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?
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