing. The poll did not address anything else like how acrimonious the MLBPA and MLB are, whether one side is the winner of this battle. 

I wonder of those fans recognize that what they will be watching is not going to be baseball as we have come to know it. The changes mandated by the virus include no spitting, smokeless tobacco, sunflower seeds and masks in the bullpen and dugout for non-players. Wet rags in the pitchers’ pockets to stop them from licking their fingers. There will be no fighting—imagine a play at the plate or a hit batsman who takes umbrage with the pitcher?

Balls touched by multiple players will be replaced. Managers or players arguing a call who cannot remain 6 feet apart from the umpires or an opposing player face ejection and discipline.

The off-the-field list of preventive measures is very extensive. From clubhouse food served in individual to-go containers to discouraging showering in the clubhouse, to how the teams enter stadiums, hotels and arrive at the ballpark is covered. MLB sought the input of a number of experts on a variety of subjects and has a contract with a laboratory in Salt Lake City to facilitate its mandatory testing of people according to three tiers of individuals, many on a daily basis and some twice a day. 

There is no doubt that the plan is well thought out. But the virus is insidious, and it readily accepts plans when there are plenty of holes in it. There are things left to the franchises to develop, such as their own off-the-field conduct guidelines. MLB “will not formally restrict” the activities of players and key staff away from team facilities. Because they can’t. 

Even with traveling rules designed to segregate and quarantine the team on the road to isolate them from the public, this is going to be onerous. Players need to blow off steam—sometimes away from fellow players and team personnel. Unless there are armed guards watching the floors of the hotels and the exits, good luck in keeping them all in one place. And permitting them use of food delivery services while away interjects a whole new group of people inside of the protected area. 

Thus, the players are being asked to police themselves. A group of players ranging from ages 19 to 40 acting like responsible adults all of the time isn’t logical. The warning of MLB that “(T)he careless actions of a single individual places the entire team (and their families) at risk” is not much of a deterrent. 

The PGA Tour is having lots of difficulties with caddies testing positive, requiring players in contact with them to absence themselves from tournaments. This could lead to a cessation of play if it continues. Something MLB needs to watch carefully.

By the way, what will happen with a rain delay? How long will MLB be willing to wait before attempting resumption of play? Injuries come to mind in that scenario.

Speaking of injuries, what kind of shape will the players be in when they report to their respective camps to commence workouts? Will intra-squad play be enough to get them ready for game that count? Or will there be a rash of lower leg, arm and core muscle ailments that will take necessary players from playing because they rushed and over-trained or didn’t get into proper shape for what will be a sprint to the playoffs? 

Fans may not like the stylistic changes which are part of play for this short season such as the universal DH and runners on base for extra inning contests. They can also anticipate that the projected favorites like the Yankees and Dodgers cannot afford to have a lapse during  any portion of the season, as they may not make the playoffs. Exhibit A is the 2019 Washington Nationals club which started out 17-31 and had the benefit of the full 162 game slate to make up ground and win the World Series. 

Before I start to really question baseball and its actions to make a 60 game season occur, I want to bring up one thing the San Francisco Giants are implementing. They will permit season-ticket holders to send in images of themselves which will be placed onto a cutout then displayed at Oracle Park during home games. Given the fancy title “Giants Fan Cutout Program,” it will allow fans to “be at Oracle Park even when you’re home watching the game.” Moreover, non-season-ticket-holders can avail themselves of this deal for $99. 

I thought of the Yankees doing this. In New York, it might be an added surcharge to the already-costly seated down low that the Yankees reserve for the wealthy. And knowing their mentality, the costs might be higher to others seeking to place their images in the Aaron Judge area, or be a Bleacher Creature. 

In Los Angeles, the Dodgers could put pictures of celebrities in prominent places. The Phillies and Mets could put socially distanced cutouts of the Phanatic and Mr. Met in the seats. 

I would need a picture of the dark-haired lady behind home plate in Milwaukee to keep my attention between pitches. In Tampa and Miami, selling cutouts could increase attendance. Lol

We have the NBA on the horizon. With a schedule designed to given man-child rookie phenom Zion Williamson and the New Orleans Pelicans every opportunity to make the playoffs in the abridged 8 game skien that will conclude the regular season, the NBA is hopeful that they can be lucky enough within their bubble to make it through the playoffs. 

Except that 16 players of 302 recently tested positive for COVID-19. That is about 5% of the group. While their bubble theory is an experiment, there is the likelihood that things could go awry very easily. 

I think about those players who had the virus—will they truly be back to normal and will they have long-term effects from even a mild case of COVID-19? Will this lead to a diluted product and diminish teams’ chances, just like a bad injury derails a championship run for a team that is suddenly missing a key player?

