Memorial Day 2023

  When you don’t have a hard deadline, there can be some time for yourself. This weekend, with the weather so gorgeous in New Jersey, free time led the completion of some home projects, a walk around the Duke Farms preserve, a 50th anniversary party with a Springsteen tribute band and a lot of barbecuing by ourselves or with friends. A couple of phone calls with friends to catch up on their lives. I even found time for a long needed nap on Memorial Day. 

Yes, it was Memorial Day weekend. The unofficial start to the summer season for the Jersey Shore. The local streets around Union and Morris Counties were devoid of significant traffic. People seemed to be relaxing and, I hope, having fun. 

Memorial Day has always had much meaning to me. My father was a World War II veteran. I knew of those who lost their lives fighting against enemies who wanted to conquer the world. I also knew some who perished in Vietnam. 

In Highland Park, where I lived for much of my first 27 years, there was always a parade which originated in New Brunswick, crossed the bridge over the Raritan River, proceeded up the hill and ended at the World War I monument at the V intersection of Woodbridge Avenue and Route 27. There were the high school bands from both municipalities, tanks, military men, kids—a cornucopia of life in my little neck of the woods. My father would buy a poppy from a V.F.W. person to place on his visor—a salute to those who didn’t come home. 

This was a solemn holiday, unlike the fireworks and festivities of the Fourth of July. The President would travel to Arlington National Cemetery to lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. It was a time for reflection and remembrance. 

To me, it was highly ironic that near this Memorial Day, the head of the Oath Keepers, an Ivy League-educated man, was sentenced to 18 years in prison for his heinous role in the January 6th storming of the U.S. Capitol. His seditious conduct, and that of those who followed him and who are under suspicion for their roles in abetting the riot, are a sad part of history which shows that some have shunted asidethe basic freedoms which those who are honored on this weekend sought to save. 

I am not going to say that living a fun lifestyle on Memorial Day is sacrilegious. Hardly. As long as we continue to remember what this day stands for.

In sports, Memorial Day meant it was a measuring stick for how MLB teams were faring. It used to be a day when doubleheaders ruled and large crowds filled the stadiums. I went to a Memorial Day twin bill when the Yankees hosted the Washington Senators. New York was in its decline and the Senators always stunk. 

Yet the crowd was festive. Taps was played to honor the fallen. It was a celebration of what this country stood for. 

Now, there are no more single-admission doubleheaders on any of the holidays. The profits the clubs used to make can be recouped in single games, and the TV networks would have major issues trying to accommodate a full day of baseball. 

Look at the Yankees. San Diego made a rare appearance in the Bronx. Friday night’s game drew over 40,000 and the Saturday and Sunday games were sellouts. No need for a regularly scheduled doubleheader. Evidently those events are reserved for Division III baseball in their seasons which have now morphed into the Division III College World Series, beginning on Friday in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, with Centennial Conference powerhouse Johns Hopkins as the top seed. 

Where were the Yankees on Memorial Day? Playing a night game in Seattle after flying out after their 10-7 win over the Padres. The Mets had the day off. So much for tradition. 

Yes, the Indianapolis 500 was run. On Sunday. The Coca Cola 500, a NASCAR staple, didi go off on Memorial Day like it always does. Tradition has a place in the South, where Memorial Day originated as a tribute to Union soldiers who died in South Carolina at the hands of the Confederates, and were interred by free and enslaved black people who honored those who had been so harshly treated. This led to the original name of Decoration Day, whereby graves of war dead were decorated with flowers. 

Lest I forget that this is a sports blog, one of the great games of NBA playoff history happened Saturday night. The Boston Celtics found themselves at a 3-0 deficit in their series against the Miami Heat. The Celtics clawed their way back into the series with wins in Gamers 4 and 5. 

Game 6 was in Miami. The Heat fans were in a raucous mood, ready to celebrate late into the night on South Beach and other favorite party spots. 

Except nobody told the Celtics that they were going to lose. Boston spurted to some significant leads, which would evaporate with the persistence of the home team.  The tension in the last few minutes was palpable, as the leads switched back and forth. 

Miami’s star, Jimmy Butler, was fouled on a final three point attempt with his team trailing. A review of the play established that Butler had been fouled in the act of shooting and his feet were behind the line. He was duly awarded three free throws. 

