It is the first full weekend of Summer. No titles have been won or lost this past week, although we have determined that Michigan and Vanderbilt are the two remaining teams in the College World Series as they square off in a best-of-three series in Omaha to determine the last collegiate championship from the 2018-19 academic year. The Women’s World Cup enters the knockout rounds, with the United States still the favorite after defeating rival Sweden 2-0.
The NBA and NHL Drafts are over. Zion Williamson went to New Orleans as expected. In some shrewd trading, the Pelicans acquired three more first round picks. With Anthony Davis gone to the Lakers (finally!!), Coach Alvin Gentry received a contract extension and has a sleek, younger, running team more suited to his style. Plus they still have a very fine guard in Jrue Holiday, who can score and has been on the NBA All-Defensive Team twice. As the Pelicans’ GM David Griffin stated (and Griffin has some serious credibility as the architect of the Cleveland Cavaliers’ success), it is Holiday’s team, not Zion’s. Williamson does not have to be a savior, according to Griffin. Query to Griffin: was Lebron not a savior?
Free agency is next on tap for many NBA players. A rumor regarding Kevin Durant has him resigning with Golden State in a sign and trade deal, allowing the Warriors to receive something in return for Durant should he leave the Bay Area. More rumors abound on Kyrie Irving’s landing spot—the Nets or Lakers? And the intrigue remains as to where Kawhi Leonard will be next season—the Los Angeles Clippers or if he stays with the Raptors for a year.
The Lakers continue to be a disaster with Anthony Davis heading West. With the trade, the credible NBA players on the Lakers are Lebron James and Kyle Kuzma. To anoint them as the NBA West favorites without knowing more is silly.
Then again, the dysfunction in Houston is palpable. Chris Paul and James Harden don’t like each other (maybe it is over the State Farm commercial where Harden destroys Paul’s microwave and his kitchen, then denies culpability?) and Paul allegedly requested a trade, which he denied. No wonder why Rockets’ Head Coach Mike D’Antoni is still renegotiating his contract—who wants to babysit those juveniles for another season without adequate compensation?
With the Knicks, poor R.J. Barrett was inundated with questions as to how will he lead the Knicks back to prominence. Barrett, the overall number three pick out of Duke, answered the media by saying he hasn’t played a game yet. I sense he will be good, but the team will stink again.
The New Jersey Devils picked Jack Hughes from the US Men’s Development Team as the overall number one selection. From what I have read, this young man plays over his head for his age and experience and is more like Jack Armstrong and Sidney Crosby than anyone else. He is a can’t miss prospect. NewJersey still needs to resign Taylor Hall, who was injured most of last season after being chosen as the NHL’s top player in 2017-18. Moreover, the Devils traded with Nashville to obtain bruising PK Subban and sent former first rounder John Quenneville to Chicago for a player named John Hayden.
The New York Rangers had the second pick and they selected another can’t miss player named Kaapo Kaaka. They too will be interesting to watch in the upcoming season, as the Rangers have made numerous trades and drafted keenly to restock the team. The rivalry among the Metropolitan Area teams will be that much more intense in 2019-20.
Thus, on the first weekend of summer, I am fortunate enough to have a friend who thinks like I do and loves his sports. You may have seen me answer Fan X in some of my blogs. Fan X is a Mets, Knicks, Jets and Syracuse Orange fan who craves to sit near to the action. Fan X and I have gone to baseball games together in Shea Stadium, Citi Field, the old Yankee Stadium and our legendary one day trips to Baltimore. The guy is an animal on the roadways and has not yet missed a start of a game, even if we were seriously close in Baltimore, walking into Oriole Park as the first pitch was thrown when the Cardinals met the Orioles in a game for the birds…We have seen the Mets and Yankees home and away; the Tigers and Justin Verlander (with an added perk of seeing Ravens Coach John Harbaugh in the stands); hundreds of buses lined up by the stadiums which brought Phillies’ fans to pack the park; Cleveland and Texas among others. He even has an Orioles cap which he breaks out every time we are inside Camden Yards. We hardly have seen a blowout and we even had an extra inning Adam Jones walk off homer. Fan X marveled last year watching the Yankees bomb away against the woeful Orioles. For good measure, we sat through a torrential rain storm in the parking lot of Citizens Bank Park awaiting the Mets and Phillies.
Fan X loves his food—from Boog’s BBQ and the crab cakes in Baltimore, to the steaks we devoured in Manhattan en route to see the Mets play or the cheesesteaks in Philly. When we go to Jets’ games each year, he loves his Millburn Deli sub while we roast out in the parking lot 2+ hours before the game starts.
