Lists

This is the final blog for 2019. As we close the calendar year, so does the NFL season come to an end. The college football playoffs are upon us (finally!) College basketball conference play starts in earnest. The NHL Winter Classic is in Dallas?? The NBA Christmas Show—5 games on national TV—is history. I can almost hear the sounds of bats and gloves at Spring Training …almost.

The NFL has some drama left in Week 17. The Cowboys and Eagles still haven’t decided which team will go out in the first round of the playoffs as the winner of the NFC East.

San Francisco and Seattle meet on Sunday night in the last game of the regular season, with the NFC West crown and possible top seed in the conference at stake. Playoff positioning in the NFC makes the games for New Orleans and Green Bay important. 

Is it Oakland with a miracle finish and a lot of luck or Tennessee that claims the last spot in the AFC Playoffs? Tennessee has to play Houston, which can still move up in seeding. New England’s game against Miami has meaning too for the Patriots in terms of the all-important home field, where historically, Tom Brady and crew have done much better.

On Saturday, LSU meets Oklahoma in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl in the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta and Ohio State and Clemson tangle in the aptly named PlayStation Fiesta Bowl inside State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. For the right to head to the CFP National Championship in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. The Goodyear Cotton Bowl is in AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas; the Capital One Orange Bowl has its home at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens; the Allstate Sugar Bowl is also being played at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Don’t you just love corporate naming rights for bowl games and stadiums?

With Gonzaga the newest team heading the college basketball rankings, how long will it take before the ‘Zags are no longer in the top spot? With conference teams going head-to-head, especially in the Big Ten, which currently sports 6 schools in the Top 25, the rankings are going to go through many changes until Selection Sunday. Heading to Vegas and betting on a team to win the National Championship has to be a crap shoot. 

It was heartwarming to see Steph Curry and Klay Thompson wearing blue and on the floor at the Chase Center when the Warriors took on the Houston Rockets. No matter that neither is anywhere close to playing after their injuries. The team wearing “The City’ jerseys handled James Harden and Russell Westbrook just fine. Steve Kerr’s squad has picked up their third and fourth wins in a row, temporarily escaping the shadows of the Knicks and the Pelicans. 

By the way, Houston is not a contender in the West—the Clippers and Lakers are much better. Those two teams met in the place they both call home—the Staples Center. It was clear that there is more firepower and better personnel on the Clippers when Kawhi Leonard is playing. Patrick Beverley swatted away a three point attempt by LeBron James in the waning moments of Wednesday’s game, deflecting it from King James’ left hand; ball to the Clippers. 

James is playing hurt and it shows. He is still a great player despite the handicap. His groin injury must heal for the Lakers to make a deep run in the playoffs. Anthony Davis too is playing hurt and he needs to get better. Someone said a player like Andre Iguodala is needed to make the Lakers whole. That may be the truth.

The Celtics won their game against the Raptors, who were without Pascal Siakam. Siakam has blossomed into a star for Toronto. Joel Embiid starred for the Sixers as they romped at home over Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks. New Orleans upset Denver on the road—without Zion Williamson, who is still out, while Nikolai Jokic had a subpar game for the Nuggets. 

What the end of the calendar year brings are lots of awards and recognition. Plus a bevy of lists thanks to the 100th season of the NFL and the 150th season of college football. 

The major sports saw the Washington Nationals overwhelm the Houston Astros to win the World Seies. Clemson won the College Football Playoffs last January. G.O.A.T. Tom Brady and the Patriots again were Super Bowl victors. Virginia won the NCAA Men’s Basketball title. Baylor prevailed on the women’s side. The St. Louis Blues came from the bottom of the Western Conference to garner the Stanley Cup. Rafael Nadal excelled again, as did Novak Djokovic. Serena Williams lost 2 finals at Wimbledon and Flushing Meadow. Tiger Woods captured his 15th major championship with a win at the Masters, tied Sam Snead’s record for most wins in PGA Tour history and led the US team to a stirring win in the recently concluded International. And there is the incomparable Simone Biles, the gymnast for the ages and AP Female Athlete of the Year. Let us not forget Team USA, once more winners of the Women’s World Cup in soccer.

I saw an article from  NYTimes.com which proclaimed that Steph Curry (not LeBron) is the N.B.A. Player of the Decade. The takes are interesting from a number of experts. LeBron may be the better player and appeared in more championships along with winning more M.V.P. awards. It is what Curry attained with the Warriors, a team—their 73 wins in a season—along with his redefining what outside and inside shooting by a guard can be. I ask this—whose uniform do you see worn by more kids—LeBron’s 23 or Steph’s 30? In this era of analytics, the answer is in the numbers…

The first list I saw was one that startled me. It was the top Professional Bowlers Association bowlers of all time. And I cannot find it. Such a shame. 

Instead, there are a few lists that I can access and make a lot more sense to me anyway. They are more in line with the major sports.

MLB had a list of unique achievements in 2019. For the pitchers: Chris Sale became the first to fan 17 in 7 innings; Kyle Hendricks pitched a complete game shutout on 81 pitches with 63 of them strikes—the best percentage since stats on pitch count were kept; Gerrit Cole is the only pitcher to strike out 15 and allow 1 baserunner who homered; his former Astros teammate Justin Verlander is the only pitcher to strike out 15 and surrender 3 home runs; Trevor Bauer is the first to hit 1 batter, walk 6, strike out at least 8 and not give up a hit in less than 9 innings. As to the hitters: Boston’s Rafael Devers is the only player to get 6 hits with at least 4 of them being doubles; Caven Biggio matched his Hall of Fame father in hitting for the cycle, but Caven is the first to steal 2 bases and drive in 4 baserunners; Yuri Gurriel drove in 8 runs on 2 hits yet is the only player to score only 1 run in the process; the Diamondbacks Idelmaro Vargas is the first player to come off the bench as a pinch hitter, have 6 plate appearances, 4 hits, with one of them a homer; and Derek Dietrich of Cincinnati is the first to be hit by a pitch 3 times in a game and score 4 runs and then get hit again the next day.

ESPN has gone gaga over college football in its 150th season. I have viewed programs on rivalries and greatest games. They have also generated some lists.

The 50 best college football programs starts with Alabama at the top. 

