And Someone Called Me A Sports Nut...

     This has been a week of rooting the Yankees home. From Tampa to Boston to the Wild Card home field to the MLB single season home run record. 

     A week ago I was dubious about the Yankees’ chances to secure home field and to break the Seattle Mariners’ record for homers. Ye of little faith!!

     Despite shortstop Didi Gregorius suffering torn cartilage in his right hand, the Yankees persevered against the Rays, taking 3 of 4games and they made a late run at a game the Rays seemingly had well in hand. It was the Thursday afternoon matchup that showed the Yankees’ heart. With Didi and centerfielder Aaron Hicks out with a sore hamstring, New York came out determined. Behind Miguel Andujar’s bat (how can he NOT be A.L. Rookie of the Year??), the Yankees went out to a 4-0 lead in the first inning. By the fourth inning, New York led 7-0.

    In the fifth inning, Yankees starter C.C. Sabathia, one of the two links to the 2009 World Championship team (Brett Gardner is the other), was sailing along with a shut out and dominating the Rays on 55 pitches. He hit Jake Baurers on the knuckles of his right hand with an 88 mph two-seam fastball that rode in on Bauers hands. It was unintentional. 

     The next inning, Rays’ relive Andrew Kittredge threw over the head of New York catcher Austin Romine. That incited Sabathia, and Romine questioned his Tampa Bay counterpart, Jesus Sucre why was he being thrown out.

     Despite both teams being warned about any further retaliation, Sabathia’s first pitch hit Sucre in the leg. He was tossed from the game and did not have very nice things to say to the Rays’ bench.

     This was pure Sabathia—a bona fide leader on the team. He stood up for his teammate. And this was notwithstanding his staying on the mound to collect a nice $500,000 bonus—about which, when he learned about it, Sabathia didn’t really care.

     Sabathia is closing in on 3,000 strikeouts. He has tons of money from his contracts with the Yankees. He may be the fourth starter if the Yankees win the Wild Card game and take on the Red Sox. And he wants to come back one more year.

     He is a liability to a degree, with his age and aching legs. But his leadership cannot be replaced. I would not have advocated for C.C. to be resigned last week. Thursday changed all of that.

     I know that Braian Cashman does not read this blog. For if the Yankees GM did, he would work out a nice deal for C.C. for one more year. He earned it.

     Additionally, New York clubbed their way to the homers record with the awakening of the bat of Giancarlo Stanton on Thursday with 2 home runs and the record-tying shot by Aaron Judge, the long overdue first homer since Judge returned from injury.

     New York seems to be getting healthier—Aroldis Chapman is rounding into form, plus Didi and Hicks are back in the lineup. Two additions—Andrew Mc Cutchen in the outfield and Luke Voit at first base—have paid enormous dividends. Mc Cutchen has been playing like a 2-time N.L. M.V.P. and getting on base. Voit has, along with Milwaukee’s Christian Yelich, hit the most homers in the last 2 months.

     I was chided for a Facebook post where I called the Yankees game on Saturday meaningless. While the Bombers place in the standings could not change, there were a few accomplishments. First, the team record for home runs was shattered on a blast by Gleybar Torres. Then Andujar broke Joe Di Maggio’s team record for doubles by a rookie and put himself one away from Fred Lynn’s rookie mark (which he tied on Sunday). Moreover, the Yankees won 100 games—one of three teams in the AL this season—which marks the first time in division play that three teams from one league won 100 games. It was also the 21st time in club history that the team had won 100 games in a season.

     The Yankees appear ready for the Wild Card game on Wednesday night at Yankee Stadium. I hope they play as well they have been lately.

     The N.L. Central, West and the N.L. Wild Card have still not been settled. Colorado and the Dodgers are neck and neck. Same with the Brewers and Cubs. This will have to be settled with one game playoffs on Monday. This probably makes the N.L. East winner, the Atlanta Braves, happy as they will await either the winner of the Central or West as their opponent. This is Sunday baseball with some meaning on the last day of the season. The MLB executives must be very pleased.

     It was a very nice day as #21 F&M traveled to Allentown for a critical Centennial Conference game with Muhlenberg. As I left Scotty Wood Stadium, F&M had been demolished 42-21. They are still alive in the CC, but perennial champ Johns Hopkins come to Lancaster next week. The QB must shake off a 4 INT performance and have a game he is more than capable of. It is the secondary which could not handle the Mules’ receivers and the DB’s who forgot how to tackle. That was evident last week in the OT win versus Susquehanna. Expect Hopkins to exploit that weakness.  

     My obligatory Rutgers comment is that Indiana came to Piscataway and won—only by a 24-17 margin. Illinois is up next—a beatable team. Did I just say that? Let’s see if I have more to say next week.

     I have sent the majority of my Saturday night watching the Marlins-Mets game. The outcome is meaningless in the standings to the sixth largest crown in Citi Field history.  For they came to send David Wright into retirement.

