Some Common Sense...Please?

     This week I thought I would write about the MLB scheduling nightmare created by this Spring's unusually harsh start.  ESPN covered that in a piece which noted the pros and cons of a 162 game format or returning to a 154 game schedule.

     The bottom line drives both the MLBPA and the owners. The players also want more time to rest their weary bodies. There may be additional playoffs heading our way, further complicating the problems inherent within a 162 game schedule which now begins in late March and concludes with a World Series that ends in November--many times with frigid temperatures for those night games in cold weather cities.

     Being the wuss that I have become with my advancing age, I try to limit how many cold weather football games I attend. I don't like to go to NFL games after mid-November, as the ritual of wearing thermals and layers and heating pads all over is more than I want to bear when I am locked into the Lehigh-Lafayette game the weekend before Thanksgiving. Sometimes I am invited to a late season Rutgers game, which also involves wearing the entire repertoire of clothing and devices to ward off the chill (which is only somewhat effective at best).

     The Jets schedule came out this week. Of course, there are a number of November and December games, many involving good teams like the Patriots, Texans and Packers. The Texans game is either going to start at 4:30 or 8:20 on Saturday, December 15, to accommodate network TV and the playoff chase. That sounds very frigid to me.

     I have scarring memories of a cold, windy day at RFK Stadium in 1971 when I was given a free ticket to the Philadelphia Eagles-Washington Redskins game. That was when I painfully learned about wearing layers and thermals. A few years later, I sat through a Dallas Cowboys-Jets game at Shea Stadium where the fierce wind coming off of Flushing Bay whipped up the hot dog wrappers and other debris into a mini-tornadic frenzy. It was unbearable. Yet the worst game was a Rams-Jets game at the Meadowlands with a stiff wind and temperatures hovering in the teens. I don't think I  ever recovered from that misadventure, no matter how many layers and heating pads I used.

     The Jets, Giants and Sheldon Silver did me no favors in reducing cold weather games. Silver, now imprisoned for his outright greed while a powerful New York politician, nixed a beautiful retractable roof West Side stadium which the Jets would have been primary tenants, because he could not make enough illegal gains from the project. The Giants, more than the Jets, could not agree on a roof for Met Life Stadium, citing the competitive advantage in a cold weather ballpark. Which is no big deal to intoxicated fans who feel no pain with the cold, but reduces me to a TV spectator.

     Moreover, there is the threat of a cold rain, or worse, freezing rain or snow. Try sitting through 3 plus hours in those conditions. I have been lucky enough to have escaped most of the rotten weather. But not the cold.

     Not that the Jets make the playoffs very much, but the prospect of a home January playoff game sends chills throughout my body now--sitting in a heated home on a mid-Spring morning. In my now 42 year history with the franchise, the team has not hosted an AFC Championship game. As much as I would like to add that to my resume, the prospect of spending top dollar for a late January contest is less than enthralling.

     I harken back to a game that San Diego and Cincinnati played in the old Riverfront Stadium were the wind chill was near minus 50 degrees. Why, now in my later years, would I want to subject myself to frostbite if similar conditions were to happen in New Jersey? My loyalty and rabid level of fan worship only goes so far.

     The NFL was lucky with its only cold weather Super Bowl at Met Life Stadium in February. The next day, it snowed heavily. I have seen treacherous conditions evolve in Philadelphia, Atlanta and Dallas, the latter two being warmer weather sites with domed stadiums, because the fans had tremendous difficulties reaching the parking lots and entering the arena.

     Football is a cold weather sport even if the season begins right after Labor Day. It is expected that cold temperatures and precipitation are the norm as the games head into winter. Expanding the season to 16 games doesn't help either, bringing about more untenable contests in January.

     I am not saying I wouldn't go to a late season football game. But there would be a lot of trepidation and checking and re-checking The Weather Channel forecasts and comparing them to the local TV meteorologists. Plus some good old praying that the conditions break right for the game.  Simply put, it would have to be an important game with the most favorable weather given the time of year. Otherwise, I'm not inclined to go. Somebody else can have my ticket.

     Which brings me back to baseball. I realize that there are contractual obligations which extended the season to a 187 day span.

     However, that does not preclude the parties from being creative. There are enough warmer cites and enclosed parks which can be utilized to reduce the number of cold and snowy postponements we have seen thus far this season. Recently, there was a day which had 6 games not played due to inclement weather.

