My Only True Thanksgiving Day Rivalry Game

     This being Thanksgiving Weekend, football is king. High school, college and pro football are part of the tradition associated with the holiday. In comparison, Black Friday, the supposed biggest day in the merchandising world, is a relative newcomer.

     I am not going to recite a history of how Thanksgiving came about. Nor am I going to discuss what Thanksgiving means—that is definitely open to personal interpretation.

     No, I am going to remain true to this blogger’s mission as an observer of sports opining on what he sees fit to write (with my apologies to The New York Times). And that is what this blogger is thankful for—having a forum to talk sports and a group of loyal readers who get the gist of what I am saying.

     Sports fans have been inundated with football. Wall-to-wall saturation on the airwaves. Much of it has been predictable, with a few upsets and a lot of demolition of long-standing opponents. 

     First, I am starting with some melancholy reporting. I grew up with the heated football rivalry of Highland Park versus Metuchen. Two boroughs situated along Route 27, with a large portion of Edison Township between their borders. There was no game between these arch rivals this year, as HPHS could not provide enough bodies to field a team.

     Mention Metuchen in Highland Park, and my blood begins to curdle. I am very confident that the same applies to Metuchen residents when Highland Park is heard. I am a child of this vitriol—I absorbed it on the streets of the small town across the Raritan River from Rutgers University and Johnson & Johnson in New Brunswick. Whenever I traveled through Metuchen, dubbed “The Brainy Boro,” I was never comfortable inside its boundaries. I have driven through it many, many times, had a few meals there, purchased groceries on occasion at the old Foodtown. But nope, never liked the town, no matter how nice its main thoroughfares looked. When the old high school burned to the ground and was still smoldering, I was relieved that nobody was hurt, yet I was secretly hoping it would make their football team worse. Talk about brainwashing. 

     When I was in seventh grade, I attended my first Highland Park-Metuchen game at the old Memorial Stadium in New Brunswick. The neutral site was used so that equal numbers of fans from both towns could attend, and that any bloodshed would be mostly limited to the playing field. While the New Brunswick Police and the Middlesex County Sheriff’s office manned the perimeter of the stadium area, random violence still occurred. Even the menacing presence of  a German Shepard near the entrance to the stadium was only a small deterrent.

     I don’t know whose idea it was to play in New Brunswick but it was a good one. New Brunswick High vacated the field on Thanksgiving Day, playing their hated foe—the South River Rams—at the old Rutgers Stadium. South River and New Brunswick were two of the older high schools in the area; Highland Park students attended NBHS before their high school was opened in he late 1930’s. 

     I remember that it was cold. Highland Park-Metuchen games were always cold. The game began promptly at 10:30 a.m. This allowed for the game to be played and everyone could return home—happy or sad—in time for s late afternoon feast.

     Memorial Stadium was composed of a sizable grandstand on one side and smaller bleachers on the other side of the field. While I remember that the teams alternated sides each year, I don’t recall if the fans were divided or one set of boosters was relegated to the smaller bleachers on the visitors side. Thee was a baseball diamond at one end of the complex, and snow fences encircled the playing area. Plus there were lights—the New Brunswick High Zebras hosted a number of night games during the regular season; this was a rarity in the 1960’s. 

     What I remember is that the HPHS Owls were a juggernaut under the coaching of Jay Dakelman. Jay was a kind and gentle man away from the sports arena. He ran the summer day facility at the high school. Jay taught me how to play dice baseball and caroms. Chinese checkers, too, although I was never really good at it. He saw that I could play baseball, and his camp offered me the ongoing opportunities to play whiffle ball, take grounders on the dirt field with the rickety old bleachers, or to play softball on the tennis courts under the auspices of Tommy York, one of Jay’s favorite players form the early 1960’s.

     Give Jay a football team and a whistle, and he was tough taskmaster, demanding excellence on the gridiron. The Panzer College graduate (the forerunner to Montclair State University and a place where gym teachers were molded) was tyrannical at practice or roaming the sidelines during the games.

     As a result, Jay’s teams were stellar, starting with All-State QB Joe Policastro in the 1950’s, continuing with Richie Policastro, Jo-Jo’s cousin, Wayne Donnelly, Jack Simczak, WR Glenn Meltzer and throughout the decade of the ’60’s with my contemporaries. These guys were my heroes and I dutifully rode my bike to the high school practices, absorbing what I could as a young boy and being treated like a mascot/good luck charm. 

     Naturally, I wanted to emulate them. I had the arm, so I thought I could play QB. Except that I was 5’-2” at the time, a beefy 150 pounds. So I was third (or maybe fourth) string QB on the Freshman/JV team, a third team RB, a third team LB. I finally got to play on the kickoff return team, and I had one carry against one of the Edison junior high schools for 4 yards, one yard from scoring a TD in a rout.