The owner of the Indianapolis 500 have these grand plans to fill half of the stands when the race is conducted later this year. That would mean 125,000 fans inside a compound which holds 250,000.  That is either a very ambitious undertaking which requires a lot of good luck, or one of the greediest and most selfless actions in sports. You can form your own opinions on this. 

Contrast the Indy 500 with erudite Bowdoin College and Morehouse College, a Historically Black College and University (HBCU) canceling fall sports due to the coronavirus, being the first in their groupings to do so. Clemson football suffering a total of 37 positive tests, 23 out of 102 players. Kansas State shut down workouts as the number of infected player reached 14. This is the tip of the iceberg. 

One last thought. I have not addressed the playing of the National Anthem. Nor have I dread or heard anything from MLB or the NBA on the subject. Both organizations are hopeful that the fans will respond to the start of baseball and restart of basketball. That translates into TV ratings critical in these shortened seasons into the playoffs. I want the taking of a knee during the Star Spangled Banner to be accepted and not engender further controversy. I wish I had a lot of confidence in that happening. 

These are tumultuous times. The definition of tumultuous is “excited, confused or disorderly. 

Sport is hardly immune from the tumult. 

RetiredLawyerSportsOp: Things Are Very Fluid

RetiredLawyerSportsOp: Things Are Very Fluid: A word which has broad applicability is “fluid.” Webster’s II New College Dictionary has the fourth definition which we use in this insta...

Things Are Very Fluid

A word which has broad applicability is “fluid.” Webster’s II New College Dictionary has the fourth definition which we use in this instance: “easily changed or tending to change.”

No word can capture what is happening in this country more than the word fluid as defined above. It is interesting, at least to me, that the words “ flow,” “fluctuate,”and “fluent” are all in close proximity. Then again, “flue,” “fluff,” “flounder,” “fluke,” “flurry,” “flout,” “flourish,” and “flunk” are all nearby. Not to mention “flugelhorn” and “flush.”

Sports and the world we live in is in a continual transition to a place where we have not yet gone. What may have been the case yesterday has changed dramatically by today. There is no rule of thumb that can be safely applied other than the fact that the coronavirus is still out there and remains potent. 

No better examples of this uncertainty are the MLB talks, NHL camps and the NBA plan. And by the time I complete this blog, what may be in effect now could be old, eviscerated news. 

People thought that MLB and the MLBPA were en route to a settlement of their differences. MLBPA head Tony Clark’s ultimatum to Commissioner Rob Manfred about showing the union a place and time to show and play, followed by Manfred’s unprecedented flight to Phoenix for a face-to-face meeting with Clark led to a supposed framework for a deal. 

Except that it didn’t. MLB’s 60 game plan was countered by a 70 game offering from the players. Which has been rejected by the owners. Leaving the talks in limbo, along with the legion of fans hoping and praying for cooler heads to prevail. 

But there are hawkish owners who will not accede to anything the players want and who are willing to throw the season away rather than lose their leverage. These selfish owners, would be abandoning the fans and product, as well as the good which could come from a resumption of Our National Pastime. 

Time is closing in on the parties. To play into November with expanded playoffs is tempting fate according to Dr. Anthony Fauci. He knows that there will be an expected influenza outbreak in the fall. Plus, Dr. Fauci is very confident that there will be a second wave of COVID-19, and we cannot anticipate how virulent it is going to be. 

Baseball has not established a season. Any protocols for the players and individuals involved have not been shared. 

Which is why the shutdown of the minor league and training camps of the Blue Jays in Dunedin, FL and the Phillies in Clearwater, FL due to infected players was eye-opening. The same has happened to the Tampa Bay Lightning in the NHL. As a result MLB has shut down all camps for “cleaning.” Great. You cannot cleanse a player who carries the virus. 

Cases of the virus are on the rise in an alarming rate in Florida, as well as in Arizona and Texas. California has mandated the wearing of masks. While New York has loosened its death grip on restraints to protect the public, if there is a repeat of the bar scene eschewing masks and social distancing this weekend in Manhattan, a shut down by Governor Andrew Cuomo 

is inevitable. 

What should be alarming to the MLB, if there is to be a season, is the fact that the aforementioned states are home to all of the training camps and 10 MLB franchises. How is there going to be a bubble which can adequately protect the athletes when they attempt to get ready for the season if the hospitalization rates continue to skyrocket?

For all of the posturing, MLB may not have a season because of what’s been the single, most pressing concern—COVID-19. And don’t think that the other leagues aren’t as upset over the way things are going—players in the NBA are wondering if it is prudent to play in Orlando for dual reasons—the political optics with what has unfolded in Minneapolis, Atlanta and too many other places, coupled with the specter of infection no matter how secure the league attempts to make the circumstances. 

