Two of a Kind and a Joker's Wild

     While I have been privately ranting about the distinct possibility of the Minnesota Vikings this year not only becoming the first NFL team to have the opportunity to play the Super Bowl at home but also play 2 home games in attaining the NFC Championship, there have been other things on my mind. I will return to the Vikings windfall scenario later.

     There are a couple of disturbing events going on which have my ire in full bloom. None of them involve the continuing saga of the next manager for the New York Yankees or Aaron Judge's arthroscopic surgery on his left shoulder.

     No, these problems are the result of sports not getting it. I may not have the ultimate solutions for what I see, but the problems do need fixing.

     There is a basketball tournament being held in Portland, Oregon this weekend to celebrate the 80th anniversary of Phil Knight, the legendary sports apparel founder of international giant Nike. The Nike brand is omnipresent--Air Jordans are the epitome of the success of sports correlating with an athletic phenomenon. There was much ado about athletic shoes made cheaply outside of the U.S. and sold here at exorbitant prices producing a classic supply and demand frenzy engulfing both the well-heeled, and those who took to robbed other adolescents of their footwear or sold narcotics in order to purchase a pair of the status symbol sneakers

     Knight's immense impact in Oregon ranges from the economic boom that originates from the Beaverton campus, to the ties with the University of Oregon and its sports teams, to his philanthropy. Nike is an original, textbook story in marketing success. But with the spoils of success comes the unseemliness of the more lurid parts of sports.

     Sneaker contracts to basketball coaches became a genius concept. Top winners Mike Krzyzewski of Duke and Jim Boeheim of Syracuse come to mind as coaches who shamelessly knew how to play the system to its fullest. Except, as we are now finding out, the abuses are rampant in a sport which has historically been shady if not downright dismissive of the regulators to make their own set of rules. So, who loses in this situation? A number of coaches suffer like Rick Pitino at Louisville, along with assistants at places like Auburn, where kids who have one goal in mind--to play college hoops as a stepping stone to the NBA. These kids may not really belong in academic environs and suffer greatly as they are spit out of the system which tolerates AAU travel teams sponsored by Adidas or Nike (see Sonny Vaccaro, the quintessential sleazy front man for the sneaker companies who started this trend with camps, shoe contracts et. al) and recruiting (exploiting) youngsters with talent to attend parochial and private secondary schools to hone their physical skills to reach the next level. There they once more are foil for coaches and schools seeking recognition, fame and money. One and done players should have no place in college basketball. Administrators at the institutional level and in the NCAA are just as guilty and to blame for the corruption of basketball.

     Make no mistake, this exploitation is not limited to basketball. In football I show you Joe Paterno, a Nike god himself, who permitted sexual abuse and sacrificed his players in order to maintain his winning ways as Exhibit A for hypocrisy. Jim Harbaugh of Michigan is no milk toast either.  Coaches with fantastic records are subject to being fired because they aren't measuring up to conference and arch-rivals and not making the playoffs every season. Multi-million dollar contracts for football coaches which routinely exceed the combined budgets of the English and Mathematics departments, coupled with lucrative shoe deals that make them appear more like CEO's by their pay than state employees.  Sheer lunacy.

     So Division I behemoths Duke and North Carolina journey to Portland, Oregon to join UConn, Florida and Gonzaga among others in this homage to the King. All expenses paid, with a sojourn in Oregon over Thanksgiving, upcoming December final exams be damned. 16 elite teams in a tournament akin to the NCAA's March Madness. ESPN has its hands in it--the network which brings you all-time college hoops hypester Dickie V and his Diaper Dandies yet is laying off employees by the droves as viewership has dropped dramatically--making this a standout tourney when there are so many others happening at this time from Brooklyn, NY to Disney World to Las Vegas to the Bahamas to Cancun. The staggering dollars involved with this plethora of basketball opulence could prop up so many inner city schools, whose athletic programs exist on a shoestring.

     Thus it is befitting that rich take care of the rich in the PK 80 extravaganza. There never should be this PK 80-type reverence.  After all, as Sally Jenkins eloquently decried what amateurism is in college sports these days in her recent Washington Post column, this is not unique to the nation. Presidential intervention has previously taken place when sports reform is necessary. I hope her timely cries for assistance to end this mockery of amateurism do not fall on deaf ears and that there is a groundswell from the athletes themselves, because it sure isn't happening via any other avenue.

     Second on my list of peeves is the upcoming Heisman Trophy award for the best college football player in the U.S. Currently, the leader appears to be Baker Mayfield, the quarterback for the 10-1 Oklahoma Sooners. Perhaps Mayfield has put up the best numbers this year and has placed Oklahoma in a position to be a participant in the College Football playoffs if they won this weekend when West Virginia came to Norman (they did) and then if they are triumphant a second time this season over #10 TCU in the Big 12 Championship. Undoubtedly, Mayfield's numbers and wins over Ohio State, Oklahoma State and TCU merit strong consideration.

     However, as a person, Baker Mayfield does not epitomize what it takes to be a class act. He has his own demons--which is why he should not be given the Heisman Trophy. Everywhere he has gone, controversy has swirled around him, many times take a seat to his accomplishments.