The next 9 are: Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma, USC, Michigan, Yale, Nebraska, Texas and, drum roll please, North Dakota State for all it has accomplished in Division 1-AA and now the FBS. Princeton, Penn State, Harvard, Tennessee, LSU, Mount Union, Miami (Florida), St. John’s (Minnesota), Florida State Auburn, Florida, Georgia, Boise State, Clemson and Grambling complete the Top 25. The rest are: Penn, Wittenberg, Michigan State, Minnesota, Washington, Wisconsin-Whitewater, Texas A&M, Pittsburgh, Appalachian State, Linfield, Georgia Tech, Dartmouth, Virginia Tech, Army, Miami (Ohio), Central Michigan, Colorado, Stanford, Arkansas, Pittsburg State, Arizona State, West Virginia, Georgia Southern, Utah and Wisconsin. Five D-III schools made the list but not  Amherst or Williams. I would have thought that Delaware might have made the list for the championship years they were led by Davey Nelson and Tubby Raymond. Oklahoma State or Iowa might have garnered a mention. It is some impressive list.

Next up are the Top 150 games in college football history. Leading the list is #1Nebraska 35 at #2Oklahoma 31 (1971), Next up is #5 Miami 31 versus #1 Nebraska 30 at the Orange Bowl on January 2, 1984. Appalachian State’s 2007 upset of #5 Michigan is third. The Doug Flutie Hail Mary pass for #10 Boston College at #12 Miami to win 47-45 in 1984 is fourth. Number 5 is #2 Penn State 14 #1 Miami at the Fiesta Bowl on January 2, 1987. Of note is #11, the famous Harvard-Yale game in 1968, which ended in a 29-29, for which Harvard claimed a win. The other games are a who’s who of college football, with many games the most memorable ones for the fans.

The Top 150 of college head coaches is led by Paul (Bear) Bryant, the legendary Maryland, Kentucky, Texas A&M and Alabama icon. Right behind the Bear is Nick Saban, the current Alabama head man, who also had stops at Toledo, Michigan State and LSU. Knute Rockne is synonymous with Notre Dame football; his 105-12-5 record and .881 winning percentage remains the highest of all time. The next four men stayed at one school and won big: Tom Osborne at Nebraska, Eddie Robinson at Grambling, Charles (Bud) Wilkinson at Oklahoma and Joe Pa, Joe Paterno of Penn State. Rounding out the Top 10 are Bobby 

Bowden, who spent time at Howard College, West Virginia and most famously at Florida State; Woody Hayes who grabbed fame at Ohio State after stops Denison and Miami (Ohio); and Frank Leahy, who spent time at Boston College before continuing his fabulous career at Notre Dame. The names on the list are the royalty of the sport.

There is a Top 150 of all-time college teams. The number 1 team is that 1971 Nebraska squad. Second is current Seattle Seahawks Coach Pete Carroll’s 2004 USC team. The USC team from 1972, Nebraska from 1995, 2018 Clemson, 2005 Texas, 2001 Miami (Florida), 1979 Alabama, 1956 Oklahoma and 2009 Alabama comprise the rest of the Top 10. So Nebraska and USC are the top 4, with Alabama having 2 spots in the Top 10 and the most recent winner of the CFP in Clemson ascending to the exalted list. 

ESPN’s All Time All-America Team is really surprising in some of the picks. The first team offense is as follows: QB Roger Staubach (Navy); RB Jim Brown (Syracuse); RB Herschel Walker (Georgia); WR Jerry Rice (Mississippi Valley State); WR Larry Fitzgerald (Pitt); TE Mike Ditka (Pitt); C Chuck Bednarik (Penn); T Orlando Pace (Ohio State); Bill Fralic (Pitt); G John Hannah (Alabama); and G Jim Parker (Ohio State). The first team defense is: DE Hugh Green (Pitt); DE Reggie White (Tennessee); DT Bronko Nagurski (Minnesota); DT Lee Roy Selmon (Oklahoma); LB Dick Butkus (Illinois); LB Lawrence Taylor (North Carolina); LB Tommy Nobis (Texas); CB Deion Sanders (Florida State); Charles Woodson (Michigan); S Jack Tatum (Ohio State); and  Ronnie Lott (USC). The specialists are: K Sebastian Janikowski (Florida State); P Ray Guy (Southern Mississippi) and All-Purpose Player, Johnny Rodgers (Nebraska). The Second Team QB is Peyton Manning (Tennessee), with his running backs Bo Jackson (Auburn) and Archie Griffin (Ohio State). These guys were so good that awards have been named for Guy (punting), Bednarik (defensive player), Nagurski (defensive player), Butkus (linebackers), second team WR Fred Biletnikoff from Florida State (wide receivers) and C Dave Rimington of Nebraska (center).

But wait—the NFL Network has been running its own weekly countdown of the Top 100 NFL players in the history of the league. The Top 12 RB are: Jim Brown; Earl Campbell; Marion Motley; Steve Van Buren; O.J. Simpson; Gayle Sayers; Barry Sanders; Emmitt Smith; Lenny Moore; Walter Payton; Eric Dickerson; and Earl (Dutch) Clark. Some may never have heard of old-timers like tailback Clark (Portsmouth and Detroit) and Van Buren (Eagles), the ground breaking black running back Motley (Cleveland and Pittsburgh) or even Lenny Moore of the Baltimore Colts. Each one has his imprint on the way they dominated play.

I cannot argue with the linebackers. Lawrence Taylor, Bobby Bell (Chiefs), Dick Butkus (Bears), Chuck Bednarik (Eagles) Derrick Brooks (Bucs); “The Mad Stork,”Ted Hendricks (Colts, Packers and Raiders), Steelers Jack Ham and Jack Leonard, Junior Seau (Chargers), Ray Lewis (Ravens), Willie Lanier (Chiefs) and Joe Schmidt (Lions). They put a hurting on those who came across the line of scrimmage or who dared to pass.

There are 6 Defensive Ends on the list. Reggie White (Eagles and Packers); Doug Atkins (Bears); Lee Roy Selmon (Bucs); Bill Hewitt (Bears and Eagles); Bruce Smith (Bills) and Gino Marchetti (Colts and fast food fame). Some great names and characters.