     Put the cold weather teams on the road for the first 9 games--so what if the Mets and Yankees have games played simultaneously a few more times during the course of the rest of the year--they have different fan bases. For instance, Boston and New York could start out with a West Coast swing--the competitive advantage would not be diminished. Both could play some games in St. Petersburg and Toronto, where there are domes. Divisional rivals could have doubleheaders, so that if there is a mid-April game that falls to the weather, there is a greater chance that an off day in that time frame might avoid the use of a necessary off day in September to make it up. More inter-league games could also help, if held in places like Anaheim, San Diego or Arlington, Texas.

     The past 2 years, I have gone to April games in Phoenix and Miami, places with domed stadiums. While the weather was warm in both cities, they had the ability to play the games if bad weather threatened. I would not venture to Yankee Stadium in April or early May unless it was a Senior Citizen Day afternoon contest with temperatures above 70 degrees.

     I begrudgingly freeze my body for a couple of times a year. There is no necessity to see the Yankees when it is cold outside. I look at the number of empty seats at Yankee Stadium to confirm my belief that a lot of other people share my sentiments about cold weather games.

     F&M played at Drew on Thursday. The open playing area in Madison was a perfect place for a howling wind to significantly drop the temperatures after some intermittent showers. Those in attendance were dressed like it was an Arctic expedition. I lasted one whole inning. I immediately had thoughts of those games I froze while playing for F&M in the late '60's.

     My mind then wandered to warmer July Yankees and Orioles games when I sweated for 9 innings. Same thing on Friday night when I watched the Blue Jays and the Yanks shiver through a forgettable contest.

     Come on MLB and the MLBPA!! Get your thinking caps on and schedule better. If you think the younger generation is unhappy with the pace of the game no matter how you seek to speed things up, be more concerned by the generations of fans who are turned off by games in cold weather areas in March and April.  That way, maybe we can avoid cold nights in Minnesota, Cleveland or Chicago for a World Series ending in November.

     That, as I have said previously, is football season. Where the onset of cold weather is the norm.  I can live with being indoors for 4 to 5 months in the Northeast. I only have to drive a short distance when it is cold or snowy to see a basketball game--which is in a warm, comfy arena.

     Call me that wuss that I am. I value comfort. I don't think that MLB nor the NFL shares my opinion. Maybe they should. It can't hurt like frostbite. Especially when it affects the bottom line.

Sports Never Stops

     I took a week's sabbatical to attend a wedding in Coconut Grove and visit family. From Wednesday to Wednesday, I was out of New Jersey, free of the New York/New Jersey media. I had time to recline. I had time to swim--even hanging out with members of the Boston College track team, in town for a Saturday meet at the University of Miami. Those BC student-athletes were engaging and funny, far away from the snow and cold in Chestnut Hill, free to romp in a heated rooftop pool, ogling the sights in the lounge chairs in the surrounding area as they frolicked carefree in the pool. Camaraderie and academics mixed in with a little bit of post-pubescent bantering and hubris?

     We traveled to Parkland and Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School for a bit of perspective and a sobering reminder of the horrific events which had occurred there. All of the gates were covered with either State Trooper or Palm Beach County Sheriff's Department vehicles. Too much protection too late?

     There was a bucket list lunch at the famous Joe's Stone Crab on South Beach which did not disappoint even if I opted not to order the succulent crab legs I observed others devour. Of course we made a trip to Monty's Raw Bar, a family favorite. We stopped at Bagel Cove in Aventura--how I adore you. At no time during the trip did we want for food nor were we disappointed--except for the Publix subs we ingested in our car in the parking garage adjacent to Marlins Park. More on the Marlins in a bit.

     During my time away from the computer, the NHL and NBA ended their respective seasons and have now headed into the playoffs. To start the NHL Playoffs, the Pittsburgh Penguins drew a playoff nemesis--cross-state rival Philadelphia. And just as I thought, after blowing out the Flyers 7-0 in Game 1, the Penguins were rudely brought back to Earth on Friday after a trouncing by Philadelphia. On Sunday the Penguins rebounded to the a 2-1 lead in the best-of-7 series. Meanwhile, Vegas is 2 up on the LA Kings, as is Eastern Conference favorite Tampa Bay over the New Jersey Devils.

     As is expected, there is the ferocity of the hits; the speed and stick handling; and the extraordinary goaltending which defines the NHL's second season. Which is why the actions of Brad Marchand of the Boston Bruins defies logic.

     Maybe it was gamesmanship designed to throw an opposing player off of his game and to get inside of his head. But licking the face of an opposing player? That's what Marchand did to Leo Komarov of Toronto in Game 1 of their series.

     You would think that would have caused a ruckus. Komarov took it well, didn't react at all, and calmly skated away. File this move under what was Marchand really thinking??