     David Wright will never be confused with Babe Ruth or even Mike Schmidt. However, to Mets fans, he is the closest thing they have to that in a home grown player. David grew up in Chesapeake, Virginia, where as a youth, he became a Norfolk/Tidewater Tides fan. The Tides were the Triple-A affiliate for the New York Mets. So young David was able to see the Mets of the future pass through his hometown on their way to the big club.

     Wright was a high draft choice for the Mets and he came to New York and he didn’t disappoint. He retires as the team leader in everything but home runs, and he tried Darryl Strawberry by 10. More importantly, he was there as much as he could be, until injuries sidelined him—the most severe was spinal stenosis. 

     He could have retired without going through the arduous rehabilitation and the struggles which he did. That is not David Wright.

     David Wright had a burning desire to play again, despite the formidable handicaps. The Mets offered one more opportunity, and Wright accepted the challenge. 

     Which leads us to September 29, 2018. It would be his last game. The fourth team captain in Mets’ history would have his last chance on a diamond in his team’s city.

     Forget that he walked and popped out to first base in foul territory. Even forget the clean play he made at third base to throw out a runner. On this night, David Wright could do no wrong.

     It was a love fest from start to finish. His little daughter threw out the first pitch to him. At the start of the game, Wright sprinted out to his position while his teammates remained in the dugout so the crowd, the players and the TV audience could take in the moment. 

     When he was removed from the game in the top of the 5th, he hugged long time teammate Jose Reyes, who played over 800 games nearby Wright as the Mets shortstop. After hugging his teammates once more and getting a curtain call, he left the field.

     Wright did both radio and TV bits while still in his uniform. And once the Mets won the game 1-0 in 13 innings, Wright addressed the adoring fans for the last time. 

     This guy was a class act—to fans, to the media, to his opponents. I salute him for I know what it is to go out on your own terms, as I rehabbed a shoulder at age 41 to play one more time against college players half my age, and to walk off of the field to never play baseball again. Ironically, like Wright, I walked, popped out, made a flawless play in the outfield and finished my participation after four innings. That is as close as I come to him, and that is indeed very distant.  

     David Wright will some day have his number retired by the Mets. He will not make Cooperstown. To a whole lot of Mets fans, he was their hero. And that’s all that counts.

     The NFL played again this Sunday. Once more, sloppiness and mistakes cost the Jets. Jacksonville is a good team, but the Jets could have hung in with the Jaguars had they been more proficient and  not erred so much. Next Sunday Denver comes to Met Life Stadium. They have a chance to beat the Broncos—if they vastly cut down their miscues.

     Philadelphia Eagles fans must be apoplectic after the Birds lost to Tennessee in OT. The Titans aren’t a bad team—they defeated Jacksonville last week in a defensive struggle. Give it time Eagles fanatics—Carson Wentz is just getting going. The team will be alright.

     Conversely, Cowboys fans should not be too overly excited. You beat the Lions this week. Detroit is not that good. Neither are the Cowboys.

     Bears fans should weigh their enthusiasm a bit too. Beating Tampa Bay was a solid win. You have a young and improving team. Chicago might just be in the mix for the Wild Card.

     New England took Miami from the unbeaten ranks. Typical Brady. This team isn’t going to steamroll the AFC East, but the Patriots will win it.

     The Texans came to life, winning on the road in Indianapolis on OT. Cincinnati defeated the Atlanta Falcons by one point with a game-tying Andy Dalton pass in the last ten seconds. Green Bay improved to 2-1-1 and sent Buffalo back to reality with a 22-0 win.

     The Chargers survived the 49’ers onslaught. Seattle was better than the Cardinals. The Giants could not mount enough offense to beat New Orleans. 

     As to Baker Mayfield, he had a so-so day with 2 TD’s and 2 INT, as the Browns piled up 42 points. Unfortunately, Oakland mounted a furious comeback and prevailed in OT, and gave Jon Gruden is first win in his return to the Raiders.

     With the Ravens-Steelers Sunday night matchup, the NFL season is already 25% over. January and February seem a long ways away. A lot will come into perspective by the end of October. Stay tuned.

     One more shout out to the U.S. Women’s National Basketball Team, who won the World Cup by vanquishing Australia. I have always like the UConn women on the team—particularly Breanna Stewart, Sue Byrd and Diana Taurasi. They are as good as it gets. 

     I’m done for this week. Whew. At least I didn’t discuss the Ryder Cup debacle.

The 2018 Autumn Equinox

     As I begin to write this piece, we have entered into Autumn. There is a distinct chill in the air. Gone is the heat and humidity which prevailed just days ago. It is when short pants are seeing their last wearing and T shirts will soon be replaced by jackets and warmer clothing. Air conditioners get shut off and windows reopen to breathe in the fresh air. The trees have started to turn color in a few places in Springfield, that rite of Fall which is so colorful when the leaves wither and float to the ground. 