Dr. Fauci has said that the NFL will be in real jeopardy without a protective bubble. And that may not be enough to prevent the ravages of the coronavirus. 

We see repeated signs that college athletes have been exposed to the virus in Texas, Alabama and other states which loosely enforced restrictions or avoided them for convenience. Now there has been the revelation that 23 Clemson football players and one PGA Tour member have tested positive. And with a President who is looking to fill an arena in Tulsa with his supporters and wants them to not wear masks and sign a liability waiver, the likelihood of his followers and others being exposed to the virus grows exponentially with their disdain. 

I saw an article about Babe Ruth in 1918. He was already legendary as a pitcher and hitter with the Boston Red Sox. Yet he almost died from the Spanish flu pandemic as he contracted the virus twice, the second time in conjunction with the practice in vogue of barnstorming—in this instance in New England—to let fans see him and to make more money directly. 

My stance is no different than before. Be prudent. Heck, Orlando is one of the hotspots in Florida and Orlando International Airport also has been so identified. I realize that the NBA season is a month away, but is there ever really going to be enough control over the coronavirus to insure the safety of the players?  

Thus, all the disagreements between MLB and the MLBPA may become moot. Is it that necessary to have games in empty stadiums playing on TV while exposing the players to potential harm?  I think not. 

I actually wasn’t going to write on the four major sports in this context. I was first going to discuss the Belmont Stakes. It is this Saturday. The Triple Crown is out of order, with the last race going first. It will be contested at a shorter distance than is traditionally run. No fans will be in attendance. There will be no backstretch, throaty, guttural New York roar to greet the horses and jockeys on the way to the finish line. Appropriately, a horse named ’Tis the Law is the favorite. The whole thing is going to be surreal.

This past week so many historical events took place in the sports world. Suffice it to say that we just reached the 26th anniversary of O.J. Simpson’s infamous Ford Bronco drive with former Buffalo teammate Al Cowlings through the highways and streets of Los Angeles. That was the same night the Knicks took a 3-2 lead on the Houston Rockets in the NBA Finals. And Knicks fans know all too well how that turned out.

Governor Cuomo gave the green light for the U.S. Open to proceed sans fans and with reduced on court personnel such as ball boys and judges. While Serena Williams is looking forward to returning to Flushing Meadow, a number of top men and women do not share that enthusiasm and are on the fence about playing. Once more, I question the necessity of holding this tournament. 

I commend NASCAR for banning the Confederate flag at its races. The Good Old Boys mantra may still exist in the Deep South, but the symbol of the War Between the States, a war that was about retention of the Southern way of doing things and which of course meant continuing slavery, has been removed.

The Southeastern Conference has taken a bolder stance. By saying no SEC championships will be held in Mississippi until the Mississippi State Flag, with its “Stars and Bars”, a resounding rebuke by white supremacists to the rise of blacks in the Reconstruction South, is removed, the SEC echoes the need to cut the ties to the Confederacy. The difference is that this is economics tied to the sacred politics of one state. NASCAR is private, and it did not want to suffer the economic loss that might occur if sponsors withdrew their support. Either way, the time is right for change. 

`Sadly, vandals defaced a Richmond, VA statute of Arthur Ashe, the great African-American tennis player and activist. Conversely, statues for George Preston Marshall, the former Redskins owner and Calvin Griffith, the late Washington Senators and Minnesota Twins owner, symbolic of racism in D.C., have been removed. As much as we push forward, there will be enough blowback to deal with. It should never deter the need to restructure the prevailing climate. 

Not to overdo this blog with heavy-duty thought, I came across two lists this week. Remember, in this time of the pandemic and very little live TV sports, lists on web sites have become the filler norm.

First, there was a ranking of the Big Ten football stadiums. Even if Rutgers has been at the bottom of the heap on the field, High Point Solutions Stadium came in at #13, ahead of Ryan Field at Northwestern.  I am willing to bet that once fans are allowed back into stadiums, RU will easily surpass Maryland and could make it into the top 10. The complete list, from top to bottom:

1.   Ohip Stadium

2.   Beaver Stadium (Penn State)

3.   Camp Randall Stadium (Wisconsin)

4.   Kinnick Stadium (Iowa)

5.   Michigan Stadium

6.   Memorial Stadium (Nebraska)

7.   TCF Bank Stadium (Minnesota)

8.   Spartan Stadium (Michigan State)

9.   Ross-Ade Stadium (Purdue)

10. Memorial Stadium (Illinois)

11. Memorial Stadium (Indiana)

12. Capital One Field at Maryland Stadium

13. High Points Solutions Stadium (Rutgers)

14. Ryan Field (Northwestern)

Then there was the article about the top ten divisional rivalries in the NFL. Here’s the list:  

1.   Green Bay-Chicago

2.   Dallas-Philadelphia

3.   Baltimore-Pittsburgh

4.   Raiders-Kansas City

5.   Washington-Giants

6.   New England-Jets

7.   San Francisco-Rams

8.   Buffalo-Miami

9.   Atlanta-New Orleans

10. Chargers-Denver

Now some of them I buy into. The first two I agree with. I think the Raiders and Chiefs is the third choice. 