     Without Steph Curry, the Golden State Warriors overwhelmed an undermanned San Antonio Spurs' team in Game 1 on Saturday. Applying a suffocating defense combined with the terrific shooting of Klay Thompson and Kevin Durant, the Warriors showed signs that they are back in form. Still, to go anywhere in the NBA Playoffs, Curry must come back and lead the team.

     Philadelphia went into its opening series with Miami on a 16 game winning streak, an NBA record entering the playoffs. Miami, led by veteran Dewayne Wade, is going to be a major obstacle for the young and hungry Sixers if they are playing without injured star center Joel Embiid. Thus far, the Sixers continue to roll, handily winning Game 1.

     Then there were the questions of how well the Cleveland Cavaliers are going to play, in a transitional year, even with the leadership of the best in the game--Lebron James. If Sunday's Game 1 results are an indicator, the Cavs are in trouble. And it was good to see the Toronto Raptors win the first game of a series--they had lost the opener of the last 7 they had played in. As veteran ABC/ESPN/MSG play-by-play man Mike Breen said--this is the fun time of the year in the NBA.

     A final postscript to the two winter sports--both the New York Rangers and the New York Knicks did not reach the playoffs. Both are looking for new head coaches. Sad times at the Garden.

     The NFL is inching towards its yearly draft party on April 26. Everywhere I turn, there is a talking head trying to prognosticate where college players will reside in pro football. I cannot wait until the selections are made. Even if those seers are wrong they do not stop their pratteling--because they will then tell the fans why the team selected the wrong player. It is an endless, vicious cycle that permeates daytime programming for the NFL Network and ESPN.

     Which leads me back to baseball. It was business as usual when the Ynakees and Red Sox have a brawl. Although baseball brawls are not funny, it was comical that Brock Holt of Boston commented that he wanted no part of the fisticuffs when he saw the gigantic Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton emerge from the visitors' dugout at Fenway Park to help restore order. Holt astutely noted that the Yankees have some real size on their roster. Too bad it hasn't translated into more wins for New York, nudging along at just over .500 while the Red Sox are blasting their way through the early schedule. Of concern for the Yankees are the continuing struggles of Dellin Betances, who on Friday night in Detroit, once more flamed out in a relief appearance.

     Meanwhile, New York's National League team started out red hot. Winners of 11 of their first 12 contests, the Mets have used great pitching and timely offense to win games. Whether this is sustainable is impossible to say--especially after the Mets lost both of their catchers to injuries during those first 12 games. Through the weekend, the Mets are now 12-2, winning on Sunday with a walk off homer versus Milwaukee.

     We saw the Mets this last Monday at Marlins Park, home of the Miami Marlins. This was stadium number 22 on my collection of MLB ballparks. Consistent with the Art Deco world of South Florida and the cities of Miami and Miami Beach, it is a beautiful structure with a breathtaking view of the downtown skyline. It has a roof to cool the patrons from the summer heat and thunderstorms. There are plenty of food venues. The concourses are wide and the bathrooms are clean and large. It is a far cry from the Orange Bowl Stadium, which occupied the same land.

     Yet we hated our trip to this gem of a ballpark. On Monday, the temperature reached 90 degrees in Miami with the concurrent humidity. And the roof stayed open, creating a sweatbox for the fans and players. It was downright uncomfortable.

     Yankees' icon Derek Jeter, who has a 4% ownership stake, is the front man for the Miami franchise. Former owner Jeffrey Loria pocketed a lot of money and left the organization in tatters. Jeter came in and cleaned house--from veteran players to team broadcasters to stadium personnel.

     While the team played hard, the Marlins were overmatched against the Mets' pitchers. Which, coupled with the heat and humidity, made the game very undistinguished.

     There was very little fan interaction. Seemingly between every inning, pictures of people in the crowd were shown. With a crowd of a paltry 7,003, of which 90% were Mets fans, the place was pretty dead.

     Foul balls were easy to snag, except for the poor, elderly gentleman who was conked by a popup behind home plate. He bled profusely and was aided by a woman in a Mets jersey who tried to stop the bleeding. Since there were no visible ushers, it took time for supervisory personnel to reach the man, and over 10 minutes for him to receive necessary medical assistance. Totally unacceptable, but nonetheless in line with a team ownership who cuts costs by keeping the roof open and understaffing the facility.

     Not surprisingly, the team is being sued for the profit-sharing that Loria did not give to Miami-Dade County. In the latest, sordid twist, the Marlins claim they are immune from a Florida lawsuit, as they were corporately established in the British Virgin Islands. It is a bloody mess on and off of the field for the Marlins. Which is consistent with what we experienced at the ballpark and after.