     But what I remember is how we got up for playing Metuchen on Edgar Field, the Bulldogs’ home site. Normally, we wore hand-me-down uniforms from the varsity. For some reason, Jay like to wear white almost all of the time. They were nice uniforms, but I liked the colorful maroon jersey much more. The MHS game was the only time that season we wore them.

     I could feel the edginess of our starting players in pre-game warm ups. The passes were zipped a little harder and higher to me—which of course, I could not handle. Our coaches were angrier and seemingly wanted to play if they could. The bitterness was omnipresent.

     Unfortunately, we lost and the bus ride back down Route 27 was disconsolate. When we returned to the practice field, the varsity was not too happy with our performance and let us know that we NEVER lose to Metuchen. That made a lasting impact on me, so it certainly made a greater impact on my fellow teammates, who would go on to meet the Bulldogs three times, winning two. The 1967 victory, in my senior year, capped off an unbeaten season for the Owls. I was a part of it, for in my sophomore year, Jay told me to keep statistics for the varsity, probably to save my body as I had lost 30 pounds and should not have been anywhere near a football field wearing shoulder pads and a helmet lest I be permanently maimed.

     What I learned inside of the coaches’ office was how much they disdained the Metuchen football program. Our coaches didn’t like the coaching staff. They begrudgingly admitted the the Bulldogs had some pretty good players. And they didn’t like to lose to Metuchen in any sport  I was the head basketball manager my senior year and statistician for three seasons and the football players for both sides played basketball which was rugged and chippy. Plus I didn’t like their cramped gym and the venomous fans they had (I even thought their cheerleaders weren’t very attractive—that is deep brainwashing).

     I learned a lot about life from Jay Dakelman, a Jewish football coach in a non-Jewish sport who somehow got the best athletes in Highland Park to play for him at the highest level—including a number of Jewish players who garnered plenty of accolades for their play. I also learned about the football culture and what it took to be a winner—which in this instance required an abiding dislike fo your opponent, and most of all for your traditional rival.

     Throughout New Jersey and other states, there exist local rivalries which are seemingly ancient like Easton, PA and Phillipsburg, who meet annually on Thanksgiving at Lafayette College. For many years, new rivalries popped up in Middlesex County to augment the most storied ones involving Highland Park and Metuchen, New Brunswick and South River, and Perth Amboy and Carteret; the two Edison schools, Edison High and J.P. Stevens began a traditional Thanksgiving battle once Stevens could play varsity ball, replacing the game between Edison and Woodbridge High.

     To plenty of people, the Thanksgiving games meant a lot to them in terms of civc pride. I was genuinely glad that Highland Park had a ridiculously good winning percentage against Metuchen. Through the years, the NFL has gone from the one game in Detroit, normally between the home standing Lions and the Green Bay Packers, to a game in Dallas and now a third game which can be anywhere that is covered by NBC. 

     I recall the J.L. Hudson parade in Detroit was an event of enormous pride to Detroiters in the ’50’s and 60’s It is now know as America’s Thanksgiving Parade at age 92 and shares the the honor of being the second oldest Thanksgiving Parade with the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade; Philadelphia’s parade is four years older. 

     There have been college games on Thanksgiving through the years. Texas and Texas A&M was always a staple of Thanksgiving. Until the bitter feud ended with the Aggies bolting from the shadow of the Longhorns and going the Southeastern Conference for more money and greater prestige. This year only Mississippi and Mississippi State battled in the Egg Bowl. 

     The NFL has eroded the Thanksgiving football tradition. Plus high school football playoffs have taken teams away from playing on Thanksgiving, so as to not jeopardize the players’ health and chances in winning a sectional title. Even Highland Park and Metuchen stopped meeting on Thanksgiving a number of years ago and play at their respective fields, not in New Brunswick.

     While I watched a lot of football on TV this past week, including the incredible Monday night affair between the Chiefs and Rams, the three NFL games on Thursday, Alabama-Auburn, Ohio State demolishing Michigan, Notre Dame whipping USC, Rutgers almost defeating Michigan State, and I missed the 7 OT’s that LSU and A&M endured, just to name a few, plus some serious college hoops live (Rutgers held Eastern Michigan to 4 first half points at the RAC on Monday) and on TV (Duke losing to Gonzaga was entertaining).  I even watched Crazy Rich Asians  again and was entertained by the outstanding performance of Holiday Inn at the Paper Mill Playhouse. Early this morning, I saw The Blind Side for the umpteenth time. Nonetheless, I longed for the simpler days when my beloved Owls would stomp on the boys from Metuchen.

     I guess Thanksgiving brings out the best/worst in me. My entire family was here for the entire weekend. The holiday always leaves me with bountiful leftovers. With the renewal of some youthful memories. 