I know that there is a history between Buffalo and Miami through the years,. But Miami is ahead by 11 games and Miami had a streak of 20 straight wins from 1970-79.

I thought the Giants and Dallas had a better rivalry than the Redskins and Giants—NYG leads the series 103-69-4 and they are 31-18-1 since 1995. It was surprising to me that the Eagles and Redskins and the Eagles and Giants weren’t listed.

I would have put the Rams and 49’ers in 5th place. The Rams trail only by 4 wins.

Yes, the Jets and Patriots hate each other. As do the fans. It’s that Boston-New York thing. Bill Belichick is 31-11 against the Jets—and he lost the first three games his teams played against New York.

I thought that Chicago-Detroit, Detroit-Green Bay and Green-Bay-Minnesota might have made the list. Maybe Miami-New England instead of Buffalo-Miami. Buffalo-New England is a rivalry, too. As is Kansas City-Denver, probably more so than the Chargers and Denver. 

I thought about this for the NBA. All I could come up with are Boston-Philadelphia, Chicago-Milwaukee, Detroit-Chicago, Chicago-Indiana and maybe Dallas-Houston. The remainder were Knicks rivalries—and are the Knicks truly someone’s rival?

In hockey, you can argue about Rangers-Islanders, Montreal-Toronto, Edmonton-Calgary, Kings-Ducks, Black Hawks-Blues, Ottawa-Montreal, Detroit-Chicago, Rangers-Devils, Flyers-Rangers and Washington-Philadelphia. All merit consideration on a Top 10 divisional rivals list. 

That’s the beauty of these kinds of things. Arguments ensue over positioning or even inclusion. 

Because just like today’s current events, everything seems to be in flux. After all, things are very fluid in the sports world.

RetiredLawyerSportsOp: Youthful Memories

RetiredLawyerSportsOp: Youthful Memories: We’re progressing, albeit slowly towards some sports. Golf is back. Practice for NHL teams is upcoming. The NBA is moving ahead with its O...

Youthful Memories

We’re progressing, albeit slowly towards some sports. Golf is back. Practice for NHL teams is upcoming. The NBA is moving ahead with its Orlando plan, even with some dissenters popping up. NHL teams are starting to assemble, and one unidentified player on the Boston Bruins has tested positive for COVID-19. I am not addressing college athletics this week other than to say that six University of Houston athletes tested positive this week and the University temporarily shut down the athletic programs.

However, on Thursday, as I sat with my daughter in the Watchung Reservation, under a warm June sun, and again on a Zoom meeting on Friday, I realized what was wrong. I missed baseball. The live action coming from the 30 MLB parks, with the Yankees and Mets dominating the local airwaves and the MLB and ESPN telecasts from around the nation supplementing my neediness. 

As we approach the start of summer next weekend, I yearn for my fix of Aaron Judge at bats, waiting for that majestic blast, reminiscent of Mickey Mantle, even if Judge only bats from the right side. Think I am missing Masahiro Tanaka wiggling out of another jam? D.J. LeMahieu routinely producing hits with relative ease while almost flawlessly manning multiple positions in the field—so sorely do I miss that on a daily basis. The masterful hitting, with power, by Giancarlo Stanton, Gleybar Torres and Gio Urshela—so much fun. Or watching the Yankees‘ bullpen rescue a starter who lasted five tough innings, topped off by the flame-throwing antics of Aroldis Chapman

Instead, I have recollections of post-Memorial Day baseball into my early teens to reference in my mind. I think of the Midget League and Junior League teams sponsored by the Police and Fire Departments of Highland Park which I played on. An underage and relatively small second baseman for the green and gold Police team in 1958 who, under the lights of the old high school field, deftly scooped up a grounder, tagged the runner and threw the batter out for an inning ending double play. And the recognition that my arm was pretty darn good when a ball was hit to me in medium center field while playing for Fire Department in 1964 and I threw out the opposing team runner who had the temerity to tag up.