     At this time, the early conference battles have begun in college football; the NFL concludes its 3rd week; and the MLB regular season is down to single digits in games. September is closing and October is nearly upon us. 

     My sports weekend began with the Thursday Night Football battle between the New York Jets, featuring the third overall pick in the NFL Draft, QB Sam Darnold, and the Cleveland Browns, who had a hard luck tie and a loss to New Orleans when the kicker failed to convert field goals. This was the Jets’ third game in 11 days, and I was wary of this taking a toll on them.

     New York went ahead 14-0. Then the tide changed on one play. QB Tyrod Taylor, a star in Buffalo and the starter in Cleveland, was injured. In stepped number one draft pick Baker Mayfield, the Heisman Trophy winner out of Oklahoma. Mayfield put a charge into the Browns lethargic offense, which in turn inspired the Browns defense.  Taking advantage of the tiredness of the Jets secondary and the lack of a pas rush, Mayfield shredded the Jets defense. He ultimately led Cleveland to the winning score late in the fourth quarter. 

     Darnold now has had two subpar outings. The hope and expectations which came from the staggering opening week defeat of Detroit is now a nice memory. Darnold is no different than his brethren before him. The leaning curve is high, and it takes time to assemble a winner around a talented QB. Jets fans have little patience. The next game at Jacksonville isn’t promising. But within the three consecutive home games in October lie some possible victories.  I had guessed a 6-10 record in Darnold’s first season. That is still very likely. He is exceptionally young—he is 21+ years old—and his upside is tremendous. 

     This is not meant to detract from the brilliance of Mayfield. He showed why Cleveland selected him as the top draft pick. Baker Mayfield will be a star in the NFL. But, like Darnold, he will go through the growing pains of a first year NFL QB. Browns fans have plenty to look forward to. They now have the satisfaction that the long losing streak is no more, and there will be more wins in the immediate future. 

     I also watched the final game of a three game set between the Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees. The Bombers had won the first two games and was attempting to sweep 

Boston and avoid an AL East-clinching on their home turf, while continuing to fend off the Oakland A’s for home field at the AL Wild Card game.

     New York has gotten healthier with the returns of Aaron Judge and Aroldis Chapman. New York led the game 6-4 in the fourth inning, thanks to a grand slam home run by Giancarlo Stanton. Boston tied the score in the 7th inning via a homer from Jackie Bradley, Jr., and then went ahead for good on a sacrifice fly by Zander Bogaerts and an erroneous throw by Yankees center fielder Aaron Hicks.

     The Red Sox deserved to win the AL East—they played better than New York, who had many stars hurt much of the season. They did get to celebrate before heading to Cleveland for a tough three game series against the A.L. Central champs, but Boston still needed to clinch home field for the playoffs before they can relax.

     Having watched the games this week, I came away with a couple of impressions about Boston. First, my vote for M.V.P. of this team is Mookie Betts. I thought that it would go to J.D. Martinez, who leads the A.L. in R.B.I.’s, is 4th in O.B.P. and is 2nd in HR’s. He has had a phenomenal year. But watching the determination of the A.L.’s top batter in each at bat—he fouls off pitches repeatedly until he gets a pitch he can handle—and he does not strike out very much. Betts is the catalyst and Martinez is the finisher on a team with many offensive weapons in a ballpark tailored to offense.

     It is the Red Sox pitching which leaves me underwhelmed. The Boston starters are good, yet I believe that the starting pitching Houston has is better than they had last season when they won it all, and Cleveland just had 4 starters compile 200 strikeouts each. I believe that the A’s staff is young and good, but they too are a hitting team like Boston and New York. Plus the relievers on the Red Sox are still a work in progress, which is not where the team should be. This does not mean that Boston isn’t the favorite to win the A.L.; the competition from the Astros, Indians, A’s and Yankees is very formidable. 

     Friday night I found myself watching the Yankees hosting the woeful Baltimore Orioles.  I had the opportunity to sneak a peak at the Harvard-Brown and UCF hosting FAU in football. I skipped Penn State visiting Illinois because I knew it would turn into a rout. 

     Behind a couple of homers, the Yankees went out to a 9-4 lead before the Orioles chipped away at the lead on the Yankees’ tired bullpen. New York tacked on a run and then held on to a 10-8 victory, while Oakland won on a walk off homer in extra innings to still trail New York by 1 1/2 games for the Wild Card home field. 

     Of note, Yankees starter C.C. Sabathia won his eighth game of the 2018 campaign. By striking out 5 batters, leaving him 19 short of 3,000 career strikeouts; Sabathia is currently 17th in career strikeouts. Of the 16 ahead of him, only Roger Clemens and Curt Schilling have not been inducted into the Hall of Fame. His 245-153 record is very impressive, but it is not 300 wins, an automatic for HOF induction. 