     Mayfield started his collegiate career at Texas Tech, where he became the first ever legitimate walk-on quarterback ever to start in his first collegiate game. While Mayfield's first few games for the Red Raiders were outstanding with near-record setting performances, he succumbed to injury. While he won the 2013 Big 12 Conference Freshman Offensive Player of the Year award, Mayfield left the program due to a "miscommunication" with the Tech coaching staff. While Tech disputes it, the disagreement was over a scholarship for Mayfield and the fairness of the competition for quarterback in 2014. That's a red flag.

     He then enrolled at Oklahoma, unannounced to the coaching staff there. Once more a walk-on, this time at even a higher profile football school, Mayfield had to sit out at least the 2014 season by rule. Not content with that, he filed an appeal with the NCAA on the basis of his being a non-scholarship walk-on at both Tech and Oklahoma, thereby making the rules for scholarship players inapplicable to his situation. The NCAA denied the appeal.

     Additionally, the Big 12 Conference imposes an additional year of ineligibility for transfers to member institutions. An appeal to the Big 12 was also denied. Oklahoma then asked Texas Tech to authorize an immediate release for Mayfield. Tech said no, but then later gave Mayfield a release from a commitment to their school. So he sat out 2014 and lost a year of eligibility.

     This led to the "Baker Mayfield Rule." The Big 12 Conference now allows walk-on players without a scholarship offer from the school they are leaving to transfer within the conference without losing a year's eligibility. Now he was a target for many in Big 12 land.

     Before the start of this season, Mayfield was cited for public intoxication, resisting arrest, disorderly conduct and fleeing in Fayetteville, Arkansas. He was belligerent, non-compliant, with food stains on his shirt and slurred speech. The resisting arrest charge was dropped and he paid a total of $460.00 in fines and court costs plus $483.20 in restitution. New Oklahoma coach Lincoln Riley said the matter would be handled internally, which resulted in 35 hours of substance abuse education and no loss of playing time. He never thought he really did anything wrong. Another black eye for him.

     Mayfield took the Sooners into Ohio Stadium and defeated the Buckeyes on their home turf. He interacted with the fans throughout the game instead of focusing on being a representative for his college.  One of the great rituals of college sports is when Ohio is spelled out in script by the Ohio State band and a person gets the honor to dot the"i." When Oklahoma triumphed, Mayfield took an OU flag, paraded it around the stadium and planted it at the center of the field, defiantly stating to the world his disrespect for tradition and his opponent. Only when there was so much negative national attention did he apologize for his excessive, youthful exuberance. More narcissistic behavior.

     Then there was last weekend versus Kansas. When the team captains met at the center of the field for the coin toss, the KU captains refused to shake Mayfield's offered hand. After Oklahoma trounced the Jayhawks in a chippy affair replete with late and illegal hits, TV cameras caught Mayfield grabbing his crotch and shouting obscenities towards the KU bench.

     This last episode of misconduct has led Oklahoma to bench Mayfield for the first series of the West Virginia game, but he played until the coach inserted the reserves. Plus he will not be a captain on Senior Day, which upsets him. The Big 12 Conference reprimanded him along with the KU players.

     It hasn't stopped. I don't want hear about his competitive nature overwhelming him. Where are the coaches and the university educating Mayfield, muzzling him? Although the three UCLA basketball players broke the law in China by allegedly shoplifting sunglasses, they received real punishment from their school with an indefinite suspension, notwithstanding that they are lucky not to still be in China, perhaps in a Chinese jail.

     Since there is no real impact on this kid, the best way to maybe put some perspective in his life is to snub him with the Heisman voting. Make him the poster boy, along with Johnny Manziel, a.k.a., the former Texas A&M quarterback who won the Heisman Trophy and who never was set straight enough to get his life in order. Heisman voters, hear my plea, not that of Matt Leinhart, a former Heisman winner who works for FOX, the TV home of the College Football playoffs, who believes Mayfield's antics need not be punishable in the Heisman arena. Do not make the Manziel mistake again. Don't even invite him to New York for the ceremony. Be brave. Try helping Mayfield get a grip on life before he flames out. You are adults imbued with the responsibility of presenting positive heroes in athletics. There are other worthy recipients.

     With all that envelops collegiate sports these days, the potential dilemma facing the NFL for the 2017 playoffs is much simpler than that facing collegiate sports.  Isn't it time that the NFL, who has tried vainly to evade controversy with the Super Bowl, finds a way to avoid the Vikings benefiting, should they secure home field, with a true home field advantage if they are in the Super Bowl at their own stadium? Three playoff games without travel. Unheard of. What can the NFL do--make Minnesota dress in the visitors locker room and use an alternate site to practice? Root for the Philadelphia Eagles to win in Minneapolis?

     The NFL needs to have three neutral site venues from hereon, with at least two being the Rose Bowl and Orlando, FL. I think that San Diego is a third option, a way to appease the city and its populace for the Chargers' bolting to LA. Honolulu is a fourth great place for the game. It beats seeing the Vikings, on  repeatedly frigid winter days in the upper Midwest, roll unimpeded to fame (or infamy with an asterisk)in an indoor venue. The NFL Competition Committee or its soon-to-be $49 million Commissioner needs to address this--I recognize that many former sites will not be happy in losing the gigantic fiscal infusion a Super Bowl brings.