The 6 Defensive Tackles are: Randy White (Cowboys); Junious “Buck” Buchanan (Chiefs); “Mean” Joe Greene (Steelers and Coke commercials); Bob Lilly (Cowboys); Merlin Olsen (Rams and Little House on the Prairie and Father Murphy TV shows); Alan Page (Vikings and a Minnesota Supreme Court Justice); and John Randle (Vikings).

Corner Backs included: Mel Blount (Steelers); Willie Brown (Raiders) Darrell Green (Redskins); Mike Haynes (Patriots); Dick “Night Train” Lane (Lions); Rod Woodson (Steelers) and the incomparable Deion Sanders (Falcons, 49’ers, Redskins, Ravens and Cowboys). Jack Christensen (Rams); Ken Houston (Houston Oilers and Redskins); Ronnie Lott (49’ers, Raiders and Jets); Ed Reed (Ravens, Texans and Jets); Emlen Tunnell (Giants) and Larry Wilson (Cardinals) are the Safeties.

Two placekickers and two punters made the list. Jan Stenerud (Chiefs) and Adam Vinateri (Patriots and Colts who is still active) are the kickers while Ray Guy (Raiders) and Shane Lechler (Raiders and Texans) are the punters. The return men are Devin Hester (Bears, Falcons, Ravens and Seahawks) and Widener College’s Billy “White Shoes” Johnson (Oilers, Falcons and Redskins).

Five Tight Ends made the cut. Tony Gonzalez (Chiefs and Falcons); John Mackey (Colts and Chargers); Mike Ditka (Bears, Eagles and Cowboys); Kellen Winslow (Chargers); and, of course, “The Gronk,” Rob Gronkowski (Patriots) are the Fab 5. 

The Offensive Tackles are: Roosevelt Brown (Giants); Forrest Gregg (Packers and Cowboys); Art Shell (Raiders); Cal Hubbard (Giants, Packers, Pittsburgh Pirates); Anthony Munoz (Bengals); Walter Jones (Seahawks) and Jonathan Ogden (Ravens). Guards named to the top 100 are John Hannah (Patriots); Larry Allen (Cowboys and 49’ers); Dan Fortmann (Bears); Bruce Matthews (Oilers/Titans); Randall Mc Daniel (Vikings and Bucs); Jim Parker (Colts); and Gene Upshaw (Raiders and head of the NFLPA). Centers on this squad are: Mel Hein (Giants); Jim Otto (Raiders); Dwight Stephenson (Dolphins); and the late Mike Webster (Steelers and Chiefs), who was the tragical poster boy for the CTE the NFL first denied then has started to react to.

Wide Receivers were narrowed down to 10 worthy ones. They are Lance Alworth a.k.a. “Bambi” (Chargers and Cowboys); Don Hutson (Packers); Jerry Rice (49’ers, Seahawks and Raiders); Raymond Berry (Colts); Elroy “CrazyLegs” Hirsch (Chicago Rockets and Rams); Marvin Harrison (Colts); Steve Largent (Seahawks); Paul Warfield (Browns and Dolphins); Randy Moss (Vikings, Patriots, Raiders Titans and 49’ers) and the still-active Larry Fitzgerald (Cardinals).

How to come up with 10 Head Coaches was a daunting task. Nonetheless, there are the usual legendary ones—George “Papa Bear” Halas (founder of the Bears); New Jersey’s own Vince Lombardi (Packers and Redskins); Tom Landry (Cowboys); Paul Brown (founder of the Browns and Bengals); and Curly Lambeau (the Packers stadium is named after him). More recent honorees are: Joe Gibbs (Redskins and NASCAR team owner); Chuck Noll (Steelers); Don Shula (Colts and Dolphins); trendsetter Bill Walsh (49’ers); and the man who may the best of them all, even if he is disliked for so much—Bill Belichick (Patriots). I thought of Hank Stram (Chiefs and Saints); Jimmy Johnson (Cowboys); Tom Coughlin (Giants); and Weeb Ewbank (Colts and Jets). Current coaches on the horizon might be Pete Carroll (Jets, Patriots and Seahawks); John Harbaugh (Ravens); Mike Tomlin (Steelers); Andy Reid (Eagles and Chiefs); Sean Mc Vay (Rams); Sean Payton (Saints) and Doug Peterson (Eagles). They may supplant some of these names on the 150 year NFL team.

Lastly, the most glamorous position was the last to be announced. That would be the Quarterbacks. That list must and did start with Tom Brady (Patriots); Joe Montana (49’ers and Chiefs); and Peyton Manning (Colts and Broncos). Speaking of the Broncos, a no brainer is John Elway. Dan Marino was so prolific that he could not be excluded even if his teams never won a Super Bowl, so he was on the roster. So, too are Brett Farve (Falcons, Packers, Jets and Vikings), Otto Graham (Browns), Roger “The Dodger” Staubach (Cowboys), “Slingin” Sammy Baugh (Redskins) and last and certainly not least, Johnny Unitas (Colts and Chargers). No Eli Manning, Giants fans. No Joe Namath, Jets fans. I expected Drew Brees (Saints), who continues to set almost every imaginable QB record to make the list, but he didn’t.

That’s it. I have had it with lists for now, even if I saw 19 amazing feats from the 2019 MLB season, including the Mets Jacob de Grom throwing his slider at an average speed of 92.5 m.p.h., with it actually topping 95 m.p.h. a number of times. Phenomenal. 

Here’s hoping that you are on somebody’s good list for 2019 and heading into a happy, healthy 2020.

The Best Fan I Know

This is not my normal essay on sports. No reporting on the Yankees, Mets or any MLB team or players. Nope. None of that. 

Even while the end of the NFL season is upon us, there will be no sad or sarcastic comments about the Jets and Giants. Nothing about the playoff contenders. Not even about Drew Brees, Lamar Jackson, Tom Brady or any coach or other team and/or player(s). 

Pro and college hoops are in full swing. As much as I would have liked to discuss the changing landscape in hoops, this is not the time. No recap of Seton Hall-Rutgers. No discussion of the Lakers or Bucks. 

Ditto hockey, golf, Tiger Woods. Plenty to talk about. Just not in this blog.

Same for college football with National Signing Day. Can’t talk about it, Greg Schiano, Chris Ash, bowl games, All-Star teams. Uh uh.

