Jinx

  It’s becoming repetitious. I make a comment in a blog in passing and wishing the same day whoosh, it happens. First, it was LeBron James whom I mentioned regarding his free agency landing spot. Then it was the ludicrous FIFA plan to enrich its coffers; that fell by the wayside. And I ranted about the Big Ten and SEC not supporting the Protect College Sports Act—which now they are behind. 

I was thinking about the start of the NFL season and wondering which announcing teams the networks would choose. I was sure that CBS would pair Jim Nantz, Tony Romo and Tracy Wolfson again as the number one grouping.  

Romo was picked up for OWI in Wisconsin after participating in a golf tournament. CBS suspended him, replacing the former Dallas Cowboys quarterback with J.J. Watt on the A team. 

It happened again over the weekend. I was in a text chain with a Notre Dame supporter who wasn’t happy that USC and the Fighting Irish had discontinued their long-standing rivalry over when the teams could play, especially with the Big Ten implementing a nine game conference schedule. Sure enough, the schools will resume playing each other for four years beginning in 2030. Good for college football. 

Watching the New York Yankees on Monday night was another episode. In the first inning I knew that young star Cam Schlittler’s pitches were off. He couldn’t locate the plate with his throws and his velocity wasn’t great. I had the feeling this was going to be a rare bad night for him, which was quickly determined when a two run homer was deposited in the right field stands by St. Louis. 

It wasn’t much later that Schlittler gave up another two run shot. He lasted three very bad innings, walking an uncharacteristic five batters while striking out six. Schlittler’s E.R.A. rose to 2.26.

I gave up on the Yankees when I saw lately embattled reliever Tim Hill, once unhittable, surrender another two run homer to balloon the score to 6-0. I kind of said I would only return to the game if the Yankees made a run.

Well, they did. With back-to-back home runs off the bats of Austin Wells and Trent Grisham, the score was 6-3 after 5 innings. 

I noticed the change in time for the seventh inning. In time to see third baseman Ryan Mc Mahon swat a home run. Followed by Jose Caballero crushing another four bagger. Back-to-back home runs again. 

Next, Grisham unloaded a double. Setting the stage for the newest Yankee, Luis Garcia, Jr. The first baseman, acquired from Washington, had been swinging a big bat, which included 23 round trippers entering the game. What were the odds, I thought that he could put New York ahead in storybook fashion and allow the team to win while taking Schlittler off the hook for his poor outing? 

Garcia, Jr., born in New York City and then reared in the Dominican Republic after age 8, grew up a Yankees fan. He adored Derek Jeter and Robinson Cano. His number in D.C. was 2, to honor his Hall of Fame hero. 

Sure enough, Garcia, Jr. did what I had been hoping for. He took a low changeup and lined it off the back wall of the NYY bullpen. The score was now 7-6 in favor of the home team. 

I crossed my fingers and toes and thought to myself—don’t watch. You won’t hex the team. 

The problem with that reverse psychology process was that Manager Aaron Boone yanked Ryan Yarborough after he put a man on in the eighth inning and replaced him with young Angel Chivilli. 

Chivilli had become one of the more reliable arms in the NYY bullpen. Which meant that Boone used him more than necessary. 

And it showed. To the tune of five hits, three home runs and the Cardinals winning by a 13-7 margin. The Yankees bats may have awakened in part, but the players are sporting very low batting averages—even while the team had won 13 of the past 20 games—by winning with great pitching. 

This was a night when the pitching finally failed the team, and the 5 home runs and 10 hits weren’t enough. Sadly so.

After the game, some roster moves were made. Chivilli was sent down to Triple A, likely to give him a rest and bring up a fresh arm. 

With the arrival of outfielder Helio Ramos a deadline day acquisition, Jasson Dominguez was returned to the minors. His .230 average, lack of consistent power, getting caught twice recently over sliding a base and making some bad plays in right field doomed the youngster. 

As for the New York/New Jersey native Anthony Volpe, he, too, went to Scranton-Wilkes Barre to try and resuscitate his game. Shortstop phenom George Lombard, Jr. had been hot down there and the executives felt it was time to bring him up. 

