Politics And Sports Do Have A Lot In Common

  Life goes on. The politics of this nation will continue in the same manner. Even if there was an election with tremendous emotion and magnitude. 

Sports had its place in the election. Some familiar names to those who watch sports were involved. Republican former Yankees and Rangers first baseman Mark Texiera won a House seat in Texas. Democrat Collin Allred, a retired NFL player kept his House seat in Texas. Former NFL sideline reporter Michelle Tafoya lost her bid to become a Republican senator in Minnesota. NFL kicker Jay Feely, who had a successful stint with the New York Jets, was unsuccessful in his try for the House in Arizona as a Republican. Republican Tommy Tuberville, once the head football coach at Auburn, switched from the Senate to win the governorship in Alabama. Paralympian Josh Turek flipped the US Senate seat to the Democrats in Iowa. 

And New York incumbent Democrat Governor Kathy Hochul was propelled to another term partially on the strength of commercials airing upstate touting her achievement of funding a new stadium for the Buffalo Bills. Bills Nation is a rabid group and she’s certainly one of them. 

Owners of many franchises made contributions. It was a sizable list of rich people believing in their candidates and causes. They perfectly had a right to do such and I doubt that the fans who support their teams are going to grumble loudly—as long as the teams keep on winning. 

A very appropriate gesture determined by tragic circumstances permeates Election Day in the NBA. With a super majority of its players being African-American, the George Floyd death in Minnesota was felt deeply in the NBA community. Which is why leadership of the league and NBAPA instituted a moratorium on games on Election Day so that those affiliated with the teams and their fans could exercise their constitutional right. 

That is why all NBA teams were in action on Monday night and college basketball and the NHL were the primary focus on Tuesday. Along with the first CFP rankings as college football heads towards conference playoffs, then on to playing for the national championship. 

So where do we find the NBA heading early in the season? The defending champion New York Knicks are trying to locate some cohesiveness. They are not a bad team—there are elements of their play in the playoffs which are seen in games. 

Just remember Knicks fans—what you saw in last season’s playoffs was a team on an unimaginable roll. That isn’t sustainable during a lengthy regular season. 

NYK was not considered to be a top team during the 2025-26 campaign. Injuries hurt other teams and a lot of luck (think O.G. Anunoby’s incredible game-winning tip in against San Antonio) helped the Knicks win it all. 

Sure, the team is largely built around the same personnel. Center Mitchell Robinson took his rebounding prowess and free throw shooting woes to Boston. His presence can’t be duplicated—nor should it be. 

I am not worried about the state of the Knicks right now. I didn’t see them as a legitimate power in 2025-26 and I don’t think that they should be considered anything more than a solid playoff team in 2026-27.

All teams suffer highs and lows during the marathon they navigate. There are upsets. Key personnel can be lost for significant periods. Oklahoma City, a perennial contender in the Western Conference, has learned that all to painfully with the loss of key player who supported all-NBA player Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. 

Will Philadelphia stay healthy all year round? Their all star cast led by an injury-prone Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, who was out for a significant stretch last season and an aging Lebron James point to how good the Sixers could be in April after completing the grueling regular season. 

San Antonio is having a bit of a struggle getting started. Understandably, given how painful the loss to the Knicks was last year in the NBA Finals. Barring something catastrophic, the Spurs will be just fine. 

Memphis spurting out to a 7-1 record behind trike Cameron Boozer cannot be ignored. Are they the best team in the West? Probably not, although relieved of the malcontent Ja Morant, things have become brighter for the franchise. 

Can Luka Doncic continue his torrid pace of scoring over 38 points a game while leading the Los Angeles Lakers? Not likely, although he could easily lead the league in scoring when unshackled from the offense which demanded that Lebron James be an integral component. 

Remember this—Luka is a great offensive player. He has significant defensive shortcomings. That was fully on display last Friday night when Golden State’s Steph Curry faked Luka to the ground before calmly sinking a three pointer. 

Then again, Curry did the same to GSW antagonist Dillon Brooks on Monday night in a home win over Phoenix. Curry is now the 18th highest scorer in league annals and it is play like that which has made him iconic.

About his Warriors—they came back from a dreadful start to the season to rattle off five victories in a row. Key addition Yaxel Lendeborg has averaged 21.5 points per game, including dropping 37 points on a moribund Los Angeles Clippers squad. 

Will GSW be in the thick of the Western Conference race for the entire season? Maybe. Curry is no youngster at age 38, although he repeatedly turns back time on the court. He has had his share of injuries. Will the team be boosted when Jimmy Butler comes back mid-season from his knee injury? Who knows. 