I remember the many Yankees matinee games I watched in my parents’ den in between stops in our swimming pool. Mel Allen, Red Barber and Phil Rizzuto calling the action. Or being there on a hot night with a huge fan blowing, watching the Yankees and Detroit in fierce battle from Briggs Stadium or its later incarnation as Tiger Stadium. Sometimes a strong thunderstorm would come out of neighboring Edison or nearby Piscataway, but the game would still be on our black and white TV.  

Until 1961, the road games were from Baltimore, Boston, Cleveland, Kansas City, Washington and Chicago along with Detroit. The announcers made you feel the blistering heat of the night in old Griffith Stadium as the Yankees and the old Washington Senators clashed. That feeling didn’t go away when the Griffith family uprooted the team to Minnesota—the night games in Metropolitan Stadium in a then-undeveloped Bloomington (that vacant farmland is the location of the Mall of America) were epic, while the battles in D.C. Stadium with the expansion Senators were seemingly one-sided in favor of New York.

From 1957 through 1964, the Yankees were the top dog. Sure, they lost the World Series in 1957 to the Milwaukee Braves, didn’t make it to the Fall Classic in 1959, were upset by the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1960. Then the Yankees rattled off wins in 1961 and 1962 before falling to the Dodgers in 1963 and St.Louis in 1964.

These were the teams of Mantle, Roger Maris, Yogi Berra, Whitey Ford, Elston Howard, the first black player for the Yankees. Tony Kubek or Tom Tresh patrolled shortstop and Bobby Richardson was a stalwart at second base. Hector Lopez delivered clutch pinch hits. Clete Boyer was a vacuum at third base and Bill (Moose) Skowron or Joe Pepitone manned first base and hit for power into the short porch beyond right field. I saw a tough, crew cut Hank Bauer in his last years; Enos (Country) Slaughter, a remnant of the old St. Louis Cardinals, batting .304 at age 42. Jerry Lumpe, Gil McDougald, Norm Siebern, “Bullet” Bob Turley from Delaware with his no wind up delivery;  all were my guys. I liked a young Marv Throneberry, who periodically saw time at first base before ending up with the Mets in the 1962 expansion draft. The Yankees had  plenty of pitchers behind Ford, including Don Larsen of World Series no hit fame, Art Ditmar, Johnny Kucks, and fireballer Ryne Duren, who would regularly toss a heater onto the back screen to scare hitters. The Yankees added old pitchers like Virgin Trucks, Murry Dickson and Sal (the Barber) Maglie, known for his close shaves to the batters who dared to dig in against him.

Plenty of others played for New York—Bob Cerv, Kent Hadley, Dale Long, Johnny Blanchard, Elmer Valo, another retread. The brothers Shantz—pitcher Billy and catcher Bobby, made it to the Stadium to wear the pinstripes. Phil Rizzuto loved infielder Joe DeMaestri, who shared Italian heritage. Little Luis Arroyo came out of the bullpen to save games for Whitey. Bill Stafford provided relief, as did Eli Grba, before he went to the Angels in the expansion draft, Duke Maas, Marshall Bridges, Jim Coates, Hal Reniff and Rollie Sheldon. Jim Bouton, Al Downing Ralph Terry and Stan Williams became starting pitchers in 1963.

I liked to see Mickey bat right-handed, which was his natural side, yet I never felt cheated when he batted lefty. Because of Mantle and Tresh being switch-hitters, I taught myself to switch hit. I actually batted from the left side in a game against good friend and right hander Rich Van Doren in a Midget league game versus the MacKinney Oilers (the local oil supply company in town) and stroked 2 hits. I think it was fear of not hitting well enough left-handed which drove me to my natural righty swing; in hindsight, I wished I had continued batting from both sides.

I learned how to drag bunt watching Mickey do it from the left side and beating out hits with his still good speed despite the plethora of leg injuries he suffered. I did a fairly good imitation of Roger Maris’s swing—something which came about in the magical year of 1961when he and Mickey went toe-to-toe in assault on Babe Ruth’s cherished 60 home run mark. 

Stickball at Hamilton School, the school I attended the most, or Lafayette School on the South Side, where everybody met up for seventh grade, was a staple of my springs and summers along with organized town leagues. There I could be anybody—which included some interlopers from the National League—the Mets.

I came into baseball after the Dodgers and Giants headed West, vacating New York City and creating a void for fans who did not root for the Yankees. Luckily, my father was a Yankees fan, so the lack of three teams in New York did not bother me.

However, it evidently rankled a whole lot of others. So much so that the hue and cry on the pages of the Daily News and the Mirror caused enough pressure that in its desire to expand, having done so in the American League with the Angels tapping into the lucrative Southern California market and the new Senators replacing the old Senators team in Washington, the National League countered with new franchises in Houston and New York.