Instead, I am going to talk about a fan. Not a rabid fan, mind you, but a fan who can talk sports. Who knows how to analyze key moments and derives satisfaction when teams win. Yet this fan does not get down when a team of interest loses, which is far different from a lot of my friends, who live and die with the Yankees, Giants, Jets, Rangers and Devils, or Rutgers or even Seton Hall, UVa, etc. 

Understanding and appreciating the subtleties of sports is this fan’s pleasure. And when there is a question to be asked, the question is asked. If criticism is warranted, then the criticism is valid and honest. 

This fan knows baseball. This fan knows football. This fan knows basketball. This fan knows hockey. This fan knows tennis. This fan knows golf. This fan knows gymnastics. All sports which this fan never has played or tried, yet can talk with great expertise on a multitude of related topics.

I grew up a sports fan from an early age. My baseball recollections go back to 1956-57 for Yankees baseball and a brief telecast of the Dodgers. I recall Marty Glickman doing NBA games from Syracuse and Rochester and the Knicks playing at the 69th Regiment Armory.  I followed NHL hockey on CBS with the Saturday afternoon telecasts. I devoured the sports sections of the Daily News, the Daily Mirror, Journal-American, and the Sunday New York Times. Local sports in the Daily Home News. Rutgers football was broadcast on WCTC 1450.

I watched my heroes—Mickey Mantle, Whitey Ford, Yogi Berra. Frank Gifford and Sam Huff of the Giants. Carl Braun and Richie Guerin of the Knickerbockers. I saw enough newsreels on Ben Hogan and Sam Snead. 

I lived, breathed and loved sports—if I could play it I would. Shooting hoops on the basket affixed to the house over the garage door. Having the neighbors throw baseball after baseball to me so I could catch and hit. Swimming laps in the pool developed stamina.

This was what most boys my age did and liked to do. In Highland Park it was the norm.

My love of sports grew exponentially. Baseball cards helped. Talking with my friends about Mantle or other Yankees was great. I watched everything I could on WPIX, the home of the Yankees. I started to go to the Stadium. 60 years ago this past October I was inside Madison Square Garden for my first Rangers game. Back to the Garden to see Wilt Chamberlain demolish the poor old Knicks. More NBA games on TV kept me glued to the TV in the colder months.

When college football or basketball was shown, I was on top of it. Army-Navy. Local college hoops from Manhattan College, Fordham. The NIT with NYU still playing top tier major college basketball. I actually knew where Bradley University was from watching TV. 

Saturday night Rangers or Knicks telecasts were a staple. I even fooled around with the TV to try to get broadcasts from Philadelphia in a grainy, barely visible picture. 

When the Mets arrived, I soaked up their broadcasts. Lindsey Nelson, Bob Murphy; Kiner’s Corner with Hall of Fame outfielder Ralph Kiner—I watched the Amazins’, with Casey Stengel, lose game after game.

You get the picture. Pun intended. And I still haven’t stopped watching TV or live sports. This is why I have had Rangers, Jets, Devils and Rutgers basketball packages. 

I also have a sister whom I converted into a sports nut. She was every bit the Yankees and Jets fan I was. She could hit a baseball and throw HARD. She played tennis at Monmouth. I don’t know who was the better athlete, but we were highly competitive when it came to sports. She went where I went when it came to attending games. 

Ironically, my father was not as crazy about sports as I was or even my sister. But he watched the Yankees on hot summer nights in our cooler downstairs den, which had a big fan giving us enough of a breeze, eating watermelon or cherries. I can vividly recall games from old Briggs Stadium in Detroit, Washington’s Griffith Stadium with the first incarnation of the Senators, Comiskey Park, home of the White Sox, venerable Fenway Park and Cleveland’s cavernous Municipal Stadium—all before expansion.

Again, this is not about me. I speak of my background so that you can grasp why I am so astonished about this fan I am going to honor. This fan did not have the kind of background I did. Yes, the fan went to the Garden for the Knicks and Rangers, saw the Mets at the Polo Grounds and the Yankees at the old Stadium. Far from the extent that I did.

So who is this best fan I have ever known? It is not my son, who loves his hockey and Jets football along with anything Miami Hurricanes and the tennis majors.

My daughter is very interested in sports—more than he is. She knows baseball, football, Penn State football, hockey. Really well. We share the FOX NFL pool, ruminating over wins or losses. Still, I am not talking about her, despite her great working knowledge of sports and sports broadcasting.

By now you have probably guessed that the person I love to watch anything sports with is the woman I married. Toby Claire Sperber is the best sports fan I have ever known. 

She can’t recite records of teams or players from memory. She has her favorites. And she has some players, coaches, mangers who she disdains.

Toby watches Pardon The Interruption for the humor and sarcasm. She liked the information Ron Jaworski and Steve Young offered. It is her current events for sports. Toby doesn’t need Sports Center. 

I should have known what I was getting into 38 years ago on December 26th when we started a conversation at her cousin’s door on the night we met on a blind date (which her cousin never thought could possibly work), with me trying to leave nicely around 11:00 to get some sleep before the Jets playoff game the next day at 12:00 at Shea Stadium. 

I told her where I was going and asked her if she liked sports. She said “Yes.” I asked her who her favorite sportscaster was and she said Len Berman, who was on WNBC. 

That led to two hours of non-stop talking and a weary me heading to Queens. And a lifetime with the best partner this man could ever have found.

We didn’t really talk much about sports when we dated. I did take her to the Garden to see the Rangers. Once we married, she loved to meet me at our seats in Section 302, Row F, seats 1 & 2, bringing sandwiches from the Second Avenue Deli. She instantly became addicted to the fervor at Rangers games.

She learned that I was a sports junkie. Throughout the years, she watched countless games, went with me to college and pro stadiums and arenas everywhere, with nary a complaint. It was part of partnership which she thought was fun and exciting.

We took our children to many games in many places. My daughter, as I said, was like me, and she talked her way into a closed Stanford Stadium, a 1984 Olympic venue, for her “father to see.” Whether it was a Saturday night game in the Metrodome, the Division III Final Four in Salem, Virginia, or a simple F&M-Moravian basketball game in Bethlehem, she enjoyed the excitement. 

Even the dog was dragged into the sports miasma. Lady loved her spot on the grass peering under the fence from beyond the North end zone at F&M’s Williamson Field. Restrained by Toby, watching the contest unfold.