     When we exited the First Base Garage to head back to the Dolphin Expressway and then onto I-95 for the return trip to Boca Raton, the police misdirected us twice, placing us in the blighted "Little Havana" section, a tough neighborhood which isn't nice in daytime let alone at night. Somehow we made it to downtown and entered the traffic jam on I-95 which was created by lane closures. A perfect ending to a crappy day at a beautiful ballpark that no one goes to. Which had the roof closed for the next two nights with the imminent threat of rain.

     Oakland's decrepit ballpark was far more fun than this venue.  Same with the late. lamented Kingdome in Seattle and the Metrodome in Minneapolis. Chase Field in Phoenix, with a retractable roof which stayed open when we were there, at least had the A/C on during the game plus lively between innings entertainment. It was an enjoyable experience. The polar opposite to what we experienced in Miami

     Note to MLB: Miami's franchise is in trouble. Their stadium is in the wrong place and the people are unwilling to come. Management is pinching pennies at the expense of those fans. The product isn't there--with the baseball portion and with the horrible sound system and the lack of fun inside the building. An intervention is very much needed. Very quickly, too. I bet they don't have this problem over at the American Airlines Arena with the Heat or in Sunrise with the Panthers, and certainly not with the Dolphins. Learn from them--or else there will be a nice ballpark with no tenant at all.

     See what happens when I go away for a week? Sports never stops in my world.

   

At The Confluence

     As I sat in Pittsburgh on a clear and cold early April day, with the inside of part of PNC Park visible downstream and thoughts of the 1 to 3" of snow set to blanket this area and New Jersey, I think this is a metaphor regarding the place we are in the sports world. College basketball is coming to an end tomorrow with the NCAA Championship. The NHL is winding down its regular season. And baseball is completing its first weekend.

     We were at the PPG Arena last night to witness the Penguins clinch their 12th straight trip to the Stanley Cup playoffs. It was an efficient, workman-like performance by the two-time defending Stanley Cup champs. The Penguins took only one penalty, which Montreal capitalized on for a goal. Otherwise, Pittsburgh went 3 for 5 on the power play and took advantage of shoddy defense by the Canadiens. The sellout crowd roared at the Penguins' success, and was nearly gone at the end of the game, so dominant were Sidney Crosby and his mates.

     I particularly watched Crosby, one of the greatest players ever to have played the game. His ice time was limited in the first two periods.  While he was in the game, Crosby continually won faceoffs to permit the Penguins to control the flow of the game.  He played more in the third period to protect the lead. Crosby skated effortlessly and was a source of good positional hockey. He is quick with his stick and has a great awareness of the location of his teammates. Watching Crosby play, it appears that the game slows down for him.

     Then again, that is the case for the great ones. I have seen Wayne Gretzky play. Everyone else went at full speed while Gretzky controlled the game from his perch behind the net. Pittsburgh owner and hockey legend Mario Lemieux was a large, virtually unstoppable force when he played. Bryan Trottier of the New York Islanders was another who set the  tempo for his championship teams, playing at a different speed and in a different manner than his colleagues.

     Pittsburgh seems poised to repeat. They are exceptionally strong at home. Goalie Matt Moore seems ready for the grueling test. The defense is strong and the wingers are fast. Stars Evengi Malkin, Phil Kessel and Kris Letang plus a great supporting cast on the Penguins' roster know what it takes to win another Stanley Cup. Would it surprise me if they won again? No. Another win would ignite a debate as to how great Crosby really is. Plus it would put the Penguins in the pantheon of the greatest teams in NHL history. That, however, is a long ways away.

     The Pirates are not home to begin their regular season. Instead, the team is in Detroit, where the weather is creating havoc on the three game series. Two rainouts and one game a day late is all the Pirates have seen. Since this is an inter-league series, the two rained out contest have to be played today in a doubleheader. With the Pirates' opener set for Monday against the Minnesota Twins, this will mean three games in 26 hours, including arriving home in the aforementioned bad weather. Quite the odyssey for the Pirates. And they did beat the Twins after crews worked all morning to ready to stadium.

     Meanwhile, the Yankees are quickly losing outfielders. Clint Frazier is still recovering from his concussion, which occurred when he ran into a fence in Bradenton, the Pirates' spring training home. Jacoby Ellsbury was supposed to come off of the DL but did not. Which is not welcome news, since Aaron Hicks hurt himself in the season opener and is now on there DL with Frazier and Ellsbury. His replacement, rookie Billy Mc Kinney, was injured on Saturday in Toronto. It looks like Aaron Judge will move from right field to play center field, while Giancarlo Stanton will leave his designated hitter post to replace Judge in right. Not the best start for the Bombers personnel-wise.