The sample size thus far is no great indicator as to how the season will look after game 82. Even a half season may not give any more clarity as to who will emerge as the top teams in he NBA Finals. This is definitely a stay-tuned time for the NBA. 

The same can be said for the NHL. Most teams have played between 15 and 17 games thus far. Many of the expected leaders have shown up. Edmonton and Minnesota are presently the best in the West and Carolina and Boston are the Eastern leaders. A bevy of teams are in playoff contention in both conferences. 

Just like the NBA, this will be an endurance race. New Jersey is playing much better due to the addition of Connor Hellebucyk in goal. NJD defeated those Edmonton Oilers in overtime on Tuesday night, keeping Edmonton super star Connor Mc David to one point. Going 8-2 in their last 10 games kept them apace with Carolina, Boston and Montreal. For now. 

The NHL has a small problem. Two mega stars—Dylan Larkin and Nikita Kucherov don’t want to play for their current teams. Larkin has been suspended for being a no show in Detroit while Kucherov still plays for the Tampa Bay Lightning until his trade wishes can be accommodated. Where each one lands—and the Devils are among those looking to acquire Larkin—will significantly alter the NHL landscape. 

It’s sad that players can dictate where they don’t want to play. If they are great enough talents, they can challenge the way things are done, and fulfill their wishes. Lebron does his bidding in the off season—that’s how he has floated from Cleveland to Miami back to Cleveland to the Lakers and finally in Philly. 

Eli Manning didn’t want to play where he was drafted. Which is how he ended up being traded to the New York Giants. Brother Peyton wanted out of Indianapolis to have a shot at a Super Bowl ring. That’s what happened in Denver. Or G.O.A.T. Tom Brady concluded his stellar career in Tampa Bay after too many clashes with Head Coach Bill Belichick in New England. 

There are plenty of instances in baseball where a player no longer wants to reside in a certain town. Third baseman Rafael Devers wanted no part of playing first base for the Red Sox. The unhappy player was shipped to San Francisco. 

Now that mentality begins in high school. Kids with talent transfer to better programs. It’s more and more common.

With that mindset, the transfer portal in college is of greater appeal. With significant Name-Image-Likeness money as a lure, players who do well at one institution are recruited to go to a higher tier school and compete in more prestigious surroundings. Division I is still trying to come to grips with how long a can player have eligibility. Division III has tabled a request to cap the time in school at five years—the members like the four year rule just fine. 

I hate to see all these hired guns at the collegiate level. It makes it harder to watch the games knowing that a player’s loyalty to the school is tied to how much they are making in pay and endorsements. 

Indiana may have won it all last year, coming from nearly nowhere with a new and largely untested coach and an infusion of capital into the program. It had a feel good approach to it—lest we forget that QB Fernando Mendoza came for a graduate degree at the highly-ranked business school while supplied with some serious cash to help his studies. 

Mendoza became the top player in college and the first player taken in the 2026 NFL Draft. I was able to watch him throw the football on Sunday from my seat at Met Life Stadium when the New York Jets hosted the Las Vegas Raiders. 

However, none of the throws he made were in the game. Kirk Cousins is the Las Vegas quarterback and he helped lead the visitors to a 38-33 win, being involved with 4 touchdowns, 3 in the air. All while well-compensated spectator Mendoza watched the action in uniform from the sidelines. 

The Jets had a real chance to win this game. Except that I knew that their chances greatly diminished when the team drove to the one yard line of the Raiders and had to settle for a field goal, and then later surrendered a 95 yard kickoff return for a touchdown. 

Still, with no time outs and long yardage to make up, QB Geno Smith, who passed for 290 yards and 2 TD’s, tossed his only interception on an ill-advised pass to end any chance for a miraculous comeback. After all, these are the New York Jets and fans like me have become accustomed to losing winnable games. Just like they did the week before to the Miami 

Dolphins. 

Now Head Coach Aaron Glenn is once more on the hot seat. Improvement has been seen with the team. Victories have been elusive against teams they should beat. Especially at home. 

Up next is a suddenly reeling Kansas City team, having suffered bad losses on the road against quality opponents Seattle and Denver. With the Jets visiting on Sunday, the Chiefs expect to win handily. A moral victory of coming close once more proves very little. 

