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.