     With this much chaos around, I long for baseball and its relative serenity. Please feel better Aaron Judge. Our sad eyes long for your smile.

   

   

Musings and then a second helping. please...

     I had written the beginning of a wonderful piece about Thanksgiving and the lead up to the holiday. What it means to so many people and how it brings families together. I started to write about the NFL and where it stands right now in the weekend before Turkey Day. Then my computer up and ate my prose. This 9 year old Dell computer is way past its prime; it is time to head to the Apple Store and buy something new, to prevent this from happening, as it is now the second time in a couple of months that my essay has been sabotaged. Unless, of course, someone is hacking my material--I should be so lucky as to have such diverse readership!!

     So, as we travel to our destinations for reuniting with family this Thursday and start preparing for Christmas for so many, we watch the weather finally turn colder as a prelude to Winter. There is a lot to talk about in sports at this time.

     As the National Football League enters its 12th week, at least the New York Jets aren't playing in this last bye week, coming off the disastrous game versus Tampa Bay and ex-Jets QB Ryan Fitzpatrick. The 1-8 New York Giants have the joyous task of playing the Kansas City Chiefs in the Meadowlands; their season is in greater disarray than the Jets. Can there be a worse coach than Ben Mc Adoo?

     We have surprise division leaders in the NFC with Los Angeles, Minnesota, New Orleans and Philadelphia. Meanwhile, the AFC has more likely front runners in Kansas City, New England and Pittsburgh, along with upstart Jacksonville. In the year of the quarterback, newcomers Carson Wentz (Eagles), Case Keenum (Vikings) and Jared Goff (Rams) are in the mix with veterans like Alex Smith (Chiefs), Tom Brady (Patriots) and Big Ben Roethlisberger (Steelers). The Cleveland Browns have been futile thus far--even botching a trade at the deadline--and are in the hunt for the No. 1 pick in the Draft Lottery. Close on their heels are the Giants and San Francisco 49'ers.

     Thus, we have the top teams working to secure their playoff spots while there is always the mad scramble for Wild Card berths--2 in the AFC and 2 in the NFC. But that is not the story in the NFL this week.

     The feud between Commissioner Roger Goodell and Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones--a force in the NFLsince he wons the most valauble franchise--has broken wide open. They have seemingly been best buds in the past. However, when the League (a.k.a. Goodell) sought to punish Cowboys' star running back Ezekiel Elliott for domestic violence (since resolved), Elliott fought the 6 game suspension in the courts and Jones stewed when Goodell allegedly welshed on a promise not to suspend Elliott. Coupled with the outrageous demands that Goodell has made for compensation ($49 million/year and the use of a private plane plus medical expenses among other requests), Jones has threatened to sue if the other owners extend Goodell's contract when the NFL is awash with so much controversy which has split the country and has caused a significant drop in ratings. Goodell, imbued with near omnipotence, has been setting up Jones to leverage him out of ownership if Jones follows through on his threats. As the Cowboys plummet in the standings without their star running back, expect this will to nastier in the upcoming days.

     It is the second month of the NBA and the top story is the Boston Celtics' run of 15 straight wins after dropping the first two games to begin the season. They are doing it without injured star forward Gordon Heyward and All-NBA point guard Kyrie Irving, free of the restraints he had while playing in Cleveland with Lebron James, has led this talented squad under the tutelage of baby-faced Head Coach Brad Stevens. The Celtics play hard--they outplayed the defending champion Golden State Warriors on Friday night on the parquet floor of the TD Garden. Boston has a definite opportunity to dethrone Cleveland as the Eastern Conference champions. Whether they can upset Golden State should they meet in the NBA Finals is mere conjecture at this early point in the season. I do think that now the Celtics have the Warriors attention.

    Subplots to the Celtics and Warriors are the rise of the Philadelphia 76'ers behind Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid; how well the Houston Rockets can be since Chris Paul has returned from injury to join James Harden and Carmelo Anthony; and how abysmal Los Angeles Lakers' top rookie Lonzo Ball is shooting. It is a marathon, not a sprint. Stay tuned for further updates.

     Pleasing to me are the rise of the New Jersey Devils, Toronto Maple Leafs and Winnipeg Jets to the top of the National Hockey League standings. Tampa Bay and St. Louis have been torrid. Expansion Las Vegas has kept its head above water in their first 18 games; it will be interesting to see how they fare at home tonight against the division leading Los Angeles Kings.The usual suspects are nearby--Columbus and Ottawa, along with last year's Stanley Cup finalists Nashville and Pittsburgh. Not even a quarter of the schedule has been played, so it is way too early to prognosticate.