What I didn’t know was Toby was learning about the games and how they were played. She watched intently, listened to my dialogue and eventually the quietness was replaced by pertinent questions and those questions were then replaced by sophisticated observations.

Toby has watched over 37 years of sports in varying degrees. Not to the extent that I do. Nonetheless, I absolutely love watching or going to a Yankees game with her. She has really gotten into my stadium tour (she loves Pittsburgh and Houston). 

Not overly demonstrative like me, she was really into the Seton Hall-Rutgers game on Saturday. The woman knows a 2-3 zone, a zone press and trap, and switching man-to man defenses.

When the NBA playoffs came around, she would watch the Warriors with great fascination. She loves what Klay Thompson can do on a court, describing him as underrated.  While she understood the money ramifications, Toby hoped that Kevin Durant would stay a Warrior. 

Toby shakes her head in disgust when we talk about the Knicks. Then again, doesn’t everyone?

She asks about Seth Curry—not Steph Curry, who she truly appreciates. She understood the significance of what Drew Brees did with his 29 for 30 passing on Monday night. Toby feels for Eli Manning, until I remind her he is making $18 million.

We were in South Africa and she became enthralled with the World Cup. It might be boring at times. To her, it had major importance. Toby is fully aware of the USA’s decline and is mystified why we can’t be better. 

Toby became a serious watcher of gymnastics from our daughter’s participation. She knows vaulting, floor, the uneven bars and beam. Toby will score the event and let me know if she disagrees with the judge’s opinion.

My wife knows when she sees pass interference—better than the NFL officials. Her thought on past and present Jets head coaches cannot be printed. 

Toby understood the greatness of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Serena Williams. She’s not very fond of Novak Djokovic. 

She always thought that Joe Girardi overused his bullpen. To her, Derek Jeter was more a real baseball player than simply good looking. She loved the character and hustle of Didi Gregorius. Don’t ask for her opinion on Gary Sanchez. 

Toby is not a big fan of Rutgers AD Pat Hobbs. Her dislike started when he banned outside food from the RAC. The Schiano affair and other things which have happened under his watch have soured her. 

No one sees this blog until Toby has read it. She questions things I write or tells me I have done a good job. Because she really knows the subjects I write about. 

Toby is out playing mah jongg while I write this piece. I didn’t turn on any games tonight. I would rather have her stop and peer at the score and offer a comment which would cause me to think how lucky I am to have her knowledge of sports. 

This woman will ask me when I make my weekly NFL selections why I picked the Jets or went with Buffalo over New England (What were you thinking?). Even if she can’t stand Tom Brady, Robert Kraft and Bill Belichick. 

Toby believes that the salaries for athletes are obscene. She was instrumental in my not spending money on a Jets seat license—because she knew it was a bad investment for the product I was getting.  Although the facilities are gleaming, she believes governments could better spend their money on more appropriate things which impact the citizens for generations.

Her pragmatism does not detract from her objectively and subjectively watching games and traveling to so many arenas and stadiums. Toby has sympathy and empathy for the participants and the fans who freeze themselves at Met Life Stadium and other venues (she still dislikes the Giants for not agreeing to enclose the stadium with a roof).

She’ll come back tonight and asked what games did I watch. She will be a bit perplexed that I didn’t watch any tonight. It’s not as much fun without her input. 

She might be sad to know that there was a 30 for 30 on ESPN. Then again, she will ask me to find out if it will be on again. 

I know she will follow the College Football Playoffs. Toby thinks that it is time that someone else other than Alabama participates—perhaps Clemson might repeat, but she hasn’t yet shared that with me.

Her birthday, our meeting and our anniversary all fall between December 22 and 30. I learned early that I made a sizable mistake wanting to go to a Flyers-Rangers game without her on our anniversary. After all, it was a big rivalry in the early ’80’s. She would have enjoyed the Garden crowds’ nasty, throaty castigating of the visitors. And she might have agreed with their opinion based on how the game was going.

Thanks, Toby, for being the best fan I could ever talk sports with. You have allowed me to be me in a way that we fully shared the experience. Your passion and love for sports is something I respect and cherish. Thanks for taking the time to learn the intricacies of the sports and to appreciate the gifted athletes we watch along with questioning the many facets of sports as a business regarding the NFL, MLB, NBA or NHL.

And yes, dear, I concur that Lebron is great, not as wonderful as Michael Jordan, and he whines too much. 

Schedules and Dreams

This holiday season there is some joy in the NY/NJ sports scene. The emphasis is on the word “some.”

Yes, the Giants and Jets are both bad. That has been a constant refrain for 2019. Sam Darnold is a work in progress—his season is a struggle between peaks and valleys. He has the tools. Darnold does not have the experience nor does he have a good corps of receivers. The Jets offensive line is abysmal. Defensively, without Jamal Adams, the DB’s are not very good. Plus the D-line went offside twice on goal line plays against Baltimore. Forget it, Jets fans. Even with wins against Pittsburgh and Buffalo, the season is not salvageable and the draft position in the upcoming NFL Draft is mediocre. Which sums up the 2019 New York Jets.

Things aren’t a whole heck of a lot better over in East Rutherford. Giants QB Daniel Jones is losing valuable growth and maturity while out with a high ankle sprain. It may be a farewell tour for future Canton inductee Eli Manning which keeps Giants fans from completely closing the season down. So much is wrong with the team that, in almost every area outside of running back and quarterback, the team requires considerable upgrades. And even with Saquan Barkley running the ball and Daniel Jones directing the offense, much more is expected from them. 

What is worse for Giants fans is that they host Miami, travel to Washington, then end the season at home with Philadelphia. All sub .500 teams, the last two in the worst division in the NFL. The Giants could actually win a game or two, hurting their draft position too. 

Where to turn—the Knicks? Hey, they beat Golden State in San Francisco in OT. Which established, for at least one night, that they aren’t the worst team in the NBA. Only for one night. On Friday they managed to win at Sacramento. Two in a row!! On the road!! 

They were bad enough to make David Fizdale the first firing of the 2019-20 season. Two hours after he had conducted practice and joked with team management. Typical Knicks. And they don’t have anyone glamorous enough to sell the fans on waiting in the wings to take over coaching for the remainder of the season.

