I’m already in a bad mood with the constant noise of the gardner’s leaf blower emanating from across the street. This gardener spends two days a week minimum at this house, doing everything from trimming the shrubs to gutters, to the regular grass cutting. They were there yesterday and they have been here all morning and into the afternoon as I sit in the room nearest to the street; moving won’t abate that din.
Moreover, the nearer neighbor across from our house is having a larger upper extension put on his home. Today’s work is new siding. Which involves cutting and sawing insulation and vinyl. At least, for the moment, they are on a lunch break.
That will last a short time. Besides, the entire project will last into October. Oh joy.
I want to address the Olympics first. I am not into this Olympiad. I don’t exactly know why, but I have little interest. Maybe because it is out of its normal cycle. Perhaps it is the fourth COVID surge gripping this U.S. and the host country, Japan.
It might be that I don’t know very many participants. I think the Men’s and Women’s Basketball teams are going to encounter rough sledding—like the U.S. Women’s Soccer team, which saw a lengthy winning streak snapped by Sweden in a 3-0 rout on Wednesday.
Call me jaded—I want U.S. superiority in those contests and it is not happening anymore. Look at the N.B.A.—there are plenty of stars from other countries who are dominating the sport.
Plus we are sending the B team—a very good compilation of players who might work into a formidable team. Even so, three members are coming from the N.B.A. Finals, so they are not going to be fully integrated into the team and their legs are going to be tired in addition to enduring the lengthy flight from the U.S. to Japan. Hardly the optimal scenario.
There will be Women’s gymnastics. Probably with the anticipated result that Simone Biles takes gold and the women are the best in the world.
We seem to be doing well at the outset in softball. Who knows how the U.S. will fare in baseball, given the fact that our best players are playing for MLB teams.
Usually, I can identify some of the known swimmers, track and field participants and wrestlers. Not this year.
Somehow, this Olympics isn’t gripping me like it should. Was it a good choice for Japan to select Naomi Osaka to light the Olympic flame? Absolutely—on so many levels.
I was more excited that Brisbane was awarded the 2032 Olympics. I will be 81 at that time. And being reminded that the next Summer Games will be in Los Angeles is much more enticing. I guess I love the home games.
I imagine my wife will put on the TV and I will check out whatever it is. Or perhaps I will find an event on the myriad of channels NBC has on cable to satiate those with the Olympic spirit.
Then I might get caught up in the hype of the moment and actually watch the Olympics for more than a fleeting glance. Who knows—I might actually enjoy it too.
Congratulations Milwaukee Bucks. Fifty years after winning the only NBA Championship in franchise history, led by a gangly kid named Lew Alcindor from Power Memorial High School and UCLA, the Bucks are the World Champs.
It is easy for me to say I was wrong. I thought the Suns had the better team. That was not the case.
Devon Booker played his heart out for Phoenix. He is one helluva player.
Chris Paul was stopped by the Bucks defense. Maybe he is snakebitten, as some suggest. No matter what, he is still a Hall of Fame point guard.
Paul is highly in demand for next year, even with his $44.2 million price tag. The Lakers are highly covetous of him, especially LeBron James, who has had a long-standing friendship with Paul. Or he can stay out in the desert and, with some tweaks, Coach Monty Williams, who Paul holds in high regard, can guide the Suns back to the Finals.
I have one name which outshone the others. Giannis Antetokounmpo. Not easy to say or spell. Which is why we know him as Giannis. For good reason.
There is a reason why Giannis won 2 M.V.P. awards. He is that good. He is that dominant. He can change the course of a game. He can carry a team to a championship.
His valedictory came in the form of 50 points with 17 of 19 from the free throw line in the deciding Game 6. Giannis took the Bucks on his very broad and muscular shoulders and would not be denied. It was a no-brainer that Giannis was named the M.V.P. of the NBA Finals.
But I want to add that the Milwaukee Bucks were the better team. Two other members of that team, Kris Middleton and Jrue Holiday, were outstanding.
They deserve their place on the U.S. Men’s Olympic team because they are that good. Middleton was outstanding on both sides of the court. Holiday doggedly guarded Chris Paul, forcing him into uncharacteristic turnovers—which proved to be pivotal in the Bucks coming back from an 0-2 deficit.
Coach Mike Budenholzer was magnificent. He astutely managed the games, substituting players in the right situations. In my opinion, it was Coach Bud’s admonishing his team to hound Paul which turned around the series.