On the sports pages, it was a big deal that New Yorkers were getting a team from the National League. I avidly read Dick Young’s column in the Daily News, and I learned he was angry about the Dodgers’ flight to California. Casey Stengel, the colorful former player who managed the Yankees to titles in the 1950’s and who was abruptly replaced by the Major, Ralph Houk, as skipper by crusty Yankees GM George Weiss, would pilot this new NL team.

While I never relinquished my allegiance to the Yankees, now I had more to watch on TV, as the Mets landed on Channel 9, WOR-TV. Besides, it was easy to switch between Channel 9 and WPIX, the home of the Yankees on Channel 11; I may have once broken the dial of a TV switching back and forth when there weren’t any remotes. Thus, I learned not to be so heavy-handed. 

Lindsay Nelson, Ralph Kiner and Bob Murphy. To my generation, those voices were synonymous with Mets baseball. They entertained in a different way than the Yankees broadcasters—mainly because they had to draw viewers, and the 1962 team straight out stunk.

Of course, that didn’t trouble me. It was baseball on TV. Something much better to do than having to read The Yearling or Moby Dick. Not that I didn’t like to read. As a younger me, I had my priorities. 

Those Mets had some interesting players. Richie Ashburn, a star in Philadelphia, was aging and the Phillies dumped him into the expansion pool. Ashburn hit .306 for the Mets—and he is in the Baseball Hall of Fame.  Frank Thomas, a slugger with the Pirates, relocated to New York and powered 34 homers. Former Dodgers such as catcher Joe Pignatono, infielders Charlie Neal, Don Zimmer and Gil Hodges all appeared for the Mets in 1962. At least 6 others caught for the Mets staff in 1962—forgettable names like Joe Ginsberg, Chris Cannizzaro, Sammy Taylor, Hobie Landrith, Harry Chiti, unlike the well-known and beloved Choo-Choo Coleman. 

The pitching staff was such a mess that the team actually had two Bob Millers. One was a lefty and the other a righty. They were known by their initials Robert G. and Robert L.

Roger Craig was let go by the pitching rich Dodgers and he led the staff with  a 10-24 record. The righty Miller amassed a 1-12 record. Craig Anderson was 3-17 in 1962. Jay Hook, a former Cincinnati Reds pitcher, chipped in with  a 8-19 record. The only pitcher who had a record over .500 was Canadian Ken Mc Kenzie, at 5-4. This was a team which went 40-120.

I got to see the Polo Grounds, the former home of the New York Giants in upper Manhattan, visible across the Harlem River from the gigantic Yankee Stadium. It looked dark and dingy on TV and it really was. Fans showed up when the Dodgers and Giants came to town—to see Duke Snider and Brooklyn’s Sandy Koufax on the Dodgers, or Willie Mays returning to his rightful home at the Polo Grounds. 

New towns were opened up for me to become familiar with—even if I had briefly seen County Stadium in Milwaukee, Forbes Field in Pittsburgh and Crosley Field in Cincinnati with the Yankees trips to those sites in earlier World Series. Dodger Stadium was brand new. Candlestick Park in San Francisco suffered from cold and wind at night and cold and wind during the day, along with fog. Who knew how special Wrigley Field in Chicago was—all I knew was that the Cubs played all day games, which led to players having plenty of time to kill afterwards until the next game. The Colt .45’s, the original name of the Houston franchise, played in a former minor league park that also looked dingy and was hot and full of mosquitos. Busch Stadium in St. Louis was an old edifice, once known as Sportsman’s Park and the home of the Cardinals and the Browns before they moved to Baltimore.

I was exposed to stars like Henry Aaron, Eddie Matthews and Warren Spahn of the Braves, who ate up the Mets. There was Koufax, Maury Wills, Don Drysdale out in LA, Wille Mc Covey augmented Mays in SF, with a Dominican pitcher named Juan Marichal who had a high leg kick and dynamite stuff. I saw Stan (The Man) Musial, the Cardinals star. Frank Robinson and Vada Pinson, the one-two punch on the Reds. Ernie Banks’ enthusiasm and stardom led the Cubs. A young left-handed hitter named Rusty Staub, who would be a beloved Met later on in his career, was with the Colt .45’s. 

As you can guess, I was glued to my TV when I wasn’t out playing ball. I did manage to go to some games, too. I saw the Tigers and Yankees, and from the upper deck of the Stadium, the White Sox and Yankees in 1959, in a Saturday CBS Game of the Week (not televised locally) where sterling Sox lefty Gary Peters out pitched Ford. I saw the Indians, the Orioles and Twins during those years. National League games included my first one in 1959 at Connie Mack Stadium, where the Dodgers’ Stan Williams out dueled  future Philadelphia Hall of Fame pitcher Robin Roberts, and an overcast, damp 1963 May day at the Polo Grounds to see the Reds and Mets meet (Cincy won).