Across the East River, the Nets are treading above .500 while Kyrie Irving remains sidelined. The Nets do have some things the Knicks don’t—a real head coach in Kenny Atkinson plus some decent players who have bonded together in Irving’s absence. They seem to be trending in the right direction as they await the debut of the injured Kevin Durant next season.

Rutgers and Seton Hall seem to have some talent on their squads. Their meeting in Piscataway on Saturday might settle which the best team is in the Garden State and maybe in the area. Seton Hall has had a relatively tough early schedule and acquitted themselves well. RU has stumbled when playing better opposition, although their home win versus Wisconsin was a positive step for Steve Pikiell’s guys, who lost at pre-season Big Ten favorite Michigan State by 12.

Hockey—the Islanders righted themselves after a rugged stretch on the road and swept two games in Florida. Barry Trotz is a fine coach and he will make the Isles into serious contenders for the Stanley Cup. The Rangers are in a rebuilding phase and there have been good wins and questionable losses. The Devils are forgettable. And management too felt they had to fire their coach in the early going. 

Mets fans have some real good things happening. Manager Carlos Beltran, for one. The restructuring of the Cespedes contact. Picking up starting pitchers Michael Wacha and Rick Porcello, the latter a Seton Hall Prep star and former Cy Young Award winner with Boston. There is a good centerfielder plucked from Houston in Jake Marisnick.  The nucleus is there. Brodie Van Wagenen is starting to put together a roster which has more promise than in the past two years. Ownership will be changing shortly, perhaps loosening the tight pursestrings. Loyal Mets followers have genuine optimism, not the false beliefs of the past.

Yankees fans feel like they have hit the jackpot. Lifetime Yankees fan Gerrit Cole is theirs. For 9 years and $324 million. The rotation is now Cole, Luis Severino, James Paxton, Masahiro Tanaka, Jordan Montgomery and Domingo German after his MLB ban is lifted. Sure Didi Gregorius is now reunited with Joe Girardi in Philadelphia. Gleyber Torres will fill that role as he continues to slug his way through MLB pitching. MLB All Star D.J. LeMehieu now has a semi-permanent home at second base. Brett Gardner is back for $12 million, to keep the center field position warm until Aaron Hicks returns from Tommy John surgery. Sure Austin Romine has received over $4 million to become the Detroit Tigers starting catcher; Gary Sanchez needs to have a monster season with the lineup that the Yankees will put on the field and learn to catch the best pitchers in baseball. 

To Yankees fans, the road to the World Series goes through Yankee Stadium. They just might be right.

And Greg Schiano is making a splash, flying around in his helicopter, getting recruits to listen and actually change their verbal commitments to have the chance to play at Rutgers. Nobody has more enthusiasm than Greg Schiano. Rooms light up with his presence. Stadiums too. 

It’s a good time to be a Scarlet Knights booster. Football is on the upswing. Basketball is taking steps towards a post-season tournament. RU Wrestling is a top 20 squad. The Women’s Basketball team under the guidance of Hall of Fame Coach C. Vivian Stringer is starting out well. New Jerseyans are feeling pretty good for themselves, even with the misfortunes of the Devils, Giants and Jets.

Let’s go on to the NFL. After watching another magnificent performance by Baltimore Ravens QB Lamar Jackson, one where the Jets could not really stop him, the M.V.P. trophy is  his, even with 2 games left. He literally ran past Michael Vick’s rushing record; the guy can throw but he runs and looks like a running back and a wideout. 

Thus, the questions that will be settled in the playoffs are: whether the Ravens are one the greatest teams of all time? Similarly, how good is Kansas City in comparison to its AFC rival? Is New England not going to make it past their first game the way they have been playing lately?  Will the NFC East produce a team with a .500 record or below as its winner, to probably go out in the Wild Card round? Can Tennessee sustain its momentum with Ryan Tannehill at QB, charging into the playoffs? Is San Francisco or Seattle the best of the NFC? Can Green Bay knock off teams to reach the Super Bowl? Are Pittsburgh and Buffalo going to be knocked out of the playoffs with their remaining schedule, which includes a tussle at Heinz Field? Could Minnesota or Chicago catch the Packers? Will the Rams resurgence get them into the playoffs? Can one of the following teams actually win out and get some luck from above—Cleveland, Denver and the Colts?

The NFL schedule makers have done a pretty good job for the last two weeks of the season. For Week 16, there is the Saturday triple header. First the Texans visit the Buccaneers, with a lot on the line for Houston. The top two teams in the AFC East, New England and Buffalo get together at 4:30 in Gillette Stadium. The finale has the Rams pitted against the 49’ers in a game with huge playoff implications. Sunday’s tilts include the Jets hosting the Steelers, the Saints meet the Titans in Nashville, Dallas and the Eagles have their NFC showdown in Philadelphia and the Bears host the Chiefs. Monday night the Packers and Vikings are live indoors from Minnesota. Rumor has it that the New Orleans-Tennessee matchup might be flexed to Sunday night.

For as good as they did in Week 16, the season finale has very few direct matches of consequence. The 49’ers travel to Seattle, and playoff positions may already have been decided. Ditto with the Titans and Texans closing out the regular season in Houston. Bears-Vikings could be impactful depending on how the two teams fare in their two previous contests. 

I thought that the idea of Denver Head Coach Vic Fangio to realign the NFL schedule by eliminating divisions, playing a conference schedule of 15 opponents then having the final game against a natural rival from the other conference—Jets-Giants, Cowboys-Texans, Eagles-Steelers, Chargers-Rams, etc., was refreshing if not impossible. He is correct that presently the schedule leads to too many inequities and the top teams in the conferences feed off of playing the losing teams in their division twice a year.

A modification of the NFL schedule is necessary. I like playing a former division rival only once a year. Then, perhaps, play two of the divisions in the conference, for a total of 11 games so far. Then add in 4 games from the other conference and a final rivalry game which Fangio advocates. Then you have some interesting and important games. 

An example of this would be the Jets. They play New England, Buffalo and Miami on a home and home basis every two years. They could then play the AFC South and AFC West in a two year home and home cycle. You would have games against one division two consecutive years. Give them the NFC West with San Francisco, Seattle, the Chargers and Raiders on a two year home and home set. Plus add that rivalry crossover game against the Giants—home on the year they play 1 AFC East enemy and away in the year they meet two division foes.