     Baseball named its award winners this past week. Aaron Judge and Cody Bellinger unanimously won the A.L. and N.L. Rookie of the Year trophies. Cy Young Award winners were the A.L's Corey Kluber of Cleveland, while in he N.l., Max Scherzer won for the second consecutive time and third overall, thereby making him a virtual lock for immortality in Cooperstown. Houston's diminutive Jose Altuve dwarfed the gigantic Judge in the A.L. M.V.P. voting; in the N.L. Giancarlo Stanton's monster year on a below .500 Miami Marlins team deservedly edged out Joey Votto of the also below .500 Cincinnati Reds by a mere 2 votes.

     The New York Yankees have been busy interviewing candidates for the vacant manager's position. Hal Steinbrenner, George's son and Managing Partner, candidly stated that former Manager Joe Girardi probably still would have not had his contract renewed even if the Yankees had won the World Series. Talk about pressure for the incoming dugout leader!!

     Tennis is closing its season today with the World Tour Finals in London. Except that neither Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer are in the final. Talk about disappointment.

     NASCAR gets very little mention here. Today is the NASCAR Cup final four at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Kyle Busch, Brad Keselowski, Kevin Harvick and Martin Truex, Jr., a New Jersey native, battle it out for the 2017 championship. Also newsworthy in NASCAR nation is the retirement of Dale Earnhardt, Jr. with this race. He is royalty/star power to the stock car fans, and his presence will be missed.

     Additionally, Danica Patrick announced that she will no longer compete in NASCAR in 2018 and she will end her career with the 2018 Indianapolis 500. Never a big winner, she became an icon as a female driver in a male-dominated sport.  It did not hurt that she was attractive and could sell products, even if she could not win much in stock car or Indy Car racing.

     I was at the 153rd edition of the Lafayette-Lehigh football rivalry on Saturday at rain-soaked Murray H. Goodman Field in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Lehigh won the game and secured the right to the Patriot League bid to the NCAA FCS playoffs. Lafayette was highly competitive and led into the fourth quarter. It was the Leopards' lack of any offense in the fourth quarter which led to their undoing; Lafayette had capitalized on Lehigh mistakes and added a 96 yard kickoff return to force Lehigh to scramble and claw its way to the victory, capped by a perfectly thrown pass to the end zone on a post pattern.

     Nothing really unpredictable happened in college football this weekend. A lot will transpire in the next couple of weeks when Alabama and Auburn meet and the conference championships take place. Maybe I was a little surprised how Rutgers was blown out by Indiana 41-0 in Bloomington. Then again, this is the schizophrenic RU team which could lose to Eastern Michigan then reel off wins against conference foes Purdue, Maryland and Illinois.

     Finally, we were watching the UCLA-USC rivalry game from the ancient Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, soon to undergo a $250 million upgrade which will be completed in time for the Trojans' 2019 season. The importance of he event was not just that USC won 28-23, nor the fact that Bruins' Head Coach Jim Mora was relieved of his duties today by Athletic Director Dan Guerrero. It featured the two top undergraduate quarterbacks, who will land in the top 5 of the NFL draft next April--Sam Darnold of USC and Josh Rosen of the Bruins. I am sure that Cleveland, the Giants, the 49'ers. the Los Angeles Chargers, Denver Broncos, and perhaps the Jets, all in need of a young new QB, took interest in the contest.

     Rosen had the better stats but Darnold had the winning team because he played with better athletes. Darnold is more in question whether he will come out of college early. I think he needs a bit more experience that one more year at USC could offer. But the lure of big money in the NFL will be very pressing.

     Rosen looks to be the real deal. He is a natural athlete--he was a highly ranked tennis player as a junior in the highly competitive Southern California region and was also a top 50 player nationally. His father, an orthopedic spine surgeon, was a nationally-ranked ice skater who nearly qualified for the Olympics and his mother captained the Princeton women's lacrosse team. Smart, athletic genes at work here. He appears to be charismatic and he is Jewish; his mother is a Quaker but Rosen became a bar mitzvah and stayed in Southern California because he felt there was the need for a Jewish star athlete in the area.  Imagine if he went to the Chargers or if he made it across the country to play in New York? Stardom awaits this interesting young man.

     Yet the burning question which came from my astute, inquiring wife was this--which was the higher ranked school academically? I thought that it was UCLA, as it was always perceived to be more difficult to enter. Instead, U.S. News and World Report ranks USC one spot ahead of UCLA, which finished at 24. The top two Pac 12 schools are Stanford University at number 5, and the University of California-Berkeley at number 20; Stanford and Cal met in The Game, which the Cardinal triumphed over the Golden Bears. The lowest-ranked Pac 12 school is Washington State at number 143. Six of the Pac 12 schools, including the aforementioned four and Colorado and Washington, are inside of the top 100.

     So which conference comes out on top? It looks to be the Atlantic Coast Conference, led by Duke and Notre Dame. The University of Louisville is the lowest at 171. Second lowest are Florida State and North Carolina State, which are tied at number 92. The remaining 11 schools are in the top 75, with 9 schools in the top 60.

     The prestigious Big Ten has its highest ranking at number 15--Northwestern University, followed by the University of Michigan at 27. Eight Big Ten schools are in the top 60, and 5 of them are in the top 50. Rutgers resides at 70 and Minnesota at 71 is within the top 75. Nebraska is the lowest ranked member at 111. Indiana is next at 86, then Iowa and Michigan State at 82. Overall, it tops the Pac 10 but is far behind the ACC.