What the review also showed was that the 2.1 seconds which remained on the clock when it was stopped was incorrect. The reply officials put back 0.9 seconds to play. There would be 3.0 seconds left after Butler finished his third foul shot. 

Butler face the pressure squarely. He sank all three attempts. The Heat led 103-102. 

Boston had one more chance. Taking the ball out at half court, the team relied on star Jayson Tatum to hit the winning shot. Except that the Heat’s defense rose to the occasion and Tatum missed. 

What happened next was miraculous, fortuitous or just the plain luck of that four leaf clover on the Celtics logo. You can choose the right word fitting your view of the play. 

Tatum’s shot caromed off the rim high enough that teammate Derrick White snuck past Miami’s Max Strus, quickly gathered the ball and banked it into the rim. At first, there was pandemonium. The home crowd and the TNT crew believed that the shot came after time elapsed. A graphic went up showing that Miami had won and advanced to the NBA Finals. 

However, White knew differently. He and Tatum signaled that the basket was good and they awaited the video review. Which confirmed that White’s shot had left his hands with 0.1 second left—before the backboard light went on signifying that the game was over. Boston had survived. There would be a Game 7 on Memorial Day.

In the history of the NBA Playoffs, 150 teams had failed to win after trailing 3-0 in a series. The Celtics are the fourth to bring a series to a seventh game in this manner. But they are also the first to play the deciding game on their home floor. With their boisterous home crowd behind them. The question remained—had the Green and White’s luck run out or did they continue the momentum they had seized with White’s dramatic shot? 

Miami raced out to an early lead with better shooting from beyond the arc—Boston had shot atrociously from long range in this game, carrying over the terrible shooting in Game 6. Even when Boston closed the gap to single digits in the third period, the Heat were resilient. 

The streak is now 151-0. The Miami Heat will face the Denver Nuggets in the NBA Finals. It will be a contrast of styles. Don’t count out Miami in this one. Coach Eric Spoelstra knows how to press the right buttons with his players. 

South Florida will host the NBA Finals and the Stanley Cup Finals, as the Florida Panthers will play the Vegas Golden Knights. Two teams which barely made the lost-season, versus two teams where there are plenty of mountains nearby. Underdogs. Sizable favorites. Let the games begin.  

Hope you had a nice, respectful and fun Memorial Day 2023. 

Baseball and Other Events

  The Yankees seemingly have come alive. This coincides with one big development—Aaron Judge returning from the IL after his awkward slice into third base. 

Left langusihing in the basement of the AL East, New York was considered all but dead for this season, with so many injuries to key players. Yet when the Yankees’ captain reemerged, he did it with a bang—7 home runs in the past 7 games. Anthony Rizzo, his good friend and the guy who bats right behind Judge in the order, was AL Player of The Week and has ket his batting average at or near .300 thus far along with some pop in his bat (interesting statistic given during the Yankees broadcast was that Rizzo is the active leader in home runs for a visitor at the Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati). 

With Judge, Rizzo and others like Harrison Bader and Anthony Volpe, the superstar of the future all contributing, the team battled Tampa Bay to a split of their series, then took three of four in a contentious battle with Toronto before winning the opener in Cincinnati. All this with Domingo German on a 10 game suspension for the umpires finding a foreign substance on his pitching hand, stud reliever Ian Hamilton suffering a groin injury and starting catcher Jose Trevino going on the IL with a hamstring issue. 

The bullpen is on life support and welcomes the first day off in awhile on Monday. The starting corps, depleted because of the German stupidity, gets Luis Severino back for his 2023 debut on Sunday. 

Maybe this is the surge the Yankees needed to get back in the race. Tampa Bay followed up the split with the Yankees by losing two of three at Citi Field. Baltimore has been creeping up on the Rays, sitting only three behind the early world beaters. The Yankees are just six away from the Rays, with about three-quarters of a season left. 

It’s a marathon, not a sprint. Remember that, Yankees fans. 

While it is rathe quiet overall, the Mets have been pretty ugly over the first two plus month of the season. Kudos to slugging first baseman Pete Alonso as he continues to hit homers. But the fact that future Hall of Fame pitchers Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander have ben absent on the field or injured is hurting the Mets chances. Still, on this homestead with Mama Bay and Cleveland, the Mets have clawed their way back from deficits to win games perhaps they shouldn’t have. 

Atlanta is the top dog in the NL East. Surprising Miami is in second place. The defending NL champions Phillies are struggling like the Mets. There is a lot of season left, Mets fans. Keep the faith. 