     C.C. wants to pitch one more season, despite balky legs. He will be 38 years old next year. If he pitches once more this week, he will come close to 3,000 strikeouts. Undoubtedly, that mark and HOF status are on his mind. The bigger question is whether the Yankees will invest one more year in this warrior or will some other team take the risk instead?

     I find myself constantly checking on the Oakland score with great uneasiness. As much as I want the Yankees to win the Wild Card game, I worry about clinching home field. It worked last year when New York defeated Minnesota. After Sunday, New York has 7 road contest—4 at Tampa Bay and 3 in Boston. The A’s play 3 in Seattle and 3 more to end the season in Anaheim. 

     New York has the tougher schedule—but they do have the lead and the tie breaker.

After Sunday’s games, the Yankees’ magic number was 5, while it was 9 for Oakland. That disparity is not so great given the fact that on Tuesday, the teams will have played the same amount of games. A simple win by Oakland and a loss by the Yankees could, by that time leave the two teams either one game apart or tied. This is not the scenario Yankees fans had hoped for months ago.

     Moreover, Yankees skipper Aaron Boone will have to decide if he goes with J.A. Happ, Luis Severino or Masahiro Tanaka as his starter on October 3. Location of the game may factor into his decision.

     On Saturday, I watched two football games of interest to me. First, F&M hosted the dangerous Susquehanna University River Hawks. SU has had a tough opening schedule, defeating Centennial Conference power Johns Hopkins in OT then losing to another top team, Muhlenberg, in OT last week. 

     Coming to Shadek Stadium, the River Hawks would not be an easy task for the undefeated Diplomats. SU struck early, grabbing  a 7-0 lead. The game turned into a defensive struggle. The River Hawks drove the ball to the goal line at the end of the second quarter, and as the QB extended his arms to try to put the ball over the line for a score, he was stripped of the ball by an F&M defender and F&M recovered the fumble. F&M did knot the score and the game went to OT. F&M scored on a 20+ yard scamper by a running back. SU had an opportunity to score and tie the game, but F&M intercepted an under thrown pass to prevail. Next week the Diplomats travel to unbeaten Muhlenberg while SU licks its wounds over what could have been.

     Then there was Rutgers. Another debacle. Against an athletic Buffalo team. Between 15-20,000 entered High Point Solutions Stadium. About 7,000 remained at the end of the game, mostly Buffalo fans. 

     The writers have turned on Head Coach Chris Ash. Former RU player Mohammed Sanu, Sr., a star wide receiver for the Atlanta Falcons, issued a harsh tweet. Patience is now thinner than ever. 

     Illinois comes to Piscataway this week. The Illini and Nebraska appear to be the worst of the Big Ten excluding RU. RU does not play Nebraska this season. I might have been enthused with a good showing against Buffalo. Except I am not, as RU was obliterated. 1-11 is squarely in this team’s sights.

     I have a solution to this. Buy out Chris Ash, work a trade with Ohio State and get back Greg Schiano. He is a NJ native, he has rebuilt a team before and he is not likely to leave RU this time around. Admit that the Ash era was a failure and is over. Give Schiano 5 year contract. He might just be able to turn around this awful mess.

     There were other predictable blowouts this Saturday. Of note was the fact that Oklahoma, at home in Norman, had to win in OT against a determined Army team. Undefeated Minnesota tumbled in College Park to unpredictable Maryland. Texas Tech went on the road and thumped Oklahoma State. Kentucky went to 4-0, handling a very good Mississippi State team. TCU remained in a hangover after Ohio State steamrolled them last week in Arlington, Texas and they were defeated by an underachieving Texas Longhorns team.

     Most surprising of all was the hurting a winless Old Dominion squad put on #13 Virginia Tech. ODU reinstated football in 2009. This was a Hokies team which was a 28.5 point favorite. Tech was beaten by a backup QB. While the Hokies were leading 28-21 near the end of third quarter, Va Tech simply had no answer for ODU who outscored the Hokies 28-7. A big win for a decided underdog.

     When I had time to watch TV later on Saturday night after watching the movie Jackie (although the film is very slow moving, it is easy to see why Natalie Portman received a nomination for Best Actress), I went to MLB-TV. I caught the end of the Red Sox-Indians game, which was won by a Michael Brantley walkout hit in the 11th inning off of lefty Drew Pomeranz (whatever happened to him after he left San Diego?). Cleveland is talent-rich, with a tough lineup, strong starting pitching and a seemingly healthy bullpen. Cleveland is as strong as the team that made it to the 2016 World Series and lost a heart-breaking series to the Yankees in 2017. The Astros will have their hands full with the Tribe, as will the team they could face in the A.L.C.S.