NYJ has a tough schedule ahead. Buffalo comes in after the KC contest. Denver, New England, Minnesota, which saw its undefeated season end in Detroit on Sunday and a return match in Buffalo are ahead. Games at bottom-feeders Miami and the LA Chargers seem less winnable then they should. 

A trip to Arizona is no cake walk—the Cardinals are 3-5 in the tough NFC West and came away from Dallas with an overtime win on Sunday. Something the Jets seem incapable of doing. 

After all, aren’t they the same old New York Jets—one Super Bowl appearance when Joe Namath and company led the AFL champs to an upset win over the heavily-favored Baltimore Colts, the NFL champions. That was in 1970. A long, long time ago. Seven years before I began my run as a season ticket holder. 

No, moral victories are never enough. Rutgers head man Greg Schiano has had his team take USC and Michigan down to the wire in games in Piscataway. The visiting teams left Piscataway happy while Schiano continues to discuss progress. Which will likely end on Saturday in Madison, Wisconsin when the Wisconsin Badgers, smarting from a humbling shut out loss at Iowa will be sure to be anything but generous hosts. 

Glenn may not make it through the season. Schiano has a $17 million pay out if he is fired before his contract ends after next season. His chances to remain in his job are seemingly better even if the product isn’t as good as needed. He may get one more chance to make things right—even if it is a long shot based on the paucity of available N-i-L money.

As bad as Glenn and Schiano have it, Oklahoma men’s basketball coach Porter Moser faces an even more uphill battle. His highly-favored Sooners lost to East Texas State by 4 at home. That’s no misprint. That’s big time trouble in Norman for this man, on the heels of the football team having a so-so season despite downing arch rival Texas in the Red River 

Shootout. OU supporters are a very fickle bunch.

Job security in sports, just as it is in politics, is based on winning. Texas Republicans, with their losses in the Senate and Gubernatorial races will feel the heat. The same logic applies if the Longhorns, the pre-season #1 team, suffers another loss and is eliminated from CFP consideration. 

I feel my vote of support for the Jets is simply me repeatedly backing the wrong candidate. Like it is with blind loyalty to one party over the other. With the money I have plunked down over the past 50 years, I would have liked a better return on my investment. Losing and the inherent emotions are hard to separate. 

Politics and sports do have a lot in common. 

Baseball Ad Nauseam. Almost.

  The Milwaukee Brewers are baseball’s World Champions. Let me repeat that: the Milwaukee Brewers are baseball’s World Champions. 

Pause for a moment to have that sink in. That’s right—a team other than the Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Yankees or any other big payroll team has won it all. Against another smaller payroll team, the American League Champion Tampa Bay Rays. 

If you question if the Brewers and Rays deserved to play in the World Series, think again. They were the two best teams in baseball. And as much as Tampa Bay should have been in the finals, the Brewers were the team that was destined to win it all. 

There weren’t exactly a lot of household names on either team before they met in the World Series. Now there are. 

Let’s look at William Contreras, the Milwaukee catcher. A three-time All Star, Contreras is now a two time champion, having won jt all as a member of the Atlanta Braves in 2021. 

Contreras was even the first-team catcher on the 2024 All-MLB team. He owns two Silver Slugger Awards as the top hitting catcher in all of baseball. 

His statistics aren’t flashy: .272 batting average with 103 home runs and 409 R.B.I. He is a great handler of pitchers. 

Contreras goes out and wins the World Series M.V.P. Award, collecting 8 hits and 4 R.B.I. and he threw out 5 Tampa Bay baserunners. This caps a tremendous year for him—he was a member of Team Venezuela, which won gold in the 2026 World Baseball Classic. 

Yet many confused him with his brother, Willson Contreras, the flashy first baseman of the Boston Red Sox. With this performance in the World Series and his part in the WBC victory, maybe it’s time that he finally be recognized as perhaps the best all-around catcher in baseball. Not merely Willson’s brother. (They are the 10th set of brothers to win a World Series title—Willson won his while a member of the Chicago Cubs in 2016, and both played in the 2026 All-Star Game—the 5th set of brothers to participate in the same ASG )

There was another Venezuelan who shined for the Brewers. Jackson Chourio. The 22 year old outfielder went 11 for 24 during the World Series. It seemed like he was always on base. If Contreras hadn’t won the M.V.P. Award, it certainly would have been Chourio. This kid has a very bright future. 

How about Cooper Pratt? Another youngster, Pratt debuted in 2026, going for a .284 batting average with 3 home runs and 34 R.B.I. once called up to the majors. 