I also want to mention that the Los Angeles Dodgers have been rampaging lately—at the expense of the high payroll San Diego Padres. The NL west is largely a weak division—LAD should win easily. 

One more thing—Yankees fans  Public Enemy Number 1, Jose Altuve made his 2023 debut for the Houston Astros. Just when Houston has gone on an 8-2 tear. They will be neck and neck with Texas in the AL Central, which got back star Corey Seeger this week.  

I was chided about not discussing the NBA too much in the last blog. It wasn’t because the Golden State Warriors lost to the Los Angeles Lakers in a resounding way; Golden State reverts showed me enough all season to make me believe that they were good enough to repeat. The Sacramento series was the high point of the campaign and it drained the Warriors for the next round. 

Make no mistake—I am far from enamored with the Lakers. I feel that the Denver Nuggets are the better team and they will end up in the NBA Finals. 

The choke by the Philadelphia 76’ers in Game 7 of the series with Boston led to the firing of head coach Doc Rivers and it looks like guard James Harden, who disappeared with his horrendous shooting last Sunday, will abandon ship. Look for a rebuild next season in Philly unless, with a new coach and a free agent signing to complement M.V.P. Joe Embiid, the Sixers can continue to be competitive.

Flying under the radar, and they shouldn’t be is Miami. Led by Jimmy Freakin’ Butler, as TNT voice Kevin Harlan called him in Game 1 of the series with Boston, the depleted team has managed to keep on winning against the best in the East. Eric Spoelstra, the Heat head man, is an underrated coach, if that is possible. Of course, it does not hurt to have a player of Butler’s ability to carry the team, which is 2-0 over the Celtics as the return to South Florida for the next two contests. 

Somehow, the San Antonio Spurs defied the odds and ended up with the first pick in the upcoming NBA Draft. The prize is a can’t miss kid from France named Victor Wembanyama. The guy is huge and has a bigger upside to his game. This is akin to the Spurs getting Tim Duncan, who led the team to multiple titles.

The common denominator will be Spurs’ head coach Greg Popovich, who will be returning in his mid-70’s to get the career of this phenom off the ground. Wembanyama already is steeped in the ways of the Spurs and he was hoping he would make San Antonio his home. His French team is run by the brother of fellow Frenchman Tony Parker, himself a multiple champion with the Spurs, and much of the San Antonio philosophy is used by that team. It seems like a great fit for a fan base which has suffered a bit since Duncan and Manu Ginobli retired. 

A legend has passed away. Perhaps the best football player ever and maybe the best lacrosse player ever, too. That would be Jim Brown, the Long Island native who ran over everyone in the NFL before abruptly retiring at the age of 30. 

While the Cleveland Browns did not win NFL titles, Jim Brown was the shining star of those teams. In the days of the NFL blackout, we could only see Brown when the Giants went to cavernous Municipal Stadium along the shores of Lake Erie, many times with the ground already frozen in November. I can still hear Marty Glickman, the legendary radio voice of the Giants with his definitely New York twang, describing how fellow Syracuse alum Brown would run over Giants linebacker Sam Huff on the Yankee Stadium turf, then slowly get up after the punishing hit to return to the huddle to await the next play, when he would repeat the same rough run. 

When he left the Browns in a dispute with then-owner Art Modell over pay, Brown made more money in the movies. Who of my age doesn’t remember him in The Dirty Dozen or Ice Station Zebra? He could act. 

More importantly, he joined legendary black athletes like Muhammad Ali, Bill Russell and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in their fight against racial injustice. He was articulate, well-spoken and highly respected. 

I know he had his scrapes with the law. Jim Brown wan’t perfect and came from a rough sport. What we can mourn about him is that he was one of a kind. 

Finally, it is 65 years ago this May that a young, undersized boy in Highland Park who could play baseball, somehow was able to join the Police Department Midge League team even if he was below the age of 8. He did all right that season, including recording a double play on the first ground ball hit to him at second base when, under the lights of the old high school field, he scooped up the ball, tagged the runner flashing by, then tossed the ball to first to complete the play. I think the boy went on to play some college baseball and write a blog.

I won’t even discuss The Preakness because, frankly, I don’t care. For now, baseball and other events will suffice. 

Happy Mother's Day, Maybe?