This way season ticket holders are not deprived by seeing Pat Mahomes or Lamar Jackson too little—even if the Chiefs and Ravens are from another division or conference. Believe me, I could have benefitted seeing the Patriots and Tom Brady one fewer time a year. It might have made the Miami schedule of back-to-back away games with the Jets and Giants and home for the Bengals less likely.

The idea for change in the NFL is a good one. Maybe, as they survey the horrible officiating that has permeated this NFL schedule, the talking heads at NFL Headquarters in New York can turn their attention to some more meritorious changes that will further peak fan interest  and thrill the network partners at CBS, FOX, NBC and ESPN.

Just another dream for a NY/NJ fan who has the awesome Yankees, up and coming Rutgers and the disappointing Jets, Knicks and Devils on his plate (not to mention the Warriors dismal season marred by so many injuries). This is what we think about this holiday season. 

Watch some college hoops this weekend—some in-state  and former and new rivalries are on the tube—Memphis-Tennessee, SHU-RU, Georgetown-Syracuse and Gonzaga-Arizona, for example. The annual Army-Navy football game is also on TV; guaranteed to be a loud, hard-hitting affair. Add into the mix some good NFL games. Those are the ingredients for a nice sports viewers’ weekend. 

Or just sit back and be vigilant as to when Amazon is going to deliver another package which won’t be snatched by a porch pirate. You can decide which you prefer. 

A Lack of Expertise?

He’s back!! Officially, that is. Greg Schiano’s huge contract (yet middling by general standards within the Power 5 conferences for head coaches) was approved by the Rutgers Board of Governors in a pro forma vote on Tuesday. On Wednesday Schiano gave the Scarlet Nation what they wanted to hear—a rousing speech that made them believers again, even if the road ahead is the most arduous path ever faced by a Rutgers football coach.

For now, Schiano has just one assistant—Nunzio Campanile, interim head coach and former head man at Bergen Catholic. A wise and astute move that certainly will be approved by the high school coaches in New Jersey, who detested Chris Ash, Schiano’s predecessor. He also is going to try to bring some former players active in the coaching ranks back to Piscataway.

Schiano is talking with those who entered the transfer portal, trying to have them remain at Rutgers and buy into his vision of the future. Former starting QB Artur Sitkowski was the first to return to the fold. 

The recruiting period ends in two weeks. He is actively working the New Jersey connections he had established, along with returning to Florida, a place where he successfully mined talent in his first gig at RU.

While the sky is the limit in his mindset, the reality facing Schiano is grim. His positive energy and enthusiasm will be both proactive and entertaining. What would make the faithful happiest would be some wins next season in the Big Ten, ending the second longest drought in conference history. 

I, like those who cheer for the Scarlet Knights, can only hope that Schiano is the savior of Rutgers football. Next season isn’t soon enough.

Embattled Athletic Director Pat Hobbs and Schiano were all happiness at the Wednesday press conference. Maybe they can make their shotgun marriage work—Hobbs joked that they can meet for dinner on November 30, as each was hired on that date. But the fact is that Hobbs faces a daunting challenge to secure the necessary funding for the buildings and improvements Schiano made a mainstay of his demands. 

Despite the votes of confidence by Schiano and Rutgers President Robert Barchi, a faculty group has called for Hobbs to be fired for the way he had conducted himself in the past—including his profanity-laced rebuke of a reporter and the controversy surrounding the softball team. While this group has its own motives in procuring considerable pay raises and benefits for the RU professors, they also would have liked to have seen RU remain at the level it was in the 1960’s and 70’s—playing Lafayette, Lehigh, Colgate, Princeton and a host of other FCS teams. Which is never going to happen.

So there is a lot to watch as RU football goes forward into the 2020 season. How Schiano and Hobbs work as a team is the central tenet. Or does Hobbs leave and RU brings in a new man who can fundraise and watch over his department in a manner consistent with what observers expect. Stay tuned. The drama is just getting started.

The college football championships are upon us. Such garbage. For so many years the regular season meant so much. Now, claiming inequities in scheduling due to larger conference memberships, these extra games provide revenue and are a way to define the four entrants into the CFP as well as setting the bowl game lineups. 

I find it hard to believe that the formula used by the FCS, Division II and III cannot be workable for the big boys. High schools have their formulas in every state to determine champions. Why is it so difficult to add just 4 more teams to the mix? It can be sold to the bowl games who take the 5-8 teams on a rotating basis, notwithstanding the Rose Bowl’s insistence to playing only on January 1 when not in the CFP.

Alabama’s baffling loss to Auburn based on poor play and penalties put the Crimson Tide out the playoff picture. The bigger question is whether Tua Tagoavailoa returns for his senior year. He is on the record saying that if he was a top-10 pick in the NFL Draft, it “would be hard to pass up.” With his injury record, it is a big question whether an NFL team will take him in the top-10. Then what? Play and hope that his stock rises with an injury-free 2020 season? He has some tough decisions to make—which I believe will point him in the direction of the NFL.

In the FCS, most of the big names have survived or in the case of the top 8, received first round byes. Austin Peay, Sacramento State, Monmouth, James Madison, Northern Iowa, North Dakota State, Montana and Montana State, Illinois State, Central Arkansas, South Dakota State, Kennesaw State, Albany, Southeastern Louisiana, Nicholls and Northern Iowa are all in the hunt.

Division II saw top-ranked and first seed Valdosta State eliminated last weekend. Five teams ranked in the final Top 10 poll are gone. Slippery Rock plays Notre Dame in the quarter finals—Notre Dame of Ohio.

Mount Union, the D III school with 20 appearances in the championship game in 24 years, uncharacteristically lost in the second round. The other teams who have won the DIII prize in this century, Wisconsin-Whitewater and Mary Hardin-Baylor, play in Texas this weekend. Two schools from Illinois, Wheaton and North Central are still in the picture. Three Eastern schools, Salisbury, Muhlenberg and Delaware Valley also are still playing; Muhlenberg and Salisbury meet in Maryland. The last remaining school is St. John’s from Minnesota.

Rutgers men’s basketball went on the road for its first campus visit of the season. Inconsistent play in the first half and then again in the second half after an early rally put Coach Steve Pikiell’s squad ahead at Pitt in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge turned a potential victory into a defeat.