His World Series statistics were outstanding. He had 8 hits in the five games. That’s 19 hits for two players not even 23 years old. Pratt’s seven R.B.I. tied NYY infielder Gil Mc Dougald for the most by a rookie in a World Series. Not to be stopped, Pratt had six consecutive hits—again the most by a rookie and the second-longest by a player under the age of 23 (Juan Soto in 2019).

Jacob Misiorowski gave the Brewers all they needed with 5+ scoreless innings in Game 5. He was still throwing heat at 103 m.p.h. in late October. The Miz is the presumptive favorite to win the NL Cy Young Award. He would become the first starting pitcher to win a World Series clincher and the Cy Young since Orel Hershiser did for the Dodgers in 1988. 

Misiorowski threw 51 pitches at 100-plus mph. That is the 11th time a pitcher threw at least 50 pitches at that speed. He has pitched those ll games. Remarkable. 

Moreover, the tremendous Milwaukee bullpen was on display, repeatedly shutting down the Rays except for the 12th inning Tampa Bay rebounded in a walk off win in Game 4. Key to the bullpen success was Aaron Ashby. The lefty reliever threw 18 scoreless innings in the post-season, tying Yankees’ Hall of Fame pitcher Whitey Ford. That’s a brand name to be mentioned with. 

The Brewers went 11-2 in the post-season. They joined the 2002 Astors, 2005 White Sox, 1998 and 1999 Yankees. Those teams won 11 games while only losing two or fewer in a post-season. The bullpen E.R.A. was an astounding  1.38, holding their opponents to a .173 batting average.

Milwaukee’s 57 year drought was the fourth longest by any franchise before winning its first World Series. Phillies fans know that it took 77 years for their team to win it all in 1980. Baltimore needed 63 years and two cities to get their crown in 1966. Texas had to wait 62 years and survive a move from Washington, D.C. to the Lone Star State. By the way, the Brewers spent one season in Seattle as the Pilots before heading East to the Badger State. 

What a foundation for the future for this team with the youngsters, Contreras behind the plate, good pitching and a grizzled veteran manager from the collegiate ranks in Pat Murphy, who came from Notre Dame and Arizona State and knows exactly how to motivate young men. 

Even if the Brewers lose some players to free agents and trades, they are going to be good. Their core is not intimidated by anybody. They took out a red hot San Diego team in five games. Then they swept the defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers and their highly-paid superstars. 

And in a battle of the best teams from the respective leagues, Milwaukee won handily. Not with home run power like the Yankees feel they have. Instead, a reliance on sound baseball and timely hitting and pitching was the formula for this team. Without a doubt, the best team won in 2026, hands down. 

Milwaukee had only a 42% chance of winning the World Series at the beginning of the season. Four teams that didn’t make the post-season (the Mets, Mariners, Tigers and Blue Jays) had better odds to win it all than Milwaukee. The amount of respect they get going forward is a little better—the Brew Crew trails the Dodgers for 2027. 

The problem with these projections so far out is that they rarely take into account trades, free agency and injuries. Don’t expect the Brewers to abandon their penny-pinching in constructing a team. 

Budgets do matter in the small markets. This is why there will be a labor stoppage as of December 1. Everybody wants a piece of the action. It’s the way of sports in 2026. 

But for now, the Brewers fans and the state of Wisconsin are in a celebratory mode. The Championship Trophy made its way to Green Bay on Thursday night and was paraded about on the Lambeau Field not-yet frozen tundra  to thunderous cheers. Milwaukee schools were shut for the Friday parade—realistically, there was not going to be any learning anyway. 

Halloween is going to be a continuation of the euphoria. How can you not be happy for the cheeseheads this time? For they had a team for the ages win it all. 

So baseball is over. I thought it was a really good season. Look at the Chicago White 

Sox. Coming off two 100+ losing seasons, the team turned things around under the guidance of Will Venable. The two-sport Princeton grad and son of a major leaguer had a fine career of his own. Now he uses his smarts well in guiding a team which experts gave a 1.1% chance of making the playoffs in 2026 into a legitimate contender. (Fact: Venable’s Tigers’ basketball teammate was a walk-on named Pete Hegseth)

It was a good year in Chicago—both the Cubs and Sox were playoff teams. Fans in San Diego, Atlanta, Philadelphia, Boston and Cleveland were encouraged then disappointed. Dejection was rampant in Southern California and the NY Metro Area. The people who rooted for the Rays should bask in the enjoyment of what happened getting to the World Series. Even in Pittsburgh, the long-suffering fans could actually cheer into September with a team which showed much promise. 