  I feel like it’s a short week, NFL-style, writing on a Thursday after just posting earlier this week. With Mother’s Day coming up, which  will disqualify my editor from reviewing this and scheduled injections on Monday to alleviate muscular and neck pain which will prevent me from writing for a few days, I didn’t want to miss a chance to discuss a few things. 

I have been following the machinations of the Oakland Athletics desperately trying to flee the smaller market which is Alameda County for the lure of the vast riches awaiting them in Clark County Nevada. Like their former companions in the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum, the A’s ownership has seen the jackpot the NFL Raiders found in Las Vegas when they abandoned their founding city, and they want a piece of the action.  

The negotiations between the team and Alameda County were a sham. I don’t have it on authority, but the A’s wanted out in the worst way—they had looked to move south to the San Jose area, like the 49’ers did, where they built a beautiful stadium which has hosted a Super Bowl. 

Sure, there was political pressure and calls for reason here to keep the team in Oakland. A downtown ballpark had been proposed. 

But look at the landscape. The Raiders left. The Warriors traveled over the Bay Bridge to tony San Francisco and the wondrous Chase Center opened to rave reviews—and another Golden /state NBA championship. The A’s did not want to be the last team standing in a situation where the rats had abandoned the ship—the decrepit stadium—where naming rights were procured in the late 1990’s, only to be decreed invalid by a California court. 

Who wouldn’t want to be in Vegas? Besides the glitz and glamor of the Strip and the gaudy hotels, the A’s wouldn’t have to share the #6 San-Francisco-San Jose market with the more established Giants. Even if the Las Vegas market is number 40 in America, the fans went gaga over the very average to mediocre Raiders and the expansion Golden Knights. Who’s to say they won’t welcome the A’s the same way—even if right now the team is by far the worst in MLB?

The team has secured a potential location where the Tropicana Hotel and Casino stood for so many years. This site will ultimately cost the taxpayers less in funding when a proposal is finally submitted for approval. Because the A’s will be able to develop the area surrounding the stadium and perhaps even build a new casino. 

Remember, not too long ago professional sports wanted no part of legalized gambling. Then, recognizing the windfall profits awaiting the owners, they pivoted to embrace legalized gambling nationally. Watch a sporting event and you will have Lisa Kearney promoting on line betting with her beautiful smile and her legitimacy as a former on-air TV sports host. Or the Mannings touting Caesar’s in a set of commercials. 

It’s as simple as follow the money for professional team owners, and there is no place more associated with money than Las Vegas, save maybe New York. Plus casino owners have made the city a destination for families. Something for everyone and that looks like a retractable roof stadium for the A’s. On the strip. Not that far from the airport. 

The A’s lease in Oakland expires after the 2024 season. No money is being poured into what has become a mausoleum to make the place appear better than it is. Not that the Coliseum ever was that pretty, with the widest stretches of foul territory, taking hits away from batters while making pitchers nominally better. And when Al Davis dragooned the city and county officials into building high-rising stands in center field so that he could increase his coffers, the place looked even uglier. When the Raiders left, the Coliseum was the last dual purpose stadium in use, and as I said before, it is really unsuited for baseball.

I have history with both the A’s and Las Vegas. Once known as the Philadelphia Athletics, with declining attendance and no more of the ancient Connie Mack patrolling the dugout in a tie and jacket, Shibe Park was left to the Phillies in 1953. I saw my first National League game in that ballpark. 

In 1959, my father and I traveled across America by car, while the Interstate Highway System was being built. This meant that traveling through cities was the norm. One of those was Kansas City, where the A’s had taken up residence. We drove past the little park known as Municipal Stadium, with its grassy bank above the right field stands, which I had watched on Yankees telecasts that summer. Mercurial owner Charles O. Finley installed sheep to graze  that turf, one of many gimmicks he used to get the fans into the seats. (Another was a mule, but I will not digress further)

Where did we stop over on this initial trip cross-country? Why Las Vegas, a sleepy, hot desert town back then, with nine real hotels and a lot of motels. What made Vegas was the air conditioning from electricity funneled from Hoover Dam over the Colorado River, 25 miles away. When it’s cool, the gamblers will escape the heat for long stretches of time. Fueled by free drinks, lured in with top entertainment like Frank Sinatra, they lost their sharpness and the house won even more. Legitimately, of course. 