I am not going to do the what if’s about the Brooklyn Nets missing Kyrie Irving and having James Harden hobble whenever he was on the floor. The Bucks are the champions. Not the Nets. Not the Sixers. Not the Jazz. And they deserved it.
Okay, Yankees devotees. They teased you with a four game winning streak. The new kids from Scranton-Wilkes Barre interjected some life into the moribund team.
Your hopes were raised with this heading into Boston. Thursday night they had chance to win. Which an overworked bullpen frittered away.
Chad Green is wasted. Aroldis Chapman needs to be moved—if his salary isn’t an impediment.
Even when Aaron Judge and Gio Urshela return, the die is cast. This team isn’t very good.
I watched supposed superstar Giancarlo Stanton swing at a ball so far outside of the strike zone that I wondered out loud how a big leaguer could swing at a pitch like that. It was flat out embarrassing.
I realized that the four wild pitches thrown by Brooks Kriske on Thursday night epitomized how this season has gone. Badly. Very badly. And who the heck is Kriske? Clearly he was in the game because the bullpen was so overworked and suffering from injuries and COVID-19 unavailability that the Yankees had nowhere else to turn.
Not to worry, Yankees fans. The Dodgers closer, Kenley Jansen, has blown 3 saves in a row. Unfortunately, he blew two games to the NL West leaders, the San Francisco Giants, at Dodger Stadium. If he keeps this up, he could be ready to join the Yankees pitching staff.
We are in the last week of July. The trading deadline looms. Tampa Bay snatched DH Nelson Cruz from the Twins. A great pickup—even if it might only be a $5.5 million rental, since Cruz will be a free agent after the season ends.
The other team in New York City sits atop the NL East. I don’t see Philadelphia threatening the Mets. Nor Washington, Atlanta and Miami. Trading for Rich Hill was a great move. He will give the Mets a veteran, savvy pitcher.
There will be other moves made by a number of teams. This will be a very active trading deadline period. I somehow think that New York GM Brian Cashman still looks at this season as salvageable and that the Yankees can make the Wild Card game. I would not be surprised to see the Yankees look to improve the team for a run at the one gamer playoff. Even with some additions, I still think that this team isn’t very good.
A comment here about the Cleveland Indians name change. Guardians refers to images on the two gates on a bridge entering the city. But if you look at the logo, the “In” was dropped, replaced by “Guar.” So cheap. Besides, they could have gone back in history and resurrected the nickname Spiders. Way better.
The last subject to broach came recently and somewhat unexpectedly. That is the fact that Texas and Oklahoma are going to join the SEC, bolting from the Big 12 to greener pastures.
Texas A&M hates the Longhorns and is very upset about this. A&M feels that the secret negotiations over the past six months violated a gentleman’s agreement that A&M would have veto power over any team from the state of Texas joining the SEC. Missouri is no fan of them either.
It takes 11 of the 14 schools to approve any changes in the membership. Supposedly Texas and Oklahoma have the votes to get in. This sounds like a done deal to me.
What this does is change the entire landscape of college football. It also puts another nail in the NCAA’s coffin. Talk about a group who hasn’t been too fortunate lately with COVID, the NIL changes and now the potential demolition of the Big 12 and the establishment of the super conferences which has been discussed for many years.
Football is the big money sport. Texas and Oklahoma are big names in college football. The SEC is the premier conference in the nation, with the Big Ten second. Plenty of money within those leagues.
Immediately, the Pac-12 is meeting to see what they can do about picking off some Big 12 teams. Oklahoma State and TCU come to mind. They could also add Boise State and BYU.
Other speculation has Kansas and Iowa State headed to the Big Ten. They fit the academic profile.
West Virginia could easily slide into the ACC. Or the AAC might lure some of the teams from the Big 12. Maybe the Big 12 can survive by poaching from the AAC.
Whatever happens, I wonder if it is going to be good for college football. Sure, A&M and Texas get to knock heads again. Thanksgiving Day, like they used to?
If WVU goes to the ACC, they can meet Pitt again in the Backyard Brawl. I am sure that RU would love to have Kansas periodically on its schedule—they can actually beat there Jayhawks with the talent Greg Schiano is now amassing.
Stay tuned. This is the story of the year. To me, it is more interesting than the Olympics.
Well wishes to my editor’s husband as he recovers from hamstring surgery performed this week at the Hospital for Special Surgery. Rest up and get stronger.
There you have it, loyal readers. The Olympiad and other pertinent thoughts.
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