     Immediately following the conclusion of that contest,  MLB took us to Dodger Stadium in time to see Yasmani Grandal deposit a ball into the second deck. The Dodgers have hit 222 home runs this season, a team record. The trade for Manny Machado has fortified the lineup, and Yasiel Puig and Joc Pederson have re-awakened in the power areas. Clayton Kershaw is back in form; the Dodgers’ starting group is very talented.

     I watch the standings for a variety of reasons. First, I worry about the A’s. Then I am very intrigued about the N.L. Wild Card. Milwaukee and St. Louis seemingly have the two spots, but Milwaukee is still contending for the top spot in the N.L. Central, currently occupied by the Chicago Cubs. There is a 4.5 game gap between the Cubs and third place Cardinals and the Brewers are 2 games ahead of St. Louis.

     I also look to see how many losses the Orioles and the Royals are past 100. Both teams have great managers—Ned Yost won a World Series in 2015 and Buck Showalter has a tremendous resume. Unfortunately, they are likely to be fired. Such is the job security who teams lose badly.

     One other note. The Yankees have clubbed 251 home runs this season. The record is 264, held by the 2017 Mariners. New York has 7 games in 2 homer-friendly parks to try to tie or break the record. It is highly improbable, but in this season of homers, who knows?

     A note on the Mets. The pitching of Jacob deGrom, Noah Syndergaard and Zach Wheeler has been superb; deGrom is in line to win the N.L. Cy Young Award. Come next Saturday, the Mets will salute David Wright in what might be his final game as a pro. I hope he hits a homer and walks off the diamond at Citi Field as the star of the game. What a class act.

     It was my understanding that the NFL played some games today. I didn’t watched any until the waning moments of Dallas at Seattle and Chicago at Arizona. Nothing exciting happened. I don’t think anybody could have foreseen the Bills go to Minnesota and throttle the Vikings. And yes, the Giants won their first game of the season.

     So what, I have had my eyes on the Oakland game all day…with the Orioles rising up to beat up the second line of the Yankees bullpen and with Didi Gregorius sidelined, having hurt his wrist on the game-winning slide last evening. Go Twins!! Thank you for salvaging a game in Oakland. 

     It is baseball season, and fall baseball is about to begin. I am okay with this.

End of Summer

     It was a bright and sunny late summer weekend. Football and late season baseball were robustly in the air. High school, college and pro football were finally going to be in full swing with the start of the Ivy League and NESCAC schedules. Baseball had under 20 games to go and the NL Wild Card and all three divisions were still not clinched, while in the AL, only Boston and Cleveland had clinched playoff spots.

     So there was a lot going on this weekend. Friday night, local high school Jonathan Dayton was soundly beaten by arch rival David Brearley from nearby Kenilworth. The JDHS  Bulldogs may have a lot of enthusiasm, but they are decidedly short on talent. This road loss was 40-0. 

     While I have seen a significant number of students running for cross-country, that is not a strong sport at Dayton. It is soccer that produces the best teams annually, followed by baseball. With a smaller student body associated with a Group I school, there are only so many players who can participate. Soccer seems to be a year-round sport at the youth levels, which translates into better players, no matter the size of the student body. Youth football is a fall event, and while there seemingly is significant participation, it hasn’t translated into more talented players at the big school level.

     Unfortunately for Dayton, the beatings will continue. There is always hope that there is one team on the schedule they could compete with. Sadly, my alma mater, Highland Park High School, was that school. HPHS gave up varsity football two weeks ago.

     Saturday arrived and it was time to see Rutgers travel to Lawrence, Kansas to take on the University of Kansas Jayhawks. Rutgers scheduled this game because the competition level would favor Rutgers. As it said, football is played at Kansas merely to occupy time until basketball begins. 

     Kansas teams have been perennial doormats in the Big 12 Conference. They were everyone’s favorite Homecoming opponent. An almost guaranteed W on the schedule. Epitomizing the futility of Kansas football, they lost in the season opener, at home, to a FCS team, Nicholls State— a team even Kansas was pretty sure to beat.

     Then something bizarre happened. Kansas traveled to Central Michigan—and WON!! That snapped a 46 game road losing streak, second only to that of Idaho State, which lost 48 in a row away from home.

     Suddenly, Kansas players believed in themselves. They had learned how to win. And who would be coming to campus but dear old RU. Rutgers prepped for the trip to the Heartland by getting crushed by powerhouse Ohio State in Columbus. 

     Some prep that was. Rutgers was overwhelmed in every aspect of the game—Kansas, with freshman running back Pooka Williams and a reactive defense, demoralized the Scarlet Knights. Williams had been held out of the Nicholls State game, or Kansas would now be 3-0.

     The players on Kansas looked to be FBS caliber athletes. Rutgers looked like a team that could beat lesser lights as it did with Texas State.

     Rutgers still has to play Michigan, Michigan State, Wisconsin and Penn State. The results will be one-sided. Indiana and Northwestern should handle RU easily. If Rutgers can turn things around a bit, maybe the Knights can contend with Illinois and Maryland. This week’s contest with Buffalo, which on paper looked winnable 3 weeks ago, looks far from victory now. 