Las Vegas has had minor league baseball for years. Playing at night in the oppressive heat. The Mets even had their Triple A team there for a stretch. That heat was not a price the big league clubs wanted to face, night in and night out. Which left Las Vegas undesirable for major sports—-until gambling took off from Nevada and Atlantic City. 

Should, or rather, when the move is finalized, it is expected that the A’s will play 2025 and 2026 in the city’s minor league stadium. If the team stinks now, do not expect it to get any better in those two years. When the new ballpark is opened, the A’s will get better. Because of the windfall of money they saved on lousy players and investing wisely in new construction, the A’s will be much richer and able to acquire name free agents. No more all market label for this franchise. 

We will have our memories. Of the Oakland A’s with Reggie Jackson, Sal Bando, Catfish Hunter, Rollie Fingers, Joe Rudi, Ken Holtzman, and Vida Blue, who recently passed away, long with so many others, who helped the team win titles in the 1970’s. 

I will have my memory of taking my family to a Yankees-A’s game in 1995, driving three hours in from Redding for a 12:30 start. Buying half-price tickets and roaming the virtually empty stadium, including sitting in the first row of the right field seats. I had my one and only look at the home of the Golden State Warriors, as we parked in one of the lots next to what became best known as Oracle Arena. 

The game was forgettable—I just remember the Yanks lost and I was very unimpressed with the stadium. I thought of the good A’s teams, with Hall of Fame Ricky Henderson outfielder playing that day. That’s nearly 28 years ago.

I also have my memories of the Tropicana. I loved the Sunday brunch there—held in the same place where the night before the Folies Bergere danced and pranced on the stage, as the Tropicana was the show’s home for years. The brunch was one of my wife’s favorite Vegas highlights. 

Now the Tropicana will fall with a wrecking ball’s loud thud. Probably not long after, the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum will go the same route. The memories will remain in my mind. As they always do. 

Major League baseball in Las Vegas. In a stadium with a roof to allay those hot nights in July. No more, at least in my lifetime, will the franchise known as the Athletics be vagabonds, traveling nomads of baseball. 

I wish everyone a Happy Mother’s Day. In Oakland, maybe?

It's Rough Playing Catch With Your Neighbor's Daughter

  On a day when I cleaned my garage for Spring and bruised my hand trying to catch barehand an eight year old girl’s fastball thrown with a junior baseball (they hurt), I am heartened by the 80 degree weather in North Jersey. After all, we are three weeks from Memorial Day, the unofficial start to the summer season. 

Baseball is in full swing. Hockey and the NBA are holding their playoffs. Which leaves plenty to watch on TV. 

Except that I tend to turn my attention away from the set when the New York Yankees are playing. For without their sluggers and with a undermanned pitching staff, the team simply is unwatchable. 

The past road trip to St. Petersburg was an abomination. Especially on Sunday, when the Bombers squandered a 6-2 lead on the division leaders with ace Gerrit Cole on the mound. Pitching guys I had never heard of until this season, the Yankees vaunted bullpen isn’t so unhittable anymore. 

This team had a chance to get into the Rays’ minds, a team which has started out on fire. Taking two out of three while treading water until Aaron Judge returns (Tuesday against AL West cellar dwellers Oakland) would have given the team some inspiration. Instead, the gloom and doom is starting to cloud the picture. 

Outfielder Harrison Bader has finally begun his season, and has smacked a pair of meaningful home runs. It’s like he has picked up where he left off in the 2002 playoffs. 

Anthony Volpe has raised his batting average above .200. In the leadoff position in the lineup, he generates excitement at bat and on the base paths. Anthony Rizzo is clubbing the ball in the absence of Judge and Giancarlo Stanton. D.J. LeMahieu is showing signs of his valuable presence with timely base hits. 

But the team needs much more. Who would have thought that back-to-back home series with Oakland and then Tampa Bay could become so meaningful? Being in last place is not a clear path to the playoffs, as the three teams not wearing a jersey with the Tampa Bay logo on it are playing good ball. Baltimore, Toronto and Boston, everyone’s pick for the AL East basement, are much better than the New York Yankees as they set foot on the field. 

As I said, it is not time to panic. Just don’t let children watch too many games involving the Yankees right now. They might begin playing lacrosse or soccer. 

The same may be said in St. Louis, where the once-proud Cardinals are 11-24 and trending downward. But not to worry—the Pirates, in first place for so long, have lost seven straight while playing tough AL East opponents and are destined to resume their normal position of looking up at the other AL Central teams. 