That Was The Week It Was--Sportswise

     On Monday, the American League Rookie of the Year did not go to either Miguel Andujar  or Gleybar Torres. Shohei Ohtani won the award, based upon his .285 batting average, 22 home runs and a .564 slugging average which would have placed him 4th in the A.L. had he had enough at bats to qualify. He also pitched 51.2 innings in 10 starts, going 4-2 with a 3.31 E.R.A. and 63 strikeouts. Ohtani joined Babe Ruth-yes, Babe Ruth-as the only person to pitch at least 50 innings and hit over 20 homers. His return in July to finish the season after a stint on the DL in June was as good as it gets. From August 1 to the end of the season, only Christian Yelich of Milwaukee, who won the N.L. M.V.P. award, was better in that time span. Ohtani will undergo Tommy John surgery which will not permit him to pitch or play the field in 2019 while he recuperates.

     My beef with the voters’ choice of Ohtani is this: his team missed the playoffs even with his hot hitting in August and September. Without Andujar and Torres, the Yankees would have not made it to the second round of the A.L. playoffs. Andujar specifically rescued the Yankees in a number of games. While his fielding needs improvement, he was, in my opinion, the biggest reason why New York made the playoffs—even more important than Aaron Judge or Giancarlo Stanton. His .292 average, 27 home runs and 92 R.B.I. were better than Ohtani. If Rafael Acuna could win the N.L. Rookie of the Year as he was the bat which carried the Braves to the N.L. East pennant, then so should Andujar have been similarly rewarded. It may have been analytics which robbed Andujar of the prize; his -25 runs saved plus the strength of the Yankees lineup hurt his chances.

     The Steph Curry-less Golden State Warriors lost to the Clippers on Monday night in OT after a 19-5 fourth quarter rally. That makes it two losses since Curry was injured. What made this game unique was the on court altercation between Draymond Green and NBA M.V.P. Kevin Durant over Green’s poor choice in keeping the ball to himself for the final shot in regulation when Durant was open. The rancor continued in the locker room. As a result, Green was suspended by the team for his detrimental actions and statements. 

     What effect this might have on the team long term is problematic. It was rumored that the Warriors locker room was a mess with too many egos last year, and they still won the NBA crown. Frustrations are boiling over once more and they might not be controllable. Which could doom the Warriors chances for immortality. This is something to watch. 

     On Monday night, Eli Manning found some of his missing magic in leading the New York Giants to a thrilling last minute win against the San Francisco 49’ers. It was vintage Eli, with his passes being thrown accurately and with confidence. For those doubters about Eli’s credentials to enter the Hall of Fame despite his two Super Bowl trophies and not having the statistics of his brother Peyton, I simply say—look at last night and you know that is why he is a lock for Canton.

     Speaking of Halls of Fame, on Monday night in Toronto, New Jersey Devils’ goalie Martin Brodeur was formally inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. Three Stanley Cup wins and a bevy of records that won’t be broken soon. Brodeur  was not merely the best of his era. He was the greatest of all time—unquestionably the G.O.A.T.. 

     C. Vivian Stringer, the Rutgers women’s basketball coach won her 1000th regular season game on Tuesday with a win over Central Connecticut State. This puts her in rarified air with the legendary Pat Summit, and well as coaches who are still coaching at the women’s level and who reached 1,000 victories—Tara Vanderveer and Sylvia Hatchell. Along with the best coach in college basketball, men’s or women’s—Geno Auriemma. Geno’s UConn teams have amassed an incredible 1028-136 regular season mark form 1985 to the present. 

     On Tuesday, the NFL shifted the upcoming Kansas City-Los Angeles Rams marquee showdown on next Monday night from Mexico City to the LA Coliseum due to unplayable field conditions. While I fully expect the President to blame the caravan for this when they stopped over in Mexico City this past weekend, the fact checked truth is that they rested in another stadium. 

      Bob Melvin of Oakland won the A.L. Manager of the Year. It is his third award, one coming in the N.L. with Arizona. Melvin is an overlooked manager compared to some of the bigger names like the Angels’ former skipper, Mike Scoscia or Cleveland’s Terry Francona. Yet he is the level-headed presence who guided the A’s from near the basement of the A.L. West to the Wild Card game. Along with Executive V.P. of Baseball Operations and minority owner Billy Beane, the man who introduced analytics into baseball and the recipient of Executive of the Year (think Moneyball here), Oakland is a very astute organization with a bright future.

     The deserved N.L. Manager of the Year was Brian Snitker of Atlanta. Snitker, a 42 year veteran of the Braves’ organization, took the helm in early 2017, guiding the team to a 72-90 record. This season, Snitker reversed that record and led the Braves to the N.L. East title. Just like in Oakland, there is a very solid core of young players augmented by a very capable administration in a new ballpark. We will hear more about the exploits of this group and Brian Snitker in the next few seasons. Craig Counsell of Milwaukee and Dave Roberts of the Dodgers did very credible work in leading their teams to the playoffs, but the great job Snitker did with his team was overwhelming, thereby meriting the award.

