It’s a strange place in sports right now. College football is marching towards bowl season and the playoffs. The NFL is officially in its next- to-last month and we are beginning to see which teams are in the playoff chase. The NBA has played about a quarter of its season, and the NHL has gone a bit past that. College basketball teams finished their travels away from home for tournaments which seemingly spanned the Thanksgiving week. Plus we have the World Cup down to its Sweet Sixteen—but they don’t call it that, possibly because that might incite the hosts in Qatar.
Let’s quickly say that there is a good chance that the projected Final Four for the College Football Playoffs will be Georgia, Michigan, TCU and USC, and who will withstand some stern challengers this weekend. Georgia should dispatch LSU in Atlanta, where the stands will bleed red and black. Michigan is better than Purdue, but will there be a hangover from the beatdown of hated rival Ohio State in Columbus? The Horned Frogs face Kansas State, a team which gave them fits earlier this season; this is a potential upset. And USC meets Utah, the team which gave the Trojans the only blemish on its record. A loss by any of these teams might mean that Ohio State could make the tournament. Two losses, by let’s say TCU and USC, might open the door for Alabama, the best two loss team in the country and maybe the number 2 team, period.
Yes, the Jets won courtesy of another amazing passing performance by QB Mike White. Remember, the Chicago Bears secondary was decimated. If White can come close to duplicating this feat in Minnesota this Sunday, then the Jets are legitimately a playoff contender.
The Giants have a very meaningful game with playoff-minded Washington this week in the Meadowlands. A loss would put a damper on the team’s expectations. A win would be a nice marker in a march towards playing meaningful games in January.
Right now, the class of the league still appears to be Kansas City and Philadelphia. There are some intriguing matchups this weekend—Miami at San Francisco is one that bears watching from a playoff and entertainment perspective. Tennessee goes to Philadelphia—can the Titans rebound after Cincinnati took them apart? KC visits the Bengals in a 4:25 nationally televised game which will signal which team is better right now, as both are likely to make the playoffs.
Deshaun Watson finally has concluded his suspension. Where does Cleveland play this week? Why at Watson’s former home in Houston! I wonder how many protests there will be?
In the NBA, the Boston Celtics have been lights out thus far. Only the Milwaukee Bucks are near the C’s 18-4 record, with a mark of 15-5.
I watched an enjoyable game on Tuesday when the Dallas Mavericks, behind a triple double by Luka Doncic, the NBA’s leading scorer, downed the Golden State Warriors. It was fun to watch Doncic and Stephen Curry trade ridiculous shots.
A miss by Klay Thompson on a three point shot secured the victory for the Mavs. Thompson has lost a step and while his shot shows up briefly like it used to be, he clearly is not the player he was before his injuries.
In that game, I saw the referees enforce the new crackdown on traveling violations. Both Curry and Doncic fell afoul of the rules. Good for the NBA—too many times players have gotten away with one, two or even three extra steps to the hoop. Hear that Lebron?
Speaking of Lebron, he has mouthed off again regarding unfair treatment of Kyrie Irving by the media, comparing the Jerry Jones photo at the Little Rock school integration. Who knows what 14 year old Jones was thinking—teens do the damnest things. That was 65 years ago. Irving is 30 and cannot keep himself out of trouble. I just think that Lebron felt he should defend his former teammate—in case Brooklyn unloads him to—the Lakers? And for the record—I can’t stand either Jones and Irving and I don’t trust what they say to be the truth. I want to like Lebron more, but he feels he must be the arbiter of social justice. At post-game press conferences.
Quick NHL notes. Boston is not only the home of the top NBA team, but also the top NHL team. The Bruins lead the very surprising New Jersey Devils by two points in the standings. Don’t look now, but the expansion Seattle Kraken have put themselves above .500 and in early playoff contention. Alas, it is December and the season isn’t over until April.
The US men’s soccer team survived a tense game against Iran to make it to the next level. My soccer guru says that the next opponent, the Netherlands, looks a lot tougher on paper. A healthy Christian Pulisic, the goal scorer versus Iran, would help greatly if the Americans are to advance.
One more comment. Are the student-athletes disguised as basketball players ever in school? Between Thanksgiving trips across the country or outside the US to series like the ACC-Big Ten rivalry, that’s a lot of time away from campus.
All these sports and what do I have? A dream which placed me hurrying back to F&M from New Jersey to sit on the bench and maybe play as we hosted Kent State in baseball.
Now that dream is nonsensical because I have no eligibility left and I am 72 years old. Besides, F&M plays at the Division III level, while Kent State is a D-I school which would be highly unlikely to travel to Lancaster at any given time. Moreover, I haven’t taken batting practice, fielded a ball in 30 years and I am dealing with a neck problem which definitely limits my throwing from the outfield, let alone to anyone.
But it shows where my mind is. With baseball. In his Star-Ledger column on Thursday, Bob Klapsich wrote about the one topic gripping the New York Metropolitan area: where will Aaron Judge sign his ridiculously rich new contract, and when? He alludes to how Yankees fans are continuously searching social media, hoping to grasp some morsel which tells them what they want to hear—that their prodigy is going to spend the rest of his career in pinstripes.
I admit I am guilty of that offense. At least once a day I search for Aaron Judge, praying that I ascertain the news I want to hear and worrying that I’ll read the words I dread—that Judge has chosen to leave New York.
Every writer has his own theories. What is sure is this: Judge has met with the Yankees and San Francisco Giants. While “sources” claim that the Yankees have offered the A.L. MVP an eight year contract worth at least $300 million, making Judge the highest paid position player, we have not heard if the Giants have even made an offer to the Californian from Linden, 90 miles from the Bay Area.
There is an expectation that Judge will make a decision by the end of baseball’s Winter Meetings, which will be held in San Diego from December 4 to 7. That presumes that the Giants will have made their offer and that other potential suitors, like the Los Angeles Dodgers and, gasp, the Boston Red Sox, aren’t in the picture.
Each theory espoused by a writer takes into account what they perceive are positive and negative factors which might sway Judge. That he would be closer to Linden, where his wife and their families are settled, favors the Giants. That he has homes in New York and Tampa (probably for income tax purposes as well was to train in winter warmth) where the Yankees train favors the Bombers.
Maybe Judge was unhappy with the booing he received in the ALCS loss to Houston where he underperformed. After all, he exhausted himself topping Roger Maris’ American League home run record in a season for the ages. Perhaps the more laid-back fan base in the Bay Area and the ability to escape back home on days off is more appealing.
Who really knows what is going through his mind right now. We don’t even know if Judge will allow the Yankees to match any astronomical offer put on the table. For that matter, we don’t know if he wants a contract to exceed that of Yankees pitcher Gerrit Cole, who receives $324 million from the Yankees’ deep pockets. Or whether he wants more money per season than the Mets’ Max Scherzer, who is said to earn over $43 million a year.
All this speculation over the fate of one ballplayer is astounding. As is the angst which accompanies such guessing.
One thing is certain: baseball begins in February with Spring Training. Maybe this will all linger until then, as Judge seeks more money than has been offered. If that is the case, there will be a ton of worn out Yankees fans (and probably a good number of Giants supporters too) who will need psychiatric care, no matter what the outcome.
I just hope that there is not so much California Dreamin’ going on?
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