     Three wins in five games so far is quite good, with solid pitching from Luis Severino, Masahiro Tanaka and C.C. Sabathia and Aroldis Chapman. Stanton smoked the ball in the opener--two homers. Judge is getting resettled again. The remainder of the team, including Tyler Austin, who, as the replacement at first base for the injured Greg Byrd, who hit 2 homers on Saturday, is contributing as expected.

     The only blemish is Dellin Betances, who gave up a game winning homer on Saturday, having to pitch two innings because rookie manager Aaron Boone has already overused his bullpen. With Betances' control still an issue after last season's flameout, his ability to rebound from this early season loss requires monitoring. Sunday's implosion versus the Jays further enhanced the delicate nature of the pen.

     Alex Rodriguez started his first Sunday Night Baseball broadcast for ESPN. The polarizing former Mariner, Ranger and Yankee, who famously is dating superstar singer/actress Jennifer Lopez, is assiduously trying to rehabilitate his image. He has keen insight and that should shine tonight and during the season when he also appears on FOX. But that may never overcome his one shortcoming--steroid usage. Which may always deny him entry into Cooperstown despite his accomplishments on the field. Still, I wish him well--he is likable and knowledgeable.

     So there are two Championship games left to play in college basketball. The winners are hard to predict. The semi-final games were intriguing drama on the Women's side and solid showings on the Men's side.

     The Mississippi State women won their game by 10 points over Louisville. In overtime. It was much closer than expected. Louisville gave the Tigers all they could handle. That set the stage for the
second game Friday night in Columbus, Ohio.

     The vaunted UConn Huskies, undefeated on the season, faced archival and nemesis Notre Dame.
Notre Dame's defense overwhelmed the Huskies, making their star-studded lineup merely mortal in many instances. As regulation time neared an end, it appeared that UConn's run was over. Somehow, with miscues, some foul shots missed by the Irish, and a swarming pressure defense forcing Notre Dame into turnovers, UConn was able to tie the game and almost win it on a shot off of an inbounds play as time expired.

     That was the end for UConn. In an overtime period where UConn regained its momentum, Notre Dame continued its pressure. Which placed them in a position to win the game on a last second shot. Which happened to the Huskies last year by Texas A&M and now this year at the hands of Notre Dame.

     Muffet McGraw's Notre Dame team is exceptionally well coached. Defeating UConn is a rarity and may have taken some extra effort by the Irish. Nonetheless, Mississippi State had to endure OT as well. Taking all of this into account, I felt that Mississippi State was the better team and will prevail on Sunday.

     A name which will be remembered in Notre Dame lore forever is one hard to say. Arike Ogunbowale. The woman with the killer instinct that impressed Kobe Bryant. She hit a game winner in OT to shock UConn. She did it again with a rainbow shot that swished nothing but net to defeat Mississippi State and bring the trophy to South Bend. Simply amazing.

     On the Men's side, Michigan put a dagger into the hopes of the 11th seeded Loyola of Chicago Ramblers.  This matchup of two overachieving squads went Michigan's way because of superior talent, better defense and an outstanding performance by the Wolverines' big man, Mo Wagner.

     In a contest featuring two #1 seeds, it was really no contest. Villanova demolished a very good Kansas team. Ranked #1 for much of the season until some injuries temporarily derailed the Wildcats, there is no doubt that they have regained their swagger and identity. Jay Wright has molded a team which can handle it all on both offense and defense. Talented guard Jalen Brunson will be a high NBA draft choice.

     I saw the Championship game a matter of if Michigan can contain Brunson. Michigan is not really a Cinderella team, coming in as a #3 seed. Coach John Beilein has always been one of my favorites, first at West Virginia and now in Ann Arbor.

     Villanova had too much going for itself. They are the superior team. Michigan tested them early. If they played at the top of their game, as it appears it had in the tournament thus far with all double-digit wins, Villanova, a veteran team with some players seeking a second national title, would and did obtain that coveted second NCAA title in three years. Remember this name--Donte DiVincenzo. A high school phenom out of Delaware who took over the game, scoring 31 points and even winked at the TBS announcers. He turned a close contest into a rout.

     One more note--this past week the Chicago Blackhawks had to rely on a 36 year old accountant and former Western Michigan goalie to win a game versus Winnipeg. While his beer league buddies played down the street from the United Center, Scott Foster manned the goal for Chicago when the two pro goalies fell to injury. Foster stopped all 14 shots.

     That is some story. What a trivia question answer. Plus lifelong memories for Foster.

     What more can be said from the beauty of cold, damp Pittsburgh, at the confluence of the Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers, where they come together to form the Ohio River (thank you Howard Cosell), on April Fools Day? No joke here. At least for now.