     David Pearson, the legendary NASCAR driver, died on Monday at the age of 83. Nicknamed “the Fox” for his calculated moves on the race track. Pearson had 105 career victories, second   to another legend, Richard Petty, along with 3 Cup wins. Petty and Pearson combined  for 63 finishes in which the two finished either first or second to each other. A lot of sadness in NASCAR Nation this week for the death of the South Carolinian.

     Le’Veon Bell, formerly of the Pittsburgh Steelers, chose to sit out the entire season rather than report to the team on Tuesday. He is gambling on receiving a mega deal as a free agent in 2019. It is a highly calculated risk by Bell—he can either win big or lose big. He would not accept the franchise tag that Pittsburgh could bestow upon him—that allowed the Steelers not have to pay the 26 year old running back the money he wanted yet also gave his employer control over Bell. Pittsburgh had the opportunity to do this for up to three years, in essence keeping Bell from receiving what he felt some team might pay for his services. So Pittsburgh had all of the leverage—sign a long-term with the Steelers at their price or play one year under the franchise tag, for $14.5 million. He saw Rams RB Todd Gurley reap greater guaranteed money and his contract was for four years. Moreover, he saw the Steelers penchant for overusing him, therefore subjecting Bell to injury and depriving him of longevity and a lucrative deal. 

     Pittsburgh still wanted Bell to sign a tender for this season. He didn’t. The Steelers intend to put a transfer tag on him. Bell doesn’t want it. And his teammates trashed his locker this week, sending him a clear message as to where they stand. Which means he definitely isn’t coming back.

     While this standoff is primarily about Bell securing a favorable deal for himself, it is also a test of the free agent market by circumventing the system in place. It is bold and it is dangerous. Bell thinks he will obtain the financial windfall he deserves. The old guard NFL will be resentful and potentially look to blackball Bell for his disregard of the measures in place and the rejection of such great money in the franchise tag. There are also racial overtones in this  situation—Bell is black and he would like to see the kind of deal white QB Kirk Cousins received from the Vikings when Washington could no longer franchise tag Cousins. 

     The name of the game here is money. NFL owners are reluctant to bestow huge sums of money on ingrates. Plus, more than even winning championships, they love to make oodles of money. They always have and always will. Tangling with the cartel could be a costly move for Le’Veon Bell. We should know in March how this stalemate turns out.

     A shout out to a great doctor—orthopedist Martin O’Malley of the Hospital for Special Surgery and an orthopedist for the Brooklyn Nets. Brooklyn’s leading scorer, Caris LaVert, suffered what appeared to be a terrible lower leg injury on Monday. Dr. O’Malley examined La Vert and opined that the subtalar dislocation would not require surgery.  Dr. O’Malley, is quite familiar to me, having operated on my L ankle and treated a perineal tendon injury with Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) treatment. If he concluded that no surgery was warranted, then I believe him.

     There was a fascinating and insightful article delivered on Wednesday at ESPN.com about Alabama Head Coach Nick Saban and his roots in West Virginia. Saban was a driven and talented young QB who led his team to a state championship, even if he was a bit undersized for the position. He had a tough high school coach who instilled the value of getting the play right. Saban would keep the team beyond practice hours to insure that they did. This motivation never went unrecognized—his college coach at Kent State was Hall of Famer Don James. James brought Saban on as a graduate assistant when Saban thought his life’s destiny was to be a car salesman.

     Mets fans, who have little to celebrate lately, can rejoice with pitcher Jacob deGrom receiving the 2018 N.L. Cy Young Award. He is the sixth to win the award as a Met. And he won it big, garnering 29 of 30 first place votes. 

     While deGrom’s 10-9 record by itself is not meritorious, he led all of MLB with an astounding 1.70 E.R.A., dominated all major versions of WAR (Wins Above Replacement), was second in the NL is strikeouts and innings, and he pitched to a 5-3 record in August and September with an E.R.A. of 1.49. Starting the season with a number of ailments, the 2014 NL Rookie of the Year performed beyond his prior seasons with a MLB-record 24 consecutive quality starts and 29 straight starts where he gave up 3 or fewer runs. 

     Jacob deGrom is a pitcher who strives to be excellent every time he pitches. His demeanor on the mound and his intensity are unmatched. Others had questioned how good he was, and even if Noah Syndergaard, not deGrom was the ace of the Mets staff. That debate is no longer ongoing. 

     I saw his greatness as a rookie. I was mesmerized by his 10 pitch, 3 strikeout performance at the 2015 All Star Game, a feat which probably will go unmatched. 2018 squarely placed Jacob deGrom in the annals of the greatest who have pitched in the big leagues.