The one change in the Mets was location. In conjunction with the 1964 World’s Fair in Flushing Meadows, the site of the 1939 extravaganza, the City of New York opened a gleaming new and different stadium across the subway and LIRR tracks: Shea Stadium. A horseshoe ballpark, it had the ability to be encircled, if desired. The stands could move to accommodate football, for Shea was to become the home of the American Football League New York Jets, too. 

While Yankee Stadium was a cathedral of the sport, Shea was shiny and new in comparison, seating 55,000 fans. It was the locale for the 1964 All-Star game. Although the Mets were still terrible (53-109) and were populated by no names such as Roy Mc Millan, Amado Samuel, Bobby Klaus, George Altman and Larry Elliot, who joined the ranks of Cannizzaro, Thomas and Smith, there were some youngsters like Jim Hickman, Ed Kranepool and Ron Hunt. 

Pitching was still abysmal. “Fat” Jack Fisher, Tracy Stallard, the former Red Sox hurler who gave up the 61st home run to Maris, Al Jackson and Galen Cisco formed a not-very-imposing starting rotation. The legion of new Mets fans had a better venue than their hated rivals in the Bronx, even if the teams’ talent were light years apart, and even if Stengel’s clown-like antics were beginning to wear thin.

I was awed with the colorfulness, the powerful lighting and the newness of Shea Stadium. It looked great on TV and even more awesome in person. I saw my first game there in 1965, just as the Yankees slide from power began. It was the Dodgers versus the Mets, and I drew the third starter for LA, Claude Osteen, a young lefty and Fisher. The Dodgers won. 

But it was fun. Like it always was, whether I set foot in a major league ballpark, a minor league venue or played and watched the game. From April, when the weather broke for good in New Jersey, or even earlier in Lancaster, when we practiced in the snow (try grabbing a fly ball when it is snowing!), to June and July when Summer was in full bloom, it was baseball season. 

This year, it’s different. Right now we might have been ending the Stanley Cup Playoffs and the NBA Finals. We’re not. To make things even more difficult, there is no baseball. The new breed of ballplayers, who have descended from the Yankees and Mets of my youth, are on the sidelines. Stuck in a labor negotiation that is apparently stalemated, with the rift between the players and MLB seemingly widening daily. 

I am a bit too old to withstand much of a catch, if I was to have one. What I do have are youthful memories of my cherished game, which will be more than enough for right now.

RetiredLawyerSportsOp: Black Lives Matter

RetiredLawyerSportsOp: Black Lives Matter: The NBA is back on July 31. The NHL has not announced hard dates yet. States are relaxing their restrictions. MLB and the MLBPA are deadlo...

Black Lives Matter

The NBA is back on July 31. The NHL has not announced hard dates yet. States are relaxing their restrictions. MLB and the MLBPA are deadlocked in their negotiations, with each day it looks less likely that there will be a season in 2020. 

The pandemic continues. As of Friday, 18 states have seen a surge in the number of COVID-19 cases. Fan X feels a need to be tested for the coronavirus—something that many of us reluctantly do at an advanced age. With many more likely to become ill as a result of the demonstrations which have been occurring almost everywhere—from Millburn, New Jersey to Santa Monica, California, to Helena, Montana. From bloodbaths in Philadelphia to upheaval in Minneapolis, the epicenter of the outrage, to Houston, the childhood hometown of George Floyd.

Front and central remains the horrible death of Floyd at the hands of four, now-indicted, white Minneapolis police officers. The powerful messages of 8+ minutes of silence to recreate the time span it took for Floyd’s captors to take away his last breath to the recitation by the Floyd attorney the names of all the black men and women who have died as the result of police brutality in recent memory.

No one has been shielded from the outcry of all sides. The police have taken things to extremes—either marching or kneeling with protestors, or aggressively striking those who dare to protest quietly, as seen most vividly in Buffalo when a 75 year old man was slammed to the ground. Outside forces from many political views and agendas have infiltrated the peaceful protesting. 

Again and again, we see the cities and even posh neighborhoods such as where Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti resides, have become locales where the voice of outrage and protest is straining to be heard.

Typically, Americans want change now or even yesterday. In some instances, the changes have begun, especially in cities with black mayors like Atlanta and Tacoma, Washington. The Mayor of Washington, D.C. had artists paint a street leading to the White House with the good and big yellow lettering “Black Lives Matter.” Yes, there is dialogue. It is pertinent and timely discussion, likely to effectuate change in certain instances.