     Head Coach Chris Ash has not brought his team to a level that RU fans want or expect. The usual statements of how it takes time to rebuild, plus the extended contract Ash has are wearing thin. 

     Where are the athletes who can measure up to the elite teams and make the games at least competitive? What kind of recruiting is Rutgers doing? Why are they repeatedly the worst in the Big 10? What happened to the progress from last year when the Knights actually won games against Big 10 foes Purdue, Illinois and Maryland? Was the hype about a bowl game this year just that—hype?

     Maybe it’s the lack of depth caused by the arrests of team members for credit card fraud-related charges.  Perhaps the savior QB, freshman Artur Sitkowski is not as good as heralded. Or could it be the ugly white helmets that Ash has opted for?

     Whatever the causes, they have to be straightened out by the start of next season, as I have written off this one. RU needs to recruit the type of players that they were famous for under former coach Greg Schiano—hard-nosed, 4 to 5 star players with speed and strength who come to RU with the ability to play on Sundays in the NFL. 

     I don’t know that Ash is the man to accomplish this herculean task. To have Schiano return would raise the same issues that came about when he all but had the head job at the University of Tennessee.

     If I were an alumnus, I would either be at wits end or give up football on Saturdays like others will and the attendance at High Points Solutions Stadium will further decline.

     One would think that something has got to give. After all, hope springs eternal—even for Rutgers.

     The top teams in the FBS ranks won—Alabama dominated Ole Miss, Georgia and Clemson all won handily. Ohio State took care of a good TCU squad on Saturday night in Arlington, Texas. Oklahoma was victorious over Iowa State on the road,  but only by 10 points. Wisconsin lost at home to BYU on a missed field goal. USC lost to a subpar Texas team.

     In the Big 10, Illinois, Maryland, Northwestern, Purdue and Nebraska all lost—returning alum and Cornhuskers Head Coach Scott Frost is now 0-2 in his Nebraska coaching record. Indiana won and is 3-0. Michigan also won handily, as did Penn State. Iowa won over in-state rival Northern Iowa and Minnesota triumphed. The conference is not very strong outside of the top tier, which highlights how inept RU is.

     The Ivy League did not do great—Holy Cross upset Yale and Brown and Cornell also lost. 

     In the NESCAC, the three Maine schools lost their openers to Williams, Amherst and Trinity. Wesleyan and Tufts also were victors. 

     #24 Franklin and Marshall is now 3-0, with a solid road win at Mc Daniel. Mc Daniel’s tough defense held he high-flying Diplomats offense in check for much of the game. Up next at Shadek Stadium is Susquehanna. The River Hawks were defeated by Muhlenberg after upsetting perennial Centennial Conference champion Johns Hopkins the previous week. F&M then travel to Allentown on September 29 in a critical showdown. Ursinus is also 3-0 and Moravian and Dickinson are 1-1 in the conference along with Hopkins.

     Sunday was a warm, sunny day, with precious few clouds in the sky. Arriving to a mostly full parking lot at 10:30 a.m. (I wonder how many fans had arrived when gates opened at 8:00 a,m.?), the pastrami sandwich, pickles, Dr. Brown’s Cel-Ray soda and an enormous jelly donut were a perfect lunch before the New York Jets took on the Miami Dolphins.

     Being a Jets fan, I should have known better than to feel good. After baking outside Met Life Stadium. I roasted until the sun mercifully went behind the lights and signage at the top of the upper deck. That should have forewarned me how the day would go.

     The euphoria which came with the resounding triumph in Detroit on Monday night courtesy of rookie QB Sam Darnold’s maiden appearance fostered delusions of  a 3-0 start after the Jets beat the Dolphins then traveled to Cleveland and defeated the Browns.

     Everything clicked in Detroit on Monday night. Not everything worked as well on Sunday in East Rutherford. The Jets had their share of opportunities based upon sacks and fumbles by Miami QB Ryan Tannehill. The first indication that this would be a long day was when Tannehill rumbled around the right side of the offensive line for a first down early in the first quarter. Interceptions and miscues by the Jets and Darnold, along with some bad play by DB Buster Skrine blunted any traction the Jets tried to obtain.

     Nonetheless, as the first half closed, the Jets moved the ball downfield with alacrity, but stayed in the middle of the field, reaching the one yard line as time expired. The Jets overcame the dismal 20-0 deficit through the leadership of Darnold, who ended up passing for 324 yards, 1 TD’s and 2 INT. The defense sacked Tannehill 4 times although the poor offensive line play of the Jets led to Miami recording 3 sacks and stifling the running attack. 

     I still liked most of Darnold’s performance. He and Quincy Enunwa are a solid, go to tandem. I thought that WR Terrelle Pryor cause the interception in the end zone by not running his pattern correctly. Darnold did muss an open Enunwa in the end zone and a non-call of pass interference in the end zone didn’t help. 