Fan X does not get cheated when he goes to a game. Which is why he is mad at the Mets, because they won’t offer him a partial season package with good seats. Our seats in Baltimore have been close to the action. Which he loves. It makes him feel like part of the event, although he can do without the Oriole mascot on top of the dugout…He even likes our high up seats in Met Life Stadium, as he can see the game develop at a reasonable speed.
This year it was the Yankees and the Houston Astros. A good choice. Two of the top three teams in the American League. A relatively full house at Yankee Stadium, energized by a New York 7 game winning streak, the return of Giancarlo Stanton and Aaron Judge to the lineup and the addition of Edwin Encarnacion, tied for the lead in A.L. home runs with now teammate Gary Sanchez.
We left Springfield at almost 5:00 and we were inside the Stadium by 6:00. This was with Fan X skirting the reenactment of the Battle of Springfield going on this weekend, weaving in and out of traffic on the NJ Turnpike, the George Washington Bridge, Cross Bronx and Major Deegan Expressways, although a late signaling New York driver nearly sheared off the driver’s side of his SUV. Leaving I-95 to take Route 46 to the GW Bridge always has its advantages. The man is a genius on the roadways in New York, as I have been with him when we did some amazing things to get to Citi Field. I trust Fan X with my life, with good reason.
After consuming a Guacamole Black Bean burger and avocado dots, we were in our seats in plenty of time for the 6:58 P.M. National Anthem. Since it was one of three regional Games the Week on FOX, the start time was pushed back to 7:15. The late arriving crowd was revved up and ready. Yankee Stadium was awash in sunlight in the right field stands and bleachers, appearing majestic in its regal beauty.
Our pitching matchup was right hander Masahiro Tanaka for New York and lefty Wade Miley on the mound for the Astros. For 4 innings, it was a pitching matchup that put a lot of zeroes on the scoreboard. Miley changed speeds effectively and baffled the big swingers on the Yankees. Tanaka had difficulty in the strike zone but managed to limit the struggling Houston lineup to three hits through four innings, while Miley had no hit the Yankees. Miley lost his perfect game in the fourth inning when Astros centerfielder Jake Marisnick inexplicably dropped a routine Luke Voit liner and then right fielder Josh Reddick whiffed on his throw as he attempted to get the ball back into the infield. Two errors on one play. Fortunately for the Astros, Voit was stranded at second.
With his perfect game ended, Miley walked slumping Yankees center fielder Aaron Hicks before surrendering his first hit—a line drive homer just over the right field wall off the bat of the marvelous rookie third baseman Gio Ursela. The Astros stormed back in the sixth inning when Tanaka again lost control of the strike zone and gave up a redeeming two run homer to Reddick to tie the score.
New York countered in the bottom of that inning with a two run single by Stanton, after Miley had been taken out of the game by Houston manager A.J. Hicks. With this kind of wild game, Houston got the best of usually strong Yankee reliever, Jonathan Holder, culminating in a massive three run shot by rookie phenom Yordy Alvarez into the right field stands.
After the seventh inning stretch and no Kate Smith singing “God Bless America,” New York rallied, first on a line shot to right off of the bat of backup catcher Austin Romine to tie the game, then another two run single by Stanton to put New York ahead for good. Adam Ottavino and Zach Britton did not allow the Astros to score in the last two innings even after having surrendered a combined 5 walks.
Beside the blooper highlight reel performance by the Astros outfield, there were some shining fielding gems by Voit, two inning ending putouts at third base and a charging pick up and throw by Urshela, a great throw by Judge to gun down first baseman Tyler White as he attempted to stretch a hit into double a leaping catch at the left field wall by Stanton, plus a very odd catcher’s interference call with Judge at bat in the eight inning.
The Yankees are alone in first place. Their record is second best in the A.L. after the surprising Minnesota Twins. The team has slugged to a team record 26 games with a home run, which is one short of the MLB mark. They are led by catcher Gary Sanchez and second baseman Gleybar Torres, who became the first Yankee teammates to hit home runs in three consecutive games—quite an accomplishment in New York Yankees history. Neither Sanchez or Torres played on Saturday night, with manager Aaron Boone resting them and ultimately pushing the right buttons once again.
New York still has its problems. Outfielder Cameron Maybin, who stayed with the team when Judge was added to the roster, has suffered a hamstring injury which will sideline him for a month. The pitching is thin—Tanaka was okay but not great. James Paxton and J.A. Happ have started to look better. C.C. Sabathia finally won his 250th career victory against the Rays.