That loss put NYY 3.5 games behind AL East-leading Tampa Bay. With Boston hot on their heels coming off of a very impressive sweep of the defending World Champion Los Angeles Dodgers at Chavez Ravine. Even Baltimore, which conducted a fire sale at the deadline, including shipping off All-Star catcher Adley Rutschman, a former number one overall selection, to the Red Sox, is only two games below .500 and is alive for the AL Wild Card. For that matter, Toronto, the defending AL champs, cannot be counted out even if they remain 13.5 games behind Tampa Bay. 

What that means is that the Yankees are going to have to prioritize playing top notch baseball from now until the end of the season. The bats have to come alive. The fielding needs to be better. The base running has to be smart. And the pitching must maintain its excellent level—the top E.R.A. in baseball. 

It has to get the dream to a place where the injured stars come back healthy and ready to help get this team across the finish line. You know the names: Aaron Judge; Giancarlo Stanton; Cody Bellinger; Carlos Rodon. All key cogs in a very well-functioning machine. Add Clarke Schmidt, a former starter, to the bullpen for this season along with another starter and the Yankees will look as formidable as anybody. With the caveats that the returning stars remain healthy; the current lineup contributes in a timely way; the starting pitchers provide longer stints in their individual games; and Boone does not over manage his relief corps. 

I have always been a New York Yankees fan. I have lived through the great years of Mickey Mantle, Whitey Ford and crew. Then the Reggie Jackson years. With the Derek Jeter/Mariano Rivera grouping the last of the great Yankee teams. The periodic droughts have also been part of the process. 

NYY has not won a title since 2009. I retired in 2012 and began regularly watching the team not reach the pinnacle year after year. Now I watch almost every game that I can and I go to Yankee Stadium more than I have in the past. Because I have the time. To no avail. 

I love watching Judge, Ben Rice, Bellinger, Schlittler and Gerrit Cole perform. They are top flight players. 

Yet I can’t help but think that my deep interest in the Yankees has been something more than mere bad luck for the team. I do have precedent on my resume. 

I am about to enter my 50th and final season as a New York Jets season ticket holder. What has that team won during my tenure? Nothing. 

The day I met my wife for the first time at her cousin’s home in Glen Ridge on December 26, 1981 drifted into the next day. I had a Jets playoff game that Sunday. While the blind date was momentous, the game at Shea Stadium was anything but that. 

The favored Jets lost to Buffalo. The Bills roared out to a 24-0 lead. The partisans were restless. NYJ rallied but quarterback Richard Todd threw an interception at the Buffalo 5 yard line in the waning seconds to seal a 31-27 win for the team from Northern New York. 

Since then, I have not seen a home playoff game since 2003 when they routed Indianapolis 41-0 at Giants Stadium. That’s right—I have not seen a playoff game at Met Life Stadium. 

Moreover, I had won the lottery to attend the Super Bowl in 1999. All the Jets had to do was defeat John Elway and Denver at Mile High Stadium. NYJ leaped out to a 10-0 lead in the third quarter. Visions of heading to South Florida danced in my head. Until the Broncos scored 23 unanswered points to move on to the Super Bowl. 

Now I know there are lots of Jets fans who feel star-crossed like I do. Many of them will remain faithful ticket holders. I know in my heart that as soon as I cut ties gowing to Jets games, the streak of no playoff appearances will end. Maybe even a Super Bowl is on the horizon. I just cannot root too hard for that to happen lest I curse the dream even more. 

Having grown up in Highland Park, right across the Raritan River from New Brunswick and adjacent to Piscataway, and where the Scarlet Knights have been playing seemingly forever, my major college team has been Rutgers. I have seen far more losses than wins for a school which does not hold a national title despite having started the sport; the two schools split the two games played in 1869. Since then RU hardly ever beat the Tigers; in the 71 games through 1980, Princeton went 53-17-1. 

My lack of luck extended to games against Army, Columbia, Texas, Notre Dame and numerous others. The big wins over South Florida and Louisville were outliers. 

Basketball wasn’t much better. I might have seen more victories than losses, but barely. My loyalty was not rewarded when the Athletic Department decided that partial season tickets weren’t going to be sold. Now I go once a year and suffer at home watching the team finish poorly in Big Ten play. 