     Surprisingly, 5 of the Southeastern Conference schools rank in the 100. But the lowest ranked school is Mississippi State University at 176. Next is Mississippi at 135, which is tied with the University of Arkansas and Louisiana State University. The Conference football powerhouse, the University of Alabama, is tied with Tennessee at 103. Alabama takes second to in state rival Auburn, which is placed at 99. Vanderbilt University is the best SEC school at number 15, even with the ACC's Notre Dame. It is a far better academic conference than it is given credit for. The University of Georgia is a fine school at number 56, and the University of Florida has risen to number 50.

     For the Big 12, the top tier schools are Texas, Baylor and Texas Christian University. West Virginia University is the bottom dweller and they are in the top 200. As far as the Patriot League football schools, Georgetown is in a class of its own; Colgate, Holy Cross and Bucknell are ahead of Lafayette College, which is the 36th rated National Liberal Arts school. Lehigh is number 46 in National Universities. I leave it to the mathematicians to figure out which is better academically--Lehigh or Lafayette. Based on yesterday, the Lehigh followers are more boisterous.

     Remember that this is not an indictment or analysis of the sports teams and their academic rankings. But when you are at the dining room table ready to gorge yourself or before and after dinner, or when you are watching the three NFL contests (including the important Minnesota-Detroit festivities) you can have a little fun with friends and family courtesy of Retiredlawyersportsop. That is, if the tryptophan doesn't zonk you out too soon and you have not over indulged on green bean casserole, yams and dessert...
 
   

   

   

Rivalry games

     This weekend in college football had an odd assortment of rivalry games and a few of them shook up the national rankings. Yet there are a number of rivalry games still to be played. And for unknown reasons, some rivalry games were moved to earlier in the season. Such is the landscape of college football these days.

     In Division III, the big games were the ones which have been played seemingly forever. Franklin and Marshall played Gettysburg College, its storied rival, in Lancaster. This game featured two interesting traditions.  First, that both teams travel U.S. 30, also known as the Lincoln Highway to and from their respective college as had their predecessors. Then there is the Lincoln Football Trophy, introduced in 2014 for the 100th meeting between the schools.  It was designed by Gettysburg Coach Barry Streeter and reflects the stovepipe hat President Abraham Lincoln wore. The wood is from two "witness" trees, one which was situated on the battlefield site in 1863 where the Confederate troops massed and the other outside of a church where casualties were treated. These trees were on the route that the President passed when he gave his Gettysburg address. A bullet found in one of the trees is actually embedded in the stovepipe hat portion of the trophy. For the record, 9-1 F&M handily defeated the Bullets, 51-21, in Coach Streeter's final game.

     The Centennial Conference has the same final games every year--Ursinus-Dickinson, Johns Hopkins-Mc Daniel, Juniata-Susquehanna, and Moravian-Muhlenberg. Other D III conferences, like the NESCAC, preserve ancient rivalries. Kudos to Williams in their overtime win at home versus Amherst. I saw that Randolph-Macon and Hampden-Sydney renewed the hyphen game; Cortland and Ithaca met again; RPI downed Union in the Dutchman Shoes Trophy game. The list can go on and on.

     Being the history buff I am with college sports, I still miss that final game of each season between Centennial Conference members Haverford and Swarthmore, both schools having opted to discontinue football. As I do miss the Little Army-Navy game--Kings Point taking on Pennsylvania Military College, played many a year inside the cavernous Atlantic City Convention Hall.

     My desire for continuity extends to two FCS conferences--the Ivy League and the Patriot League. The Ivies had the usual contests this week--Princeton-Yale, Columbia-Cornell of course. Next weekend, the final weekend of the Ivy League season, Harvard and Yale renew their football hatred, while Dartmouth plays Princeton, Cornell and Penn go at it (they used to play on Thanksgiving Day years ago) and Columbia and Brown meet. So orderly and uniform. At least the Patriot League holds sacred the Lafayette-Lehigh match up--the series with the most games played between 2 schools.

     When we look to the powerhouses, I was glad to see that the Southeastern Conference has some deference to history. Yesterday, Alabama and Mississippi State met in the Route 82 Rivalry, referring to the U.S. highway between Tuscaloosa and Starkville. Also, Auburn and Georgia clashed once more, in the oldest Deep South match, originating in 1892. Nice symmetry. Vanderbilt and Tennessee still have to play, but Kentucky and Tennessee used to play after that game; this year they played on October 28th. However, before the doubters asked what happened to rivalries for Kentucky, excusably they meet in state arch rival Louisville to end the season. Florida and Florida State go at it to end the season, just like  Clemson and South Carolina and Georgia and Georgia Tech, in 3 ACC-SEC affairs. Texas A&M and LSU end the season together and Missouri plays Arkansas in 2 new rivalries necessitated  by conference realignment. A&M and Texas were bitter enemies ending the season; Missouri and Kansas had their Border War; Tulane and LSU kept it in-state. Moreover, Clemson is playing The Citadel this week--limiting the non-conference match to an in state opponent, just as South Carolina has Wofford on the schedule. I am glossing over Mississippi-Mississippi State and Alabama-Auburn season-ending wars, the Mississippi battle for the the Golden Egg Trophy in the Egg Bowl and the Crimson Tide and Tigers hook up in the Iron Bowl. The Deep South has kinda got it right.