Up next is a road contest at Michigan State, the favorite in the Big Ten, even if Coach Tom Izzo’s troops haven’t fared as well in the early going. Then a home date against Wisconsin, followed by Seton Hall coming into the RAC next Saturday. The team will almost welcome the December 22nd game versus Lafayette followed by the December 30th contest with D III Caldwell before playing the remainder of the schedule against Big Ten foes. 

The inconsistency of play has been a hallmark of the early season. The blowout of Niagara was more the aberration than the norm. Plus I feel that the team will be much stronger at home, perhaps giving some of the top tier visitors a tough time, as opposed to struggling on the road. 

Yet this formula could put RU into play for an NIT bid if they can secure enough home victories in conference play plus sneak in a win or two on the road. It is early December—there are a lot of games to be played.

The topsy turvy nature of DI men’s basketball was demonstrated in the aforementioned ACC/Big Ten Challenge. The Big 10 won the 2019 installment by a count of 8 to 6. The ACC leads the annual event started in 1999 by a 12-6 margin with 3 years ending up in a tie. 

#7 North Carolina was blown out at home by #6 Ohio State. The 74-49 score was somewhat indicative of how bad it was for the Tar Heels. #1 Louisville throttled visiting #4 Michigan. Purdue dominated #5 Virginia 69-40. #3 Maryland demolished Notre Dame by 21. NC State beat Wisconsin by 15. #10 Duke (the Blue Devils fell that much after the loss to Stephen F. Austin) won in East Lansing by an 87-75 margin over #11 Michigan State. Other winners besides these mentioned above and Pitt were ACC schools Miami and Georgia Tech, with Big Ten teams from Northwestern, Penn State, Indiana, Iowa and Minnesota also on the plus side.

Unlike Big Ten football, which to me may be a tad overrated, the Big Ten has some formidable teams in men’s hoops. Conference play is starting soon for most schools—the 18 game schedule and then the tournament in Indianapolis will be a truer test of how good the conference schools really are.

Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks basketball update—they visit 3-4 Alabama in Tuscaloosa. Niagara won its first game of the season, downing Norfolk State 65-61 on the road. I am following these two schools that Rutgers downed to see how good or bad they end up this year.

F&M men’s basketball, perennially a Centennial Conference powerhouse under legendary coach Glenn Robinson, has struggled out of the gate, perhaps due to the absence of Robinson from the sidelines hastened by his sudden retirement just before the team’s first game. Swarthmore, Johns Hopkins, Gettysburg, Dickinson, Muhlenberg and Ursinus may be stronger than the Diplomats. Washington College has given F&M fits as has Mc Daniel. Haverford is improved, too. Could the Diplomats tumble all the way to the CC cellar?

The Yankees have supposedly opened the vault to offer a gigantic contract to former Astros hurler Gerrit Cole. Cole has indicated that while he grew up in California and attended UCLA, he does not have a bias against playing in the East. The 29 year old has emerged as one of the top pitchers in baseball and he was a Yankees fan as a child. Can the Steinbrenner’s, GM Brian Cashman and manager Aaron Boone land this prized pitcher like they did with the recently-retired C.C. Sabathia or in years gone by, secure the likes of Hall of Famer Catfish Hunter? If they do sign Cole, this will undoubtedly change the dynamic within the American League and make the pennant-starved Yankees the prohibitive favorite to win the A.L. and the World Series—if they remain healthier than in 2019.

In other baseball news, the Tampa Bay Rays have given up on their plan to play some home contests in Montreal. Good. I hope that they can secure a long-term commitment from St. Petersburg or they head elsewhere after 2027. The team has been a good one, but the struggles at the box office are unending.

The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim have agreed to purchase the stadium and land surrounding the ballpark while committing to remaining there through 2050. Whether the Angels redesign the existing ballpark—one of the uglier venues in my estimation—or build a gleaming new edifice and develop the land they purchased is a win win for all sides, including Major League Baseball.

On the pro football scene, the woeful Jets and Giants are in the news. Baffling those who thought the Jets were on track and would win the majority of their remaining games, they laid a big egg in Cincinnati as the Bengals thoroughly outplayed them en route to securing their first win of the season. The Jets hold the dubious distinction of giving Miami and Cincinnati their first wins of the year. And it is the Dolphins who visit Met Life Stadium this Sunday. Will the Jets team that handled Dallas and Oakland reemerge or will the team which lost to the Dolphins and Bengals be present?

With the Giants, they have a Monday Night Football game in Philadelphia against the 5-7 Eagles, who, amazingly are in the hunt for the NFC crown along with 6-7 Dallas. What makes this game interesting from both a national and local standpoint is the return of Eli Manning under center. Daniel Jones is nursing a high ankle sprain and is in a walking boot, necessitating Manning to play. I am rooting for Eli to rally the troops and stun the Eagles at the Linc. Probably wishful thinking, but it is a nice storyline about a woefully inept team.

Tom Brady and the Patriots host Pat Mahomes and Kansas City. Brady is suffering from an elbow injury, which is apparently impeding his throwing, something a 42 year old, even if he is the G.O.A.T., cannot readily overcome. Saddled with kicking problems when Nick Folk went out with an appendectomy, the Patriots are the worst 10-2 team I have seen in awhile.

An interesting game is Baltimore at Buffalo. Will the Ravens have a hangover from their last-second home win in the rain against the 49’ers? The Bills are a solid and potentially dangerous 9-3 team. This is a good test for both squads.

A final pro football note. My daughter and I are entrants in a football pool at an unnamed media conglomerate. We had never won the weekly pool, and we finished in the top three in the overall pool a couple of times. 

That changed the last two weeks. We have won two in a row. We sweated out the Ravens-Rams debacle because the Ravens needed to score a lot of points. This past week’s Seattle victory over the Vikings was even more nerve-racking. 

Nobody has won three in a row. I cannot be greedy, even if I would like to be. Dallas losing to Chicago Thursday night didn’t improve my chances (those Bears uniforms were hideous). 

This sudden bit of luck doesn’t make me an expert. Far from it. It sure is fun to have a horse in the race; it made a bleak Monday night after a Jets loss to the Bengals more exciting.

Those who know me would have seriously questioned my sanity if I had said I have never suffered from a lack of expertise.