While I have been fortunate to see my alma mater win its first Centennial Conference crown last season, when I started at Franklin and Marshall, the majority of the teams lost to almost everyone. 

Ditto my 1970 baseball team, which produced a 4-12 record. They only got better with a coaching change and my being injured. Coincidence? 

F&M basketball suffered too many indignities. When they made the 1996 Division III Final Four, I took my family to Salem, Virginia. Only to watch the Diplomats lose two games. A trip to see them in the NCAA Tournament versus M.I.T. in Lancaster led to a loss and a long trip home at night. 

I can counter with the New Jersey Devils. I was present in the Meadowlands when the team won Game 4 over the Detroit Red Wings in 1995 and paraded around the ice with the Stanley Cup. Perhaps it was the shorts I wore in the Summer for the Saturday, June 24 game. 

While the Devils went on to win two more Stanley Cups, I wasn’t there for the victories. And I was 0-for the Cup in my 10 years as a New York Rangers ticket holder. 

There must be something in the air because I am no savant. I’m fair at best in picking winners in pools. Besides, when I make mention of something or someone, usually the opposite happens. 

That’s what my trial partner used to say. I told him he should bet me on that. Of course, that was before on line betting took hold. Which is why I don’t bet on games. With my sterling record, the casinos would easily take my money. 

Look, I’m no Joe Btfsplk, the character from Al Capp’s Li’l Abner comic strip. The dark rain cloud perpetually hovering over his head causes disasters. The bad sixth inning of Game 5 that Judge and Cole had in the 2024 World Series couldn’t be attributed directly to me, right?

At some time this ongoing losing has to end. I’m not playing the games (except in 1970), nor coaching them. But it is in my mind that I am somehow telepathically affecting outcomes. Even if it isn’t true. 

What else could it be? I’m still going to continue to watch the Yankees—even if they unravel even more. One more Jets season in person can’t hurt? The Devils are getting better. Rutgers is, well, Rutgers. F&M has to face Johns Hopkins at their place in football and basketball has a new head coach. 

I think I know my place. A couple of four leaf clovers can help. 

Jinx. 

Perspectives

  Funny thing—no sooner did I publish the last blog and make a flippant comment at the end that I didn’t have to discuss LeBron James, the basketball super star ended his decision-making in free agency by selecting Philadelphia as his next landing spot. I am not at all prescient. 

So, the kid from Akron, Ohio is not going home to complete a circle by rejoining the Cleveland Cavaliers. Nor is he returning to South Florida to join forces with Pat Riley, Eric Spoelstra and newly-acquired Giannis Antetokounmpo in Miami. 

How about that desire to play with Steph Curry? Barring a trade, the only time he will ever play with the Warriors super nova would be in the 2024 Olympics. Besides, did he want to be part of a geriatric ward in San Francisco, with Curry, Draymond Green, Jimmy Butler and Al Horford, all over 35, and the oft-injured Kristaps Porzingis having hit 30?

The other suitors evidently were non-starters. Minnesota’s quest for a first championship for the franchise will have to be without LeBron. As appetizing as Denver with Nikola Jokic, Dallas with old Cleveland pal  Kyrie Irving and Rookie of the Year Cooper Flagg and San Antonio with Victor Wembanyama might have been, they were never in the running. Boston wasn’t appealing and the reigning NBA champion New York Knicks simply weren’t interested in having him come to the Big Apple.

There were a lot of obvious reasons why LeBron chose Philadelphia. It sounded nice that he wanted to bring the NBA title to the City of Brotherly Love for the first time since 1983. 

His agent, Rich Paul, a.k.a. Adele’s boyfriend, had ties to the Sixers with young star Tyrese Maxey in his stable. The enigmatic Joel Embiid was another lure; they played together on the Olympic team. 

Then there was the administrative side of the Sixers. Bob Myers, the architect of winning basketball at Golden State, was now in control in Philadelphia. President of Basketball Operations Mike Gansey played against LeBron in high school, finishing second to the Akron flash for Mr. Basketball hours in Ohio. 

That familiarity, along with Nick Nurse, a coach who won a NBA championship in Toronto, was also appealing. The other coaches who might have been good fits were 2024 US Olympics Head CoachSteve Kerr with the Warriors; Spoelstra; and Mike Brown with the Knicks, who previously coached LBJ in Cleveland. That wasn’t enough.