     A limited but fierce rivalry was reignited yesterday in Hard Rock Stadium when Catholics (Notre Dame) played the Convicts (University of Miami). The hatred goes back to the 1980's and it is probably a good thing that they do not play each other every year. I am certain that Miami relished knocking the Irish from the BCS playoff picture while remaining undefeated. The 'Canes embellished their outlaw past with this win over pious and mighty Fighting Irish.

     With the Big 10, adding new schools somewhat complicated the picture. Michigan and Ohio State is sacred to end the season. Wisconsin and Minnesota go after Paul Bunyan's Axe, a fixture since 1948 and which thankfully replaced the Slab of Bacon last seen in 1943. Iowa and Nebraska have become a last game staple. Penn State and Maryland have a long history, which makes their meeting the right thing, although I miss Maryland-Virginia. Illinois-Northwestern and Purdue-Indiana have deep roots. Which leaves that scintillating last game--Rutgers and Michigan State. Oh well. Maybe that will morph into a heated match on a cold November day. (Rutgers-Princeton to start the season and Colgate-Rutgers to conclude the year was a fixture in my youth, which ended when RU went big time)

     Oklahoma and Oklahoma State used to be the last game. Right after Nebraska and Oklahoma played. The latter do not play any more and the Oklahoma schools met last weekend. Texas-Texas Tech is not a suitable substitute for Texas-Texas-A&M. Thankfully, there is Baylor-TCU, but TCU used to play SMU and Rice played Baylor and Texas Tech and Arkansas to cap off the final weekend of the old Southwest Conference.

     The PAC 12 has kept the end battles as they have been for years. Washington plays Washington State in the Apple Cup; Oregon and Oregon State have their Civil War; Stanford and Cal play The Game; Arizona and Arizona State took their rivalry into the conference. USC and UCLA end the year; it used to be at the Memorial Coliseum until UCLA moved to Pasadena and the Rose Bowl for its home games. Newbies Colorado and Utah meet in their finale.

     A postscript to this West Coat tradition is the alternate year trip that Notre Dame takes to Los Angeles to play USC to close out the regular season. Thee are a few stories that make the rounds as to how this series originated. One is that the wives of USC Athletic Director Gwynn Wilson and legendary Irish coach Knute Rockne,  in an attempt to get more Midwestern and Eastern schools on the Trojans' schedule, had a conversation about the 2 schools playing when the Wilsons journeyed to Lincoln, Nebraska where Notre Dame had lost to the Nebraska Cornhuskers on a cold Thanksgiving Day. The two ladies thought it would be a splendid idea to come every other year and bask in the warmer November sun of Southern California. The noted Indiana University sports historian, Murray Sperber (no relation) cites to the lucrative aspects of such a series with its large payouts (the Rose Bowl Committee had been courting Notre Dame because of its success under Rockne and, in fact, Notre Dame met Stanford in the 1925 Rose Bowl--in spite of Stanford and Cal's initial reluctance to play an inferior academic Catholic school,  and Notre Dame's ban from scheduling Western Conference schools or going to bowl games. The ties between Rockne and former Iowa coach Howard Jones, then at USC,  and the interest of the alumni also cemented this annual meeting. Through this October's contest in South Bend, Indiana, Notre Dame leads the series 47-37, with 5 ties. Notre Dame has possession of the Jeweled Shillelagh, emblematic of this contest, by virtue of its home win this October.

     The Atlantic Coast Conference has butchered rivalries the most as a result of Maryland's defection to the Big 10 and the addition of Boston College, Syracuse, Pittsburgh, Miami and Louisville. We know Louisville plays Kentucky; Miami and Pitt now meet annually to end the season, as does BC and Syracuse. Besides Florida State-Florida, Clemson-South Carolina and Georgia-Georgia Tech, North Carolina is no longer playing Duke as the final game, eschewing the 10 mile distance between them; State is paired up with the Tar Heels while the Blue Devils take on Wake Forest, NC State's former partner. State and Carolina formerly met mid-season. Virginia and Virginia Tech now meet in their finale; Tech used to play V.M.I. through 1984, with Tech chalking up a sizable lead in the series. The best  V.M.I. can do is its mid year tussle with The Citadel in the Military Classic of the South, with the Silver Shako Trophy at stake. And talking about former finales, Boston College and Holy Cross used to meet; they battled over 80 times through 1986.

     These healthy end of the season rivalries persist in large extent as demanded by alumni and television. They should remain intact as much as possible. Some series are squeezed in during the middle of the season--Miami (Ohio) and Cincinnati play for the Victory Bell. Through 1986, the game concluded the season, but now it is an early season fixture. V.M.I. will meet Virginia Tech again soon, simply not to end the season.