     On the AL side. Tampa Bay’s Blake Snell was the winner over Justin Verlander of Houston and last season’s winner, Corey Kluber. A top prospect, the pitcher who wears the number 4 on his jersey, the lefty went 21-5 this past season with a 1.89 E.R.A., 221 strikeouts with only 64 walks in 180 2/3 innings. Not too shabby. As a reward for his winning the Cy Young Award, Snell was randomly chosen to have his urine tested by MLB on Friday. So much for fame.

     Boston’s Mookie Betts and Milwaukee’s Christian Yelich were the winners of the AL and NL Most Valuable Player Awards. Rather than recite their statistics, it is sufficient to say that there wasn’t any controversy over these selections. Without the years they put in, the Red Sox would not have won The World Series and the Brewers would have missed the playoffs. What is telling about Yelich is that last year he was with the Marlins. The fire sale which Derek Jeter held was a treasure trove for bargain hunters like Milwaukee. It was the Marlins’ fans loss and the Brewers’ fans gain. 

     I read an on line article this week about Garry Shandling. How is this related to sports? Well, the deceased comedian was instrumental in joining some of the great comedic and directing talents through his secret game of pick up basketball at his house. A weekly event for over 30 years on Sundays, it was an honor to participate. Ben Stiller, David Duchovny, Will Farrell and Sarah Silverman—yes Sarah Silverman—were among the regulars who played. It was a fascinating read. Google it. You might just recognize how competitive and funny these stars and their friends were.

     In other news, a group of MLB stars traveled to Japan to play their stars. Japan won the series handily. It was just another setback in the year that Miami manager Don Mattingly would like to forget.

     The Orioles and Nationals are still feuding over the amount of money Washington believes that MASN, the TV network that was necessarily formed when the Montreal Expos relocated to D.C. owes them The Orioles received a 90% share of the network and the Nats paid $75 million for a 10% share. An MLB Revenue Sharing Definitions Committee ruled that the Nats were entitled to $298 million for the team’s 2012-16 TV rights. The Orioles sued and a New York State court sent the matter back to the RSDC. No wonder why the Beltway Series is so contentious.

     Bill Parcells, in his new book, said that San Francisco 49’ers Head Coach, the late Bill Walsh, cheated during the Giants-49’ers 1985 playoff game. Oh my!! Is it true that his Super Bowl wins were tainted? That Joe Montana, Steve Young and Jerry Rice weren’t as good as we thought? Do you think Parcells holds grudges? Will this help sell books?

     Of little note was that Sue Bird, the former UConn and still a WNBA star, has joined the Denver Nuggets. She is well qualified for a role in their front office or as a coach. Bird joins a growing list of women who are involved with the NBA. Good for her. 

     Which leads to the absurd story, true or not, that the Cleveland Browns are looking to interview Condoleezza Rice for a position in their front office, or, if you can believe this, to become their head coach. While Ms. Rice has been a life long Browns fan, and most recently was on the panel which chose the four teams which participated in the college football playoffs, her experience as a Secretary of State and as a lecturer at Stanford, indeed makes her a curious choice by the Browns. Is this the ultimate in thinking outside the box, or has the sports world gone as crazy as the political world?

     Finally, I want to thank the University of Alabama football team, the runaway best team in America, the one that pundits think could beat the Buffalo Bills (really?), for their contribution to Veterans Day on Saturday. The Tide hosted the football team from The Citadel, the South Carolina military school located in Charleston. This game was supposed to be a mismatch and in the end it was exactly that. But for one half, the mighty Alabama juggernaut was tied with the  Bulldogs. Is that a great example of Nick Saban’s Southern hospitality and appreciation for the military plus a $500,000 appearance fee or what?

Fantasies...

     My sports weekend has already been ruined when Steph Curry left what became a blowout loss to the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday night in Oakland with an abductor strain. Curry had been on a rampage until then, accumulating a 29.5 scoring average, along with averaging 6.1 assists and 5.0 rebounds per game. He had topped the 30 point mark six times early in this season, including a high mark of 51 versus Washington. Curry was making 49.2% of his three point shots. 

     Curry’s NBA history shows that he has been oft-injured. My fear is that this trend will continue and shorten his career. But what a career it has been thus far. Which is why I treasure watching him perform in an NBA game—I have seen no other guard like him. It’s not that I didn’t appreciate John Stockton, Steve Nash, Kyrie Irving, Earl Monroe and many other talented and flashy guards who can pass and shoot too. I just find Steph Curry to be different than those who played before him and who compete against him. His attitude and aptitude set him apart from his forebearers and peers, and maybe those who might succeed him. Curry’s incredible shot making from anywhere on the court and his court awareness is unbelievable. He is why I have a Warriors shirt and try to watch as many of their games as are televised. 