     In my estimation, New York should have won 23-20. Darnold has a tremendous upside in terms of his ability. The team has some significant defensive secondary and offensive line mistakes to correct before this Thursday night in Cleveland. 

     I did not expect miracles this season. Barring injury, Darnold is going to be a force in the league if surrounded by the right talent and if he learns from his mistakes. Unlike Rutgers, the Jets have some players who will help Darnold grow and mature. Even if former Jets’ QB Ryan Fitzpatrick is torching the NFL for Tampa Bay while James Winston is suspended, Darnold is the real deal. Having the Giants take Saquan Barkley, allowing Darnold to fall to the third spot in the 2018 Draft was a godsend.

     For now, as a long time Jets fan, I feel good even with a disheartening loss to a division opponent. There will be plenty of other opportunities for wins—Buffalo is atrocious and New England might just be a little bit vulnerable this season. 

     Of course, this initial wave of optimism can evaporate quickly. After all, this is the New York Jets I am writing about. Even coming home to a sweltering house because a circuit board wire on the A/C condenser was no longer properly working could not take away my positive feeling from a game that the Jets should have won. 

     This is despite the September swoon of the New York Yankees. Losers of 11 of their last 19 games, the two games they lost on Saturday and Sunday should not have turned out that way. New York nearly slugged its way back from an 8-1 deficit Saturday, only to lose 8-7. Sunday they wasted a 5 inning, 1 run performance by Lance Lynn, as an unsteady Dellin Betances showed the strain of a finger injury and too much use occasioned by closer Aroldis Chapman still being sidelined with an injury. 

     Getting Didi Gregorius back has helped somewhat—his 2 homers on Saturday broke the team record for homers by a shortstop, which he set last season. Aaron Judge has started to play the field and his return to the lineup is imminent, though not soon enough. Hopefully he has healed sufficiently that he will not injure himself further. 

     A healthy Chapman is the other key ingredient. For if they are to stave off the hard-charging Oakland A’s for home field in the Wild Card game, Chapman must be at his best to reduce the strain on the overworked bullpen. The addition of Andrew Mc Cutchen has helped the lineup, introducing some needed power and allowing aging Brett Gardner to rest. Gleyber Torres and Miguel Andujar continue their rookie assault. The trio of J.A. Happ, Luis Severino and Masahiro
Tanaka will produce quality starts.

     Still, I suppose that Oakland can make up the 1 1/2 deficit over the next 12 games. Or will the Yankees do enough to right the ship and stave off the A’s? That remains to be seen.

     The Yankees losses and the Rutgers defeat were stinging. I took the Jets loss well.

     After all, I wouldn’t want to be a New York Giants fan right about now…Besides, the A/C is working again and I have a nice parking lot tan…

Have I become a loathsome pundit?

     The NFL season is upon us. The lurid pre-season is behind us, and now the games count. The fans and the TV networks are glad this is the case. And when the 16 games in 17 weeks, and the 3 rounds of playoff games have concluded and the Super Bowl is over, one team will be left standing alone as champion of the NFL.

     Each team has unanswered questions. For the New York Jets, will first round pick Sam Darnold be the answer that management anticipates he will be? Or will the team be mediocre again as Darnold faces a hard learning curve even the best rookie QB’s have faced? Are there enough quality receivers for him to throw to? Is the offensive line solid so as to protect Darnold to give him adequate time to throw? Is there a running back who will stand out? Is the defense stout and the secondary tight in their pass coverage? So many question make eternal optimists like me into perennial doubters.

     Is this the year that the New England Patriots finally show signs of decline? Will Tom Brady become a mere mortal and a victim of the aging he hopes to avoid? Will the loss of Julian Edelman be costly? Are there enough talented wide receivers to augment tight end Rob Gronkowski, and will The Gronk stay healthy? Has the turnover on offense and defense been so dramatic that the Pats will struggle? Or are Bill Belichick and Brady able to pull off one more charge in careers which have them headed straight to the Pro Football Hall of Fame?

    Will the other pretenders in the AFC East—Buffalo and Miami—-have improved so much as to make the division competitive? Or will New England once more roll to the playoffs?

     Meanwhile, the other New York team has reinstated Eli Manning as the QB and acquired Saquan Barkley, a top tier running back from Penn State to give a boost to an offense that suffered last season, largely due to the absence of wide out Odell Beckham, Jr. Now firmly entrenched as the highest paid WR in the NFL, will he stay healthy, focused and be the difference maker the Giants expect him to be? Will Manning, now 38 years old, still have the ability to reach his prized wide receiver with a suspect offensive line? Will Barkley prove to be as good as advertised? Plus the defense seems to be a revolving door, with a lot of question marks. 