     Change is inevitable and unfortunately, some great traditions had to be swallowed up, only to have instituted new season-ending contests which someday may have their own histories. There is enough there for the college football fan, starting in November, to rely upon, whether it be at the FBS, FCS or Division III levels.

     I think about what if the National Football League had smartly recognized that intra division rivalries to end the season would be most alluring. Imagine the Philadelphia Eagles and New York Giants? Dallas and Washington? New York Jets-Buffalo Bills and the Miami Dolphins and the New England Patriots? Cincinnati-Cleveland? Rams-49'ers? Green Bay-Minnesota and Chicago-Detroit? San Diego-Oakland? Kansas City-Denver? People would actually be in the stadiums for that last game, even if it was meaningless as to the playoffs and it was colder than heck. Just saying...

     At least Highland Park and Metuchen will play again on Thanksgiving Day. Too many high school traditional tilts have been usurped by the playoffs.  A win in a final, rivalry game means so much...to the loyal fans who support their team. The Owls-Bulldogs rivalry was moved to mid-season for a number of years, which didn't sit well with the faithful. Having seen that clash so many times in my youth, is why I am so partial to the traditional final contest against the arch-rival.

     Thus, the ultimate finale--Army against Navy. A game which cannot be usurped by conference affiliations and changes. Tradition. No better way to end any season.

P.S. Nice New England touch with the Fenway Gridiron Series at Fenway Park, the home of the Boston Red Sox. Ivy League schools Dartmouth and Brown met on Friday night; the Saturday game involved former Yankee Conference rivals Maine and UMass; and next weekend Boston College plays former Big East and longtime rival, UConn.

   

Houston...We Have A Winner.

     The World Series is over. The parade was yesterday. Justin Verlander did go to Italy to marry Kate Upton as a winner. For the Houston Astros have finally won a World Series in their 56th year.

     The team which came into existence in 1962 along with the New York Mets, in the first wave of National League expansion, put together a roster which is young, talented and resilient. Suffering through a bevy of painful losing seasons, which allowed the Astros the chance to build a team with high draft choices. By losing so much in those previous years, it created the Astros an opportunity to become winners. The team, which was first known as the Colt .45's and played in hot, humid conditions prior to moving into owner Judge Roy Hofheintz's Eight Wonder of The World, the Astrodome, baseball's first indoor stadium, now can be recognized for greatness.

     They are led by probable American League M.V.P., Jose Altuve, the diminutive second baseman who can flat out hit as evidenced by his batting title and his homers which repeatedly deflated their opponents during this post-season. Shortstop Carlos Correa, the young, extraordinarily talented shortstop, is the co-leader of this team--an All Star who proposed to his girlfriend, Miss Texas USA 2016, on the field after the victory in Game 7. Signed as a free agent, George Springer showed us he hits with power and in the clutch; that he can run down fly balls in spectacular fashion; and that he is another superstar whose power hitting rightfully earned him the World Series M.V.P. designation. Then there is the tough, gritty third baseman Alex Bregman, an integral part of the youth movement which propelled the Astros to great heights. Add Cuban defector Yuli Guriel  to the homegrown talent. Then factor in catcher Brian Mc Cann, Marwin Gonzalez, veteran Carlos Beltran and outfielder Josh Reddick, all who were acquired by trade or through free agency The lineup is replete with power, speed and when in the field, stellar defense. It is no coincidence that the Astros were first in the A.L. in runs scored, hits, doubles, batting average, slugging percentage and OPS, while finishing second in homers with 238.

     Let us not forget the starting pitchers. Premier lefty Dallas Keuchel had an up and down year due to injuries, yet he still managed to record a 14-5 mark with a 2.90 E.R.A. Lance Mc Cullers, Jr. recovered from his injuries to regain his All Star form in time for the World Series. Brad Peacock shined with his 13-2 record. Charlie Morton, signed as a free agent and who once was a tough starter with Pittsburgh, ran up a 14-7 year. Plus Colin Mc Hugh filled in for the injured starters with a 5-2 record.

     Still, the starting pitching was not enough in the minds of the Houston brass. In a virtual last second deal in July, the Detroit Tigers shipped Verlander, who did not oppose the trade, to the Astros. He merely went 5-0 down the stretch, with a 1.06 E.R.A. and 43 strikeouts in 36 innings.

     The bullpen was anchored by closer Ken Giles and his 36 saves. Another free agent acquisition, Luke Gregerson, along with Chris Devenski added to the strong arms capable of shutting down the opposition via strikeouts or hitting to the sharp fielders of the Astros.

     It is no wonder that the Astros rung up 101 wins this season, second to the Cleveland Indians. This team was solidly built, ready to make a deep run into the playoffs.

     The Astros drew the Boston Red Sox, the winners of the A.L. East. Houston slugged 8 homers in defeating Boston 3-1. Identical 8-2 romps, a 10-3 loss in Boston, then a 5-4 come-from-behind victory utilizing Verlander's clutch relief appearance and a key Bregman home run in Game 4, sealed the victory for the Astros. During the A.L.D.S., Houston twice defeated Boston ace Chris Sale while batting .333 overall.