     So when he is injured, I feel a piece of me is hurt, too. I am less likely to put on an NBA game because Curry isn’t in the lineup. When the Warriors are on, I root for them, but I am much more uncertain that they might be winners. Thankfully, sources say this is not going to be a serious or debilitating injury, keeping that would keep Curry on the shelf for a long period of recovery and rehabilitation.

     I marvel at how Lebron James and Michael Jordan survived the grind of NBA seasons. Their durability adds to their enormous accomplishments. That is something that unfortunately will not be within Steph Curry’s control, and will likely shorten his career. 

     What he has done is phenomenal. What could have been would have been beyond imagination had he stayed healthy. I can always dream…

     That leads to my topic of the week: sporting games and locales I would like to be able to see a sporting event. This comes on the heels of my daughter having been in Baton Rouge last Saturday to witness #1 Alabama handily defeat #3 LSU, silencing a raucous Tigers crowd in the process. That game, for any college football geek, is as good as it gets—from both a football perspective and a crowd and tailgating extravaganza.

     As you know, I am in the midst of attending a game in all of the MLB teams’ parks. All that are left are ball games in Tropicana Field, Busch Stadium, Royals Stadium, Miller Park , U.S. Cellular Field and Fenway Park. That is a baseball nut’s dream. I have seen an A.L.C.S. game, Game 1 of the 1971 World Series and 2 All-Star games, including one from the second row behind the American League dugout at the old Yankee Stadium. Not too shabby.

     Everybody has their fantasies. Sports fans certainly maintain theirs. That my daughter went to Alabama-LSU got me thinking about what games I really would like to see. I will attempt to keep this reasonable in its scope, because to be outlandish would make me think that my ego is too big. 

     For college football, I have seen Notre Dame play. Ohio State and Wisconsin too. I was there when Rutgers defeated #3 Louisville. I have been to Penn-Princeton and to the Yale Bowl and Franklin Field for games. Lehigh-Lafayette was always a dream game because of the number of times the rivalry has continued; I was so fortunate to see the 150th renewal at Yankee Stadium. I have seen part of the Little Three with Williams at Wesleyan. The list goes on. 

     My dream games involve ones at UCLA and Southern Cal, or if they played each other. Being a native of Georgia, I want to see the ‘Dawgs between the hedges in Athens. 

     I never had the chance to see Penn State play at home when my daughter attended. Thus I would love to see Rutgers, who I have never seen on the road, play at Beaver Stadium, then see them at High Points Solutions Stadium.

     I would love to see Columbia host a game. In my youth when I read the Sunday New York Times, it seemed almost mystical when the Lions hosted an Ivy League opponent. Alumni Field at Dartmouth is one of my favorite little stadiums; I would like to see a game there.

     From what my daughter told me, LSU seems like an awesome venue. Maybe I can get there. 

     Harvard-Yale, Ohio State-Michigan, Auburn-Alabama, Florida-Georgia, Oklahoma-Texas, or any in-state rivalry game have an aura to them. But they are not what I would like to see. It is too cold for Army-Navy in early December. I am not a Notre Dame fan; I was satisfied seeing Notre Dame Stadium at 7:30 a.m. when the grounds crew was cutting the grass. 

     As to hockey, I have a few places I would like to see. The Bell Centre in Montreal is number one on my list. If it could be any of the Canadian teams playing the Habs, especially Toronto, that would be sweet. My son and I have plans to see the New Jersey Devils on a road swing to Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver. If I could find a way to see a game in both Ottawa and Winnipeg, then I would have seen home games for all of the Canadian teams.

     What also would be neat is seeing games in Detroit, Chicago and Boston, thus completing the Original Six. Beyond that, I have never seen a Flyers game in Philadelphia. That needs to be rectified. Plus, I need to see the Islanders in the Barclays Center and then in their new home by Belmont Park to know that I have seen the metropolitan area teams in all of their venues they have played in since I was born.

     My pro football list is very short. I need to see the Jets on the road. Over 40 years as a season ticket holder, I have not once seen my team away from Shea Stadium, Giants Stadium or Met Life Stadium. I saw the Eagles play the Redskins at R.F.K. Stadium in 1971. It didn’t do much for me other than freeze me. Maybe that’s my aversion to being another NFL stadium or two.

     College basketball is fairly easy, too. The Dean E. Smith Center in Chapel Hill is at the top of the list. Pauley Pavilion at UCLA is next. Those two arenas are synonymous with great college basketball. 

     Third on my list is the venerable and old Palestra in Philadelphia. I grew up watching Big Five games televised from there. While it is ratty and old like Franklin Field, Penn’s home stadium, I need to see it one time based on the nostalgia aspect. And that’s it.