The biggest hint was dropped by LeBron when he casually mentioned that he was trusting the “process.” That was the mantra in Philly when the franchise was building its roster from the depths of the bottom of the NBA. LeBron’s denial that he was headed to Philadelphia was meant to throw off those trying to predict where he would eventually land. 

Now he is headed to Philly for two years for a measly $8 million. An absolute bargain if he stays healthy. 

For that matter, if the Sixers roster stays healthy, the team could easily be a title contender. That, with injuries to Maxey, Embiid and James last season, is not a given. 

Besides, in the East, the Knicks will be strong again and they did eliminate Philadelphia in the playoffs en route to the crown. Detroit is still quite good. Indiana gets Tyrese Haliburton back. Boston remains formidable. Cleveland, Orlando and Atlanta will not be pushovers, either. 

A more experienced San Antonio and a determined Oklahoma City lead the Western Conference contenders. Denver, Minnesota and Houston aren’t easy foes. 

Don’t just anoint LeBron and his new team as champs just yet. The team needs to decide who gets the ball when in crunch time—James, Embiid or Maxey?

You know that Philly will be on TV the max of 34 times in a season. I kind of anticipate a Philadelphia visit to the Lakers, LBJ’s former team, on Christmas Day. Knicks-Sixers games will be in prime time; the top tier teams in the West will see Philly on national TV.  Also, the rumor is that ESPN will train cameras on LeBron this season (and maybe in 2027-28) in a sort of “Last Dance” series. 

This won’t be the last time I discuss LeBron James. That’s for sure. He did dominate the headlines with his franchise pick—just as he always dominates the sports news. Should we have expected anything more in the way of drama?

Baseball’s trade deadline is fast approaching. It is hard to discern who is going to be sellers outside of a few cellar dwellers. Everyone else is within shouting range of a Wild Card spot in both leagues. 

Yet seemingly every team which is presently contending or has dreams of snaring a Wild Card berth or division title wants to make a deal which could significantly bolster their chances of being in the post-season. With whatever players that might be made available. 

The New York Yankees are one of those teams seemingly in need of reinforcements. Saddled with an anemic offense minus the potent bats of Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton and Cody Bellinger, the starting pitching has been mostly good. 

However, Gerrit Cole, Max Fried and Cam Schlittler, as brilliant as they can be, do not go deep into games. Thus, there is a need for the bullpen to step in repeatedly. 

Since run production is way down, the reliance on the bullpen becomes more paramount and with little margin for error. That became apparent in Chicago during a four game series against the AL Central-leading White Sox. 

Fried opened the series and was not himself. He lasted only three innings, surrendering three runs. Seven relievers came to his aid, limiting Chicago to two more runs while the offense momentarily awoke to the tune of a 9-5 win. 

Cole was brilliant on Tuesday night, limiting the Sox to just four hits while walking two and striking out seven. The trouble was that three more relievers had to come to Cole’s rescue. 

That included closer David Bednar, who pitched on Monday night. Bednar saw his 24 inning scoreless streak end on a two run homer in the bottom of the ninth. NYY hung on 3-2. 

Wednesday night’s pitching from young stud Cam Schlittler was outstanding. He held Chicago to two hits in 6.1 innings, striking out eight while walking one. Yet the tired bullpen had to become engaged and normally steady pitchers gave up three runs, ruining another gem by Cam and sending the game into extra innings. Five relievers later, after a miscue by substitute catcher Ali Sanchez in the 11th inning allowing the score to be tied, the Sox triumphed in 12 innings by a 6-5 margin. 

Thursday afternoon, lefty Ryan Weathers gave NYY seven scoreless innings. Unfortunately, the New York offense couldn’t score. 

The game went into extra innings again. Manager Aaron Boone, trying every measure he could to score runs, still had to rely on a depleted bullpen once more. Pitcher Anthony Chivilli actually gave up a run in 1.1 innings to raise his E.R.A. to 0.60. Fernando Cruz got out of trouble in the 10th inning but couldn’t control his emotions or pitches, walking in the winning run for a 2-1 CWS win in 11 innings. This was the first time since the rule about placing a runner on second base to begin an extra inning that games between the same two teams went more than ten innings on consecutive days. 