Despite the Yankees flaming out again, General Manager Brian Cashman and Manager Aaron Boone are back, to the consternation of the rabid NYY fan base. Who knows what the 2027 team might look like? 

What we do know is the winning alumni from prior teams were unusually vocal in their criticism of the current team. Paul O’Neill, Derek Jeter, Jorge Posada all were very disturbed with how the Yankees played and how they look at winning and losing. 

To the former stars, the current culture doesn’t seem intense enough to care if they win or lose. That isn’t a good look at all. Expectations of those who don the Yankees pinstripes are far greater than perhaps any other team. Those ex-players and the fans are jointly aggravated that the team hasn’t won a title since 2009. 

What they don’t have, like me and the rest of the Yankees Nation is this: answers. With mistrust of Cashman, Boone and owner Hal Steinbrenner to do the right things to win the trophy and always the uncertainty of indispensable players getting hurt—exhibit #1 is Aaron Judge—it is going to be another painful off season. 

However, not to worry. The Yankees sent an email about 2027 dates for the Savannah Bananas. Just what I want. More clowning and unserious baseball at Yankee Stadium in the upcoming season. Oy. 

The awards season will fast approach. We should see NYY’s Cam Schlittler receive his well-deserved AL Cy Young Award. Baseball won’t exactly fade out given the free agency and trading frenzy which will happen until the lockout starts. 

The weather in the Northeast is unusually warm for the end of October. Heck, it won’t reach more seasonal temperatures until the week of Veteran’s Day. 

Had the Yankees or Mets been in the 2026 Fall Classic, the fans would have found the nights tolerable. Alas, that is not the case. 

Besides, I think my neighbor’s son has finally stopped playing baseball for the year. No lights were on at the local softball field. By the end of October those seasons should be over. For some high school football teams, their seasons concluded last week. A mere coincidence?

I can focus on my football team—I went to see the Jets lose to the lowly Miami Dolphins as I glumly expected since the franchise had never previously won on my birthday. I return to Met Life Stadium this Sunday to see the invading Las Vegas Raiders. I am not expecting miracles, as Head Coach Aaron Glenn is under the microscope again to have his defense and offense in sync at the same time. For once. 

Besides, the Giants own pro football in this town after an overtime win over Houston last Sunday. With Philadelphia almost a non-factor without Jalen Hurts due to his blood clots, Dallas trying to find its identity and Washington struggling, it is actually for NYG to win the NFC East if they remain above .500 after they return from their bye week. It is not an easy schedule, with many playoff contenders to be played plus a trip to Dallas to start 2027.

Forget about Rutgers. Another clunker of a season. Michigan is in Piscataway to demolish the Scarlet Knights’ porous defense.A trip to #25 Wisconsin followed by a visit from Nebraska won’t help much. 

Circle the final two games, Rutgers fans. Could they eke out wins at Penn State and against Michigan State? At least dream about that happening. 

My F&M Diplomats head to last place Mc Daniel this week. A win there would set up a battle for first place with Carnegie-Mellon in Lancaster on November 7. Something to root for.

As for the real good teams, Georgia and Florida have their annual bloodletting on Saturday. Ohio State heads West to take on USC. Playing that game in the LA Coliseum instead of on New Year’s Day in Pasadena seems to be anathema to what college football is all about. 

Or I can watch the defending champion New York Knicks try to get to .500 and try to pick up from where they left off last season. They have a target on their back, to say the least. 

I always have the Golden State Warriors to cheer for—specifically Steph Curry. The all-time greatest shooter is averaging 28.8 points per game in the early going. Not too shabby for a 38 year old who will turn 39 in March. Please stay healthy, Steph—you’re too much fun to not watch.

Unbelievably, the college basketball season is underway next week. It’s patsy time for the big boys. Rutgers hosts New Haven. I hope they come out strong; the Knights were predicted to be at or near the bottom of the Big Ten. 

The New Jersey Devils got the hockey world’s attention by trading for 3X Vezina Trophy winner Connor Hellebuyck, who promptly won his first game in Red, White and Black in Dallas. Could disgruntled and currently-suspended Dylan Larkin escape Detroit and end up in Newark? Or Minnesota?

Oh, one final mention. The Atlanta Dream and Golden State Valkyries meet in San Francisco in a WNBA Finals Game 7. I might even check it out. 

That’s it for me. Otherwise, I could go on with baseball ad nauseam. Almost.