     With baseball, I would like to see certain matchups. Dodgers-Angels, White Sox-Cubs, A’s-Giants, Royals-Cardinals, Astros-Rangers, Indians-Reds, Dodgers-Padres, Twins-Brewers, both Chicago teams and the Brewers, Orioles-Nats, Tigers-White Sox are all based on geography, thereby creating the mystique. I have seen the Red Sox and the Yankees, the Phillies and the Yankees. Pirates-Yankees still interests me because my daughter spent so much time in Pittsburgh and I still haven’t gotten over Bill Mazeroski’s homer in the 1960 World Series. Generally, Yankees games with NL opponents interest me because of their rarity. That is too many games; I would be happy with one or two of the above-mentioned rivalries.

     Finally, in pro basketball, I would like to see the Lakers at the Staples Center and the present Golden State Warriors team at home and on the road. If the Knicks or Sixers happen to be playing in the Bay Area or in LA, all the better. I have been to Boston Garden, three arenas in Philadelphia, and Cleveland. Maybe Chicago and the United Center are a curiosity; it won’t bring back Michael Jordan (who I saw play the Nets at the then-Continental Airlines Arena), but I will have some perspective.

     That’s a lot of travel and a lot of miles. I have a very patient and understanding wife. She loves to travel. 

     I really don’t expect that I will see even half of these fantasies. Which is why I made a list of 40 area restaurants. That is more realistic to do and my wife might more readily go on these trips if I entertain and wine and dine her. Except that she read the blog and I may have blown my chances.

     Which is why these pie-in-the-sky ideas are called fantasies…

USE MORE ICE TO REDUCE INFLAMMATION

     This week has been marred by an abhorrent decision by the University of Maryland regarding the state of its football program, a decision which has had a tremendous ripple effect throughout the university,  and is not limited to the athletic department. Sadly, the decision disregarded what was right and wrong, and conveyed the message that football and head football coaches are more important than the value of human life.

     In the sweltering late May heat of College Park, a young man died from what later would be determined to be heat stroke. Had the proper protocols been in place, that young player, Jordan Mc Nair, would still be alive. Assistant coaches and trainers who abrogated their responsibilities were the ones who caused this tragic death. 

     The ultimate responsibility for the football team resides with its head coach. Head Coach D.J. Durkin was not in attendance at this practice session. Given the constant oversight and control big time football coaches maintain, the blame goes to only one man—the one who is paid the big bucks to oversee the football landscape. 

     University officials suspended Durkin while they conducted an investigation. That investigation cited numerous deficiencies in the Maryland football program. But while officials did not exonerate Durkin, they did not hold him accountable for this terrible tragedy. 

    After a meeting where Durkin reportedly made an impassioned plea to continue as Head Coach, the Board of Regents reinstated Durkin. In the process, the President of the University of Maryland resigned rather than agreeing with this move. Damon Evens—the man who became the permanent AD in June—remained in place. 

     Durkin went to his first squad meeting and a number of players walked out, believing that Mc Nair’s death bring treated as merely an unfortunate blip on the football program. Campus protests ensued. The Governor and politicians were outraged. Mc Nair’s family was in disbelief. 

     With egg on its face, Maryland fired Durkin and the 78 year old head of the Board of Regents resigned.  There was never going to be a winner here given the tragedy; the University’s insensitive and mind-boggling handling of this matter has led to a school and team in disarray. Maryland lost big on Saturday. Their win over the now-ranked University of Texas team to start the season was more an emotional response by the players to honor their fallen comrade. 

     Maryland and Rutgers are the newbies in the Big 10, largely brought into the fold to enhance the Big Ten Network with cornerstones in the D.C and New York markets. Instead, controversy has been the staple of these two schools. 

     While nothing as egregious as a death has occurred at RU, it has had its share of deplorable events since the Kyle Flood era. The latest occurred this week when a young, troubled RU player, evidently distraught over the breakup with his girlfriend, allegedly developed a scheme to kill his girlfriend’s parents.

     CBSSports.com has reported that since the Jerry Sandusky scandal in 2011 at Penn State, “…there have been at least16 high-profile instances of alleged wrongdoing in Big Ten athletic departments involving 11 of the 14 schools. Only Northwestern, Purdue and Wisconsin seem to have escaped unscathed.

     Thus, Rutgers and Maryland, who have not closed the gap on the playing field, have certainly done their best to emulate the other members outside of the three more upstanding members of this hallowed academic conference. For a conference based on research universities who purportedly promote academic and athletic virtue, this is so sad. Maryland is the third instance of a university hierarchy being fired or resigning in wake of scandalous activity, following in the footsteps of MIchigan State, with the Larry Nasser affair and Penn State. Scandals at both institutions resulted in criminal charges and convictions of their leaders.

     So I ask this—where is the Big Ten Conference and its commissioner, Jim Delany? What about the NCAA—what are they doing in the wake of these kinds of scandals which are not limited to the Big Ten? Rutgers, Louisville, North Carolina, Miami, Syracuse and Mississippi are among the 11 schools currently on probation. The ills in college athletics reaches to the D III level where Centennial Conference member for football, Susquehanna University, is on probation which ends on November 21, and the entire athletics programs at Elmhurst and Kalamazoo Colleges are on probation.