A week ago, Rangers fans were excited about the prospect of taking the Devils down in Game 7 of their series. Instead, that high-priced group has begun their vacation and Gerard Gallant, a good NHL coach, is now unemployed, his firing an immediate by-product of the Rangers failure to win. 

Meanwhile, New Jersey played like it had a hangover from playing the Rangers. A very good Carolina team beat up on the youthful Devils. Until the team returned to Newark and blew the doors off the building with an astounding 8-4 triumph on Sunday afternoon. 

Devils fans should not necessarily look at this as a turnaround—at least not yet. The Hurricanes converted on three short-handed chances, which means the Devils are not polished with their power play offense. Sure, Jack Hughes, his brother Luke, Timo Meier and Nico Hishier have awoken. 

It is  defense which wins hockey games and I see that New Jersey has allowed too many goals in the first three contests. Bring defense to the forefront and then this might become a winnable series for New Jersey. 

Drug testing needs to be in order for the Florida Panthers. Winners of three straight to eliminate the President’s Trophy-winning Boston Bruins, the team has now won three more in a row against the Toronto Maple Leafs. They looked awfully good against a fine Toronto team—Panthers players delivered the hits and controlled the ice. 

I feel for the Leafs fans. Another frustrating year since the last Stanley Cup win in 1967.

Those who follow hockey know Connor McDavid of Edmonton, widely praised as the best player in the sport. Carrying the Oilers in their two series is forward Leo Draisatil. All year long he was among the top goal scorers. With 13 goals thus far, Draisatil is dominating the playoff goal scoring, too. Whether the Vegas Golden Knights can control McDavid and Draisatil will determine who emerges to play the winner of the Dallas-Seattle series. 

Underdog Seattle is ahead of Dallas heading into Game 4 in the Great Northwest. There is plenty of enthusiasm in their arena and this team’s ability to make it to the next round should not be underestimated.

Basketball continues its second round. The Knicks and Miami Heat are slugging it out, as are the Sixers and Celtics in the East. Seemingly the stars are carrying the teams—Miami’s Jimmy Butler; New York’s Jalen Brunson and Julius Randle; Boston’s Jayson Tatum and  Jaylen Brown and Philadelphia’s the two-headed monster: M.V.P. Joel Embiid and James Harden power Philadelphia.

Out West, the Lakers go as Anthony Davis and Lebron James go; they have out the hurt on the Warriors and have a 2-1 series lead entering Monday night’s action. Two-time M.V.P. Nikola Jokic, fined $25,000 for an incident involving the Phoenix Suns owner in Sunday’s game, is as dazzling as always, abetted by Jamal Murray. 

Yet those two Nuggets players are being outshined by Devin Booker and Kevin Durant. Booker is shooting at a clip that leads all playoff shooters in average and shooting percentage. Durant is making up for the loss of point guard Chris Paul, he of State Farm commercials fame. 

If Golden State can get its act together and win two games on the road while winning at home, then maybe they make the next round. Just like in the Sacramento series, one is never sure which Warriors squad will show up on any given night. The team simply cannot rely on Steph Curry going off for big games all of the time. 

Finally, I want to pay tribute to the Franklin and Marshall baseball team. My wife and I went to Lancaster on Thursday to watch the opening round game between the Diplomats and Dickinson College. It was a highly-charged game with multiple lead changes. 

Second-seeded F&M triumphed and earned the right to play Johns Hopkins, the top team in the county. Alas, the Diplomats lost to the Blue Jays and their season ended in Baltimore with a 8-0 loss to Dickinson—the Red Devils actually beat Hopkins before losing the final. 

I have felt a connection to this team, beginning with the season-opener in February at Kean University. I wore my team jersey with my number 25 under my jackets, and I proudly sported a blue team cap, courtesy of Coach Ryan Horning, at that game in February, and again in March at Montclair State University, in April at Muhlenberg College then in May for the Dickinson game—my first Division III baseball playoff game ever.  

I hope the team takes solace in the fact that they were damn good. Losing should not diminish the kind of season they had. This comes from a guy who was on a team that won a mere four games in 1970 and who had a career .209 batting average on the varsity level. 

Sorry, but I have to go ice my hand again and check in on the action for Monday night. It’s rough playing catch with your neighbor’s daughter.