Still, we have the unsavory images of the Lincoln Monument heavily guarded and the use of flash grenades, tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse a peaceful gathering outside of the White House so that the President could make a political statement with a photo op of him holding up a bible in front of a nearby church. Thankfully, he retreated from his plan to visit his golf course in Bedminster, NJ, citing the difficulty the town would have with the expected protests—when we all know that the weather this weekend in Somerset County isn’t going to be very good for golfing. 

Political icons like Barack Obama and John Lewis, who marched with Dr. Martin Luther King are united in their beliefs. Statues which glorify those who personified hatred against blacks have been removed in Virginia and Philadelphia. 

Athletes have made statements, some of them notorious. New Orleans Saints QB Drew Brees made his conservative views about respecting the flag known. Which prompted an immediate outcry, denouncing his remarks except for a few like Charles Barkley and Shaquille O’Neal, who said the vitriol directed at Brees was over the top. 

Michael Jordan and Lebron James have acted monetarily and vocally. The Green Bay Packers released a video denouncing violence against blacks.  Roger Goodell has heard the voices of the top players in the NFL. Steph Curry and Klay Thompson have marched in rallies in the Bay Area. 

Star Rutgers basketball player Geo Baker, who is multi-racial, documented his feelings on Twitter. Many followers dropped him, only to be replaced by more new followers who understood the circumstances and his message. I am one of those new followers. 

It is a shame what happened to Baker with so many choosing to drop him on Twitter. These same individuals loved his basketball exploits but could not stomach a young man expressing his beliefs. That is exactly the divide within the country, and that is troublesome. 

Much more is going to happen in the months ahead. The super charged political climate, fueled by discord and disconnect and exacerbated by the horrors of the coronavirus, has shook us like a strong earthquake. The after shocks will be many. When they finally die down, it will be time to count the lives uprooted and destroyed and then seek to rebuild. It is how we choose to rebuild that is most important, resetting America and making it great again in reality, rather than as part of a fake campaign slogan worn conspicuously on a red baseball cap. 

With the NBA centralizing its games in the Disney complex outside of Orlando, a great sociological experiment will begin. Driven by the need to play games for a multitude of reasons, the players will be the participants in a scientifically-directed glass house open to the world to see. I have said before that the magnitude of the undertaking is daunting and can easily go awry. 

Commissioner Adam Silver admitted he prematurely spoke when he stated in an interview that he was likely to keep older coaches from the participating. That did not sit well with the NBA Coaches group, led by Dallas head man Rick Carlisle. Just what the league needed was some good old fashioned age discrimination controversy beforehand.

The plan’s approval was almost unanimous; only Portland voted no. Twenty-two teams were invited to play. There will be a maximum 8 game schedule to determine who makes the playoffs as well as seeding for the playoffs. Too many nuances for me to get into. You know that the NBA hierarchy is rooting for the New Orleans Pelicans and Zion Williamson to get to a point where they can compete for even a play-in game for the main draw of the playoffs. 

The UFC keeps chugging along with cards in their gym in Las Vegas. Bankrolled by ESPN, which desperately wants live action to generate its own revenue streams. 

Our friends at the NHL have come up with a novel idea. Change the months that hockey is played. Instead of the traditional October to June format, owners are advocating a season which starts on January 1 with the Winter Classic and ends with the Stanley Cup Playoffs in August. Technology has given us air-conditioned arenas which can keep ice solid and playable. Given that I still have to visit Montreal, Calgary and Winnipeg with my son on our Canadian hockey excursions, I am excited about the possibility of avoiding the cold in those cities when we visit; the constant snow in Ottawa is still frozen in my mind. 

I really have very little to say regarding the NFL, for once. Which is good. My only thoughts are whether they can do better this time than what happened with Colin Kaepernick and his symbolic kneeling in protest of the ongoing scourge of police insensitivity towards people of color. Wouldn’t it be the right thing to get him back in the league for real, in some true capacity as a QB (is he a better acquisition than Cam Newton?) or an out front spokesperson for the causes the players believe in and the league will now support.)? Such a pipe dream…

And as baseball fritters away its chances to give us one more element of revival, I feel pained by the whole process. Besides, Baseball would get stiff competition from the NBA and NHL playoffs and the NFL season, if the latter does go froward as anticipated. 

These are not normal times. Not even close. The real world and the sports world have many of the same issues in a complicated overlap.

There is one thing we should all agree upon. As much as ALL lives matter, the clarion call of Black Lives Matter has much greater significance than it ever did before. Let us not forget too soon as to what has happened so that we can realistically prevent injustice once and for all.