     Giants fans have to wonder if their team is in one of the most competitive divisions in the NFC. Philadelphia, presently guided by QB Nick Foles who led the Eagles to the Super Bowl, managed to win the opener on Thursday night, defeating a good Atlanta team. Will the Eagles meander with Foles at the helm and need the leadership of Carson Wentz when he is finally cleared to face contact? Does the return of Darrell Sproles make the running game more potent? And will the defense continue to shut teams down, as it showed it did against the Falcons?

     Is Washington better with Alex Smith as the QB? Were the Dallas Cowboys as bad as the 0-4 pre-season record, or will Zak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott lead the team back to respectability and even the playoffs?

     In the NFC North, Aaron Rodgers seems to be fully healed and very happy with the support of his girlfriend and former race car driver Danica Patrick. Even without Jordy Nelson, Rodgers former favorite target, will the Packers have the fire power behind Rodgers and a capable defense to make them better than the other three teams in the division? Detroit has Matthew Stafford as its QB, and he continues to mature in his decision-making behind a gifted arm. Minnesota has a new QB—Kirk Cousins—who received a ton of money to lead the Vikings. Was the investment a wise one, or will Cousins continue to show false of brilliance in Washington, he is not sufficient to overcome the tough rivals in the NFC North? Will the arrival of defensive pass rusher Kyrie Mack now make the Chicago Bears a legitimate threat, even if the offense remains suspect?

     QB Jared Goff and the Los Angeles Rams seem to be the favorites to win the NFC West again. San Francisco and QB Jimmy Garoppolo have other ideas, having ended last season with a flourish and a highly anticipated start to this season that 49’ers fans looking for golden results. In the desert, Arizona’s rookie QB has a chip on his shoulder, as he felt that he was slighted by being a low draft pick and he is out to prove his detractors wrong. Seattle has the dynamic Russell Wilson at QB—are there enough parts on offense and defense left for Pete Carroll’s team to be viable?

     We saw that the Falcons have a ways to go before becoming a strong contender. New Orleans is always good with Drew Brees and a very able supporting cast. So is Carolina, with Cam Newton, if he remains healthy and does not absorb too many hits. Tampa Bay has a fine QB in James Winston, but many unanswered questions, too. 

     I think that the NFC South is the most competitive division in the conference, and that there are a number of teams who are capable of emerging as the NFC representative to the Super Bowl. Philadelphia still leads the pack, but the Rams, 49’ers, Cardinals, Packers, Saints, Panthers all could win the NFC. 

     All eyes are on the Cleveland Browns this season, as the team was this year’s subject in the HBO series Hard Knocks. Is Head Coach Hue Jackson going to ovbrcomethe stigma of a 1-31 record over the past two seasons? Will top draft choice Baker Mayfield assume the leadership role at QB during the season, as Browns management has not deemed him ready to start like Sam Darnold?

     Pittsburgh has an aging Ben Roethlisberger still throwing to all-everything WR Antonio Brown. But they do not have hold out Le’Veon Brown at running back and the absence of Brown has fractured the locker room. Cincinnati is an enigma—are they going to improve from last year or will they remain in a tailspin? Baltimore is much  improved and I think they will control the AFC North.

     In the AFC South, Jacksonville was the surprise winner last season. Very few believe that they can repeat. I think they can. Tennessee is a very average team. With the return of Andrew Luck at QB, Indianapolis will automatically be better. It is Houston, with the return of a healthy J.J. Watt on defense and QB Deshawn Watson, which can dethrone the Jaguars if the the team does not lose either star to injury again and if the overall losses on both sides of the line are minimal.

     The story of the AFC West is that Jon Gruden has left the security of the ESPN booth on Monday nights to coach the Oakland Raiders once more. While the trade of Khalil Mack to Chicago is significant, Gruden has a great track record and I know Oakland will remain in the hunt for a playoff spot. Denver has issues at QB—they need John Elway to play again rather than mess things up as the one who picks the players. Kansas City has a young but poised QB in Pat Mahomes and Andy Reid’s defense has gotten better. Pundits have picked the Los Angeles Chargers to win the division title. To me, that would be surprising; besides nobody comes to see the team playing in a soccer stadium while their shared stadium with the Rams is being built. Maybe I am prejudiced, but I wish the Chargers and the people of San Diego had reached a deal for the team to remain in town where they belong instead of being the second tenant in LA.

     There you have it. If I were to pick division winners, it would go like this:

NFC East: Philadelphia; NFC North: Green Bay; NFC South: New Orleans; NFC West: LA Rams; Wild Cards: San Francisco and Carolina

AFC East: New England; AFC North: Baltimore; AFC South: Jacksonville; AFC West: Kansas City; Wild Cards: Houston and Oakland

NFC Champion: Philadelphia

AFC Champion: Baltimore

Super Bowl winner: Baltimore

     Then again, I never get this right, so I think that you can choose your own teams far better than me. I hope this does not now classify me as a loathsome pundit?