But that doesn’t help the Yankees one bit knowing this. The problems run way too deep. Moreover, the team isn’t getting a day off until August 6th. That will put more strain on the beleaguered bullpen, no matter how brilliant a season some members have had. 

So we wait to see if General Manager Brian Cashman upgrades the catching position, brings in some more potent bats or gains some reinforcements for the pitching staff. The price is going to be high to buy this year. Whether the Yankees will be successful in their quest remains to be seen. Just like it remains to be seen whether Stanton, Judge and Bellinger are able to return in time to resuscitate the lineup enough to make it to October and be impactful.

Again, the Yankees will be competing against most of the other MLB teams which have defined goals of their own. Many of those goals will coincide with those of the Yankees. Which makes prying legitimate talent that much more difficult. 

The biggest name on the trade market would appear to be Detroit left hander Tarik Skubal. Don’t be fooled by the pedestrian 7-5 record he has in 2026. The guy’s a beast on a Tigers team which simply isn’t good enough to reach the playoffs in a fairly weak AL Central Division. 

Skubal is a two-time Cy Young Award winner. He’s won the pitching Triple Crown by leading the league in wins, strikeouts and E.R.A. Eighteen of the 24 who have achieved this feat are either in the Hall of Fame or eligible for Cooperstown; only Chris Sale of Atlanta is currently playing. Sale and Skubal are the two best left-handed pitchers around. 

Management has decided that they cannot afford him in lieu of free agency, thus making him available to other teams to pursue. Even if he might be a rental before becoming a free agent. 

Which is why the big boys are named to be in the running to get Skubal.  Atlanta, Milwaukee, Philadelphia, the Yankees, the Chicago Cubs, AL East-leading Tampa Bay and the defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers are possible landing spots. They have capital to afford him long-term as well as part with talent the Tigers can remake their roster with. 

Coming off the success of the World Cup, FIFA head honcho Gianni Infante has turned the soccer world upside down with a plan that has provoked boycotts by numerous soccer federations. FIFA has proposed to sell off 21% of its newly-created FIFA Forward Enterprise to private investors to raise $4.2 billion. To the federations, who were not consulted before the announcement, this will imperil the operation of the aforementioned World Cup and that is a no go. 

Money, as in all sports, is the driving force today. Whether it is TV-generated revenue which has led to ESPN firing on-air personalities to be able to absorb the purchase of the NFL Network, or Name-Image-Likeness capital available to stock college football and basketball teams, those in power want to control the narrative and the cash. Which is evidently plentiful out there and consolidated among those who have it and want more. 

I look at the SEC and Big Ten, who don’t see eye-to-eye on most things and their unwillingness to consider endorsing the bi-partisan Protect College Sports Act of 2026. As with anything related to their best financial interests, which would exclude everyone else, the hegemony they have created in a heartbeat threatens to undermine college athletics through destroying the NCAA and making the College Football Playoffs their own playground. 

Sports needs to reign in the uncontrolled pursuit of money. The Big Ten looked to infuse itself with $2.4 billion from the University of California pension fund in exchange  for a 10% stake in Big Ten Enterprises. Each school stood to receive between $135 to $150 million in a tiered progression based on earning potential. In furtherance of winning championships. 

With all this greed and financial gamesmanship, it is to their credit that schools like Michigan and USC are not buying into the proposal. Just like CONCAF and others who oppose the FIFA soccer fleecing. And baseball is headed to a showdown over a salary cap which will imperil the 2027 season.  

Whatever purity existed in professional and also collegiate sports had been blown apart a long time ago. With the advent of N-I-L and the fact that Stanford University football players have reached a threshold for creation of a union, the college level, once full of amateurism and kids actually going to school for a degree and also playing sports, is largely symbolic except for Division III. And they have been actively preparing for the invasion of N-I-L. 

Will I continue to watch sports and root for my teams? Yes. Will I feel a bit sorry for LeBron James if he doesn’t win it all in Philadelphia? No. 

What is needed is regulation. Sadly, that may never get a foothold in sports again.

In the end, it’s all about perspectives.