     When are the problems going to end? Not as long as there is big money from television and booster who funnel money into the coffers of these programs to have their schools achieve success in athletics. Or an unscrupulous coach who wants to win, the rules be damned.

     What happened at Maryland was indeed tragic and preventable. It’s Maryland, Rutgers and all of the other schools who flaunt the system which need restraint. I am not saying that bad things don’t happen at all schools—Franklin and Marshall suffered from a mean-spirited hazing scandal on its very talented women’s lacrosse team. Ivy League schools have made the NCAA’s list—Harvard had a secondary violation in its men’s basketball program and Princeton had an instance of giving improper financial benefits.

     I wish these offending schools would have their ability to play revoked for one year for flagrant violations or the ubiquitous “lack of institutional control” sanction. I don’t fault the NCAA, which tries hard to regulate its membership. Instead, I fault the members and their failure to aspire to become models of decency, sportsmanship and academic proficiency. 

     This is a reflection of America—probity and virtuosity countered by dereliction and greed. Institutions of higher learning—safeguard your students, starting with your athletes.

     On the fields, Princeton defeated Dartmouth in the battle of the undefeateds to gain Ivy League supremacy—for now. The Tigers still must beat ancient rivals Yale and Penn to remain undefeated and be the sole champions of the Ivies for 2018.

     Franklin and Marshall shot itself in the foot on a last second loss to Ursinus via a 38 yard field goal. The Bears now have the inner track to the second bowl game with the MAC, should they tie with the Diplomats. Susquehanna is also at 5-3; they have beaten Ursinus and lost to F&M. I am now rooting for Dickinson to upset Ursinus while the Diplomats defeat arch rival Gettysburg on the road. 

     After last night’s beatdown of #3 LSU, is any one going to beat Alabama? The Crimson Tide has four contests left before the playoffs. #18 Mississippi State rolls into Tuscaloosa on Saturday. They aren’t going to beat the Tide. The Citadel follows—the first string may play a half in the matchup. And the Iron Bowl is at home versus Auburn, thereby favoring ‘Bama. The SEC championship is between Alabama and Georgia. Georgia lost to LSU in Baton Rouge for their only demerit on their schedule thus far. If healthy, Alabama wins that contest, too. 

     It’s too early to predict who will be the four to make the playoffs. Notre Dame had a big win at Northwestern. Clemson demolished Louisville. Michigan looks like it will move up to number 4. There is a lot of time to shake things out before the playoffs are finalized. I think we can reasonably believe that Alabama and Clemson are virtual locks. More to come. 

     The NFL lost its last unbeaten team when the LA Rams succumbed to Drew Brees and the Saints in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. New Orleans has only one loss and is a legitimate threat to win the NFC. Pat Mahomes was awesome once more in leading the Chiefs past the Browns in Cleveland. 

     The Jets looked horrible (again!!) in losing an ugly contest in Miami. Like Rutgers, who finishes up with the likes of Michigan, Penn State and Michigan State after another defeat, this time to Wisconsin, in a half-filled Camp Randall Stadium, the Jets have to face the Patriots twice,  and host Houston and Green Bay. There may be opportunities for wins against Buffalo (twice) and Tennessee. Right now, the Jets need a lot of help next season. And Todd Bowles is not likely to be the coach next season to start the changes. Why did I break in my new Jets t shirt versus Miami? It was a stupid thing to do. It wasn’t going to change this team’s luck.

     Green Bay visits Foxborough for a matchup between Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady. No matter the outcome, the debate as to who is the G.O.A.T. will still rage on. With neither side wrong in the declarations. 

     In trying to rectify the high school playoff system in New Jersey, the NJSIAA enlisted a retired mathematician who had used a formula which included power points for victories and score differentials to accurately predict which teams might make the playoffs. His accuracy was phenomenal. 

     This mathematician  explained his new system to the high school administrators, who were assured that power points would not be involved. Lo and behold, power points were used and the outcry was enormous when 1-7 Middletown North made the playoffs (they were crushed by Long Branch) while 7-1 Delran failed to gain entry. Way to go, NJSIAA. Back to the drawing for next year.

     With so much football going on, the Golden State Warriors shooting the lights out again and Luke Walton being admonished by Magic Johnson for the slow start for the Lakers, it is only fair that I cite that the Dodgers paying Clayton Kershaw $93 million on a 3 year extension is ludicrous and obscene. That’s $31 million a year, with a lot of guaranteed money. For a baseball player. For a lottery winner. For anyone. The Yankees re-sigining Brett Gardner for one year was a relative steal.

     I’ve typed too much for my shoulder. Time to go ice, or be put on ice.