     The upstart Wild Card-winning New York Yankees, victors over Cleveland, the team with the A.l.'s best overall record, were up next in the A.L.C.S. Impressive pitching by Keuchel and Verlander shut down the Yankees' power hitters, limiting the Bombers to 1 late homer by Greg Byrd and 5 hits in each in Games 1 and 2. When the series shifted to New York, the Yankees and powerful rookie Aaron Judge awoke, using good pitching and hitting to take a 3-2 lead when the A.L.C.S. returned to Houston.

     Combining more dominant pitching by Verlander, Morton and starter-turned-long reliever Mc Cullers, Jr., who together held New York to 1 run while recording 21 strikeouts, the Astros were headed to the World Series.

     Poised to face Houston were the Los Angeles Dodgers, the team with the best record in the majors leagues. As tough a test as the Yankees offered, Houston would be facing certain Hall of Fame pitcher Clayton Kershaw, the probable N.L. Cy Young Award winner for the fourth time, plus a vaunted Dodger lineup and bullpen.

     What transpired was a 7 game series that topped the A.L.C.S. and rivaled last year's riveting 7 game match between the Chicago Cubs and the Indians. For good reason. Houston had its 101 wins and the Dodgers amassed 104 victories, and despite a horrible losing stretch in August, they sported the best home record in baseball. Los Angeles handily defeated a very talented Arizona Diamondbacks team, then put away the defending champion Chicago Cubs to make it to the World Series.

     Hence we had two teams that hadn't won it all in a while--Houston had never won the World Series and the Dodgers' last Series victory was in 1988 when Tommy Lasorda managed Los Angeles. Probably the two best teams--no offense Cleveland or New York--ready to get it on.

     Which they did. In a gripping, dramatic 7 game series, Houston prevailed. There were 5 games where the run differential was 2 or less; 2 extra inning games (both won by Houston). A World Series record number of home runs was hit--totaling 25 (15 by the Astros and 10 by the Dodgers). Verlander's dominance was broken by the Dodgers and Kershaw reverted back to prior years of inconsistent form in the playoffs during Game 5--although he was superb in Game 1 and he pitched outstanding in relief in Game 7 of the mediocre Yu Darvish, the highly sought after Texas Rangers' hurler Los Angeles picked up in mid-season expressly for the playoffs and the World Series. Houston won 2 games in Dodger Stadium, with the Dodgers winning once at Minute Maid Park.

     Game 2 was the harbinger of how good this World Series was. Verlander and the Dodgers' Rich Hill battled it out early in this contest. Verlander did allow two homers. Hill only lasted 4 innings but the Dodgers cobbled together some fine pitching to lead 3-1 into the 8th inning. Houston managed a run in the top of the 8th inning. Then in the top of the 9th inning, Gonzalez homered off usually reliable Dodgers' closer Kenley Jansen to tie the game. Altuve and Correa then homered in the 10th inning off of Josh Fields. Los Angeles tied the game with the help of Charlie Culberson's homer. Culberson had spent much of the year in Triple A. Naturally, Astros hero Springer launched a 2 run homer in the 11th inning to provide the winning margin.

     As good as Game 2 was, it was nothing compared to Game 5 in Houston. This game featured 25 hits. Both Keuchel and Kershaw did not last very long, and each absorbed a pounding by the opponents' bats. There were 7 homers hit--5 by the Astros and 2 from the Dodgers. Heading into the 9th inning, Houston held a 12-9 lead. A 2 run shot by the enigmatic and mercurial Cuban outfielder for Los Angeles, Yasiel Puig, helped the Dodgers tie the score. Bregman's single off the Dodgers' closer, Jansen, scored pinch runner Derek Fisher and ended the 5 hour and 17 minute marathon.

     Houston flew to Los Angeles with a chance to finish the World Series in Game 6. Puig had guaranteed that the Dodgers would win--and they did. Despite pitching very well, Verlander took the loss while 5 Dodgers' pitchers held Houston to 1 run.

     Which set up a winner-take-all Game 7. The game was over in the top of the first inning when Houston struck for 2 runs in the 1st inning followed by 3 more in the 2nd inning, all off of Darvish. Springer was the catalyst for the Astros, hitting a double and a home run. When starter Mc Cullers, Jr. faced trouble in the 3rd inning, Houston manager A.J. Hinch inserted starter Peacock and later used Morton for 4 relief innings to quell the Dodgers' bats. That unorthodox maneuver by Hinch, employed also in the A.L.C.S., worked again and proved to be enough to give the Astros the crown.

     The Series was a reward to the flood-ravaged Houstonians, as dedicated by the team to its fans. There was drama and stupidity--i.e. Guriel's racially insensitive gesture after homering off of Japanese native Darvish in Game 2. Plenty of action from both teams and plenty to watch.

     It was a really good World Series, capping off a really good regular season and some tight playoff series leading up to the Astros-Dodgers 7 game classic. This was a fitting way to end the long campaign which was replete with surprises throughout the season. With a newly-minted champ there is reason to expect great things to come in Major League Baseball in 2018 and beyond.

     So now it's time for football, hockey and basketball to take the stage without the distraction from baseball. Good luck in capturing the magic that the 2017 MLB playoffs produced.