Yes, the Yankees employ a Tampa Bay stratagem for the fifth starter, utilizing reliever Chad Green to go two innings and rookie Nestor Cortez, Jr. to follow up unit the remainder of the bullpen can take over. The latter has worked thus far but is very risky; Cortez may be shuttling back and forth to Triple A in roster moves every 4-5 days. And the bullpen is wearing thinner and thinner as the middle portion of the season is here.
The Yankees have three games at home with Toronto before heading to London to face the villainous Boston Red Sox in a two game series, the first regular season games played outside of North America. When they come back, the Yankees are thrust into to two games at Citi Field versus the Mets, then a four game swing to St. Petersburg before the All-Star break. While the Yankees are winning, the team looks tired.
Talking about a team that must be tired. That would be Houston. Currently on a 7 game losing skid after Saturday’s loss, they miss OF George Springer, SS Carlos Correa and reliever Collin McHugh. The leading hits producer over the past few years is Jose Altuve, and he was out for more than 30 games. His bat is cold. Only OF Michael Brantley and pitchers Justin Verlander and Gerrit Cole have excelled. Yet don’t pity Houston—the Astros have a 49-30 record, which is not too shabby after defeating New York on Sunday with a barrage of four homers including one from Altuve to stop their losing streak while halting the Yankees winning at 8.
With the exception of closer Aroldis Chapman, no Yankees pitcher looks like he may head to Cleveland as an A.L. All-Star. Six position players could make it there as starters or reserves—Sanchez, Voit, Torres, D.J. LaMahieu, Urshela and Judge. No rest for the weary, who will be tired from the first half of the season, then the trip to England and the games away from New York.
Sunday marked the 73rd Old Timers’ Day at Yankee Stadium. Starting right with the introduction of the widows of Bobby Murcer, Jim “Catfish” Hunter, Thruman Munson among others, the cheers resonated for the Yankee greats and role players, from Scott Kaminicki to Jerry Hairston to Tino Martinez, Chris Chambliss, Bernie Williams, David Wells and more. Big cheers went to Lou Piniella, Aaron Boone, YES broadcasters David Cone, John Flaherty and Paul O’Neill, 1978 hero Bucky Dent, Reggie Jackson to name a few. The loudest ovations went to Don Larsen, who pitched the only perfect game in World Series history and used his walker to get to his seat, and Hall of Fame pitcher Mariano Rivera, who will enter Cooperstown later this summer. A great picture was taken with the three Yankees to have thrown perfect games—Larsen, Cone and Wells.
How many franchises can do what the Yankees can do in an Old Timers Day? That they can supply all Yankees is a change from my youth when opposing players were honored. While it is not a bucket list item, I thoroughly enjoy watching the event in my den.
More baseball to talk about. Max Scherzer is headed to the Hall of Fame. He is the consummate strike out artist and has garnered multiple Cy Young Awards (3), to go with his two no hitters and two immaculate innings, a 20 strikeout performance, 6 All-Star selections and is the the three time reigning N.L. strikeout leader. But the Washington Nationals ace accomplished something that defies description. He broke his nose in bunting practice on Tuesday then authored a shut out with 10 strikeouts in 7 innings against the Phillies the next night.
The N.L. East has become up for grabs. The vaunted Philadelphia lineup is not producing—do I hear rumblings about a managerial change? Atlanta, last year’s champs, has come alive. As have the Nationals and even the Mets are within wild card distance. Pete Alonso, New York’s rookie first baseman is hitting homers at a record pace before the All-Star game. He appears to be a legitimate star.
Finally, Albert Pujols returned to St. Louis this weekend for the first time since he took his bat and glove to Anaheim. Pujols still has charitable ties to the city and is beloved by the Cardinals fans. Those fans showered him with their love and even had him return to the field for a curtain call and more cheers after hitting a homer on Saturday. So nice to see.
My thanks to Fan X for making the start to summer so great and enduring the pain that ensued with a temporary crown that he received on Friday. A real trouper, Fan X tried to mask the discomfort until he was on the Henry Hudson Parkway as we traversed homeward on Saturday night. The man is a beast—but his confident ego will tell you that is so anyway.
Baseball sure beats my attacking the overgrown shrubs which my soon-to-be former landscaper has ignored and which will leave me coughing violently and wheezing for the rest of the day, even with the plethora of medications I take to control the allergies.
Welcome to Summer 2019. Revel in it for what it presents. I am sure having fun thus far, minus the shrubs. For me, summer begins when Fan X and I are on the road and in a ballpark. That is my personal harbinger of Summer.
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